Daniel P. Henry

Pictures from Ukraine

2010-07-13T02:12:00.008-06:00

Having trouble uploading pictures with the low bandwidth connection. I will post them here as I can though. In the mean time here is a picture of the team:

Here is the end of the window washer skit. Those well versed in the skit know that the bucket dumped on the kids has candy in it. We did this earlier in the week. However the last day we had a water day so we did the skit again and all the kids expectantly waiting for the candy were soaked. Well done Melanie and Harrison:

Lori and Mel helped cover Harrison, Devin, and Eric with shaving cream for a game where the kids throw wet sponges at their team leaders:

Naked Angel Babies

2009-08-25T11:30:00.006-06:00

As I came back from India and began contemplating what God was doing inside of me I got into a discussion with a friend about 'christian' art. I expressed my disinterest with it as unrealistic and missing the point. Though I can hardly call Rafael's The Triumph of Galatea uninteresting I believe there is a piece of it that reveals my frustration so clearly: the Putti. Putti, also known as naked angel babies were originally images painted on the tombs of children who died in the 2nd century (see Wikipedia). More of a mythical idea than anything. When the renaissance began they started becoming more and more the image of angels and religion in General. They look cute, innocent, and an unblemished (and incorrect) form of beauty. As people within the church step out into art they often make the mistake of focusing purly on the idealistic christian principles and distant, even incomplete worship.

As my friend challenged my view I began to remember my short week of travels through India. My thoughts were something along the lines of "if I were a poet what would I write about my trip to India." I would not write about some ethereal distant God who graced me to speak, pray, or breath. I would tell the story of the prostitute's I saw lining the streets. I would not draw a picture of an unblemished angel baby, I would paint a portrait of the prostitutes child who lives an an orphanage with 20 other children, only able to see here mother and brother for a few hours every Saturday, and without a father altogether. I would attempt, even vainly, to describe the pain and suffering of her heart and dare to call it beautiful. I wouldn't draw pictures of pointless and powerless hero's who always seem to do everything right, but the imperfect pastors, teachers, and social workers who just want to do something to help those in need and dream of changing a nation despite their own frailties.

I shared with an American volunteer I met in India that I had to get out of the country at least once a year. "Why?" she honestly asked. I was somewhat confused by the question as she had spent the last two years working in India with children who were picked up from the railroad station abandoned and often abused. I had so much trouble putting my thoughts into words but ultimately this was the reason: I can't bear to live in the American sanctuary. I can't bear to be surrounded by people who know nothing of life outside the pleasure seeking society of the states. I must be reminded of what God has called me to do and why my heart breaks for the nations.

Lord God, grace me with the honor of stepping out of this country and serving the children and people of another nation. Don't let me forget the true image of your grace, righteousness, and truth.

India

2009-08-14T06:36:00.009-06:00

I am sitting in the airport in Colorado Springs preparing to board a small express jet. As I look over the mountain-scape of the springs a surreal feeling comes over me. I realize that since January of this year I have been planning my trip to Mumbai, India.

Two lessons thrust through the excitement and intensity of the moment. Lesson that seem to have been the theme of my last few weeks of preparation: The lesson of embracing change, and the lesson of the love of God.

Change seems to be a recent thrust on my journey. It began when I started reading a book that I had heard about a few years ago, Who Moved My Cheese. One of my roommates presented the book to me along with a stack of other non-fiction 'essentials' that I had not yet had the privilege to read. I read it somewhat skeptically as I thought I had what I needed to handle change. I have a great attitude towards it and always enjoy and look for it. I suppose that skepticism should have been my first indicator that there is something more to this 'random' book reading. Within a few days of reading the small antidotal book I had a 2-3hour conversation with a couple of old friends. The thrust of the conversation: purpose. For a brief moment I shared my annoyance with where I am in my life. Stable is the the best description of my current life and that bothers me. And two responses developed from my friends: 1. Stable is good if your where God has called you to be, 2. Find the purpose for why you are where you are at. I have searched often to understand why I am blessed with a stable job, good friends, a ministry to and with amazing people and have yet to clearly understand the season I am in. With all this said it may seem unusually I place these events in categories of change and even more unusual that I suggest change as a current lesson in my life. I agree. But I can't shake the overwhelming thrust on my life of lessons of change. Is God preparing me for change, is change going to require I take a larger risk than ever before. Is change just an encouraging reminder that I am not here forever? In which case India is a reminder of what I will be ultimately doing. I pray the lord continues the work in my life preparing me for and pushing me towards change.

The love of God has been underlying my walk since I came to Colorado Springs. I did not realize this until recently but I am starting to see that God has been taking me through a process of seeing his unconditional love. I have traveled through the depths of my heart to see my own depravity, wrestled against it with all my might and alas arrived and the conclusion that I can do nothing. And just as I come to God disappointed, bruised, and broken He pours out His love in a way incomprehensible. Why? I would occasionally ask. Because I love you. Then in a desire to earn this great love I go through the entire process again. Alas I have given up on trying to earn it and alas I finally begin to understand that he has been trying to get me to this place for some time. And now I go to India where I will see those who have never felt real love in their lives and know little or nothing of the love of God. I pray that the Lord breaks my heart for these and teaches me to love them just as he loves them.

I leave with my friends paring words in my ears: "When you see these people in the wretched state that they are in, would you give your life that they could have theirs?"

Broken and Beautiful

2009-04-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

I recently went to a live recording of a worship album by The Jeremy Burk Band. The title of the night was "Broken and Beautiful." I didn't really understand this title nor did I car as I knew the worship would be awesome either way. It wasn't until halfway through the night that I suddenly understood what it was all about.

I suddenly realized while I was on my face, prostrate before God, that the title of this night is the title of the season God is taking me through in my life. I wrote the following journal entry down as the revelation of this season of my life unfolded.

It's where he wants us. Riches, health, signs, wonders, joys, revelations, talents, gifts they are nothing more than the side-effect of a broken heart. It's been said (by who I do not know) that "some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." I believe God always operates in this third kind. that as we come broken before God, so conscious not necessarily of our frailties but of our need for Him, then we will receive the fullness of who we are, with the gifts and promises He has for us.

I hear one person talk about the importance of brokenness and how we should afflict ourselves and pray for it and I hear another speak of how wrong it is to wish disaster upon oneself in the name of piety. I believe both stem from a wrong understanding of brokenness. Brokenness is not a revelation of our own depravity, but a revelation of our need for Him.

Why Am I Doing Childrens' Ministry?

2009-03-30T15:06:00.010-06:00

For four months now I have been ministering to the children at my church. The strange thing about it is I am terrible at it. I am not just mustering up false humility or anything like that, I truly believe I am bad at ministering to children. I am stiff. Kids don't like stiff people. They like people who will get down on their level and play with them.

I reflect back on my life and I was never really a part of the "Childrens' Ministry" or "Youth Ministry" or anything in between. Why? Because I was board. Because I didn't enjoy singing goofy songs and coloring pictures. I enjoyed teaching. So while much of my generation was being amused by the church I was sitting with my parents in the regular services listening to sermons. I am not just writing this to reminisce or vent, I am getting to a point.

The word muse is a Greek word that means to think, to contemplate. When the prefix 'a' is attached to it, it becomes Amuse which means the absence of thinking (Thank-you Matt Finley for pointing this out to me). It is easy enough to see where this is directed but first one more story.

I meet regularly with a Jr. High student through Big Brother Big Sister. It has been a sobering experience of leaning what the public schools and family structure looks like today. At one meeting I met his parents and two brothers. I was appalled when I heard the way he spoke to his mother. At one point I almost called him out on it until I heard his mothers response. The dialog looked something like this:
Student: Hey mom this is Daniel, you can tell him about all your problems
Mother: I will tell you about all my problems two are walking out the door (referring to his two younger brothers) and one is standing right next to me (referring to the student that was speaking)

The conclusion of the event is this: Until the church stoppes trying to amuse the children they see as nothing more than their problem they will continue to die out. Why has the church lost so much influence in the last 100 years. Why is it that Ron Luce can tell us that less than 4% of the generations below the age of 18 are true followers of Christ. Because in a society where Children are the problem the church has adopted the solution of amusing the children until they are either old enough to pay tithes or have left the church completely (ridding the church of it's problems).

My passion is to see disciples of all nations and I am learning more and more as I work with children that it must start with them. And it can not start by amusing them, it must start by teaching them how to connect with God. It occurs to me that I am ministering to children (not doing "childrens' ministry") because God didn't want someone who was going to amuse the children to keep the problems out of the sanctuary. He wanted someone who genuinely loves them and wants to see them connect on a heart level to their maker.

Is God Worth It?

2009-03-17T15:42:00.005-06:00

Until today it was relatively easy to commit to this fast. Today I am reminded regularly of my fast as I think about a scene from a movie or a non-christian song that I have enjoyed in the past. The question I ask myself now is, is it worth it?

Is it worth putting aside the pleasures of this world to draw closer to God? If I was to look through the lens of eternity I would have to without hesitation say, "yes." If I was to look through the lens of the last 6 days of fasting I again would have to say "yes." I have seen so much fruit in the last few days of fasting that I can't help but simply remember how productive I have been at work, at church, and at home, then adding on top of that the passion I feel inside welling up towards Heaven and I realize it is more than worth it to walk in the fullness of who God has called me to be.

I wonder for a moment if the difficulty I am now facing is not because I am fasting but because of the mistake I made during the fast. I went to a friends house (a normal event) and joined his family in watching a TV program. It didn't occur to me until afterwards that I had just broken the confides of my fast. I duly repented to God and continued but I believe it did plant the seeds that have created the current difficulty.

Once upon a time that mistake would have drawn me to scrap the whole fast and either quit or start from scratch. Today I instead repent and continue. I think it was an important revelation in my walk with God when I discovered that a righteous man is not the one who never falls. Rather he is the one who falls repeatedly but picks him self up every time to try again. Thank you God for that revelation.

A Strange Awareness of God

2009-03-14T13:56:00.005-06:00

I am now 4 days into my near 40 day media fast. Yesterday I regularly wondered over the strange and yet wonderful consciousness I had of God and my own spirit. I have never felt that on a fast before. Not like this. What is so humbling about this is I don't feel that the presence of God is stronger or that God is drawing me with any additional strength. I just feel I am aware of it.

I believe some of this is because fasting in the past has been focused on doing "what I am supposed to be doing." This time, or at least for the past 3 days, I have fasted purely so I could become more aware of and draw closer to God. It is very surreal to suddenly realize that He has been drawing me to Himself all this time and I have been blissfully (or not so blissfully) unaware of it.

I am reminded of the fathers of revivals that would discuss a strange awareness of God only months before revivals would take place. I wonder if the awareness was started simply by acknowledging His draw on their lives and as they responded to it the draw was increased.

Lord and father use my life for Your Glory.

Fasting is not starving youself, it is changing your desires.

2009-03-12T08:24:00.006-06:00

The quote that titles this article comes from Pradeepan. We sat down one day after visiting a young adult group together to evaluate our experience. After we discussed our experiences with the ministry I decided to take advantage of the wisdom that was sitting before me and ask some more questions. Which brought me to the question of fasting. Why was this the topic of discussion? I believe the reason to be two fold. First I knew I did not lead a successful fasted lifestyle, and Second because I knew he did. He was in the process of a fast as we were talking and I had to know how we pulled it off. It seems every time I embark on a fast I gain nothing or what I do gain is relatively little to what I wanted out of it. "If I'm going to starve myself I should get something out of it," I would always tell myself. And I know that that mindset is not entirely wrong.

The reason I did not fast successfully is because I did not understand the full purpose of fasting. I knew the basic parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. And that these parts in proper alignment have the spirit on top and the body at the body of the direction giving hierarchy. So naturally starve the body and the spirit has that much more of a voice. But what I learned from the statement "Fasting is not starving yourself, it is changing your desires" is that starving the body is simply not enough. The soul too must be starved and the spirit must be fed. So their is not starving except where their is a change of what is being fed on. John chapter 4 verse 13 and 14 says "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst." I don't think Jesus is saying we should stop drinking water. But I do suggest that he is saying we must change our desires form this earthly comfort to the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

So I am starting today a special kind of fast. I guess this is somewhat appropriate for the season of lent though that was not the purpose of the timing. I will fast during this season until Easter anything that feeds the soul. Starting with Movies, Video Games, Music that does not directly feed my spirit, fiction books, and any hobby that feeds my soul before feeding my spirit. I am hopping that as I do this it will not just be a fast or a change of life style for a season, but a change of life. I believe God has called me to be a Prophet and the road to becoming a prophet is one of daily sacrifice of natural and even sometimes good things for the things of God.

Infusing salvation into every country of the earth

2009-01-28T08:00:00.003-07:00

This topic gives me a great opportunity to define the word Salvation. So often the people of the church define salvation as "being saved from hell." But being saved from hell is only a small and almost insignificant factor.

Salvation obviously means we have been saved from something. But that salvation has never been limited to the life after death. Eph 2:1-10 gives one of Paul's most straightforward image of salvation. It is freedom from the influence of evil. It is the transfer from the influence of the world, the powers of darkness, our own minds, and our own flesh into the grace of God purchased by Jesus. And though I will not discuss this further here it should be noted that physical healing, financial prosperity, and emotional well-being are also a part of salvation and come in the same package.

What I love about this perspective of salvation is it tears away the idea that I can speak a single prayer and be saved. A tree is known by it's fruits and a person who has embraced salvation is known by his dependence on God's grace. A person can make an emotional decision to live for Christ but unless they begin to walk a lifestyle of dependence on God the words meant nothing more than the wave of emotion experienced when they were spoken. Don't get me wrong, sometimes (and I am sure often) people will follow through that emotional decision and Jesus becomes a part of their life (God did give us emotions for a purpose). But it is certain from the condition of this world that many who speak those words did not understand that they were committing to a life-style.

So what does all this have to do with me infusing salvation into the earth. I don't believe a crusade is enough. I have done crusades and seen some good things happen but without teaching and discipleship the crusade wastes the time, resources, and potential of everyone involved. I had the opportunity of hearing an evangelist by the name of Reinhard Bonnke speak at a conference in Tulsa, OK. He shared his experience of crusades over seas where literally millions of people would come to a single gathering. This was impressive, but not nearly as impressive as what followed his crusades. Bonnke had prepared literally years ahead of time for these crusades and after he left a few hundred churches began that continued the work started by the crusade. This is salvation. Not a brief prayer but a life-long commitment and the process of walking out that commitment.

This last and most important detail of salvation is more about God's character. I am reading a commentary about Eph 2 and love how it highlights Gods involvement in the salvation process. Eph 2 according to the commentator paints an image of God not as a passive observer of the salvation process but the main Character. I love this. God does not just put out a general request for people to come to him. He is involved in the entire process. From the ability to receive salvation, to building interest in an individual for salvation, to the initial prayer, to the lifelong commitment. God is the center stage actor always drawing us closer to himself. As Aslan says in C.S. Lewis's book The Silver Chair, "You would not have called for me unless I had first called for you."

Developing the characteristics and actions of Jesus

2008-12-08T08:00:00.003-07:00

Facing this desire gives me the first impression that Hamlet had in his observation of death, "aye, there's the rub." I realize that the many things I desire to do and the lofty dreams of my heart can not be accomplished without a standard of holiness, a Crucifixion of the flesh, and a continual pursuit of perfection.

I look at the monstrous list the Bible presents as the standard of a christian life and I can only tremble at my own depravity. I will only think on things that are "true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy" (Phil 4:8), my life will produce "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23), and my attitude be one of "faith, hope, and especially love" (1 Cor 13:13).

As hard as I try and as hard as I may strive these powers of perfection escape my grasp with little effort. I feel the words of John Piper welling within my head "I'm bad, your bad, we're all bad" (Link). I hear the voice of Paul crying in my heart, "for what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do" (Rom 7:15) and finally "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Rom 7:24)

I believe Romans 8 is where the light begins to shine. It revels to me two critical truths about sin and righteousness. First, sin is a result of the works of the flesh. Second, righteousness is a result of the faith I have in Christ. This profound dichotomy litters the Bible. I will draw a more visual representation to make it clearer.

Sin
Works
Flesh

VS.

Righteousness
Faith
Christ

I find in this dichotomy that sin is all about who I am, what I can do, what I am made of. Righteousness is all about who Christ is, what Christ has done, and what Christ is made of.

Simply put I believe Romans 8:1 carries more weight than to just remove condemnation. It says our works do not determine our standing in the eyes of our God. I may never be perfect. I may never reach the point of carrying all the character qualities that the Bible commands me to have. But I know I can reach the point of faith in Christ that will be accounted to me as righteousness.

I had a close friend that dared to challenge the philosophy of the church and say, "I don't think salvation is about depravity (sin)." What if we approached salvation from a different perspective in evangelism. Not to say sin doesn't exist but to say that more importantly its about our faith in Christ. I was not sure I agreed with this perspective. When I hear the word Gospel I think "Jesus saved me from my sins." But what is the Gospel, the Good News? The Good News is that Jesus lives. I began to embrace this perspective of teaching the Gospel without forcing the idea of sin when I was exposed to a culture that did not know the concept of sin (a direction that western culture has gained fair ground in). I realized by taking the focus off of sin and need of a savior and putting the focus on righteousness and fulfillment of our desire for intimacy with God a great burden is spared. Those who hear this form of the Gospel do not hear "you must fix your broken self to be a good Christian," resulting in striving for an unobtainable goal, instead they hear "Jesus loves you and has empowered you to be like Him," resulting in a distaste for those practices not set apart to God. The unnecessary burden of the law, circumcision, is not laid on them. They are free to become like Christ and approach God, allowing God to fix them.

Growing so deeply in love with God that eternity shows promise

2008-12-03T08:00:00.008-07:00

"Growing so deeply in love with God that eternity shows promise" is probably the deepest desire of my heart, and the most confusing if read at face value. I carefully worded this desire because it is the most important and most difficult to portray. I will start defining this by highlighting the word "grow" and the phrase "eternity shows promise."

Grow. Anyone who has sat down with me and asked to hear my philosophy on salvation, predestination, or purpose will recognize this explanation well. I answer to all of them with process. I believe it is ignorant and foolish to suggest that a man can say a prayer and suddenly secure eternity in heaven. I do not wish to get into a philosophical debate about this so if you want more information I refer you to John Bevere's book, Driven By Eternity. Salvation is a process. God's calling on our life is a process. Their is never a point where we have "completed" our calling or purpose on this earth. Rather, God calls us to walk a path and that path is the purpose. This process philosophy then bleeds into the idea of knowing God. I don't wake up one day and "know God" just as I don't wake up one day and know my friends, co-workers, or even family. I must get to know them over time by investing time into the relationship. So when I say "grow" I am saying that I am going to invest quality time into a relationship with the one true God.

A quick note on Love. Love is a choice not an emotion. I worship God because I love him and I know it brings Him pleasure. Not because I feel like worshiping Him and not because I feel something when I worship Him.

"Eternity shows promise." Have you ever been board. I find that I can very easily be entertained by something that is new and mysterious. But then I find that the eventually the mystery goes away, the newness wares off, and suddenly this once exciting task is another chore. I sometimes feel the same about people. People I have met, particularly those with no ambition or direction in life, become very boring very quickly. While those who are on the verge of something new at every turn seem to never bring a dull moment. There is always something to talk about, always something to do, always another reason to get together. I began really searching my life to find what commonality these people had and my conclusion was this: Those that I am closest to, not necessarily those who have the most ambition, are the ones I find the most interesting and most enjoyable to be around. I have seen in the ebb and flow of my relationship with God that I have had times (dare I say it) that I have been board with God. When it comes to people there is room to say, they are just boring people. However when it comes to God who knows all, sees all, and has done all (sort of) obviously the problem is not that God is a boring person but that I am not close enough to him to see the depths of who He is and stand in wonder. To sum all this up I read the verse John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." The idea that eternal life is simply a relationship with one person is staggering, unless I know that person so well the idea of spending eternity with them is irresistible.

Preaching the Gospel of Jesus to every nation in the earth

2008-12-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

In Isaiah 66:8 God asks the world the question, "Can a nation be born in a day?" Of course this is a rhetorical Question and the answer is no. But then God impresses us (as He usually does) with His greatness by not just making the impossible happen, a nation being born in a day, but by changing the very definition of the word birth in order to accomplish it. Now the first time I understood this context I thought God was copping out of a miracle. Then I admired God's majesty. I could redefine the word vegetable to be Chocolate cake to try and make my vegetables go away, but I did not change what a vegetable is. What I just tried to do was a cop-out. God on the other hand materially changed the composition of the cake to have the same nutrients and health benefits as the vegetable. so without taking this example any farther lets apply it to the term birth. I can tell every-one I am a new man because I went through some drug rehab program, or learned a new leadership skill, or chopped down a tree for the first time but the heart does not actually change. I am the same man I just put a different cover on. But when God redefines birth He gives us an avenue, Jesus, to become changed from the core, from the center of being.

With Jesus sacrifice birthing a nation in a day is possible.

I do not seek to preach the gospel in every nation so I can bring myself fame or accolade. I seek to preach the gospel to the nations so that the nations can be born anew.

Constructing a legacy of disciple makers who will impact the world

2008-11-26T08:00:00.006-07:00

When I think about making disciples I would be at a loss to suggest purpose exists beyond this simple but often overlooked task. I do believe it was John Maxwell who said "Success without a successor is a failure." I desire to make disciples because I am a follower of Jesus. And Jesus commands and shows by example that making disciples makes success.

Evangelists tend to miss the piece of the great commission that carried Jesus words for 2000 years. Jesus commanded not "Go therefore and get people saved" but "Go therefore and make disciples" (Matt 28:19). Are you aware that Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, never wrote a single word that we know of. Yet we has so much information about his life and teachings. All the information we have about him comes form his star pupal, Plato and a few others (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates). Reflection on the Bible reveals that Jesus did not write a single word either. Never does a book say "Jesus, the son of God, to the church at Ephesus." No! Jesus allowed his words to pass on through His disciples. We know about Jesus life, teachings, death, and resurrection because Jesus trained up disciples to carry His words after His ascension to heaven. Socrates and Jesus (I do not put them on equal terrain except on this one point) both lived over 2000 years ago, did not write a single word, yet have shaped the culture of the western world (Socrates teachings were at one time considered as canonical as the bible itself).

I believe Jesus spoke to us through his disciples to instill in us the importance of making disciples ourselves. Practically I can only touch a limited number of lives. But lets take a simple example and say that I disciple only 12 people in my short breath of life. Then these 12 people each disciple 12 more. How long would this take to cover the world in the Gospel?

Generation Disciples
1 12
2 144
3 1,725
4 20,736
5 248,832
6 2,985,984
7 35,831,808
8 429,981,696
9 5,159,780,352
10 61,917,364,224

Forgive me if this is too technical but I am an engineer so I must explain this model a little bit. The formula to develop this table is gen(x+1)=gen(x)^x where gen(1)=12. This is just for those who are mathematically inclined. For the rest here is what is important. If I disciple only 12 people and if I teach them to do the same, the world would be 100% disciples of Jesus in 10 generations. This makes the assumption that the process starts with 1 person not the several hundreds of thousands of God fearing Christians on this earth capable of training disciples. Say it takes 3 years to make a disciple (this is how long it took Jesus), then the world would be 100% disciples in 30 years. Now, we are not Jesus so lets give ourselves a bit of a break. Now it takes 10 years to make a disciple (this is more than adequate even for the most stubborn of people) The world would be disciples in 100 years. If I take a life time to train these 12 (say a lifetime is 60 years) the world is still 100% disciples in 600 years.

What is so amazing about this perspective is I know longer have to save the world. I only have to save my 12 and teach them to be true God-fearing Christians. Trying to save the entire world by getting them to pray a salvation prayer is what the the modern church has been doing and obviously it doesn't work. The church has been in existence for 2000 years and Christians are in the minority. I believe it is selfish to go after a salvation prayer and expect someone else to do the discipling. I believe each of us must take up the responsibility to train our 12 and train them to take up their 12. If you want to go above and beyond to evangelize I believe this is wonderful, as long as someone is being discipled at your right hand. Quantity over quality brings a lot of cheap and easily broken products. Quantity over quality bring a lot of expensive product that will last forever. The cost of discipleship is high but it results in eternal fruit instead of temporary soul winning badges.

Carrying wisdom far beyond my years and natural ability

2008-11-25T08:00:00.005-07:00

Wisdom has always been an attractive pursuit for me. I remember when I was younger I always wanted to be the one who knew it all. Of course those who know me will probably tell you this is still the case but I would like to think I am at least a bit more tactful about it.

"Wisdom is the principle things," said the wisest man who ever walked the face of the earth (Prov 4:7). In my pursuit to be wise I natural gravitated towards a study of proverbs. After reading through the first half of the book I realized their was a them: get wisdom, and flee sexual immorality. It seem that half of wisdom is the actual pursuit of wisdom and the avoidance of wisdom's natural enemy (the lust of the flesh). It was here that I decided that my pursuit of wisdom did not have to be a selfish ambition. It is an ambition that all should carry.

With wisdom nations rise and fall. King David had two advisers considered to be very wise. One of Davids troubles after becoming king reduced to nothing more than a battle of wits between these two wise men. One, Ahithophel, turned his great wisdom towards evil and led Absalom's revolt against his father. But another, Hushai, stayed faithful and acted as a spy to "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel" (2 Sam 15:34). The battle of wits ended in David being restored to the throne after Absalom had almost completely taken the kingdom (2 Sam 15-17). Wisdom determined the the rise and fall of Absalom and David, and wisdom will determine the rise and fall of each of our lives.

I want to be the one who had great wisdom and used it to defeat the enemies of the Lord. I want to be the one who the king calls upon to defeat the evil counsel. Most of all, God has called me to lead. And to lead one must carry wisdom for the sake of one-self and the sake of the people.

Serving the people of the earth through the influence of my leadership

2008-11-24T08:00:00.004-07:00

With this visionary desire arises two questions: What is a servant? and What is a leader? For years being at ORU I heard the term "servant leadership." The phrase was so common it was despised by the student population. But as I search the desires of my heart this is what comes to the surface and so instead of avoiding the familiar in the name of originality I searched within myself and the scriptures to find the truth of an over-spoken and under-practiced principle.

A servant is one who serves. I didn't have to look through Websters to find this definition. But I think it is important to observe what is not in this definition. A servant is not necessarily a prisoner. A servant is not necessarily a slave. Rather one who renders a service with no promise.

A leader is one who leads. Again Websters was not necessary for this revelation. But do note that in order to lead one must be followed.

Mixing the leader who must have a follower and a servant who must render a service with no promise of return a beautiful display of selfless, effectual love arises. A leader who makes decision not based on his own selfish ambitions, but to accomplish a task to the betterment of those who follow Him.

Servant leaders will always find themselves in good company. Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt to the mountain of God, from the mountain of God to the shores of the Jordan, and from the shores of the Jordan to the crucifixion of Christ. Until the day that Jesus died the law of Moses was all the Hebrews had to direct their path. Moses did not invent these laws of course but he did lead the Hebrews to the place where God disclosed them. Culminating a lifestyle of reckless abandon for God and the people whom God loved, Moses bears the name of "servant of the Lord" (Joshua 22:5). And though I do not have the reference immediately available Moses will also show himself to be the servant of the Hebrew people when he convinces God not to destroy the people and start over with him. I could continue to show examples as Zacharias serves the Lord and gives birth to a great prophet (Luke 1) and Paul receives relentless persecution as he serves the Lord in evangelizing to the Roman world (2 Cor 11:22-33). Hebrews 12:1-2 tells of a great cloud of witnesses still looking down upon the earth watching. This cloud consists not of great leaders, or lowly servants, but of lowly leaders who served greatly.

As I look into myself I see a natural born desire to serve. Of the five love languages I would say acts of service is the primary way I show my love. So to consider myself a servant only speaks the obvious. But to speak of myself as a leader requires a little more faith. Contentment is the curse of my natural gift of servitude and keeps a lid on my ambitions and dreams. But from the time I first knelt before the Lord in total abandon he has directed me to pursue something greater than myself. Greater than my natural gifting. I told the Lord once that I just wanted to be an assistant or a faithful volunteer, that is what you built inside of me. But he replied with three points. "First!" he said, "I have called you to greater things." God always demands more of us then we think so I was not surprised by this response, I expected it. Secondly he told me "You need to be able to lead in order to effectively serve a leader." I did not think of this practical point but since the Lord has told me this I have found it to be unarguably true. The last point almost made me weep. "So many of those that I have called to leadership, to great things, to stand on the front-lines have abandoned me. I must now go to the back ranks and train up new and often less naturally gifted leaders to take their place." I understood this. I have watched as the leaders of media, government, and cultural abandoned Godly principles to lead for their own desires. I understand now that much of what God is bringing me into is beyond what he designed me for. I understand that because someone else is not doing their job I must do both mine and theirs. Not fair, but neither is the cross.

Teaching the generations to pursue God and Jesus the messiah His Son

2008-11-23T08:00:00.004-07:00

I can think of few things that give me as much fulfillment or satisfaction as teaching. Teaching gives me life. Watching the eyes of a meek pupil illuminate echo's inside of me the joy of eternal fruit. As the old saying goes "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Eternal impact is the goal of my endeavors not temporal satisfaction. Heal a man of a disease and you temporarily relieve him of an earthly distress. Teach a man to forgive and you save his soul from eternal damnation.

Teaching, in cooperation with preaching and healing, were Jesus recipe for revival. Regularly Jesus would tour the cities of Israel "teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people" (Matt 4:32, 9:35). One man in three years shook a 2000 year old religion, revitalized a war torn corner of the Roman Empire, and disrupted the delicate waters of the future with an ever expanding ripple of disciples. I believe his recipe for success was in the simple act of meeting peoples needs in the present, teaching them to meet their needs in the future, and correcting the old habits that have imprisoned the people in their sins. The disciples felt so strongly the importance of teaching that they were "standing in the temple and teaching the people" the morning they were miraculously freed from prison, a location they were escorted to for teaching the previous day (Acts 5:25).

The generations will pursue something. Gen X seeks to express itself through uniqueness while
Gen Y seeks to find itself through experimentation. Both end in the same place: indifference. However a generation that will rise up in pursuit of the one true God will discover itself, it's purpose on this earth, and it's reason for living forever.

I grew to the age of 15 before I began to seek to know my God beyond the innocence of a child. I looked for ways to embrace Him. I looked for ways to draw closer to Him. But I did not truly grow in my walk and my faith until someone taught me how to pursue.

Who am I

2008-11-22T08:00:00.006-07:00

About a year ago I was given the daunting task of identifying the desires of my heart. I avoided the question for some time but finally, over the span of 3 days of prayer and processing, came up with what follows.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because He has anointed me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." -Luke 4:18-19

This is the flagship and foundation of my life. All that I do, all that I see, all that I desire will filter through these words. With this as the foundation and Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone I lay before myself the following ambitions of my life.

I commit to spend my life:
1. Teaching the generations to pursue God and Jesus the messiah His Son.
2. Serving the people of the earth through the influence of my leadership.
3. Carrying wisdom far beyond my years and natural ability.
4. Constructing a legacy of disciple makers who will impact the world.
5. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus to every nation in the earth.
6. Growing so deeply in love with God that eternity shows promise.
7. Developing the characteristics and actions of Jesus.
8. Infusing salvation into every country of the earth.
9. Loving so deeply that my heart is incomprehensible to those closest to me.
10. Bringing healing to every soul I touch.

To understand more about why I have identified the desires of my life listen to the Generation Church podcast, episodes: "Setting Your Desires" and "Desiring God's Will."

You can also listen to these from my web site here.