Praying for the Extraordinary

Well, I wanted to follow up the prayer request I submitted a few days ago. I have officially put my name on the cancellation list. I definitely felt God calling me to step out of my comfort zone and to get my name on that list…never mind the usual hang-ups (ex. finances, time, work, busyness, fear, etc…). If it is God’s will for me to actually go to South Africa then a few things will happen: 1) A spot will open up for me, 2) The finances will not be an issue, 3) There will be a peace about it, and 4) Getting off that amount of time from work will not be a problem. I trust in His plan and know that if I lean on Him, not as a crutch, but as my sustainer then I will be just fine.

There is a possibility that a spot may not even open and that God’s will may not be for me to go, but I have come to realize that sometimes He just wants to know if you are ready and willing. I am reminded of a story in 1 Samuel 3.

1 Samuel 3: 1-10
“The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’
But Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down.

Again the LORD called, ‘Samuel!’ And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’
‘My son,’ Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’

I believe the key to this story is in the final verse. “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Sometimes we are called merely to be available to listen to God. If that’s what He has planned for me in this, then awesome! I am just as excited about what He will teach me through being available and willing to hear Him as I am going to South Africa to have an encounter with Him.

One thing we must all know is that God is sovereign and is on His throne. He has a plan for you, and it’s a good plan. We must be willing to be extraordinary, to achieve great things for Him…for His glory. What is it in your life that God is trying to call attention to? Is it something you need to release? Maybe it’s a calling or perhaps God just wants to know if you are available and willing. Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to (and would also love some encouragement for myself) be willing to listen. Let go of the things that keep you from a deep meaningful relationship with God. Seek out the extraordinary. As I wrap this up I want to ask you to pray for God’s will with regard to my possible trip to South Africa. Also, by all means, if you need me to pray for you, ask. I will gladly approach the Lord on your behalf. Thank you my dear friends. I love you all and my God bless each and every one of you.

Lord I pray you soften our hearts. Help us to release the things that keep us from coming before you. Help us to lay our sins, our fears, our doubts, the things we need to give up, our wills, our lives at the altar. I pray Lord that you would open our minds to Your perfect will and help us to die to our own. Lord may we live to seek your glory even if it means stretching to the point of hurting. Help us to glorify you in our forgiveness and in the exiting of our comfort zones. We lay it all before you Lord. Thank you God for your “good, pleasing and perfect will.” Lord we just pray Romans 12:2 over our lives. In Jesus Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen.

Seeking Prayer

I just wanted to write a little prayer request...which will probably turn into something longer...but that's ok. This prayer request is sort of tied into my last blog about living an extraordinary life. Part of living an extraordinary life is moving forward in faith. This means that you step forward without fear, without reservation, fully trusting in the Lord. Living an extraordinary life means escaping from your comfort zone and running into God's direction. As was said before, we weren't created to live mundane lives, we were created to live out loud. We were created to be bright, shining examples of Christ. I want that for my life and I want that for yours as well. My dream would be to see extraordinary lived out in the lives of all Christians. What a world we'd live in if that dream would come to fruition.

All that being said, I would like to present my prayer request. I have had placed in front of me an opportunity to be put on a cancellation list for a wilderness trip in the South African bush. This trip would place about twelve men in the wilderness of Africa, hiking about twenty or so miles. The purpose of this trip would be to discover the life that God wants us to live...to grow to be better Godly men. This trip would be physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. When this opportunity was presented, I immediately started looking for excuses, but then I heard a voice telling me "Justin...don't find excuses...get out of that comfort zone." God stopped me in my tracks and instantly the excuses all disappeared.

I am fully prepared to step out and accept this opportunity, but I would also like to ask you all to be praying for me. Pray that I would pursue this trip not for my glory but for God's glory. Also please pray that if it's His will for me to go on this trip, that the finances would be taken care of. And finally, if all this falls into place, please pray for God to do a work in me. I want to seek Him out...not just in the mountains of Colorado or the South African bush, but at all times and in all places I may be. I want God to be glorified in my actions and in my words.

So basically to wrap this up, we ARE meant to live extraordinary lives. We are not meant to just sit back and live "boring" lives. Part of the reason we seek out our comfort zone is because its something we can control. Let me tell you this...we don't need to control our lives. God is in control. We just merely need to rest on and in Him. He will make our paths evident and help us through.

So You Want Extraordinary?

I have been recently throwing around the word “extraordinary” and hearing others use it as well. So, what exactly is extraordinary and how do we achieve it? Extraordinary is something that is exceptional, a break from the normal, from the mundane. Extraordinary is living out loud! Living an extraordinary life, however, is much harder to do than it is to define. You see we have distractions, stresses and plentiful excuses… “You don’t know the pressure I am under, Justin” or “Not right now, maybe later.” We have our comfort zones and our little shells that we crawl into when life comes at us. I’m guilty of it. You are too. Let me tell you though…we aren’t meant to live mundane lives. We are created to be extraordinary.

Assuming that you are one of those who say they want extraordinary, then it’s probably a safe bet that you aren’t there yet. And doing my little math to figure things out, if you aren’t at extraordinary then you are probably somewhere between there and mundane. How do we move from mundane to extraordinary? That’s simple to explain, but much harder to do…we have to pour ourselves out. How do you do that? Well, live! Live out loud. Don’t be afraid to get hurt, don’t withhold yourself.

C.S. Lewis puts it like this “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” Basically, don’t let the mundane things in life drag you down. C.S. Lewis talks about love here, but this can be said about life in general. Love, laugh, and smile more often. Forgive those who have hurt you and show grace more often. Be passionate about life. Now let me preface this by saying be passionate within the realm of God’s law. Don’t think for a second I am saying “Hey, go out and be sinful…that’s how you can be passionate about life.” That’s not what I am saying at all. God wants us to live extraordinary lives. God’s Word agrees in Galatians 4:18 “It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.”

Again, to attain extraordinary we have to pour ourselves out. We have to allow our cup to overflow. This means we have to be willing to constantly let God move through us. Let that living water flow through you. Too many times I see, myself included, Christians sitting on their hands, letting stagnation enter into their lives. God has filled us up; we have no reason to not pour that out for others. What are you good at? Is it writing? Then write for God. Perhaps you love to run, go run a marathon and do it for His glory. Are you artistic? Then paint, scrapbook, or design and do it for Him. Be extraordinary and be purposeful about what you do. Climb up those mountains, and take time to accomplish great things. Don’t sit still when you have life to live. Live it out in service for others. Volunteer, help, and serve. Be passionate about it and do it for the glory of God. Once we realize that we aren’t here to live for ourselves, it becomes much easier to achieve extraordinary.

So, do you still want extraordinary? I know I do. I live to serve and to bring glory to my Father in Heaven. He WILL be lived out in my daily walk, in the way I talk, the way I think, the way I work, the way I serve, and the way I love. You see, I don’t want the mundane, I want extraordinary.

God has a plan, does the enemy?

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” What an incredible verse. God has a plan for you, for me. He has a plan to prosper us and to give us hope! Praise the Lord.

I have been planning on reading “The Screwtape Letters” for the past few weeks, but I wanted to prepare myself for what I would be getting into. In thinking about the book and thinking about Jeremiah 29:11, I thought that perhaps the enemy also has a plan for you, for me. If there is such a thing as spiritual warfare going on around us, which I know there is, then the enemy would want to counter whatever God’s plans are. So this got me to thinking that maybe the enemy’s counter to Jeremiah 29:11 would look something like this: The Enemy 29:11 “For I have different plans for you,” declares satan, “plans to add to the chaos and to inflict damage upon you, plans to take away your hope and make a mess of God’s plan.”

War is all about strategy. Satan is a good strategist, its no secret. Of course we know that God is triumphant and that Jesus conquered death. We ARE free from the curse of sin! As a Christian, the enemy cannot take away my salvation, but he sure can try to inflict as much damage and pain upon me as possible. You see, since salvation is mine, the enemy must hit at me where he can.

The enemy does this in Christian lives around the globe. Pornography, divorce, anger, sarcasm, etc…enter into Christian households and rip lives apart. Satan has taken some of God’s greatest gifts, and put his own perverted twist to it. The enemy strategizes against Christians. Singles, married couples, young and old…the enemy wants to render us useless. Too many times, however, we give into the enemy’s version of Jeremiah 29:11. We either give up, give in, or let the enemy convince us that its actually God…not the enemy, but you see, God’s will is to “prosper us” and to give us “hope and a future”. You want a simple litmus test on whether it’s the enemy or God speaking? God never goes against His Word. Sure, the enemy will twist things and confuse you, but if you know God’s Word, then the enemy’s schemes become obvious. Its not just Christians that the enemy wants to harm. Those who do not know Christ are also under attack. Satan’s greatest victory can either come from rendering a Christian useless or condemning a soul to hell.

Maybe this comes as a shock to some of you. Heck, the closer I draw to God the more obvious and shocking the enemy and the warfare around me becomes. It IS shocking to see that such a battle rages around us. Let me offer you some hope though…God will prevail! Jesus died on a cross and rose again on the third day so that you and I would not have to pay for our sins. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You see, Jesus already paid your ransom, he already paid mine. I am fully God’s and in knowing this, I refuse to let the enemy’s version of Jeremiah 29:11 affect me. I know that there is a schemer out there, one who wants to do me harm, but there is One who is greater who wants to prosper you and me. How then will you live today?

The Forest for the Trees

I once had a dream that I was lost in a heavily wooded forest. The sun couldn't break through the dense canopy above my head. No moss grew on the trees to give me any bearing. The trees seemed to grow in all directions with no end in sight. I was utterly lost. In this dream I wandered around, almost aimlessly, searching for anything that could help me get back on the path. I wish I could tell you that this dream had a happy ending and that I reached some sort of epiphany before I woke up, but alas I wasn't able to, but that leads me to my point. In this dream I was unable to see the forest for the trees.

Unfortunately, I think we all go through this in life. No, we aren't always actually lost in a forest, but we get so bogged down in the details of life, that we don't realize we've wandered off the trail and now find ourselves in a very precarious situation. When I was in Colorado I went on a hike that required me to be on the trail by 4:30am. This particular morning was not a morning most people would want to get out of bed. The temperatures hovered between 34 and 35 degrees and there was a nice dense fog to go with the light rain. Perfect hiking conditions, right? Ha! But still, I got out of my car at the Longs Peak trailhead, fastened my headlamp on my head, bundled up, and pushed forward. The trail starts off in a nice, dense forest. Couple that with the fog and it makes for a very difficult time seeing what's in front of you. I would venture to say that I could hardly see five feet in front of me. During this hike, however, I refused to get frustrated. I constantly looked at my map, and stayed on the trail. And wouldn't you know it, as the sun was rising in the Eastern sky, I emerged the forest and the fog to clarity. I was not only above the treeline, but I was above the fog. Talk about gaining some perspective. And that's what we need to do when going through the "forests" of life. Don't lose faith, don't lose patience, don't give up. Stay on the trail and constantly look to your "map" for guidance.

There is spiritual relevance to this story as well. You see, when walking on the path of life, we must trust God enough to stay on His path. Its when we get distracted, lose focus, or maybe we think we can take a shortcut, that we get lost. Trust God and stay on His path...even if you can't see more than four feet in front of you. The next point is look to the Bible, trust in God's word. He gave us a "map" for how we are to live. Stop along the trail and take out your "map." Read it, study it, and know it. Finally, pray. Pray for God's guidance on your trail. Trust in Christ to walk along side of you. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Christ is the Word and He will light your way! Don't lose hope and don't let the stress of life cause you to wander of course. Without a doubt, He will lead you back onto the path, but not before alot of frustration on your part. Stay grounded in Him!

I write this blog, however, with a heavy heart. As for not seeing the forest for the trees...I can say that I am there at this very moment. As Paul declined to go into details about the "thorn" in his side I won't go into details except to say that I am in that forest. Right now I can't see where I am going. I know where my destination is and what the goal is, but right now...I am just trying to get back on that trail. Please pray for me to trust in Him who is infinitely powerful and can guide me through this time. I know God's will and I know His word. His word never fails and anything outside of His word...well, its sin. Please pray for softened hearts, eyes to see, and ears to hear. God bless and much love to yall!

Here is what it looks like to get above the "clouds" and break out of that dense forest. Praise the Lord...in spite of what I am going through and in spite of what you are going through...getting out of that forest IS possible!

Working Out the "Core"

So I've been on a little exercise kick for the last two months and I have to say it feels great. About two months ago I decided to start running and working on my upper body, part of it in preparation for the 20+ miles of hiking (and some climbing) and the other part to get in shape. In that span of time I have seen many positive changes in my overall health. I've lost probably about twenty to thirty pounds of fat and added some muscle. Good stuff. I THOUGHT I was getting in shape...that was until I started a little boot camp. Haha. I laugh to keep from crying. Nah, not really, but wow, what an eye opening experience boot camp is. Sure, I WAS getting in better shape by running, but there is so much more to "being in shape" than being able to scoot along the pavement.

We've been working on the core...and ouch. I didn't realize just how weak my core really was. That got me thinking, how many of us think we are in shape physically, mentally, and/or spiritually and yet...we aren't? I would venture to guess that most people would say "I have room for improvement, but overall, I am in good shape mentally. (or physically, etc...)" Heck, last week I would have said the same thing about me "being in shape." See, most people are in "decent" shape, but when it comes down to the core of things, we are very weak.

It took a wilderness trip, a trip that sent me high up into the clouds, traversing steep, narrow paths, by myself, to realize just how out of shape my spiritual core had become. Its human nature to look at the surface of things and think "I have it all together" or "that person has it together." We put on masks, we put on fronts that tell people that nothing is wrong, we are "in shape" and we've got it together. Move along...nothing to see here... Wrong! We need, I need, everyone needs to take an introspective look at themselves. On the surface we may be ok, but how are we at the core of things? It isn't until we take this inward examination of ourselves that we can truly get "in shape."

Sure, working the core hurts...it drains you. You will be sore, but in the long run its worth it. You see we can hide our core from people. We can mask it and give off appearances that everything is ok. I fooled even myself when it came to my spiritual and, recently, my physical health. Sure when I came down the mountain, I was sore, but the Spirit stirred inside me. God wanted/wants to let His light shine through me. That spiritual "soreness" I felt has led to a healthier walk with God. Physically I hurt right now, but by the time this is over (and that is if I don't re-up, which I totally want to do) my core will be in much better shape than when I started. That's good news. When we work on our core, be in spiritual, physical, or mental, we need to emerge as change/transformed people. Otherwise we've somehow missed out on what we needed to accomplish. I wouldn't trade the soreness, physical or other, for anything else. I want to feel this pain because I know that a work is being done under the surface. It may be a clichéd phrase, but it stands true..."No pain, no gain."

So, my challenge to myself and to you is to strengthen the core. Take less time looking at the surface and instead look beneath the surface. Dispose of masks that you wear. The beauty that you have isn't in your mask, its in what lies beneath the surface. What needs to be "worked out" in your life? What needs to be cut out? Take the risk, dare to succeed in great ways. God's calling you to examine your life. What's at your core?

Ok, so the first REAL blog...hello world...anyone out there?

Ok, so I decided to actually make a go of it with this blog stuff. As is evident by the pictures from my recent trip to Colorado, I've seen some incredible things. But what's more incredible is what's happening beneath the surface in me....

The entire trip was life changing for me. I returned to Houston a transformed man. God took me up into the high places, revealed His truth to me, broke my heart of the things in my life that NEEDED to be shaved off, showed me His glory, and then sent me back down so that I could weather the storms. I spent the last few hours of my last full day in Colorado making plans to get back to Houston before Ike hit. Three flight changes and a few hours of being on hold with the airlines, I was ready to go.

What shocks me, or maybe I should say what caught my attention, is that (as it is with our spiritual struggles) I was heading directly from the high places into a storm. God does not intend for us to spend our lives in the "high places." No, His intention is for us to go up on the mountain top, revel in His glory, and take what we've learned and head directly into the storms or valleys in our lives. Wow, not only was God teaching me a spiritual lesson, but He also was showing me, physically showing me what it means to go from the mountain top experience to the storms of life. As Ike hit us in Houston, I sat and was at peace. I knew that NO wind that would come against me would destory me. It might spread chaos around me, but I was standing firm upon the rock!

I recently read "The Silence of Adam" and much of it focused on how God created man (men) to speak into the darkness, into the chaos. I believe its those close encounters with God that enable us to do so. Adam walked and talked with God...you can't get much more intimate than that.

So, I pray that you take from this an understanding that we are not meant to stay on that mountain (but its ok to live in the mountains :o) ) we are meant to take that experience and let the joy of the Lord overflow into all areas of our lives. We are meant to speak into the chaos. When the wind is crashing against you or you feel lost in the valley, remember your mountain top experience. Cling to the cross!