Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Love

Be an Action Hero

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Who doesn’t love an action hero? I grew up a huge fan of Spider Man. When I was quite young, I even wanted to be Spider Man when I grew up. It really didn’t take too long to realize that probably was not going to be in the cards for me, given the shortage of radioactive spiders and such! Yet still, there remains a certain fascination with action heroes. We spend billions of dollars each year to watch movies and read books about these inspiring characters. We vicariously revel in the triumph of good over evil, and in seeing wrongs righted by the hero or the heroine. As we mature, most of us release the dream of becoming an action hero. I think this is a huge mistake. As followers of Jesus, we have the opportunity to be action heroes (or heroines) every day of our lives.

Jesus calls us to right the wrongs of society and to bring justice to those in need. Just as the Bible is full of stories of action heroes (think Noah, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul for starters), the world is still full of action heroes. Richard Stearns (president of World Vision), Bono, Tom White (President of the Voice of the Martyrs), Brad Phillips (President of Persecution Project) and many, many others are still doing the work of true religion: caring for the orphans and widows, breaking the chains of injustice, freeing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and caring for the poor. (James 1:27; Isaiah 58:6-7). Mother Theresa, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. were all action heroes. They were heroic because they took action to share God’s love with the world and to call us all to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ.

To be an action hero, you must do more than simply talk a good game. We must embody the things we say; we must demonstrate our commitment to Jesus. No matter how good we are at communicating our message or encouraging others to follow Christ, what ultimately matters is if we perform the very actions that we talk about. Do we take action or merely talk about doing so? This is what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. The extraordinary put action behind their words; they became action heroes because of their passion for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

We must live up to the words we say. We must deliver on our commitment to following Jesus. Action heroes do not become so by providing only lip service. They are passionate about their beliefs and in bringing justice to the world. If you would be an action hero, practice the behaviors you espouse before opening your mouth. Become known for what you do and not what you say. Nothing is ever accomplished without action of some sort. Redemption is available to us because Christ performed the action of dying on the cross. In that same spirit, we must now take action to make that redemption known to everyone around us. The road to Hell is lined with good intentions and dreams, and with those who failed to act upon them.

When it’s all said and done, when are lives are over and we must give an account to our Creator for how we lived the life He entrusted to us, all that will ultimately matter will be the actions we took. Did we trust Him, did we love Him and did we share that love with others? Did we feed the hungry, care for the poor and come to the aid of the widows, the single moms, the orphans and the homeless? Did we care more for others than we did ourselves, and did our checkbooks reflect that concern? It’s not hard to be a hero for God. It’s simply a matter of taking action for His kingdom; it’s being the hands and feet of Jesus. Are you an action hero? You know you want to be, and now you know you can be. Be extraordinary for Jesus; put your faith into action. Become an action hero.

Apathy

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I am a driven, goal-oriented person. Generally I spend Saturday evenings planning the week ahead. This week, after a particularly successful week, I decided to review the past week in a very different way. Instead of measuring how much I accomplished or how successful I was in advancing my goals, I reflected on exactly how much I accomplished for God and how successful I was in pursuing His goals. The results were not nearly as good as I would have hoped or expected of myself.

[Read more…] about Apathy

Here’s to Revolution

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The book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns, continues to provoke and inspire me. Currently, I’m reading through it for the second time this year, and it’s every bit as good the second time around. This morning I read the following passage in the book (page 244), “The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection disciples was astonishing. Fear became courage; timidity became boldness; uncertainty became confidence as their lives were given over to the revolution that the gospel – the good news – envisioned.” He continues a bit later on page 245, “We won’t really become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some ‘on purpose’ life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.” We are called to be part of the revolution that is following Jesus. Let’s break down the words of Richard Stearns as I see them applying to us, God’s revolutionaries.

Fear becomes courage. There is no fear in Jesus. He is capable of deflecting any pain and evil from our life, if He should so choose. Just as He did not call on the angels of Heaven to rescue Him from the cross, He does not guarantee that He will keep us from harm. He does, however, promise to protect us from Satan (John 17:15). We may be hurt or discouraged in this world, but we have the eternal hope of Jesus. No matter what happens to us in this life, if we are His disciples, our eternity is guaranteed to be spent with Christ. Knowing this, what could possibly scare us – Physical pain, emotional trauma, embarrassment, discouragement or simply not fitting in? Every human on this earth is a person just like you and me. No one is intrinsically better than another. If anything can be accomplished, it can be accomplished by you. Jesus was never ashamed of God when He spoke to those around Him; He was never ashamed of those to whom He ministered. Rather, He loved the Father and everyone else with a passionate and unconditional love. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with “sinners” or to touch the sick and dying. He wasn’t afraid to die for our sake. Jesus was courageous in every way. He demonstrated no fear. His power is available for the asking, His courage is available to you.

Timidity becomes boldness. Are you fearful to speak about Jesus to strangers, or even to those whom you know? Perhaps the thought of confrontation makes your stomach turn and firmly ties your tongue. Look at the life Christ lived; he was accused of many things, but timidity was never one of them! Jesus knew His mission well and He refused to be deterred from it. The shortest distance between two points may well be a straight line, but the quickest way to travel between those same two points is with boldness. We haven’t the option to be timid because our time is limited and our days are few. This is why Paul asked the believers in Corinth to pray for him to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus (Ephesians 6:19). Timidity breeds hesitation, and when we hesitate, the moment is lost. We must never lose another moment. We must make the most of every opportunity that we are given. We can be bold in Christ; if you struggle with timidity, pray and ask Jesus to fill you with urgency and strength of character. Don’t hesitate.

Uncertainty becomes confidence. Left to our own devices, we are never quite sure if we’re doing the right thing or moving in the right direction. We agonize over our many decisions, doing everything we can to minimize the chance of error. Life seems to come at us from all directions and at break-neck speed. We become overwhelmed, lost, and confused. The ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning Service, in our case) is only a prayer away. God never loses His place, and He never loses your place in His plan. Seek wisdom from other followers of Christ, from older folks, and your peers when faced with a decision. Above all else, pray over any decision you must make. Tell Jesus of your desire to serve Him in every way and ask for His wisdom in the situation you face. After this, the next step is easy: choose! Gather what wisdom you can; come clean to God regarding your uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Then make a decision. God knows your heart and He will honor your search for wisdom. Seek Him first, and then relax. Move forward with confidence.

We are the called, we are the chosen; we are the revolutionaries of God. We are to be His agents of change in this world. Let us devote our lives fully to Him. Only then can we follow Him on the path He walks before us. Love God, love people. His power is available to each of us; we must simply ask Him for it. Through His power we can follow Jesus courageously, without fear, with boldness, and with utter confidence. Through His power we can change the world. Here’s to revolution!

Songs of Life

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Music has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve been playing drums and writing songs for most of my life, my family is full of musicians and the radio has long been a staple of my daily diet. Almost every event in my life has its own soundtrack, and hearing almost any song can immediately transport me back to what was going on in my life when that particular song was popular. Music can inspire, convict and, yes, even depress us. While my musical preferences run the gamut of genres, a well written song in any style always resonates with me. Music has the unique ability to amplify whatever emotion you may be feeling, so I highly encourage its use during times of prayer and Bible study. It is truly a universal language and is useful in bridging both generational and ethnic barriers.

Over the past year, two songs have captured my imagination and spoken loudly to my heart. The first is by one of my very favorite bands, The Aaron Pelsue Band. Take a look at the lyrics Aaron wrote for the track, “Your Name is the Only Name that Saves”:

“I want to sing a song of hope
 I want to sing a song of joy
 I want to show the world the love of Jesus

I want to sing a song of grace
 I want to sing a song of change
 I want to shake the world with the name of Jesus”

If this isn’t a perfect prayer for the life of a Christ follower, I don’t know what is. We have the greatest hope in the entire universe, the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. We must live a life that is full of hope both in our own lives and in what we share with others. Our lives should bleed joy. Jesus died for us, loves us, and beckons us to go wherever He goes. Have you pondered the awesomeness of this lately? Jesus chose us; He desires us, He wants us! What problems in anyone’s life can possibly be significant in light of that? As followers of Jesus we should naturally exude such joy and love that the world cannot help but notice, and we cannot help but share. One very radical way to show love to someone is by extending grace to them. We demonstrate grace by building others up, loving them, forgiving them, and encouraging them (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32). If we would live our lives in this manner we would change the world for someone around us, and then another, and another. The last line in the chorus is my favorite line in the song, “I want to shake the world with the name of Jesus”. I don’t want to simply tell someone about Jesus; I don’t want to just write, or preach or teach others about Him. I want to be so bold that I shake the entire world with the good news and love of God. This drives everything that I do.

The second song that has struck a chord (pardon the pun) with me of late is Matthew West’s, “The Motions”. Here are the lyrics to the chorus of that song:

“I don’t wanna go through the motions
 I don’t wanna go one more day
 Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
 What if I had given everything
 Instead of going through the motions?”

It is one of the most convicting and motivating songs I have heard in a long while. I want to move with purpose in everything that I do. I want to always move forward in service for His kingdom. Nothing disturbs me more than a lack of positive activity. What I mean by that is that I feel we should always be doing something that makes a difference for the kingdom of God. We should never be busy for the sake of being busy, but rather for the sake of Jesus. When my days on this earth come to an end, I want to know that I gave all I had to serving Jesus. I want to leave nothing undone, no regrets, and I want my potential to have been fully used. I don’t want to coast in neutral for the sake of my King; I want the top down with the pedal to the floor as I continue the pursuit of His mission.

These two songs are examples of what I would call “songs of life”. They help define me, encourage me, and motivate me. I encourage you to check them out when you have a chance. Do you fill your mind with positive messages that will impact the world for Jesus? If music isn’t your thing, how about the books you read or things you watch? Do they inspire you to new heights, or do they encourage a life of complacency and inaction? Don’t live your life simply going through the motions. Join me in my quest to shake the world with the love of Jesus.

Changing the World

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The world is full of heartbreaking challenges. There is a high probability that if you have the ability to be reading this blog, your life is at least somewhat insulated from these very same challenges. Two-thirds of the women, and 17% of all people, in the world could not read this blog if they had the technological capability to do so; they are illiterate. This is not just an educational handicap or a societal disadvantage. Illiteracy is intimately linked with poverty. So while one might ignore the issue of illiteracy and deem it to be someone else’s problem, we simply cannot ignore the call of Jesus to care for the poor. In this way the illiterate are very much “our problem”; to say it better, they are our mission.

Nearly half the world earns less than $2 (US) per day. Many own only the clothes on their back and nothing more. Many others have no shoes. Jesus admonished us to clothe the naked. As Richard Stearns notes in his excellent book, “The Hole in Our Gospel”, ones such as these are our modern day “naked”. While they may not be literally naked, they have no means to buy clothing or to provide adequate shelter for their families. They are exposed to the elements and are vulnerable to the hostilities of the world around them. They are indeed naked in a very real, if not literal, sense. These too are part of our mission.

While slavery may have been eradicated long ago in the country where you live, make no mistake in knowing that it continues to thrive around the world. Children as young as five (and younger still by some reports) are subjected to the horror that is human trafficking, forced to exchange the innocence of their youth for a life that no human should ever have to endure. Those lucky enough to escape the sex trade are often sold by their own families into lives of indentured servant hood, forced to work eighteen hour days under horrid conditions and with little food. The terms of their purchase are structured in such a way so as their families can never afford to redeem them, or “buy them back.” We know this is happening; we can never claim that we didn’t have any idea. The injustices inflicted upon the weakest and most vulnerable among us, our children, are atrocious and must be abolished. Since we are called to put an end to injustice, those in slavery are also part of our mission.

The number of single mothers in the world is growing at a staggering rate. Women seeking love at any cost, widows of war time casualties, and those who have conceived children at the abusive hands of others all have one thing in common: the need for love, stability and hope. These women often work tirelessly to provide for their children only to have all their efforts wiped out by a single illness or layoff. Many of these families are simply one misfortune away from being homeless, hungry or destitute. James said that part of true religion was to look after the widows. They, and the single mom’s among us, are our mission as well.

I could sadly go on for hours discussing the tragedies in our world that break the heart of God. This is not what He had in mind at creation. He desired a world of beauty and purity, a world where the created were intimately acquainted with their Creator. Jesus came to earth to begin the mission of restoring our world to its original state. He came to begin the process of making His kingdom a reality on earth. We are heirs to His kingdom, and heirs to His mission. We are called to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to right the wrongs of injustice, and to care for the widows. The extent of the problems facing us is staggering; the depth of depravity we must wade into is overwhelming. There is so much heartache, where do we possibly begin?

We begin with one. Each one of us possesses the ability to change the world for one person. By many estimates there are two billion Christians in the world. Even if those estimates are half wrong, that still leaves one billion Christians on earth. If each Christian would simply change the world for one person, and then each of those now two billion Christians would in turn change the world for just one other person, we could eradicate poverty, hunger, nakedness and slavery in relatively short order. This is where the rubber hits the road; each of us must actually be willing to sacrifice and follow the lead of Jesus in order to change the world for someone else. Are you up to the task? Will you follow Christ regardless of the sacrifice? Will you love someone for the simple reason that Christ loves them? We can truly change the world one person at a time. The mission is clear, the challenge is large. The solution is known and the solution is you.