Monthly Archives: January 2009

I look at the world, its needs, and the potential that exists in the twenty-something and I am blown away… I look at the talents that you guys have, your gifts, and hope that you will become passionate enough to listen, to hear, to hear a calling and dare to question and wrestle with that calling and then, when you have heard clearly, to act! Your power as a generation is enormous! You ability to be history makers and world changers is almost without limit! Will YOU??? 

SHUN APATHY!

ACT!

I sure hope more readers will comment on the questions on the first post on calling…

I just preached (it turned out to be preaching not giving a talk) on calling… we watched the scene from “The Mission” when the missionary climbed the mountain… and I talked about Dr. King and the President and the risk Dr. King took and the price he paid which, in a big way, enabled Obama to become president… King changed history… Obama has taken the fruit of that history and is seeking to use it to bring more change and even recovery to America and America’s ability to impact the world… he is a historic figure, how history views him remains to be seen, may God bless his efforts and decisions.

King answered a call from God… as did Moses… look to Exodus 3…

Moses was called by God after God got Moses attention…

Does God have our attention?

Are we connected enough to God that we will hear Him when He calls us?

How can He use your gifts?

Talents?

Your Passion?

Have you stopped long enough to understand yourself well enough to know these things?

Will you take the risk like King? Like Moses?

Remember this: God’s answer to Moses fear was this: “I will be with you.”

What more could we ask for?

STOP, LISTEN, GO!

thought about it lately?

what is it?

how does one understand it?

when one identifies their calling, what if they sit still outside of the calling?

can one find personal fulfilment outside of calling?

can one be as effective outside of their calling?

what does one’s gifting and one’s talents have to do with calling?

let’s hear some thoughts…

an oath that one takes is important… “let your yes, be yes, and your no be no…” great regret happens when one has to go back on a promise if they meant the promise… today Chief Justice Roberts reissued the oath of office to President Obama to make sure the yes was yes… 

we need to learn to make our yes yes and our no no as our President has demonstrated and as Scripture admonishes us…

the inauguration was amazing… I was watching on an 18 x 13 foot screen at school since our leaders had the wisdom to set this historic time aside for watching the event, so about 400 of us watched and clapped and cheered… For me, as I watched the music and pageantry the excitement built until the ceremony began… here are some things I quickly typed in my Palm as i watched…

“because we the people… ideals”

“unity of purpose”

“as Scripture says, the time has come to set aside childish things”

“America is a friends t those who seek peace and dignity”

to terrorists and enemies of peace “we will defeat you”

“Our patchwork heritage is a strength not a weakness”

“We can no longer ignore the needs…”

I was struck by two things I saw in our president, first, that he messed up the oath and had to have help… as one who has had the opportunity to lead couples through marriage vows, I thought Justice Roberts could have made it a bit easier… and second, when Obama stood to give his speech, he got to it, he did not linger at the applause and adulation as I remember some presidents doing… I was impressed by this and I see humility in this act…

May God bless this leader and the people he leads.

Today in 1.5 hours, history will be made.  I don’t have to say more about that.

But on this amazing day, I am saddened (and may get angry if I run into too much of it) by the attitude of so many of the politically conservative who also call themselves Christian. I say “call themselves” Christian, because the explicit and implicit attitudes I have been experiencing from them has been anything but. In fact these people (I’ll call them the Right) were infuriated by the Left in ’00 because of their attitudes toward W. This is what I say: “do unto others…” I am saddened by the reaction of so many to our new president… “do unto others” … read Romans 13…