TAKING HOLD OF TOMORROW

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." --James 4:14

It would do us good to read a verse like this one every morning before our feet hit the floor. As 2009 ends and 2010 begins, I find myself reflecting often on verses like this. It's amazing how one event can change the way everything else plays out in life. We can plan, and I'm all for planning, but in the end our time is in His hands.

Some translations say our lives are like the "morning fog." One scholar commented on this verse that scientists can predict with incredible accuracy the rising and setting of the sun, but they can't predict the fog--if it will burn up with the rising sun or if it will linger in the fields well into the day. Life can't be predicted and measured. We may live another 80 years or walk off this planet tomorrow.

There's something inside of every one of us that fights this idea of eternity. Something pushes it outside of our minds and compels us not to wrestle with its reality. We get tangled up in all the things of life--what we had for lunch, what TV show is on tonight, who won the big game last week, how our investments are looking, etc.

I find myself coming back to one simple question. Does my life make sense in the light of eternity? Did my life today make sense in the light of eternity? I don't know if there is a more important question that we can ask ourselves.

It's worth taking some time and wrestling with this question today.

TRUE CHRISTMAS STILL ON--PLUS SUNDAY

hey friends,

I wanted to let you know about True Christmas Tonight. The snow is falling (or will be) and friends are calling---but we're still on. We've added a second showing of TRUE CHRISTMAS for all you out-of towners who wont be able to make it because of the weather. That will be tomorrow night, Sunday at 6pm at Frontline Christian Church in Hamden, CT. With snow heavy or light, crowds big or small, these two nights are sure to be a great time. Hope to see you then!

WHAT IS TRUE CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is right around the corner and if you're like me, you're probably scrambling to finish your shopping and get things in order. This year our team at HFM decided to put together a night to celebrate and explore the heart of Christmas.

It's going to be filled with some classic Christmas music (we put a new spin on some stuff), some new Out of Hiding music, and a message woven throughout the night. We also included some drama and video stuff to keep things interesting.

Along with the Christmas presentation, this night marks the early release of my first full book, "Living for Another World." It took me almost three years to write, and I can't tell you how excited I am to make it available. The book deals with the struggle so many of us have to make real impact for Jesus, and how we can learn to live for eternity by changing some key thought patterns and actions.

This may sound a little lame, but I have been challenged as I've re-read through it. God's used it to reawaken truths in me--I hope He will for you too.

This Saturday Dec 19 "True Christmas" will be help at Frontline Christian Church in Hamden, CT. The night begins at 7pm and tickets can be bought only at the door for $8. Come early if you'd like. My book will be for sale in the cafe for $10.

Hope to see you then--and Merry Christmas!

TRUE CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is coming, and this year I've been taking time to relook at things. I believe that part of the calling of this generation is to rediscover some things that have been lost. One thing that must be rediscovered is Christmas. If I am honest with myself, this time of year has had little spiritual impact on me in the past. I enjoy it--time with family, giving gifts--but it hasn't been rich with meaningful encounters with Jesus. What about you?

Sometimes we trade what's good for what's best. Family and tradition can be really good things. I have two little boys, and Chrisy and I are figuring out how to shape their view, and our families practices of this season. Still I find myself looking for more--more than what I've had.

I want to be blown away by the reality of God coming to earth. I want to see it, feel it, and be brought to my knees in wonder. I want to celebrate--but really in my soul celebrate the incarnation of the living God in human flesh.

I encourage you to join me if you want to pursue a glimpse of true Christmas on Saturday, Dec 19 at Frontline Christian Church in Hamden, CT. Things will get going at 7pm. Come early for good seats. Out of Hiding has put together a Christmas Concert and I will be sharing some thoughts on this subject. We've also planned a few surprises. Tickets are $8 and can only be bought at the door.

Hope to see you then.

THE BIG ONE

"If you will not believe you surely shall not last" -Isaiah 7:9

I wonder how much we miss out on because of unbelief. The more time I spend with Jesus the more I realize how much unbelief has been hiding in the corners of my heart. It cripples you, and stops the flow of God's grace in your life. Everything in the kingdom of God flows through the power line of faith.

I recently read a quote from the late Katherine Kuhlman. She said, "It is when active faith dares to believe God to the point of action that something has to happen."

Faith that moves--that takes big steps--this is the kind of faith that changes the world. In a cynical culture of unbelieving skeptics someone invested in the invisible will often stand alone.

Many times our faith is based in how good we've been rather than how good HE is. You may be reading this right now thinking about how evil your heart has been--how could you ever come to God with big faith?

"if you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?" Matt 7:11

Faith is based on Him--not us. I challenge you today to come to God with big faith.

BEHOLDING THE LORD

God put something in particular on my heart to share. Maybe you are reading this right now and He had me write this for you. There are many different ways people can pray. There's worship, intercession, thankful prayers, self-focused prayers, waiting prayer, and a million other experiences that are part of the bigger prayer picture for the follower of Jesus.

One special type of prayer that is often overlooked is what is sometimes called, "beholding the Lord." It's not really the type of prayer you can teach, like intercession or worship. It's something that you learn as you learn to operate in the presence of God. There are times when the most pleasing prayer to God is this "beholding" prayer.

What is it? It's that moment when you sense His presence in your spirit. You inwardly become aware of God, that He is near and you can sense His peace and His rest in your heart. This may come after a time of worship or meditation. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere. But then, in that moment, when we are often quick to move onto the next thing, beholding the Lord requires you to stop.

You don't say anything. You don't do anything. You just fix your inner eyes and gaze upon Him. It's in these moments that He may speak one word, and you heart takes hold of it more that 1,000 words you read or hear someone say. If He says nothing to your spirit, it's these moments of closeness that breathe life into the core of your soul.

The band Lifehouse has a song with a lyric that reads, "I've been hanging on every word you say / and even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright with me/ Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door and listen to you breathe / that's where I want to be..."

Take time to behold the Lord. Climb up close. And just be there a while.

LIGHT IT UP

Light is incredible. The more you think about it, the crazier and cooler it is. In college I took a course where we examined things that people take for granted that are largely mystery. One of the things we studied is light. Scientists are still trying to figure out what it is. Some studies show light as a wave--others show it as a particle. This very foundational part of life does not fit into the boxes of modern science. Light at its core is still a mystery.

They say that the human eye only sees light. We don't see objects. You don't actually see the computer screen right now. You think you do, but you actually see light reflecting off the screen. Your eye doesn't process images, it processes light. So if all the light was taken away the object would not be able to be picked up by the human eye.

Scripture talks about the eyes of the heart. It speaks of a different pair of eyes that are buried within each person. The Apostle Paul said that these inner eyes aren't crystal clear, but we can learn to improve our vision. He said we see through a mirror dimly. In New Testament times mirrors weren't made out of glass--they were made out of medal and often times the medal would be tarnished or warped and it was difficult to get a clear view of your image.

The word "dimly" in this scripture means "in a story, an enigma, or a puzzle." We don't see life like it is. the inner eye of the individual doesn't have enough light in this dark world to see clearly.

That's why God is called the Father of Lights. He is the only one in the universe who can see reality without shadows or misunderstandings. He sees things exactly as they are. He sees whats truly true when we can't (which is always, apart from His help).

Its funny to me how often we struggle to trust God. He tells us truth from a fully informed perspective and we judge it and question it from our darkened point of view.

KEEPING IT FRESH

I'm reminded this morning about how important it is to keep your walk with God fresh. Imagine going on a date with your girlfriend or boyfriend and always going to the same restaurant. Imagine always eating the same food and saying the same things to each other. It wouldn't take long before the relationship dried up and died.

Yet our strategy in relationship with God is often this way.

Daily time alone with Jesus is a must. We must spend time alone to hear His voice, meditate on the scripture and seek His face. Routines are important and discipline is important, and this is where the journey begins--but it can't just stay there.

Once you have developed a daily time with God and you are studying His word regularly, you've got to then learn to keep it fresh. Here are some things I sometimes do:

-Find new songs to sing to God
-Read a different translation of the Bible (i like NASB, Amplified, Living Bible, Message)
-Find a different location to get alone
-Take a walk with God rather than staying in one place
-Introduce a new piece of Christian literature


This time alone should be blazing hot--it's not always going to be exciting, and there are times when we just need to push through with discipline. But the times of breakthrough come when we are consistent and always on the edge of our seats expecting His voice.

Do something fresh in your time with God today.

LEARNING TO SNORT

One of my favorite stories in the gospels is the story of Lazarus. He dies while Jesus is out of town and then Jesus comes and raises him from the dead. It's a cool story for numerous reasons but this morning when I read it something jumped off the page.

Twice in the story it says that Jesus was "moved" with compassion in His spirit. Some translations read that He inwardly groaned. He was moved by the situation--His friend dead, Lazarus' sisters weeping--the sorrow of death.

But that's not the only way Jesus was moved. The greek word that's being translated "moved" means a lot more than that. It's a combination of two words :"in" and the word, "to snort with anger." In other words Jesus was inwardly snorting with anger.

His inner groaning was one of anger that said, "this should not be." The God we serve hates sin and sickness and death. He came to earth to undo the work of sin and death that satan did. For Jesus to see His friend die prematurely was unacceptable. He was enraged.

Miracles start to happen when we begin to groan inwardly. Great moves of God come out of great inner turmoil. We have got to hate sin and sickness and bondage. We've got to hate anything that is not God's abundant life. We've got to hate the fact that people are starving in Africa, that young people in America are trading joy and peace for sin and bondage. We must inwardly snort--not at people or circumstance--but at the prince of this world--and then fight in faith to see God's kingdom come.

We live in territory occupied by the enemy and we have the deposit of the Spirit. We don't yet see God's kingdom coming in all areas of life but we can advance His kingdom by faith.

Let's learn to snort with anger on the inside.

INTERCESSION

Intercession is one of the more forgotten weapons of the follower of Jesus. The word "intercede" literally means to plead for someone else; to stand as a go-between.

There are two critical weapons that can only be accessed for the Christian through intercession. The first is that we can change the outcome of events and situations. In the book of Acts the Apostle Peter is thrown in prison for preaching the gospel and the we read, "So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church of God." (Acts 12:5). The next thing that happens is an angel shows up and leads Peter out of the prison cell. The fervent prayers of the church produced a direct breakthrough for Peter.

When you are faced with a situation, the first thing to do is to find God's heart on the matter. Search the scriptures and seek God until His will is clear in your heart. Then begin to pray--not just "whatever your will God, do it." Instead pray His will. It's His will for the lost to be saved, the sick to be healed and the bound to be freed. He's already told us this--so we can intercede for His will to come to pass. I am convinced that if we will ask, we will receive. Keep asking, seeking and knocking for the revealed will of God to be done. We are in a war, and battles must be fought and won through faith and prayer.

Secondly, intercession sweetens the soul. When you begin to cry out for your friend to be saved or healed, God's heart of compassion is transferred to you. You will start to love what He loves and hate what He hates. If you find yourself lacking passion for the things of God and not having much fervency, it is most likely because you have not been interceding. Intercession gives you access to feel the emotions and desires of God. It produces what some preachers have called "unction." There is a fervency and a zeal behind what you say and do because you have sat at the feet of the king and sensed His heart.

We must learn to intercede--every believer--not just a few. If we are going to go to a new place in Jesus, we have to learn to impact the outcome of events through prayer, and carry the heart of God. Intercession is the door.