Tennis!?! Really!?!

     I've compared life to so many things before: puzzle pieces, landscapes, musical orchestras. And yet here I go again. This time comparing my life to...a tennis court. Yep, that's right. A tennis court. Confused? Then read on, I'll explain what I mean.

     In tennis, one player will serve, and the other player must return the shot. Once the shot has been returned, this action becomes what's known as a "volley." The volley continues until one player fails to return the shot, at which point the other player gets to serve for another volley. There are always three players on life's court though: you, the person you're interacting with, and God. Sometimes one player is too weak to continue, or is on the wrong side of the court to return the shot, but God jumps in and hits it for them. As well, just like a tennis volley doesn't always have the same speed for each return hit, so too life's returns aren't always spaced the same. Finally...sometimes the volley ends, and it's time for a re-serve, but those re-serves don't always happen at the same time, either.

     It's at this point that I find myself: a friend of mine and I had a good volley going. Each shot was returned well. At times the returns were faster or slower, harder and softer, straight and curved. But each shot was returned. And then the volley ended; God stepped in and called a time out. The game wasn't over, but it was time for a break. That break...became rather long, and I despaired of ever starting the game up again, when God came over, sat next to me, and let me know that the game would continue...I just had to be patient.

     Turns out that patience is about to pay off. The racquets are ready. The ball is in my hand, and it's my turn to serve. God told me when I'm supposed to serve but...the other player, well...they aren't on the other side of the court. But God said to serve. And He told me when. So I'm left with only one thing to do: wait. Wait until it's my time to serve and then serve that next volley as best I can, trusting that the other player will be back on the court in time to return the shot.

     I really don't know what's going to happen, but that's not for me to know. It's for me to trust God's plan. I do know when this next volley will be served: July 5th. So come July 5th, if you could be praying that God would give me wisdom in what to say and do, and that I would trust Him no matter what, I would greatly appreciate it. May God continue to lead you in the paths and plans He has for you so that you may become everything He wants you to be.

Quick Update...

     UPDATE: So...looks like the meeting is postponed until next week sometime. I'll let you know when I know.

     Not sure how many of you will read this, but if you are reading this could you please pray for me tomorrow around lunch time? Just pray that God would give me the words to speak and that His will would be done. A simple request really, and a simple task, since all I have to do is let God be God and for me to do what He says, but I'd really like to bathe it in prayer. To really ask God to go all out on this one and make sure He does exactly what He wants.

     I'll post more tomorrow and let you know what your prayers were for. It's going to be a surprise for both you and me that way! ;) If God lays other things on your heart to pray for, then please, go ahead. But mainly, I would really like prayer for His will to be done and His words to be spoken. It's a hard thing in front of me to do, and I'm going to need all of God's strength to do it. And whatever happens...may it be His will. As always, I want my life to bring God the most glory possible...may your life do the same.

Directive Clarification...

     So today was the end of CYIA (Christian Youth In Action) 2012. This year I had a five member team (one of two such teams) comprised of four 3rd year students, and one 1st year student. And, more or less, they all taught like 3rd year students. My fellow dorm guys were a blast, and so was my counseling group of 5 within the dorm. And then there's the "Phineas & Ferb: Evangelism is For Everyone" skit, and the "Tony Villanueva is Iron-Man" trailer, both of which were totally EPIC. Finally...there was a surprise...one I had been praying for, and yet it was also a chance to grow.

     It's about 10 pm as I write this, and between now and 4 this afternoon, God answered 5 different, successive, intertwining, prayer requests with a yes. Including some that were actually my dad's, but somehow they interlocked with mine. Anyway...I had taken a walk to clear my head after an rather unexpected turn of events this afternoon. It seems God is trying to teach me to act on less and less of His promptings; that is to say, He wants me to act without having to tell me things so many times. And this will be an exercise in that...as well as an exercise in faith.

     What, you ask, is this exercise? Well...I'm not going to tell you quite yet. It'd ruin the whole faith thing...at least for me. If I told you what it was, you would know...and that could possibly give me a perspective I didn't have before that would cause me to have less faith. So for now, it must remain a mystery. But I know it is what God wants me to do.

     At the same time, God has been doing a work in my heart. He's continued to increase the passion I have to see young men become the men that God has called them to be. He's also worked into my heart a desire to see the word preached in it's fullness, so that today's people can understand it and LIVE IT. And, through my awesome brother Justin, it seems He's also given me a long term picture of where I will be someday. I know I'm called to work with CEF now...but in the future, it seems that I'm called to be an XP. That is...and "Executive Pastor." Christian website "The Resurgence" posted an article that defines this role...and it fits me to a T. Almost scary. But if God has called me to it, then there's nothing I would rather do.

     So...steps in faith, new position at CEF of Oregon starting next month, and the position of Executive Pastor in my future? Only God could take the credit for all this! May His glory be spread through my life and yours! May you know His peace, His joy, and His will in your life.

Commercial Break For Life...

     We now take a break from our regular program for a life update :P God's been doing some things in my life over the past year, and I thought it'd be good to go over those and see where that's taking me in the near future, as well as take a look at some recent things that have happened. And here we...go.

     About this time last year, I was prepping for summer ministry and Christian Youth In Action, as well looking to go to Children's Ministries Institute in August. CMI was where I was headed because I was interested in becoming a local director for one Child Evangelism Fellowship's ministry chapters (usually those are divided by county). While at CMI, God showed me that my position within CEF should really be one of service and support...so I thought a director position was out of the question. Turns out I was only half right.

     Local Director is not where I'm called to be, but rather the Director of Communications and Technology for CEF of Oregon. The responsibility is much higher than my current position, but so is the amount of enjoyment I will get out of it and the amount of work that can be done for God through it, which is really what matters. Its pretty much all computer work, but I still get to work with and for the children, as I'll be teaching at a Good News Club and all of my other work goes to help reach more children through the rest of our ministries.

     At the same time, God's been building something in my brother, our long time friend Andrew, and myself: a longing to see the word preached, and a church body supported as not many others have really done recently. In all reality, the idea that God would use three guys like us to start a radical Christian church that actually changes the world around it is rather absurd...God has given each of us a heart to do just that. When....I don't know, but I know it probably won't be for another 5 years. God still has things that He's teaching all three of us, and until all those things come to fruition, we aren't in any position to be starting a church.

     In the meantime, I think God has other plans for us. For Justin and Andrew, I don't know what God's thinking...but I think I'm beginning to understand what God has planned for me. (Notice that's beginning, as it's been almost 3 years since I've started to see and I still don't get it! :P) Earlier this week, God reminded me of a "promise" He made to me awhile back. This led to a discovery about what may have truly caused everything that's happened during the last 6 months.

     And then, earlier today...God showed me something that blew my mind: He revealed that He had been working behind the scenes more than I thought and that His promise was not too far off from fulfillment. I just have to be patient and wait. To think that I'm this close to seeing that promise fulfilled...wow, just...wow.

     Anyway, next weekend starts CYIA, and after that...I'll post an update about everything that God did through the amazing people there. Plenty to do between here and there...so look for another post on Friday, June 22nd.

Ability and Stability...

     While I was at Children's Ministries Institute (CMI), I was very pleased to be in a 4-day class schedule with Dr. Robert Rohm, President of Personality Insights, Inc. Rohm is an expert when it comes to learning how to get along with people, even those kind of people who really get on your nerves :P It also turns out that he is a great motivational speaker, and he's channeled that gift into an weekly email that combines his life experience, God-given motivational speaking, and personality insights into one totally awesome thing to look forward to every Monday morning when I check my email.

     While I find each one of his email helpful, the one that he sent out this week was particularly encouraging. I find it totally amazing how God can link together random things to "speak" to those who are trying to listen for Him, and this happens to be one thing in a puzzle of sorts, which I'll explain as we go. Dr. Rohm's email this week was about how your ability will increases as your stability increases. Basically, the more stable you are, the more able you are! The illustration he paired with this insight was one I can attest to from my own experience: setting fence posts.

     If you wish to set a fence post that will hold up the fence for a LONG time, then you have to make sure you set it right. First, you dig the hole. The hole has to be big enough to hold the post and the concrete that will stabilize it, and deep enough to provide the proper resistance to it being pushed over. Then, you have to place the fence post in the middle of the hole, pour in the concrete and hold it long enough for the concrete to set a little, that way you don't have to worry about it falling over. Then...you wait. Once the concrete has fully cured, that is to say, that it has dried and hardened completely, you have one more thing to do: shake the post...violently.

     "WHY DO YOU SHAKE THE POST!?!" you may be asking. You shake the post to make sure that its set correctly. Don't want to build the whole fence and then find out that the posts come right out, now do we? If you can shake the post and it doesn't budge, then you have a sturdy post that can hold up a fence, if not, then you have to take the post out and set it again. This setting and shaking pretty much explains my life right now. God's trained me, led me, and shown me a whole bunch...and from all that stemmed a promise, a calling, and a huge leap of faith.

     The promise is something I've written about here in the past; a promise to Karis Monroe that I would give her space and time to think about our relationship. Originally, I promised that I would wait until she finished Bible college, at which point I'd check with her and either continue or end our relationship based on her decision. But the more I think about it...the more I realize that the promise really should be that I'll wait however long it takes, and so I've set myself to that.

     The calling is one into ministry. God has gifted me with talents just as He has gifted you, and while your gifts may place somewhere in the American workforce, mine place me in a supporting and leading role within the ministry of Christ and His church. This coming June I'll be stepping into a new position where my entire job revolves around helping other people do their jobs better so that more ministry work can be done, and so that it can be done more effectively. In the future, I believe God would see me become some sort of pastor, possibly to the men of a church body, as I have a heart to see these men become what God truly wants them to be as husbands and fathers.

    The leap of faith...well that really applies to both. It takes an insane amount of faith to keep my promise to Karis, and with almost no monthly support coming in currently for my new position (it's a "I need to raise $3000 a month to work full-time" type thing :P), it takes an insane amount of faith to step out and commit to this position, which starts in just over a month. (O.O) Both are areas that God has "set" me in. And now, with things getting tight and doubt trying to creep in, I believe that God has moved on to the "shaking" step of building this fence. (Guess that makes me a fence. Who knew! :P)

     But! (If you buy two completos, it will only cost you $2! (See this for why I put that there)) If God is moving on to the shaking step, then that means He is done setting me! So if I seek Him,ask Him for strength, and DON'T MOVE then after all the shaking is done and over with I'll be a sturdy fence post! So although times may be rough, I have hope in God for what my future brings. And when it's all said and done, He'll be the one who gets all the glory, since He's the one who sets up us fence posts to begin with :P

Things on my mind...

     Have you ever had God constantly bring something to your mind? I can think of many missionaries who had God do that in their lives, and some friends who watched as God did that as well. I know God had His reasons for leading them the way He did, but I feel terrible sorry for them. I think I have the easy end of this bargain. You see, God has been bringing something up in my mind for some time now. Well, actually...it's multiple things. All of which, like my friends and fellow Christians before me, has to do with my future.

     A missionary I can think of, Mary Slessor, was given a call to preach the gospel to an African tribe. She was given the call when she was in her youth, probably no more than 15, and yet she had to wait until she was in her mid-twenties to see that call fulfilled. And this is why I think I have the easy end of things; God has only recently revealed a larger part of what He has called me to do with my life; help others live as He intended. And part of that will begin here in June, a wait of about 6 months total from reception to action.

     Along with this call into a ministry of helps, which I think will turn into a teaching position with a church of some kind, God continues to remind me of other things. One of these other things is something I have tried hard to let go of, to clear out of my mind. I guess...I had a doubt as to whether that was what God was really wanting to do, and not just what I wanted. So...I let go of it. You can only let go of something so many times and have it return before you know that it's what God wants. But...I still had (and have) my doubts, so I asked God recently if it was His idea or mine. And in a way, this is what He said: "I have been planning this from the beginning of the world. It's going to happen, just trust Me and watch."

     So...I guess I can't let that one go :P Not that I want to, but now I know it was fully God's idea and not mine, and it's much easier to hold on to now. Oh, sorry...did I start writing cryptically again? I do that from time to time. And no, this time it no different...I'm not going to tell you what I mean :P

Choices...

     I was talking with some friends today about how God gives us choices to make in our lives. Sometimes, God gives us a choice between doing what we want and what He wants. A choice between something good and something bad. Obviously, His will is for us to choose the good. Sometimes God gives us a choice between two equally good things, and allows us to pick what we would want to do. Why? Because He's a father and loves to bless His children. And other times, God gives us a choice between two things: one good, and one better. And usually, the better one is the harder one. As well, it also causes us to grow more in Christ, and that's part of why God wants us to take the best route.

     Both my friends and I have been in places where we didn't know what to choose, but we sought out God's will, and with time He revealed which way for us to take. Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? You better believe it was worth it! It may have been hard, but it caused each of us to grow in the way God needed us to grow, and that resulted in a bunch of things: in the long run, we were happier; God received more glory; and His love was spread to others. So, that makes it totally worth it!

     Recently (as in, this morning), I've had to make another choice. A choice where I could either take the easy road, and in essence quit on what God had for me, or I could stay. Stay and go through some of the hardest stuff I've ever been through. Does it seem like it's worth it now? No. Is it where God wants me? Yes. Will it be amazing once I get through it all? Totally.

     ...it's still hard though! But enough about what's hard. I had a choice: do what God wants, or cop out and settle for 2nd best. No way am I settling for 2nd best! If God wants me somewhere, that's where I'm going! So...the hard way it is. (Oops, mentioned hard again :P) So I've made my choice. Have you made yours? If God is calling you to something hard, DO IT! In the end, it is always worth it :D