I’m a huge U2 fan.  I was writing some things in my journal this morning that I realized were influenced by their song “Magnificent.”  Figured I needed to give them some props.

Yeah, I know.  It’s not hip and cool to be into these bands that hone their craft in such a way to make their message sustainable over decades.  They’re sell outs, right?  Well, I’m sold.

Melodically and lyrically these guys have taken unique perspectives and made ‘em accessible to the rest of humanity.  U2 has inspired me over the years because the box they come in is littered with f-bombs, prayer breakfasts, sexual tension, Aids relief, unbelief and life through Jesus Christ.  Raw humanity, redemptive God.  All for you too.  (Get it..U2?)

So back to the journal…God made flesh.  The Word dwelling among broken men through the purity of a virgin. Only love could have prompted such a risk.  Only love would conceive life in the barren; filling the empty place in Mary’s womb and eventually filling the void in our hearts with the gift of heaven’s Child.  Herod was looking for a “man of power.”  Someone to seize the earthly kingdom from his treacherous hands.  Jesus came lowly, humbly, as a Child…appearing to shepherds, breathing the filthy air of a common stable in order to rescue us from the treacherous grasp of sin.  He who reigns in majesty over all the universe, was born to a peasant girl in impossible circumstances to make eternity with God possible.  He sold out for us.  Only love…getabsorbed…n

While in the middle of speaking last week at City Com, I had a duh moment and was blown away once again at what an expansive story God has written throughout history.  From the Garden to Moses to Jesus to now…wow…all pointing to the characteristics of a God with a purpose.  (I love random thoughts in the middle of speaking…inside words/outside words…ya never know if you’re gonna say em out loud:)  Here’s what I thought: not a week goes by that somebody doesn’t ask me this question: “Nathan, what’s God’s will for my life?”

Just hold on a second.  Lemme crinkle my nose, fold my arms, nod my head and the answer will magically appear!  Uhhh…yeah.  Not so much.

Well…since you asked, I think your question might be a bit incomplete.  We focus so much on ourselves, pondering things that only affect us, that we miss the bigger story that God is writing.  Don’t get mad…I”ll chuck myself under that same bus!  We’re always trying to pigeon-hole God into something we want Him to be in order to satisfy our own happiness.  Come on.  I know that stung but it’s often the painful reality that leads us to a deeper truth.  Don’t you wish everyone dealt in reality?:)  

Here’s the real deal: God is in the business of redemption.  That means redeeming EVERYBODY to Himself.  Not just you, but your neighbor.  Your cousins boss.  Your sisters tennis coach.  Your classmates alcoholic father.  The woman you’ve never met in the town you’ve never heard of in the country you can’t pronounce.  Yeah, her.  That’s the business God is in…always has been.  

So the better question might be, part 1″What is God’s will?”  His will is that ALL would come to redemption, repentance, a saving knowledge of His Son.  Anything that facilitates others coming to that knowledge, He’s probably all for.  Anything that gets in the way of knowing Him, He’s adamantly against.  That’s the big plan.

Better question part 2…”Since now I know God’s will for all human, how do I fit into the big picture?”

That answer my friend, is a wide-open door…welcome to the adventure:)…getabsorbed…n

So I’m sitting there in a gorgeous home after a great meal with a close friend and family whom I haven’t seen in months, and all I can think about is my I-phone.  It got so bad that while we’re discussing incredible things of the Kingdom I quietly, so no one would notice, pulled it out under the table and glanced at it.  What the heck is in this thing?

“Wonder who called?  Wonder who texted me?  Ohhh…I wonder who wants to be my friend on facebook?”  I wonder what kind of loser I really am?  Am I so into ME that I can’t stay focused on anyone else?  Am I so starved for attention that I’ll take it from anywhere else but the person sitting right across from me?  Pastors seem to be really bad at it.  ”THEY need me.”  Yeah right.  You need help!  Sure it’s a neat little device but gheez…getta life.  Or is this life now?  I’ve even found myself lying, “uhhh..yeah…just gotta check on some work stuff for City Community Church.  I’ll be there in a minute.”  I sit on a throne of lies, reeking of beef and cheese while my family’s meal goes cold.  I’m a self absorbed addict.

I’m not the only one with a serious case of self.  I’ve sat across from YOU before and YOU were more engaged with your MacPipe or IStoned or Crackberry that you were with anything I was saying.  I’ve driven next to YOU while you were popping keys in a text message to Utah or a witty twitter post while your family is starving for attention in the back seat.  Oh wait a minute, maybe that was me…

I’m publicly making resolutions; maybe then I’ll stick with em.  I’m going to be ENGAGED when YOU are around.  MacAir closed, Iphone on silent and mentally ready to slap my own hand if I feel the need to see who called. I’m going to DISENGAGE the moment YOU do, affording you ample peace and quiet to check your facebook, email or scores from around the league.  Cool?  Oh, hold on…I’ve gotta call…I’ll just be a minute…getabsorbed…n

I wonder how the disciples of Jesus woulda reacted if He would have turned around one day and said, “Hey, here’s the deal:  following Me is dangerous business.  Might get killed.  Sure you still wanna come?”

I actually think He DID say that…and most of them WERE killed.  Granted He may have not said it in so many words but it was implied in just about everything He was about.  So where in the heck did we get off thinking this was an easy ride?  That Christ = Comfort?

I look at my 11-year-old son and often wonder what type of Christ is being branded in his heart.  Is it a “come here and be entertained” Christ, full on with basketball courts, sweet videos and a stellar light show?  I mean what’s the logical conclusion for a kid that’s been mind-numbingly exposed to “the show” with no call to live differently?  Chances are when “the show” fails to deliver and is all about just trying to get him to return week after week, his so-called Christ might drop off the radar.  ”Shows” are good for a moment and if they aren’t used for the express purpose of inspiring you into a deeper relationship with a loving and dangerous Jesus, then frankly the show can’t and shouldn’t go on.  There will come a time when everyone has left the stage.

I know it’s not real popular to tell kids or even adults, “hey, this is gonna cost you everything and it might get bloody.  Like you might have to die so Christ can live in you” but that’s the reality and it will hit all of us at one time or another.   

One prepares…the other placates.  I guess I should lead the way.  Gotta first stop enjoying the show myself…getabsorbed…n

Have you ever been in a situation and then realized you were wrong or incomplete in your understanding?  If you answered “yes”, you’re at least opened to being challenged.

Last week I had the opportunity to Journey to Bethlehem southern Indiana style.  Now check out the real deal Holy Land style…with BBC correspondent Aleem Maqbool.  Long read with great videos…getabsorbed…com

Journey to Bethlehem

(Occasionally I get the opportunity to review books through Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.  This is one of those occasions and it couldn’t come at a better time for all of us!)

Chances are you’ve got a ton of books on your shelf.  From fiction to fact, humor to drama and all of the other titles in between.  Yeah, me too.  How many of those do I really need?

Here’s one.  For all you Dave Ramsey fans here’s almost the female version of wit, practical advice and tips that will leave you with peace of mind as you map out your financial future.  But don’t worry guys.  You’ll like this one too.  Especially if you AND your wife read it together:)

You really can be rich in every way, every day.

So you want to own the home you love, make memories on wonderful vacations with family or
friends, finance college educations, and help others too?

You can-starting here and now.

With lively humor, proven know-how, and practical principles for financial health, Living Rich for
Less helps you stretch your dollars to realize the lifestyle of your dreams. Ellie Kay’s entertaining
and enlightening examples show you simple steps to save, spend, and give smart, and her three
main principles are undergirded by dozens of effective rules and hundreds of Cha-Ching Factor^TM
tips that keep or put money in your pocket.

Ellie knows what it’s like to be financially-strapped or struggling, wanting to be the Joneses but
feeling as poor in spirit as in pocketbook. She went, within two and a half years, from being a
new wife and mom with $40,000 in consumer debt and seven children (and college educations)
to support, to being completely debt-free and within fifteen years able to pay cash for eleven
different cars, give away three of those cars, buy two five-bedroom houses (moving from one to
the other) and nicely furnish each, take wonderful vacations, dress her family in fine fashion; and
support more than thirty non-profit organizations in more than a dozen different countries, giving
away more than $100,000.

Isn’t that the kind of transformation to a rich life that you want?

Living Rich for Less helps anyone get there in our taxed-out, maxed-out times. Because financial
security doesn’t mean just genuine prosperity, but being able to live luxuriously, give generously,
and care for yourself as well as the others around you.

 

www.Amazon.com

www.ChristianBook.com

 www.FamilyChristian.com

I’ve got one to give away for the first person who emails! nathan@citycommunitychurch.com

 

Drove through New Orleans yesterday on our way to visit friends.  Surreal.  I can’t figure out who was more shocked by the devastation, Tricia and I or the kids.  They had so many questions.  

I’m an absolute creature of habit.  Especially in the mornings.  I think it makes me a more intimate child of God, a stronger worshipper, a more effective leader, a more affectionate husband, a more involved daddy and a more supportive friend.

I’m up at 5:20.  I either pray and read at home or some other location with a bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee.  I love this time.  It’s sacred, special, intimate and the fuel that runs my life.  I can sing, pace the floor, read the Bible, speak promises out loud from God’s Word or just sit in His presence.  There’s no agenda, no time constraints..just being with Him.  It’s very intentional but wonderfully organic.  It’s what makes me who I am.

Then I hit the gym (more to listen to podcasts than anything:) and am hard at it the rest of the day doing the things that God has called me to do.

That is until lately.

Since the end of my old world, my routine has gone out the window.  Or should I say stayed under the covers.  I never realized how tired and worn out I was from the weight of the previous post.  Throw some unrelated circumstances into the loop and wow..whirlwind.  During some transitional time, I would just sleep late into the morning…totally out of routine for a routine guy.  The rest of my day would suffer as I sought to regain lost time somewhere else in the day but I never could.

I needed that rest.  Though I guilted myself for not being a better steward of my time, reality was REST was what was needed for that time.

Today was different.  For the first time in weeks, I am back on routine.  Again, it makes me who I am…child, worshipper, husband, daddy, friend.  With the launch of City Community Church (a new expression in downtown Indianapolis coming March 1, 2009) and the added responsibilities that come with a new church plant, I’m so grateful for the rest I recieved over the past weeks.  Grateful for what it taught me and grateful for the routine I’ve received back because of it.  

The real whirlwind is just beginning…bring it on…getabsorbed…n