What Have I Got To Live For?

The title track on the new AMPED Worship cd is called 'My Purpose' and I have been running it through my cd player continuously since its release. This track is one that some people might miss the meaning of as the melodic refrain repeatedly asks the question, "What have I got to live for?". To some this may sound like a depressing song, but the depth of that question demands exploration.

What have I got to live for?

Let's break it down word for word and see if we can come up with an answer to this apparently simple request.

"What" - the first word provides context as well as a definite article - what is the thing, the person, the activity, that sparks your passion. What is the thing that you will do before everything else. Identify it, name it, write it down. If you struggle to even identify the WHAT then you cannot even get beyond the first word, let alone attempt to answer the question completely.

"Have" - this is an interesting word - it denotes possession, it denotes ownership. This simple word denotes completion - something that has occurred already, not something future. So we in two words have identified a specific thing that we currently possess or own. Now what do we do with this thing?

"I" - this is me, personal, not general. Specific to my life, my experience, my skill set and gifting. So often we look around and see the things that other people can do and we want those things. We need to realize that God has given me an individual life, a life that no-one else has lived but me. He made me special, He has brought me to this point. He did not give me another life, He gave me this one. He did not give me another body, he gave me this one. He did not give me another set of circumstances, He gave me these ones.

"Got" - another possessive word. It is in the past tense too - so it has already been attained. This sentence is beginning to come together. It appears to be speaking of things that have occurred, of skill sets that have been attained, of accomplishments already achieved.

"To" - the reason, the point, the second part of the clause. Without a point there is no need for the first clause. One leads to the next. The fact that we have identified a thing that we possess is not sufficient, there needs to be a reason for us possessing it or for identifying it.

"Live" - ahh, it is now becoming clearer. This thing that we possess is not just a trophy, not just an ribbon or medal that we wear to remind us of past glory - no. This is a continuing possession, this is an ongoing accomplishment. This is an accomplishment that propels us forward into life. The very core of our existence, the very soul of our being is dependent upon this identified thing.

"For" - once more we are identifying ownership, but not ownership that we possess, but ownership of us. This is not something that we do to something else, it is what compels us, what owns us, what drives us, what directs us.

What have I got to live for? - not a statement of despair, but a question asking what is the identified thing/action/person/passion that you possess/own/embody which always compels/directs you to live in such a way that that thing becomes paramount in your thoughts, words and actions.

What have you got to live for?

Answers on a post-card please.

Who is Your Yoda?

I took a break last week from my ‘Connections’ series but I wanted to come back to it this week with a simple question – Who is your Yoda? For those who may not know, although I really don’t know how this might be possible – Yoda is a 3 feet tall green Jedi Master from the Star Wars series of movies. He is a wise sage, a mentor, a teacher and trainer to many young Jedi hopefuls. Luke Skywalker was one of those young Jedi warriors who had to be taken aside, separated from the group and trained one on one by Yoda, by the master Jedi.

So again, my young padawans (Jedi apprentices), “Who is your Yoda?”

Who is it that you look up to for advice, for guidance, for encouragement, for correction, for mentorship? This does not need to be a formal thing, occasionally it is, it just needs to happen. We so often attempt to go through life on our own without looking for help or assistance because we fear appearing weak or unable to cope. I think we should just be honest with each other and admit that there are certain things in each of our lives that we are unable to cope with – it is in these areas that we need a Yoda. I would like to throw another myth out the window too today, our Yoda can be younger than us. Somewhere along the way we have bought into the idea that to be a mentor or a guide we must be old – and while age does bring experience and a certain degree of wisdom that youth lacks, it does not always qualify a person for being a Yoda. There are many younger people whom I can learn from and look to for advice, for direction and for mentorship. This doesn’t mean that I look to them in every aspect of my life – but I look for people who are wiser or more experienced than me in different areas of life and I try to learn from them. I search out Yoda’s wherever I can.

When I was growing up my mother will tell you that I never got into trouble for the same things my older brother got into trouble for. I learned that if it didn’t work for him then it probably wouldn’t work for me – so I never tried that. I found new things to get into trouble for, but from an early age I watched what other people did and tried to learn from them. Nothing has changed – except sometimes now I will try something that has been done before, I will just do it in a slightly different way.

As we look at the bible we see a number of different Yoda characters in the New Testament – namely the apostle Paul. Paul’s rise to this position did not just take place with his name change, no, he started his journey to mentor at an early age as he studied the scriptures to become a Pharisee. Through these early years of dedication Saul buried the truth in his heart that at a later date Jesus would unlock and use to build His kingdom. Saul didn’t completely forget his former life following his conversion, he used the things from his former life for God’s glory. You might be just like that. There may be things in your former (pre-Christ) life that you studied hard at, or learned and yet have set aside thinking that they would never be used for Him. Maybe it is time for some of us to use the knowledge and wisdom that God gave us before we met Him to build His kingdom and become a Yoda to someone else. Paul had many apprentices, from Timothy, Barnabas, John Mark, Onesimus – he was always pouring into someone’s life and passing on his knowledge. Maybe we should do that too.

For every Yoda, there has to be a Padawan (an apprentice). I think that we all instantly put ourselves in this category and rightly so. No one is perfect, not even one and no one person has all the answer (even though many think they do, myself included at times). But we all need to look for people who we can spend time with, who we can be honest with, whom we can learn from, who we can shadow and apprentice with. There are also a number of us who need to allow others to become apprentices to us. This sounds like a haughty statement, but there are many of us who could take on and develop a relationship with another member of the church that will love, nurture, care for and mentor that other person. Some of us Yoda’s need to step out of the shadows and share our experience, share our passions and share our lives with some eager students. I keep telling my college students that as long as I am 10 pages ahead of them in knowledge then I have something to teach them, and they have something to learn.

So, are you a Padawan to a Yoda or are you a Yoda to a Padawan? Or are you both?

What is 'Church'?

I have been considering this simple question having read some friend's blogs and had some discussions with others. It seems that this simple question should have a simple answer, but that does not appear to be the case. The simplicity of the question almost generates inordinate complexity in response - and the reason I think for that is personal preference. Society today has become a very individualized system of relationships - not connections, but relationships. (Two buildings standing side by side are in relation to one another, but there is no connection between the two.) So to answer the question 'what is church?' - the answer would appear to be 'church is whatever I want church to be'.

Where did we get this notion from? Where did we get such a sense of entitlement where we believe that we can determine what church should be. When did we believe that those whom God has gifted, called and appointed to leadership should listen to those of us who are not called, gifted and appointed, but have an opinion nonetheless? When did we take Jesus out of the Captain's chair and set our own fat selves in that position? When did we determine what church should be?

There has been a lot of talk over the years about the Acts 2 church yet there does not seem to be that much activity to become the Acts 2 church. If you are wondering what the Acts 2 church is then read all of Acts 2 - not just the last few verses. The Acts 2 church was the beginning of the church - it started with an intense anointing and empowering by the Holy Spirit and ends with the disciples devoting themselves to their leader's teaching and to fellowship with each other. These people didn't just do Sunday services, check the box and live their life until the following week. No way! They did life together - every day.

Now I know what you are going to say - that is not practical. How can we meet every day? Wrong question. we should be asking How can we afford to not meet together each day?

The bottom line is that it comes down to priority. We face conflict in our lives each day and yet we only receive encouragement once a week. How can we adjust our lifestyle such that we place a higher priority in meeting together? How can we make sure that we are doing life together with the people that we meet with on Sundays? How can we be an Acts 2 church?

I think it comes down to a simple decision - like Nike proclaim to the world - JUST DO IT!!

We need to look at our day planners and schedules and not see where we can fit church in, but see where we can fit the other things that we give priority to into our fellowship and meeting with the body of Christ.

What would your week look like then? What would our church look like then? How would we impact our city if we met together with other believers every day? How much of a difference would our neighbors see in our lives? If we lived the way the Acts 2 church lived, do you think we would see the results they saw? Do you think we would see new converts added to the church EVERY DAY? Do you think we would see the sick healed EVERY DAY? Do you think we would see HIS KINGDOM COME like never before?

Wouldn't that be something. But I fear that we know best and the way we have decided to do church will continue and those results will be a thing of dreams and stories.

I Want To Be In A Church Plant

Every now and then I feel like I want to be in a church plant. I don't know if you have ever been in a church plant, but the excitement that is felt by everyone involved is incredible. I have been involved in church planting before and there is nothing like that small group of pioneers who feel like they are stepping off a cliff into the great unknown, trying to follow where God leads and to allow Him to be the guide. Each tiny victory is celebrated as a huge success. Each time a bill gets paid on time there is a desire to hold a full-on worship event to celebrate God's faithfulness. The sense of connectedness is palpable, the love for the body and from the body is tremendous. Sometimes I want to be in a church plant.

But I'm not.

God has placed me in Mt Oak - and I believe for a reason, but that doesn't mean I don't sit some times and long for the passion that exists in a new venture. It doesn't mean that I don't miss the days when you just let people know that we are going to pray on such and such a night and everyone shows up - at least for a little while. It doesn't mean that I cant long again for the days when it felt like it was us against the world as we boldly stepped out on faith promises and whispers from God - and then rejoiced in amazement as we saw a miraculous God do miraculous things for sinful little us.

Sometimes I want to be in a church plant.

Everyone Needs a Barnabas - or Maybe You Are The Barnabas

So you have had a while to figure out who your BTF (best true friend) is and hopefully haven't been too hard on those who didn't make that short list. This week I have been thinking about who encourages me - who is my Barnabas. In the book of Acts we read about one of Paul's helpers who is called Barnabas. Barnabas is an interesting figure because when he and Paul first connect it is Barnabas who is the mentor, caring for and leading Paul, or as he was at that point - Saul. As time passes, Saul becomes Paul and student becomes teacher, follower becomes leader. Now everyone knows Barnabas for being the encourager - but I want to think about this first part of his relationship with Paul for a moment.

Have you ever had a mentor or teacher who you have looked up to, who has taught you, nurtured you, cared for you? Have you ever reached that point with that individual where you moved from being the student to the position of taking the lead in the friendship? Have you ever moved from being mentee to being mentor?

This is a very difficult transition usually, and not for the mentee, but for the original mentor. There is something in us that seems to always remember each other as we first met each other. I will turn 40 this year and yet I have people who knew me when I was a teenager who still look at me and treat me like I was 13. They struggle with the idea that the young upstart who they taught memory verses to has grown into a young man who now teaches others. What I do for the Lord today is in part due to their diligence in the past, yet in their mind I will always be that 13 year old upstart.

How do we move past this? Well, the decision to move past this scenario lies with Barnabas. Barnabas was an encourager. He looked at the potential he saw in the life of Saul and was right there with him as he transitioned to become Paul and start out on his missionary journeys. Barnabas could have decided to stamp his feet and claim seniority, but he didn't. He recognised the gifting the Lord had put in Paul and he released and encouraged him to be all he could be.

When Barnabas got out of the way then Paul flourished and his ministry exploded. This does not mean that Barnabas checked his brain at the door - he had conflict with Paul, disagreement with Paul and even sided against him in one of the discussions, but he did it while he encouraged him.

Are you a mentor to someone today? Have you poured into that person and helped them become who they are today? Are there signs that you need to step aside and continue your encouragement - not from ahead, but now from behind?

My encouragement to you - don't be afraid, don't be insecure, don't see it as negative, see it as the next step in yours and their development - and then step aside. Stepping aside is not mean stepping away, it means that your encouragement comes in a new way, and the ministry opportunities might just explode - if Paul and Barnabas are anything to go by.

Withnesses We Need On Our Journey - Your BFF

So who are you walking your journey with? Who are the people who are in your life every step of the way? Who can you rely upon and depend on when things are good and when things are bad? we all need to know there are people who will be with us each step - these are your withnesses.

Leonard Sweet describes a number of withnesses that he believes we need to have on our journey and I want to talk about one of those here. Who is your BFF - best friend forever? Who is your BTF - Best true friend?

The three letters BFF have become common vernacular for today's youth and as stated mean best friend forever - which I often wonder how a thirteen year old can be that prophetic - but that is for another blog. But is there a difference between being a best friend and a true friend?

While I believe that our best friends can and should be our true friends there is a difference. Do you have a true friend who loves you so much that they are willing to risk offending you to tell you the things you need to hear? Or do all of your friends tell you what they think you want to hear - even when they question your judgement or decision making?

It is easy to go through life with your best friend by your side and never know that your BFF is too afraid to lose your friendship that they will never say anything they think will offend or challenge. During those times you can find yourself getting into situations that later you regret, that require a lengthy resolution period and ultimately cause you more pain than any offense would have. If you begin to realise that your BFF's never challenge you or never contradict you then one of two things is happening - you have become perfect (not likely) or your friends are not being true.

True friends will say the things you need to hear, not just the things you want to hear. True friends will have your best interest in mind and will be willing to risk your offense or frustration to help you on your journey. True friends will be there, right beside you every step of the way. When times are tough true friends remain, when times are great true friends are where they always are - beside you.

True friendship is graphically displayed between two young men in the Old Testament - David and Jonathan. Right after David kills the giant Goliath, he befriends Jonathan and from that point on these two are inseparable. Even after Jonathan's dad attacks David and tries to kill him, Jonathan holds his true friendship with the young giant slayer.

Deut 13:6 says this "If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you,..." this verse goes on to talk about resisting temptation and avoiding worshipping false gods - but that is not the piece I want to highlight. Look at the list of relationships here - very own brother, son or daughter, wife you love, closest friend. Is this list in some sort of hierarchical order of closeness of relationship? Can you really have a 'closest friend' who is closer than the 'wife you love'? I think that while physical intimacy with your wife/spouse is indeed a very high level of relationship, there are occasionally close friends who you may not connect with in some physical fashion but the emotional connection is equally as strong, if not stronger. It says in 1 Samuel that Jonathan loved David as himself - I think David found that close friend who was closer than even the wife he loved.

Who is your Jonathan?

Who is loyal even when you make it hard to be loyal
Who is the first to call in good or bad times
Who gives and gives but wants no payment
Who walks with you in all seasons of life - winter of discontent, summer of celebration
Who wont let you surrender to your own dark side
Who keeps you in check when you want what you cannot have
Who bestows grace to you when you take them for granted
Who defends your life's meaning when you believe your life has no meaning
Who sacrifices themselves for you

(adapted from L Sweet)

That is your Jonathan. That person who is willing to live a life of decreasing significance so you can become greater. That is your Jonathan.

Now a harder question -


Who considers you to be their Jonathan?