Seeking the Son

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Drawing Near to Him

Friends, it has been some time since I've posted here. Time has allowed for many things to change, which is the way of things.

Some struggles remain, while other victories have been won! I praise God for all of this, and each day I feel I grow stronger in my faith -- and more importantly -- my understanding of His will in my own life.

Like a meandering stream I have allowed my faith to roll over rocks and lackadaisically find its way through this turn and that. When a storm comes, certainly it floods my banks to their fill and when the storm passes, so to does the insistent need for that faith.

Why He so easy to find when times are tough?

Or is it that He has been patiently waiting for me to find my way back into His arms... showing an unfaltering love I cannot imagine...

"Proximity," He whispers quietly in my ear.

Be close? Draw near?

... I am left to my reason to sort this out, but not alone. He has left clues along my path, and knows my unique ways to uncover them all.

And through it all, I am reminded of why I started this search so long ago. However, having found Him is certainly not a singular journey. No, my friends, it is something we endeavor to do like the raging rapids each day of our lives.

Perhaps we are only like babbling brooks, or slight rain drops to the ground -- at times. But I am reminded not to be discouraged, because His love for me is great.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8

Monday, February 1, 2010

Why Is It We Fear God?

Why is it we fear God? Why do we believe Him to be angry and wrathful? Perhaps some of scripture leads us down this path, but I would warrant a guess most of us fear God because we have been wounded by religion - those wielding God as a weapon to beat you down or trounce on your sins.

Today I received one of the Ransomed Heart Ministries' daily e-mails:

The Mastermind Behind the Story

Does God have a good heart? When we think of God as Author, the Grand Chess Player, the Mind Behind It All, we doubt his heart. As Melville said, “The reason the mass of men fear God and at bottom dislike him is because they rather distrust his heart, and fancy him all brain, like a watch.” Do you relate to the author when reading a novel or watching a film? Caught up in the action, do you even think about the author? We identify with the characters in the story precisely because they are in the story. They face life as we do, on the ground, and their struggles win our sympathy because they are our struggles also. We love the hero because he is one of us, and yet somehow rises above the fray to be better and wiser and more loving as we hope one day we might prove to be.

The Author lies behind, beyond. His omniscience and omnipotence may be what creates the drama, but they are also what separates us from him. Power and knowledge don’t qualify for heart. Indeed, the worst sort of villain is the kind who executes his plans with cold and calculated precision. He is detached; he has no heart. If we picture God as the mastermind behind the story— calling the shots while we, like Job, endure the calamities—we can’t help but feel at times what C. S. Lewis was bold enough to put words to: “We’re the rats in the cosmic laboratory.” Sure, he may have our good in mind, but that still makes him the “vivisec-tionist”—the experimenter.

We root for the hero and heroine, even come to love them, because they are living in the drama. They feel the heartache, they suffer loss and summon courage and shed their own blood in their struggles against evil. What if ? Just what if we saw God not as Author, the cosmic mastermind behind all human experience, but as the central character in the larger story? What could we learn about his heart?

(The Sacred Romance, 71–72)

While I haven't read The Sacred Romance, this excerpt really crystalized why most seem so fearful of God? But then I remembered that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ - to not only die for my sins - but to be the living, breathing example of how to have a relationship with God, our Father - my heavenly Father.

It is not without cause we fear God in many cases. In surrendering ourselves to Him and following the example Christ lived for us - me and you - how wonderful is it to realize His love is boundless even when there is no possible way we can deserve it.

Doesn't that just blow your mind?

Other Resources: Perry Duggar, Founding Pastor at Brookwood Church, has an excellent message on fear. Simply visit this link to Brookwood Church's website, and be sure to watch the video from January 24, 2010 Fear - Life Interrupted.

Seeking the Son is a website dedicated to the search for a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Ken is also the founder of ChangeForge, a website focusing on the shifting paradigms of business and technology. To discover all of the places you can connect with Ken, please connect with him here.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Seeking Through Struggles: Faith Is But A Stone's Throw Away.

… [L]et us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. (Hebrews 12:1-4, NLT)

Stop and think:

Would you have been willing to give your life to save your son or daughter? How about for your husband or wife, brother or sister, mother or father or even a grandparent? Would you be willing to give your life for a perfect stranger that wouldn’t even say thank you?

But does Jesus even ask us to give our lives for humanity? Why then do we believe it so difficult to make a choice of faith? Perhaps it’s because it’s not just one decision, in practice. We often focus so much on that one day when Jesus gave His life for us we forget the life of decisions He made leading up to that day. Even Jesus struggled to accept God’s will for His life:

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. (Luke 22: 39-44, NLT)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Seeking Through Struggles: Faith Requires Action

Faith is often thought of as being a glass to be filled. You either have it or you don’t. Looking to the verse about faith, do you think Jesus believed faith to be something to be acquired?

The Faith of a Roman Officer

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.”And the young servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8, NLT)

Perhaps faith is not so passive. When preparing for a marathon, weeks and months of training are required to get both the body and mind in the proper form to handle the rigor of trial to come. Is our spiritual battle requiring of any less commitment or is it any less important?

It sounds too hard doesn’t it? When comparing faith to a marathon, does that give you hope or make you question whether you should even try? But what if the Roman Officer hadn’t come to see Jesus, or believed his worthlessness would prevent Jesus’ power from saving his servant? He made a choice and believed it. It’s doesn’t have to be complex, but you have to choose to start somewhere!

Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken! (Jeremiah 1:17-19, NLT)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Seeking Through Struggles: Perhaps It Is About Perspective?

Perspective is defined as: “The ability to see all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.” Its origins come from the Latin word perspectīva, or per + spectīva, meaning “to look”.

I like to call myself a binary believer. It’s either a one or a zero, it’s on or it’s off, black or white; I don’t have room for maybe in my brain. That’s why I gravitated towards computers and technology. But over the years, I’ve seen so many people question why a computer did this or that – speaking about it as if it had a mind of its own. But what they don’t see are millions of lines of programming code resting on top of bare metal and silicon. Although the relationship is much more complex, there is always a reason. It’s just hard to see because they don’t understand the relationship.

Our relationship with God is much like this. We start out with infantile understandings of what He expects of us. It is when we define what our relationship with Jesus should look like in the context of what we know that cannot gain the necessary perspective to look past our circumstances. Only through persistently seeking a relationship with Him, can we begin to understand His purpose in our lives – His calling on our lives.

How much information do you need to make a decision? Are you a “show me” kind of person, get anxious about being asked to change, or doubt what you think you hear from God? Perspective is often a choice to believe in something for which there is no proof. This choice to believe in something without proof is faith.

Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon? “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. (Matthew 17:19-21, NLT)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Seeking Through Struggles: You Against The World.

Life seems to be full of obstacles, challenges and even land mines intended to stop us dead in our tracks – stop us from taking just one more step towards deepening our walk with Jesus Christ.

Do you even know where to start, feel like giving up or just feel stuck in a rut? Do you ever feel like it’s you against the world – or worse – the whole world is against you?

Jesus didn’t care about your position, your past or your religion. He only cares about you.

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Peace Can Be Found In The Smallest Shifts of Perspective

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matthew 16:24-26, NLT)

I cherish knowledge and learning. I love tinkering, discovery, and find a simple joy in learning something new that makes me say, "Ah, I get it now!" I get a little smirk on my face, my head tilts slightly to the side and I nod my head a few times.

But over the past week, God has placed a calling on my heart to understand more about self-denial. Now understand, as a self-proclaimed, life-long learner I am adamant about being completely, brutally honest about myself. I believe the only way to learn - to improve - is to face myself and logically disarm my emotional reactions.

So when I hear the phrase, self-denial, I'm instantly thinking, "I have to lie to myself?" That goes against everything I believe in - to my very core. But as I pray and meditate on this phrase - I begin to understand it is not about fooling myself; it is about NOT fooling myself any longer.

Huh?

When Jesus asked His disciples to put aside their selfish ways, He asked them to throw away what was safe. He asked them to show ultimate trust in Him. This theme is repeated time and again in the Word, and Jesus exemplified this as the Living Word.

So self-denial tells me to put aside worry, to put aside pride, to put aside those things that shackle me from my calling in His kingdom. Now I must pick-up my cross, the cross He calls to me to carry.

For so long, I not only doubted but was fearful of what faith might mean. Who am I kidding, I still fear the full weight of what my cross might bring. But I am actively seeking to carry it now, much like training for a marathon, I suppose.

But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Isn't it odd how the smallest shifts in perspective can be the most meaningful? While I could always intellectualize this passage, I certainly didn't internalize it. Now my daily prayer is for Him to grant me the wisdom and will to stay my own hand, resist the temptation to control the circumstance, and truly seek how I might allow Him to take the glory from me!

Isn't it odd how the smallest shifts in perspective can bring you peace?

Monday, January 18, 2010

Got Empathy?

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12:9-18, NLT)

How many times have you found yourself scrimping - holding back? How many times have you questioned giving to someone else - your money, your time, your heart, and your grace?

I grew up in the IT field, working on desktop computers and hardware repairs in the USMC in 1997. Most get there start in a a tier 1 environment like bench repair or helpdesk. One of the nice things about starting with the Marine Corps was that I also got to work directly with end-users on problems in their environment. So it offered a variety for me.

IT folks often get labeled as being very rigid, because they tend to gravitate towards binary answers: It either is or it isn't, black or white, on or off. The label is often true - but not just for IT-types.

Because of the "technician mindset", many people like to work with things. They are uncomplicated, and if you do "A", then the result is always "B". It simplifies your decision-tree to think in binary, and it doesn't take into account human nature.

When someone would ask me for something I often find myself citing this regulation or that - finding a way to distance myself from the emotional decision. But I began to focus more on people and how I had an impact in their life. So I began to instruct people to get me in front of their problem and it would get fixed; This is called empathy.

If you wanted me to fix your problem, help me feel your pain, your frustration - and I would become your advocate to get it fixed. But what happens when I couldn't relate, when I didn't empathize with you?

What do you think Jesus would've done had He not empathized with each of us? Sure He might've lived a long and prosperous life, growing old and wise. But that wasn't His calling, and He never abandoned us. Even knowing we wouldn't be able to empathize with Him in His pain - He sacrificed all for the glory of God!

So don't just pretend to love others. Really love them... Don't think you know it all.

How then are we suppose to find this love for others and extend grace to them - as grace was extended to us? It comes not from within, friends. It comes from loving Him. In other words, while I was demonstrating some level of maturity by trying to empathize with another's struggle, that's not the answer. The answer is to love God - with ALL of my heart and mind. Then, and only then, can I empathize with what He would have me do in His name for another.

Worry. Anger. Hate. Fear. Stubbornness.

All are natural emotions, and expected. But they stand in the way of His will. So expect them and reason through them. Clothe yourself in His grace and love, and through your strengthening faith you will find an answer - His answer for all time. By empathizing with His will for your life, your faith can come alive and be a truer witness for Him in this world.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Choose a New Year Every Day!

My friends, I welcome you to a new year - 2010! At the beginning of all things, we have a chance for hope and fresh starts, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start with no mistakes. As we look into the rearview mirror at our gone-by year with the corner of one eye, we are keenly fixated upon the road ahead.

Why today; Why 01-01-10?

As I look at those 6 digits, it strikes me as oddly binary - that is the language of computers which is either off or on. There is no middle ground, no place to stand in the gap. I can't help but wonder why we do not take the opportunity for a fresh start every day?

Why not today?

... have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ... And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:3-4 NLT)

Wow! What a refreshing thing to remember. We have a choice thanks to His death! I've already made mistakes and this new year isn't even 24 hours old for me; I will continue to sin, because that's in my nature. But that's alright as long as I don't give up and choose to turn my back on the choice Jesus made for me - for you.

Choose to live your new year every day, my friends!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Speak Peace To Your Storm

I am a man. I am a man living two lives: One man wishes and pines to be the best I can be, while the other sabotages the efforts of my wishing-man.

Inside of us all rages a battle, I believe. Those who choose to believe have surrendered to He, who is greater than us, offering us purpose, hope and grace. Even so, are you not still at war within yourself?

I cannot speak for all of you, only for myself in this. I daily struggle with action not equaling intent. But why?

Our society teaches us that we should take what we want, work harder for what we want, be more deserving of what we want - and not rest until our every desire is quenched. Am I then not doing something right? Why do I still struggle?

Always with a feeling of something left undone, I am left to question - when will it be enough?

But then I remember that which matters most. A son came to earth to die for us - for me. And in so doing, gave me a gift - gave you a gift - of forgiveness.

A quote I saw yesterday made me think:

Don't tell God how big your storm is. Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!

Think back...

... to a time when you felt the most at peace. Perhaps it was a specific time in your past, like baking Christmas Eve dinner, getting a hug from your son or daughter, laying in your loved one's arms just before you fall asleep, or even that first sip of coffee in the morning.

Whatever the occasion that brings you peace, focus on it; taste it ever so delicately - like you might sample a new recipe simmering on the stove. Now fall into it and imagine a life filled with this, surrounding you like a warm blanket on a cold, winter night.

Finding Jesus' love brings me rest from the tempest surrounding us. I suppose it's really about perspective, isn't it? In the midst of our storm, our own mental storm, I encourage you my brothers and sisters, speak calm to your storm and tell it how big your God is!

May you be filled with His blessings and find peace in His hands.

Are You Seeking?

Welcome to Seeking the Son, a website dedicated to the search for a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He promises us that if we truly seek him, we will find him:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek will find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

You are welcome here. Please feel free to share your thoughts and stories so that we may all help in seeking the Son.