Archives For God's view of us

Who Needs A Life of Purpose?

October 2, 2012 — 10 Comments

[To listen to a reading of this article, click here.]

Ten years ago, I was on a plane heading for New York to give a presentation. The man next to me was a professor of public speaking at a major university.

Somewhat sheepishly, I asked for advice, “What is the key to great public speaking?”

After some preliminary comments, he said this: “At the beginning of World War II, when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England, he said, ‘I felt as though my whole life had prepared me for this moment.’”

“Sam,” he continued, “the best public speakers feel as though their entire lives have prepared them for this moment.”

His words pierced me more deeply than had any other past comment or deliberate insult.

I was devastated. I didn’t feel prepared for anything of significance.

Why?

My soul longs—and I believe every soul longs—for a purpose, for a deep meaning, to know that we matter. We long for something transcendent.

Yet I believe most of us fritter our lives away with little dreams. We eagerly await our next vacation or our next car. We squander our money—or our dreams—on the next new iPhone or matching shoes and purse. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, Christianity, Getting glory, Glory, God's Love, God's view of us, How can we be fulfilled?, Satisfaction, Significance , , , , ,
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Do We Really Need More Self-Love?

September 11, 2012 — 18 Comments

In high school I had a friend who was overweight, socially awkward, and insecure. He was in the top five percent of the class, but he never reached the top one percent; he was the second chair trumpet player, but he never made first chair.

He doubted himself; he longed for the skills and good looks of others; he criticized himself for his social blunders; and he obsessed about his shortcomings.

My heart went out to him. I befriended him and listened to him in the lunchroom as he told story after story of how students, teachers, and his parents misunderstood him.

He grew discouraged and eventually depressed. His counselor said his problem was self-hatred, and that he needed to grow in self-love.

I thought he loved himself too much. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, Christianity, God's view of us, Satisfaction, Self Esteem, Self Love , , , ,
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Where Personality Tests and Character Collide

September 5, 2012 — 24 Comments

Years ago I had two friends with almost opposite personalities and with almost identical approaches to life.

John (not his real name) was direct, and I mean really direct. You always knew his opinion. He spoke his mind without hesitation. On any topic and at every opportunity. You always knew where you stood with him.

He took a personality test which confirmed he was direct. He decided to “play to his strengths,” and he became ever more direct (and also a bit harsh and insensitive). He said, “God has given me a spirit of boldness.” And he boldly told everyone what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Instead of a friend I had a drill sergeant.

Linda (also not her real name) was a servant. Always serving, whether you wanted her to or not. She’d grab you a cup of coffee, fluff your sofa pillow, and stare at you with big attentive eyes. Unlike John, you never knew what she thought. When she hinted at a problem, you weren’t sure if your shirt was unbuttoned or your house was on fire.

Her personality test affirmed her “servanthood,” and she became insufferable. Her creed was, “I just want to serve,” her mantra was “Let me help you with that”, and her affect was suffocation.

Instead of a friend I had a butler. Continue Reading…

In Addiction, Beliefs of the Heart, Christianity, Desire, Getting glory, God's Love, God's view of us, Lazarus Mary and Martha, Overcoming Sin , , , , , ,
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Leaders: Let’s Not Believe Our Own Press Clippings

August 14, 2012 — 12 Comments

Years ago my brother Andy told me how he met the Lord. His ninth grade locker partner Kevin was the school drug dealer. Then Kevin had a bad trip on LSD.

Untitled by John Steven Fernandez

The bad trip triggered flashbacks and bad dreams. The whole experience scared Kevin, so he asked my brother about God (our dad was a pastor).

Andy repeated stuff he had learned in Sunday school and from a youth conference he had just attended. Kevin listened, gave his life to the Lord, and his life changed. Kevin asked more questions. When Andy didn’t have answers, he asked our dad and then explained the answers to Kevin, and Kevin grew even more.

Andy was surprised. Up until this event, the lessons he had learned were academic or impersonal. He knew the “right answers” (God loves you) but he didn’t know God.

As he “taught” the right answers, something stirred and changed in his friend Kevin; but Andy himself was not yet changed. Only later did Andy fully give his life to the Lord.

When Andy reflected back on the experience, he said, “I had a ‘gift’ of teaching before I ever had the fruit of such teaching. I wonder if this isn’t true for many leaders.”

He added, “Maybe leaders shouldn’t believe their own press clippings.” Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, Getting glory, God's Love, God's view of us, How we view ourselves , , ,
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I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Our Kids

June 26, 2012 — 63 Comments

Several years ago I met with a woman distraught by her son’s rejection of Christianity.

She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I taught him to be like the ‘heroes of faith,’ with the faithfulness of Abraham, the goodness of Joseph, the pure heart of David, and the obedience of Esther.”

She wondered why he rejected Christianity.

I wondered why it took him so long. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, God's Love, God's view of us, God's pursuit of our heart, Significance, Wonder , , ,
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The Wonder of the Ascension

May 29, 2012 — 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago Christians celebrated the Ascension of Jesus. Do you ever wonder why we celebrate the Ascension? I understand celebrating the birth of Jesus, and his resurrection, and even his death on a cross (if we understand what it means). But his Ascension? Yet after his Ascension, the disciples “returned … with great joy” (Luke 24:51). They celebrated the Ascension.*

When I was about ten years old, my father taught me how to sail our small sailboat. He taught me how to capture the wind, how to steer with a tiller, and how to “right” the sailboat when it capsized.

One day after another sail together, my father looked at me and said, “Go on, take her out by yourself.” The wind was rather strong; the waves were rather large; and my mother was rather terrified. I loved it. I took the boat out alone. The wind blew splashes in my excited face. I was a ten-year-old boy alone on the sea; I was Captain Hook, Christopher Columbus, and Sir Francis Drake all rolled into one.

That was one of the most memorable days of my mere ten years of existence. I still delight in the memory.

What does the Ascension have to do my solo sail? Well, quite a bit, actually. As I’ve reflected on the Ascension, here is what God is saying to me. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, Doctrine of Ascension, God's Love, God's view of us, Hearing God, Significance , , ,
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To Be, or to Do, that is the question

April 24, 2012 — 10 Comments

God is speaking to me again—I resist this message—about Being before Doing. I mix them up. I bet you do too. It is so “natural” to work (do) those extra hours in order to feel (be) successful; or to “do” the dishes in order to “be” considered a good spouse.

Scripture doesn’t teach doing first; it teaches being first. We have to BE loved in order to DO love (1 John 4:19).

Despite knowing in my head that I need to “be” accepted first, I tend to believe in my heart that scripture is about my “doing” to get God to like me. It’s easy to read scripture like a Christian Aesop’s Fables, little stories that promote good behavior (doing). In other words, if I do these things I’ll be a good little boy (or girl).

This Aesop’s Fables view of scripture is so ingrained in my heart that any other interpretation of a passage feels heretical. Let’s look, for example, at the parable of the Treasure in a Field. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs of the Heart, God's Love, God's view of us, Significance, The Treasure in a Field , , ,
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How Does God View Us?

April 10, 2012 — 9 Comments

There’s a story about the artist Michelangelo who passed by a block of marble somewhere. He stopped transfixed and said, “I see an angel in there. Quick, bring me my chisel.”

This story illustrates how God sees his children.

Many believers I know primarily see the unfinished parts of their lives. It doesn’t matter if we are in grade school, High School, College, or in middle age. We see the things we don’t like, and we focus on the unfulfilled desires. We see the marble not the sculpture.

It’s like we are looking at our future lives through the wrong end of a telescope, everything we want to be seems really far away.

God, on the other hand, is looking at us through the other side of the telescope. He sees our future today, everything that we most deeply want to be, everything God desires for us. He sees all that now.

Just like Michelangelo.

God sees our future today, and he’s chiseling away at all that superfluous stuff that’s not us. At times that chisel may hurt a bit, but it’s just chipping away all the flakes that hide what he’s purposed us to be.

This truth is reality. God sees us today as the person he is making us to become tomorrow. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs, God's Love, God's view of us, How we view ourselves, Pursuing an Inner Life, Significance , , ,
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Hearing God and Reflection

April 3, 2012 — 22 Comments

Thirty years ago I lived and worked in London with several other men. We were involved in campus ministry and the charismatic renewal. One housemate—let’s call him Tom—spent a couple hours in discussion with Rev. John Stott. When Tom returned from his visit, he was incredulous.

During Tom’s meeting, they discussed prayer. Stott claimed that his most significant times of prayer involve prayerful reflection with God. As a charismatic, Tom preferred exuberant worship with contemporary songs and praying in the Spirit.

We considered Stott’s “prayer” of reflection to be too intellectual, too shallow, too unenlightened, and perhaps unspiritual. We chuckled.

In fact, I’d say we snickered.

By the end of his life, Time Magazine identified Stott as one of the 100 most influential people in the world; he had written over 50 books; and he had helped hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of people. And we twenty-something neophytes snickered at his shallowness.

Thirty years later, I’m rethinking spiritual reflection, and I’m finding it rich. Stott was oh-so-very right, and I—once again—was oh-so-very wrong. Spiritual reflection is one of the deepest ways to connect with God that I’ve ever experienced.

I love to brainstorm, to whiteboard ideas, and to creatively go after innovative thoughts. I love doing this with friends for practical decisions, so I tried it with God.

I find I love it. Spiritual reflection is moving me closer to God, and I’m hearing his voice. Continue Reading…

In Beliefs, God's view of us, Growing in intimacy with God, Guidance, Hearing God, Pursuing an Inner Life , , , ,
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Risk 2: The Deep Heart Nature of Risk

July 20, 2011 — 4 Comments

Some people seem naturally courageous, like their DNA was infused with risk at birth. And others seem born afraid of their shadows. Is this true? Are the courageous always courageous, and are the rest of us really scaredy cats?

Every person we meet has a deep, heart-level, fear; and at times fear paralyzes us.

What hope—and what help—do we have?

See also:

In God's Love, God's view of us, Risk, What does it mean to believe? , , , , ,
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