On Sanctification

verb. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

I thought I had a lot to say, until I was put in my place. I've found that often I view sanctification through the lens of my own experience. So, when someone does something that I have never done or never even considered doing, I expect them to find their way to the altar and consecrate their lives to God. Is it inbred? Is it because I'm a pastor? Is it due to the fact that I'm so anal, I can't see the forrest due to the one lady bug that has too many spots on the left side and not enough spots on the right?

From what I understand of Paul's writings, sanctification can only come through one's willingness to accept the possibility that God may have a better life planned for them. When we offer ourselves over to God, we have to understand that there are going to be things that God desires us to change. Unfortunately, I've considered everyone else's changes and not really my own.

Well, I assume that if I am going to be set apart as holy for the purpose of God's kingdom work, that I also have to consider that I am not yet holy and that God has some work to do. But...my inner monologue continually desires to judge others, and I am thus thrown into the conflict of letting God do His work and me staying out of the way. I've found, as of late, that quite often, when I think that God needs to do some changing, that it first starts with me. Now really? That's quite an awful thing to do to someone who is already holy...oh wait...

If I may, I'd like to refer back to my previous post on Unconditional Love...the one that I didn't see the need to follow. I suppose that until I am completely changed into the image of Christ, my only recourse is to love unconditionally. I mean, I am not the Holy Spirit, nor am I the judge, jury, and executioner. I am merely a man in need of grace. And if I am in need of grace, then I had better start showing it a little more often. After all, I don't think the words, "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," were stated for the purpose of giving me ammunition. No - they were stated, because Jesus realized that in my hastiness, I would inevitably fail. He needed to let me know that my failure would eventually come back to haunt me and therefore I had better be prepared to suck it up.

Oh - and while we're on that subject...the one about dying to pride...I suppose that's also not a good quality to have when asking God to sanctify your life. I don't remember pride being in the recipe for holiness, so I suppose that the absence of pride would be a better ingredient.

That said, I go back to the original definition of sanctification. Being set apart as sacred. Each and every one of us should have the desire to be set apart as sacred. I don't think that we consider this idea of setting apart to be very important, because we don't actually set ourselves apart from anything that is a strong desire in our lives. Since the cat is already out of the bag, I'll consider my own pride. If I am to truly be set apart for God's use, then there can be none of my own pride. It must die. And I don't just mean die as in...prune it back. I mean, pull the entire bush out of the yard, take it out back, burn it, and throw the ashes into the East wind. Die.

My process of sanctification is different than yours, but it doesn't necessarily mean that mine is more right. I just need Roundup in other areas than you do.

I Looked for a Man to Fill the Gap

I was reading Ezekiel 22, got to the very end of the chapter, and had my mind blown. The direct text is, '30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."'

Now, my question is this: how many men are there to stand in the gap on behalf of the people? I'm reminded of the warning "Mind the Gap" or "Watch Your Step", and frankly, I think more of us are actually more worried about our own steps than we are for the sake of others. And I'm not even talking about the "plank in your own eye". I'm talking about approaching the throne of God on behalf of the people.

God has been greatly speaking to my heart recently about the idea of unconditional love. What does it mean to love someone or a group of people unconditionally? If we really consider the concept, it means that we are willing to love and NOT expect anything in return.
Consider a 5-year-old. Now, he (or she) is mostly concerned with his own well-being. Am I hungry? Am I tired? Do I want to stay up and play? How many more play minutes do I get before I have to go take a bath?? If mom or dad tells him "NO", he breaks down, because it's all about him. He has no idea what it means to love unconditionally, because he is still more concerned about himself more than anyone else. And that's not to say that the child doesn't love mom or dad, because the parent is the first one that he runs to when he is scared or in need. But his love is always based on how he feels at the time.

Now, consider the average adult. Most of us are concerned with wealth, sustenance, relationships, work, kids, etc. And often we don't consider allowing someone else to be the focus of our relationship, because we are occupied with trying to do things for what we can get in return. I mean, isn't that what your job is all about? Isn't that what most of your relationships are about? I'm not going to give to you unless I am completely sure that you will respond in equal or better fashion.

I mean, that has been the existence of mankind. But what I see God saying is, "Who really cares about the people?? If you are SO concerned with your own issues and ideas and feelings, then you don't DESERVE my love! You don't DESERVE my gratitude! You don't DESERVE my protection! Obviously Ezekiel was writing, because God was fed up; but don't you think it makes sense?? God created us for a relationship and we took advantage of that in the Garden. He has been trying ever since to get us back, but it's a longer process than any of us actually think.

My challenge, if any of you are interested, is to consider others before yourself. Try loving someone for who they are, rather than for what they can give. It's amazing to see just how much God has in store for our lives when we give up ourselves and consider the needs of the masses to be more important. Just try it for a week and only then will I let you tell me that it didn't work.

Waiting for God to Catch Up

You're probably thinking that God is going to strike be down right now, but I think it's important to share the following thoughts.

I've usually considered myself to be a patient person in some areas and impatient in others. I think, when it's been an area of passion, I've been less patient, because I see how things could just be fixed really easily and then all would be better. But God has been teaching me to slow down and wait for Him.

Now - I know that His plan is always better; but I'm here to tell you that knowing that in my head and in my heart are two completely different things. Because what I want God to do and what He wills to be done are two different things, and the idea that I have to be patient and allow God's will to be done is something that goes in direct contradiction to my own omniscience. You're thinking, "Bryan, you're not omniscient," and my response is usually, "Well how do you know?" But I think you get the general drift. If God is going to work in and through our lives, then we HAVE to have less of us and more of Him.

So there's been a tension in my heart, one that requires that I wait for God to catch up with my perceived plan for life. And every time that I tell God to hurry up, He takes a moment to remind me that I'm walking too far ahead and that He's getting ready to turn down a fork in the road that I missed. I'm no Eagle Scout, but I've been walking the path of life for awhile now, and I totally missed that fork. So how in the world could God have seen what I missed?

Better yet - how could God see a better plan for my life than what I see? How could He know more about what is best for me than I do? How could He know what blessings await me if I will just be patient? Oh, that's right! He's God.

My encouragement to you is that you have patience for His will. As much as I say that to others, I have such a hard time living it out myself. His ways are higher, His thoughts are more in tune with the grand scheme of things that we will ever know. So, maybe it's time that we catch up to Him, rather than waiting on Him to catch up to us. It might actually mean that we have to change our direction, and for many of us that becomes problematic. But it's a worthy goal, ya?

The Object of God's Love

C.S. Lewis tells a story of a schoolboy who was asked about God's character. "He replied that, as far as he could make out, God was 'the sort of person who is always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it.'" I would argue that many of us still have the same view: "How is God going to beat me down today, because I didn't measure up to His standards?" And, while I consider God's wrath to be one of the only certainties in life, I also know that God's love is equally certain.

If you will, consider the fact that God's love existed before time. Before there was a way to measure the events of the past, God had already loved the world enough to create it. Despite the fact that God's love allows for our errors and misjudgments, He still gives it. In addition to His gift, He WILLS it. God said there would be love and it happened, just as sure as any of the rest of His promises.

I recently sat down to have story time with a couple of young boys. They were wild and crazy as any other young boy might be; but they also have an uncanny gift for melting one's heart, as many other children do. As we sat down for story time (I was actually laying on my stomach), one of them came up and just laid down on top of my back. Now, I'm not a father, but I think this must have been the closest that I've been to feeling the love of a father, because as he laid there, listening to the stories, he just rested.

In that moment, every other thought of wrongdoing evaporated. No thoughts about what he had done wrong that day. No cares about what he would do wrong the next. Just peace.

And as I've tried to consider resting in God's peace, I had never quite experienced what it might look like in that context. I mean - how often does God desire for you to just walk up to Him, turn around, and just plunk your butt down into His lap?? Psalm 51 says, "for Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering." And while the Psalmist is specifically talking about the restoration of one's soul to God's grace, I also think that it refers to our desires toward God. Does He truly desire to see you rest in Him? Does He truly desire to love you?

See, we can all say, "Well, I'm not good enough for God, because I've done x, y, and z." Well, I have news for you! He says, "Give it to Me, because I can handle it. Give it to me, because I can wash it clean! I am Your Father. I am Your God. Therefore, what I command, you have NO business disobeying. And I command you to rest in My peace."

It's no wonder that so many of us walk around with our hearts dragging through the dirt - we have the anchor of the world pulling it down to the depths of despair. But, if we will just be the object of God's life, as He fully intended us to be, then we shall be blessed beyond measure. I don't care what you've done! I don't care how you feel! I only care that you give up you for the sake of Him.

Will you do that today?

Playing for Rascal Flatts

Not many of you know of my fame with the legendary group Rascal Flatts, so I thought I would regale you with my adventures.

It all started on a rainy summer day in Arkansas. I had just arrived in Little Rock and was greeted by my amazing friend Allen Pointer. We headed to the car, where we met Ryan Akers (affectionately known as "Intern Boy") and started off to Russelleville. As we were driving down the interstate, they related a story that had happened on the way to summer camp, in which every single bus was said to be the tour bus of Rascal Flatts. Apparently there were some girls that were "big fans" and couldn't stop talking about how the LOVED the band. So we decided during the car ride that I would act as the bass player for Rascal Flatts when we showed up for Sunday School the next morning.

Fast-forwarding to Sunday School the next day, I found myself slightly anxious, because, while I knew the band's music, I really knew little else about them. But, being the gregarious thespian that I am, I knew that I could play the role perfectly. So as Ryan walked in, I followed. He introduced me as Bryan the bassist for Rascal Flatts. He did it in such a way as to be sly and casual, but you could see it on the faces of both the girls and boys. The boys looked dejected, while the girls looked giddy and excited.

There were a couple girls (to remain nameless, although they know who they are - Brittany Tucker) who decided to bridge the gap and approach me. As I smiled and told them of our tour, I couldn't help thinking how WRONG this was, but how AMAZing it was. It seemed completely interesting to me that while they professed to be avid fans of the band (and owned, like, every, single, CD, on, the, planet), none of them actually knew what the bassist looked like.

Well, we went through the entire duration of Sunday School with none the wiser, except the adults. So I followed everyone into the sanctuary and prepared to meet my Maker at the altar for my sins of the morning. About this time, one of the girls came storming through the doors and walked directly up to me. From the look on her face, I thought that she was going to pin me to the floor and use me for kick boxing practice. With eyes that had been thoroughly moistened, she said, "you LIED to me!"

Needless to say, I felt a little sheepish. Especially considering that I was in the House of the Lord. With a completely stupid grin on my face, I tried to explain the "joke", but she would have none. There was to be NO consolation that morning. For the remainder of the service I sat awkwardly, wondering if she would ever forgive me.

I think, in the end, I might have received a slight smile, but that was about it. Fortunately, the church still stands and everyone has moved on about their daily lives. While the joke was extremely funny, I supposed that Sunday School is prolly not the best place to tell of the mighty adventures of the band...But, we live and learn, right?

The Art and Craft of Wooing a Woman

To all my boys out there...this message is for you.

We see sooo many hints in the world at what it must mean to give and receive love. Mostly, if you watch the movies, you will see that "love" means selling yourself - doing whatever you have to do to get the opposite sex to notice you. If you listen to music, "love" is that magical thing that binds two people in passionate and intimate physical union. If you observe the lives of people, you see that "love" is the one place of piece and quiet - the shelter that they turn to when the world becomes too much.

So, after checking out what the world considers to be love, we then try to emulate it. We try to own it by copying it, rather than listening to the original text. We CRAVE it, because we don't understand God's true idea for our lives. But rather than reiterating my previous sentiments from another blog entry, I'd like to point out a few thoughts when trying to capture the special attention of that lady that has your focus...

- It is true that you have to put forth effort, but don't try so hard that you push her away

- Your profession of love is only going to last as long as your gift of love

- Her idea of intimacy is different than your plan for success

- Your feelings are about as important as the spark plugs in an engine

- If you keep a godly pursuit, then you can't go wrong

- It's your virtue to choose, but God is always watching

It's interesting that we all put on the facade of manliness, but when it comes to being a real man, we feel so completely lost. Follow the godly men that have come before you. They are considered godly men, because they fought the temptation (desire, passion, lust) and came out ahead. And, if all else fails, remember that you measure godly success by actually following God's principles...not your own.

"There is, hidden or flaunted, a sword between the sexes till an entire marriage reconciles them." - C. S. Lewis

The Legacy That You Leave

I think that if my dad were to read my blogs on a regular basis, he would argue emphatically that I should not post the following...because it's about him...and he's humble. So I'll continue on as if he's not reading and, I guess, deal with the forgiveness aspect at a later date.

I was in a conference today with Thom Rainer as the keynote. It was in the 2nd or 3rd session that I heard something very profound - a story of the time that he preached his father's funeral. At the time he realized the significance of his father's life, because the whole town of 3500 people showed up to the service and they had to relocate to a hill by the cemetery to accomodate all of the people. As I sat there listening to his story, my eyes began to water when I thought of my dad and the pride I have of calling him my father. In fact, I'm nearly in tears (sitting outside of Starbucks) right now as I recall my previous emotions of the day.

You may ask, "Bryan, why were you in tears? Was it because you think 3500 people will show up to your father's funeral service?" On the contrary, no. Because my father has never been one to reach the masses. As I look back on my 27 years with him, I see (very profoundly) that he ministers to the few, in the hope - burning desire even - that they will reach the masses.

There was also a public funeral for the fallen officers in last week's shooting over at People's Church (across town). It was a very large and very open funeral, because many people desired to show their appreciation for an officer's willingness to lay his/her life on the line to defend their public constituents. But that's also not the kind of funeral that my Poppi will have.

No - his will consist of the people that mattered most in life to him: his personal family and his church family. There will, no doubt, be a number of people there, but it will not be a public or open display of people to whom he showed affection. It will be the people that he ministered to on a daily basis, who will go on to minister to the masses.

No one publicly remembers that he is the voice of reason - that he is the man with more wisdom that most of his peers. No one continually voices how well he did in the sermon on Sunday, because he wasn't preaching - he was praying for the preacher. No one remembers that he went to college, because he didn't - he worked his entire life to be faithful to God so that each and every one of his kids could go through college and receive a better education.

No one will mention that he went to another country to save the masses, because he didn't - he just adopted one that will grow up to do that. No one will recognize his contribution to social justice issues, because he had none of his own - he continually fought so that just one would minister to hundreds of poor, needy, homeless, broken, shattered women in slavery and prostitution. No one will comment that he saved the city, because he only trained one to go out to city block after city block and keep our streets safe. No one will see how he taught others, because there was just one that he raised to go out and exemplify godly principles to class after class of elementary students.

And no one will say that he built up a church to its fullest potential, because he only poured into one that would go on to minister to the hearts of hundreds of congregants.

There's something to be said for the one that ministered to the few so that the thousands would be reached. And THAT is why I love my Poppi. THAT is why I thank God for his faithfulness. THAT is why my father is great.

You may not have had the same experience. And you may not know the full potential of this message, but he seems to just find one at a time and I'm sure that you can be next.

The Musings of a Bachelor

Now, obviously some may see me as cynical... :) But that's OK - I don't mind it a bit.

There have been a TON of postings about this Jason dude. In fact, it seems that Americans, despite their lack of TV watching, can't get away from his life. Now, you can consider this to be the real love to a relationship or you can consider the following as an alternate possibility (an inspired post due to some comments about signing me up for the next Bachelor TV season)...

I don't mind being single. Do I wish to be married? Absolutely! But for this season of my life, I have absolutely NO problem with the fact that God has an aMAzing young woman out there with whom I can spend the rest of my life. And I absolutely look forward to that day that I can give my whole heart to this fabulous woman.

But along this road of bachelor-ness-hood, I've realized a couple of important facts (which will probably be corrected by some even more cynical married couple):

1. I don't mind waiting for sex. I'm a guy and I think statistics explain everything; but I would rather have fewer years of pure, unadulterated sex, than many, many years of baggage that I have to carry around with me.

2. I desire (strongly desire) to bless my wife with godly wisdom and leadership. Control freak? No...just following God's original plan of heading up the household.

3. Under NO circumstances am I going to settle for someone that does not fit into my life like a hand into a glove. Does that make me lonely? Sure. But isn't everyone lonely at some point in their life?

I keep hearing about this STUPID show (and I know that people like it just for the drama), but SERIOUSLY - isn't there more to be desired than multiple make-out sessions on TV. And I know what you guys are thinking - he just needs to get him some. I'm sorry, but that is a scandalous falsehood! My God made me to have a beautiful relationship with a woman and the two of us will become one and will live in the peace and love of God.

If you're one of those people reading this and laughing, then maybe it's time that you re-evaluate your own relationship. Maybe you're sad, because it lacks luster. Maybe you're broken, because your relationship is. I have learned to be perfectly content, despite my circumstances. AND I challenge each and every one of you to do the same.

Call me cynical. Call me stupid. Call me unfortunate. Call me celibate. Call me a LOSER. But I dare you to say it to my face. I also dare you to watch my future marriage - when God blesses me, because I remained pure and faithful.

I dare you...

God's Power Conduit

When you finally realize that God is at the center of everything that is great, you start to realize that you are not the person you thought you were. God's power - the most incredible force in the entire universe - is something that we can only see when we empty ourselves of our human capabilities and rely fully on His strength.

Follow in 1 Corinthians 12 with me - "Now about the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed...Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divin grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same. And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served]." (Amplified Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-5)

If we consider that we are gifted in different areas - all under the supernatural guidance/power of the Holy Spirit - then we should start thinking and acting in the Spirit if we are to use these gifts. Upon viewing the events over the past two weeks of my life, I have distinctly come to realize that Christ's power working through me, has nothing to do with me EXCEPT that I open my will to His.

When I speak on behalf of the Lord, there are times when I am completely under the influence of the Holy Spirit and other times in which I am only partly taken. To understand the full nature of this, I suggest we consider piping or conduit. When a valve is released (or opened), the amount of energy flow is determined by the dilation of the valve. If the valve were opened to full strength, then the total force of the energy would be released and you would attain maximum output.

For lack of a better demonstration, I believe that this is partly how the Holy Spirit's power works. When we open ourselves up to His energy, we allow Him to flow through us and work His miraculous wonders. Am I talking about healing? Well, healing comes in season. It may not be a physical manifestation of healing, but it could be spiritual or emotional.

Am I talking about wisdom? Well, wisdom and discernment come to those who ask. It may not be the wisdom of time, but it could very well be the wisdom to make a certain choice at a certain time.

Am I talking about prophecy? Have you ever just spoken the words that someone needed to hear and had no clue where they came from? It may not be on par with Ezekiel or Jeremiah, or even Isaiah, but it was the Word of the Lord and it was given to a people in need.

I think that most of us are too scared to even consider the power of the Holy Spirit...

(1) It requires less of us and more of God. As much as we like to "sing" about that concept and "preach" about its meaning, it really is a hard thing for us to fully grasp.

(2) It requires that we dedicate our life's work to God's calling. You don't have to be a pastor or teacher or missionary to be used by the Holy Spirit; but there is a sense that only these people are "good enough" to do the job.

(3) It requires that we just rest in God's presence...and quite often that can be a hard thing to do. Resting in God's presence means that we have forgiven ourselves of past mistakes...Resting in God's presence means that we have accepted God's forgiveness...Resting in God's presence means that despite all that we face, we remain princes and princesses in God's holy family.

You are royalty, and as such you deserve - and are commanded - to uphold the family name. What are you doing toward that end?