I happened to walk back into the room right as Luke was in the swamp with Yoda. Yoda was moving the x-wing fighter out of the swamp and onto land. After this, Luke looks at Yoda and, surprised that a small creature could move a giant spaceship, says, “I don’t believe it!!” To which Yoda responds, “That is why you fail…”

How many times do we as Christians fail for the same reason? We go to church and listen to sermons week after week. We study the Bible trying to understand what God’s will is for our lives. We have no shortage of knowledge, but having knowledge does to equate to belief.

To truly believe something, is to both know and to experience it to the point that you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt…

James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote that Abraham was an example of this type of belief. It was his faith and his action that combined to both confirm and prove His absolute trust in God…

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. (James 2:20-24 NIV)

Luke did not fully believe in the strength of the force because he had very little experience with the force itself. How many Christians know a whole bunch about God and “think” they believe but are lacking the action which is the true evidence of a truly faithful heart.

And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times. You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race. (Psalm 12:6-8 NIV)

There were a couple of things that stood out to me in
this passage. The first two are obvious but are good reminders for all of us as we move through our days.

1. the words of the Lord are flawless
2. You, Lord will keep the need safe and will protect us

For many Christians, these are obvious truths that we know, but how often do we take them for granted? When was the last time you took a look at the core truths from the Bible and really took them to heart?

God’s word is FLAWLESS… We can trust it… We can grow from it… God uses His word to communicate to us what we need to hear.

God does and continues to protect us every minute of our lives. We are his precious children and he wants to keep us safe and see us grow. Again, I know this is obvious and you’ve probably heard it a million times but have you ever really focused on it… Have you thought about what that really means?

The God of the Universe LOVES you and PROTECTS you… If He is for us, who can be against us… An important truth to remember in the days ahead…

The final truth that struck me this morning is the last verse in Psalm 12…

the wicked, who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.

This description of the wicked by the Psalmist, probably written hundreds of years before Christ’s birth, speaks volumes about the world we live in today…

This statement speaks to the flawless word of God. Unfortunately in 21st century America we live in a time when the vial is honored by humans. Things the Bible speaks against directly are looked upon as okay in our society. Because of that, the “wicked” gain confidence and do strut around freely trying to mold our world into their differing view of what is right and good.

We need to be willing to stand up no matter the cost. If something is wrong, don’t shy away and hide your views in the corner – It does no good. We are living in times where passive Christianity is not an option anymore – It’s time to pick a side and actively defend it at all costs.

Which side of the fence are you on? You can’t play the middle of the road any more… Choose today whom you will serve…As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…

Each of the different instruments have their part to play and sometimes it is beautiful and some times it seems like just a series of notes. But when it all comes together and everyone is playing it is an amazing sound….

Each one of us is unique and has a specific purpose in God’s plan… Individually your part may seem boring or difficult but without that part the musical piece God is creating is not complete…your part is just as vital as the one “playing the beautiful melody.” don’t ever doubt your,significance in God’s masterpiece.

There was so much good information that I am still processing it all but here are some of the cool “sound bites” from some of the sessions yesterday. Enjoy and let God use them how He may in your life…

You do your best work between an appropriate challenge level and over challenged – Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Senior Pastor and Author

We need to call a problem a problem and work to resolve them as soon as possible – bill hybels

Our job is to move an organization from here to there, you have to believe that God is willing to help you move from here to there. If not, get on the sidelines. – Bill Hybels

Pray that the next 5 years will be your best 5 leadership years – Bill Hybels

Entrepreneurship – It’s a discipline and can be learned – Len Schlesinger, president of Babson College

If you can’t predict the future, create it – Len Schlesinger

Failure does not mean quit it means try again with experience – Len Schlesinger

Stop worrying about what you want to do now and start thinking about what to do next. – Len Schlesinger

Every person you meet has the opportunity to give you wisdom in life – Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ

Use your blessings to move things forward. – Honorable Cory Booker

You are the result of a grand conspiracy of love…. – Honorable Cory Booker

We are born originals but most die a copy -Abe Lincoln

We are here because of the many who had the courage to stand before us. – Honorable Cory Booker

What you see in the world around you is a reflection of what is inside of you – Honorable Cory Booker

The only way to make change in this world is to start with yourself. If we live our values we can make transforming change come about.- Honorable Cory Booker

Put your thoughts into action. Infuse your truth into your action- Honorable Cory Booker

Kindness can transform people and circumstances – Honorable Cory Booker

Stand in humility and don’t give up…reach out to each other…- Honorable Cory Booker

Stand for a cause… Faith with works is alive… – Honorable Cory Booker

Threat to-justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere- Honorable Cory Booker

Let us now stand up and tell our truth to the world – Honorable Cory Booker

Make change because you decided to – Seth Godin, Blogger, Marketing Guru

We need to innovate thats what gets people’s attention and makes you stand out – Seth Godin

If you want to do something go do it….Too many people are holding on to a gift and letting it rot… Not using it – Seth Godin

What the world needs is for you to lead them.- Seth Godin

If you vision is not intimidating to you, then its insulting to God. – Pastor Steven Furtick and Author of Sun Stand Still.

The difference between a daydream and a vision is audacious faith and action – Pastor Steven Furtick

Faith believes it before it sees it – Pastor Steven Furtick

Audacious faith has ambiguity to it – Pastor Steven Furtick

The difference between a daydream and a vision is audacious faith and action- Pastor Steven Furtick

Tip – If you EVER get a chance to hear Steven Furtick speak – Take it… He’s amazing and preaches the word straight up! – http://www.stevenfurtick.com

Enjoy…
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In a world that is falling down around us God calls us to a place of peace with Him. A place of quiet rest where we can clearly hear from him and know his loving guidance. Where we can trust in the grace, mercy, and love He provides. Our hope is in the Lord. A transcendent God who loves his creation and will do anything to redeem and restore it.

Let me explain a bit about my journey first.About almost two years ago, I and some guys that I meet with on fridays decided to begin a study of the book of Revelation. We all had an interest in the book and were noticing that pretty much all pastors seem to avoid the topic. So we got a 3 book study series and dove in.

Now about 2 years later, our world looks a lot more like the world Jesus describes in Matthew 24. For those who don’t know in Matthew 24, the disciples of Jesus come to Him and ask what will be the signs of the end of the age. Jesus then precedes to share with them regarding what’s to come.

For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains…As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(Matthew 24:5-8,37-39 NIV)

Honestly, it sounds a lot like today to me…

We are seeing financial strife throughout the world (especially in the US), political upheaval everywhere with a focus on the middle east and Israel, and a natural world that seems to be going crazy. This coincides with exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24.

Jesus refers to these signs as birth pains. Anyone who has had kids or witnessed someone having kids knows that when labor hits it increases in both frequency and intensity as the time gets closer. We could make the case that that is happening in all three areas listed above.

Along with this, the next two weeks we will see a impressive display in the skies as June 1 brings us a Solar Eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse then on June 15 a rare total central lunar eclipse will happen (next one will be in 7 years – July 27, 2018). Both of these celestial events will be 7 days before and 7 days after Pentecost which begins at sunset on June 7.

Why are celestial events important to Bible prophecy about the future?

Well, the Jewish calendar is actually based on the lunar month and some of the major Jewish festivals center around the moon. For the Gentiles, our calendar is based on the solar year. Basically, the way it was explained to me was “when God wants to get the attention of the Gentiles, He uses the sun. When He wants to get the attention of the Jews He uses the moon.” Here is an example where He is using both. Seems to me he might be trying to get everyones attention.

(If you want to read an interesting perspective on Bible prophecy and Celestial events visit, RaptureWatch.net)

With all that is going on in our world and all that is going on in the skies above and all that is going on in nature (Massive tornadoes, flooding, heavy rains/snow, major earthquakes, volcanoes) it seems to be all converging on the next two weeks (June 1 thru 15) with Pentecost (a major Christian event) right in the middle. This is why I believe that something significant that ties with Biblical prophecy could happen in this coming two weeks. We all need to be aware of this…

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door…

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:32-33, 42-44 NIV)

Now, what could happen? Well, I am not going to tell you specifically what I think because I am human and I don’t know everything. But I have done some serious searching on the Internet and found a couple theories for events that could happen in this time frame. You may read them if you like or skip them  - the choice is yours but please  note that these are not ideas that represent my personal view just the product of the research I have done.

Possible Rapture on June 1, 2011 (not nearly as publicized as the last prediction) – Rapturewatch.net (scroll down a bit)

Possible major earthquake event – centered in CA

or maybe God will surprise us…

My point in writing this is not to predict something… I don’t have that kind of insight from above but I do feel that God has called me to educate people about the Truth and how to discern it and raise awareness about the times in which we are living. I truly do believe that we are living in a time when we will see amazing events of Biblical proportions. We all need to be aware of this and while looking for His soon coming – living lives that point others to Him. If ever there was a time for boldness in your witness of Jesus – Now is that time!

Holy Father, in Heaven above
Tender Shepherd who comes near to us
Thank you for the guidance You give
We appreciate Your constant pursuit of us

Create in me ears that hear Your call
Design in my heart a clear direction
With all this is in me I desire to follow
I choose to trust the path You light

My heart breaks in two whenever I stumble
The spirit within me falls a bit more each time
Like a child who fails and upsets a parent
I am saddened by the pain my actions cause

But in repentance there is grace that is given
Forgiveness rains down from Your merciful heart
Though I must bear the results of my choice
In the end I will trust and You will continue to love

Throughout my life, I continue to long for you
My heart deeply desires relationship
I am grateful for grace, mercy, and love
May my life grow to reflect more of you every day

Holy Father, in Heaven above
Tender Shepard who comes near to us
May You love continue to rain down
May our trust in You continue…

3. It’s important to know your place in relationship to the God of the Universe and let Him lift you up – don’t you do the lifting.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10

An “all in” lifestyle will only work with someone who has been humbled by a full understanding of who God is, what He has done for us, and an awareness of our own imperfections.

Someone who has taken the first two steps seriously will be in a good position to be used by God as He lifts them up. God can only use those who know their place. That they are not the center of the universe but are a tool that God has created to work with to reach a world that desperately needs to be in relationship with Him.

It’s not just awareness of this fact. It also requires a choice by this person to do what God is calling them to do. They have the option to say “yes” or “no”.

A truly humbled person will understand that God has a bigger vision than we can see (Jer. 29:11) and that everything He does will work out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Faith and trust are key to a humbled person working at their full potential for God.

The “All In” Lifestyle is one of full commitment to the God of the Universe and his plan for redemption. It means responding quickly to times of sin and brokenness and getting back on track with God in humility. It is when we are at that point that God can begin to open doors for us and begin to move mightily in our lives.

We need to make a choice to live an “All In” lifestyle or not… Read Jesus words about this in Revelation 3:15-16

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Not making a choice to follow God with everything or to not follow God with everything basically makes Jesus sick. The word “spit you out of my mouth” actually means “to Vomit”

By riding the fence – keeping one foot in each world, if you will… you make Jesus puke…

Are you stuck on the fence? Are you neither hot nor cold, are you luke warm? Stop making Jesus vomit and make a decision and go ALL IN.

2. Even after we do a “180″ and commit our lives to God, we will sometimes fall pray to our “old life” – We must use these times of brokenness as reminders of God’s grace and forgiveness.

Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. – James 4:9

In this verse, James is NOT saying the “all in” lifestyle is not one of mourning and saddness. I think the important point here is that we need to take a realistic look at the journey we are embarking on. We are called in James 4:9 to “greive, mourn, and wail” about the sin in our lives that keeps us from a full relationship with God.

Even after we repent and do a “180″ back toward God, we will still struggle with the old habits of sin that we’re attempting to put behind us. James is saying sin – whether at the time we repent or when we slip back into “old habits” – should cause us grief and to mourn because we’ve broken our relationship with God.

As long as we don’t get stuck in the mourning, this brokenness should serve to push us toward the third step to an “all in” lifestyle. And we will discuss that one tomorrow…

Do you mourn or regret when you fall back into old sinful habits? Just remember, don’t get stuck there… Pick up the pieces and keep moving forward!

He suggested doing it every evening before bed. Well, those who know me…know our crazy lifestyle and how tired I get. Evening does not work for me because sleep hits me before my head hits the pillow. So since God sees fit to wake me up early every morning (I don’t set an alarm clock), I figured He must want me to utilize that time better. So here we go…

As I look over all that happen yesterday, one encounter I had definitely has the hand of God all over it. Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to pick up a new friend from the airport. He flew into Grand Rapids from Dallas, TX and was speaking in Jackson, MI this weekend. The funny thing is that we had never met before face to face. We had talked via linkedin, email, and phone, but God finally saw fit to connect the two of us together in person. His name is Blake Porter (Visit His Ministry Website).

So when Blake finally got into town yesterday (after airport issues cause delays for him), I picked him up from the airport and we went to a local starbucks and hung out for just over an hour. I was amazed at Blake’s energy and passion for God and his ministry as he shared his story of how he came to be doing what he’s doing. The whole encounter was incredibly refreshing, exciting, and inspiring for me as I look to follow God completely like Blake has been doing for years.

As l reflect back on the conversation we had over tea at Starbucks, I was struck with the question that is now the title of this post… Am I “all in” like Blake is – completely trusting God and passionately pursuing my calling with everything in me or am I only “half in” – not fulling putting my faith in the God of the universe, who may be calling me to so much more – am I caught up in the worries of this life?

I think wherever we are in our walk with God there is always room to improve. The question is am I/are you taking the steps we need to take to improve? Are you coasting through life comfortable and content with the security you have built up or do you feel a sense that there is something more God is calling you too?

If it’s the latter, then you just need to take a baby step forward and God will begin to lead you.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8a, NIV

If you have chosen to remain “comfortable,” in the life you’ve built, I would argue that you are not being as effective in your calling as you might think. If you are not experiencing some challenge to your faith or life, then you have to ask the question “Are you a threat to the enemy?” Is Satan leaving you alone because he does not feel that you are a danger to his efforts to defeat God?

God calls us to storm the gates of Hell, to be on the front lines of the battle making a difference for His kingdom – are you doing that if you’re solely focused on your comfort and what you need? If you’re not a threat to the enemy, you’re not effective in God’s calling for your life.

What ever God has uniquely designed you to do – are you doing it with all that is in you? Trust me, if you jump in and make that kind of 100% commitment to Him that he calls us to then He will be there for you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine…

Where are you in your life… Are you “comfortable” and “safe” or are you living life on the edge of faith, opening new doors of opportunity for God to move through you and impact lives for eternity?

It’s Your Choice…