The Awe Factor!

Psalms 46:10a - Be still, and know that I am God...






Recently, we finished our annual YMI '09 Conference and it was simply incredible!!! YMI is really cool because there's not really a theme that goes along with it, but if you was to listen to each speaker you would begin to see a theme forming. It's much like an artist who begins with a blank canvas and starts with several random strokes of his brush and then whoolah! the final product is revealed leaving everyone in awe of the beauty. (that was my creative side of the brain...I do have one of those for all of you that's wondering. ha!) While at YMI, a friend of mine was scanning through about a million pictures that she had taken of the different places in Europe she went to within the past year. As I looked on, I was blown away by the creativity of God. I've actually been in this state of mind before but never been sooo overwhelmed like this! You see, I've been reading an incredible book entitled Crazy Love by Francis Chan, that talked about 'The Awe Factor of God.' Now I've been in ministry for 13 years and had come to a place in my Christian walk where I became sluggish and down-right bored at times and it left me wondering: why? Until I read this verse in the Bible.

Revelations 2:2-4 [AMP] - I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars. I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary. But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].

You see, I was much like the church of Ephesus to whom this letter was written to. I was doing all the right things but was walking around blind as to who I was serving! I've forgotten my first love! I didn't have that 'Awe Factor' of who God was! I believe that many of us are mis-led, about God, by the traditions of our man-made and church laws, so much so, that we often place God in our small boxes not even realizing that He just doesn't fit. You see, God will not and cannot be harnessed and thrown into a box full of doubt and dwarfed dreams. God is greater than that! Just look at the pictures that I ripped off from my friend. (just don't tell her! ha!) It shouts out, "I HAVE AN INCREDIBLY AWESOME CREATOR!!!"
(Thanks for sharing Sylvia!)
Check out this video! The Awe Factor of God - by Francis Chan (Go buy the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan!)

Search me...

Do you realize that you don't have to strain to see or hear God? God is truly Omnipresent! In fact, God actually spoke to me just the other day while I was sanding my walls. No Lie! Here's the scoop. We recently purchased our first home, unfortunately, it's one of those fixer uppers. Instead of writing it all down, I made a video for your enjoyment.
Psalms 139:23 (AMP) - Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

Legacy

Legacy: something or anything that is handed down from an ancestor.
As I sit here thinking about the word Legacy, I become more determined in my efforts to make sure I create 'a legacy' worth carrying on for my kids and grandchildren someday! I hope and pray that they won't look back and remember me for my job as just a dad or a grandpa, but that they would be able to see and live with the legacy that was handed down to them with that same sense of pride and determination that I had in creating it. Not because it feeds my ego, or theirs for that matter, but because it's important to me!
There's one thing that you should know about, in creating a Legacy. (I'm sure there's more, but for the sake of having to read a very lengthy blog, we'll say one!)
1. Creating a Legacy is hard work!
This is one thing that I've figure out in my own endeavors of creating a Legacy! There's a lot of sweat, tears, and blood involved in the process of being successful. One thing I know for sure, is that you don't just wake up one day and expect everything to just happen for the best! There are disappointments that you have to deal with. It's called LIFE! Disappointments should never be a stopping point for you. Work hard!

Check this verse out!
Romans 8:15 - 17 (TMSG) 15This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” 16God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. 17And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

It's exciting to know that our Father in heaven handed down a Legacy to you and I, that we should carry on and not be ashamed! The Legacy of the cross is what we have and what we can share with others who are hopeless in themselves. We should never forget the price that was paid for us. So carry your cross (Legacy!) with pride and determination and walk in the freedom that's available to you and I!
Check out this video! I love Laminin!

Mr. Robotron

Last month we took our Momentum Student Leadership Team on a trip to New Orleans to see the Hornets play the Grizzlies and also to see my man Corey Hicks do his thang on the court afterwards! (Go check out Corey Hick's music on myspace...He's doin it!) Anyhow, I really wanted the trip to be a memorable one for them so I took them to the French Quarters, just to check out their response to the enviroment that surrounded them. Needless to say, it has become a very memorable moment for many of them. Not because of the wild behavior of those that walked around us, but because they saw an incredible need of Jesus in that city! Which brings me to the picture above. While walking down the sidewalk of this historic city we came upon a very interesting person painted all up in silver. With every move he made, he replicated the sound of an actual machine by a whistle in his mouth. And as you can see, my two small kids stood amazed as he pointed to his sign that said, "Robotron - Coins make him move, Dollars make him groove." As I stood there watching his act, I began to imagine what would it be like to wake up everyday as Mr. Robotron and put on this show for people he doesn't even know. As I was driving home that day, questions began to fill my mind like: how does he paint that on? how does he take that paint off? How long does he perform on that box? Does he run out of moves for the audience? Does he make his living doing that 7 days a week? Is he married? Kids? Then a striking question, like a bolt of lightening exploding from the sky and colliding with earth, hit me...Does he know Jesus?! I immediately started repenting, because of a missed opportunity! I started thinking of different ways that I could have expressed the love of Jesus without stealing his thunder or living...If only I had a tract!...I could have wrote on the back of a dollar!...I could've done something! I'm still praying for Mr. Robotron! I hope one day I'm able to see him on the street again and take him out to eat and let him know how much Jesus loves him! I would like to encourage you to pray for Mr. Robotron too! Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Even Mr. Robotron!!!!