Go your own way

•November 22, 2009 • Leave a Comment

“Go Your Own Way”

125 Alma Young Adults (November 2009)

M. Levitt & C. Parish

We have read the word of God in Deuteronomy 7 that says “you are a people holy to the Lord; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possessions”. This is a big promise of destiny in our lives, yet with that promise will come confusion and misdirection. We can become all too caught up with producing results and finding our own path that we can miss the point of our destiny: becoming a people “holy to the Lord”.

In this talk, we will discuss some of the ramifications of “going our own way” and the alternate blessings that come when we seek God in our divine moments of destiny.

The prophet Isaiah says this in Isaiah 30:

“Woe to the obstinate children,”

declares the LORD,

“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,

forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,

heaping sin upon sin…

Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,

this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.

It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”

Have you ever gone your own way? Have you ever decided that you knew what needed to be done and grabbed up your bags and went?

What is it that causes us to call our own shots – to “go our own way” – when it comes to our destiny? (Lack of faith, lack of knowledge of God, lack of time spent with Him, too much pride/self-reliance, self sufficiency)

There’s a song titled “Go your own way” with these lyrics:

If I could, I’d give you my world.

Open up, everything’s waiting for you. (c) Lindsey Buckingham/Fleetwood Mac

Even though those lyrics have a different meaning, those words can easily be used to describe what God wants for us. He wants us to have His world; to open things up for us.

We have God’s destiny waiting for us – some of us have it on the doorstep waiting for us to step into – but we don’t always do that. We turn to ourselves instead and “go our own way”.

Maybe it’s because you’ve bought into the same lie that Eve did when she bit the apple. When you bite the apple you rely on yourself instead of God – that was the whole point – the apple was supposed to make her into her own God. She could choose her own destiny and determine what was right and wrong for her life.

If that’s you, you will call your own shots and make your own judgments. You are literally making yourself into your own God tonight.

This might seem like an obvious question, but why does this self-reliance in the big things of life and in our day to day lives diminish the power of God in our destiny?

Secondly, maybe you genuinely want to put God first. You know who He is and want Him to guide your destiny, but you’re too busy. About 60 percent of Christians say that the busyness of life gets in the way of developing their relationship with God.

What’s keeping you busy these days?

Luke 10:38-42 says this:

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41″Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It seems that Martha allowed busyness to distract her from spending time with Jesus. When she welcomed him into her home, she was preoccupied with preparing the meal, washing their feet, and making sure that the “doing” was taken care of.

Martha’s busyness and preparation turned into her own work that ended up distracting her from sitting with Jesus and reflecting on his words. She got so caught up with producing something that she missed the chance to sit and receive from Jesus first and foremost.

*If you are too busy for God, you are too busy.

Think about the passage Jesus speaks in his Sermon on the Mount. He says in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be taken care of in you”. What does this mean in regards to our busyness?

Are you carving out the rest you need in order to truly seek Him first? Is your day so stressful and filled with work that you miss the whole point of destiny – being with God?

To summarize:

1. You can’t chase your destiny without God involved. You will eventually fall short of your full destiny that God has for you – either because you are relying on yourself or because you are too busy to seek God first.

2. If you’re too busy you’re not spending enough time with God. Stepping into the life God has for you requires that we are first spending a great deal of time at the feet of Jesus.

3. If you’re not spending time in the Word, you are not experiencing the true rest needed to seek Him. This is why the idea of finding rest is so important to our spiritual walks – we cannot grow close to someone who we find no time for.

Concluding thoughts: God calls us His treasured possession and “a holy people called out of all the nations of the earth”. He has a destiny for you to step into, (beginning even tonight). Confusion will set in. Misdirection will overcome you in the face of this destiny, yet there is one way you can be sure to be guided into the future: giving up the need to “go your own way” and seeking first God’s Kingdom each and every day of our lives. Growing close to Him – sitting at His feet – is the only way our future is left in His hands rather than our own.

Let’s commit to making that time the pinnacle of our days, now, as we all look forward to stepping into the future that God has for us.

Peace with a cold

•November 19, 2009 • Leave a Comment

Howdy.

I’ve been fighting off a cold for a week now. Not flu-like, and hoping it won’t turn into a flu, because flu’s are not fun, and they cramp my style.

Weeks are flying by eh?

November 19th. American Thanksgiving is 1 week away, but that doesn’t prevent us from being thankful right now.

I have two interviews lined up in the coming weeks. 2nd interview is next week, and the 1st interview with another organization I’m interested in helping is the week of Dec 4th. Thanks in advance for your continued prayers.

God is providing for us, which I had no doubt.*

* doubt on how He would do it, not doubt that He would do something.

I need to gather my thoughts on a 2009 summary. Most dynamic year I’ve ever encountered. Not sure if it was the most challenging…need more reflection on that.

I do know this: I’m better and more in touch with God today, than I was a year ago.

That’s a good thing.

Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World

•November 16, 2009 • Leave a Comment

Is your life spiraling out of control? Is the daily noise of today’s world causing you to question everything you’ve learned? Everything you believe in?

Dr. David Jeremiah writes in his latest offering Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World on how to deal with these daily challenges.

The chapters are sorted out by the steps we all need to take to be bold and confident in this world:

Stay calm
Stay compassionate
Stay challenged
Stay connected
Stay centered
Stay confident
Stay consistent
Stay committed
Stay convinced

Each chapter paints a picture of what many of us are facing, and scripture-based examples on how to conduct ourselves.

Jeremiah is poignant and streams Bible verses into the varied stories throughout the book, which provides a good roadmap to what needs to be followed.

This is not a two-day book read. It took me several days of reading this book to get through it all. However, it’s a worthwhile read, because it arms us with how we should conduct ourselves as human beings.

(Disclaimer: I receive books from Thomas Nelson Publishing to read, and then write non-paid reviews on this blog, as well as a commercial book seller. I do not pay for the book that I review.)

Friday thoughts

•November 6, 2009 • Leave a Comment

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. My parents have been visiting (that’s not the reason for the craziness), and it seems that I’ve been busier than ever.

Haven’t spent much time on Twitter, Facebook, or other social sites. I’ve been using the retro social tools of actually talking and seeing people. You should try it sometime. I think it has legs to last.

Raked the front yard yesterday, so all the leaves are at the edge of the grass, and partially in the road. Hoping the leaf fairy will come take them away. I don’t need the quarter under the pillow in return. Taking the leaves will be good enough.

A couple dear friends are getting married tonight. May God truly bless their wedding.

Realized there was a couple things I forgot at the grocery store. Went there for some vitamin c drops and some water for our trip.

Bought the water. Refused to be robbed for what they wanted for the vitamin c.

Going to another store to buy the things I’ve forgotten.

Had a job interview yesterday. Great organization, and wonderful people working there. I pray that I will be their chosen candidate, but if not me, I pray that they are blessed with the best person out there for them.

Blessings on your weekend!

Happy Birthdays/Anniversaries

•October 27, 2009 • Leave a Comment

October 26th is a pretty big day in the lives of may friends and loved ones.

Here’s the roll call (apologies for forgetting anyone:)

Birthdays:

Katie Fitzpatrick
Keith Hill
Julie Farmer

Anniversaries:

Scott & Jamie Hodgins

Monday Evening Rants

•October 26, 2009 • Leave a Comment

This past weekend (aka yesterday and Saturday), the family and I traveled to Oakville, to celebrate the 60th birthday of Jennifer’s Uncle Brian.

I must say that it was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had in quite some time. No stress, everyone was having fun, spending time with each other.

On Sunday, we took the sled to Guelph, to visit Grace Community Church

It’s always nice to visit churches, because you can see how the Lord is working in all kinds of communities. Great service about the 5 senses.

I had also tossed my hat into the ring for the pastoral position they are offering. Following the Lord on His direction during this current season.

After the service, we traveled to Burlington, to visit with a friend that moved from Windsor.

Praying for you Michelle!

I was more tired today than I’ve been in some time. It was the first long driving that I’ve done since the cardiac event, so that explains why I’m lethargic today.

Guess an OTR driving job isn’t in my future ;-)

The small group/Bible study we’re hosting starts on Wednesday. Working on the Book of Mark. Pray that the time will be blessed!

Door closes, door opens

•October 16, 2009 • Leave a Comment

A reminder to all of us (including me) that when a door closes, another opens. That’s how God works.

Door is “code” for opportunity, event, thing, place, relationship, and so forth. An opportunity didn’t pan out yesterday. Found out that I was close, but just not close enough. Still good to know that I am valued. Another door officially closed yesterday afternoon. I am extremely thankful for that opportunity.

Now that the previously mentioned “door” is closed, I look to the horizon to see a world of opportunities. I know where my heart is going. I just want to make sure my head is not dictating what my heart is feeling. My heart and head need to sing out of the same hymn book.

Sorry for the vagueness: the door that closed yesterday doesn’t get announced until the 22nd.

I feel ready for my new adventure. I’m healed from the cardiac event. I’m definitely rested. I’m healthier than ever, and continuing to improve my physical health. Pray that my mental health stays strong during these next few months, as the new adventure is still to be determined. I know the end goal, so I march toward that goal.

Thanks for coming along for the journey. I can’t promise it won’t be bumpy, but I’m confident it will be remembered.

Blessings!

peace

•October 10, 2009 • Leave a Comment

World Sight Day

•October 8, 2009 • Leave a Comment

Today is World Sight Day. CBM (Christian Blind Mission) is the oldest and largest ministry with the primary purpose of improving the quality of life for the blind and disabled living in the world’s most disadvantaged societies. They provide preventative, medical, rehabilitative and educational services to millions of people each year. CBM supports more than 1,000 projects in 113 countries, and our aid is available to all people regardless of religion, nationality, race, or gender.

Today’s post from their blog site challenges us to eat one meal in darkness…wear a blindfold.

Thus, I decided to eat my lunch blindfolded. Now, I had some advantages over someone that is blind:

- I made the PBJ sandwiches before wearing the blindfold
- I poured the coffee (decaf) before the blindfold
- I placed everything within reach, where I normally put things. If I were at a restaurant, this would have been more challenging.

So after putting on the blindfold, and saying a prayer, I started to eat.

Here’s some observations

1. I used too much peanut butter. The PB to J ratio was off. Reminder, I made the sandwiches without a blindfold.

2. Even though I knew where the coffee cup was, I still managed to stick my fingers right into the coffee when I was searching/reaching for the cup.

3. When setting down the coffee cup, I wanted to place it on the ceramic coaster I use. I had to use my other hand to feel for the coaster, before setting down the coffee. Imagine being blind, and only having one hand, or even no hands?

Do not insert fingers into cup of hot coffee

Do not insert fingers into cup of hot coffee

4. My napkin was saturated with grape jelly. Usually I’m much neater when eating.

I'm much neater in real life.  Honest

I'm much neater in real life. Honest

5. I closed my laptop during eating, just in case I would spill jelly on the laptop. Image shows the aftermath.

Good thing I closed the laptop

Good thing I closed the laptop

6. You hear things and your taste senses are stronger when you cannot see.

I personally challenge each of you to eat one meal blindfolded today. My heart convicts me to do this more often than once a year. I might do this weekly in different settings as a reminder of how blessed I am to have my sight.

Be blessed!

NHL 09-10

•October 2, 2009 • Leave a Comment

So the new NHL season begins, Chris Osgood is in midseason form (which is a bad thing, if you care about the regular season.)

Chicago loses their olympic bid (how’s that taste, Oprah?), and the Hawks lose to the Panthers in a shootout.

It’s early.

Tigers go against the South Siders this weekend. Tigers fan needs to be nervous. Ozzie will have the Sox gunning to play the ultimate spoilers.

The Twins face the Royals at the Homer Dome.

At least we have to look forward to the Bears beating up on Detroit this weekend, so the Lions can start a new losing streak. There’s such balance in nature.