who's behind that flashlight?

I recently joined a small group. For those of you who don't know me,... that's actually a big step. The decision was monumental because I'm one of those guys who thrives on helping other people. I love sitting down with someone and hearing the struggles of everyday life and helping people take themselves out of the situation and seeing it from a different perspective, or just spur them on with some needed encouragement to muster up the strength to put on the armor and face a new day. I love being involved in people's lives. I love the messy glimpses of what's really going on in the minds of people round me. I think I love it because it reminds me that I'm not alone and that the scuffle with the true self is something that is very real. I believe a strength of mine is relationships of character and so I love the experience of relationships. But, as many of you know your greatest strength, in turn can be your greatest weakness. My weakness is that I tend to put all the focus on others so I don't have focus on myself. It's a lot easier to hide in the shadows when you're holding the flashlight.

So, I joined this small group and it's been great. Over the past few weeks we have been sharing our stories of where we've been and where we are going. I have loved how transparent and real some of these stories have been. There is something quite powerful in hearing about the suffering endured by my new friends. What makes it so powerful is seeing how many of them have weathered the storms of life and can still walk with their heads held high. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get to that point, but they are still walking and haven't given up on the hope of things to come. It's like the suffering they have faced has made them into a prized fighter. It's truly inspiring. It makes me want to fight.


Being privileged enough to see the true self of so many around me has sparked a thought that I heard a while back from a mentor of mine. My friend taught me the importance of sharing our wounds with those around us. We can't hide behind the flashlight... our wounds we have endured, our suffering that we have faced... it brings strength to the lives of others. You see, our suffering gives us an authority to speak into the lives of those who are fighting the same fight. And people need to see that you've fought and you've survived what seems to be a losing battle to the hopeless heart. It's incredible but true... Jesus finds strength in those who suffer that they didn't even know they had. Your experience of suffering can be just what someone needs to fight one more day.


Are you hiding behind a flashlight... in hopes that the true self of others would be exposed rather than your own? Your suffering can be the strength of others. Jesus has given you the authority to speak about suffering... so maybe it's time you use it.

who needs a bigger boat?

I was recently looking through some old pictures and came across this one. My wife and I went on a cruise through Alaska with my in-laws and this was one of the pictures I took. I took this picture from the back of the boat to show how far you could see the wake of the boat. It was incredible... all you could see is open water, quiet and calm as it always is... and one long scar as far as the eyes could see where our boat cut through the water and agitated the surface. I took this picture because it reminded me of a quote I once read. I can't quite remember who it was accredited to... i'm sure it was either Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill, considering they are probably the most quoted people in all of history... and rightfully so. Those two had brilliant words of wisdom and insight. But the quote went something like this:

"The measure of a man has nothing to do with the size of his boat, but instead the wake it leaves behind."

I absolutely love that quote. And honestly it can be interpreted in many ways, but let me try to articulate what it means to me. To me, this quote speaks volumes about the legacy we choose to leave behind. We all want to leave a legacy that inspires people to integrity and life the way it was meant to be. If you're anything like me... I want my life to effect people in such a way that they would have no choice but to believe that there was potential in this world and something must be done to free it.

This is what I mean.... God created this world, and it was good. It was the way it was intended to be. And we screwed the whole thing up by living outside of God's design for us. We wanted control and thought we knew better than God. But so many people stop there. So many would be perfectly happy stopping with the world being suffocated by layers of greed, suffering and selfishness. So many are content in believing that is all there is... a messed up and hopeless world. That's just the way things are and there's no hope of changing it. The world lacks hope. I mean,... sure we get a little glimpse of hope here and there when we watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. But even that only lasts until the next commercial break.

Here's what I want my legacy to be...hope. When I leave this world and people look back at my "wake" I want lives to be changed by hope. I want hope to give the eyes people need in order to see what this world could be. I want everyone around me to become doers. I want people to have a vision of a better world and do something to make it happen. I want people to be so attuned to the needs of their surroundings that they do whatever it takes to meet those needs. I want to see an invasion of Heaven here. I know it's possible. It's not easy... but it's possible

What do you want your legacy to be? What waves are you making on this world? Or have you already bought into the lie that you need a bigger boat?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. -Proverbs 3:5-6

strengthening your senses

It's funny how at different times in your life,... some things just stand out. Some things are just easier to notice. It almost comes natural and there's no real way to explain why. Recently I have begin to notice the amount of emotion behind the human eyes. I have no idea why this all of a sudden has become something that triggers an alarm on my instinctual radar, but it's been happening more and more. It's amazing to me to see how much emotion can be expressed with a stabbing glare.

Just last week I was helping a friend of mine watch his kids and it astounded me how his little girl could relay loads of emotional information with just one uncomfortable glance. It was clear that this girl did not trust me and knew I wasn't her father. It was clear because I saw it in her eyes. This baby can't even talk yet but she said plenty with the look on her eyes.

A few days ago I went and spoke to a large group of students at a church. It was a blast. They were having a huge event that would last all night with great activities for students like ice skating, and a riverboat cruise. They had me come in and give a message about the saving grace of Jesus. I talked about how the world is messed up because we as humans are messed up. We choose to live a life of sin because it's easier than living the way we are meant to live. Then I began talking about the lies Satan whispers in our inner ear about how we will never be good enough, we won't measure up, there's no hope, and there's no point in trying to change. It was a message that I love to share because it's one that I wrestle with all of the time. Even after I spoke I began to hear Satan whisper in my ear, "you blew it, nobody was listening, that was a waste of your time, God's can't use you." He knows exactly what to say to cut you down and make you think you are incapable of anything good. Then I saw something that silenced the screams in my inner ear. I felt like all of a sudden I was under water or that I had lost my hearing and had to rely on strengthening my other senses to notice what would come next. Everything else went silent and I could hear this girl's eyes. It's like they were screaming for rescue. She walked up to me and she didn't have to say a word. I already knew.

Her eyes... seared that moment in my memory and I hope that it remains a scar. I never want to forget what her eyes shared with me. It seemed as if it was God himself telling me and the voices in my inner ear, "never underestimate me or what I'm capable of. I am bigger than you could ever possibly understand and nothing can stop my ferocious love." God speaks through anything and everything. The truths of our Savior are saturated in our everyday lives. God is trying to tell you something and sooner or later you are going to hear it in ways you couldn't imagine. Listen with your whole being and you will hear the message.