its a song title, become a cliche and probably lost most of its meaning, but today it is at the forefront of my mind…

What does it mean, why would you want to and lose myself to what? Why would being vulnerable and WIDE OPEN be a good thing? How can i protect myself if i take off all of the nine thousand masks i have created since i was a child? Wont people take advantage of me?

“Self”preservation has become the cornerstone for life, relationships, marriage and anything else that involves human contact and connection. WE DONT WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHO WE REALLY ARE BECAUSE THEN THEY MAY KNOW JUST HOW INADEQUATE OR HURT OR SIMPLE OR SIMPLY SEE THE “REAL” YOU!!! So, with that said, we are back to our original questions… why?

Our lives are summed up in our experiences, our past, our background, and exposure. We cling to our past as if it was a life raft, “saving” us from future… when in reality it is why we are DROWNING!!!

Losing yourself is not the enemy! Letting go of yesterday, the good the bad and especially the ugly, wil not make you any less prepared for your future!

This is one of the many joys of a full fledge, naked, vulnerable relationship with Christ! You lose who you thought you were, and cling to who He says you are! Your past is gone as long as you let it go! You get a clean slate! You live and not survive! You get a chance to be loved the way you have dreamed and longed to be loved!!

So, what are you waiting on, lose yourself… besides you (or I) are not as important as WE THINK WE ARE!!!

What are you afraid of?
Why wont you let go?
Will you lose yourself and re-learn to LIVE?

I don’t care what you are starting, family, relationship, marriage, business or church, starting anything is a difficult and can CONSUME YOU, if you let it. The thing is, that no matter what you are starting, no matter what you decide to put together, to create there are typically two things (of course there are more) that it will cost you a great deal of. There are two things that will be a challenge, hurdle (more like a steeplechase) and an indicator  of your threshold for both pain and success! What are those two things, TIME & MONEY!

Does that make any sense to you?

TIME

There is never enough. The people around you want more, than you seemingly have to give. Even when you plan the most perfect day (time management) something will come up and attempt to throw a monkey wrench in your plans. If your in a relationship, then time might be one of the most valuable commodities you have, how else will you ever come to know the person you are in a relationship with. When you make a physical, mental, emotional commitment you also have just committed a large (to be determined hopefully by both parties involved) amount of time to the new relationship. This is the same no matter your poison, whether it be business, family, church planting or marriage… TIME is a crucial asset that must be leveraged correctly or it will destroy you and more importantly the people around you. I speak from experience!

MONEY

Look, plain and simple is WE need it. You need it to start a business (if you don’t want to shut down or not be able to pay employees), you need it for the dates and eventually you will need it for a wedding and BOI!! do you need it to start a church (note: I’m not saying how much, but you need some). The reality is this one thing probably destroys more things than anything else, if you don’t believe me just look at our economy. We have been “thriving” (note: plenty sarcasm) for so long as a country off of credit for money we hope to have in the future or make in ROI and when the bottom falls out, there is no cold hard cash to stand on. Political rant over! But seriously, money or lack of and sometimes surplus of, can create issues in any of the above settings. Like time, you must get a real and honest grasp of your control over it. Over the desire to put it first in your relationship, over the temptation to splurge and not be wise, or the temptation to skim from the top of a business or church. The temptation and desire is real! Equally as important is flat out learning to MANAGE the money you have!!! I speak from experience.

These two things, time and money, are not ALL that matters. Nor or they the only things that make or break an endeavor, but they are two of the first things that will be challenged or attacked by the enemy in any one of these endeavors, especially if you have a fondness for either one before entering endeavor! I love the fact that God has provided Grace for these and so many other issues. You are going to need it. Not, just for yourself, but for those you are involved with. Perhaps you are the one who is a great manager of time but your partner isn’t. Perhaps you are a wise financial stud, but your partner needs to mature in this area, God’s Grace is more than sufficient! Your job is to not tear down, but to encourage, correct lovingly and pray- but you probably should pray first!!! LOL!

out of darkness into His marvelous night…

There are times when I’m sure we all feel alone. Not lonely, but alone. There is a difference you know. For example, you ever been in a room filled with thousands of people and no matter how many people you know in that room, it would appear that you were alone, it feels like no one else in the room can see you, hear you or even cares. Ive been there countless times! For some of us, this occurs at the one time you would think it wouldn’t, in church!

This morning, I twittered, “He will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you”! Guess what, that is not a slogan, a cliche Christian saying, but that is a PROMISE! A promise made by a FATHER who does not and can not lie. A father who has given His ALL to you, His Son, that the very relationship found in this simple promise could exist. Imagine that! He gave His Son, Jesus, so that this promise of a this RELATIONSHIP (not religion) could exist!

For some, i know, its not the same as having someone next to you, that physical representation of relationship, but i challenge you this morning, IT IS BETTER! Try it. Open your heart, your mind to the possibility of someone, God the Father, never leaving or forsaking you. Yes, you! No matter what you’ve done, do this NOW! It will make all the difference! Not promising rainbows, thunder from heaven, or even goose bumps, but an assurance from God, who is LOVE!

Want an idea of just how America shapes up in it pursuit of all things religion? Go here. A very interesting survey… I think the question most interesting to me would be the “many ways to eternal life” question, then the “heaven and hell” question which it seems most Chrisitians did not read the question correctly as it specifically qualifies a candidate for heaven or hell as someone who has led a “good life” or a “bad life”… we have so much work to do!!!

I was privileged to meet with David Putman last week and I must admit the last few weeks I have truly been humbled by the willingness of outstanding men of God to hear my heart concerning the vision God has given me. David was even gracious enough to share his latest book with me, Breaking the Discipleship Code. I am enjoying it immensely NOW!

I have been tossing around the notion in my head about what the difference is, the distinct difference is in a life of someone on fire for God versus the church attendee when I stumbled on this paragraph in the book that explains it clear and succinctly.

“Living as Jesus lived is about coming to know Jesus personally through experience. It’s about coming to know Him through the lenses of the gospel and the presence of His very Spirit; it’s about a journey of friendship. It’s about living life to the maximum by living minimally. It’s about giving up to ultimately go up. It’s about laying down in order to be lifted up. It’s about becoming last only to find yourself first. It’s about decreasing in order to see Him increase. Living as Jesus lived is a new way of life that requires rethinking all of your assumptions, opinions, expectations, and experiences about the kingdom. Jesus descended in order to ultimately ascend, and so must we.”

An incredible passage that sums up so many thing for me. I could go on forever, but I wont this time. But seriously, WE MUST EXPERIENCE JESUS. Please notice that “experience” is a verb, meaning there is action required. There is so much more to a relationship with Jesus than church membership, tshirts, cute bumper stickers (yes i said cute) and whether or not you wear a suit or have doctoral/ theological differences!!!

WE MUST LIVE LIKE JESUS IN ORDER THAT OTHERS MIGHT SEE HIM IN US.

We must serve, serve in our local churches, serve in our schools, in our communities, serve our families (men, I’m begging you to learn to serve your wife instead of expecting her to always serve you)… to minister is to serve! It is an experience that must shared with EVERYONE WE COME IN CONTACT WITH!!!!

So have you EXPERIENCED Jesus lately?

Thanks for the book Dave, you don’t know how much it has meant to me already!!!