“It’s a whole lot more satisfying to reach for the stars, even if you end up landing only on the moon.” - Kermit the Frog

Shoot for the moon today.

Why not?

What do you have to lose?

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
- Zechariah 4:6

I have a problem.

You might have it too.

This problem is so subtle it’s easy to miss.

My problem is that I have a tendency to pray and believe only to the degree that I have the resources to meet (or come close to meeting) the prayer request myself.

I ask of God according to my own pocket.

Instead of thinking about His pocket, I limit things to my pocket.

And I have a very small pocket.

This week I have felt challenged by God to pray differently.

To pray BIG prayers.

To ask for supernatural encounters, divine appointments, and other things far beyond human ability.

Because God has a BIG pocket, and He wants to come through for His children in a BIG way.

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”
1 Thess. 5:16-18

We had an awesome Baptism Service at Folsom Lake a few weeks ago (to see the video, click here). The only thing that wasn’t awesome about it was the fact that I left my Iphone in my pocket while in the water . And yes, that was ‘all she wrote’. I tried to dry it out, put it in a bag of rice (one of the recommended remedies for a wet Iphone!), and synced it with my Mac to see if somehow it could be jumpstarted.

None of it worked.

Rather than get the same model that I had (3G), I decided to wait for the new edition (4G).

So I have been without a mobile phone for over 3 WEEKS!

It has been a huge adjustment (it is amazing how accustomed we can become to these little devices!). I feel totally disconnected. Can’t call when I am out and about, no text messages, no e-mail, no Twitter, no Facebook, No TED, no internet, no Google Maps…nothing.

I am a disconnected man.

While thinking of my plight of disconnectedness, this thought struck me: “Why aren’t we as concerned about our connection to God?”

How many times have you heard someone say, “I am so disconnected from God right now. I really need to spend some time disconnecting from everything else so I can get serious about RE-connecting to God..”?

How many times have you heard that said?

How many times have you said it?

How many times have I said it?

The time has come for us to put a new urgency and priority on being God seekers. We need to stop making excuses, stop blaming our schedule, stop pointing fingers at everything/everyone else.

Seek God.

Get connected again.

He is waiting for us.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
-Jeremiah 29:13

“..who keeps his oath even when it hurts.”

-Psalms 15:4

Have you ever made a promise that was a challenge to keep?

Last week I had a promise to keep that when I intially made it, didn’t seem like a big deal. A friend invited the Newman family to a birthday party last Thursday night almost a month ago. The schedule seemed clear, we wanted to celebrate this little guy’s birthday, so we were happy to go.

What I couldn’t have possibly forecast was that Game 7 of the NBA Finals would fall on the exact same night.

I was shocked.

Most of you know I am a rabid NBA fan. The NBA Finals in June is a big deal in our house. Tiffany’s favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers and they were in the championship series. She can get really crazy during the games.

One Tuesday night during the 1st round, the pizza delivery guy came to the door at the exact same moment Tiffany unleashed a blood curdling shriek. He looked a little unsettled until I said, “NBA Playoffs man, my wife is getting a little wild. But everything is okay here.”

With that backdrop you can see how this conflict could be an issue.

Leading up to Game 7, I did everything I could to resolve this conflict.

I checked the time of the party: 5:30 pm

I checked the time of the game: 6:00 pm

I called the place where the party was being held (Bounce U) and asked them how long the party would last: 2 hours.

I called them back and asked them if they had televisions on site that would show the game: They didn’t.

So I was faced with a decision: Do I keep my promise, or make an excuse?

I opted to keep my promise.

We had a great time with our friends, ate pizza, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (and no, we didn’t leave early!).

After getting home, we were able to jump in during the 3rd quarter and watch the thrilling finish.

Yes, we missed some of the game.

But we kept a promise.

The NBA Draft is scheduled next Thursday, June 24th. It is the annual selection process of basketball prospects orginating from the United States and the rest of the world. Over the many decades of the NBA Draft, there have been incredible finds (Manu Ginobli 57th pick, 1999), and colossal busts (Michael Olowokandi 1st pick, 1998).

But the greatest pick ever made, happened in December 1991 in Arden Faire Mall.

No, the NBA Draft was not held in December that year. The NFL or MLB drafts weren’t either.

It was the pick made by a dashing young gentleman (yes, it was me!), to introduce myself to the most amazing woman in the world (and yes, I was smooth!).

We were married 4 years later.

It is her birthday today.

And yes, she is better than ever.

And yes, I made the pick.

What a pick it was.

What if we came to God to give to God for a change? What if we came to God with the intention of blessing Him rather than to seek a blessing? What if when we did ask for something, we prayed that God would bless us with the resources and the tools to be a blessing to others?

What if we esteemed God above anything He could ever give us?

What if we lived as if God was the most valuable connection in our life?

How would our life be different?

Last week I went to lunch with a friend at Felipe’s Mexican Restaurant (great place, by the way!). I was there a little early, so got a table and waited. After spending a few minutes reading Making Ideas Happen, (always a good idea to take a book everywhere you go!) I decided to go wash my hands (gotta fight those germs!).

While I walked to the restroom, I thought about the concepts in the book. Just as I went to open the door to go in, a guy was opening the door to come out at exactly the same moment. It totally took me off guard. And besides that, the guy was HUGE. In that split second he seemed about 6′10 and about 400 pounds! It was crazy.

But what was even crazier than that, was my response to the whole thing.

Even though I was startled, surprised, and caught off guard I kept it cool.

When the door flew open and Goliath came stomping out I nodded my head and said, “What’s up dude?”

It was a super calm response. Completely laid back.

Mega chill.

After stepping to the sink and getting my heart out of my throat (and being perfectly happy and relieved that he didn’t ‘blow the bathroom up!’), I threw my head back and started to laugh.

And laugh.

And laugh.

And laugh.

It was so bizarre, unexpected, and weird that it was funny.

It makes me think of all the potentially funny, inspiring, and joyful things that happen throughout our day.

Most of the time they escape us.

We are so busy being serious, being responsible, and stressed out that we miss out on all the fun.

In the midst of all the serious stuff that will happen today, don’t forget to laugh at the funny little things along the way.

Even if they come in 6′10 400 pound packages!

In pro football after assessing opposing defense prior to the snap, a quarterback determines which defender is the “Mike”. The “Mike” is football parlance for middle linebacker or captain of the defense.

The “Mike” acts as the defense’s center, the primary pivot point upon which everything turns. By identifying the “Mike”, accurate blocking assignments can be given and a better understanding of how the opposition will potentially attack (with blitzes, stunts, different coverages, etc).

Before a first down can be made, or a touchdown is scored, a quarterback must find the “Mike”.

This gridiron principle of finding the Mike also applies to our leadership.

Before we can change the culture of our church, business, or organization we must find the “Mike”. The “Mike” is the root cause of resistance, problem, or issue in need of change. Though many symptoms can manifest, there is always a foundational challenge that acts as fuel to the fire.

Suggestions on how to find the “Mike”:

1. Take a step back- Stop fighting the daily battles for an hour or two and make space to think.
2. See the Big Picture-After making space to think, take a mental picture of your organization/team. What are the strengths? Weaknesses? What do you notice?
3. Find the Links- What is the common link between the smaller battles and fires you face on a regular basis?
4. Ask God for Guidance- God will always give wisdom when we ask for it. (James 1:5)

Ex: A certain pastor assummed leadership of an incredibly dysfunctional church. Volunteers were unreliable, complaining was common, and enthusiasm was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t a single area that functioned properly.

After using some of the above tools to find the “Mike”, this pastor came to realize that the issue wasn’t complaining, unreliability, or any of the things that were most easily seen. The “Mike” in this case, was a collective disregard for the pastoral office. Though there were many ugly expressions of the “Mike”, this was the “Mike” that was fueling all the dysfunction.

As leaders, our leadership will have limited impact if we can assess the situation and find the “Mike.”

Carve out some time in the next 7 days and find the “Mike”. You’ll be so happy that you did.

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” -Matthew 2:19-20

What if the only thing God could with you before He did something awesome was to wait for you to die?

That is what happened to King Herod.

He was in the right location.

He received the right information.

He had the right resources.

But he had the wrong heart.

God was forced to work around him because he was so stubborn, so resistant, and so stuck in his own ways.

So God simply waited for Herod to die.

In his case, the process seems pretty extreme.

But what if God is setting up a scenerio to get us out the way because we have become a barrier to His purposes?

Not because He wants to work around us, but because we won’t let Jesus work in us.

Think of how tragic it would be if our life was doomed to irrelevancy because we couldn’t do things God’s way.

The scariest thing is, when it is happening to you…you probably don’t even know it.

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
-Luke 14:33

True disciples, are those that surrender EVERYTHING. They’ve had their hearts captured by Jesus. Captured by His person. Captured by His love. And they don’t hesitate to give EVERYTHING to the God they love.

They renounce every treasure, every precious thing, every important thing, in exchange for the God that has gripped them. There is urgency, a passion; a fiery burning that causes the disciple to say:

I HAVE TO HAVE YOU JESUS! I HAVE TO HAVE YOU! TAKE MY LIFE! TAKE MY FUTURE! TAKE MY BEST! TAKE MY EVERYTHING!

This type of passion, this type of urgency is unsettling to most of us. It is unsettling because we know so little about it. EVERYTHING people are extremely rare in our generation.

We are most familiar with those that reside in 1 of 2 camps:

a. The NOTHINGS-These are people that are unwilling to commit anything to God. They live in opposition against God ways, principles, and ideas. They don’t know God, aren’t sure if He exists, and if He does; they hope that He will be nice to them.

b. The SOMETHINGS-These people fill most churches and places of worship. Though they are willing to commit SOME-THINGS to God, they are unwilling to commit EVERYTHING to God. They willingly obey God in the areas in which they agree with God, or in areas that can obey at minimal cost or risk.

And while they willingly obey, they also willingly disobey. Things that are tough, would require true faith, or could/would cause discomfort or are ignored. Though they are unwilling to give EVERYTHING to God, they want EVERYTHING from Him.

We must determine whether we are:

A NOTHING, SOME-THING, or EVERYTHING person?

This week in our ‘Going Deep’ series we talked about giving Jesus EVERYTHING (to listen, click here).

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
-Gen. 1:27

We were made in the image of God.

We were created for joy.

We were created for greatness.

We were created for good.

We were created for conquest.

We were created for wonders.

The imprint of God is engaved upon us.

Though that is true, there are external factors that threaten to erase God’s imprint from our lives. Intending to distort His purpose in us, these “enemies” can make us forget and reject who we really are.

We could be in a state of forgetfulness right now.

If so, we must remember:

We were made in the image of God, and His imprint is engraved upon us.