it’s taken nearly fifteen years, but it’s finally happening.

after spending our first forty years on the left coast…eating sprouts and avocados…saving whales…hugging trees…voting for actors posing as politicians…enjoying the surf and snow…befriending illegals…and riding out the aftershocks of earthquakes…i think we are finally becoming texans.

how do i know?  i may be ready to buy a gun.  let me explain…

for the past six months, we have been harassed by mice and rats at the farra cabana.  first it was this summer.  thought we had tackled the problem, but somehow…before they died…they must have contacted their cousins and told them we were pretty easy targets, being from california and all.

so the extended family moved in about a month ago.

being the ungracious hosts that we are, we began putting out poison cubes (which we are convinced they just carted off and used for furniture in their little rodent family rooms) and a big honkin’ trap.

a few days ago, the trap caught a big one by the nose and, after it had drug it’s sorry little body around our kitchen floor for a while during the night, it finally gave up the ghost.

now here’s the part that made me fall more madly in love with wanda than i ever thought possible.  instead of waking me up in the morning to do the dirty work of picking it up and tossing it in the trash…she did it all on her own!  then she cleaned up the blood and washed the floor and when she told me about it, i asked her if she was okay with dealing so closely with the death of one of god’s creations?

“nope.  it got what it deserved.”  no remorse.  no sadness.  pretty much pure bloodlust.

this morning, i caught another one…with a pot.  i snuck up on it (though i think it was a little punch drunk from eating the poison…it moved as slow as i do most mornings), put the pot over the top of it,  slid a piece of cardboard under the pot, dumped the rat in in a plastic grocery bag, tied the top and layed it on the garage floor.

i was watching the bag move around when it happened.  my inner, tranquil, ex-hippie peace and love demeanor was taken over.  a cosmic compulsion grabbed my ecologically correct, california heart.  without hesitation, without conscience, without compassion…i reached for my shovel leaning against the corner of my garage…and with a swift, calculated, determined explosion, i totally lumberjacked that bag, and it’s contents, into a perfectly flat pancake.

with what looked  like a cherry-raspberry syrup oozing from inside the bag.

and with that “yeah, i’m bad…i just hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth” arrogance, i bent over picked up the bag and threw it in the trash can.

no remorse.  no bad feelings.  no guilt.  no bad dreams tonight.  just the pure satisfaction of a man who has protected his house and his woman from the evil intruder.

i live in texas now, dad gummit!  i’m a man.  i’m wild at heart.  i can kill things.  i think i need a gun.

i wonder if walmart has any of those “super power soakers” in stock?

this is for those of you who don’t get to see what i do…just in case.

compared to most 54 year-old men, i’m a pretty flexible guy.  i’m challenged by innovation and new ideas.  i love change.  i’m way more post-modern in my orientation than a lot of 20 and 30-somethings i know.  i think if the church (our church) continues to do the same things in the same ways, we’re going to continue to lose young people in the same way.  like i said, i’m all for change.

so when i read about this new idea, well…i’m still kind of steamed when i think about it.

tim stevens is a church-leader-blogger that i like to read.  he had an interesting post about outsourcing worship leaders the other this morning at his leadingsmart.com website.  i’m curious what you might think about it…

(thanks to mondaymorninginsight.com for the synopsis)

tim met with a church leader from mississippi that temporarily hired worship leaders to come in to help them out after their worship leader left for another job.  it worked out so well, that the church decided to permanently hire temporary worship leaders.  they have settled on four or five leaders that they bring in on a weekly basis.  according to tim stevens, here are some of the advantages this church leader told him about this approach:

• many worship leaders don’t enjoy building teams, managing budgets or organizing departments. they just love to lead worship. this strategy let’s them stay in their sweet spot.
• this decision saves money for the church.  they are able to pay them really well for a weekend and still save enough money in the church budget to use toward another staff position.
• they love the variety that this brings to their church.   keeping things unpredictable is a plus to keeping people’s attention.
• they have learned so much from these worship leaders that they wouldn’t have learned from one person.

in spite of my sometimes reckless love for change and my willingness to go out to the edge for the sake of reaching people for christ, i gotta tell you that i hate this idea.  i appreciate the outside-the-box thinking, but this church has got some messed up thinking.

the premise is all wrong.  the justifications are all wrong.   the expectations are all wrong.  sorry for being so wishy-washy about my opinion on this one.  the definition of worship leader is wrong.  the motive for doing this is wrong.  what about relationship?  what about family?  i’ll stop now.

agree or disagree?

for the record, you people at north point better not get any wacky ideas about outsourcing the preaching around here…

i’ve got a few more minutes left before my tuesday turns into wednesday, so here goes…

tuesday night is bowling night for mike and wanda and a bunch of other crazy adults from north point.  here are some lessons about marriage that i observed while the party went on at our local bowling alley tonight:

“you have to learn to laugh at yourself” – truth is, we are not the greatest bunch of bowlers in the world.  with the exception of a few, we stink it up pretty regularly.  but there is a ton of laughter going on!  we make a lot of mistakes in our marriages…say a lot of dumb things…do a lot of things we’d rather forget.  but we need to cut ourselves and our partners some slack.  none of us are really very “good” at marriage.  laughter is some of the sweetest medicine available.

“handicaps are good things” – in our league, we all get handicaps.  if you don’t know what it means, let me just say that it is a way of scoring so that it keeps everybody on the same level.  those who don’t bowl so well get higher handicaps to raise their scores.  those who are better bowlers have lower handicaps and their scores have to stand more on their own.  we all bring handicaps to our marriages.  we all have weaknesses, and its our weaknesses that make us strong, because only the weak…the imperfect…the needy…can truly understand the grace of god.  in marriage, neither partner is better.  both stand on equal footing before a holy god

“stay out of the gutter” – i’m pretty sure we bowl more gutter balls than we do strikes in our league!  it’s as if we have momentary lapses of judgment and actually think that the gutter is an acceptable place to be.  in our marriages, we have to stay out of the gutter.  there are places and people and activities that must be avoided, if we are going to hold our marriages as sacred and protected.  i’m not going to amplify.  you know what i’m talking about!

“it’s all about the team” – we have four-person teams.  our score is a collective score.  if one person bowls poorly, it’s up to the other members of the team to pick him up.  when all is said and done, it really doesn’t matter what we each bowl individually (unless you’re on my team…you have to be there to understand this one).  all that matters is what the final total is when all the scores are added up.  i see a lot of individuality and selfishness and independence in marriages these days.  we all need a heavy dose of what it really means to become one flesh. marriage is all about merging of two into one.  anything short of that is not really marriage.

“make the investment in good equipment” – last year, some of my friends gave me a gift so i could buy my own bowling ball.  it’s finally starting to pay off!  i really am starting to bowl better (i bowled a 204 tonight…).  i still have to work at it, but good equipment really makes a difference.  people…there are so many awesome resources out there that can help your marriages!  there are so many great books and tapes and online sources of marriage education its ridiculous.  there are workshops and conferences and radio programs.  there are gifted and godly counselors and clinics for deeper problems.  even our own church family is full of good people who are more than willing to come and stand with you and fight for your marriage, if you’d only ask.

“good shoes mean everything” – one of the worst parts about recreational bowling is the idea of slipping your foot into bowling alley’s rental shoes.  what do you really know about the feet that have been in there before yours?  scary.  i love having my own shoes.  they are comfortable.  they fit me.  there’s no disease inside.  putting my bowling shoes on makes everything about bowling go better.  what’s the foundation of your marriage?  what are basic commitments you have made to each other that you build on every day?  what are the vows you made?  what are the truths that are timeless?  maybe its time to remember…

“keeping score is not all that important” – yeah, we keep score every week. but in the end, nobody really cares who wins and loses.  but what does matter is that we all walk out as friends…even better friends than we were before the evening began.  marriage is never about winning and losing.  marriage is not about competition.  score is never to be kept.  past mistakes are to be forgotten and sins forgiven.  no scorecards.  no standings.  no defeats.  only victory.

“there are no perfect games” – at least in our league there’s not!  we all fall short.  dale gets on a roll every now and then and we all start looking at those “Xs” going up on the screen…but sure enough, he falls short of perfection just like the rest of us.  (for the record, we’re all pulling for him…and i think he may just do it one of these weeks…). there are no perfect marriages.  no perfect husbands.  no perfect wives.  no perfect households or budgets or parents or kids.  just imperfect people relying on a perfect god for grace and mercy.

“just sitting and talking is a great thing” – if you’re stuck bowling with the farras,  one thing you’ll quickly figure out is that we spend more time talking with our friends than we do actually bowling.  our team name is “you’re up”…in honor of the constant reminder to pay attention because its one of our turns to shut up and get our behinds up to the lane and bowl.  oh well.  it’s the way i’m wired.  and its the way our marriages should be wired, also.  seldom is there anything more important…more needed…more appreciated…more foundational…than sitting and talking with our partner.  its oxygen for our marriages.  without it, we suffocate and die.

“hit your mark” - there are little marks on the floor for where you need to put your feet as you begin your approach  and prepare to release the ball.  there are also other marks about fifteen feet down the lane for you to aim at as you roll your ball.  they are guides to help you get the ball in right spot when your toss is finished.  what are your “marks” for your marriage?  what are your goals?  do you talk with each other about your dreams and visions and expectations for the life you share?  do you know what god expects of you?  you can’t build a godly marriage without hitting your marks.

“remember to follow through” – its a simple, but easily overlooked part of bowling mechanics.  when you release the ball, you need to bring your throwing arm back in order to create momentum…swing it forward to propel it down the lane…and finish with your throwing arm higher than your head.  it keeps you from aiming the ball and drifting from side to side.  it also keeps your ball going in the direction you want it to go.  ultimately, without a good follow through, you are never going to succeed in bowling.  the same is true in our marriages.  you can talk…plan…exchange wedding vows…read books…go to marriage classes…whatever.  but if you don’t follow through on your commitments, it means nothing.

so there you have it.  probably more than you ever wanted to know about bowling…but maybe something worth remembering about marriage.

don’t ask me why i’m writing this tonight.  it’s just on my heart.

looking back over my life’s journey, i have been hurt…really hurt…the kind of hurt that left me emotionally crippled  and so overwhelmed with heart pain that, at the time, i could barely breathe.  it’s only happened a few times, but those moments are burned in my memory.

the words that people used about me…a few to my face, but most done behind my back…were so judgmental, so heartbreaking, so untrue that when i think back about them, i can still relive the pain as if it were happening right now. wow.

if you corner me on a good day and ask me to tell you about some of those experiences, i will probably give you a few highlights…but what  really want to pass on to you is what i’ve learned.

i don’t waste much time on small pain. you won’t find me wasting much time getting my feelings hurt or frustrated by not getting my own way. i’ve definitely learned a lot about picking my emotional battles.

i ache for people who are controlled by their own emotions…who let life’s disappointments dictate their responses. i’ve come out of the pains and hurts in my life with a real determination to be flexible and extend as much grace as i possibly can…especially to people who are younger and less experienced than i am.

there is an unbelievable freedom in being able to live my life without having to have things go my way…or always needing to state my opinion…or having to constantly correct the sins and mistakes of others.

wanda and i joked with each other last night…we really don’t understand why there are some people who don’t like us. all in all, we think we’re pretty ok people.we never raise our voices at anybody. we don’t get mad at people. really. we don’t.  we don’t hold grudges.  neither one of us has a desire to waste even a moment in unresolved conflict with anybody.  we’ve learned to forgive.  yet there are people who have written us off…without ever talking to us or sharing their feelings or giving us the opportunity to explain what we might have done wrong.

i can only conclude that there must have been things that i (we) have done that have caused people hurt or frustration. we’re not perfect. we’re human. but we’re not bad people. i’ve been with wanda for almost 40 years. she is one of the most decent, genuinely nice and thoughtful people I have ever met. there is not a mean bone in her body. her relationship with christ is honest and sincere and gracious. yet there are people who have assumed bad about her…without ever talking with her.

that’s a lot of needless pain and bitterness and judgment to be carrying around, if you ask me!

we work overtime to understand where people are coming from. we take seriously god’s teaching to never let the sun go down on our anger. differences of opinion are simply that…opinions. what you think and feel is just as valuable as what i think and feel.

if you say something that is calloused or insensitive or thoughtless or judgmental or uninformed or rude or distressing or embarrassing or awkward…or simply wrong…the only christlike reaction…the only acceptable response is to give grace and space and time and understanding and the open door to continued dialogue.

why am I writing this tonight? catharsis? maybe. it’s always good for me to write when i’m feeling deeply. but that’s not why i’m writing.

i guess i just wanted to pass on one of life’s greatest lessons…a lesson that i have learned through real pain and real disappoint: don’t waste your time over-reacting to the small stuff. forgive people the way god has forgiven you. live at peace with everybody.  i mean everybody. be flexible, gracious, content and kind. give room for people to make mistakes. take the high road. don’t be a martyr. be the initiator of love.

okay…so that was a little more than one lesson…

i think i’ll sleep well tonight.

another sunday has come and gone…

• i was saying to a friend of mine last week how much i love sundays at north point.
• i plan for it all week.  i look forward to what is going to happen…what god is going to do in the lives of the people who are there.
• to worship…to laugh…to reconnect…to reaffirm friendship…to give…to serve…to love…to be loved…to have a genuine connection with god.
• we had five new families come and worship with us yesterday.  five new families.  that blows me away!
• this is happening nearly every week.
• i’m amazed…excited…apprehensive…and mildly overwhelmed by what is happening around north point these days.
• what role are you playing?
• how is god using you to impact the lives of people ?
• week #2 of the “inside out” series was good.
• here’s a quote from the sermon that pretty well sums it up:  “the quality of contentment might be the most elusive and unknown of all human virtues…yet the one we need so desperately…”
• here’s another:   “contentment is something that originates from the inside.  deep inside.  and works its way out”
• and another:    “being a follower of christ does not simply mean that i come to believe a new set of truth, but that the one who speaks the truth actually takes up residence inside of me.”
• and a last one:   “the lord is my shepherd.  i shall not want.”
• how are you doing with these today?
• will you stay in the fight today?
• i’m grateful for all the people who work upfront and behind the scenes to make sundays a great day days each week…buzzy and the band…brazos and larry in the sound booth…debbie for tying everything together…john for organizing the serving…the bacas for preparing communion…all the different nursery workers…angela and her children’s team…logan and his youth ministry team…wanda, raeshel, and beth for focusing on newcomers…the group that joins for prayer at 9:30

will you be living from the inside out today?

normally, i dedicate thursdays to giving some of my personal life axioms…truth that, from my perspective, is self-evident. sometimes practical. sometimes philosophical. sometimes whimsical. but truth, no less.

“sometimes, no matter what you do, it won’t be good enough”

up until i was about 12 or 13, i was a yankee fan.  i used to idolize the great mickey mantle and whitey ford and yogi berra.  i had their baseball cards (i would be a rich man, if i would have kept all of them).  i even got to see a couple of games in the old yankee stadium when i was a kid.  it is a surreal memory for this life-long fan of the great game.

somewhere along the timeline of free agency, anti-trust laws, no salary caps and big market revenues, i lost my love of the yankees.

call it sour grapes.  call me a whiner.  tell me to pull up my “big boy” panties.  whatever.

when you have more money than anybody else, you get to buy yourself the best players.  a-rod, matsui, derek, tex, c.c., a.j.  and on top of that, you have the money for the best facilities, the best travel accommodations, the best training, the best equipment, the best stadium, the biggest marquee, the most fame and attention.

and that’s the point of this axiom.

the yankees won the world series last night.  ho hum.  they were supposed to win.  all of us small-market, small-minded whiner-complainers are never going to be satisfied…and we will never give the yankees their due.  to us, we minimize their effort and success by discounting it.  we cheapen their lopsided victories by saying, “what do you expect?  they’re supposed to win!  they bought the best players that money can buy!”

the yankees had a player payroll this year of $201 million.  my beloved san diego padres had a payroll of about $43 million.  what does that mean?  the more money you have, the better stuff you can buy.  it’s simple economics.  and yeah…i’m bitter.

but here’s the deal.  in the end, the 25 players the yankees played with still had to perform.  they still had to live up to their billing.  they had to hit better, throw better, catch better, run better, think better…than the other 29 teams…through 162 regular season games…two rounds of playoffs…and a best of seven world series.  and they did it.

just because you are supposed to be better, doesn’t always mean you are better.  this year, the yankees are the best.  but for most people, it will never be good enough.  if they would have lost, they would have been “under-achievers”.  by winning, all they did was what they were supposed to do.  for the yankees, it’s a no-win.

sometimes, no matter what we do…no matter how hard we try…no matter the effort, the heart, the motive, the intent…what we do will not be good enough for some people.

they will say we should have tried harder, done more, spent more time, given an extra day or an extra call or an extra dollar.  sometimes…for some people…our performance will never meet their expectations.  we will let them down.  they will blame us for failures that are not ours.  they will make us out to be scapegoats.  they will see us as over-paid, under-achieving disappointments.

sometimes, no matter what we do, it won’t be good enough.

take a moment right now and thank god that he doesn’t grade our performance the same way people do.

when the discussion turns to ideas that can help strengthen a marriage…or tips to building a healthier one…one thing that always comes up is date night.

first, a confession.  wanda and i have never done really well on having regular date nights.  please don’t think less of us.  come to think of it, we never did particularly well on family nights or family devotions, either.  that’s for another post…

you could probably say that i’ve never done well with structure or rules.  wanda says i pretty much live in an extended state of adolescent rebellion.  she’s probably right.

back to date night.

even though we didn’t do one, i admire those couples who do.  i really admire the discipline of committing time to each other and what that kind of faithfulness means.  the underlying stability that is being forged in your relationship by making time time every week to “go somewhere” or “do something” with each other is pretty powerful.

but here’s my caution:  just because you go out to dinner and movie…or take in a play…or go to a ball game, don’t assume that the activity itself is making your bond stronger.  don’t be lulled into the idea that, since you are doing something that both of you are enjoying, your marriage is deepening.

you have to talk. a lot.  about important things…deep things…uncomfortable things…embarrassing things…painful things…if you ever want your marriage to be substantial.

i know a lot of couples that love to go to movies. (that would not be me and wanda.  she falls asleep and i sit and think about all the things my $25 could have gone to.)   the concern i always have is whether those couples are really dealing with the important issues in their lives…and the continual, scheduled “dinner and a movie date night” is just another way to avoid pulling out the scalpel and doing some really needed marriage surgery.

let me give you an idea.  instead of date night, why don’t you start having talk night once a week?

pick out a place to go and eat.  in my opinion, eating and talking go really well together.  pick a place that isn’t all about the food and the service, though.  you don’t want to get side-tracked.  and then sit and talk.  for a couple of hours! face to face.  eye to eye.  nose to nose.  heart to heart.

leave the kids with somebody you trust.  turn off your cell phones.  (pick friends that are smart enough to call 911!). don’t go to a sports bar…or the food court at the mall.  don’t take your grocery list, “just in case”.  wear comfortable clothes.  take a note pad and pencil…somebody might say something important!

make regular time to talk about things like:

your goals and dreams…

your fears and sadness…

your sins and mistakes…

changes you need to make…

what you need that your partner is not providing…

what you miss the most…

what is disappointing you…

what excites and thrills you…

what god is doing in your lives…

what needs to be prayed about…

yeah, you need to make time to talk about the kids…and the finances…and jobs…and things that need to be fixed around the house.  those are important, too.

but if you are not making regular time to talk about the significant…the deep…the holy…the “untouchables”…the passionate…the life changing…you run the risk of your marriage being reduced to mere co-existence.

do you think a regular talk night just might be worth it?

this was a really fun day to reflect on…

• i love the time change in the fall…it was great to have an extra hour of sleep!
• i was a little worried we were going to have people showing up at 10:20, but walking in and thinking it was really 11:20.  didn’t happen.
• tyler did an awesome job filling in for justin on the drums.
• can’t believe i’m going to say this, but i really missed the keyboard on some of the songs we did.
• not sure i’m gonna say that to jason, though.  don’t want it going to his head.
• i think this series on “inside out” has the potential to be life-changing for our family.
• in case you were wondering, i don’t think that couple had a happily-ever-after ending to their wedding ceremony!
• brittney walking in with a huge plate full of rice krispy treats right when i was talking about kids not paying attention due to halloween sugar “highs” has moved into my top ten north point worship moments.
• we were really full in the second hour, but i can count nearly 70 “regulars” that were missing…many due to sickness and travel.  yeah…70!
• i have this recurring dream of a sunday when everybody shows up. i think most people would be totally blown away by how many people really call north point “home”.
• we had a super nice guy visit in the second hour.  although i’m pretty sure north point was not his style, he was very complimentary of our warmth, our commitment to the word, and passionate worship.  i’m going to pray he finds what he is looking for.  who knows?  maybe it will be with us here.
• after the end of the second service, i was passing by a group of three men talking and realized that the all three men were guys who have started calling north point home in the past six months!  it was awesome.
• was the “jesus well” in the lobby sweet, or what?
• are you getting fired up about the advent conspiracy?
• we had a $1000 check given towards our goal of $15,000…totally unexpected…after the service.  what an amazing picture of generosity from the “inside out”.
• i had at least a dozen people tell me how excited they are for christmas this year…how it’s finally going to be different for them.
• i can’t wait to start working on my sermon for next week.
• keep inviting your friends.
• live like your life will make a difference.
• pray for god a connection that will rock your world!
• show grace to everyone.

have a great week.

normally, i dedicate thursdays to giving some of my personal life axioms…truth that, from my perspective, is self-evident. sometimes practical. sometimes philosophical. sometimes whimsical. but truth, no less.

and i’m late, again.

also, i’m pretty long-winded today.  make sure you read all of it!

“pray for wisdom…seek wisdom…cherish wisdom…it’s how you will make it through life.”

the bible has a lot to say about wisdom…far better than i can say it:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  Psalm 19:7

Teach us to number our days aright,  that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:12

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2

The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.  Proverbs 12:5

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.  Proverbs 13:20

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.  Proverbs 15:22

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.  Proverbs 28:26

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  Matthew 7:24

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  1 Corinthians 1:20-21

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Ephesians 5:15-17

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.   James 1:5

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.   James 3:13

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  James 3:17

these are awesome words!  but are we paying attention?

everyday, people are making decisions.  difficult, life-altering decisions.  ultimately, nobody can make those decisions but the people that have to make them.  in the midst of it all, though, god has provided two very specific steps in the process of difficult decision-making.

and people tend to struggle with both of them.

the first one is to pray for wisdom.  we blow this one up all the time.  most of our prayers are way too complicated.  it seems like we want to tell god all about our situation and then try to make sure he is fully in tune with what outcome we think would be the most favorable…instead of simply praying for wisdom…which god promises to give.

the second is to seek wise counsel.  this one is trickier, but ultimately the most practical.

it’s our nature to want to make decisions on our own.  to be independent.  to show that we can stand on our own two feet and prove to the world that we are adults and we are the controllers of our own destiny.  so most of the time, we just make the decisions.

but it is most often through wise counsel that god communicates wisdom…the same wisdom we have prayed that he would give us!

sometimes, we even ask some people to give their opinions about our situation…and we might even factor those opinions into our process.  but the seeking of wise counsel is totally different.

wise counsel are people who are older and wiser.  people who have been through things, made mistakes, and come out the other side with perspectives we can only dream about.

wise counsel are people who we trust.  people who can separate their own feelings from the realities our situation.  people who have our best interests in mind.  people who are deep enough and strong enough and godly enough to say the difficult things to us…when we need to hear them.

wise counsel are people who are saturated in the word of god and can see our situation in light of the growth and purpose of the kingdom of god.  people who are acquainted enough with the past…to be able to see clearly into the future on our behalf.

there are not many who attain the position of wise counsel in our lives…but we have to have them…and we are foolish if we don’t seek them out, listen and act on their wisdom.  it’s why god has given them to us!

when i was 24 years old, i faced the most difficult decision of my life.  i was being pursued by a church to be their youth minister.  i had learned the value of seeking wise counsel, so in my youthful obedience, i sought it out.  and out.  and out!

i solicited 60-70 different opinions about whether i should go to this church.  former staff members of the church.  former and current members of the church.  bible college professors.  close friends of mine.  and every single one of them said “don’t go”!! they said i wouldn’t fit…that it was a dysfunctional church…too traditional…too narrow…i would be miserable…they paid horrible…their priorities were all wrong…their philosophy of ministry was very different from mine…you name it!  and they were right on a lot of points.

on top of everything else, i did not want to go! there was nothing about going to this church that appealing to me.  and their consensus opinions totally reinforced what i was feeling.

but those people did not represent my wise counsel. they just represented opinions.  but the two people who i trusted the most…respected the most…knew me the best…and i had given the position of wise counsel in my life…well, they both told me i should go.   in spite of everything else that had been said to me, they, alone, saw the bigger picture. they had the courage to say the difficult things.  they pushed me to live by faith.  they made me face my fears and challenged me to make changes in my life.

and i listened to them.  not to the opinions of others.  not to logic.  not to the obvious.  i listened to the wise counsel that god had put into my life and commanded me (in scripture) to follow.

and their counsel was right.  i’m glad i listened to them and followed their advice.  i said “yes” to the church, and my life would never be what it is today.

so here are my questions for you:  do you have wise counsel?  do you listen?  do you trust god enough to speak through them?  if you don’t, why not?  what are you going to do about it?