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frequency news and blogs of old

october 06.archive

Leaving Target Practice in the Castle for the Battle in the Field

Today, I realized something different about me today, a radical change from how I used to think. I used to seek safety above all else. I remember being very small and worrying about everything. Would my friends get to the bus on time before it left? What if they didn't? I used to cling to everything that made me feel safe: my parents, my financial security, even the smallest of material positions. I used to save used Ziploc bags because in my mind "you never know when you might need one of these in a pinch." Who in their right mind saves used sandwich bags! Really! My need for security caused me to do anything that would make me feel just a little bit safer. Changing schools was devastating to me. All my structures of safety, all the familiarity would be out the window. Leaving home to go to college shook me to the core. I couldn't bear the thought of what it would mean to take risks, to leap, to trust.

I can't put my finger on when the change happened, but I have recently seen in myself a marked discontent with the status quo. When I look at the selfish way I have lived my life, the selfish way I approach God, the church, and others, I want to scream. I'm no longer content sitting still, going though all the regular motions of what I have come to believe is church. I'm being pulled outside.

I don't mean I'm discontent with my church. My church is great. I'm fed well and inspired to advance the kingdom of God. I mean that I am discontent with my own monotony. People are dieing in need of the message that I bear. Its as thought I am in a safe castle doing target practice with my crossbow, when there is a war going on outside the walls! I've been patting myself on the back, thinking I'm quite the William Tell, when really I've gotten so good because I've been to afraid to shoot where the arrows are flying.

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes is from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Lucy asks if Aslan is safe. "Of course he's not safe! He's not a tame lion! But he is good," she is told. I'm just now realizing that God never promised me safety. He promised to keep me fed, to sustain me, to bless me, and a myriad of other things. But, he never called me to be safe.

I'm stepping outside the castle to fight the good fight. Will you join me on the field of battle? More information coming soon on what it means to leave the castle! I am excited about what God has for us on the horizon.

Risk

Have you ever believed in something so much, you were willing to risk everything to make it happen? When I fell in love with my wife, she had no idea that I was interested. Really, I thought she was out of my league, but I was so impressed with her beauty, her personality, and her passion, that I was willing to lay my dignity on the line. I couldn’t imagine not trying. So, one day I got up the nerve to call her up and ask her out. Before the date was over, I laid my heart out on the table and let her know what she meant to me. This is our first date mind you. Honestly, I could have gotten shot down right there, and gone home at peace knowing I’d given it my best shot. It would have hurt, but I was going to get peace one way or another. It took Christy a while to warm up to the idea, but it was only months before we were engaged and barely more than a year before I watched her walk down the aisle to become my wife. None of that would have happened if I hadn’t been willing to lay my pride on the line and risk everything for her.

The important things in life always require risk. Asking out the woman who eventually became my wife was a risk. Choosing a college was a big risk. Moving everything to a new state was a big risk. But, I’ve never taken a risk that God didn’t reward a hundred fold. I’m starting to think He likes me stepping out on a limb to obey Him.

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Frequency. I’ve been thinking about what we do and the need we meet. I’m really proud of our people and the ministry we are living out every day to each other. I love it. I believe God is pleased. Recently, however, I’ve been thinking about who we aren’t reaching. I’ve been thinking about what we need to do to engage people around us.

Do you know what God keeps throwing in my path? Lately, he’s been inspiring me that its time to take a risk. It’s time for us to step outside the walls we meet in and take initiative in the culture we live in. This kind of thinking is causing some changes. A lot of things are happening that I can’t talk about yet. Some things you might not notice for a while.

I just know that God never wants us to sit still. He keeps calling us to break, to mold, to bend to His will. His plan is always bigger than ours and He’s starting to make some things happen. Be ready, because He’s about to take us somewhere we’ve never been to do something beyond our wildest dreams.

Are you ready to take some risks?