Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:1-3).
God doesn’t stop being God just because I stop feeling strong.
He doesn’t stop being creative when I run out of ideas.
[click to continue…]
“If this man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:33).
The Bible has its share of comical scenes. Here’s one. A man born blind can now see. But because Jesus “broke the rules” by healing him on the Sabbath, in the minds of the Pharisees, this was impossible.
Moses? He was righteous. He gave us the law.
Jesus? He broke the “law,” and had to be a sinner.
But there’s this pesky issue of, “once I was blind… now I can see.” And now here’s Mr. Newsight offering a little theological insight to the no-sight clan: “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” [click to continue…]
(Fumes, Form, and Fashion, Part 2)
Something in the woods near his grandfather’s farm seems to call to Adam. Ever since he was a little boy and his dad took him hiking or hunting there, this is the place where Adam, now a father himself, returns. It doesn’t happen nearly as often or nearly enough these days. After all, Adam has responsibilities and stresses, and there never seems to be enough time.
For Phillip, it means a return to old disciplines that kept him in good shape throughout his 20s. Now pushing 40, the problem for Phillip isn’t knowing what to do. It’s finding the will to actually do it.
Jacob follows the trail of his biblical namesake. Just as the Lord called the patriarch back to Bethel – a place where he had previously encountered the Lord – so also Jacob is sensing a stirring to return to a place of spiritual life and growth he has known in the past.
Each of these are examples of a powerful and important tool of renewal and restoration, regardless of who you are. But this is particularly true of men. It’s why you often hear football coaches talk about “going back to the fundamentals.” The biblical language mentions things like “remembering the former days.” Check this out: [click to continue…]
(Fumes, Form and Fashion, Part 1)
Thomas Watson Sr., founder of IBM, often said, “Everybody, from time to time, should take a step back and watch himself go by.”
Good wisdom. But hardly lived. It’s reminiscent of the often-repeated story of the African (or Incan, depending on what you read) porters who carried the goods of an English (or American) type-A personality through the jungle with increasing pace for three days. Finally, on the fourth day, they matter-of-factly refused to go further, despite the pleas of the Western, time-bound explorers. When asked for an explanation, they simply said, “We have been traveling so fast, we have to wait for our souls to catch up with us.”
There’s a simple word for that, often reserved for quaint memories of the good old days or emergency sessions of the Jesus Name Disaster Management Club. It’s called renewal. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on February 22, 2016
in Allocating Your Resources, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Leadership, Life Currency, Love, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase, Turning Points
The day was cold.
Cold and foggy.
Cold and foggy and damp and dreary and what in God’s name was I doing out in it?
Walking, that’s what.
Walking and praying.
Praying and walking.
And I didn’t care about how cold or foggy it was because on this day I was desperate and yearning for an audience with – and a word from – God.
Anyway, I had a jacket.
It was one of the last times that I walked the 20-acre boundary of the church I had planted. And on this day the cold heaviness of the West Texas air was only exceeded by the cold heaviness in my spirit.
I got about halfway down the fence row, asking the Lord to speak to my heart. I so desperately wanted to hear His voice.
What I heard instead was the honking of the geese overhead.
Listening for God, I could only hear the dissonant, grating sound of geese. Can you relate?
Looking up, there was no way to see them, the fog was so heavy and low-hanging. But I could sure hear them.
I laughed to myself because of a recent conversation I’d had with my wife. She hates the sound of geese.
Eventually I did see them in the mist – surprisingly lower than I had imagined. And they were dealing with the same fog I was dealing with. Nevertheless, they flew in perfect formation, in a straight line.
And that’s how the Lord spoke. [click to continue…]
What are you good at? I mean, really good? When people ask you about your strengths, what are your boilerplate answers?
Now, the dreaded weaknesses. What are those things you repeatedly tell people or God or yourself that you need to work on and improve?
Now I’m sure as soon as you read those questions, the ready answers showed up. And at some point you’ve probably had the tug-of-war about which you should work on – do you leverage your strengths or work on your weaknesses?
Uh huh.
Now take both of those mental lists and set them aside for a minute. Let’s boldly go where no one dares to go…
Let’s talk about your mediocre middle.
See, none of us are awesome at everything, and none of us is terrible at everything. A significant part of your life falls somewhere in the middle. And because it isn’t all that remarkable, you just don’t give it that much attention.
Too bad, since that’s where most of us live most of our lives. [click to continue…]
For the last several years I have replaced the idea of New Year’s Resolutions with a focus on one single idea – my one word to help frame the kind of direction I sense the Lord leading me to steer my life toward in the coming year. Previous ideas for My One Word have included Finish, Lean, and One. What’s interesting is that those ideas are still, to one degree or another, relevant and a part of my soul’s DNA.
Last year the theme was Advance! You can read more about that here. And let me just say, advance I did! On three fronts in particular, 2015 represented major moves forward, mostly in areas of ministry and career development.
One really good thing that arose out of that has been the establishment of LifeVesting International – a mission organization designed to mobilize the church to multiply the Church. We are launching our first series of trips this year to Thailand, and I am thrilled to see where that is going.
May I just say, however, that by the end of the year, I was about advanced out. Frankly, I started the year not nearly as enthusiastic about the One Word idea as I had in previous years. And in terms of what the One Word would actually be, there was nothing really compelling or inspiring.
I thought about the word “READ” because every year at this time I get inspired to read more.
That deafening sound you hear of silence… or crickets… yeah, that’s about how much enthusiasm and passion that idea generated.
But to this point – a few days into January – there was nothing compelling.
And that may actually be the point. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on December 2, 2015
in Allocating Your Resources, Consumers, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Money, Pleasers, Principle of Increase, Words
Chances are, you have no idea.
A couple of weeks ago we were packing for a week at Disney.
No, professional movers or U-Haul were not involved.
Anyway, when Robin got everything loaded into three suitcases that a near-grown human could fit into, she asked me to weigh the luggage to make sure she had thought of everything.
Um, I mean, to make sure it fit within airline regulations.
We have this handy little scale that picks up the suitcase by the handle and lets you know what you’re asking those baggage handlers to tote ‘n’ hurl. I picked up the first.
“Forty pounds,” says I.
“See what that feels like?” says my ever-wise wife. “That’s what you’re no longer carrying around.”
I should point out here that in the last five months I’ve lost about that much weight. And that little luggage exercise was enlightening.
I picked it up again, holding the scale and entire weight of the suitcase in one hand. That was what I had been carrying around, day-in, day-out, but had now shed. Needless to say, it made an impression.
I was impressed how ordinary and normal my extra “baggage” was. How easy it was to justify myself, despite the fact that 20 years ago I weighed about 60 pounds less. And how much I was presuming upon my created-by-God body to do in overtime.
I just didn’t realize how much weight I was carrying. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on September 2, 2015
in Allocating Your Resources, Esteem, Five LV Laws, Following Your Passion, Life Currency, Love, LV Cycle, Money, Principle of Abundance, Principle of Eternity, Principle of Increase
“I don’t know how to describe this.”
Ever have an experience like that?
Ever observe something so profound, so extraordinary, so loaded with meaning that words looked cheap next to it?
One of the finest wordsmiths of all time, and a major contributor to the Bible itself, had that very experience. And in the midst of his gritty, get-it-done work and demeanor, even he was at a loss to use words to describe what was taking place. All Paul could say was, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
That’s a profound thing to say, considering some of the things he did describe in his New Testament letters.
Know what makes it even more profound? This “indescribable gift” came disguised as something rather ordinary, that anyone, anywhere can enjoy. This isn’t some secret sauce for super-saints. In fact, on a surface level it looks rather common and ordinary. And yet something behind the scenes turns the ordinary into a speechless wonder.
Know what makes it even better than that? You may have been participating in this indescribable gift and didn’t even realize it. Or if you haven’t, you can start today. [click to continue…]
The promise is so simple, so straightforward and true, it’s easy to dismiss it.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
What if He meant just what He said? What if the circumstances and signals all around you were echoing the same refrain? Maybe it’s time to take Him up on His promise…
When it seems as though you’re arguing with everybody in sight, it’s time to draw near.
When you’re lost in a war of wills, and it feels as though the whole world is pushing against you, it’s time to draw near.
When you life is a continuous array of unacceptable disappointments, it’s time to draw near.
When divorce or disowning is not an option, but murder is looking pretty good, it’s time to draw near. [click to continue…]
