I tend to wander around in this thing called faith. I often figure things out as I am going, and it can be really frustrating, sometimes, to feel like everyone else knows more about following Jesus than I do

.

It is a struggle every day knowing that I am not as close to God as I really wish I could be. It is a struggle every wanting to see and hear this God that I try to follow. But then, when I am honest about my struggle, I am comforted by the assurance that I am not the only one who has ever been wrecked over this. 

There have been many saints who have wandered through these same murky waters. There are two lives in particular that I really look up to because they have traveled the lonely road of trying to figure out what it means to live for God despite not knowing what they were doing. These are my heroes.

1. St. Augustine

Growing up in Northern Africa, Aurelius Augustinus (aka Augustine) didn't have a lot of money. His parents spent more on his schooling than they could really afford. Augustine had a lot of second-rate school teachers in Thagaste. 

After a while, his family was able to afford to send him to Carthage, the best place in the world at the time to get a great education. But while he was there, he couldn't sit still. Though his mom prayed for him all the time, he had an insane craving for pleasure. He found himself a girl who became his concubine for many years. With this unnamed woman he had a son, Adeodatus. That same year, Augustine's father died. 

For many years, even though he was pursuing a higher understanding of religion, he couldn't shake his lifestyle of wanting more pleasure. This was his life for many years. But after a lot of frustrated searching and anxiety, Augustine had a crazy vision in his back yard. Before him he saw Lady Continence, who told him to take a leap of faith. He had been so agitated in body and mind that the vision came as a release. When he overheard the phrase "pick up and read" from a child at a nearby house, he grabbed his book of the Apostle Paul and read a passage. It seemed to be talking specifically to him. 

After that, he gave up all his worldly dreams. He quit his teaching job. He left Carthage, and the following Easter, he was baptized by Bishop Ambrose in Milan. Augustine and his mother decided to return to Africa, where they felt that they would be able to do the most good for God. There, he was very active in his church, and wrote a lot of things for the church so they could understand the Bible better. 

Over the last 17 years of his life, he had lost his father, his mother, and his son. He also lost his young, ambitious dreams of gaining the whole world. But he gained something far more important - a life that mattered and a hope that carried him through everything. He gained Jesus.

2. Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins was a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation. 

An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood. A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the

church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love. As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

He was a prophet and a poet and a beggar, more comfortable with the homeless than the wealthy, more in love with Jesus than religion, more interested in the music than the song. He felt too much, and held too much. He searched desperately his whole life for a way to belong down here, but he never did. He was just passing through.

He said at one of his concerts one time, 

“I’m all the time being asked by people, ‘How do you feel closer to God?’ And I kind of always want to say, ‘I don’t know.’ When I read the lives of most of the great saints, they didn’t necessarily feel very close to God. When I read the Psalms, I get the feeling like David and the other psalmists felt quite far from God for most of the time. Closeness to God is not about feelings. Closeness to God is about obedience. It’s just as simple as that.”

Because of his life of love, Shane Claiborne said this about him,

“Rich Mullins is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever known. Interesting because he was honest — not perfect. He made you feel like Jesus was part of the band, telling stories around the fire, laughing with you at the bar. He made you feel like you could own your darkness and be honest with your doubts. He knew that inside each of us there is a sinner and a saint at war, and on good days the saint prevails, and on bad days –Jesus loves sinners. He was as winsome as a kid and as wise as a chief. This film captures the life of one of the most important people in the history of modern evangelicalism, a ragamuffin that our children and our grandchildren need to know about.”

This was a man who loved God no matter how he felt, no matter what other Christians were doing, and no matter what lies he heard from the enemy. He was committed to following Jesus no matter the cost.

And I, too, want that to be said of my life.

One of the of the biggest things that God is teaching me this week is the distinction between believing in him and following him. As I was reading in John this morning, this verse hit me and would not leave my mind all morning. John 8:31-32 says, 

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, 'If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 

There are many times in my life that I am tempted to take it easy in my faith, to slack off in my spiritual disciplines, or to be less alert in spiritual warfare, but Jesus says that his disciples will continue in his word. Those who continue to follow Jesus are those who are his disciples, and that is the goal of my life - to follow Jesus every day without taking a break. To that end, I have intentionally decided to do some things every day to keep me following Jesus.

1. Looking for just one thing each day from the Word. I think we often get overwhelmed with everything there is to learn in the Bible and everything we have to do to be a "good Christian" that we just forget everything. But one of the most powerful pieces of advice I have ever been given was when I went off to camp one summer. This sweet lady in our church wrote me a card that week and told me to just try to pick out one thing that God was teaching me that week. So I did and my life was totally changed that week. So now I try to do that whenever I read the Bible. Just pick out one thing that God is showing me that day.
2. Looking forward to small blessings. My dad always used to say to my family, "Anticipation is in and of itself a sensory delight." In other words, it feels good to look forward to something. And the more you look forward to something, the more you enjoy it. And the more you enjoy something, the more grateful you are for it. Bottom line: When I anticipate the little things that God is going to do for me every day, I will notice them, enjoy them, and be grateful for them. And believe it or not, I feel like God is blessing me more just because I choose to look forward to and notice his blessings more often.
3. Chatting with other who are following Jesus. Almost nothing encourages me to follow Jesus more than hanging out with someone else who is following Jesus. Some of my best friends in this entire world are those who love Jesus with all of their hearts and are serving him passionately wherever their lives take them. Just a simple chat or just a little time spent with Christine, Benjamin, Mark, David, or Ryan makes me want to love Jesus even more. It's amazing the power of choosing good friends.
4. Talking to God in the middle of normal things. Obviously it is good to plan specific times to pray every day, like in the morning, at meals, and before bed. You have probably heard all that before. So I am not going to dive into that. But I think that we often forget to relate to God as the real person that he is. He has feelings too. He cares about the things in your life. He likes to do stuff with you. And he wants to talk to you like a friend (cf. John 15:15). So when I talk to God in the middle of every day, normal things, I am living out the reality that he loves me, cares about me, and wants to be with me. And that just makes me want to love him and follow him more.

So what about you? What are the little things you do each day to follow Jesus?

Is there an area of your life that you know you need to start following Jesus in?

Don't wait until tomorrow to experience the blessing of a life well-lived. Follow Jesus every day starting today.

In August of 1965, Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel released an album entitled The Paul Simon Songbook. The first track of this album was the now-famous "I Am a Rock." This song has gone on to become quite legendary in the annals of rock music. But when I read through the lyrics of this song for the first time as a high schooler, I was quite amazed at how depressing the logical outcome of this song was. He wrote,

"A winter's day in a deep and dark December; I am alone, gazing from my window to the streets below on a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow. I am a rock, I am an island.

I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock, I am an island.

Don't talk of love, but I've heard the words before; it's sleeping in my memory. I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried. I am a rock, I am an island.

I have my books and my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor, hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock, I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain; and an island never cries."

 As a Christian, I realize that this is not the reality of my life. Though things may be tough, I am not called to retreat and back away. I am called to stand out and transform the world around me. Much like Simon was lamenting, I don't belong. But unlike him, this is a very powerful identity that has been given to me. I stand out so I can transform the world.

To everyone in the Church, I want to encourage you, you are not a rock, nor are you an island. Instead, you have been set apart to be much more like an iPod. How you live has kingdom effects and those effects can be heard loud and clear.

An island is definitely set apart, but not in the way that we are supposed to be set apart. It just is away from everything. It doesn’t try to get in anyone’s business, but will certainly make you feel good if you come to it to relax. Unfortunately, some churches are like this.

A rock is set apart. People usually try to avoid rocks (driving, biking, kayaking, etc.). Rocks can hurt. But they can also look pretty when they all gather together and do nothing and stay out of your way. Unfortunately, some churches are like this too.

But we are not called to be like and island or a rock. In many ways, instead, we are called to be a little bit more like an iPod. An iPod is the source of something that can totally transform someone’s day: music. When people encounter good music, a day of clouds and rain can flip upside down and a smile can come back to their faces. Music has the power to totally change your perspective; it just needs to be played. Turn the iPod on. Put in the headphones. Bam!

In a similar way, the church is a lot more like an iPod than like an island or a rock. We have something inside of us that can totally transform the world. We just need to let it out and press play.

In what ways are you pressing play today?

I am writing early on a Sunday morning. This time of the week has been called many things over the years. But one of the things that has come to my mind this morning is the fact that this part of the week can often be the most segregated time of the entire week. People usually worship at churches where they feel like they belong. And often that means that they gather together at churches with people who are just like them.

As I was praying this morning for my city and my state, God put this on my heart. I couldn't shake out my head this concept that it is more like Jesus to spend my time around those who don't belong. Jesus was always seen with the outcasts and the misfits. In fact, one time he was even confronted by the Pharisees and scribes (the pastors and church workers of his day) about this in Luke 5:30-32. And he said to them,

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance."

 It made me really reevaluate my priorities as a follower of Jesus. If I am really trying to live like him, what should my social circles look like. If all my friends are just like me - white, male, employed, married, stable family, etc. - then I might not actually be living like Jesus as much as I would like to think.

So as I was letting this thought marinate in my mind this morning, I was drawn to pray that God would give me a heart for those who don't belong.

And I hope he does for you too.

Because the more we embrace people around us who need the love of God - regardless of skin color, social class, or even personality - the more we will begin to look like the One who came to seek and to save the lost.

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE BEFORE MAKING ANY JUDGMENTS.

Yesterday, my beloved Chicago Fire took on the Red Bulls of New York in Major League Soccer. To my delight, they won their fourth game of the season (in contrast to their 13 ties...). If you want, you can catch the highlights here. However, to my disappointment, that night at Toyota Park was the 3rd Annual LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride Night. And the motto that Pride Night was pushing was "Love Is Louder," or more specifically, "Love Is Louder Than Homophobia"... (Translation: "It is unloving to openly disagree with a lifestyle that is proud to be homosexual." Obviously, I have some issues with this slogan.)

It was one of those games that I am glad that I watched on TV instead of going to the stadium. It would be hard to believe the Bible, claim to follow the God of the Bible, and give my cheers to open and public sin. What I see in the Bible is that God's design for marriage is: one man and one woman for life. According to Romans 1:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9, there is no question about whether or not God approves of homosexuality. He doesn't. And neither do I.

But (and this is a VERY BIG BUT), while homosexuality is clearly a sin, so is porn, divorce, and polygamy. In fact, these are all the same kind of sin: they are all distortions of God's beautiful design for marriage. Porn is just as much a distortion of God's beautiful design for marriage as living a lesbian lifestyle is; while a lesbian distorts it in a homosexual way, a porn-addict distorts it in a heterosexual way. With this in mind, I would avoid an LGBT Pride Night at Toyota Park just as much as I would a Porn Pride or Divorce Pride or Polygamy Pride night. This is not because I hate people who have committed such sins, and not because I think I am better (because I am the first to say that I am not), but because I cannot support open celebrations of clearly defined sin.

Let's stop for a moment.

This is what I NOT saying: I hate gay people, OR God hates gay people, OR it is wrong to openly accept gay people, OR I will never show love to a gay person, OR divorce is always avoidable. I am not saying that at all.

This is what I AM saying: an open celebration of any kind of sin is wrong, AND I will not openly support homosexuality, or porn, or divorce, or polygamy, AND though it is sometimes unavoidable, divorce is still a distortion of God's design for marriage.

Are you catching the distinction? Good.

The reason that I had such issues with Pride Night at Toyota Park was that I do not believe that it was the correct or helpful way to love people who are hurting (Yes, hurting. Remember that every choice is a result of previous circumstances.), or who are proud of their sins. They do not need encouragement to keep doing what they are doing, they need encouragement to run to Jesus. But unfortunately, Jesus is the last place they think to run because so often they are not loved by the church. In the church, we are so good at knowing who is wrong and who is right, but so bad at loving people regardless.

No, we shouldn't openly support the LGBT agenda, but yes, we should individually love each person who claims to be gay. Why? Because everybody struggles with sin. As Dr. Christopher Yuan, a former homosexual, so elegantly put it, "The opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality; the opposite of homosexuality is purity." And purity is something that even heterosexual people struggle with.

I long for the day when a gay person feels just as welcome to come into the walls of a church a divorced person does. I long for the day when the church will show individualized and intentional love to a gay person just as much as they will to a porn-addict.

I end with this challenge from John 8:1-11. When a woman caught in sin of a sexual nature was brought before Jesus, he responded to all the fierce accusations and pleas for her stoning with one line that will ring through the ages: "He who is without sin among you, cast the first stone." Then he said to her, when no one stood up to condemn her anymore, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." It is this same challenge that I challenge you to ponder. Whoever is reading this who has never lusted after a woman or man, has never been divorced, has never been given over to gluttony, or has never been consumed with their own image can be the first to judge a gay person. But if no one stands up, we must accept the truth that our love for people who claim to be gay will always be louder than our theology, robust as it may be.

Love will always be louder than our theology because you cannot argue with the fact that Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8) and that Jesus will be happier with more people in heaven than how many people were correct about some points of theological minutia.

Alexander, king of Macedonia.
Antiochus III, ruler of the Seleucid Empire.
Charlemagne, Emperor of Rome.
Cyrus I, founder and ruler of the Persian Empire.
Henry IV, king of France.
Ivan III, czar of Russia.
Ramesses II, pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Who are all of these people? Every one of these men are leaders whose names has been given the suffix, "The Great." Each one of them was considered by their people (or themselves) to be so impressive that they slapped this massive adjective to the end of their name. Each one of them was considered to have stood above everyone else of their time because of the many acts of conquest, valor and, majesty that they accomplished.

Like the followers of these "Great"s, I think we often measure people with similar scales. If you have earned a lot of money, you are considered great. If you accomplish a ton of really hard things, you are considered great. If you win a bunch of competitions, you are considered great. If you win wars, you are even greater. And every time, the title "Great" goes to those who have put everyone else below them to become the best and the most powerful and to get everything the world has to offer. But this is not how Jesus ever thought about greatness.

In fact, in Mark 10:42-45, says that the measure for greatness looks vastly different. It is completely upside down. Those who are truly great are the Mother Teresa's, the George Mueller's, the A21 Campaign's of this world. Those who are truly great are the ones who give away their lives and their kingdoms to serve others. These are people who don't need to take selfies to prove that they exist. Instead, they let their lives speak for themselves, and let the others photograph it. These are the people who give their lives to serving, and realize that this life is not about them. Jesus said that the servant of all is really the greatest among us.

So I wonder about you?

In what areas of your life are you trying to be impressive to others, striving to stand above others, and to accumulate a massive list of accomplishments?

Maybe it is time to give those things away, and start a living a life that is truly great. Maybe it is time to start serving as many people as possible and see the lives, communities, and world transformed around you.

I challenge you to be truly great today. Anyone has the capacity to be great because anyone has the capacity to live for the good of others. You can can be a servant. You can be great. Be greater than you have ever been! 

I have a confession to make...

I love Christmas music. I love Christmas music all year long. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. But before
you go judging me, I just have one thing to say about it. Just as we sing songs to celebrate the Resurrection at any time of the year, I think the Incarnation of our Savior is also worth singing about at any time of the year. O Come, All Ye Faithful should be just as common as O Happy Day.

With this in mind, it was much to my delight that, as I was eating my breakfast this morning, three Christmas songs in a row came on my shuffled Spotify playlist. The normal reaction the typical person would make to this would be to instantly skip to the next track. But not me. I just sat back, and let the lyrical heralds song their carols of praise over me.

One of those songs, in particular, stood out to me. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus by Folk Angel began playing and it just took me captive (see video below). "Come, thou long expected Jesus / Born to set thy people free / From our fears and sins release us / Let us find our rest in Thee." Wow! What a powerful paragraph! As I began to listen to this song, I started to remember that the Incarnation was all about my freedom. I am free because the Creator of Everything took on skin and bones in order that he could bear my sin. He became an insignificant, fragile, and dependent little cry-ball so he could rescue all of humanity from the incredibly oppressive power of sin and death. Every time I remember this, it blows my mind!

They went on to sing, "Let every heart / Prepare Him room / And heaven and nature sing / And heaven and nature sing." At this point, I felt the conviction hammering into me. Let every heart prepare Him room... Wow! How relevant this is for my life. So many things are going on in my life that I sometimes allow my heart to be filled up with a hundred different things, and it leaves little room for Jesus. One of the most spiritual things I can do is to take almost everything off my heart's plate and prepare room for the One who deserve my all. Sometimes this looks like saying no to a lot of things, but when I begin to be satisfied with Jesus and experience the unending joy that overflows from my heart, I realize that the more room I prepared for the "long expected Jesus," the more it was worth it.

So I wonder about you. How are you preparing Jesus room? And how are you finding your rest in Him? I encourage you to make this a priority just at He made you His priority when he came as a little baby two thousand years ago so he could set you free.

I'm writing this as I am driving down the long winding roads of Wisconsin. My rock star wife is in the drivers seat and we are on our way to my new job as high school pastor in Bismarck, ND. It's really exciting to be moving into this awesome new chapter of our lives, but I'm also caught reflecting on the times we had back in Illinois for the year or so that we were there.

Our last few days in the area were spent hanging out with lots of junior high and high school students. We received numerous cards and letters from all kinds of students telling us how we have impacted them. It was really hard not to cry after each one. It was amazing to see how Jesus had worked through us to leave a legacy in their lives. What a privilege!

So as I reflect on our legacy, here are the 3 Lessons I Learned After I Left a Legacy:

1. Most of the time, you never know how deep you have made it into someone's heart until separation causes them to share it with you. So do your best to be a positive example in everything you say and do. A few days before we left, we had a party to which we invited every student in the youth group. And some of the students that came we students I didn't remember every really getting to know that well. But as students began to share with us the impact we had left in their lives, I can only remember being so amazed at how God had worked. I honestly didn't remember ever saying anything important to some of them. But God allowed us to go deeper into their hearts than I ever imagined.
2. You can never quantify the legacy you have left. So never give up on someone who seems "hard to get to." One particular student comes to mind when I write this. He was that kid who always hung out in the back of the crowd during the songs chatting it up with his friends. He never seemed to be serious about the Lord. His dad even confided in me that he has had numerous conversations with him to try to get him serious about Jesus, school, or even work. But it seemed that he was a "dead end." Nothing seemed to get to him. But when I opened up my home to have a Bible study, he was one of the most faithful attenders. And out of nowhere - it seemed - this student began to get hungry for the Word. And a hunger like that is hard to put a number on. I only pray that Jesus continues to increase that hunger. Time will only tell, but he might be the next Hudson Taylor, and go anywhere God calls him.
3. You never know how your legacy is perceived. So make it as much like Jesus as you can. This story doesn't actually come from my time in youth ministry, but from my time working in the secular environment. I ran a coffee shop on the west side of Chicago for the last year an a half. One of the women who worked for me was Ana. She was a single mom from Guatemala, and she only worked for me for the last month or so that I was there. But on one of my last days there, she said to me, "I'm not a Christian, but my dad is a pastor and he works a secular job along side that. And though I'm not into that sort of thing, I admire him a lot. I know it's probably not the 'Christian' thing to say, but already I can sense this aura around you just like my dad. It makes me feel at ease." And as the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:15-17, this "aura" about us is Christ's presence in us, and is noticeable to both God and other people. And I am so grateful that God worked in me to make that "aura" obvious to Ana so that she could feel comfortable around knowing that I was a follower of Jesus.

What about you?

What kind of legacy are you leaving? And what are you doing today to make your "aura" more like Christ?

One of my favorite movies to watch when I was in junior high was The Rookie (2002). It is the story of Jimmy Morris, a high school baseball coach who makes it to the major leagues and becomes the oldest MLB rookie ever. In the movie, there is a scene where Jimmy was doubting whether or not to actually try
out for the major leagues and pursue his life-long dream, or to stay in his hometown teaching high school science and coaching varsity baseball. To gain clarity, he asks the advice of his father. The response he got was a phrase I will never forget. He said, "Son, it is alright to be doing what you want to do until it is time to start doing what you were meant to do."

It is alright to be doing what I want to do until it is time to start doing what I was meant to do. This phrase has stuck with me ever since. Recently, however, it has been reverberating in my mind like a gong. I don't like to make major plans for my future often. But I had set a course in my life in one direction and God had a different plan. I was running a new cafe that had just opened and I was loving it when God decided that it was time for me to start doing what I was meant to do. He had plans for me to be in full-time ministry in the context of the local church. And though I had my sights set on full-time church ministry for a long time and I have trained extensively for this, it took a little bit of convincing for me to get on board with God's plan. I had my own plans! I wanted to keep doing something that I was good at! I wanted the security of the known! But God wanted to bless me and use me in amazing ways. So I caved in and let God have his way - which would have happened anyway, whether I wanted it or not. (He has this thing with getting his way in our lives.)

A lot of times, I think most people are like me. We like to keep doing things that we are comfortable with and that we know we are good at. And sometimes we pass up opportunities for greater things because we are scared of the unknown and the difficult. We don't like God to change our plans because we don't know how it will turn out. But Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we are most pleasing to God, and thus the safest, when we are living by faith and seeking after him. In other words, God is really happy with you when you follow his lead even though you don't know what's going on!

So I wonder, whose plans are you living by right now?

Are you allowing God to change your plans? And can you get excited for God to mess up "your life"?

What must you let go of in order for God to be on your hearts throne?

   I was recently rushing home from work, pumping the most upbeat Christian hits form Air1, texting at

stoplights and checking Instrgram at the same time, driving with my knees, and trying to weave between the self-righteously slow speed limit-drivers (who happen to be taking up both lanes!). I was getting more and more frustrated with how unaware of other people lots of drivers can be. I mean, don't they know that each person tailgating them is in a massive hurry ??? Maybe you have lived this irony before too. Or maybe you just think I am a loony hypocrite - and I'll admit it, I probably am. (Gosh, I hope my mom isn't reading this.)

   Then this 30 second devotional thought came over the air. The lady was talking about how Jesus lived an unhurried life. He was intentional to live in the moment and not let future worries and present distractions pull him away from giving his full presence to every one he was currently with. This thought hit me so hard. So hard. I was doing the exact opposite at that moment. I was rushing because I just enjoyed the feeling of being busy and in a rush. It made me feel important, for some reason.

   As I continued to drive home, Jesus was speaking loud and clear to me. "Brant, you need to slow down and just be present. You need to stop being in such a hurry. You are important when you are giving your presence to the present. You make a bigger difference by slowing down and letting the stress slip on by. Give yourself to those around you, and live in the moment. The future will take care of itself. But I am in the present...wanting you here with Me." Wow! I immediately took my foot off the gas, got in line behind a boring speed limit-driver, and loosened up behind the wheel. I was freed in that moment to just be present, and not have to be in a hurry.

   I can tell you with confidence that when you live in the moment and let the future come when it comes, you will experience a freedom and relaxation that you are probably not used to. You will not only feel better, but people will begin to feel more comfortable around you. When you are not worrying about the future, you can devote your attention to those who are in your present circumstances. Even Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 that we need to let tomorrow worry about itself. So let go, sit back, an enjoy the current moment God has given you. It might be the best part of your day so far.

   So, unhurry up and be in the present with Jesus!

When I was younger, my family had a little book on the coffee table by Sam Parker called 212: The Extra Degree. The basic premise of the book went like this,

At 211° water is hot. At 212°, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. The one extra degree makes the difference.

 The main purpose behind the book was to encourage you to make the extra effort - to increase your production or hustle by an extra degree - so you can accomplish more amazing things in your life than you ever thought possible.

I was just thinking about that little book today when the Lord brought a passage of Scripture to mind. In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus speaks about the retaliation passage from Exodus 21:23-25. He says that it is really about a deeper point, which is that God was setting up a system among his people that people were treated fairly and were protected against exploitation. But, if people would just show love to everyone around them, even if they are trying exploit them, the culture would be totally different! Translation: Love everyone, no matter who they are. Talk about mind-blowing! Fleshing it out, he says,

But I say to you, 'Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him to miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

I truly believe that if every Christian took seriously the command of Jesus to go the extra mile, we would see something happen that would shake the foundations of our culture and leave everyone in awe of the grace of an amazing Savior. Just like it only takes that extra degree of heat to unlock the powerful potential of steam, it might just be that extra mile you go to love the people in your life who are hard to love that will unlock the transforming power of the gospel in your school, work place, or neighborhood.

My challenge to you today is this:

1. Ask God to bring someone (or some group of people) to your mind who is really hard to love (even though they desperately need love).
2. Gratefully remember how unlovable you were to God when he saved you.
3. Ask God to fill you with love for this person (or people).
4. Make a plan to show love to them in a tangible and personal way.

When you do this, you will unleash the glory of God into your culture and, over time, you will transform it.

Dare to go the extra degree!

"Where did it all go?"

This is a question my wife and I ask a lot when we review our finances each week. It never seems like we have enough to pay for anything...like food, or transportation, or ministry, or other unimportant stuff. We pay our bills, buy just enough food for a week or so, and fill the cars with gas. So when the car broke down on my wife today while I was at work, I had no way of fixing it or even paying someone else to fix it. I felt so helpless and useless. And on the way home from work, it all came crashing down on me. I felt so terrible that I have subjected her to this really low standard of living. I guess I had been holding onto this notion that I have to give her everything in order to make her happy.

But God has been teaching me something really hard, but really valuable: We don't need everything, just Him. And to show me this, it feels like he is stripping away everything that I hold onto really tight. To show that He is the ultimate Provider and Protector, he is putting me in so many situations where I can't protect or provide it all, so I have to rely on Him to come through. And all of this was running through my mind there in the car, the song "Keep Making Me" by Sidewalk Prophets came on the radio. It was almost like God was speaking directly to me in that moment saying, "Brant, I am making you broken, so you can rely on Me to heal you. I am making you empty so you can rely on only Me to fill you." And in that moment, I felt at ease because I knew that everything would work out fine, despite how much worry the Enemy was trying to inflict on me.

I realized something today. There is a great blessing in not having it all. It is actually to my benefit to be empty and broken because in those times of great need, I know that I cannot hold it all together by myself. I must rely on God, or, to be more correct, I get to rely on God. It is such an incredible feeling to leap into the strong merciful arms of the One who I know holds everything together (Colossians 1:17). God will always take care of me. For this I can give thanks. He will never let me fall. Because of this, I live with confidence. There is always something to be thankful for when I am relying on God. And as Ann Voskamp said in her book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, "As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible."

I wonder where you derive your joy these days. Are you discovering the beauty of relying on God? If so, let me know about it in the comments below!

When my brother and I were kids, we used to wrestle a lot...like many brothers probably do. Because

I was the older brother, I was usually able to beat him because I was stronger. But as we grew older, my win streaks became more sporadic until I could no longer take him. Now he weighs more than me and is twice as strong as me. Every wrestling match is an embarrassment now. I remember one time in college where my floor held it's annual Wrestle Mania during Founder's Week. As I feared, everyone thought it would be a great spectacle to see me and brother duke it out on the mat. Also as I feared, all present saw a 20 second pin resulting in him sitting on top of me. And as much as I tried, I couldn't push him off. He was too heavy. His caboose just sank into my back like a ton of bricks on a feather bed.

I think at some point in all of our lives, grace is a little like that for us. It shows up in our lives and just sinks down upon our selfish, defiant hearts. That was my story this morning as I was at church. We began to sing a song that talked about the grace of God, and my rebel heart began to resist. And as it kept chasing me across the wastelands of my own resistance, it finally hit me like a ton of bricks and sank heavy upon heart until I surrendered to God once again and let him speak grace and joy and peace into my heart. And as the tidal waves of God's love kept crashing over me, I was brought to tears of joy.

See, there's this funny thing about grace. It is extremely heavy for a selfish heart to bear. You cannot accept God's grace when you are constantly trying to justify yourself. Unless you give up trying to prove how awesome you are on your own, grace will just weigh down on you and make you feel guilty and weak. You just become exhausted trying to prove your worth on your own. But the minute you open your heart to accept God's love and grace, you will feel more freedom and peace than you have ever known in your life. The moment you drop the burden of control over your own life and accept the load of grace that Jesus offers, you will find how light and amazing it is. Indeed, Jesus even said,

"Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourself. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (HCSB)

So my encouragement to you this week is to stop trying so hard to find approval from everyone by making all the right moves and saying all the right things. You are more valuable to your heavenly Father than just for what you say or do. He loves you for who you are. So run to Him in prayer and in his Word, and seek his grace. And there is where you will find what your heart has always been looking for - unconditional love and unending grace.

He wants you. Just for you. Seriously.

Today, I watched on as my beloved Everton lost to arch rivals Liverpool 4-0 in the English Premier League (it's a soccer league, for the uninformed). It was truly a disappointing match for me to watch. Nothing seemed to go right when it came to how we played. Every time we thought we were getting close to scoring, Liverpool countered with a lightning fast attack the other way to score on our helpless defense. You can watch the highlights here.

However, I was unable to watch the game in the presence of anyone who enjoys soccer. It was enjoyable to watch the game. But it would have so much more enjoyable to watch it with others. This is the point I am getting at:

Everything good is better when you enjoy it in community with others who enjoy it.

Soccer is fun to follow, but as an American man in the Midwest, I don't have much of a community to enjoy it with, nonetheless to support Everton with me. It is so much more enjoyable to watch it with other people who care about it as much I do.

To be honest with you, I was pouting a little bit today about all of this...not being able to watch the Everton game with anyone who cares about football (the real football). I was feeling down and a wee bit depressed that I have to enjoy my passions - soccer and specialty coffee - with so few people. But then the Lord began to change my thought process.

I asked myself what the most important part of my life was. The answer was obvious - almost so obvious that I had forgotten about it - my faith. I mean seriously, if I had to pick the best part of my life in which to enjoy enjoy community with others, it would be my faith. There are many parts of my life, but if I had to choose between them all which to enjoy in a passionate community, it would most certainly have to be my pursuit of Jesus. I can leave soccer behind, I can leave coffee behind, I can leave everything behind. But if I had to navigate my own faith journey alone, I would go crazy because it is at the heart of everything I do.

I so badly need others around me to encourage me in the pursuit of Christ. Loving Jesus is a complete joy, about which I could write for hours. But when I am surrounded by others who are passionately loving Jesus, my joy is made even more complete. Therefore, I choose to intentionally involve myself in Christian community because I know that my pursuit of Christ is made so much better in the presence of others who are also pursuing him.

So this is my encouragement to you today:

Press into community...even if you're ashamed of who you are. Jesus isn't. He loves you. He love you so intensely and passionately that all of your faults are forgotten in the empty space of forgiveness and grace. And admit it...you need others in your life to help you love him back. You know you can't do this on your own. You are hard-wired for community. That's why you can understand my frustration with having to enjoy something on my own. It is part of who you are to engage in community.

You can choose to surround yourself with people who care a lot about the things in your life that get you going - music, the Seahawks, politics, mountain biking, girls, tacos, or TOMS - and there is nothing inherently wrong with them. But I encourage you to also intentionally surround yourself with the kind of people who make you want to love Jesus even more, and you'll never walk alone.

"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 (ESV)

"Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer." Hebrews 10:25  (CEV)

P.S. I want to give a shout out to my wife, my best friends Mark, David, and Ryan, and of course my awesome little brother Benjamin for being those people in my life who have inspired me to love Jesus even more passionately. I couldn't do it without you!