Yesterday, my son Sam who is 6, was singing in the shower.  He didn’t know the words and the beautiful thing was he didn’t care.  So, I challenged myself to sing a song yesterday and just make up the words.  So, on my drive home from an impromptu trip to DC, I blasted the music and just sang as loud as I could…it was beautiful.  Thank you Lord for revealing yourself to me through Sam and also in the song that you have placed in my heart.  Lord, I thank you for the passion of the journey we call life and for providing us opportunities to reflect you in the every day.

Being ‘born awesome’ is not only a belief that each of us should grasp but it is also an attitude of how we should treat others, regardless of circumstance.  What would the world look like if we were to treat others as if they were ‘born awesome?’  Don’t you think that there could be a shift in the atmosphere of workplaces, classrooms, schools, universities, churches, prisons, governments, communities, even nations!?!?

Society wants to tell us that we are not so special and hammer us for any mistakes we make.  It’s disturbing to me that  the most frequently read section of the daily local newspaper is the Divorce Section.  It’s disturbing to me that a Divorce Section even exists!  People today tend to feast on the mistakes of others.  No wonder fear of failure paralyzes people from taking a risk and walking in who they were designed to be.  My vision is to create an atmosphere where there is no fear of failure and people can passionately pursue their unique assignment from God.

Last week was a crazy week with our Revolution Volleyball Club tryouts…we evaluated nearly 250 potential volleyball players in our tryouts.  Sarah and I stretched ourselves pretty thin but thanks to an incredible staff of coaches who have a heart for young people, we were able to get through the week.  I missed having some time alone with the father though and also time with my kids.

During worship yesterday, I simply wanted to have some time to rest…while I was doing this, Sam came up to me and just wanted me to hold him…Sam, at 5 years old and solid as a rock, is getting tougher to hold for a long period of time.  But, there was nothing I wanted to do more than rest in my father’s arms as Sam rested in mine.  Sam’s time with me yesterday, just resting in my arms, was made possible because I was resting in my father’s arms.  For 10 minutes, Sam’s arms were around my neck, his head on my shoulders, just enjoying being in his daddy’s arms.  Someday, Sam is going to realize how his spirit is so in line with the father’s…he has an incredible gift to be able to speak from the father’s heart without saying a word!

Mark Durniak, one of the smartest guys i know, encouraged a group of us the other night to “think about thinking.”  This was a challenge – how often do we simply go about our daily tasks in a methodical way, just doing things a certain way because that’s just the way we’ve always done them.  I work with my brother-in-law, another very smart guy who i have the privilege to work with, has been challenging the staff at our office to ask “Why?”  Why do we do things this way? – and the number one UNacceptable answer is “because that’s the way we have always done them.”  Over the course of the next year, i anticipate not only becoming more efficient in the things we do as a company but to spend much less money on some of those things.

My challenge to myself and to you is to start thinking more about the way we look at things.  God put something in your heart that he only put there for YOU.  He created the heavens and the earth…he created me and you in his image and likeness.  Don’t you think he wants us to think!

“Be of good courage and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God.  And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

We often feel as if we must have all the answers before starting a task.  The fear of failure is one of the most common fears and a fear that is crippling society in general and the church in particular.  We are so careful not to fail that we give ourselves no chance for success.  This is a poor reflection of who God has called us to be.

Joab is speaking to his brother, Abishai, as they prepare to battle the Syrians and the Ammonites.  They are not in the best of situations here.  Hanun was offended by David’s attempt at comforting him upon the death of his father.  So, Hanun went and hired 32,000 chariots in addition to the people of Ammon, and put them in “battle array.”  David sent Joab to battle the Syrians and the Ammonites.  I’m not thinking that David thought much of Joab.

It is safe to say that we would understand if Joab was afraid.  He and his men were surrounded.  Instead, his words reflect his confidence in the Lord and also on his ability to focus on the task at hand.  There is no disclaimer before his exclamation.  What I like about Joab in this situation is that he is a “do” guy.  Like the old Nike ads, “Just do it.”  By his words, he is saying that our job is to have courage and to be strong.  That is it!  He doesn’t know how this task is going to begin or end, but he knows that if they have the courage and strength for the people and the cities of God, they can’t go wrong – “And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

God wants us to be a “do” people.  Make something happen.  Take a chance.  Step out of the boat.  Glorify God.  Let’s make a decision today to be a “do” generation and raise up his kingdom without fear.

Isaiah 42:5-13

5 Thus says God the Lord ,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,

6
“I am the Lord , I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,

7
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

8
“I am the Lord , that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.

9
“Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

10
Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.
You islands, and those who dwell on them.

11
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.

12
Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the coastlands.

13
The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.

Interestingly, i can’t find a shirt like that in my size.  In fact, i can’t find one in Sam or Annabelle’s size either…and they are only 5 and 7.  What is happening?

We begin to question and walk away from all that God has called us to be.  We are given the message that, “ok maybe you were awesome when you were a baby…but now it’s time to grow up and realize that you are not so special.”  Problem is, we believe this message, especially young people.  The fact that i can’t find a “born awesome” shirt in my size speaks to the fact that retailers don’t think any adult would actually believe it or buy it!  Well, they are missing out on at least one person who would buy it.  Here is why:

For one, we must understand that we were created by the living God, the same one who created the heavens and the earth.  Isaiah 45:12 says, “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it.  I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host.” (NASB)  Secondly, we must walk in the authority he has given us as sons.  Romans 8:15 says, For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (NASB)  Anytime that i question where i am going or what i am doing, i go back to Jeremiah 29:11…”For i know the plans i have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

I for one want to continue to understand that i was “born awesome.”  Help me to speak this into the lives of the people around you.  I think it will be amazing to watch the results when we begin to not only accept it in our own lives but give others that reputation to live up to.

p. 24 – “There is a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of.  And this little revolution is irresistible.  It is a contagious revolution that dances, laughs, and loves.”

p. 25 – “This thing Jesus called the kingdom of God is emerging across the globe in the most unexpected places, a gentle whisper amid the chaos.  Little people with big dreams are reimagining the world.  Little movements of communities of ordinary radicals are committed to doing small thing with great love.”

p. 225 – “All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely.  But dear children, do not tiptoe.  Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.”

My son, Andrew, who is a couple months away from turning 2, has a shirt that reads, “I was born awesome.”  I’m thinking that God wants all of us to be wearing that shirt.  Haven’t found one in my size yet but i’m looking…and i’m not going to be ashamed to wear it.  I have read a few articles recently that speaks to this – we are going to live up to (or down to) the expectations we have for ourselves and the expectations of those around us.

In a recent article, Coach Bear Bryant (if you don’t know who he is, shame on you – and go look it up), was quoted regarding his second national championship, “But outside of Steve Sloan, Paul Crane, Wayne Freeman and a few others, most of that 1964 bunch were average players.  They just didn’t know it.”

I love that last line…it is so important, especially in teaching young people, that we speak life into them.  They are told enough and naturally feel it themselves that they are not good enough, not worthy enough, not important enough.  We need to speak life into these kids repeatedly, so that the negative crap they hear will be muted by the life we speak…that they would know that the God who created them thinks they were “born awesome.”

I have recently picked up two books off my bookshelf where reading them repeatedly has instilled in me a desire to not just get out of what’s comfortable but stretch far beyond.  These books are just part of the equation…reading them has coincided with the building of relationships with people who challenge me to be great, to push the limits, and to never fear falling down – because when you fall down, you simply get up and give it another shot.  Now, back to the books…for one, i have to thank my good friend Brian Hissong, for making me remember that i actually owned the book — Wild At Heart by John Eldridge (http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Heart-Discovering-Secret-Mans/dp/0785268839).  When i first read this book, it didn’t really hit me…didn’t have much of an impact on me.  That was probably 5+ years ago.  Since then, following the birth of Annabelle (now 7), along came Sam (now 5), and Andrew (now 22 months).  Being around Sam for more than 5 minutes, you will know that there is some powerful stuff going on inside that little guy.  He is full of all the stuff that God intended little boys to be full of.  That book now has helped me to understand all of my children better…and more importantly, it has helped me to understand ME.

In Wild At Heart, in chapter 11, i came across statements and passages that i had to read repeatedly to let it sink in.  Eldredge states on p. 199, “I want to love with much more abandon and stop waiting for others to love me first.  I want to hurl myself into a creative work worthy of God.  I want to charge the fields at Banockburn, follow Peter as he followed Christ out onto the sea, pray from my heart’s true desire.”  Then, i came across this line that Eldredge quoted from Gil Bailie, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”   WOW!

So much for comfort!…I’ll get to the second book tomorrow.