Obsessed......

Give me one magnificent obsession. To be obsessed is to share a ruling passion... an irresistible impulse.... spirit control.... Obsessed with the desire to know Christ and to release a bit of Christ on this earth. Yeah, that seems like a worthy obsession.

This weekend, there was an image that was seared into my consciousness. I am quite confident that I will not soon forget this 'worship' moment. I had just talked about living with passion for the name and character of Christ. We made this emboldened proclamation that we are citizens of the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord. We actually 'reside' in that confession. He is magnanimous. He is amazing. He is our pure and holy passion. So, we sing 'worship you, my Lord, until the very end.' The song is resonating...it's eerily beautiful... and as we are singing a man with a 'lot of years' under his belt walks toward the cross. White t-shirt.. dock shoes... simple.... He's walked with God a long time. His hearts cry is very simple.."I just want Jesus!" The song echoes, the moment is ripe, and he falls to His knees right in front of the cross. Tears streak his face. Not everything is clear in his mind..... but, he is very aware that God is central in his life and he longs to live and die with purpose. As clarity of thought fades, depth of heart prevails. "Just give me Jesus!"

Everything that we have talked about in "illuminate" was captured in that moment. One throne.. one passion... one obsession... simplicity of life... days numbered... needs simple... purpose clear....longing... desperate.... It was rich to watch varying people become the hands of Christ as they prayed with him. It was sweet to watch a new friend of mine.. a new guy on this journey of the faith... sit with him after the worship encounter and share life.

You know, I experienced a plethora of emotions in that moment. Worship... Clarity... Simplicity... I also had this very practical thought. I wish I had a camera! I wish that I could have snapped a picture of an old man dreaming dreams with a full band playing in the background and a body of Christ behind him singing with abandon and the cross immediately before him. Wow! Beautiful!!

You know, there are some things you just can't orchestrate. I think that moment was alot like God. Yeah, the song was amazing... the message clear... the passion abounding, but God loves to step into moments and shout "surprise!", it's even more beautiful. He loves to take moments and magnify them for His glory and His renown. He loves it when we cry out like a whole bunch of '17's'. He loves it when we are obsessed with knowing Him.

It was a glorious weekend. God felt free to unveil Himself. Wow, did we ever 'go off' during 'Did you Feel'! During all three encounters this weekend, it was sweet as we threw down during the last song. Hey, I want to be a 17. I want to know God. I want people to know me for knowing Him. I think that will make for a very clear path toward Him. I love 17 yes I do; I love 17 how about you!?!

Feel free to add to the commentary by clicking on 'comments' below.

Enjoy Life!
Mark

Conflicted... Compelled

I am pretty confident that this path of being a Christ-follower is not intended to be conflicting. I am relatively confident that I am not intended to be in conflict. However, I venture through Paul's thoughts in Philippians 3.17... There is a path of my life that leads directly to the throne of my life and I deeply long for the path of my life to lead others to only one Person at the end of the path -- Christ. I genuinely long for people to find a pattern/path through me that points only toward Him. I genuinely want Christ to be found at the end of the trail of my time, possessions, passions, resources, energy.... at the end of that trail is Christ alone. Then, Paul writes in 18-19 that there are a group of people in the heart of the church at Philippi who are about themselves... their purposes... their ways.... They are 'enemies of the cross." Through their legalism and/or their filling of their own desires for their own glory, they hang around the periphery of worship and miss the point. Not only are they distracted... they are a massive distraction from this incredible grace message of Christ.

Instead of celebrating the fleeting glory of my own life... Instead of inviting people to follow me to the throne of my distractions... Instead of settling for something small, temporary, and lacking in worth, I long to say, I have been rescued. I am in Christ. He is in me. No rival throne survives. I have been rescued to be a rescuer. Maybe the conflict of my life is to maintain a level of vigilance concerning rival thrones. I will, at times, attempt to build this small throne...... I will, at times, deviate off the path of consummate passion..... I will be distracted..... and I don't want to be or do any of those things. Rival thrones - the place of conflict. I don't want to be conflicted!

I want to live with laser-like focus on One King, one hope, one passion for one glory. I want to live with that level of focus because satifaction is found there. I want to live with that level of focus because peace is found there. I want to live at that level of focus because purpose is found there. I want to live at that level of focus because this abounding life that Christ describes is found there. I want to live at that level of focus because it matters.... because life counts and Life is Christ.

So, I'm asking God to elevate my vigilance. I am asking Him to walk to all thrones in my life.... is He alone elevated? If not, I really want Him to partner with me and tear down all thrones that point toward me OR distract me from Him. I want Christ. Really! I want Christ. I think the secret of one pure and holy passion is saying, "Christ, you are more than enough and I want more than enough of You!" Susan was reading a quote from Andrew Murray. He wrote, "the great lack of our Christianity today is..... (I'm expecting the incredibly profound leap from the pages of the book she was reading!!), 'we do not know God!' " I want to know God. I want us, together at EBC, to know God... to share intimacy with Him. Could it really be that simple?

I'm thinking that its pretty intense to be a Christ follower. I am thinking its incredibly freeing to be a Christ follower. I really think God is inviting us to determine that we will follow.... that we will remove distractions.... that we will be a group of people who really do exist to ignite and inspire passion for Jesus Christ. That will happen because our passion is crystal clear... no rival thrones.... the King of all Glory sits on the throne of our lives. It matters.

Add to the commentary by clicking on comments below. I love pursuing God together! Enjoy Life.

Mark

Follow Me.....

Thoughts from Philippians 3.17 and an incredible weekend at Emmanuel.

I am not sure if its legal to suggest that Paul was crazy when he wrote Philippians 3.17. Maybe he wasn't crazy, just incredibly bold and intensely passionate. He actually thinks that we will fall madly in love with Christ... Crack open our chest and allows others to watch as the deepest parts of who we are resonate with His glory, His name and His renown.... that we will run after God, removing all obstacles to the knowledge of Him..... and when we discover truths about God, we actually acclimate those truths to our lives. Okay, here's the crazy part. Then, we might have such clarity of focus and passion that we look at others and humbly... oh so humbly say, I think my life and what I am about is a pattern to be about the things of God. I think that my life pattern will actually guide you to Christ. Follow me.... Follow me in my passion... Follow me as I seek to understand and wrestle with His truth... Follow me as I am so stinkin honest.. I don't have it all nailed... I don't know it all, yet.... But, I know that I have found this amazing relationship... Follow me and I think the trail of my life, time, treasure, commitments, resources, energy... that trail will lead you to someone HUGE! I am small... I don't want to be the next big thing.... I am NOT the next big thing. But, I know Him... He is THE BIG THING!

I had no idea how to wrap my mind around Paul's challenge in Philippians 3.17. Follow other's patterns as they follow Christ. Then, I shared with you guys about this little woman, who traveled nowhere, and in the eyes of this world was a nobody... no big job... no power... no stature....no big plaudits.... no visible accomplishments. She kept a garden, loved God, loved her church, loved her family. She thought that when people were hungry, you fed them. She thought it was important to share this passion and love of Christ with her family. She watched her son lead churches for over 60 years now. She led her son-in-law into a relationship with Christ and then watched him impact the world. She left an indelible imprint on this earth for the glory. This quiet, loving, woman, My gran is amazing. She patterned the Christ-life, then, like Paul, she left me with the same challenge.... to pattern my life so that people really are not sure who I am, but they are crystal clear who God is. I am small, God is huge! So, grannie joined the 'cloud of people who are cheering us on' a year or so ago. She is well... doing well.... glorified.... standing immersed in the light of Christ.... and longing for me - for us - to run this race well. Life counts! Live well!! Know Christ.... Follow Him... The Kingdom of God is near.

Who has left a pattern for you? Who has lived out the Christ-life in such a beautiful way that you are following their pattern. Click on comments below and add to the commentary.

There is far more to life for us --Phil 3.20 Live well..... Live with Passion... Live for the glory.

Mark

Turn Around....

thoughts from Philippians 3.17 and a weekend of an outpouring of passion at ebc.

Jesus walked up to people and asked them to turn around and follow Him. What is profound is that many people actually did turn around and follow Him. Lives shifted and perspective, passion, and focus changed for many as they turned around and followed Christ --- making them Christ-followers. I think that same invitation is extended to each of us on this journey called life. He makes His way into our lives and says to us, turn around, follow me and I will lead you into life unimaginable. Repent was our word of the day..... repent being the action word for application of truth. When we encounter truth, we are faced with this internal disonance... what do I do with this truth? In my life, turning around/ repenting, and making application of truth is both difficult and breathtaking.

Jesus stepped into this earth with an alarming proclamation..... The Kingdom of God is near! Turn around and walk into the kingdom. Honestly, I am so deadened to the word 'repent'... I am so skewed in my perspective of that word that I really felt Jesus hitting me with a 2x4 as He said REPENT and DO SOMETHING BIG FOR THE KINGDOM. After letting go of the guilt complex (I have a BIG one), the heavy shoulders, the shame... after letting that go, I realized that Jesus message was not to have regret, to embrace remorse, or to feel bad!

Jesus was saying turn around and walk into the outrageous kingdom of God. Some of His first recorded words are "turn around, the kingdom of God is near". Turn around and look, walk straight into passion, forgiveness, freedom, hope, redemption, justification, purpose, healing..... turn around, giving up only those things that are 'killing' you, and walk into the fullness of your purpose. The kingdom of God is here... Turn around! That's beautiful....It's beautiful. The kingdom of God is change and beauty has arrived! (I'm having an 80's Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart moment... "turn around, bright eyes").

To repent... to turn around is the only alternative to pretending. Wow, do I ever grow weary as I attempt to 'fake' my way through this thing called Christianity. I want to settle for nothing less than turning to Christ.... experiencing His life.... living in the radical, revolutionary lifestyle that He has for me.... living with, for, through, and to the Kingdom of God..... knowing, at the depths of my heart, that Christ is the giver of every good thing. I long, daily... moment by moment, to turn into His kingdom, His ways, His purposes, His passion and to come alive.

To turn around is to grow. To turn around is the motto of the Kingdom of God. It is running into the arms of an incredible, loving Father. It's freedom!

Hey, Turn Around..... the Kingdom of God is near. When you are about you.... your deal... your ways, it's killing you. Christ says, I am here. Turn to me. I am life! Walk deeply into the Kingdom of God. It's what you were created to do, be, and live. Come on in!

Sweet! Feel free to add to the commentary by clicking on comments. Enjoy today.

Mark