Category Archives: Life

Chase the Lion, Ethos, Experience, Life

Chasing Down Regret

$75.

That’s what it cost in the fall of 1999 to register and compete in the Athens Marathon. Or, you know, as the Greeks call it, THE MARATHON.

Studying abroad afforded me a tremendous amount of opportunity but none were as intriguing to me as the chance to run in the sandals of Pheidippides. Even though there were only a very few weeks available to train, a handful of my classmates eagerly signed up to run the original 26.2. They were of all shapes and and sizes and ran the gamut from fit to not-so-fit. A couple of the guys banded together and vowed to cross the finish line together. They wanted to know if I was going to join them.

$75.

When our plane landed in Athens I had a crisp one hundred dollar bill folded and hidden away in my wallet. When it came time to decide wether or not to run the marathon, I pulled out old Ben and contemplated my decision.

I can’t run a marathon.
What if I can’t keep up?
What if I hold everyone else back?
What if I don’t finish?
How embarrassing fill it be when I fail?

These and a half dozen other thoughts and questions rushed in and flled my heart with fear and anxiety. I calmly folded my money away and made an excuse that $75 was too big of a risk to take.

A few weeks later I watched as every single person that signed up for the marathon crossed the finish line. I was thrilled for them and I cheered as they entered into the Olympic Stadium, stepped across the line, and took ahold of their medals. I was so happy for them… and ashamed and disappointed in myself.

I was 19 years old and I consider that decision not to run that marathon as one of the biggest regrets in my life.

One of my favorite books is In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. I can honestly say that reading that book changed the way I see myself, my Jesus, and the world around me.

The book centers around the idea of seizing every opportunity that God places before you in this life. It’s about looking past the risk and putting your trust in the One who can carry you through. Mark uses the obscure story of Benaiah from 2Samuel 23 as the foundation for this bold and courageous book.

“Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.” – 2 Samuel 23:20

Ultimately Benaiah became head of David’s security team. Mark believes that God used events like pursuing a lion during a snow storm to prepare and develop Benaiah for his ultimate purpose. He makes the case that the greatest regrets in your life will not be when you took the risk or when you chose to place your trust in God to help you overcome an obstacle. Your greatest regrets in life will be the lions you didn’t chase.

Last week I turned 33. For the last few months I have been slowing preparing and training for something big. Despite a few obstacles like illness and having my appendix removed, I have been logging miles and making plans.

Today, I took the biggest leap yet on my way to chasing down that lion that has haunted me for the last 14 years. I registered for a marathon. 

On January 12, 2014, I plan on crossing the finish line and taking that lion to the woodshed.

Between now and then, I’m praying like it all depends on God and working like it depends on me. In the few months that I have been “training” I have seen God move me and develop me. I am learning so much more about myself and I’ve even captured some insight about leadership and ministry.

I ask that you pray for me as I move forward toward this dream and Big Hairy Audacious God Given Goal (BHAGGG).

I’ll leave you with Batterson’s Lion Chaser Manifesto. My prayer for you is that you will, with God’s guidance and help, chase down the lions in your life. Forget 14 years – one minute is too long to live with regret. Let us live boldly. Loudly. Audaciously. Not for ourselves but for the glory of Jesus Christ!

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Don’t let fear dictate your decisions. Take a flying leap of faith. Chase the lion!

Awesomenessness, Best Practices, Life

Everyday Carry

The Essentials. The tools of the trade. My stuff.

Everyday there are certain items that you carry with you that enable you to make the most of your day. Maybe it’s as generic as your keys or as unique as your favorite pen. Whatever these items are, these objects are indispensable to accomplishing what comes your way day in and day out.

The website EDC allows people from all over the world to submit pictures of the things they carry with them everyday. The website describes Everyday Carry like this:

Everyday Carry, or EDC, generally refers to small items or gadgets worn, carried, or made available in pockets, holsters, or bags on a daily basis to manage common tasks or for use in unexpected situations or emergencies. In a broader sense, it is a lifestyle, discipline, or philosophy of preparedness.

I’ve spent some time on the site and it is pretty fascinating. If you’ve got some time, I’d encourage you to check the site out. (I love looking at the watches.)

This morning on Facebook, a good friend posted a picture of his EDC. He carries everything from a pipe to an Elk Horn Antler Pacific Bowie Knife (When in Wyoming, right?). After commenting back and forth, my friend challenged me to post a picture of my EDC. So… I accepted the challenge. Here is the official Kicking at the Darkness EDC.

EDC

(Top Left to right)
MiiR Insulated Water Bottle
Custom Timbuk2 Wool Messenger bag
Headphones (today it was PowerBeats)
Kindle Touch
iPhone 4s
BookBook iPhone Cover/Wallet
ESV Reference Bible
Pocketprotector with Zebrite Highlighters, Micron Archival Pen 05, G-2 Gel (0.38)
TOMS Sunglasses
Rickshaw Moleskine Folio
Moleskine – Evernote Ed.
Small Notepad
iPad Mini
Retro 51 Tornado Pen
Lipbalm
Keys
LED flashlight
iPod Classic 160GB

So this is what I carry with me everyday in order to get stuff done. This is my mobile office complete with a full library and internet access. This is my writing studio equipped with pens, paper, and reference materials. This is my retreat center furnished with everything I need to get away, be still, and dream.

What is your EDC?

Discipleship, Life, Sermon Series

Weird

This week I’m starting a new sermon series entitled, WEIRD, based on the book by Craig Groeschel. The message is one that I think everyone needs to hear and I am excited to share it with our church body over the coming weeks.

We spend a great portion of our lives pursing what we perceive as normal. We want the cushy job, the big house, the perfect wife, and extra-ordinary children. We want the fast car, the corner office, and the dream vacations. We spend countless hours and tons of money working to achieve these things so that we will just like everyone else. The problem is that in the pursuit of normalcy we are paying a heavy toll.  

Most of us feel like we are no longer in control of our time and schedules. Others dictate where go, when we need to be there, and how much of our time they will consume. As a result, most of us feel overworked and burned out. Normal isn’t working.

Did you know that average household credit card debt is well north of $15,000? As some one smarter than me has said, “We spend money that we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.” Ain’t that the truth! For too many there is too much month left at the end of the money. Normal isn’t working. 

I once read that the average marriage in the US lasts 8 years. I have underwear older than that! Unfortunately, marriages often die long before the divorce is official. Many people start off their relationship with their spouse with a lot of heat and passion and hopes and dreams. However, after too many unmet expectations and a lack of communication many couples never make it the finish line together and instead opt out emotionally, physically, and relationally. Normal isn’t working.

As for our other relationships, most of us struggle to feel connected to real deep and meaningful friendships. We drive into our garages, shut the door before we exit the car, and hang out alone in our backyards (or air conditioned homes- I live in TX). We are an isolated and lonely generation with more digital acquaintances than genuine friends engaged in life together. Normal isn’t working.

The good news is that you were not designed to have a normal life. God doesn’t call you to live like the rest of the world. He empowers you to live like His Son, Jesus Christ.

You aren’t supposed to be Normal. You’re invited to be Weird.

Jesus tells us that there are people that pursue normalcy and where that path leads. He said, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” As plain as he can say it, Jesus tells us that the pathway to a “normal life” ends in pain, heartache, and difficulty. Thankfully, this warning comes with hope.

Jesus tells us there is another way.

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

There is a road that leads to life. It is a bit out of the way. This isn’t a highway or boulevard. It is a hidden trail leading away from where everyone else is headed. This road isn’t to be taken lightly. If we choose this road it might feel uncomfortable. To take this road choices have to be made and changes have to occur. But at the end of this narrow road… there is… life.

One road leads to an unsustainable pace and burnout. The other to intentional living and soul-giving rest.

One road leads to crushing debt and an unsustainable life style. The other leads to financial peace and the ability to bless others.

One road leads to broken marriages, families torn apart, and a generation suffering from the emotional fallout. The other leads to One-ness, unconditional love, and a marriage that displays the love of God to all who see you.

See, Normal isn’t working.

It’s time to be Weird.

Birth, Life, My Wife Rules

Fearfully, Wonderfully

1 Comment

Adelynn Hallie Felker was born at 12:09pm on May 14, 2012. She weighs 7lbs 13oz and is 20.5″ long.

Welcome little Adele to the world.

Adele2

Psalms 139:1–18, 23-24 NIV11
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Best Practices, Bible Study, Faith in Action, Life, My Life, Personal Leadership, Thanksgiving, Wrestling With Scripture

Why We Decided To Sell My Car

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Next month, my wife and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary. In the last decade we have moved from Arkansas to Alabama and then to Texas. We have lived in 1 apartment and 3 houses. I have served as a Campus Minister, a Youth and Family Minister, and now as a Lead Minister. We have a beautiful son and a wonderful life. We have faced challenges and we have met them head on because of the grace afforded us from our Heavenly Father and our love in Jesus Christ. Life is good and we give thanks everyday for the blessings we have received. However, lately we have been feeling a tug, a challenge, from God to step out and risk for His glory.

Last week, we decided to take a giant leap of faith based on something we felt God was calling us to do.

We sold my car.

We really want to be in a position where we can GIVE more and SAVE more. It was a tough decision (I loved that car!!!) but we know it was the right one. If you compared the average debt that each American family carries to being dipped in honey and thrown into a pit of quicksand, our debt would be more like having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. We don’t have a lot but we are tired of feeling stuck.

On Thursday night, we gathered together with some of the people from our church body and watched Dave Ramsey deliver a challenging message on the people of God turning the economy around by getting their personal economies in order. The part that stuck with me was when Dave asked us to imagine what life would look like if God’s people handled money according to God’s ways. My blood began pumping as he said, “the Debt Rate would plummet, Savings would grow, Employees would work hard as if working for the Lord, Employers would be shepherds of their people, and marriages would be saved.”

That’s not even the best part! If God’s people began handling money in a way that glorifies God- The Gospel will spread! People will want to know why we live differently. They will wonder why we give gladly. They will see how we bless others and want to know why.

When we got home from that night. My wife looked at me and I looked at her. I knew what she was going to say because I had felt it too. We knew that in order to really begin handling our money in the way God wanted us to that we would have to make a few sacrifices. My car had to be the first to go.

It is a bold step for sure. We are still in the process of working out our driving schedule and that is also sure to change when school starts back. We have taken a step of faith and we are trusting God to carry us through.

This fall I am teaching another  Financial Peace University for our church. I’m the first to admit that I R Stupid when it come to handling my money. My wife is the Nerd and I am most definitely the free spirit. The last time we participated in FPU we had a blast. The class really allowed us to open up and talk freely about a subject that typically breeds fighting in most marriages. I can’t wait to take another group of men and women through this life changing course.

My encouragement for you is that you too begin to see out God’s desires for your finances. Most of us are in our current financial situations because some one in our families failed to handle money properly. Change your family tree and get your financial house in order. Not so you can get that new 100″ flat screen.

Get your finances in order so you can GIVE more and SAVE more so you can BLESS more. That’s the story I want to tell my grandkids. What about you?

Ethos, Experience, Film & Theology, I Love My Church, Life, Preaching, Questions, Remarkable, Sermons

The Hero’s Journey

I’m in the middle of preaching through The Sermon on the Mount and I have been so excited about what I’m learning and how God is connecting me to his overarching story. In my study over the last few weeks I have seen a connection between Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. If you are unfamiliar with the Hero’s Journey, let me give you a quick tour of what I’m talking about.

There are two things I love to do- read and watch movies. I feel that these two pursuits often go hand in hand.  In fact, I have heard it said that movies are today’s literature.

Both movies and literature seek to tell us a compelling story and when we interact with those stories we can’t help but try and find ourselves within the narrative. We imagine ourselves in the role of our favorite characters and often times we try and emulate what we see on the screen or what we read on the page.

While watching the King’s Speech, I began asking myself how I would react if I were in Prince Albert’s position. If I had a debilitating speech impediment, how would I react? Would I become a mute- so embarrassed by my stutter that I decide not to speak at all? Would I seek help? Would I pretend nothing was wrong with me?

As the film progressed, I began asking what if I were asked to give a speech to rally the entire empire against an enemy as fierce and evil as the Nazis? What would I say? How could I convince the people around me to join the cause and fight for a better tomorrow?

Stories force us to look at our lives and how we are currently living them and they give us a glimpse into how our lives could be and they whisper to us concerning what should be.

In 1949, a man named Joseph Campbell published a book entitled, The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Campbell studied thousands of myths and stories from every era of human existence and out of all those stories and myths, he identified a similar patter regardless of time and culture. He called this pattern The Hero’s Journey. This is absolutely fascinating to me. If you went home and pulled out your favorite book or movie, there is a very good chance that you would see this pattern.

I just turned your quiet Friday night into an academic exercise. You’re welcome.

In every story, the hero or the main character starts out living his life just like everyone else. He is knee deep in living an ordinary life. Rick owns a nightclub in N. Africa. Dorothy lives with her Aunt and Uncle on a farm in Kansas. Tomas Anderson is a computer programer. Ben-Hur is a Jewish noble.

Then our hero is Called into an Adventure. Sometimes this is an actual call- Build It and They Will Come. Sometimes it is an event or something outside their control.

In all the gin joints, in all the world Ilsa walks into Rick’s American Cafe. Dorothy is carried away by a tornado. Neo meets Morpheus. Frodo is given a ring. Ben-Hur is betrayed by Messala.

This call to adventure is really the opportunity for something greater. The hero is invited to change their life and USUALLY the lives of those around them by entering into a great adventure.

The hero has to make a choice– life as they know it or take the journey and change the world. They can Refuse or Respond to the call.

Will Rick help Ilsa and Victor Lazlo get to America so they can continue the Resistance against the Nazis? Will Dorothy stop the Wicked Witch of the West? Will Neo embrace his destiny and free the human race? Will Frodo destroy the ring?

If the decision is made to respond and answer the call then the Hero begins his journey. There is usually some spiritual help or aid- A Fellowship, a French police officer, a yellow bricked road, Yoda- that guides our hero toward his/her goal.

Then our Hero comes face to face with a Road of Trials.

The German Major Strasser and the Gestapo arrive in Casablanca. Dorothy is captured. The Fellowship is broken. Cypher makes a deal with Agent Smith. The Empire decides to Strike back.

Barriers arise and seek to derail our hero and try to keep them from achieving a new life. These Trials are difficult to overcome but if our Hero desires to change their life and the lives of those they care for the Trials must be dealt with and overcome.

So what does this have to do with The Sermon on the Mount? Like any great story, this post is To Be Continued….

Bible Study, Life, Music, My Life, Thoughts

Bring Me a Harpist!

This weekend I’ll be preaching in 2Kings 3 as we continue in our UNSTOPPABLE series.

In ch 3, there is a fascinating story about the King of Judah, Israel, and Edom coming together to make war against the King of Moab, who has decided that he no longer wants to pay tribute to Judah. The political intrigue in this whole scene rivals anything out of Egypt or Lybia on CNN today. The 3 kings feel God is calling them to make war on Moab but they now find themselves, their armies, and their provisions marching circles in the desert. They are tired and severely dehydrated. They decide to seek God’s counsel (finally) by speaking to Elisha.

I won’t spend any time on this on Sunday, but there is something in v. 15 that captured my attention and made me stop and think.

2Kings 3:15 ESV
“But now bring me a musician.” While the musician was playing, the hand of the LORD came on Elisha.

How cool is that? Music aided in Elisha’s communication with the LORD. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The music of the harpist brought quietness to the prophet’s mind and heart and helped to facilitate his communion with the Lord.”

I can definitely relate to that. Music and song help me connect with God too. When I study or when I need to get my mind and heart right, I often do so through music. You can often find me singing alone at my desk early Monday mornings before I open up my Bible. Listening to music through my headphones while I read different books often helps me shut out unnecessary distractions like my cell phone. I love listening to Bethoveen’s 6th and 9th symphonies to put me in the right frame of mind or in the background while I write. Lots of great mediation on lessons, classes, and discussions have happened on long car rides listening to music.

I would have loved to have been there while the harpist played and Elisha communicated with God. Wouldn’t you like to know which Psalm Elisha liked to listen to?

How about you? Is there any song or music that helps put you in a place physically, cognitively or spiritually where you are more ready to commune with God?

Leadership, Life, Ministry, Prayer

The Morning Prayer

From Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible-

The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer. Order and distribution of your time become more firm where they originate in prayer. Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions demanded by work become easier and simpler where they are made not in fear of men but only in the sight of God. “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23). Even mechanical work is done in a more patient way if it arises from the recognition of God and his command. The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work.

Life, Music, Playlists

Top 20

Music plays such a big role in my life. Recently I was in Barnes and Noble and I saw a book entitled “Music Listography: Your Life in (Play)Lists.” This book/journal is designed for you to list everything you love about music. Some the lists include “90’s Music,” “Favorite Shows You’ve Seen Live,” and “Musicians You’d Bring Back From the Dead.” When I flipped through the book I knew I just had to have this book and fill it with everything I love about music.

The first two lists in the book call for you to list your Top 20 favorites. Here is my offerings:

Your Top Twenty Favorite Bands– (In no particular order)

U2
Counting Crows
The Police
The Beatles
Coldplay
Dave Matthews Band
Matisyahu
Hillsong United
Ray Lamotagne
David Crowder Band
Bob Dylan
Pearl Jam
Elvis
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Jars of Clay
Muse
Weezer
The Killers
Jack Johnson

Top Twenty Albums You’d Bring If You Were Leaving Planet Earth In a Spaceship (Again, no particular order)

The Joshua Tree (U2)
Achtung Baby (U2)
Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
August and Everything After (Counting Crows)
What’s Goin’ On (Marvin Gaye)
Recovering the Satellites (Counting Crows)
Live at Stubb’s (Matisyahu)
Live at Luther (Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds)
X&Y (Coldplay)
Jesus Freak (DC Talk)
Continuum (John Mayer)
In Between Dreams (Jack Johnson)
Fumbling Toward Ecstasy (Sarah McLaughlin)
Illuminate (David Crowder Band)
IV (Led Zeppelin)
Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam) – I know it’s a Greatest Hits collection. Who cares?
Jars of Clay (Jars of Clay)
Nirvana: Unplugged (Nirvana)
O (Damien Rice)
With Hearts As One (Hillsong United)

How about you? What are your Top 20 Bands/Albums?

Collecting Experiences, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Life, My Jesus Month

Let The Journey Begin

A couple of years ago, I read a great book called The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. I enjoyed reading about Jacobs’ adventures in trying to live out the biblical commandments as literally as possible. Jacobs focused mainly on the Old Testament rules and regulations while recently, Ed Dobson, a Christian minister, inspired by Jacob’s memoir, decided to spend an entire year living like Jesus. Dobson’s true life “In His Steps” really inspired me and refreshed my soul. Dobson talks extensively about the impact living like Jesus had on his day to day life. He focused on prayer, giving, teaching, and loving more deeply. After reading The Year of Living Like Jesus a wild and crazy idea entered my imagination.

I just could not shake the thought of truly, literally, living just like Jesus. 1John 2: 6 says that “whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.” I began to ask myself what living like Jesus would look like in my life and in my context. I was transfixed. I knew I needed to do something. I desperately wanted to throw myself headlong into walking just as Jesus walked.

“Could I do that? Could I live like Jesus for a year?” Based on Ed’s account probably not. At least not to the extent that he did. Usually, that would have been the end of my wondering. Then I asked myself one more question: “Could I live like Jesus for a month?”

I don’t know… but we are going to find out.

Tomorrow, I will turn 30 years old.  According to the Gospels, Jesus began his ministry at the age of thirty. I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “disciple” and I struggle everyday to discern what being a disciple of Jesus means and looks like lived out to the fullest. In April, I want to get a firm grasp on what it means to literally walk as  Jesus walked.

The idea will be to live SIMPLY this month: SIMPLY live like Jesus. I already know that there will be some severe limitations but I’ll use Ed Dobson’s 3 rules as a basis for my Jesus month. Basically my goals will be “To live more ‘Jewishly,’ to read through all four Gospels every week and to obey the commands of Jesus.” As the month goes on I will be posting some of my thoughts and experiences but I will not post everyday.

This journey will be made up of external changes and internal changes. Tomorrow, I’ll post a bit about some of the visible, external changes I will be making in my routine, dress, and diet.

I ask that you pray for me as I embark on the fantastic journey. I have already been impacted greatly as I have prepared for this over the last two weeks and I have seen plainly that this call to walk as Jesus walked was laid on my heart and not just some harebrained experiment I cooked up.

I look forward to sharing what I learn and what I experience over the course of this month. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on how I can live more like Jesus this month leave a comment on this post.

Today is the last day of my Twenties. Tomorrow brings a whole new decade and a whole new, radically different way to live. Until then- Shalom!