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Inhale, Exhale; Inhale, Exhale.
Breathe in, Breathe out; Breathe in, Breathe out.
If you just read that without doing it, pause and do it.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
Have you ever thought about this? The most basic human exercise involves taking and giving, receiving and producing, inhaling and exhaling. God gave us a multi-daily reminder of healthy spiritual living. He built it into our respiratory systems.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
This explains a phenomenon I call the Blue Disciple Disease. It happens to Christians who breathe in more than they breathe out. We do alot of spiritual inhaling in America. We have Christian bookstores and Christian radio stations and possible church services every night of the week. We breathe in God's Word. We breathe in God's Presence. We breathe in Christian fellowship. They are all good things to inhale.
But what happens to someone who breathes in without also breathing out? Take a deep breath, but don't exhale. Take another one, but don't exhale yet. Take one more. Look in the mirror. Are you blue yet?
We can't live without breathing in. But if we don't follow it by breathing out we can't live either. Life requires both.
So does spirit-life. Which leads me to the question, "What are you doing to breathe out?"
It's good that you're breathing in revelation. Who are you sharing it with? I'm glad that you're soaking in God's Presence. Who's it rubbing off on? I hope you're enjoying regular fellowship with other Jesus-disciples. Is there someone outside of your group benefiting from your exhale?
People suffering from the Blue Disciple Disease are like lakes without outlets; stagnant, stale, and sterile. If receiving is nice, how fantastic is giving?
To say it like Jesus:
Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10.8).
Breathe in, Breathe out.
I just wrapped up the writing for our Conversations with Jesus Study Guide. At COTK we do two Life Group campaigns a year where we try to pull the whole church together for 6 weeks. On April 2 we start our spring campaign. This is our second time putting together a study guide to go with the series. It goes to the printer today.
Thought I'd post an excerpt:
Life in first century Israel was not that different then American life today. Sure, first century Hebrews spoke Aramaic and ate more fish. I know they walked everywhere and slept on roofs. But I’m talking about bigger than culture kind of life.
An abused woman looks at a man suspiciously because he’s in the wrong part of town. Two sisters weep because their brother has just died. One woman’s misguided quest for love leads her to the bedroom of a married man. A blind man who’s never seen a sunset comes across some religious folk intent on figuring out why he’s blind. A well-meaning, big-thinking disciple breaks a promise and falls flat on his face. This is life.
Is this your life?
The fourth book of the New Testament is a biography of the life of Jesus called The Gospel of John. It is the story of Jesus moving into the neighborhood (John 1.14). As God, He had a unique advantage in religious debates! He could have spent all his time in temples and synagogues, hosting high-minded discussions with the religious elite. But He didn’t. He engaged life.
Suspicious women, sad sisters, fallen disciples; these are the people Jesus befriended. These are the people Jesus talked with. These are the people Jesus changed.
I have a theory. God talks with real people like me, who have real problems like mine. Conversations with Jesus is a journey into His relationship encounters within the New Testament Book called John.
Perhaps Jesus has something to say to you.
I was an accident prone kid. One week when I was at summer camp, I had 4 or 5 different injuries. I was in the hospital twice. So at the end of the week when they were handing out awards to the various swimming, fishing, basketball, ping pong, and team contests, I was given a special award for the most accident prone. It was a nice gesture that turned out badly.
On my way up to the stage to receive my award, I tripped over the drum set.
When I saw this sign in the Philippines last week, I made Dave Johnson pull over so I get could get a picture.
I'm just glad I got back in the truck before a rock fell on me.
While in the Philippines last week, the leaders asked me to spend the majority of my teaching sessions casting vision for church planting. No problem. Who doesn't like talking about something they love?
In the Philippines a church of 90 - 100 people would be considered a large church. In their minds, our church is a mega-church. The result is that most of the church planters don't have many models or examples of churches that have really grown. One of primary goals was to challenge them to think big and inspire them to dream.
For what it's worth, I believe that every church planter ought to go into his first service with a dream to reach his city. Just like Ezekiel renamed Jerusalem The Lord is There, every city can be renamed. We've got to identify the needs of our city, then pray, preach, and love people until those needs have been given a new name.
These guys have the stuff. They don't all have internet access or libraries. What they do have are the intangibles.
Faith
Determination
The willingness to risk
They will probably make about fifteen to twenty dollars a week. They will also give most of it right back to Jesus and His church.
The picture above was a picture I took last Thursday with all the church planters. The two guys in the blue shirts to my left are Bong and Jason. The guy toward the right end in the red shirt is Noel. They are all young men planting brand new churches. All three of them will have their first service in April.
They are some of my unsung heroes.
On my flight to Manilla last Sunday I had my first bottle of wine. Jay, my new friend, informed me that it was White Wine. I didn't order it. I didn't even pay extra for it. I guess you could say it found me.
I was sitting in the exit row, next to the small kitchenette where the stewardess was preparing the beverage cart. She had to go to the back of the plane to get something, so she left the beverage cart in front of my row of seats. Everything seemed normal until...the scream.
I was reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, when suddenly I was interpreted by a loud shriek from the Japanese man sitting next to me. I lifted my head, but it was too late. A small bit of turbulence caused the beverage cart to tip, and it had landed in our laps. It hit my exit row neighbor in both knees, and slammed into my shin. The cart was heavy. It took three of us to lift it up. Milk, juice, Ginger Ale, and water were everywhere. And yes, the White Wine, had soaked my stuff.
Half of coach turned when my co-cart-catcher screamed, including the stewardess. She ran to our aid, although she seemed more concerned for her job than if we could still walk. "I can't believe they make us put so much stuff on these carts! There's no way we can get them to stand up straight anymore!"
As soon as she realized we could stand, and her job was safe, she switched to concern. She insisted on finding me a new seat. I thought this was surely my ticket to first class. Wrong. Then, when the lead stewardess came back from first class to write up the report I thought this was surely my ticket to a free ticket. Wrong again.
When she finished her report she asked me if she could get me anything to drink. I said, "No." She asked me if I was sure. I said, "Yes." She asked me if I wanted some free wine. I laughed. Then she did give me a voucher. I waited until she left and opened it up. It gave me two options:
A) 1500 Miles
B) A Free Beverage
Are you kidding me!
Incidentally, the seat that the stewardess moved me to was the seat God wanted me in. I ended up talking with the new guy I was seated next to, Jay, for about 3 hours. He was loaded with spiritual questions. The Holy Spirit gave me great words. I felt God all over our conversation. He claims to be an agnostic, but he's really searching.
I'm reading through 1 Samuel right now. Yesterday I read that the Lord closed Hannah's womb. Then I read later in the same chapter that He opened it up again. I'm still trying to get my hands around those two verses. Why didn't God just leave it open to begin with? Maybe for the same reason that He didn't just sit me down next to Jay at the beginning of the flight?
I guess that sometimes falling beverage carts and closed wombs are a part of His grand plan.
