Living Beyond the Fear of Scarcity

Growing up in my house, we all learned – one way or the other – how to save, re-use, and recycle.  Even if we didn’t really want to.  A lot of this had to do with my parents – my mom, especially – who were masters at this.  Using all the bread in the bag (even the brown ends); turning the heat down in the winter (freezing!) and the A/C up in the summer (hot!).  All of these things came second nature to my mom.  Can you blame her?  She was born in the middle of the Great Depression (1937), and grew up in a time of scarcity, where the attitude really was save, save, save.  She even recycles plastic baggies.  I know this because my family once received a bag of freshly-baked cookies.  Written on the outside of the bag – “Spanish – Oct 2005″.  I knew immediately what this was.  My parents are fisherman, you see.  ”Spanish” was short for “spanish mackerel” – some fish they froze back in 2005.  She had used an old fish bag to put her cookies in!  Mmm.  Tasty.

There are a lot of benefits to saving, reusing, and recycling.  My mom has taught us a lot about this (even if it was a bit frustrating as a kid).  But when we begin to have fear in our lives due to a sense of scarcity, the idea that we don’t have enough and we never will – well, this is where Jesus says it can get tricky.  In fact, he warns against it over and over again.  The fear of scarcity can lead to a starving of the soul – a spiritual life scarcity where our heart shrivels up because we are either hoarding all that we’ve been given, or because we get so discouraged about it that we get depressed, and then become hopeless.  And our heart shrivels up.

Are you struggling these days with being overcome by the fear of scarcity?

Read more about what Jesus said about the topic in Luke 12:13-34.

Listen to a message I delivered on this at Glenstone Chapel yesterday, May 9, right here.

“So what’s up with you lately?”

I get that question a lot these days.  (Probably because I’ve been spending a lot of time in coffee shops where I keep running into friends)  I never really know how to answer it, but it’s been awhile since I blogged, so I figured I’d give it a shot here.

The biggest thing on our minds lately – Susan and I were plugging along, breast cancer in the rearview mirror and cruising.  Well, it caught up to us again and she has had a local recurrence.  Surgery a couple of weeks ago, and now she’s getting ready to start radiation combined with a chemo pill to enhance the impact of the rays.  Please keep praying for her, and our family in this.  We’re definitely frustrated with this thing lingering (this is her 3rd round with it, 2nd recurrence), but confident God has a plan in it.  Pray for her strength and mental toughness as she heads into the ring again.  She is the bravest, strongest person I know, but still will need the power of God to carry her through this round of treatments.  More from her here if you’re interested.  Of course, in the middle of that, she’s going full steam ahead with volunteering at Huntersville Elementary, being a terrific mom and wife, and being the light of Christ wherever she goes in this dark world.

The kids are doing awesome – Bailey is now 10, Christopher 8, and Luke 5.  They are hilarious and fun and challenging, all at the same time.  The boys are consumed with Legos and Star Wars, while our pre-teen Bailey is into soccer, piano, and Girl Scouts.  The big news in our house last night was that Christopher honest-to-goodness ate a hot dog (this is ridiculous, I know…but if you have a super-picky eater with food issues, you are feelin’ me on this…success!).  Luke talks non-stop, is the unchallenged leader of his preschool class, and probably will be president one day.

As for me, I have gotten the chance to preach/teach at a couple of churches lately, and it was an honor and privilege to get back in the saddle.  Humbling and fun reminders of God’s grace and how He’s gifted me.  Hard to believe that it was August 30 when Connection Church held its last public service.  We’re plugging in to the Cove Church in Mooresville and thrilled about being there.  I’m helping in a couple of ministry areas and getting to know the great people there.  Mike is a really gifted communicator and great friend.  I’ve also been working on a writing project over the past few months which has been fun.  And I’m still running…guess it’s official that I will be running my very first half-marathon at the Charlotte RaceFest on April 10.  But I’m still not a runner…know what I mean?

We are continually reminded that God has blessed us with great friends and family.  In our neighborhood, and our church friends…all of you are awesome!

How not to quit

I’m not even sure I want to post this yet, but I’m going to do it anyway.  (Something about putting the following sentence in print makes me nervous)  But here goes…I started running.  And I set a goal for myself to participate in a race in April.  A half-marathon, to be exact.  You should know this – I am not a runner.  Yet.  I like to do things when I do run, like dribble and shoot a basketball, or kick something.  But running for the sake of running…I’ve always felt like, ‘what’s the point?’.  But Susan and I both have goals to get in shape this year, and I figured that I needed a target to shoot for.  And at the end of the day, this seemed like the most practical thing to do.

So I am running.

But I’ve decided that there’s another reason I am running, besides getting into shape.  (And sorry, this may end up sounding overly-philosophical, but stick with me).  Michael Hyatt, super-blogger and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, said this one time about running:  ”The reason I run is to train myself not to quit.” (It’s on his blog here somewhere, I couldn’t find the exact spot)  What a great quote.

We tend to be great starters in life (starting a new book, a project around the house, a new commitment to pray or read the Bible, etc), and not-so-great finishers.  Things get hard; we get distracted; we lack discipline; and so we quit.  Question – how many New Year’s resolutions have you actually stuck with?  My point exactly.

I know this to be true because it is a struggle of mine as well.  I can start things with the best of them – it is when you get to the mucky middle of the thing that it is most tempting to stop.  There’s a banister in my house that needs painting right now.  It taunts me every time I walk up or down the stairs.  It’s something I have started, but haven’t finished.  Yet.

We need to train ourselves not to quit – in exercise, yes – but also in life.  If you’re a parent, your kids need to learn how not to quit.  I believe we can do this by setting up for ourselves situations (i.e. running) where we are tempted to quit.  Giving ourselves opportunities to either quit or stick with it.  And let me tell you, as I have been running lately, there are times when my body and mind are screaming at me to quit.  ”Just stop now…haven’t you gone far enough?…It’s too cold to be out here…you’re never going to make it…you think you can run a half-marathon?  Ha!”  And the voice in my head goes on and on.  But here’s what I am finding too – each time I blow through that and complete my goal for the day, (effectively telling the voice to ‘shut up!’) the voice gets a little quieter next time.  I’m training myself not to quit.  This carries over in life as well.  The fact is, most people quit before they realize their potential.  Most people give up right before they are about to push through.  Most don’t complete the project, the degree, the spiritual growth plan, the novel, the business start-up, the church start, whatever it is.

I’ve been meditating on this passage lately, when I am running and my legs and head are telling me to quit.  It is from the OT book of Isaiah and it says this:

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:30-31

What is it that you want to quit right now?  Your job, marriage, kids, project, or ministry?  Something else?  There are times when I want to stop running.  I know for a fact there will be times coming up when I will be tempted to stop.  But I am believing in this truth from the Scriptures – not only for my health, but in the rest of my life.  That hope that is placed in the Lord will give me new strength, so that I can soar.  That I can run and not grow weary.

I want to see this attitude not only in myself, but in my family.  I want to train myself – and along the way I hope my kids – not to quit.

Tags: discipline, quitting, running

Stephen King said what?

One of my favorite quotes outside the Bible these days comes from a strange place.  I’ve never been a huge Stephen King fan (or I should say, never a big horror-book/movie fan – this probably stems from having seen The Shining on TV when I was a kid and my parents weren’t home and never recovering, but that’s for another day…).  But he’s a brilliant writer and creative, and I have respect for that talent.  He said this, about the creative process and those who wait around for inspiration:

“Inspiration is for amateurs.  The rest of us just get up and go to work.”

On many levels, I love this quote.  I believe that doing something creative, like writing, is 1 part inspiration, 9 parts discipline.  I’ve heard lots of people (songwriters, authors, musicians, artists, etc) say something like “I want to _____ (write, paint, compose, whatever) but I need to wait until I’m inspired.”  I used to buy into this, but now I believe it’s a load, and here’s why – sometimes it takes doing it for awhile to get to the inspiration.  In other words, you can’t wait for the inspiration before you start.  Often I find you have to START whatever it is you want to do, trusting that the INSPIRATION WILL COME.  The key to doing something creative is not “having more creativity”, or “inspiration” – it’s DISCIPLINE.

On a larger scale, there is an element of FAITH here, and this is why I think this idea is not simply for those engaged in the artistic process.  Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  There are lots of times in life when we have to act on what we know to be true, even if we don’t feel it – even if we don’t feel the presence of God at that moment.  I think sometimes, God is saying, “Do you trust me enough to take a step and do what’s right, even if you don’t feel my presence? (inspiration?)”.

We want to wait for a lightning bolt or skywriting to tell us what we’re supposed to do.  I think we need to be praying for the faith to take the next step (before the inspiration comes) more than we need to be praying for God to give us a great feeling about it, or the mapquest directions on how to get there.

So if you’re reading this today, where in your life do you need to stop waiting for inspiration, and just get to work?

Resolutions

Today is January 1st, and as I sit here in my office I am thinking, like a lot of you, about resolutions.  What is 2010 going to hold, and how am I going to live differently?  What needs to change, what needs to go, what needs to come?  A lot of us will have resolutions to get thinner, grow healthier, eat better, save more, and even give more.  Those are good, and I have some of those myself.

I thought I’d do a little non-scientific bible search on the word “resolve”.  Here’s where it shows up (at least, in the NIV):

Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.  2 Chronicles 20:3

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.  Psalm 17:3

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.  Daniel 1:8

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  1 Corinthians 2:2

How do your resolutions for 2010 stack up to these?  They are challenging, aren’t they?  They make me think that my resolutions need to have more to do with God than me.  More to do with seeing His kingdom come than my own.  More to do with what He cares about, not me.  And more to do with His plan for humanity, not my weak plans for myself.

May God be honored by my resolve this year.  May He give you and me strength to pursue Him, and may He give us the life-transformation that only He can bring.