The Barbarian Call

For those of you valley experiencers who are ready to spit out the pacifier and take your place on the front lines of the battle for the heart of your King ever wonder what the call to arms sounds like?

You may have figured it out already. Some of you may be thinking, "Hhhmmmm!" I know what you mean. I had forgotten what it sounded like until recently. I remember that call when I responded to it several years ago to pursue full-time ministry. It's not complicated. It not like you have to know the secret password or handshake or high-five choreography (What's up with professional baseball players and their high-five dances? They have way too much time on their hands - oopss. Sorry!) Anyway. . .the Barbarian call is the same as it was for Abraham at the very beginning. It is the same call extended to a couple of everyday guys. They knew it immediately. They recognized it.

When Jesus came across Andrew and Simon (Peter) his call to them was, "Come, follow me." THAT'S IT!! Nothing more and nothing less. The Barbarian call is a simple one: Follow Me.
Our problem is that we want, for some strange reason, to make it more complicated than that. It's not. In a time when we need simplification in our lives, why do we think the call to take up the fight has to be complex? Where did we even get that idea? I have some theories, but they are for another time.

I remember the call, "Come, follow me," when God called me to lead Singles. I remember the call, "Come, follow me," when I was serving as an intern. I remember that call. The problem is that I forgot the call - the call of the Barbarian.

Have you heard the call? If so, what is your repsonse? Andrew and Simon immediately left everything. No questions. No concerns about the future. No discussion about responsibilities. Nothing. They just became Barbarians - they followed. WOW! Everyday guys who traded the mundane for the extraordinary, but didn't think of this way. I don't think they had a clue about what the future would hold. They simply obeyed.

There is cost associated with the call. I'll leave that for next time. Just know that the Barbarian call does come with a cost associated with it.

Hear the call. Answer the call. Become a Barbarian. SIMPLE!

Trying to keep up with Jesus,
Mike

On Being a Barbarian

Last time I spoke about becoming a Barbarian. So what do Barbarians do? What is this Barbarian stuff really look like and how does it really apply to valley experiencers? All are great questions and in time will be answered.

Let's begin with the "What do they do?" question.

Allow me a little lattitude here. I love math. It's logical. 2 + 2 will always equal 4. It will never be different. So in time you don't have to prove 2+2 = 4, you just know it. This will catch some of you off guard - don't worry, just trust me. OK, OK, getting back to my illustration. What I learned from math is that you may define something by what it is and what it is not. For example you can say the apple is green and is a true statement as long as the apple is green. You can also say the apple is NOT red and as long as the apple is not red the statement is true, it could even be green.

With that said I can say that being a Barbarian for Christ is not about rules, rituals, or regulations. It's not about bureaucracy and organization charts. It's not about being comfortable. Being a Barbarian is not about our own needs or about our own desires. A Barbarian doesn't want to be "caged" up. A Barbarian for Christ is not about "being fed" on Sunday mornings. A Barbarian can't look at himself or herself in the mirror and be OK with the fact that there are lost and hurting people in the world and they aren't doing anything to help them.

Instead, a Barbarian wants, in fact needs, to be on the front lines. They want and deisre God's passion for lost and hurting people. They are about freedom, love, passion, sacrifice, and most of all they are about following and fighting for the heart of their King. Barbarians live to love and love to live. For them God is life, and their mission is to reconnect humanity to Him. Their passion is that each of us might live in an intimate commuinion with Him who died for us. The way of the Barbarian is a path of both spirit and truth. The soul of the Barbarian is created and lives for, and is sustianed by the presence of Jesus in their lives.

What Barbarians will quickly find out is that they are not necessarily welcomed among the civilized and are feared among the domesticated - the religious crowd. Jesus wasn't welcomed among the religious domesticates. Neither were most of the Barbarians we find in the Bible.

So, valley expereincers, you're asking, "What does this have to do with me?" Here's the scoop:

You may be in the valley so God can replace your domesticated, civilized heart with the heart of a Barbarian. He's looking to replace your spirit with that of a warrior spirit. You may be in the place God desires you to be because in any other place He wouldn't stand a chance to perform a transplant. Come on, let's be real. Before we found ourselves in the valley we were content. We were complacent. We were "happy". Now we're searching for something - that thing that changes us and moves us out of the valley. Now, for some of us, we are finally quiet and still enough for surgery to be done. God is ready and willing to place within us that Barbarian heart.

I'm going through the transformation now. It won't be easy, beleive me. But I can't wait 'till I finally have that "new" heart. What about you? You want a new heart: one that beats for God? A heart that passionately desires to serve Him and only Him? Now may be the time and the place.

He's got on the surgical gown. He's gloved up. He's just waiting for you, the patient.

What God could do with a few more Barbarians.


Want to see my scar?
Mike

A Baby or a Barbarian?

Last Wednesday while I was having my quiet time, God really challenged my heart, my soul, and my motivations. I was praying about the message I would present to our college students that night and picked up Erwin McManus' book, The Barbarian Way. I have already read the book once and went through it with a group of men. It was challenging the first time I went through it, but on Wednesday I sensed a new calling from God, something more energizing and convicting. It was something that would last, that would challenge me to the core of my being, it was definitely something I couldn't shake or easily dismiss.

In the midst of spending time with God, I sensed that he was asking me, "Are you a baby or a barbarian?" Let me expound on what I was sensing he was saying to me. He was asking, rather firmly I must admit, whether I was going to stay in the "crib" with the pacifier in my mouth all comfortable and living life safe or would I take up my sword and get on the front lines and fight for the heart of my King?

Oh man! I spent the entire day contemplating that question. In fact, since that day I have had the question filling my heart and head for what seems like every waking moment. Here's what I have found about myself:

I would rather worry about processes, ministries, and programs than I would about lost or hurting people. I prefer the safety of my office, to the dangers of the public eye. I desire to be "at home" than be on the "front lines". To be honest I wasn't very passionate about what ministry is all about - people. That's changing! Thank God it is changing in me.

What about you? Are you so concerned about your valley, your circumstances, your safety that you dare not fight for the heart of your King? My King gave his life for me, he deserves to get all I have. . .and all you have. Regardless of my situation, your situation, God is looking for some barbarians. He's had them in the past. Those who were willing to be different - look different, speak different, stand up for something different. John the Baptist, Noah, Rahab, Elijah, Peter, Stephen, and even Paul all fought and gave all they had for the heart of their King. In fact, all of the apostles, except John, lost their life for their beliefs and the stand they made for the Kingdom of God.

I must remind you that being a barbarian is not about comfort, security, or riches. It's about adventure and danger. It's about a greater reward than anything we can imagine here on earth. It's about giving up ourselves for a greater cause - the Kingdom of God.

I'm still learning and praying, asking God to give me the heart and spirit of a Barabarian. What about you? Ready to take up the cause - it will definitely take your focus off your valley!

Fighting for the heart of my King,
Mike

Trust

My last entry was about feeling like you're all alone in the valley. But I also know that when you're alone, or feel like you're alone, you're not REALLY alone. Jesus said that he is with us until the end of the age and he will never leave us, nor will he forake us. Hmmmm! What do know? While we feel like no one listens, no one knows how we feel, no one is there for us - Jesus is there all the time.

I don't know about you, but I cherish the thought that Christ is with me even in my darkest days down in the valley. I know. . .I know - I did say that at times I feel like God is not even there. You're right. And there are times when I don't feel his presence, but that doesn't mean he's not there. God is always there. He's just waiting for you and me to realize it. James, the brother of Jesus, tell us that if God is to draw closer to us, we must draw closer to him. Did you get that? Being close to God is based on proximity. We have to be in God's proximity- our nearness to him. It's like God is ALWAYS there, but he only draws near to us when we chose to draw near to him. That means we have to make the first move. We have to take those all important first steps. Then the next, then the next, then the next. I think you're getting the picture.

I'm being reminded of this now. God has challenged me - personally. To be challenged by God is great, but it can be difficult. Why? I can't fool God. I can't manipulate God. I can't tell him one thing when I know in my mind and heart there is something completely different. Having God for the ultimate accountability partner is both challenging and demanding. He is calling me to a place that is very close to him. I don't know how to share it - exactly - but I know he desires me to come right up next to him, so close his heartbeat becomes my heartbeat. He wants to change my heart. He desires to make his heart my heart, but it only happens when I'm in close proximity to him.

Still feeling alone? Still hurting? Still looking for someone to listen, care, be there? The pain doesn't go away quickly. As a matter of fact the pain can lead to some incredible pity parties. But God wishes to change you. . .to change me. He wishes to give you a new heart, not just a new heartbeat.

Draw close to God and he will draw near to you.

Looking forward to a heart transplant,
Mike

Alone!

Hey valley experiencers, ever feel alone in your valley? Ever feel like there's no one who understands, no one who is around? Ever feel like you could scream, cry, kick, or shout and no one would hear you? And if they did, they wouldn't understand - even if they tried? I know how you feel.

It's hard. . .sometimes. People, the flock, they want to help but don't know how. They just don't get what's going on inside of me. . .of you. There's just times when if I had someone, anyone, who would take time to understand. I don't want their advice, I don't want them to nod, agree, disagree, or cry with me. I just want them to say "OK". I just want them to say "Thank you for your struggle. Thank you for taking it and meeting it head on. Thank you, Mike, for working through this."

To be very honest and transparent, sometimes I don't even feel God. For real! As much as I want to be obedient and faithful to my calling, to my God, to my Savior, it's hard because I wonder if He's there at all. How do I get that way? I haven't got the slightest clue. I just seemed to find myself there. How do I get back on the trail to follow my Shepherd? All I know to do is to continue to be faithful to my calling and to continue to seek God.

For me, to get back behind my Shepherd, I need re-creating time. I need to find a time and a place where it's just God and me. A place, physically and spiritually, where He and I can be together, one-on-one.

Oh, by the way, it's OK to be angry with and at God. He's big enough! If He wasn't you wouldn't have a chance today. I would have already used Him up. You also need to know that you need to be honest with God. Not just in your head, but with your words. People have told me that God knows our thoughts and how we feel. True, but saying it takes guts. It takes boldness. Saying how we feel or what's really in our hearts also has a way of coming out different than when we hold it in. I remember getting angry with God and crying out to Him, litterally. I cried, I shouted, I screamed. I did it all to God and at God. In my head I didn't cry or get angry, but when I said it aloud it all changed.

OK, here's the skinny! Sometimes we feel alone. Flock get this! Valley experiencers, know this, though you feel alone, but you are not alone. God will put people in your life who will be there for you. He is also there, with you. A friend once told me that when I can't see the hand of God, I have to trust His heart. Trust God - it's called faith. Also, feeling alone is not a reason to get away from God. Find YOUR way to get back to Him. For me, it's getting alone with Him and being honest with Him and listening to Him.

What about you?


Screaming and Kicking,
Mike

Love it or Leave it?

In Numbers 11 we find the Israelites camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai after seeing God do some amazing things and showing them his power and authority after delivering them from the bondage of the Egyptians and parting the Red Sea so they could walk across on DRY ground.

Now something is amiss amid the Israelites. Now the Israelites are complaining. What's new? It seems they are never satisfied. They are complaining about what they don't have, not all that they do have, like food they don't have to go shopping for. Imagine 600,000 plus people at your local Wal-Mart. Never mind, it seems like that every time I go. But hopefully you know what I mean. They have also forgot that God is making them into a nation - HIS nation. He is giving them their own land - something they have never had in their history. His presence is with them wherever they go. And yet. . .they seem dissatisfied.

They, too, are in a valley. The valley of the wilderness experience. They are having to trust God. This is new to all of them. None of them, nor their forefathers and their families, had ever tasted freedom. Ever find that when we get a taste of freedom we sort of go hog wild? I keep having flashbacks to my college days - sorry. What's up with that? Anyway. . .we find the Israelites crying out to God for meat and longing for the fish and fruits and vegetables they received back in Egypt. Yeah, fish, cucumbers and melons are probably lot more tasty than manna. They would rather go back to the tastier stuff they could get in bondage of slavery than to have the blandness of their present situation, though it included freedom and God's blessings. You want to know the funny thing about their thought process? They said they could get all this for free. How soon they forgot that slavery is not free.

How about you? Do you love the "zestier" things of your past? The things that kept you in bondage. The things from which God HAS set you free? I remember when I quit drinking. There were definite times when a cold one sure looked good. It took everything within me to reach for a Gatorade or a Dr. Pepper rather than an ice-cold beer. But I knew that God had delivered me from alcohol and to go back would be a dangerous place for me - and my marriage. Even if it meant settling for something I would rather not have. I had to leave it. I had to let it go.

Are you struggling to let go of something that keeps you tied to the valley, to your past? Or are you at a place where you're willing to let it go and move forward, even if it's not as "tasty" or "zesty" as the past? Remember dissastifaction comes when our focus gets shifted from the things we do have to what we don't have . Take a moment and write down or think through what you do have - shelter, family, friends, church family, health, breath, life, salvation, God's forgiveness, finances, job, school, ministry. These are just some of the things I could think of. What about you?

So, do you love it or are you willing to leave it? Today, valley experiencers, let's focus on what we do have and thank God for those wonderful blessings!!

Blessed,
Mike

It's not really about me? Part 3

I'm sorry it has been so long between posts. Please forgive me. Between life and ministry, things like my blog sometimes gets placed on the back burner.

I want to wrap up the series It's not really about me?

Have you noticed that the title of this entry and the previous two entries is a question? It is not a statement as to say, "It's not about me!" as though you were acknowledging the fact that you KNOW it's not about you. It is a question. It is purposeful. Why? Because so many of us live life, especially in the valley times, focused on us, me, I, mine. Kind of like that Toby Keith song, I Wanna Talk About Me. In in he shares how his girlfriend always wants to talk about herself and jhow ever so often he would like the focus of their conversation to be about him. Know someome like that? Could that someone be you?

You see, being in the valley, as I have stated before, is not about us. Yes, again I will acknowledge that it is WE who are in the valley, and it is WE who are being tested and tempted, and, yes, it is WE who are struggling and in turn have to deal with real emotions and real feelings. But being in the valley is about so much more. It is about people who need to learn from our experience. It is about allowing God to be God. It is also about the flock. When we are in the valley, sometimes trudging along, sometimes strolling along, we give the flock a chance to do their thing.

The Bible tells us that we are all one body (OK so I'm mixing metaphors. If you haven't already noticed that I do that, then here's a good opportunity for you to know, oh well.) . And just like a body that hurts when one part of it hurts so does the Body of Christ, or the flock, hurt when we hurt. And when a part of our body hurts the rest of the body goes into action to prevent loss to the body until we get a chance to get the part treated. Guess what happens in the Body of Christ? You got it! The flock comes around the hurting sheep and comforts it, protects it, and, simply put, does it's thing.

When we go through the valley and focus solely on ourselves we are missing the big picture. To be blatanly honest - get over yourself. It can become so easy to be the focus of your life that you forget everyone else that God has put in place to learn from you, to bless you, to encourage you, to help you, to treat you. How selfish!

It really isn't ALL about you. This time in the valley is for you, yes, but it's about so much more. If this is you, then take a moment to confess this to God. 1 John 1:9 says that if we are faithful to confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Receive his healing forgiveness and ask him to give you new eyes to see all the people he has prepared just for you.

If you have realized that your journey in the valley is not about you, then take a moment and thank God for the blessing he has given you and for the people he has put in your life during your valley experience.

Looking out for others,
Mike