Back Roads Matter

A late fall afternoon on Elm Hill Road.

Sometimes out of necessity, but more often, it seems, by choice, Jesus preferred the back roads to the highways to get from Point A to Point B. Not that there was much structural difference back in the day—all roads were pretty much well-worn foot paths. But as with today's Interstate, some paths got you to your destination faster and more directly. WJDD —What Jesus Didn't Do — most of the time.

This is no throw-away fact. Because one of the more fascinating things about following Jesus in this life is to see over and over again in the Gospels that He was seldom in an Interstate state of mind. And what is that? In the words of journalist Charles Kuralt, "Thanks to the Interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." Jesus preferred to slow down and take the back roads and see. And if there was a delay in plans, there was a good reason for it. If there was a detour that had to be made, it was seldom a waste of time...

"Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives." —Matthew 9:35, Message

...It takes a lifetime of walking with the One who walked everywhere to begin to embrace all of that. “Git ‘er done” is how we roll in this culture, and that Interstate mindset does not die easily.

But if you live anywhere near a back road that branches off of your local main highway and that meanders along river banks, up and down and around hillsides and fields, and is occasionally interrupted by little clusters of homes, it never fails: you begin to unwind, get perspective, and…breathe. You also begin to notice what you didn’t notice on the main road:

You notice.

On the back roads, you become less aware of me-myself-and-I and more aware of your surroundings, the changing scenery, the woman walking her dog, the old man shuffling out to his mailbox, the kids jumping with delight off the school bus at the end of the day. You tend to see things you don't see when you're on Interstate mode.

To slow down and see—that just might be the subtle, outrageously beautiful plot behind God’s idea of creating back roads and why Jesus often followed them. To take His followers back to the main thing of seeing and serving and ministering to others and away from the deeply engrained “it’s me and my life and I’m in an Interstate hurry to get wherever that is” mindset.

That outrageously beautiful plot was driven home one bitterly cold winter morning when the usual sounds of guys in pick up trucks going to work on the back road through the woods were greatly amplified. You notice things like that. And things like this: At the same time those trucks on the back road made their presence known, two seemingly random and passionate readings from two generations collided, and rather than chaos, the result was fusion and focus and seeing once more:

• “The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss this life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to Me will find true life and enjoy it forever!”—John 12:25, Passion Translation

• “Because I was created by God and for His glory, I desire to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of my life.”—From the Passion Conference “268 Declaration”

It was seeing that "to everything, there is a season" includes a time and place for the highways and Interstates of life. Because sometimes, we really do have to “Git ‘er done.” But maybe, just maybe, following in the Master’s footsteps looks more like intentionally slowing down on the back roads, and seeing people and things that really matter, and remembering that in the upside down Kingdom, “it’s all about me” is really supposed to be just the opposite...

"We're not where we're going

And we're not lost where we are

Taking the long way Home

Just taking the long way Home

There's beauty on the backroads

Even when this journey's hard

Taking the long way Home"

(From "The Long Way Home," Neon Feather with David Dunn)

(Updated from a previous entry.)

Golden

(Photo: Mount Monadnock at sunset)

"The Sermon on the Mount is a statement of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is getting His way with us."— Oswald Chambers

Have you ever noticed how the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) seems a bit disjointed and random in places and revisits in various ways several different but crucial themes? Hardly three points and a poem and we're outta here. Instead, a whole lot, and over over, about being careful about doing things and living life for selfish motives. 

The Bible writers tell us there were tons of people there to hear Jesus’ rambling, sometimes mysterious sermon. And yet apparently, no one was reported to be scrolling their Facebook feed or thinking about what they were going to do for lunch later as Jesus went on and on. In fact, Matthew writes, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Because while the teachers of the law taught the scriptures, too, they were too often seen as being more into themselves and impressing others with outward appearances, and into being seen to be seen and approved. And so, their teaching rang hollow and it made following God feel all legalistic and joyless.

But this was different. And yet, Jesus makes it clear in His captivating message that it's not just “those guys” who are the problem — that in a way, we are all like the teachers of the law in that the person we think about most and want to be happiest most and are driven to please most is: me, myself and I.

It’s hard. We’re all born this way, ever since the curse of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and of wanting to do things their way. Rebellion is an ugly but real inheritance. "It's all about me" is everywhere we look. Advertising and marketing say that's what life's all about. And yet in the sermon on the mount, Jesus seems to say something radical, in so many words,

“If you follow Me, God will empower you to live a better way, the right and holy way, one that’s a cure for the curse: Others.”

Specifically, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). As it turns out, the do-unto-others “golden rule” is also “the greatest commandment”— to seek every day to love God with all we’ve got and all we are, and then love others like God has loved us.

We will always be preoccupied with ourselves, but Jesus' amazingly wonderful, rambling sermon on the mount is a reminder that every day is a good day to ask God to “give me Your eyes for just one second” and to give some of that self-love away in word, deed, attitude, humility or simple grace to someone we meet along our path.

One small thing like that every day by a lot of Believers can add up in a huge way. In fact…

“The golden rule is easy to say but takes a lifetime of putting into practice. But what a different place the world would be if we kept this rule!”—J.I. Packer

One in a Million, Million...

“…Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple." (Colossians 1:27, Message)

Sometimes, we try to make this Walk more complicated than it really is. But for anyone who truly internalizes “Jesus is just Who He says He is,” the simple, rather outrageous truths are these because He "is in you":

We are built for Eternity, not just the here and now

We have the heart of and for God, not to keep it to ourselves

We have His hands and feet to serve, and lift, and heal, with all of Heaven's goodness

We have the mind of Christ, to think, act, and live in extraordinary, supernatural ways

We have the joy of the Lord as our strength

We have the wisdom of God whenever we ask

We have the peace of God that passes all our understanding

We have the love of God as our fuel for all things

We have the authority of God from the unshakeable Word of God

We are built to rule and reign, to love and live fully, on earth as it is in heaven

And no matter what condition our body parts may be in

Or how old or young

There is no expiration date on our spiritual tools and weapons

We have each been hand-crafted for His pleasure and His glory

To bring hope where there isn’t much at the moment

To bring Light where darkness and fear are suffocating

Wherever that “bring” may be, and however it may look and flow through each one

And all that is missing is …

An activation button, a switch, a step forward in faith

On our part

Because the choice is always ours

Because we have been built with free will to follow Him... or not

To obey Him ...or not,

To live for eternal and Kingdom purposes...or not,

To be an activated “in you” person...or not

"You made me; You created me.

    Now give me the sense to follow Your commands." (Psalm 119:73)

Yes, what the psalmist said.

To simply choose daily to take the “or not” option off the table

To put on my true identity of being built by Him from head to toe, inside and out,

Through and through

For entirely wonderful, eternal purposes

For sharing in God's glory, even in the most surprising, natural settings

And circumstances and conversations

It’s really that simple…

“God put a million, million doors in the world
For His love to walk through
One of those doors is you.” — Jason Gray

A Story to Live

Photo by Kyle Johnson on Unsplash

Once upon a time, in a little town not very far away, there was a young boy who was wide-eyed with the sights and sounds and aromas of a summer festival. He drank an orange soda to stay cool and ate cotton candy just because, and took a turn on every carnival ride.

Except for one. The most tempting one of them all. The one he knew would make him dizzy. But he kept looking at all the kids sitting on this huge swing set and going around and around with big smiles on their faces. What could go wrong? He had to try it, in spite of his parents’ “you’ll be sorry” warnings.

And at first, it was like a nice slow but huge ride on the backyard swing, the kind that makes you laugh out loud for joy. But before long, things got out of control quickly. Everyone else was screaming with delight. The young boy, getting dizzier and sicker to his stomach by the second as the orange soda and cotton candy danced, began to scream, “Dad, dad! Get me off! Get me off!” And after what seemed like an eternity but was really only a matter of minutes, everything stopped. Except for the young boy’s world, which kept spinning and spinning and spinning. His dad helped him over under a big shady tree, put his arm around him, and stayed right beside him. No “I told you so!” Just stayed there. 

But soon, there came a time when the young boy needed to get going, to put one foot in front of the other again. Far away from the carnival rides and the things that dazzled, and toward his home. At first, he still felt weak and nauseous and unsteady. And so his dad lifted him upon his shoulders and carried him toward their car and home. Later in the day, everything had finally stopped spinning for the young boy, and he was back enjoying life at a cookout, but all the time checking to see that his dad was still around. And finding peace and comfort that he was. Never more than a shout away…

…Not everyone has good memories of their dad. Not everyone has a dad anymore. Not everyone has been a dad. But the ones about my dad, like this one, that stand out most vividly seem to be the ones that God uses to tap me on the shoulder to remind me about Himself, when I forget or when I need it the most: “See, this is who I AM and have been to you in your life’s journey, from hearing your cry to saving you from the dizzying things you thought would satisfy, to staying with you every step of the way, to carrying you when you couldn’t carry yourself, to always being as close as your next breath to guide you as you have been living your life. And I AM still here...”

I waited patiently for God to help me;

then He listened and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out from the bog and the mire,

and set my feet on a hard, firm path, 

and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, 

of praises to our God.—Psalm 40:1-3, Living

But as my dad modeled, and as my Dad has modeled, the story was never meant to end there. Especially now:

“My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.”—John 15:12

Selah.

The Simple Path

My bookcase has numerous books on how to be a disciple of Jesus, how to be a better disciple, how to grow as a disciple, how to make a disciple—evidence that I have been searching for the magical “missing” key that will somehow unlock everything I need to know about following Jesus…

“Then they asked Him, ‘What are we to do, so that we may habitually be doing the works of God?’

Jesus answered, ‘This is the work of God:

that you believe, adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith in the One whom He has sent.”

—John 6:28-29, Amplified

…The Gospels tell an age-old story of mankind either trying to over-complicate things or figure everything out with their intellect—looking for the "missing" key that will somehow unlock everything—and Jesus’ response, over and over again, is simply “believe who I Am, watch what I do, then go and do likewise.”

Go live the simple Gospel.

Simple, maybe, but also challenging—because Jesus’ words rub up against sensibilities, common sense and stubborn self-will. And yet over and over again, it has been the people who have walked out this simple yet not simplistic lifestyle before me who have influenced me more than any book or study. These simple Gospel disciples have made my heart burn within as it did with the two disciples on the Emmaus road, almost as if all within me was sensing, “here is the missing key—a Gospel that is authentic and powerful and real and practical yet entirely supernatural.”

I was reminded of such an example this week while coming across notes from a Bible study on discipleship that was exceptionally challenging to me, not in its purpose but in its approach. I felt like I was oil in water, and I wanted to walk away. But the leader never said “what’s the matter with you, don’t you get it?!” but rather came alongside in my struggle with encouragement and patience and helpfulness. “How can you and I together apply this to how you are built, the way God made you to learn?”

I really don’t remember a lot about what I got out of that discipleship study, but I came away with a lasting impression of the leader: if that’s what a disciple of Jesus looks like, I want in.

And in these complicated, confusing, information-overload times, I especially find myself being drawn again and again to that kind of following-Jesus-simply beyond Sunday morning.

One that looks like not feeling like you have to change the world by yourself but instead remembering Jesus’ exhortation to simply be salt and light, seasoning it wherever you go.

One that, like Jesus, looks like simply and always making time—and finding it is never a waste—for what and who is really important, even if just a moment, a few passing words or a simple deed.

One that, like Jesus touching the leper when no one else dared to, means simply laying your hand on someone in need of prayer, in spite of the Coronavirus….

“Why do we judge Jesus’ criterion for authentic discipleship irrelevant? Jesus said the world is going to recognize you as His by only one sign: The way you are with one another on the street every day. You are going to leave people feeling a little better or a little worse. You’re going to affirm them or deprive them, but there’ll be no neutral exchange. If we as a Christian community took seriously that the sign of our love for Jesus is our love for one another, I am convinced it would change the world. If not, we’re denying to the world the one witness Jesus asked for: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ (John 15:12).”

—Brennan Manning, “The Furious Longing of God

The Power of Nothing to Say

“Lots of people were pressed against Jesus at that moment, but He immediately felt her touch; He felt healing power flow out of Him. He stopped. Everyone stopped. He looked around. “Who just touched My robe?” His disciples broke the uneasy silence: “Jesus, the crowd is so thick that everyone is touching You. Why do You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” But Jesus waited. His gaze swept across the crowd to see who had done it. At last, the woman—knowing He was talking about her—pushed forward and dropped to her knees. She was shaking with fear and amazement. “I touched You.” Then she told Him the reason why. Jesus listened to her story. “Daughter, you are well because you dared to believe. Go in peace, and stay well.”—Mark 4:30-34, The Voice

Earlier this spring, I found myself becoming annoyed with someone who I didn’t really know but whose actions and words were like fingernails on a chalkboard. Everyone has these people in their lives, and maybe God has put them there for a good reason: “So, are you going to avoid them? Are you going to let the irritation get to you? Or are you going to try to see them the way I see them? What did Jesus do?”

A few days later while out walking, to my surprise, it was almost as though God lobbed a softball and said, “Here you go.”

Out of the corner of my eye, sitting all alone, there he was—the unknown source of my irritation. I could have walked right by, but for “some reason,” just like Jesus did on that day with the woman with the issue of blood, I stopped and said something lame like “sure is a beautiful day.” He agreed that it was and then, as if a dam inside had been about to burst if only someone cared, out gushed his simple life story that needed no commentary or advice or further probing…

“… Jesus listened to her.”

...Since that sidewalk encounter, everything has changed. For me, anyway. I understood better, I felt compassion rising up and smothering irritation, and I actually looked forward to seeing this fellow whenever the next time would be. I remember his faint smile as I went on my way and “thanks, and you have a good evening too, sir.”

I do not know where this will lead. I pray that it may become an open door someday for conversation about the One who truly heals and cares and loves. But if not, it was a reminder that the most effective evangelism methods are often not the loudest or with just the right words or randomly handing out a tract.

They begin, as Jesus modeled with the woman in this story, with listening before speaking. What the world needs now….

“I’ve never known anyone to find their way into the Kingdom without first being listened to. People don’t want to be indoctrinated. They want to be heard. Evangelism isn’t about getting up on a soapbox and preaching at someone. It’s about sitting down next to that person and turning down the volume.”

—Brad Roth, from “God’s Country: Faith, Hope and the Future of the Rural Church”

Good Words Handed Down

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”—Pericles

Three lessons for a lifetime, from a life well lived…

1. Be Joyful

These difficult days, I walk past their smiling photo on my bureau and will once in awhile ask mom and dad, “all right, what’s going on Up There?” And all they do is smile back. For dad, it was part of his "good tools handed down." But today, I am focusing on the one on the right...

For mom, it wasn’t a plastic smile—it was genuine, and kind, and an overflow of what she felt about Jesus and life. Even in the pain. I remember it took mom a long time to get over losing a daughter shortly after childbirth, and she also often carried the weight of other people’s burdens as her own. But that smile. One of her friends at Summerhill said she smiled even when on her way to a doctor’s appointment on a cold day. Mom’s genuine smile was simply contagious. She might tell us today that her smile reflects 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be cheerful, no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ to live.”

2. Be Selfless

Mom was continually giving herself away to benefit someone else, or meet them at their point of need. There are countless examples, but one that sticks in my mind was when we were at the burial service for my nephew Jason some 15 years ago. Mom noticed a group of Jason’s friends who had gathered off in the distance—and she set aside her own sorrow, traipsed through the dirt in her high heels, and went over to the group with a smile and invited them to join us. Her legacy of a self-less life is summed up in Philippians 2:3-5: “….with an attitude of humility, regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others. Have the same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus…”

3. Be Wise

Mom was the wisest person I’ve ever known. She was often a woman of few words, but then she’d say something so profound that it cut to the heart of the matter. Wisdom listens before it speaks. Wisdom does not judge. Wisdom doesn’t enable. It’s just right, it’s what you need to hear, and always comes at the right time. I cannot tell you how many times mom’s quiet, profound wisdom helped me to see, or got me back on course. She was filled with wise words for life—something we all could use more of these days. As it says in James 3:17 (Living Bible), “Wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted, straightforward, and sincere.”

These are just some of the things mom would have wanted to be woven into the lives of those she loved and knew, because our world surely needs more of them. And so, not to just have them woven into our own lives, but then to “pass it forward.”

And by all means, with a smile.

From the Celebration of the Life of Patricia A. Smith (October 27, 1929 to January 10, 2019), with love and encouragement to all who are missing their moms on this day.

Just Go...

“Let your light shine everywhere you go…”—Matthew 5:16

It has taken nearly 40 years of this Walk to begin to put feet to a deeply-embedded heart desire:

“What happens in church doesn’t stay in church.”

I’ve given up fighting the unwinnable war of “sacred vs. secular.”

Because the Word is really true:

“And whatever you do in word and deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord.”

Whatever.

I’ve given up fighting the imaginary battle between walking the sacred Sunday morning Walk versus walking out all the personal interests and the (unsinful) pleasures of living life that God has put in me before I was in my mother's womb so that I can live healthily in body, mind and spirit while also reflecting Him and enjoying Him in all that I do.

Not to mention the God-ordained responsibilities of daily life and of simply being an ambassador of Himself as a human being in the midst of it all, and among a sea of fellow humans.
The war is over.
Or at least, it's getting there.

I’ve been exchanging a years-long fear of what it means to be “in the world but not of it” (fearful hint: don’t get any on ya!) for a healthier realization that this Life was never meant to be either/or but both.
By all means, be as wise as an owl, but by all means, carry your light with you, and your salt shaker, too.

Sunday mornings are awesome. They are vital for getting perspective on what and Who is truly worthy of worship, for getting your eyes off of yourself for once, for encouragement for the Journey ahead, for comfort for the battles at hand, and for getting rooted and grounded in who Christ is what His Word promises.

But all of that so that He and it can uniquely shine through each one as we head out the door into the week.

To remember that the Church gathered is meant to be a bubble to be wonderfully burst, not to be safe and comfortable and uber-focused on what happens within its four walls 24/7.

Most of all, to remember that Jesus’ final words before ascending began with:

“Go…”

To remember that your mission field could be in a land far away but more likely it’s right in your own back yard, 

And in and through the things and interests and places and people that God has poured into your life for His purposes...

...To remember, as was the case this week, that He loves answering our crazy “go” prayers:

Like knowing someone who was going through an incredibly dark valley and who worked in a very public place and wanting, somehow, to be able to pray for them without their embarrassment—and then to walk into that very public place that somehow was empty of people, except for you and the friend in need.

And so that “go” prayer, and human touch, happened, bringing tears, smiles, and gratitude, and just maybe, hope for someone in need to keep going and looking Up.

There is nothing like a Sunday morning being-in-His-presence sort of day—even the psalmist didn’t want to leave.

But even better is carrying an in-His-presence sort of day with you and through you.

To just “Go into all your world…”

“Often, you can see the power lines running alongside the street. Unless current is flowing through them, there is no light. The power line is you and I! The current is God! We have the power to allow the current to flow through us and thus generate the Light of the world: Jesus—or, to refuse to be used and, thus, allow the darkness to spread.”—Mother Theresa

Seeing God Downtown

“Grace must find expression in life, otherwise, it is not grace.”

—Karl Barth, Swiss theologian

Just as God continually makes Himself known through creation, so, too, does He often speak through things like donkeys and through people who may or may not have any clue they are being His messengers.

Whatever it takes to get our attention, He speaks to us everywhere. Even downtown. You just have to be paying attention, and be ready to be surprised. And take mental notes to carry with you...

“The Lord passed by him and proclaimed, ‘the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…’”—Exodus 34:6, ESV

...Yesterday, I sensed the Lord was passing by at my favorite Saturday morning breakfast spot. Booths and countertop stools were quickly filling, occupied by familiar faces, a local police officer, and other good hometown folks ready (even if yawning) to start their weekend. 

There was one server for all of them. One. Help was on the way, but for now at this early hour, she stood alone. Or rather, scurried about—checking the cash register, filling the coffee makers, going from booth to booth and stool to stool greeting people as best she could, always ready with a nearby pot of coffee.

Five words dominated her conversation: “I’ll be right with you.”

I waited for someone to lose their patience. Never happened. For some, it was a long “I’ll be right with you.” But the universal response—dare it be said, even the heart and “voice” of God inside this downtown restaurant—was ... grace.

If you believe what you see on the news, you'd think the world is a mess because too many people at stores, ballgames, gas stations and slow fast-food lines are complaining, yelling, insulting, and otherwise ugly-manifesting their impatience. The news, of course, tends to paint life situations with way too broad a brush. Because here in this little small-town restaurant—as perhaps in millions of similar places around the globe, every minute of every day—there seemed to be a holy moment of Heaven-sent goodness, even if those participating didn’t have a clue. The stressed server, eyes brimming with tears even through a smile, was instead greeted back with a smile, a laugh, and words of appreciation and encouragement. “No rush. It's not your fault. You’re doing a fantastic job.” Some helped clear their own table of debris and dishes left from the previous guests. One got up and grabbed the coffee pot and began pouring.

Soon, the promised help arrived, everyone exhaled with the server, and laughter and animated conversation was everywhere.

So, that was a cool, and surprising moment. And, yes, it was a common grace on display, something that's deep inside everyone because we're all made in God's image (no matter what anyone believes). But then that reminder: don’t forget to take notes. Don't let the cool and surprising moment just walk by when perhaps God is speaking loudly in it. Because what appeared on the outside to simply be a beautiful picture of common grace may have also been a "pay attention" type-and-shadow reminder of how to live this life as Christ ones: To live and to love others with amazing grace. And the notes were obvious, and quite loud, as the Lord, the Lord passed by with familiar words:

"So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy—set apart, sanctified for His purpose—and well-beloved by God Himself, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in unselfish love, which is the perfect bond of unity, for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others."—Colossians 3:12-14, Amplified

Heaven is all around us, even downtown. Look, take notes, and live….Selah.

“We should be so joyful from God's grace that others would respond by saying, 'I wish I had your God.'”

—Francis Chan

Following Your Dreams

"Great moves of God are usually preceded by simple acts of obedience."—Steven Furtick

On one of those restless nights when it seemed like dreams were changing as quickly and randomly as people’s Stories on Facebook, I saw a page of a notebook that said in bold letters: Luke IX.

Huh. So out of curiosity, I turned to it when I got up, and nothing really jumped out except the opening passages about Jesus sending out His 12 guys into the world. Because I was reminded all over again that I think it really strange that Jesus—the most thoughtful, wise, and intelligent person to ever walk the earth—tells them to take nothing for the journey.

Nothing? Why? Makes absolutely no sense.

And then, a surprising response: Instead of going down that brain-pretzel rabbit hole one more time as I re-re-re-read those Master instructions, I found my pen writing two words in the margin:

Maybe the disciples were overthinking it. Maybe Jesus knew their minds were going, “When I’m prepared and other stuff is out of the way, when I’m ready and stocked up with faith, when I feel secure with the words that come out of my mouth, when the time is right…then, we go.”

Always looking for a safety net, just in case.

Maybe them is me,

And maybe these instructions aren’t at all about relying on sensible preparedness. Maybe the Master’s call to “go” is instead an encouragement to fight the natural tendencies of going through the motions of life, of hesitancy, of waiting for the perfect moment…that never comes.

"Go" doesn’t have to be to a land far away, or to throw yourself into some huge mission. But instead, to be faithful and naturally supernatural right where you are. Kind of like where Jesus sent the Twelve.

To begin each day at the beginning, at the door, with keys and coffee in hand. To become intentional about cultivating purposefulness in direction every single morning. To pursue bold wisdom: “God, You know I’ve got plans, and to-dos and obligations, but what seemingly small or even life-changing thing do You want me to see, hear, think, do and be along the way?”...

“Wisdom is a gift from a generous God.

And every word He speaks is full of revelation

And becomes a fountain of understanding within you.

For the Lord has a hidden storehouse of wisdom

Made assessable to His godly lovers.

He becomes your personal bodyguard as you follow His ways

Protecting and guarding you as you choose what is right.”

—Proverbs 2:6-8, Passion

Follow your dreams. Just go….