I bit the bullett

I don't like Twitter. I think it is narcissistic in reality and gives people the ability to NOT be socially active, creating socially inept human beings. This is where our society is going...we have complete online worlds, everything you need to be done without leaving your home to interact with any human being. We even have automatic machine cashiers at the grocery store and drive up atm's where you don't have to get out of your car and brush shoulder's with people. That would be inconvenient!!! Therefore, I believe Twitter to be a part, NOT the only reason, of this social breakdown in our digital age. BUT....as a student ministries pastor, it is Great!! What a great way to quickly throw out mass announcements, prayer requests, encouraging words, thoughts on last night's teaching, reminders of upcoming events, and so on. With that said, I bit the bullett and signed myself up, despite my feelings about it. I figure that the idea/challenge is to utilize the technology in order to create social interaction and sweet action community. This is the challenge and I think my youth ministry and I are up for it.

The Distant God part 4

Picking up where I left off a few days ago, the third thing I do is:

3. Lean on God's promises.

God's Word is filled with promises (read the Psalms especially)! When circumstances are tough; when God feels far, I read the Scriptures and concentrate on the promises: He will never leave nor forsake me; God is love; we are more than conqueror's; the Holy Spirit is our helper; God desires to use me; vengeance is His; forgiveness equals freedom. Things like these are ingrained in Scripture! Sometimes, I have to admit, I force myself to read The Word when i am down and God feels....well, when I can't "feel" Him. That's when you see what you are really made of. When you DO things you DON'T "wanna" do. Sometimes we have to "SUCK IT UP" and pray, read, meditate, Sing songs of praise, when we least desire to. I have found that many times God shows up when we do something we don't want to.

When God feels a million miles away, focus on His promises....even if all you feel is apathy and don't want to do a thing.

The Distant God part 3

The Second thing I do when I feel God is a million miles away is:

2. Remember God's Character.

It is easy to forget about the nature of God and WHO HE IS when we don't understand why (or why things aren't) things are going a certain way. We can forget that God is love, He is faithful, He operates outside of time, Vengeance is HIS and HIS alone, His timing is perfect, His forgiveness is genuine, He sent Jesus to be an example to us, suffer, and DIE for us, He states that He will never leave us, He is all-powerful, nothing goes unnoticed with Him, and the list goes on. We can look just about anywhere in scripture and find something descriptive of God's nature.

I often open up the scriptures and just read cool stories of how God rescued people like Daniel, David, Esther, Job, JOSEPH, Moses, Paul, and others. These stories point toward God's nature...His character. I am encouraged because, I believe, if God did it then, who's to say that He can't intervene in my life and situation now? Why can't God show up for me? I am encouraged to know that God has a pretty good track record with keeping His promises; I am encouraged when I shift my focus off of God's distance and onto HIS NATURE. Which is more true: God has forgotten me (nowhere in scripture), OR God is love (in scripture)?

The Distant God part 2

The first thing I do when God feels distant:

1. Hold nothing back.

I let God know how I am feeling. Sometimes I am mad at "His silence" and I let Him know it by "yelling". I know that this is not a particularly popular thing to do and is often times looked down on in the Christian world. But, I look at a lot of The Psalms and notice how frustrated David was; how mad He was at what seemed like God's absence. So, He wrote out, sang, and vented his frustrations. God can take it. He understands that we are emotional beings. I think He created us that way. I think it is better to vent your frustrations at God than yelling and being a jerk to a friend, family member, or stranger......the dog may be good though. They usually just wag their tail while staring at you with their tongue sticking out.
Anyway, I often feel better when venting my frustrations to God. At times, when I am done complaining, that is when God speaks to me. Furthermore, these times tend to shape your character and really reveals a lot about yourself. Do I believe God is big enough to yell at for not showing up? If He is big enough to yell at, do I believe that He is big enough TO SHOW UP? Do I have too many distractions in my life that are keeping me from hearing His voice? What are my motives in regard to my prayers? Questions like these often come to mind when I am frustrated with God. I realize we are all different, but sometimes I just have to authentically let loose and tell God how frustrated I am at His apparent distance.

The Distant God pt. 1 (Intro.)

God feels far sometimes. He feels a million miles away. I am finding this to be a common feeling, especially amongst people who are minister's in some capacity. However, I believe if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, we are going to feel like God left and hasn't come back for a while. Let's face it, God feels long gone sometimes.

This morning at the beginning of my time with the Father, I said, in an audible voice, "I feel like you are sooo far from me God. And I don't know why...but you just feel so distant." With that said, I put on some worship music to try and break through this barrior. I continued to worship and read the scriptures before I opened up my devo (Going through Purpose Driven Life again. I try and do it once a year). Still struggling while at the same time chewing on Jesus's beautiful prayer in John 17, I opened up PDL. Lo and behold, the title of today's reading states, "When God Seems Distant." HAHA!! All I could do is smile. For the next couple of posts (thank you Perry Noble) I am going to talk about the top four things we should do when God feels a million miles away. This was very helpful to me today and though God still feels a little far, I am optimistic.
I conclude on this note: Our feelings are deceiving. We are emotional beings and can at times allow our emotions to dictate what is truth rather than Scripture. Let's not let our feelings (no matter how real they may be) get the best of us. In hard times...during, as St. John of the Cross called it, "the dark night of the soul", remember God hasn't gone anywhere, no matter how we feel (John 14:17-18; Hebrews 13:5.).