Eyes Wide OPEN

A couples weeks ago we had a special guest at Christ Church – Reggie McNeal. He preached on Sunday morning and I gotta tell ya, I was a little concerned. I wasn’t concerned because I doubted Christ Church but because I didn’t know what to expect fully from Reggie. I’ve read a couple of his books, seen him once live and watched a DVD curriculum that he produced. He says great things, but he says things that are hard for many of us to hear. I guess in many ways, Reggie is a prophet type that was similar to folks like Elijah and John the Baptist – men who were full of a God message that desperately needed to be heard.
I loved every thing that Reggie brought with him. He shared a message that was good and energizing and, what I felt to be, very Spirit led. I’ve been inspired by his words and I’ve been challenged to “go and do likewise.” SInce Reggie’s visit, we’ve been collecting stories of blessing – how God has used simple questions like “How can I ask God to bless you?” The stories have been remarkable and equally energizing. Well, today, I had one of those moments.
I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop in Louisville – Java – and I got to talk to a guy who had moved to Louisville not even 2 weeks ago. He shared with me why he moved and some stories of his family systems – it was so cool. I felt like God had granted me a “divine appointment.” I was able to connect with this guy, share some stories and hopefully begin a friendship. The connection was of two pastors both looking at life and ministry together in very cool and very different ways. I felt a connection to this young guy right away and I’m already thinking of ways to connect further.
I share this story not to brag, but to reflect! God is so present with us! In what could be seen as an accidental conversion, God was there! How cool is that?
It leads me to another thought, actually the original thought I was going to blog about, God is so much bigger than I give Him credit for. There was a time in my life when I felt I had God totally figured out. I knew what God liked, what God didn’t, how God was going to take care of the world and how he would reward folks like me and damn those unlike me. I was certain I knew God’s will (maybe even better than God did). Thankfully, God didn’t leave me in that place. The first realization was a small book by J. B. Phillips entitled “Your God is Too Small.” That book led to conversations and engagements that didn’t always leave me in the most comfortable position. But these conversations did lead me to a larger picture of God’s heart.
There are times when I kinda wish I could go back to that naive understanding of God – it was a whole lot less messy, of course it was also a whole lot more impossible. If I was forced to measure up to the standards that I had for everyone else, I was doomed to fail. I believe some New Testament writer would have said I was in bondage to the Law. In finding that God was so much bigger, I have had to continually face my biases through the lens of a HOLY, GRACIOUS, and LOVING God.
I’m glad for these lens. They do challenge and open my eyes to see things that are hard to see – suffering, hurt, pain, etc. But these lens also open me up to see appointments like this mornings and words of encouragement from friends and people like you! My prayer is that we would all wrestle with the God who is way larger than we could ever imagine or even hope for! It’s such an amazing thing to know that God is with us. He’s urging and pushing us to go deeper! God’s love for us goes way past where we think it could end! Hallelujah and Happy stretching!