Today is the 5th anniversary of one of the worst days of my life.

I was working at the Geek Squad at Best Buy (double time & a half!) when some old friends came in to tell me to call my mom. Immediately I knew something was wrong. I’m pretty sure I called every phone number she’s ever had before my fingers finally typed in the correct number. My mom picked up and, voice quivering, told me my dad had died completely unexpectedly.
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I just bought my first house so I find myself watching HGTV a lot more than I ever have before. My personal favorite is Holmes on Homes. Each week Mike Holmes takes on a project that was done incorrectly (or left unfinished) and “makes it right.”

I was watching a few nights ago and I heard him say the following:

I don’t want to do this, but right now this is my house. As long as this is my house, I’m gonna do it right.

Man.
That’s quality and commitment.

Imagine what would happen if we, as leaders in the church, thought about our people that way.

The students in student ministry are ‘my kids’.
The visitors in the services are ‘my brothers and sisters’.
The children in children’s ministry are ‘my kids’.

There would be things I wouldn’t want to do for someone else’s kids…but that I’d do for mine. There would be an urgency for my brother to see Christ that might not be present for someone I’ve never met. But what if it was?

It happens every night. Our oldest (2 yrs.) sits down at the dinner table excited to eat.

Then the food comes out.

Suddenly his mouth is locked down tighter than Fort Knox. Doesn’t happen at breakfast. Doesn’t happen at lunch. Just dinner. Cue inevitable bribery and scolding. Cue frustration and irritation. Cue crying and wailing…and that’s just me.

I struggle with this almost every night. I want the kid to eat his food. I want him to listen to my wife and me. I don’t want to have to take away Thomas the Tank Engine for the night. But what I really struggle with is that I’m just not sure what I want him to learn from all of this.

Do I want him to eat his food? Yes.

Do I want him to listen and submit? Yes.

Is there something deeper that I hope he learns? Yes.

I think sometimes, as parents, it becomes really easy to parent based on outcomes. I want my kid to do X. Thus I’ll do Y and Z and X will happen. But I’m not sure X is really what’s important. I’m not as concerned with what he does as who he becomes. I’m less interested in his actions and more interested in his heart. Now don’t get me wrong, actions are important (we often act out of the desires of our heart). But as a toddler, I’m not as concerned with his eating habits as I am about who he is becoming.

Who are you becoming?

P.s. Please never ask my child to read you Fox in Socks. He’s still learning to pronounce ‘Fox’ properly.

In Daniel 6 and Acts 4 three ordinary men risked everything for God. Daniel was caught praying to God after it had been outlawed and was thrown to the lions (literally). Peter and John healed a lame man and preached the truth of Jesus to the crowd that gathered. They were quickly thrown into jail by the religious people of the day. In Daniel’s case the whole nation ended up praising the God who held closed the lions’ mouths. In Peter and John’s case, 5000 people came to follow Jesus. In both cases, the men risked everything. Daniel was stripped of his position and sentenced to die. God intervened and he was saved. Peter and John were thrown into jail and released, but would eventually be martyred for the cause of Christ.
They risked everything…and changed the world. I wonder if when you risk everything for the cause of Christ you’re really risking anything at all. People certainly won’t understand you. But that’s ok, who would expect them to? I think God doesn’t call us to safety, living out our faith behind closed doors.

I think He calls us to risk.
Risky lives filled with adventure.
Filled with the adventure of serving Him.
Serving Him for HIS glory, not our own.

Maybe that’s the hard part. Giving up our own glory. Daniel was stripped of his position in government. Peter and John were mocked by the religious people of the day (they still exist today). We want the story to be about us.

That’s why we love stories. We love books, TV, movies, video games (we actually get to BE the hero)…it’s written on our hearts. We love to hear stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. God called our whole species to more…to stories that matter…

But we have to give it all up first.

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:20). Peter and Andrew just left everything to follow Jesus. Do you wonder if they worried about their financial security? Did Jesus offer dental?

Something in them drove them to follow Him.
Immediately.
Without question.
Without reservation.

They risked everything…and changed the world.

What are we risking for Him? What have you done this week that REQUIRES faith? It’s a humbling thought…

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Vimeo -

He’s 22 months in this video. We didn’t really teach him to do it; he just kinda started doing it.