Well it has been a long time since I last posted. And I must admit that I appreciate all the emails and personal questions of "when are you going to start blogging again?" I am sorry for those who faithfully check to see if there is anything new on this thing......I have been out of town 4 of the last 5 weeks, so like the rest of you life is crazy and I had to wait until I found and made the time to do this....so here we go....I got this email a while back saying that they wanted to give me a free book. A free book!!! Awesome.....but there was a catch....I had to blog about it. So I thought....."brave person." So I responded with the positive and they sent me the book. Now I have to keep my end of the bargan. So I will begin (since I finally got the book) to blog about what I am reading. And not only that, I will post some excerpts and would love all your interaction on the post.
Anyway, the book and the author is obviously in the picture above. I can honestly say that I do not know who the author is...but that means nothing. But in the introduction Frank (the author) got my attention. He did it in a beautiful way....he asked a question. The question is simple: "What is my purpose and passion? And how does it map to GOD's?"
Now, I thought that would be an easy answer to that question....but is it? Think about it for a bit. What is it saying to you? What is your answer?
10 comments:
Your voice has been missed, bro. Welcome back.
Viola has some interesting things to say. Check out this article @ Allelon.
I too have missed reading your blog!
I don't know exactly what my purpose is and I have trouble articulating a passion. But I know I have both of those things. That sounds inane I know. It is huge though. I didn't have that assurance in the past (before I was a believer.)
I think it should be an easy answer, but it's not for me. I know what my passion is, and I think I could analyze this to death. However, when it comes down to it, I think God gives us gifts and purpose to reach people, because He loves them. Does what I do matter to God? Absolutely? :D Does it fit into His plan? I think so! Is it important for me to understand that in order to fulfill His purpose? I don't think so.
I think passion, based on these couple of comments is hard to know. I mean, my passions are Hockey and Soccer and Fantasy Pools and Video games. But lately Youth has become one of my passions, and more so leadership, has also crept in.
I believe there is two types of passions. God given ones, stuff like Ministry and leadership and stuff that progresses the kingdom of God. And worldly passions, stuff like Hockey and soccer and video games. Both are important and both play vital roles in the lives of people who have passions for things.
Passions give us something to live for, something to talk about, something to learn about and get good at if possible. Passions also help us teach others and they set examples, especially in the form of leadership and ministry. I think passions are life, and too Christians, Life is our passion, a life spent with God.
Fillet, I dont find i get anything spiritual outta any of those things, therefore I think they are worldly in a sense. Im not saying they cant be for some people i guess. I follow hockey and soccer and video games religiously, id say i spend more time on those things then i do with God. I really dont know how to answer that question though.
Technically they are world passions. But, as ive seen, these passions can actually be great foundations for connections between people, community, if you will. Maybe i need to re-phrase worldly.
Without trying to sound judgmental and overly spiritual (which is probably impossible - OH WELL):
How can passions of this earth be spiritual? Can you see Jesus sitting for hours in front of a t.v.? The things we come up with to make ourselves feel better about our spiritual condition are amazing. I'm not excluding myself.
When Gerry said a few weeks ago that most Christians spend a mere 10 minutes in prayer and Bible reading a day, I almost fell off my seat! So... what are we passionate about??? How can we justify this??? CAN we justify this?
Why does the world not look to the Lord for healing, deliverance and fulfillment? Because His people don't resemble Him at all. We look just like the world who is begging us to be different.
Anon, i think this makes the assertion that, the Bible is boring and its hard to make it relevant and entertaining, plausible.
Honestly, ill go out on a limb and say that MOST people think that the bible is boring, and they would rather watch TV. If you think i may be wrong, just go to your local christian bookshop and you will see many different variations of the Bible. Ones ranging from kids and youth bibles with to my personal favorite, the Archaeological Bible.
Honestly Anon, i rather watch the hockey game or the soccer game or poker or golf, or w/e other sport i like, then read my bible, or even pray. It's a problem i face, and im sure a lot of others face too.
Anon, i think it is completely justifiable, i think people find more relevance and spirituality on TV these days then they do in the bible, and more so, in the church. Just watch Oprah to see the legions of fans. I think people feel a sense of community through TV, and shows such as Oprah. This obviously gives people the wrong message, but, what are christians doing to stop it. I guess we are well represented by Pat Robertson though, so we are in good hands.
We've been trying so hard to make the Bible relevant, but i think the only way to make it relevant to people is through us. If people see we can live like the Bible says, then they will see there is truth in a 2000 year old text, because reading it just isnt cutting it anymore, and seeing it just works so much better for people.
How can you make the Bible relevant through you/live like the Bible says if you don't know what it says?
Boring? That was definitely not my intended implication. There is nothing I would rather do than spend time with Him. There is nothing more exciting than finding out what He's going to tell me next. There is no book in the world that you can read the same thing over and over and it speaks directly to you - often new things every time!
If we lived what the Bible said, people would be flocking to us. The media would be all over it. Hospitals and prisons would be almost empty. The churches would be full.
Ok... I admit, I'm passionate about this. Don't get me going! Boring?? No way.
Oh - one more thing. I wasn't suggesting that nonbelievers read the Bible. Of course they should see it in us. That's what I was originally saying. I was saying BELIEVERS should spend time with God, which includes reading the Bible.
Pat Robertson? Well... at least he's speaking out what he believes. I can't say he represents me, personally, with all of his comments, but I respect his effort to "evangelize". We need more bold people in the world. Maybe me? Maybe you? We can't judge him or how the Lord is working through him. That's between him and the Lord. If you want to drown him out and be "the representative" (since that's our job on earth anyway) - GO FOR IT!
Colossians 1:9b-10 (NLT) We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.
I wonder "just what is my purpose in life?" I wonder if St. Paul's business cards said, "Tents-R-Us" or simply Paul the Apostle? Does my perception of my purpose match God's perfect plan? Have I become so wrapped up in what I do for a living that I have forgotten Whom I am living for?
Many men often blur the image of what they do for a living with whom they are. It drives me crazy when I am in a group of people at a social function and invariably when two people meet, the second or third question is, "What do you do for a living?" In my mind, I feel like they are asking, "where do you stand on the socioeconomic ladder?" I want someone to know me for who I am, not what I am. Now the question we have to answer is who I am. What is my purpose? Why is God letting me occupy this little space of earth for a short time?
Now let's imagine that you and I meet for the first time and I ask, "In one sentence, tell me your purpose in life." Quickly now, what is your answer? What you do for a living? Are you living for or through your children? Is your volunteer work your driving force? School? Or something else? A few years ago my answer would have been very long. My purpose is to be the best husband, father, pastor and employer that God wants me to be. As I pondered my purpose over the last few months, it has become clearer to me that these things are not my overall purpose but rather strategies to accomplish a deeper, more meaningful God given purpose. Trying to be a decent person and striving to be the best I can be, flows out of knowing my purpose. So what is my answer to the question? My purpose in life is to get to heaven and take as many people with me that I can. That's it. It sounds simple, but I think it is profound and life-changing.
2 Corinthians 5:14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live.
That verse should be the motivation behind our purpose. My purpose flows from my love and appreciation for what Christ did for me on the cross. He took my place. I should be on the cross, not Him. God put in me in the arena of the business world to accomplish His purpose for my life. My arena does not have to change to accomplish the purpose. Many people ask me, should I become a missionary, or should I go into full time ministry? Some are called to the mission field and to pastoral ministry, but God needs people living with His purpose in our schools, offices, factories, medical offices, sales jobs, neighborhoods and homes. Our all-encompassing purpose as Christ-followers is to bring glory to Him. If you have become so caught up in the proverbial rat race that you have lost sight of your purpose, if your distinction between what you do and who you are has become blurred, I hope you will take a step back and ponder your real purpose. Then figure out how to best implement your purpose in the arena where God has placed you.
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