Archive for category Truth
Character Changers
I’ve heard it said that who you are in the dark is who you really are. That there’s no possibility of changing. That who you are in the dark is who your character really is and it can’t be changed.
I disagree with this. I believe that your character can be grown. I believe that character is developed over time. More importantly, because I believe in the power of Christ, I believe that even if you are lacking in character, the moment you turn to Christ and ask for His help – your character begins to change.
Christ is our only hope for our character. Christ is the only one who can mold a broken character filled with filth into a diamond of great value. It’s not an easy solution. It’s not an easy choice. It will not come instantaneously. But I have to believe that Christ CAN and WILL change a man’s character. We only have to seek Christ and ask him to in order for it to happen.
What do you think? Can character change?
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Vision vs. Serving
Posted by John in Leadership, Lessons Learned, Technology, Truth on June 18, 2009
It’s been quite an interesting couple of weeks for me at Celebrate. We’ve been going through the process of getting ready to rebuild our network and I’ve just been running incredibly hard. This week we hired a guy to come in and assist me as we make our physical machines all virtual machines.
I am totally amazed and thankful for this guy’s expertise. He’s so perfectly methodical that even though I am not sure what he’s doing – I’m confident that he will not miss a step along the way. I find myself bounding and bouncing along side of him as he works. When he asks me a question – I can tell him my vision for the network and he can actually make my vision happen! It’s incredible!
As I think back over the week – I’m struck by the understanding that both of us are needed in order to make this transitionary time work. Someone needed to do the pre-planning and research to make sure that we were making the right move. Someone else needed to be the guy who could get things done. Ideally – it’d be nice if both roles could be filled by the same person, but in this instance it’s not possible.
Here’s my questions – Does God always give the vision to one and then give the service to another? If the visionary tries to do all the work – is he/she able to sustain the vision or does it fade in light of the tasks that need to be accomplished? If the servant tries to cast the vision does the service being preformed decline or stall simply because of the strain that vision-casting places on the servant? What are your thoughts?
Tough Questions
If you know that God has placed something in your heart to do – but you don’t do it – is it a sin? What if no one else believes that you can do it? What if even you doubt if you can do it? What if everyone you know says it’s absolutely crazy? What if it costs you your security and your future plans? What if it’s extremely uncomfortable? What if it brings you absolute joy as you commune with God? What do you do?
In the Midst of a Struggle
Posted by John in Family, Integrity, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Truth on June 1, 2009
In the midst of this current struggle Cristin and I are facing, I find that I may be the most satisfied with God that I’ve ever been. Though our future is uncertain and our way is unclear, I am seeking to praise Him in all things. While I’m not at liberty to share what exactly is going on, I can share some other things I know in reference to this experience:
I know that this experience that Cristin and I are going through may be the very best experience we’ve ever had, but it’s sure is tough getting started on the path towards the future.
I know that nothing happens on earth without the blessing of heaven, and so I thank God for all that has transpired in the last few days, weeks, and months.
I know that God has a plan for us and a desire to use us for His glory and that He will do whatever it takes to bring others to a knowledge of Him, even if it doesn’t make sense to us.
I know that in the midst of this struggle, that God is enough. That He is good; He will take care of us; He will satisfy us; He will get us through this; He is our treasure.
I know that I can claim the words of Psalm 73:25-26 where it says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
I know that in everything I do and say I seek to glorify God, regardless of the cost.
I know that my purpose is not to question how God is doing His job, but rather to continually and intentionally place myself in a position of surrender and follow God’s leadership and to thank God for His mercy that He hasn’t asked me to go through this without Him.
So, in the midst of a struggle, that’s what I know. If you have a moment, both Cristin and I would greatly appreciate a prayer for wisdom and guidance. Thanks for reading.
What Do You Do When Confronted With Truth?
Posted by John in Experimental Thinking, Lessons Learned, Message Series, Truth on December 11, 2008
Part 5 of 5
In the last couple of months I’ve been really trying to explore what truth is, how to recognize it, how to live it, how to speak it, and what to do when confronted by it. My purpose in this blog series is to simply share my thoughts on truth and how the encounters I have had with truth have changed me. I hope you’ll enjoy and add your two cents to the discussion.
In the last 5 posts, I’ve written about the following concepts:
What is truth?
How do you recognize truth?
How do you live truthfully?
How do you speak truth?
Today’s post is by far the most difficult to write about because it is the one that regardless of what your choice is, life cannot continue on the way it has been. Today I’m writing about what do you do when confronted with Truth?
I’ve hammered through this topic and it seems to me that there are really only two options when confronted with Truth.
Option 1: is to simply ignore the truth and continue on as if nothing has happened. The problem with Option 1 is that by doing this you set yourself against truth and my experience has always been that until you address this truth in your life, you simply cannot continue on.
Option 2: is to recognize the truth and apply the truth to your life. The problem with Option 2 is that in applying the truth to your life, changes may need to happen that could possible wreck life as you know it. Maybe that’s a good thing.
As I wrap this blog series up, my intent was to write a series about truth. It’s been in my head for a couple of months now and I’m not entirely sure that I’ve done the topic justice. What I do know is that I will continue to seek out what truth is, to recognize it, apply it, live it, speak it and allow it to change me in ways that bring me closer to God. So the final question I have for you is this – what will you do when you are confronted by truth?
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