Morphoo:: continued...

I'm back in Dallas now but I wanted to continue what I started on the session that Josh Loveless did at LeadNow+Orlando on Morphoo: A Holistic Blueprint for Spiritual Formation.

I'll pick up on the second part (to see the first part see the post below):

Inviting Jesus into my GIFTS AND TALENTS ::

...do I know my spiritual gifts and/or my core strengths?

...what spiritual gifts and/or core strengths are not being used?

...what am I passionate about?

...am I deeply passionate about the things I'm giving my time to?

...am I using my time and talents to invest into the lives of people or mostly for selfish gain?

Inviting Jesus into my FINANCIAL LIFE ::

...am I being obedient to the tithe?

...how am I allowing the Spirit to influence the allocation of the other 90%?

...what am I doing about paying down debt or staying out of further debt?

...do I need to create a budget or change the one I have?

...am I consistently paying my bills on time?

...do I know my currenct credit score and do I need help seeing it repaired?

Inviting Jesus into my RELATIONAL LIFE ::

...what needs to change in my relationship with my spouse?

...what needs to change in my relationship with my children?

...what needs to change in my relationship with my mom?

...what needs to change in my relationship with my dad?

...what needs to change in my relationship with my brother and sister?

...what needs to change in my dating relationship? (if you answered the one about your spouse you shouldn't need to answer this one...again we are talking about spiritual formations)

...what needs to change about the 1-3 closest relationships in my life?

...what needs to change about the 4-10 good frineds in my life?

...what needs to change about my relationship with everyone else?

...am I putting myself in environments that will open up relationships with people that are far from God? (the third place)

...is there anyone that I should be pursuing to mentor me?

...is there anyone that I should be pursuing to mentor?

Inviting Jesus into my PHYSICAL LIFE ::

...what are the things on my pending personal "to do" list?

...how might I need to change my eating patterns?

...how might I need to change my exercise plan?

Inviting Jesus into my EMOTIONAL LIFE ::

...how do I need to further my journey of understanding the value of my heart and emotions?

...where is my identity as a person coming from?

...am I pursuing the answer to the question, "why do I do what I do?"

...what root issues have I discovered in my life?

...what fears are holding me back in who I'm becoming and what I'm doing with my life?

As you read this I want you to think along the lines of personal formations or disciplship. Are we willing to answer these questions honestly or will we continue to throw up the smoke screen of "having it all together"?

To catch the first part of this read the post below.

That's all I have for now...

ZS

Morphoo: A message from Orlando

So, I'm in Orlando this week for our LeadNow+Fusion Conference. I emceed today for Josh Loveless. He's the 20 something's pastor for the Status Community at Discovery Church here in Orlando. He was talking about the importance of spiritual formations and this idea of Morphoo which is the Greek word Paul used in Galatians when talking about how our Jesus should be a constantly growing presence in our lives. Here are some thoughts he shared with us that he said he and his leadership team have been running through.

Inviting Jesus into my SPIRITUAL PRACTICES ::
...what should I be doing about serving locally?
...what should I be doing about serving globally?
...what should I be doing about studying scripture?
...what should I be doing about solitude?
...what should I be doing about fasting?
...what should I be doing about journaling?
...what should I be doing about prayer?
...what should I be doing about giving?
...what should I be doing about evangelism?
...what should I be doing about book reading?

I'll add more later...
ZS

What happens if God doesn't move?

We live in such a results oriented society. I remember when I was playing basketball in high school, there was this kid that truly truly with all of his heart wanted to be a basketball player. He worked hard, he practiced hard, he listened, he studied plays, he stayed late...at the end of the day there was really only one problem...no talent (as it turns out, this is a huge problem). He would stumble and fall all over the court trying to play the part of a player. One day while running full court, full speed strimmages, he threw up the wildest shot you've ever seen and it went in...he went crazy, like it was the first shot he ever made...because, well...it was. My coach came unglued on him for not being in the right place on the offensive set we were running. He said, "but coach, I made the shot!" Coach told him that he was less concerned with the results and more concerned with being in your place and doing what you are supposed to be doing.
I started thinking the other day about how we view our ministries. We are always wanting to tell people about the incredible things that we've been seeing God do in our churches. But, what happens if God doesn't show up in your midst every time you open your doors and dramatically draw people in your community to Himself just week after week? What if you serve your people and your community faithfully without ever really seeing a great move of God? Are you in the wrong place? Maybe God didn't really call you where you are? Maybe you've made a mistake?
Or perhaps you are exactly where God wants you to be and you are doing exactly what God wants you to do. This issue of faithfulness has become more and more on the for front of my mind lately. All God really ever calls us to is to faithfully serve Him. You will always see what appear to be "greener pastures". This is why very few people stay where they are, they see greener pastures ahead (yea, that's a cash reference). The point being, when we are measuring what we do in the Kingdom by the stardards around us then our bench mark is flawed. The lesson that I've learned is simply faithfully serve both God and people and allow Him to do whatever he wants with that fruit...plain and simple.
Just a random thought today...
ZS

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Okay, I'm about 5 chapters into this book and I've decided to put it down for a couple of days because I was starting to make plans like...let my wife (Susan, duh) that we're selling everything we own and we're moving our family under an over pass so we can start loving "the least of these". I'm not sure I've read anything that has made me socially aware of those who are without. I'm not sure I've ever read anything that has made me so personally aware of my excess. I'm not sure I've read anything that has made me more inwardly aware of my need for the Truth "...they Word, oh Lord, is truth..." Shane's journey that took him from being a catalyst for change in Philly in resurrecting a church and find homes for the homeless, to Calcutta where he hung out with the sick and afflicted, lepers, oh yea, and Mother Teresa, to Willow Creek and back to Philly (that's as far as I've gotten so far, those of you who know me know how slow I read). So, I'm taking all this in and as I mentioned, I'm extremely shaken by the things that I've read so far...then today it occurred to me...Why is it that I've never been this messed up by reading about Jesus doing these things? I think this is what we do in our Western way of Christianity, we turn people who are simply trying to follow Jesus into rock stars.

Jesus was the one that feed the 5000, He was the one that made the blind to see, He was the one that healed a woman who simply touched the hem of His robe, He was the one that told the rich young ruler to sell all he owed and give it to the poor then follow, He was the one that turned over the money changers in the Temple, He was the one raised dead people back to life (I mean literally not only spiritually), He was the one that turned water into wine, He was the one that said, loving your neighbor is not enough...love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, He was the one that said to take the plank out of your own eye before you try to remove the speck from mine, He was the one who casted out demons (get in the pigs, I love that story), He was the one who blasted religious leaders but ate with prostitutes, He was the one who walked on water, He was the one that said a good shepherd will leave the 99 to go find the 1, He was the one who came into town as a king only to be murdered by the same people a few days later, He was the one that said, "if they stop praising me...the rocks will cry out...", He was the one that said, "whatever you've done to the least of these, you've done it to me also"...He was the one...not Shane Claiborne, not Billy Graham, not Oprah, not President Bush, not Bono, not Mother Teresa, not Zach Snow...He was the one.

The book has been a great reminder of the perfect model Jesus gave us for living life, but His model for living life well and being good is not what brings about righteousness is us. I've said it probably a thousand times in the past couple of years and I hope I have the opportunity to say it a thousand more...it has nothing to do with religion, it has everything to do with relationship...everything! There is freedom that comes in knowing this Christ personally and intimately. When you have that, maybe then you figure out the importance in living a life that models that of Jesus'...otherwise, you're just another person trying to make the good out weigh the bad...and to that I say...good luck...

"...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love" ~The Apostle Paul

Maybe the next entry will have a little more to do with the book...maybe...

ZS