Waking Up

Recently my wife and I have been talking about losing weight.  We both would like to look better, but I personally feel like I lack any real discipline to look the way I would actually like to.  I know that doesn’t sound very positive, and hey I said we’ve been TALKING about it, not that we were committed to anything just yet.  Meditating upon these thoughts and attitudes though, I wonder, when would I ever look or feel my best if not now?  Why not start?  A person only lives once, and it’s not like I’m going to feel like doing this kind of thing when I’m any older.

I think for the past 8 to 9 months my brain has been on auto pilot.  I haven’t thought much about anything besides work, and when I’m home I just veg out.  I am happy to say though, that God is graceful and patient.  He has always been there, nudging me through hard times (and in my mind it seems that’s all there has been in the past year).  There’s been different thoughts forming in my mind though, thoughts once again of India, and missions, discipleship  and writing again!  LIFE!

A good cowboy friend once told me that anything good worth doing is never easy.  Jesus said that difficult and narrow is the path that leads to life.  I think I’m learning all over again that complacency, being comfortable is not the best thing.  Sometimes, we even have to determine in our hearts to sacrifice that we might have a little more of who we should be in the Lord.  I think I’m actually starting to wake up, and right now, life looks pretty good. 

Karen and I just might get creative with this weight thing…ultimately though, there will be discipline, spiritually and physically.

We’ve been learning a lot about the Holy Spirit in Sunday School class lately.  I believe for one of the first times in my life, that I’m sensing His hand here, working well in my family. 

Thank you Lord for your love and patience…

Our Reasons for Financial Peace

Last year my wife and I went through Financial Peace University.  This is a program from Dave Ramsey, who is becoming increasingly popular through television and radio media as America believes all the dramatic news about going into the days of deep dark depression.  Or at the least a recession.  I have my own opinions about that, but seeing as how I’m no financial expert, I will leave that for another posting at another time.

Our quest to be debt free, has a few ends in itself.  Some of the principles Dave teaches are starting to form the opinions and character of my wife and I.  It’s getting into us…we are sipping the kool-aid and starting to like it.  Here’s why:

First, we can’t even think about buying a house until we are debt free.  My wife, Karen, only works part time and my income isn’t enough to cover a house payment, car payment, and every other “payment” that comes standard in America’s world…not to mention phone or electric bill or whatever other utilities people pay these days. 

Second, social security is a joke.  It won’t be fixed from what I understand, it can’t be, and I refuse to allow my wife and I to be worried month after month…waiting on checks that may or may not be there and then it not being enough to live on or cover whatever medication we may need when we’re older.

Third, the Lord has placed a burden on my heart for the Banjara people of India.  Our communication is limited with these folk, and very few them have ever heard the name of Jesus.  There is a film ministry that we are contributing to right now.  This ministry currently is focused on buying a quality used sport utility vehicle and a projector that the Jesus film can be shown in remote villages in a language they can understand.  To be debt free means that we can be contributing WELL to this project and many, many of the Banjara people can come to know our Lord Jesus.  Then they can spread the news of the gospel themselves, telling the story and worshipping Christ as only the Banjara do.  My wife and I one day hope to contribute much, much more than what we are currently contributing to this mission.  It’s hard to do that when we’re funding the bank (who could care less about our well being or salvation).  We have a responsibility to spread the gospel, and this is the best way to do this with this particular people group.  I’ve made many friends with the Banjara people, and hope to make many more.

We’ve tested the wisdom of Dave Ramsey to see if there truly is any “financial peace” and we are finding that there is.  You know the wierd thing is, a lot of Dave Ramsey’s wisdom comes straight from the Bible.  Hmmm…the Word of God doesn’t steer you wrong?  Go figure.

Honoring God When It Hurts Most

In the Sunday school class I’ve been attending for the past three weeks, we’ve been talking about honoring God.  So far one of the main ideas that have been learned, discussed, and reinforced is the thought of honoring God in “the little things.”  Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it?  One would go, “duh!” to such a thought; but as I’ve found out this week, when it starts hurting, it’s easier said than done.

I’m a firm believer that a person has to have a shift of paradigm; a change in their vantage point (this has been discussed in the Sunday school class as well) must take place before anyone will change their actions for good or bad.  Though I’ve understood this concept and been able to see where it has been applied in my own life to things like personal finance and smoking; I also must admit there are everyday actions and behavior that I’ve not applied this concept to. 

There are some habits that we have that are not necessarily sinful, but they are also not necessarily good either.  Let me use myself as an example.  I have a coworker who knows my moods.  At least, she thinks she does.  And for the most part, she’s right, she knows I like coffee in the mornings, and she thinks enough about me (or God) to have a fresh pot of coffee brewing when I get there.  I usually don’t say much when I come in, and it takes me a while to get woke up, when I finally do come out of my grogginess, my mood improves and the rest of the day is usually quite pleasant.  I like my job and I like the people I work with so being in a good mood is usually not that difficult.  But that habit of being unpleasant in the morning just because I haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet has become a hard habit to break.  And what happens when the mood doesn’t improve?  What if someone says something in the wrong tone while I’m reinforcing my habit?  Or says nothing at all and I think they should?  The results can become disasterous, and in the end, sinful because others can be hurt by what the apostle James calls a tongue of fire.  Who’d have thought I could be half asleep and have a tongue on fire!  (Okay, that was corny, but it does make a funny mental picture)  Either way, I hope I’ve made my point, my paradigm has changed, my point of view.  It is no longer acceptable to be in a bad mood just because its early.  It doesn’t bring honor to God. 

Our God, Lord and Savior deserves more than what I give him and so…enough is enough with this bad habit, and others, but that’s for another blog.

A Most Embarrassing Moment With My Spouse

Tonight a memory came to me that I haven’t thought of in a long time.  I’m not one to rehash the past, but it fell right in line with the thoughts I had after church tonight.  This, coincidently, just happened to be the same Sunday as the Super Bowl.

 

This memory starts on a Sunday morning.  I’m tired because I’m sure I stayed up too late the night before.  My wife Karen, who loves me and my children dearly, is also tired because I’m sure I stayed up too late the night before.  It’s approximately 8:00 am, I really should be getting up, church will be starting soon and I really should be there.  But my stomach hurts, I think (I always have a stomach ache when I don’t have enough sleep), and I think God will understand me calling in sick once.  Only, I’m not really sick, not really, I just want to stay in bed a little longer.  I roll over and put my arm around my wife, who IS getting up, and I’m not going to be able to convince her to stay with me.  I tell her I don’t feel well (a little white lie) and I’m not planning to go to church this morning.  She looks disappointed and says “okay” as she’s getting dressed in a hurry.  In a flash she’s gone to dress the children.  That kind of surprises me because I figured if she was in as big of a hurry as she seems to be she’ll leave the kids.  The kids are tired too, but they also are dressed and look pretty good as they head out the door as Karen gathers up the last of what she needs for the morning.  I’m still laying there in bed when she comes in one last time to barely give me a cold peck on my cheek.  “Ya know,” she said, “our boys need to be in church.  I’m going to take them, and I wish you were going too, since you are their father and my husband.”  Then she left.

 

I knew what she meant with that last statement.  I was the man of this home.  I’m supposed to be the spiritual leader; I should be waking her up and dragging her out the door.  I should be showing the children how important it is to assemble with our friends and family in Christ Jesus and worshiping him in spirit and in truth.  But here I was, lying in bed, my spouse charging out of the home, running to Jesus, tearfully that her husband refuses to join her.  I was mad at first; she made me look like a fool.  I usually go to church, don’t I deserve a break?  Then I thought back and realized my church attendance lately was hit and miss at the very best.  But how dare she talk to me like that!  I am the man of the house, aren’t I?  But my conscience told me if I were, I’d be in that car, taking my family to church.  I was mortified.  That morning my lack of enthusiasm to take my rightful place as man of the home and meet Jesus, where so many others would gather together in His name, embarrassed me.  Knowing that Christ was the reason to be there, I was ashamed.  My spouse had shown me up because she obeyed the Lord.

 

As the church, we are the bride of Christ, the bible teaches this truth in more than one passage.  Yet as Christ’s spouse, are we still lying in bed, making excuses as to why not to go and see Him?  Take this illustration metaphorically or literally, neither way is good.  When in the world did it become okay NOT to go meet Jesus with our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ?  We are His bride, and yet use His grace and goodness as a constant excuse to lie in bed and complain that we are so tired, or we are so sick, or we are so sick and tired.  Of what, can I ask, sick and tired of what?  Think about it, doesn’t Christ tell us to come to Him, we who are weak and heavy laden?  What exactly are we so tired of or sick of that we can’t come to Christ, our husband to see Him and be with Him, as He’s promised He is there with us?

 

Recently I’ve heard two people comment that it is rather normal, in these days, for a church to have a high attendance on Sunday mornings and yet have extremely low attendance in comparison on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights.  One of these folks, mercifully, said that Sunday nights may be the only time church members have to relax after a stressful week of work, not to mention a stressful Saturday of running kids back and forth to different sports games and events.  I’m trying to picture it, me standing before Christ, explaining that after a week of trying to get money to pay for more stuff that will probably take my attention away from Him…eh, maybe not.

 

Why does His bride, His church, the one people on the earth that claim to love Him the most, avoid Him like the plague after one gathering?  If we love Him as much as we claim to shouldn’t we be breaking our necks to get into His presence?  Shouldn’t we be lining up to be in His service?  Why do we constantly make excuses as to why we shouldn’t be there and mistake his mercy for winking at our complacency?  Christ said He vomited us out because we are not cold nor hot!  It’s time for some kind of revival; it’s time for repentance, in our church and in our nation.

Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 9)

This morning started as a typical morning for us.  We woke up early – not because we wanted to, but because we were all awake, again.  We were showered in record time as the water was extremely cold this morning.  Breakfast was at 9, the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed for the team because they knew there was nothing they personally had to preach or teach today.  Though Jana got sick last night and didn’t feel much like eating.  Sush has been getting sick too…

After breakfast we all went to our rooms where we were donned with another fancy Indian outfit. This was much nicer than the ones they bought us last year.  However, they were all too small.  Only I could get the shirt buttoned all the way down, but I was uncomfortable with that.  Steve and Richard were in the same boat.  Sush asked that we instead wear then more like sport coats and that worked out fine.

Pastor Steve baptized about 20 believers and then the fan fare began.  There was a huge procession for the six of us.  It was complete with “stick dancers” and traditional Banjara tribal dancers.  There were so many of them.  We walked through a huge parade of people dancing and singing.  Flowers were being thrown in the air on us and all around us.  They gave us more flowers to place around our necks.  I’ve never seen so many colors and heard so much noise as these humble village people escorted us to the front of a huge tent.  There we heard more music and were entertained by the best of the stick dancers.  They danced and sang to music as each one of them had two wooden sticks in each hand which they clicked and clacked together as they weaved past each other in dance.  Each on wore a red bandana as a headband; signifying the type of entertainer they were.  Most of these dancers were young men, no older than 21, but there were 3 ladies there who were just as skilled as the men.  Banjara dancers were next, three women who danced and balanced big liter sized bottles of water on their heads.  One of these women we’ve been watching all week.  She has this look of absolute confidence on her face when she dances; almost a look of smugness.  She never has this look any other time except when she dances.  It’s pretty amusing.

Pastor Steve gave a message and brought the gospel to a lot of people who have come from the thandas.  Some we preached to in the village, some are church members who came and wanted to say goodbye to us.  Still others were just people who had heard the noise and came to see what the commotion was all about.  Steve gave an invitation, though it was not clear as to whether people heard the gospel and were responding to the Holy Spirit working conviction of their sins, or if everybody simply was coming to receive prayer for healing and blessing.  The Banjara are a very superstitious people, and it would be easy to see how they would think “white people” could pray for them and all would be well.  The whole group prayed for those who came, believing and hoping they were coming for salvation.

After those services we had lunch.  EVERYONE had lunch.  There was a huge amount of food being served to a huge amount of people.  Rice and chicken were on the menu as usual.  Though I learned most of these people don’t get the chicken on a daily basis, all they ever have any abundance of is rice.  I couldn’t imagine it.  Sush called it a “chicken feast,” and that it was.  There were so many Banjara people; I hope our visit did them well and that Christ’s message will not be obscured by the “white folks from America” who came to tell it.

After lunch we finished packing and tried to nap before leaving for the city to do some shopping and then going to the airport.  It wasn’t easy to sleep as we knew we were going home.  We got one more cold shower in hopes that we could stay clean through the biggest part of our journey.

Goodbyes were quick thank goodness.  Many of those I was saying goodbye to I had not personally spoken to all week long, but they were all tearful just the same.  These people love us so much.  Sudakar, Damodar’s brother, who served us meals all week long, was about to break down while we were saying goodbye.  And Damodar’s mother had huge tears in her eyes.  That was hardest for me; seeing this woman who barely knew us weep over such simple servants of the Lord.  We were there to serve her and she served us one thousand times over by just being there, to love us and listen, to dance, to sing or just to smile as many, many others did the same all week long.  We will be missing some very good friends.

Thinking on the trip home about the events of the day and the past week; I can’t help but say that I’ll miss the fellowship more than anything.  We had so many good times with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We did our best to serve one another and I’ve learned that this is a major part in fellowship in the Lord.  These beautiful people treat us as though we are heroes or celebrities.  They make big banners in order to announce our comings and goings and they make sure every need is met according to their best ability so that we soft Americans are as comfortable as we can be.  They see us as leaving homes thousands of miles away as being the biggest, most important events of our lives.  To some, it is.  To me, it is; not because I am any type of hero, but because it takes a huge amount of faith in the Lord to get there and to get through it.  Money, time, lessons, embarrassment at times, sickness at times, fears to conquer, love to risk and even the chance of never seeing your loved ones again, back home and in the mission field; at least not until we all get to Heaven.  All of these must be considered and take faith in the Lord just to get by and step out toward that visit to the Banjara people.  It seems the people of India understand that, though they may never understand the specific details.

Now, going home, which has been a remarkably smooth ride (I slept 6 hours of our first 8 hour flight) I realize I’m heading back to a place where my words will not mean near as much as they do in India.  Among my own people, I am just like they are.  I am equal and not held on a pedestal.  People will categorize the words I speak for the Lord as being with those they respect, like they would a dear pastor or a youth minister, but rarely will those words be taken to heart.  No, at home, in America, there must always be more than words, but there also must be action.  People love to be put up on a pedestal, they love to be made to feel important, as though what their words say mean something to those around them.  They SHOULD mean something.  The very fact that intelligible words are coming from the voice that God gave them should mean that someone is listening, especially when it’s someone from home who can relate to them.  If this trip has taught me anything, it is that when the very least among men is speaking, the very least among believers should be listening.  Open hearts should be among us, so we might seek a way to bring men, women, and children to the saving grace of our Lord and then the sanctifying favor from He who we have found and adore.  I personally realize just how much we are called to serve among believers and unbelievers alike, even when serving just means listening.

As for the fellowship among my brothers in Christ who went on this trip, we have all grown closer.  Richard, whom I didn’t really know very well, will now be a life long friend as we have served together and realize we see much more eye to eye than what we ever believed.  It was regrettable though, to the both of us that we never took time out before to get to know one another.

Sometimes people have preconceived ideas about another person and often times they let those ideas keep them from stepping out in faith to get to know them.  I believe Richard realized that he never knew me.  Well, not to the point he does now.  The same can be said about me with him.  Yet I was apologetic and let him know that I’m shy as it is.  Because of that, there are few we serve in the church with who do know me as well as he does now.

Steve, my pastor, friend and mentor is looking at these mission trips now with comfort and casualness.  He understands the urgency of souls needing to be reached fro Christ, but there is now comfort ability in what he does when he goes to India.  He is not as apprehensive as he once was about teaching and preaching to people he doesn’t know.  Now he sees all of them as just needing Jesus Christ and that’s giving him a drive to come back again and again.  May I also learn to step out of my comfort zone until it becomes comfortable for me as well.

Complacent: To be or not to be

Today was a strange day…

I slept in.  I hate sleeping in, but I find myself, more often than not, hitting the snooze button a lot more than what’s necessary and developed a nasty habit of just going back to sleep.  Because of this, I missed my devotion time, my prayer time, and most of all, just my alone time with God.  However, I found the day to be absolutely beautiful and having very little difficulty getting ready for work as I just accepted that my normal “alone time” just wasn’t going to happen because I woke up late.  When I got out the door, with a hot cup of coffee in hand, I was 10 minutes earlier than I normally am.  I had plenty of time to get to work without having to drive like a maniac.

The rest of the day went…GREAT!  Odd as it sounds.  I know, I know…a lot of folks in this mode of thinking would say that they missed their quiet time and so the rest of the day was “off.”  Well, I’m not going to say that I didn’t have that initial conviction…it was there.  But all in all, it was a good day.

I guess because I was in the mode of looking for Christ, opportunities came up today I may not have seen before.  Ways of pointing to Jesus that wasn’t just coming from a “good ole boy” but real issues that Christ looked at and gave stern warnings for.  Things like “beware the leaven of the Pharisees” (Matthew 16).  I was also able to share the verse that made me realize what it meant to actually know Christ and make him Lord of my life (Matthew 7:21-23).  I also was able to share how God is a God of second chances, and third, and fourth and even fifth chances, not that we should tempt Him, but that we should remember He is gracious, no matter how stupid or sinful we are.  Aren’t our loved ones blessed, aren’t we blessed, that when we would normally give up on a person, God says, ” here’s another chance, oh yes, and if they screw this one up, I’ll give them another.”  Praise God for His mercy.

I reflected on how easy it was, to wake up and just go, and have a great day, and the appeal that most Christians have just to run out the door as quick as we have what we “need.”  Not often do we think that the real NEED went sufficiently ignored, in fact, probably not even thought of.  Isn’t it easy to think the next day will be just as good, and the next, and the next?  Soon we are just running out the door everyday, asking the Lord to bless the day (and fooling ourselves that this is enough).  Maybe, this is the danger of complacency.  It sneaks up on you, one day you are serving the Lord, praying for people, having quiet time, genuinely caring for folks, and the next, it’s okay to excuse one ignored area of your life for another…the next…your soul is struggling to catch up with you as you’re running out the door. 

Be diligent church, be diligent to run the race as Paul encouraged us too (1 Corinthians 9:24).  Let us stop being complacent.

3rd and 4th Spoke – “Fellowship and Witness”

Point 1:  “Staring At The Threshold”

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.  (Romans 10:1)

Imagine lying at the door of Death.  It is inevitable that you will be going through that door, sooner than those around you.  Maybe you have a disease, the doctors won’t tell you much, other than you do not have much time, and there’s nothing they can do to help you.  You are staring at the threshold of Eternity, not standing at it, mind you…you have time, but only by the grace of God.  But you don’t believe in God, at least, not Heaven and Hell anyway….that’s what you’ve told yourself, but you always pray to Christ for forgiveness and peace when the going gets REALLY rough. 

Now, here you are, scared because you might be wrong.  You don’t know of course, who can?  Yet you will find out sooner than anyone else.  If you are right, you will close your eyes and fade from existence; this life being all you had.  If you are wrong?  If you choose not to believe what that close Christian friend told you about Christ or what that stranger said when he told you about the death and ressurection of Jesus, just for you, what then? 

Such is the attitude I need to have towards those who do not believe in Christ.  If they HAD TIME to choose, to look at deaths door, what would they choose?  What if they had no idea what was on the other side?  What if you were the only person to help them decide – Heaven by believing or Hell by ignorance?  If I could just get a glimpse of most people this way, would my uncaring attitude change?   People who scoff at the LORD, those who hear the Good News and refuse to believe, may change their tune if they just knew the end was coming.  If I can take this attitude, would I ever give up praying for them, no matter how cruel they treat me or who I stand for?  Or would I just not care because of their indifference?  If God were to give them all the grace, just one more day, one more hour, then I should try to picture what that person may do if he or she stood at the threshold of Eternity.  God forbid, they should reject the witness of our Lord in love, and step into Hell, after my heartfelt warning and affirmation of Christ’s love towards them!  But some will, we just can’t give up hope until hope is gone…because as long as God gives that person the grace to take one more breath, he may also give them one more breath to choose to follow Him and believe that He is Lord. 

For my fellow believer, my attitude changes towards you as well if I can take this attitude towards the unbeliever; because you are united with me in a cause if you share the same burden.  We have a common goal, to love the world one soul at a time that our Lord will be glorified.  I will help you, you will help me, and “fellowship” continues.  And my-”uncaring attitude” towards people besides myself, ends.  May we all “stare at the threshold” before we have to walk through it, for ourselves, but most importantly-for eachother.

The Wheel – 3rd Spoke “Fellowship”

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;”   James 2:8 

I have come to a critical juncture in my discipleship training…fellowship.

I think I’ve admitted once before, I’m kind of a loner.   I could hang out in the mountains (or anywhere else with solitude) with my family and really be okay for quite some time.  But it has been brought to my attention that no man is an island, and the Lord intended communion with others.  The Lord had fellowship with Adam in the garden.  He also saw that Adam was “alone” and created Eve.  Loneliness was the first thing God ever deemed “not good.”  Now I have to deal with crucial aspects of my own heart.  Things I’ve put off because “well, that’s just me.”  That’s not going to fly anymore.

I’m trying to get down to the core as to why I push people away.  Or maybe not push away, but take on a nonchalant attitude about them.  Is it just easier?  Am I afraid of getting hurt?  Is it me, me, me?  Or have I finally just come to the point to where I have to admit I’m more selfish than I am loving?  Maybe I’ve put a wall up for so long that I just don’t care.  I’ve only cared about me and what’s on my side of the wall (family, close friends, my interests) and have made some kind of conscience decision somewhere just not to get involved with anyone on the other side of the wall I’ve put between them and me.  Even fellow believers are on the other side.  The Lord has tugged at my heart all day since yesterday about this. 

Pastor’s sermon was on ”What’s the desire of your heart?”  Sunday morning.  He asked us to make a mental list of about 10 things that we had on our top most desired list.  I jotted down 5 real quick, thinking this was going to be a “God giving the desires of your heart” sermon.  What was on mine?  Well, let me just share the first 5 with you and see if you can guess where my heart was.

1.  A good, well built, clean, house that’s not been torn up by termites

2.  Poison Ivy that has festered all over my right foot to be healed and just GO AWAY!

3.  To be debt free.

4.  Go on vacation w/out worrying about money

5.  To go to India w/out worrying about money   

Sounds bad doesn’t it?  Paul’s heart’s desire was that Israel might be saved.  Mine was, well…

I took notes on the rest of the sermon and planned on going over them all day long today, but something always got in the way.  I always found something better to do than focus on this problem I have within myself.  I must learn to love people the way I love myself, and Pastor Steve gave some tips on how to do that in his sermon.  Over the next few blogs I’m going to go over those tips and write a little bit as to how they apply to my life.  Maybe as I write them down I’ll start to see that somehow the Lord through His Spirit will start providing a new love for just people in general, believers and non believers alike.  Because I really believe that is the root of the problem, just not loving people in general, and being too wrapped up in my own life.  Comments always welcome.  God bless.

Discipline From Grace

I’ve never been good about discipline.  “Discipline for what?”  You might ask.  After tonight’s lesson, I have determined…I’ve never been good about discipline at ANYTHING!

Just now, I started mentally listing all those things which I set out to do but left unfinished, and for many of those things, I’ll never have the chance to finish them again.

• guitar lessons
• piano lessons
• 6th grade football
• trumpet lessons
• Never completing an application for scholarships for college (I didn’t go to college as a result)
• my first marriage (yes, this was a special circumstance, always is, right?)
• car payments (repossesed car)
• mobile home payments (repossesed mobile home)
• community college
• roof on my house
• doornob on my son’s bedroom door

Man, this is depressing…but…

I am a new creature in Christ!  You see, most of the things listed above were absolute failures in my life, but they’ve also helped to bring about the victory I’ve experienced in Jesus.  And though I may have never been disciplined to finish anything, I now have hope to attain EVERYTHING.  God has placed within my soul, when I believed in the name of Christ and His sacrifice and ressurection, a drive to live for Him.  This drive includes a discipline of faith, prayer, reading the Bible, witnessing, and fellowship with other believers.  I have found I wish to be more like Jesus Christ, because He has given me a new heart, and because He loves and believes in me, even more than I love and believe in Him.  (I John 4:19)

I will continue in these disciplines and learn from them, they have made me patient in ways in other areas of my life.  Placing my thoughts in my journals, working on this home which God has blessed me with, and even in stewardship has patience come, and our life is becoming a tribute to God.  I look forward…not to seeing what God will do, but rather on discovering “more of who God is” (Oswald Chambers).