Switching Sites!!!

Hey!

If you want to keep up with my blogs you can check them out at http://ruizbrice.blogspot.com/.

peace

Passion Found in Prayer?

This note was inspired by the prayer request of a friend of mine. I do not think that this note will offend him, but rather encourage him in his quest for passion [in reading Scripture and in time spent with God]. To this friend: If you are reading this, I love you and thank you for a great night of prayer, which in turned opened my eyes to a new view of passion.

The Story:

I was praying with a friend a few weeks back and as we told of our prayer requests he asked that we pray for him in that his passion for God would be further developed. As we made our way around the prayer circle, I found myself thinking about passion and where it comes from. And began to realize that it is not something you simply pray for (although I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to ask God for leading in that direction) and magically have soon thereafter.

The Idea:

During our time in prayer I began to think of things that I have been passionate about and how that passion came to be. Being the ex-athlete that I am, I began to think in terms of my passion for swimming in my earlier years (that makes me sound way older than I am). I did not become passionate about swimming out of nowhere. I did not wake up one day and have this burning desire to excel in the sport. I was somewhat interested in it and I became passionate through doing it, day in and day out. I began swimming my freshman year of high school and wasn’t convinced that I liked it or wanted to continue on into my sophomore year. But as the season progressed I got better and better and began to love it more and more.

Passion is developed in doing, not in sitting on your hands and waiting. I have been in that place of waiting before. In the not-so-distant past I have found myself wanting to like reading Scripture and wanting to be passionate about my relationship with God. So, I prayed that God would build that passion in me – this is a great desire to have, but an incorrect view of how passion is acquired can be devastating – but God never built that passion in me because I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t pursuing a relationship with Him. All I was doing was sitting on my hands praying and waiting to be mystically infused with passion. I could have prayed for weeks, months or years, but without doing something about it I would have never developed that passion. I feel it necessary to say that I am not trying to downplay the importance and effectiveness of prayer, but passion does not come through prayer alone. It comes through time invested in God’s Word and secluded time with Him, coupled with prayer.

God Bless,

Brice

Primary vs Secondary Call

I believe that this is a message that needs to be heard. This is something that I am terribly guilty of, and God has begun to break me and reform my view of. I will mostly be using quotes from “The Calling,” written by Oz Guinness. He addresses this subject far more eloquently than I ever would be able to.

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Guinness says this…

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“Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him and for him. First and foremost we are called to Someone (God), not to something (such as motherhood, politics, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as the inner city or Outer Mongolia).

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Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for him. We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homemaking or to the practice of law or to art history. But these and other things are always the secondary calling, never the primary calling. They are “callings” rather than the “calling.” They are our personal answer to God’s address, our response to God’s summons. Secondary callings matter, but only because the primary calling matters most… Calling is the premise of Christian existence itself, Calling means that everyone, everywhere, and in everything fulfills his or her (secondary) callings in response to God’s (primary) calling.”

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“Calling” is a word that we throw around quite carelessly. We claim to feel called to do this, to go there, or to be that; and in the midst of following what we feel called to, we leave God in the dust. We get so busy and consumed with “our calling” that we often forget about our Primary Calling – to be in relationship with God. When our secondary calling competes with our primary calling, the primary calling should always take precedence. With no exceptions.

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Oswald Chambers said, “Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him… The one aim of the call of God is the satisfaction of God, not a call to do something for Him.”

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24 “The LORD bless you
and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”

- Numbers 6:24-26

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brice

Intelligent Design?

Just yesterday I was driving and saw a bumper sticker on the car ahead of me that said “Intelligent Design” and had three wind turbines (windmills) above the words. It was obviously an attempted low blow at belief in God as Creator. The agenda behind the sticker was to say “true intelligence lies within the mind and creation of man.”
What’s funny about it all is that the sticker’s claim is counterproductive. It states that objects such as windmills are intelligently designed and created, but the human body (that is a million times more complex) happened by accident. That is irrational thinking if I’ve ever heard it.

A Franciscan Benediction

I am still searching for the origin of this benediction, but it hits you square between the eyes! Read it slowly, don’t pass over any part of it…

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

In light of my last post, I think that this benediction is a great peace to think about. Blessings are not always in for the form of things that bring us comfort. Instead, blessings can often come in the form of discomfort, anger, tears and foolishness.

God Bless,

brice

Gumball god

In this time of a economic downturn, church attendance is going up. I have heard it all over the news and the radio, and experienced it at my church too. It is fantastic that the gospel can be shared more broadly in times like these, but I also believe that as the Church we must instill a right view of God in times of crisis. So, with this increased attendance I think that an important truth needs to be communicated – God does not exist simply to bless us!
Too many “Christians” view God as a cosmic Superman. When everything in life is going fine, there is no need for Him, but when life goes all to crap, they pray for God to step in and save the day. As Erwin McManus says (in his book “The Barbarian Way”), “The civilized view of Jesus is that he always comes through for us. Like Superman, He always shows up just in time to protect us and save us from disaster. His purpose is to ensure our safety, our convenience, and our comfort.” Isn’t this how our society has come to view God? That He is there for us when we need Him, but until we do need him we don’t think about or pay any attention to Him? And when we do need Him, He exists in our minds for OUR safety, OUR convenience, OUR comfort, and when it comes down to it… for OUR glory.
So, in this time of economic struggle, we must address the fact that God cannot and will not be manipulated! We cannot show up at church, throw out a couple prayers His way, get a job, and then go on our way ignoring Him. How dare we treat Him as a gumball machine! That we would pop in a quarter, get what we want and then go on our way. Instead of placing importance on God, getting to know Him, serving Him and striving to live for Him, we place the importance on ourselves. Our lives too often say, “God I need you now to bless me, not for Your Will, but for my comfort.” Do you view God as the One who is all-powerful – shining brighter than anything you can see or imagine… the God who demands your life? Or is your god the gumball god?

Sharing the Faith

This is something that I wrote last summer, but I have revised it since then. When I first wrote this it was a bit abrasive because I had just read a book by a certain individual (of whom I will not name), and I feel like he had led my heart away from the love and compassion of the gospel. Since then, God has brought me a long way and I feel as though I needed to rewrite this sucker… so here it is.

I once heard that 2% of Christians share their faith. Really? I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, that’s pretty sad! Even if it is not accurate, the real statistic can’t be too far off that. Knowing how I function and how many of the Christians that I know function, it makes sense to think that Christians do not share their faith enough; and why we have the hope we do. The way that many “Christians” (that I have seen) have come to function in this country is to live everyday life doing whatever it is they do, maybe go to a Bible study, go to church on Sunday and continue to circle oneself in a Christian bubble. Some others are all really good at talking about what needs to happen, what should happen, and how broken hearted they are for these people and those people, yet do nothing. But are we going to reach a point at which we say, “We’ve talked enough; it’s time for action.” One thing that leaves me unsettled (and I have been personally guilty of this) is when people say that they do not have the gift of evangelism (sharing one’s faith with others) and they will let their lives and the way the interact with people preach. But, living a holy and moral life is what we are already supposed to be doing as followers of Christ, so I think it is wrong to write that off as your evangelistic effort.

For some reason far too many “Christians” will look at some things (such as quiet times, and church, and prayer, etc.) as absolutely essential and non-negotiable (of which they are), but they seem to ignore the blatant truth that we are 100%, with out question, supposed to be verbally telling people who Jesus Christ is… regardless of our spiritual gifts. I’ve heard many professing “Christians” who love to quote the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’” Now answer this one question; Can you make disciples by just letting people see your Christian example? I don’t think we can. We can show the love of Christ through how we treat them, and we can live a holy and moral lifestyle, but those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ will not know it unless we tell them.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel always, and if necessary use words.” This is a very popular quote, and a good one, but I believe it is an incomplete one (don’t get me wrong, St. Francis was a great man – I am not saying anything against him). But, how different would Jesus’ ministry had been if he had simply told people to live holy and moral lives, but had never told them by what authority he was saying these things (by God) or who he was (the Son of God)? Being Christ (which is what a Christian is supposed to be) is being vocal in expressing who the source of our hope is.

God Bless,
brice

Impact vs. Depact & Thoughts on Joy

I was speaking with a very dear friend of mine a few days ago and we got to talking about Scripture (the Bible, God’s Word, THE Word, the Sword… take your pick). He spoke of the positive impact that time spent in the Word has had on his relationship with his significant other, which got me to talking about my own personal time spent studying God’s Word. I began to share the obvious change that I can see in my life when I am spending not only a significant amount of time, but also quality time in God’s Word. In the time that I spend in the Word I find more of the character of God, I find what God desires for my life and for the lives of all His children (that’s us, all of us; He desires for ALL to know who He is), and the more I understand who God is, the more I understand His love for me.

But on the opposite end of the spectrum… when I spend very little time in the Word finding out who God is, I can clearly see the DEPACT that it has on my life. I am not as happy, I am not as joyful, I am not as enjoyable to be around. Our natural tendency as humans is to drift away from God, we don’t just drift towards Him; we are prone to wander. If we do not spend time with Him getting to know who he is we will not somehow drift towards Him, it doesn’t work that way. We must be intentional in getting to know Him and allowing Him to impact our lives.

There is a HUGE difference between happiness and joy. Being happy is to feel pleasure or contentment, but joy is more of an expression of what’s going on inside – others can see that there is something different and special going on in you. Happiness is not a bad feeling (obviously), but there is danger in just being happy (content). I can find contentment in my spiritual life when I am actually pretty dry and spending limited time with God. But when I take the time to invest some real time in my relationship with God, I have a hard time not expressing my love for God and talking about Him, and others can see that… they too can witness and experience the joy that I have in my life.

God’s Word is where we find who He is, how He loves us, and how He restores and grows us. God’s Word can only impact your life if you invest time in it and allow it to work on your heart. I hope that it impacts your life as much as it has mine.

Land of the Free

One of my favorite songwriters, Andrew Peterson, has written a song titled “Land of the Free,” and it speaks of the living conditions of those in South America. He is addressing the issue of having ‘things;’ the amount of stuff and material possessions that we in America have verses those in South America. The message that struck me hard was this… “Cause I’m just a little jealous of the nothing that you have, you’re unfettered by the wealth of a world that we pretend is gonna last. They say God blessed us with plenty, but I say you’re blessed with poverty. Cause you never stop to wonder whether earth is just a little better than the land of the free.”

What he is addressing here is that he is jealous of those who have little to nothing because they are not tempted or swayed by all the stuff, all the billboards, and all the glamour of the American/wealthy society. As Americans we think that we blessed as a wealthy and ‘well-off’ country, but Peterson challenges that. He says that those who have nothing are blessed with poverty. As a result of poverty, the thought that this earth might be better than heaven NEVER crosses their mind. But look at us who live in a country infected with wealth (America is 8% of the world’s population, yet we consume 43% of the world’s resources); we are tempted daily to the thought that what we have, what we can acquire, or what we can experience just might be better than what we would have, acquire and experience in heaven. Maybe this is why Jesus told us to sell everything we have.

Peterson’s final line of the song is: “But may you never be so happy that you forget about your home; your home in the land of the free.” This is my prayer for myself and this country; that we never get so preoccupied with the flashy things of this world that we forget of the glory and beauty that awaits us in “The Land of the Free.”

Cool Concept! 

Today

So, I’ve been thinking a lot on how I need to live my life. Everything in our culture points us toward tomorrow. We are to set ourselves up for success, secure our future, and have an idea of what we will accomplish in days, weeks, months and years to come. But what if I don’t have years? What if I don’t have months? What if I die on my way home from the coffee shop where I am writing this post? What if all that I’ve have been working towards has all been in vain? I recently heard someone say, “There is a reason we don’t see U-Hauls following hearses.” The reason being, no matter who you are and how many cool and expensive things you have acquired… we don’t; no, let me rephrase that… we can’t take anything with us past this life. So, what if all of the goals that I have set for myself are ones that I will never accomplish because I don’t have enough time left on this earth? Would my life have counted for anything? In the “Land of the Free” we all think that we will live forever. If we get sick, we have drugs to fix us. If we get hurt, we’ve got doctors to repair us. And, of course, we are all too good of drivers to ever get in a fatal car accident! We all think we are immortal! Right now you may be thinking, “No, I don’t think I’m immortal!” But when is the last time you lived like today could be your last day on earth? We all think that we are going to live a full life in which we get married, raise children, see our grandchildren grow up and say goodbye to our loved ones as we take our last breath. But the truth is that there are no guarantees for tomorrow. I don’t know with 100% certainty that I will wake up tomorrow, I don’t know if a drunk driver will aid in me dying at the age of 23. Do you know how much longer you have? I’ll tell you what I do know. I know with 100% certainty that each and every one of us here on earth will die! That is irrefutable. But the question is when.

One thing that I love about God and His Word (the Bible) is that it answers nearly all of our questions and confirms so many concepts and thoughts that people have. In the New Testament in book of James 4:13-15 James says this, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” – Was James right on or what! We are merely a mist in the grand scheme of things. Whether the earth in 65 billion years old or only a few thousand years old, our 80 years on this earth is only a mist, a mere blink in the eye of time. So, in light of that truth, if our lives are only mist, a blink in the eye of time, can’t we say that there has to be more to life than making money and spending our lifetime focused on ourselves and acquiring stuff. There has to be more to life than this. There has to be a purpose to us being here. We have only a short time to make something of this life. What I need to change is my perspective of goals. What can I do today to make a difference in this world? What can I do today that will secure treasures in heaven, for I will not be taking a U-Haul with me whether I die today or 60 years from now. I am going to try and make a difference today!