May 14

Glory to Glory

I’m 40. My birthday came and went marking 40 years of choices, victories, and failures leaving me a new sense of how quickly paced this journey home is. It’s strange really. I have a heightened awareness that this deal is halfway done. I’m not being pessimistic, I’m hopeful actually. I also have a renewed passion stirring in my soul.

We are being changed from one glory to another as we look into the face of Jesus and reflect Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. I look back over the these last 40 years and see the fingerprints of God all throughout the good and the difficult.  One thing is for sure at this point in the journey. I have been changed.

Change is scary and painful at times. However, change is necessary. Change, transformation if you will, is a sign of life and hope. When I began to gaze into the face of Jesus, I went from being an incredibly insecure kid with a overwhelming fear of what people thought to being a person who finds joy in serving others regardless of their opinions. Only Jesus does stuff like that! I have seen miracles. I have seen what seemed like a hopeless situation become amazing agents of change and victory. I have walked through horrible circumstances and had Jesus hold my hand and lead be to the other side.

I am looking forward to the next 40 years. I am excited for this next leg of the journey. I believe the next glory is coming and it will look like (and glorify) Jesus.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2:Corinthians 3:18

Apr 26

Value-able information

I was reading a post on Tony Morgan’s site where he interviewed Mark Miller, the vice president of training and marketing for Chic-fil-a, and one of Mark’s answers grabbed my attention. Mark said:

We encourage our leaders to take three action steps to bring their values to life:

  • Know your values – Values must be known and understood before they can be communicated
  • Share your values – Don’t make people guess at what’s important, tell them
  • Live your values – Leaders are doomed if they say one thing and do another

We have just taken our church through a series of teaching regarding the discipleship process we feel the Lord has given us. We talk about Values, Vision, and Vehicles and in that order. We believe that out of values flows vision and then we determine vehicles to serve the vision. The Father’s values are placed in us when we become children of God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ made possible by the completed work of the cross. What we value will determine what we see and what we see will determine how we live. All of this is to say, “Values are HUGE!”

So this quote from Mark Miller is a great challenge to all of us. We need “Know” the values God has birthed within us through salvation, “Share” our values with those God send us to and in our sphere of influence, and “Live” those values out and see God move in powerful ways.

What are some core values God has place in your life that you need to Know, Share, and Live?

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