There’s a nature reserve within walking distance of where we live.  We often walk, play or I ride my bike through it.  I’ve taken this same path and passed this same sign numerous times while riding my bike.  But the other morning it was different.  I don’t know what it was about this time–maybe it was the quiet morning or the coffee I drank.  While those could have been factors, I have no doubt it was also God’s timing.

The part of the sign that caught my attention was the title that read, Restoration in Progress.

Last fall, I remember walking to this park with my daughter and finding it to be irritatingly closed.  There was another sign at the park’s entrance that stated, “Controlled Burn.” As I read further, I found out that they do controlled burns in forests to extract and kill off the unnatural, imposturous bush allowing the forest to replenish or restore itself with organic, natural plantation.

See where I’m going with this?

I wish it were not so but often times I notice the characteristics that are not of the original God-like image I’m created in slowly creep into my being.  If my being is the “forest,” then these ungodly traits are the unnatural things that slowly grow into existence.  Unnoticed at first, but as they grow one by one, they begin to takeover, strangle and dim the natural, radiant beauty that God has created in me that reflect who He is.

During these times, I become increasingly aware of how I’ve made myself the center of attention, the star of the movie or the king of my own life.  It’s also during these times that I’m left unsatisfied, ungrateful, and discontent.

Here’s the stark contrast I find in Scripture between these two realities of the unnatural (flesh) exchanged for the natural (Spirit):

Galatians 5:19-26
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I find restoration to be a process, a journey and a progression that are cyclical.  Like a controlled burn in a forest, the results are temporary.  The burn has to take place again and again.  In our own lives, when we allow God to burn the unnatural and restore the natural, the weeds and imposturous bush of our soul creep back in until we find ourselves reliving the devastation we were in once before.  It may not be the same foreign species that has overgrown the soul previously, but it results in the same central pride that suffocates the intended God-like qualities.

There are two basic schools of thought regarding this overgrowth and restoration of the soul.  One side says that it’s possible to reach holiness or perfection in this lifetime.  The other says it’s impossible to become completely blameless and this cycle will occur over and over until the next lifetime.  I’m not sure what I believe when it comes to theological debates such as these.  I don’t know if either of these views are really the point anyways.

What I do know is that I want to allow God to search, restore and refine me as often as needed.  I know when I’m in that depressing self-centered state that I’m a terrible husband, father, son, friend and agent of the Gospel.  I will continue to strive toward what is right and good and who knows what will happen…maybe someday in a surrendered state of being I’ll be made whole in Christ Jesus.

Until then, I have this promise to hold onto:

Revelation 21:5
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

So my working statement is, “When necessary, use words.”  If you’re a church history guru, you probably know who I’ve thieved this statement from.  But this statement is who I want to be as an artist.  When people see, hear and read my work–I want my work to evoke emotion, give a feeling, connect in a real way, change opinions, lead to understanding–in as few words as possible.  I guess that could be considered user experience.  People tend to respond better and take more ownership over something they’ve experienced, rather than been told.

Now that I think about it, maybe that can be my life philosophy.

Artist:  Gungor
Song: Beautiful Things

Consider this, a high school student senses an intense call from God to pursue ministry.  Very few churches will accept somebody without a piece of paper (a degree).  Therefore, this student has to attend a private college for a ministry degree.  Private colleges/universities are very expensive resulting in this student coming out with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt.  This student finds their first ministry job (usually as a youth pastor because apparently that’s entry level).  This full-time ministry job pays this new “professional,” $18,000, $25,000 (if you’re lucky $30,000) a year.  This professional is now on their own providing their own housing, food, insurance, etc.  Oh wait, six months later their first bill arrives in the mail demanding pay back for student loans.  So, what does this young professional cut from their budget in order to live?  Food?  Housing?  Insurance?

I know this is all a matter of choice and there are many different ways to pursue a career in ministry but here’s the point:  There has to be another way! Why cut off the legs of a person wanting desperately to follow God’s call on their life before they even hit the ground running?

On Sunday, I learned of a new burrito place.  Actually, it’s not new at all–just new to me!  This new found  burrito restaurant got me thinking…There are few that know this about me but I have a list. So I figured, why not share it with the world?  Some may have a grocery list, a to-do list, a contact list, etc.  But I–I have a list of favorite burrito restaurants.  Keep in mind, I would go to any of these restaurants any day of the week.  So here it is, my “not-so-systematically-ranked burrito restaurant list (ranked from least favorite to favorite):”

4. Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina
This is the newest restaurant added to my list. It’s probably my least favorite because it’s a little sloppy. The juices from the pork ended up everywhere and made some of chips soggy. Generally, I get chicken or pork when I go to these restaurants but noticed right away that Salsarita’s had ground beef. If I recall correctly, the other places on my list do not have ground beef.

3. Moe’s Southwest Grill
Moe’s is always such a welcoming place especially when they shout, “Welcome to Moe’s,” when you walk in the door. The best things about Moe’s is their salsa bar, their specials and their creative burrito names. Every burrito comes with chips and salsa, you don’t have to order it extra like other places. I always get hung up with choosing which burrito I want. This not-so-simple process always leaves me ordering the wrong burrito–I don’t know how this happens every time!

2. Chipotle Mexican Grill
I know, I know. Many of you (by “many of you,” I mean all two of you that read my blog), thought this would be my number one choice. I think my biggest hang-up, which isn’t very big since it’s my number two choice, with Chipotle is the lack-of menu. I don’t know what it is about their chips but they are definitely the best out of all of the burrito restaurants. Their hot salsa is definitely the hottest and their carnita is the better pork of these restaurants. This is the first burrito restaurant that I was introduced to and it will always carry a special place in my heart, err…stomach.

1. Qdoba Mexican Grill
In my opinion, Qdoba is the most flavorful of all burrito-dom, which is why it qualifies as my “numero uno” favorite burrito restaurant. I usually order off their craft 2 menu. You can choose two out of the seven items listed for $5.99. I get two tacos and mexican gumbo. The mexican gumbo makes a great side for the tacos and consists of tortilla soup with your choice of taco fillings thrown in. Of course, you can order the tortilla soup itself, if you prefer.  Their queso is pretty good too!

There you have it!  Now, the next time you want to buy me a mexican inspired meal, you know how each one ranks in my book. Each one has it’s own special thing, so you can’t lose with any of them. Also, I’m sure there are many more burrito places out there that I don’t know about. What are they?

What does your ranking of burrito restaurants look like?

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God,10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

I’ve been reading through Acts lately and this passage really made an impression on me over the Christmas season this year.

You know those guys on the street corner holding the cardboard signs that say something like, “Will work for food,” and the strange “panhandlers,” who are usually asking for your extra change as you walk through the busy downtown streets?  I’m assuming the lame guy in this passage is somebody like those guys.  I would even go as far to say that this lame guy’s disability was being exploited for financial gain considering the text reads that he was being carried to the gate to beg everyday.  If you’re like me when you walk past those guys exploiting homelessness (in some circumstances, pseudo-homelsessness) on the street you think to yourself, “They’re just going to use the cash to feed their addiction.”

So, what if…

We paid enough attention to the Holy Spirit living inside of us and asked, “What is it that makes that person sit here day after day begging for money?  Do they have some sort of addiction that they’re feeding?  Are they disabled in some way?  Or have they truly fallen on hard times and need some basic needs like food and shelter?”  Then, if we actually believed and embodied the promise that we have the “same Spirit who rose Jesus from the dead living in us”– with full confidence we could say, “Get up!”  By stepping into God’s story, we could allow Him to demonstrate His glory and give more than a gift of cash but a gift of healing!  What better gift could be given to anyone?  After all, don’t we celebrate Christmas because of a gift who came to restore?

Can you imagine the types of stories we’d be reading in the newspaper or seeing on the six o’clock news?

I don’t to claim to know how or when God wants to heal somebody of their addiction, defect, or circumstance.  But what I do know is that He wants to showcase His glory!  And why shouldn’t He?  He is God!  I want to have the kind of relationship with God that He shares things like this with me.  I may never be the one who possesses the gift of healing–and I’m ok with that!  Actually, I can tell you that God has never used me to heal somebody physically!  But God has wired me in a way to do other things that glorify and build-up the Church.

What about you?  Do you have the kind of relationship with God that He shares with you what He wants to do through you?

“We’ll sing the news of all Your grace / We’ll help the broken hearted praise / You’ll put Your glory on display / King of Heaven” -Charlie Hall

If you know me at all, you know I like tech gadgets.  I like to be current with technology, if not a little bit ahead of the curve.  However, you may consider me pre-historic because I don’t have the latest cell phone technology with a data plan–mostly because I haven’t been able to justify the cost.  Sure, I would love the convenience of the virtual world at my fingertips everywhere I go!  I’ve always dreamed of having the all-in-one device that plays music, videos, gives me directions with the latest maps, tells me what song is playing in that store at the mall, helps me navigate the constellations in the sky, checks my email, follows my social networks and makes a phone call.  All of those things in one device would not only be entertaining but it would make my pockets lighter.  But it comes at a price!

I remember having a conversation with a representative of my wireless network a few months ago.  I was telling him that I couldn’t justify or afford the extra $30 a month for the data plan that comes with the latest smartphone.  His question back was, “Do you have an extra dollar a day?”  Wow, that makes it sound a lot cheaper, huh?  Since then, I still have not added the data plan.

It wasn’t the thought of not having the data plan that haunted me last night–it was the salesman’s question.

There’s an organization that I hear about and see often at concerts and events that used to use the tagline, “For just a dollar a day…”  Since then, the price has gone up a little bit due to the worldwide economy but Compassion is just one organization that helps provide food, water, shelter, clothes and education for children in poverty.  The price to sponsor a child is $38 a month.  Compare that to the $30 data plan.

Feed my need for technology or hear the cries of the oppressed?

I’m not a spokesman for Compassion, just a guy thinking about what really matters in life.  At this point, I don’t sponsor a child OR subscribe to a data plan with my wireless carrier.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do at this point…but at least I’m thinking about it, right?  There will come a point in time where I need to put my thought into action.

I know God doesn’t need more apathetic philosophers to talk about what the Church is doing wrong but He needs some revolutionaries to show the Church what to do right!

I like what C.S. Lewis writes in his book Mere Christianity,

“But it [Christianity] also thinks that a great many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again.”

• Taking and being the Church in a non-church environment.  (Matthew 28:18-20 *note:  ”all nations” has no boundaries of social class, job environment, race, religion, nationality, etc.)
• Hearing ‘their’ cries.  (Exodus 3:7-9)
• Restoration.  (Romans 8:18-24, Revelation 21:3-5)

Funny, after writing these out, I realized how much they go hand in hand.

Until next time.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day. (Psalm 139:16)

May you rest in the fact that your story has already been written!  Consider stepping into that which He has already prepared for you.