Recently I was sitting in Chipotle restaurant giving thanks to God for allowing someone to invent burritos the size of a human head, and I was struck with inspiration. For those who don’t know, Chipotle is fast food Mexican, but I feel almost like a heretic to place it in a fast food category. It actually has been a Buckland doctrine since we started living on the road. (Shameless Chipotle plug that I wasn’t even paid royalties to endorse) On my soda cup in chipotle was a quote from a man that invented a specialized form of agriculture that said something to effect of, “If you can fulfill your life’s work in one lifetime, then you’re aren’t thinking big enough.”. This quote really inspired me to sit and reflect on my own life. Are my goals lofty, or are they just self centered and simple? Can all of my dreams and desires be fit into the span of one lifetime?

Oftentimes so many people aspire for wealth, possessions, and even fame and these are all fleeting ideas and doctrines. Wealth can be obtained in a nano second if you are lucky enough to win the lottery. Almost any possession can be purchased with the right amount of credit, and fame can be forced if you pursue your 15 minutes. Have we all been striving for goals that are mundane and even meaningless? Maybe your pursuits are bigger than that. Maybe you want to help feed the hungry and clothe the poor. However, even these pursuits can be done rather quickly if you fit them into your schedule.

What can you do with your life that will live beyond your physical existence? Many people do estate planning and buy life insurance policies so that they can bless their descendants with an inheritance beyond their current means. This is a phenomenal blessing and gift that you can give to your children and grand children. Oftentimes only a few dollars a month can buy you a several hundred thousand dollar policy. This is not an investment made for you, but an investment made for others. You can also purchase endowments where you buy a life insurance policy in life to bless a non-profit organization in death. Many gorgeous churches have been built buy someone having their church be the benefactor of their life insurance policy.

Certainly though there must be more to life that we can give in our death than just money and inheritance. Matthew chapter six gives us the cure for anxiety. It gives us the cure to trying to find our legacy. We spend too much of our lives worrying about things that have no eternal benefit.

Matt 6:25-34
25 ” For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 ” Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.NASU

Dr. Martin Luther King never saw the fulfillment of his dream and his life’s work, yet his legacy is living on in a way that was deemed impossible 4 decades ago. His life was about more than his earthy gain. The Apostle Paul said to live is Christ but to die is gain. John the revelator will never see the prophetic fulfillment of his visions, and yet he left us with a word and a guide for which to chart the course of our lives and the end of days. Jesus Christ only ministered for 3 years on earth, and yet the man who was God clothed in flesh has made a global impact that despite persecution, war, and hate still remains. Could Henry Ford have even conceived a Hybrid car in the deepest recesses of his imagination? Probably not. However, Henry Ford’s legacy lives in every second we turn the keys in our ignition regardless of the brand of car we drive. Could Thomas Edison have ever anticipated an i-phone, a blackberry, or a combination TV/computer/phone? It is highly improbable, yet his work and imagination lives on every second that we text message and call to stay in touch with family and friends.

Not all of us are genius inventors, mavericks, and crusade fighters, however all of us can leave a legacy. If we can come into contact with one person and change the course of their destiny, our life’s work will live on into death. Every church that we visit while on the road represents a man and often a man and his family entering into a city with a passion and a burden to share the truth of the gospel. Many of these churches are no longer pastored by their founder, however, every one of them echo of a dream and vision far beyond one lifetime. The men, women, and their families that speak into the lives of others will be remembered no only in a heavenly eternity, but on earth beyond their lifetime as long as earth remains. What can you do today that will make your life’s work live beyond your lifetime? An abundant “purpose driven” life is a life that goes beyond expectation and duty and steps into the realm of charity and sacrifice.

John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
NKJV

As a mother to two young boys living in 32 feet of space, I am familiar with play places and parks all around the country. In a desperate attempt for them to run and crawl off all of their excess energy, we cart them to different places and let them play with reckless abandon. In some ways I feel like my full time job is to be an event organizer for a small pre-school consisting of 2 children, my own. While sitting and waiting for them to be ready to leave one day it dawned on me the consistency of some things I observe. Whether in the east coast, the south, or the mid-west I notice things about children and their interactions with each other that we could take to heart and learn from. Herbert Hoover was quoted as saying, “Children are our most valuable natural resource.”

The Bible has several clear passages about children. These truths I have observed as a mother. There is a passage about the faith of a child that I have seen demonstrated in Reese numerous times. Any ailment, hurt, or disappointment simply passes with a “in Jesus name Amen”. Gentry also loves to yell Amen from the top of his lungs. If only I could have faith that every negative experience in life is immediately gone without a second thought simply by calling on Jesus. The Bible demands this type of faith from us in the Gospels. We are to receive without question. Here are some lessons in life we can learn from children that are also spiritual principals.

Mark 10:15-16 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. NASU

#1: Small Children do not Discriminate and neither should we

When I watch my boys play with other children, they have as much fun and invest as much energy into playing with every child regardless of race, gender, and religion. Basically the only thing children discriminate on is the basis of “My dad is bigger than your dad.” Children do not see color or gender as an obstacle to friendship. In doing this, children also do not minimize their difference. Oftentimes adults feel that to be colorblind or not sexist we must deny our differences. This is not accurate. Rather than deny our skin color or gender, we must embrace it and all play together.

#2: Small Children do not know a stranger

While this may invoke fear in mothers, small children do not know a stranger (unless they are the painfully shy hide under mommies skirt type) This is a great quality in life. We should play with all people and treat them kindly. Children are accepting and we should be too.

#3: Money has no value

Where children are concerned, they’d rather have 5 pennies than one quarter. Children do not judge others based on how much money they have. Reese also loves to share(with everyone but Gentry that is). If we give him a gum ball, he wants to buy another for his friends. As adults, we struggle buying for our friends because it is money out of our pocket.

#4: Children love to have fun

While this is a simple and basic point, adults take life too seriously. Many events in our life are out of our control. Sometimes we need to embrace that and enjoy life. If events are out of your control, no amount of worry, fear, pondering, or begging will change them. Enjoy what you can.

#5: Dance

When music is playing, whether in the mall, in church, or in the car, it is time to wiggle your hips, twirl your wrists, and roll your feet. My boys are dancing 24/7 and dancing is not only good for your hip size and health, it brings laughter.

Recently a very popular song has emerged by Israel Haughton entitled “Say So”. The essence of the song is to ponder the meaning of salvation and our role as believers in declaring the gospel. I have thought of this song several times. The faith and excitement that occurs in a congreation when this song is sung is palitable. We get so excited about saying so, rising up, and being salt and light to the world. The most climactic moment of the song is when the congreation sings ” I am redeemed”. This song is very powerful because it should stop and make us think about what we are doing currently as the body of Christ. Are we really “Saying So”, or do we just get excited about being at church and patting ourselves on the back for our good sense to come to Christ?

Another thing I have pondered on this topic is are we really salty? Are we really lit up for God, or are we just a 10 watt bulb on the verge of burning out? The Bible talks about salt that has lost its flavor. It is good for nothing. Also, a lamp that is burnt out or hidden produces no results.
Matt 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Could it be that many of us hide behind tradition and thinly veiled Christianity because our salt is not savory and our light is burnt out? Could we be so caught up in our so called separation from the world that we forgot to be IN the world? What good is a lamp that is not plugged in or salt that is not shaken?

Social networking sites like everyonesapostolic have somewhat turned me off. Why can’t we be on facebook and network with people that are not of our faith? Should we really group off into elite communities and leave behind those we attended school with, work with, and see at our local grocery stores? The only harm in sites like facebook and myspace is the user. If you don’t have the self control to avoid looking at and ingesting things that are sinful, then you quite possibly aren’t the salt that God called you to be. We should have the patience to venture out into the world and the perserverance to affect our world without it tainting our personal walk with God. We should have the fortitude to stand for what is right without alienating those that don’t share our current set of values and beliefs. Do we accomplish a lot for God by being dogmatic and judgemental, or is salt tastier when sprinkled on bits at a time? The same is true with light. Light is powerful and eye opening, however, light in too strong of a dose just leaves us tired and sunburnt.

I recently found an interesting product online that I had no prior knowledge of. I found a product called a salt crystal lamp. This product for me is the embodiment of what God has called Christians to be. The product is described like this: “Salt crystal lamps promote comfort, relaxation and a healthy environment. They act as air purifiers by neutralizing harmful pollutants and emitting health promoting ions through a process only possible with the mineral salt. It is well known that chemical salt is essential for bodily functions. The illuminated salt crystal lamps work as natural amplifiers for these good vibrations so necessary for our health and well being.”

We are to be a combination of salt and light spreading good will and the gospel to those that are lost. Be encouraged to “Say So” this week.

The sentiments of finding oneself are echoed in numerous modern, popular worship songs. “Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my pain, care to know my hurt……..”, ” I am a friend of God, he calls me friend………”, ” I know who I am, I know who I am, I know who I am, I am yours………..”, and ” I am not forgotten, God knows my name” are just a few that come to mind. We sing these songs with great fervor in our hearts and spirits and a sense of pride and belonging wells up from deep within us. We no longer have self-esteem issues and concerns of loneliness, but we have the friend that sticks closer than a brother. Why is it then that so many Christians are defeated, alone, depressed, discontented, and friendless? I began to ponder this issue and it dawned on me that it could possibly be because the church world has one mold. Many groups of spirit filled churches seem to attract the same type of person and you can identify them in public. While an identity in Christ and identification with a group of believers is a good thing, we need to strike a balance between the core of who we are as individual believers and who we are as a body. Far too often I have seen people not be interested in Christ, or leave the body because they have never found their place. Every individual has their own strengths, interests, and desires. Every individual has their own personality. God has not called us to fit a cookie cutter, but to be disciples of him.

We can all find our identities in Christ, and we should be identifiably separate from the world in our lifestyle, attitude, and choices. However, beyond that, God gets glory in our individuality. He created us all with a free will and with the ability to make different choices. Everyone has a different personality. Some are shy, some are outgoing, some are smart, some are not so smart, some are talented in music, some are talented in computers, and others still, are leaders and others are followers. God has no desire for us to all become the same shape of cookie in his kingdom. Too many people have chosen no identity in Christ because they are afraid of losing who they are. They don’t want to be someone that wears suits. It is ashamed that we have tried to “institutionalize” the body of Christ. The arm and the leg don’t look alike. They are identifiable as being from the same body, but they perform different functions and look differently. If you are white, your arm and leg are both white, if you are black, your limbs also match, however, beyond that, they are distinctly different. This same thing can be said for the body of Christ. We should all be identifiable as part of the same body. We should have some characteristics that immediately identify us as believers, but beyond that, we should be comfortable in our individuality and different function.

I guess I want to say, don’t let another soul be lost because they don’t want to wear a suit to church. Allow them to express their identity in themselves and be plugged into the body. Somethings that God asks us to do require us to lay aside our own desires and selfish will, however, more often than not, God gets delight in our creativity and differences. Remember, we serve a creative God. He designed and created the world we live in. He has a sense of humor. (This is very obvious when we look at some people. haha) He gets glory when we express who we are. We need to find our identity in Christ without sacrificing our interests and pursuits. Obviously, there are some human interests and pursuits that are contrary to the Word of God. These are called principals. We can teach people principals of the Word of God and use that as the guide that we live by. We get a new name and identity when we are born into the body of Christ, he transforms our thinking and choices, but he doesn’t take away your sense of humor, goals, and abilities. Celebrate your diversity within Christ!

God wants to change our sinful nature and have us die out to our sin man, he never asked us to lay aside our personality and creativity! We are the expressed image and likeness of God. God is creative, true, and just. God is friendly, kind, and loving. Let us fit our self within the principles of God and delight in his creative powers.

Rom 6:6
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
NASU
Eph 4:22-24
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you A lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
NASU
Col 3:9-10
1 A Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him —
NASU

We are back in the Hoosier state once again after spending 6 days in North Carolina for General Conference. There were several amazing “God” moments at the conference that I wanted to share. Almost 400 people received the gift of the Holy Ghost, 2 women got up from their wheelchairs to walk, and a deaf ear was unstopped. God is still performing the miraculous in our generation. We need to stop looking to the past and experiences from yesteryear and keep our eyes focused on what God is doing now. The Bible says that the latter rain, or outpouring in the end times, will be greater than the former rain. Our faith should not be shaken by circumstance, but should hold strong in the truths that we know and demonstrations that we see. The Bible talks about not always seeking for a sign and not always basing things in signs and wonders, however, God encourages us to act on our faith and see the miraculous performed. The only thing that will bring the lost souls of the 21st century to their knees is an apostolic demonstration. Don’t fear holding to the truth in this day and age. The truth of the mighty God in Christ, the infilling of the holy ghost, apostolic giving, fellowship, and doctrine, and the miraculous will shake our cities and bring our generation to a knowledge of God. In an era where humanism and politics are our God, theories, ideas, and marketing will not make us stand out. The only thing that will make our truth relevant is its life changing abilities.