February 8, 2010
When you think about the people that have had a significant influence on your life, who comes to mind? Among the many Godly people who have invested in me over the years, five key people emerge. I call them my spiritual “Mount Rushmore.”
God has used each of these people to profoundly shape my life in ways that have eternal impact. From them I have learned invaluable lessons – like how to live as a disciple of Christ, how to speak the truth in love, how to grow a servant’s heart and the essence of integrity and follow-through.
Now, don’t get me wrong – they taught me some other less profound (though greatly appreciated) skills like developing my one-on-one basketball game, the importance of humor and where the threshold lies for too much cologne. My point is that these were regular, everyday people and I learned from them because we were in relationship.
So … who are YOU investing in these days?
The fact is that you and I are passing on who we are, what we value and what we possess every day. For some people this is a highly strategic, very intentional game plan that they are fulfilling. For most of us, this may be more of a haphazard, somewhat random highway that we’re on – and divert from occasionally. We’re filled with good intentions and plan to “get serious” about it at some point … in the future.
How would life be different if your “Mount Rushmore” had postponed, delayed or simply not seen the significance of passing on their wisdom, faith and love?
In 2 Timothy 2:2 we discover that passing on what we learn is part of God’s plan to build His kingdom. This is something we’re commanded to do! Now, I don’t know about you, but for me that brings into focus how important it is to be intentional in sharing the things that matter most to God with those we love.
Some of you might find this idea overwhelming or not know where to begin. I’m here to assure you – it’s not as difficult as it may sound. By practically living out your faith in five key areas you’ll unlock one of the most powerful teaching and evangelism tools there is. As you become more intentional about cultivating this in your life, it will naturally emerge in your relationships and build your spiritual legacy.
We’re beginning a new series called Download that’s focused on how to pass on what matters most. We all desire to leave an inheritance of significant value to those around us. This series will give you some practical ways to invest in your spiritual legacy. My prayer for you is that during this series, God would reveal the special individuals he’s placed in your life to benefit from that legacy. Through these relationships, God will change your life and the lives of generations to come.
Keep Pressin’ On,
Chip
January 21, 2010
My wife Theresa and I recently moved into a rented home in northern California. I stopped by one day to take another look around before we moved in. The house was totally empty. In this space, completely void of electricity, furniture and distractions, I stretched out on the floor and took in the complete stillness.
For most of us, there is an ache in our soul that we cover up and fill with people, entertainment and things. In the midst of stillness, that ache will emerge. It can catch you by surprise if you aren’t expecting it. The realness of that ache prompts many people to fill their lives with a lot of activities and stuff that simply doesn’t fulfill.
Growth is a driving force of our culture. It’s almost impossible to escape it; we track, we measure, we benchmark. People equate success with growth – whether in their careers or finances or relationships – progress requires forward momentum. We’re inundated day in and day out. The focus is on what you do, what you have done, what you possess, how well your kids are doing, where they will go to school, what zip code you live in … the list could go on and on.
The reality is that most people define growth by what they have accomplished or acquired.
When was the last time you took a look at the condition of your soul? Would you even know how to assess it? For many people, their desired “state-of-soul” could best be described as fulfillment or contentment, but God tells us there is much more.
The most important question you will ever ask – or answer – is this: Who are you becoming?
“Becoming,” as God defines it, sparks many more questions: What type of person are you? How is your soul growing? Are you kinder and more patient and more loving? Are your relationships deeper? Are you more deeply connected to God? Are you hearing his voice like never before?
EVERYTHING is either growing or dying. It’s true of your emotions, your faith, your work and your family. All of these things are either in the process of growing deeper, richer and better or they are atrophying, crumbling and dying.
The trouble with this truth as it relates to our soul is that you can’t see it. In fact, the most important part of the Christian life is the part that only God can see! And there’s so much demand and so much noise that our ability to grow spiritually is stunted or even frozen completely.
The question to ask ourselves is this: What does it look like to get ready, get set and then really grow?
I want to suggest to you that while only God can cause supernatural growth to occur – he never does it alone. He requires a response from us of faith and obedience, trusting in his character. Then he takes his character and plan and pours it into his word. According to Jesus, the foundation of all spiritual growth – of all transformation – is based in God’s word.
In other words: your response to God’s word will determine your relationship with God. How much exposure you have to God’s word, how much his word penetrates your heart and your life is your response to the Lord.
This week, we’ll begin a new series called “Ready, Set, Grow.” In it, we’ll explore the parable of the seeds in Mark 4 and uncover how to prepare yourself for spiritual growth that will take root in your life and flourish for a lifetime.
If you’ve found your own spiritual sensitivity numbed by the experiences of the world, this series is for you! Through it, I pray that you will realize that the growth that God desires for you is all about learning who you really are and what truly defines you.
Keep Pressin’ On,
Chip
January 4, 2010
So what are you thinking about as this new year begins? Are you excited? Are you looking in the mirror and thinking about the new health club membership or diet you’re about to begin?
If you are like me, you may have a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. I like the idea of a fresh start; but I have far too many past experiences that go something like this… “Try hard. Fail. Try harder. Fail again. Try even harder. Give up!” You probably can identify.
But the real problem is that often the same thing happened in my spiritual life. I would vow to read the Bible more often, pray longer, be kinder, get involved in…only to experience the same pattern of self-effort followed by failure.
Looking back now, I realize that my view of the spiritual life was far more developed by my secular attempts at self-discipline than Scripture. I didn’t understand the grace of God, or how the Holy Spirit works with our desires and effort to connect us in a loving and renewing relationship with Christ.
I didn’t know what it meant to walk with God, enjoy His presence, or how to overcome habitual sin patterns in my life. So many times my ignorance destined me to the “try – hard – fail” syndrome.
But I thank God that He has better things for you and me. I could not be more excited to roll out what GOD has clearly stated in His word about how to experience TRUE SPIRITUALITY!
Do you want to know how to really keep all those resolutions? Especially the spiritual ones? Well here is a clue—you CAN’T! I can’t, you can’t and no one can! NO ONE EXCEPT THE PERFECT ONE –JESUS CHRIST.
True Spirituality is not about trying harder and harder to perform and fulfill religious requirements. It is not about the number of religious activities or external rules you can keep out of you best efforts to please God.
True spirituality is about a relationship that is rich and warm and filled with grace and power that leads to ever increasing freedom to love God and love others. It is about understanding what Christ has already done for you and learning the secret of staying connected to Him through His Word, His people, and His Spirit.
True Spirituality is not some vague mystical feeling that you are constantly trying to recapture, but a clearly defined grace-walk that teaches you how to respond to every relationship in life with His Power – not your own. It’s a supernatural life lived out in the most common and mundane of circumstances. It is Jesus living His life out through you in ways that thrill your heart, bring peace to your soul, and transform the world around you….it’s what we call an r12 CHRISTIAN.
Keep Pressin’ Ahead,
Chip
December 9, 2009
I’m sure most of you have heard the story of how elephants are trained for the circus in various parts of the world. When a baby elephant is small, a rope or chain is tied around its leg next to a stake driven deep into the ground. The baby elephant, not being very strong, pulls and tugs but is unable to move the stake. As the elephant grows older and matures, its ability to pull the stake out of the ground is unquestioned; but because it has been trained to believe that it cannot break free from the stake it becomes a prisoner of that which is untrue.
In the past 25 years as a pastor, I’ve met countless people who are prisoners of invisible stakes. Like prison bars that surround their mind and emotions, they live with boundaries, guilt and anxieties that limit their experience of God… especially His love. There are two major invisible prisons that come to mind: the prisons of false guilt & legalism.
The Prison of False Guilt
As you study the Scriptures closely, you learn that God has equipped us with an amazing, internal tool called our conscience. The conscience is trained to tell us when something is wrong or when something is right. The only problem is that the conscience is not infallible. Although there are certainly innate truths built into our conscience (according to Romans 2), it can be incorrectly trained so that it tells us something is disturbingly wrong when in fact there is no problem at all.
Some Christians, although intellectually believe that God loves them, live with piles of condemnation every day. An overly strict conscience condemns them for everything they do. They constantly feel pangs of doubt and assign to themselves impure motives for any thought or action that they think might be anything less of God’s standard.
An overly strict conscience is often developed through our childhood experiences where overly strict parents or perfectionism communicated that we never quite measured up. Although unintentional, many sincere parents, in an effort to bring out the best in their child, bombard them with rules and correction at every turn – which leads to an overly strict conscience.
Jesus said that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free; but sadly a great majority of Christians live daily with a foreboding sense that God is down on them, they don’t measure up and that they’re not really loveable or acceptable. The result in most cases is one of two extremes: Either a driveness to prove and make oneself self-righteous in God’s sight (the Christian work-aholohic) or an outright rebellion against and a casting off of Biblical morality and righteousness. After years of frustration, this second extreme simply gives up and says, “I will never measure up. I’m just going to forget this whole God and trust stuff.”
The Prison of Legalism
The other most common prison is one that Jesus attacked vigorously. It’s the prison of legalism. Legalism is an effort to gain God’s favor or create a “righteous” out of one’s keeping of rules and self-effort. It was this self-righteousness the Pharisees exhibited that was so sharply criticized by our Lord.
Legalism takes the means and makes it the end. The particulars of the law, the rules to be kept, the moral guidelines – all that were given to us out of love and designed to be followed out of a spirit of relationship – are turned into “oughts” and “shoulds” that bombard one’s soul. The result is religiosity and self-righteousness. The letter kills (the Apostle Paul tells us), but the Spirit gives life.
For the next week, I’m excited to share with you a new series on the radio, Released: Breaking Free from Legalism & Guilt. Far from being theoretical, my own journey with legalism and my wife’s struggle with false guilt have allowed us to experience the pain and frustration, even as Christians, of living within the invisible prison. But thanks be to God who leads us in victory! (1 Corinthians 15:57).
It’s my prayer that you will experience the vast love of God in a fresh way today as you listen to this series. You can free listen online here.
Keep Pressin’ Ahead,
![chip sig [1]](http://www.lotemedia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/chip-sig-11.jpg "chip sig [1]")
November 25, 2009
I just flew in from Atlanta after recording three new small group series and two new television series. It was very intense, but I had a great time and I’m very excited to see how God will use what we’ve done to help “Christians live like Christians” here and all around the world.
On the five hour flight home I spent a lot of time thinking and remembering. It’s easy to get so focused on the future or the challenges that we face that we fail to stop… and really remember!
Remembering does not seem like such a big deal until you open the Scriptures and read the book of Deuteronomy or recall the story of Jesus and the 10 lepers. In both cases forgetting what God had done in the past led them to miss God’s best in the future. And so on a plane, I let my mind drift back over all of 2009 and much of 2008. I wrote in my journal and sat in the dark silence at 30,000 feet remembering my experience of our Lord’s intervention of grace in my life, in my family and in the ministry of Living on the Edge.
I wasn’t really thinking about “Thanksgiving” at the time, but I found myself quietly giving thanks and writing down specific answers to prayer that seemed like possibilities only a few months ago.
I do not know what your Thanksgiving plans are, but I encourage you to find a quiet place and… remember…
If you need a little help getting started, let me share with you the brief outline that I will be teaching from this weekend at Venture . It is a short 20 minute message that will be followed by multiple testimonies and pictures to help us remember what God has been doing at Venture Christian Church and in our personal lives.
As you look over the outline and partake of the “exercise in remembering” please know that we at Living on the Edge are very thankful for you…
your prayers…
you’re leading of a small group…
your ministry to others with the tools that we provide…
your financial support …
your e-mails and letters…
your iPod downloads…
and your commitment to becoming r12 Christians are all causes of rejoicing and Thanksgiving here at Living on the Edge.
Giving Thanks for 2009 – Psalm 103
1. There is awesome power in REMEMBERING.
1“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .”
- Remembering is a deliberate CHOICE
2. Remembering God’s specific acts of kindness change our FOCUS and PERSPECTIVE.
3“. . . who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: . . .”
- Reflecting on God’s gracious acts ushers us into a knowledge of His WAYS.
A Personal Exercise in “Remembering”
1. List 5 things you’re thankful happened in 2009.
2. List 4 people you’re glad that are in your life.
3. List 3 painful or difficult things that have caused you to draw closer to God in 2009.
4. List 2 things you tend to take for granted that were listed in Psalm 103:3-6
5. Memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 this week and practice what it says . . .
16“Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
November 23, 2009
Can a well-educated person really believe all that “Jesus stuff”? Is there compelling evidence to support a faith in the Jesus of the Bible? A man who claims to be God, who claims to be the giver of eternal life and who claims to be the source of absolute truth? What about the Bible? How can we know it’s really true?
For the next week and half on Living on the Edge radio, we’re going to explore and find answers to life’s most difficult questions about what you believe…
- Who is Jesus? Was he just a nice moral guy, a prophet or in fact God?
- Was the resurrection of Jesus’ body for real? Or was that just a hoax?
- How can I trust the validity of the Bible?
- Did God really create the world in just seven literal days? How can I be sure? How does that gel with current studies in science?
- Who is the God of the Bible? Can He be trusted?
I look forward to digging in with you all online or on your local radio station why we believe… what we believe as Christians. If you have friends who are skeptical of Christianity or interested in exploring the facts, this is a great series to give to a friend or ask them to listen with you and talk about it. Download MP3s or CD series at our online store.
Keep Pressin’ Ahead and I pray this series will solidify why you believe… what you believe!
![chip sig [1]](http://www.lotemedia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chip-sig-15.jpg "chip sig [1]")
November 18, 2009
I came into the office early this morning to get some extra time with the Lord. It seems that once the day gets going all the dizziness and people crowd out any quality time to sit, reflect and develop that calm and quiet center to live out of Gods grace.
I’m reading through the book of Hebrews in my personal devotions and was struck this morning by the warning in Hebrews 3:12: “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” Later in the same chapter, verse 19 he says, “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” I know this is nothing new, but it struck me that at the heart of all my issues in relating to God is my struggle with temptation in sin; one simple common denominator – unbelief!
- I get stressed out because I don’t believe – God is in control!
- I get anxious about what might happen because I don’t believe – God is good!
- I get worn out trying to do too much because I don’t believe – God will accomplish what concerns me!
- I get frustrated when things don’t work out the way I think they should because I don’t believe – God is all wise; His timing and His methods are perfect!
- I get afraid and wonder how we will cover all of our costs because I don’t believe – God is a faithful provider!
In chapter 4 the author encourages those who are struggling because of the persecution and difficulty that they’re facing not to drift away from the Lord through unbelief, but to enter His rest. To rest in the fact that He is in control, that He is good, that He cares and knows about all my needs, and is an all-wise and faithful provider. I love the line in Hebrews 4:10, “For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.”
This is not a command about being passive because the very next verse commands us to make every effort to enter His rest. It is a command to believe in who God is and what He has done. So that we may rest from our self effort trying to earn God’s favor and to orchestrate what needs to happen in our own strength to fulfill what we think is best.
My prayer for you and me today is that we will take our eyes off of our to-do list and all the demands that we feel and simply ask God, “What does it look like to trust You today?“ What would it look like to trust You when I feel overwhelmed? What would it look like to trust You in this problematic relationship? What would it look like to trust You for my finances? What would it look like to trust You for my future?
As I ponder these questions and look at the relationship between a “sinful and unbelieving heart,” I realize that nearly all of the sins that we commit are rooted first and foremost in our unbelief. It’s when I do not believe God and take shortcuts in an attempt to make life work through – a white lie, a subtle manipulation, attempts to please people, neglecting my body to work more, pretending I’m something more than I am to impress others or gain their favor… and the list goes on.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).
So let’s trust today with believing hearts and enter His rest.
Keep pressing ahead,
![chip sig [1]](http://www.lotemedia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chip-sig-14.jpg "chip sig [1]")
November 16, 2009
If there are two words that much of life hinges on, they are balance and perspective. Left to myself I get out of balance. I lean toward working too much, trying to accomplish too much, trying to go too fast, and seeking to meet far too many needs. Part of it is a genuine desire to serve and love God; and part of it is the warped psyche that I still possess in my flesh that compels me to please people and seek my worth and value through my performance.
One of my favorite people, Dr. Howard Hendricks (a professor and longtime mentor) once told me — “The only time we are more in balance is when the pendulum of our life is swinging from one extreme to another.” Maturity is learning by God’s grace over time to reduce how far we swing to the right and to the left of the balanced life God desires for us.
Let’s also be careful to think realistically and not idealistically about the whole issue of balance. There are certain times that emergencies and major projects require intense hours of focus and work. There are also times where we need extended periods of rest and refreshment to restore our body, mind and emotions. So when I think of balance, I am referring primarily to the major trends and patterns in our lives, not some idealistic — “never had a stressful day” type of balance.
At the heart of balance, I believe, is a quiet center where your soul is at peace and rest in your relationship with Jesus. Circumstances and relationships will change by the hour and bring alternating excitement and joy along with disappointment and despair. We can choose to allow the external issues of our lives to define us; or we can choose by faith to allow our relationship with a good and sovereign God to define how we will perceive and receive the circumstances and relational issues that come our way daily.
Although walking with God is far more than having a quiet time each morning; I do find that those who learn to start the day spending quality time with God eliminate much of the rush and the stress that comes their way. When I worship God and spend time in His Word I am reminded afresh that the world does not revolve around me. Circumstances and relational trauma affect me the most when I unconsciously perceive that I am the center of the world and what happens to me is all that really matters. I hate to admit that happens, but I would be lying if I told you it didn’t. Yet reading a chapter in Psalm 40 or Isaiah 40 and quietly reflecting on God’s infiniteness and my finiteness brings a sense of peace to my heart.
Recently I received a card in the mail that helped me regain my balance and perspective: read this over slowly and see if it might be a help to you.
You are in God’s place,
at God’s perfect time.
Your days are in His hands,
and He is your future.
He has gifted you and placed His hand upon you
to bless you and to make you a blessing.
The burden of your life/ministry
is not yours to carry –
as you rest, people work;
as you abide,
He will bring fruit;
as you sow, He will do the increase.
He is your shield and
your exceeding great reward.
Poem by Roy Lessin
Hope this helps you as much as it did me – Keep pressin’ ahead,
![chip sig [1]](http://www.lotemedia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chip-sig-12.jpg "chip sig [1]")
November 11, 2009
The phone call came in the middle of the afternoon. I was on a flight a few hours later, wondering what could have gone so wrong, so quickly. I arrived in Durham, North Carolina, and went straight to the hospital. All the doors were locked, and it was nearly 11 pm before I walked into the room where my mother lay, affixed to tubes and monitors of every fashion. As I saw her swollen body, I honestly wondered if I would have recognized her, had her name not been on the door.
For nine agonizing days, we watched her body put up a fight. The hours blurred together as we talked with doctors, paced in waiting rooms, and agonized over what medical steps God would have us take.
My mom had checked into Duke Medical Center with an overnight bag to get a second opinion on a very rare blood disease. She never left. It was one of the most difficult, painful times I’ve ever experienced.
Grief is our emotional response to losing something that’s important to us. We feel pain when something that matters is gone. Over the years, I’ve lost things, lost dreams, lost jobs, lost people, and lost hope. In the midst of these times, even as I was losing my own mother, God’s Word has reminded me that I will never lose Him.
I’ve found great comfort in these passages over the years and wanted to share them with you:
- Psalm 23:1-6
- John 14:1-3
- John 16:33
- Psalm 116:13
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
If you’re finding yourself in the middle of pain, hurt and grief, I encourage you to pour out your heart to the One who holds the Universe in His palm and pray something like this:
“Father, help me know that You understand my pain. Help me to remember, right now, that You lost Your Son, and You know the pain of separation. God, please wrap Your arms around me and hold me in ways that only You can. Oh God, I hurt so deeply. Please be with me and manifest Your presence in ways like I’ve never known.”
If you would like some next step on how to rebuild your broken world, we’ve launched a new series on the radio today, “How to Rebuild Your Broken World.” You can listen free online or tune in to your local radio station.
Keep Pressin’ Ahead,
![chip sig [1]](http://www.lotemedia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chip-sig-11.jpg "chip sig [1]")
October 20, 2009
Yesterday the team and I at Living on the Edge were reflecting on all the ways God has provided and shown up in miraculous ways this past year. The increased ministry on our website came up.
So I asked our director of technology, “How many free downloads has Living on the Edge given away this year?”
I was astounded by his response, “Just about 5 million.”
WOW, God! You are generous! Thank You for Your provision and giving us the privilege of stewarding Your Word through technology and creativity.
I would also like to shout a big THANK YOU to all of you who support Living on the Edge. It is because of your partnership, millions of people every year hear the Word of God and their lives are transformed!
Here’s how your partnership is reaching thousands of others just like Cathy:
I just want to thank those responsible for these resources being online and free. I stumbled across this ministry on the radio dial at a time of great turmoil in my life. I am using these resources to keep me strong while getting my life sorted out. If I had had to pay for these, I never would have heard them. I have shared this blessing with others and I can’t thank you enough.
Thank again.
Cathy
Again, we thank God for 5 million downloads this year and anticipate how we together with God’s provision and leading, will reach even more in 2010 to help Christians live like Christians.
Pressin’ Ahead Together,
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