I know I have been called to ministry, but what did that mean?

So often I look for understanding, and when I don’t have all the answers I make excuses…. like Moses.

Have you ever thought about why God gave Moses his brother Aaron? I was thinking about that today.

Exodus 4:10, Moses makes not his first, but third excuse:

“10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

This was the third time he told God that he couldn’t do it. To which God replied in the next verse:

11 Then the LORD asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD?12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Now from here, you would think Moses would just say, “yep God, You’re right. Let’s do this thing.” But no, He rebutted again!! At this point, trying to work with him, God tells him to get his brother Aaron. God was so bent on using Moses that even in his stubbornness he made a way, even though it meant speaking through another person.

How many times am I like moses, making excuses for why He can’t move in my life?

I have decided that as awesome as he was, I do not want to be like Moses. I want to be the guy that says, ” Lord, You know I am not good with words, but I also know you are God, and I trust you to speak for me.”

That is the message God has been speaking to me….

” I will give you a voice. Trust me.”

I want to encourage you to not be like Moses. To let go of your excuses and accept the things God is calling you to do. Imagine what might have happened if Moses had accepted the call, and not made excuses? God still used him to do INCREDIBLE things. So there is the silver lining. Maybe you have made a lot of excuses in your life, but God wants to use you so much so, that he will bring people into your life to help you where your faith is weak, like speaking was for moses.

In the end, He will use you. Whether you make excuses for years, or accept the call He has placed on your life today. The reason I say don’t be like Moses, is so that you can get on with what God has for you. It is so much better that way.

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WHAT IS SPOTIFY?

Spotify is a music streaming service that allows you
connect with people socially and discover other music people are listening to. They have a free service that has ads and allows you to listen on your desktop, but they also have a 10$/month plan that allows you to stream it on your mobile device as well as a 5$/month plan for just listening ad-free on your desktop.  It’s like Pandora…. only its better. All of the playlists I post will be Spotify Playlists. I will provide a track list though for anyone not using spotify so you can get the music on itunes or amazon.
Download Spotify

ONTO THE GOOD STUFF…

Ok here is this weeks track list!

1. I Didn’t Mean It – The Belle Brigade

2. Youngblood – The Naked and Famous

3. Once and For All – Clock Opera

4. Take Everything – Greg Laswell

5. Shake It Out – Florence+The Machine

6. Don’t Kick the Chair – Dia Frampton, Kid Cudi

7. Hang Me Up To Dry – Cold War Kids

8. Call It What You Want – Foster the People

9. Basique – Little People

10. Say Goodbye to the Sun – The Young International

11. Forest – Twenty One Pilots

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Check them out:
Twitter: @clockopera
Facebook: /clockopera
Online: clockopera.com

Clock Opera – Once And For All (2012 Album Version) from Clock Opera on Vimeo.

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I suggest that you read the whole chapter. you can find it here.

Summarized, this is the chapter that contains Jesus’ parables about men in the field. There is a pattern to these parables

In the first one the farmer(God)  throws seed(the  gospel) out, and it lands on 4 types of soil(our hearts).

In the second one the farmer again represents God, sowing seed(again, the gospel) in the soil (our hearts), but the enemy plants weeds overnight.

In the third the farmer (representing God) sows a mustard seed(our response to the gospel) and when it grows, it is the largest plant in the field.

Now in Matthew 13:44 the 4th parable about a field and a man is told:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ”
Matthew 13:44(NIV)

Gary then points out something interesting. How often do we ignore the pattern of the man in the field being God (from the previous parables), and replace that character with us. As if we are the field finding the treasure. At that point Gary moves on to discuss that the man in the field does in fact represent God, and that we are the treasure that He finds, and goes and sells everything he has (Jesus) to purchase(the cross) the the treasure (Us).

After reading that, I found myself stuck. Yes this is an overwhelming parable. I continued to think about my immediate reaction to this parable though. Previously when reading this, I fell into that category of people that would do the role reversal. That I was the one finding the treasure. So when I re-read this in context of the other parables, my mind was blown.

I want to focus on two things surrounding this role-reversal.

1. Why does the role reversal happen?

I sat and studied and scribbled for a few hours trying to come to a conclusion… this is what I came up with.

The reason why we initially switch those roles is because at our hearts base, we have this subconscious desire to add value to our lives. We initially feel like we are not good enough, and that we need to make ourselves more appealing to God. What’s crazy is that we are already valued. Any value that we needed was fulfilled on the cross. Translation: You are good enough. in all of your imperfections, sin, and shortcomings… God wants relationship with you. You mean the world to Him. End of story.

2. The flaws behind reversing these roles

In my discussions with people regarding this subject, the initial response of the majority is “I could see that, but I think it could go either way.”

I completely disagree. I don’t think that you can justify being the man in the field in this parable for a few reasons:

1. It isn’t consistent with the others.

Back in the day, this would have confused everyone listening. Jesus takes the time to explain the meaning behind 2 of the parables prior, theologians would tell you that because he offered no explanation, but used consistent descriptives, that the pattern should carry.

2. I can’t find anywhere in the Bible that the Kingdom of Heaven something that is hidden from us.

Jesus never speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as something that we must look for, it is always readily available to us, without labor. In fact, it is so readily available to us that in Luke 17:20-21 Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us.

Jesus would never have contradicted himself like that. He would have never said that the relationship he spoke of with the Father, was available to us through faith, and then tell us we have to go and dig for it. The Kingdom of God is not playing hide and seek with us…. that’s my point.

Conclusion

In the verse it says that ” in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. It overwhelms God to know that through giving his Son for us, that we are bought for him. Nothing overjoys the Lord more than to know that we can be brought into His presence. Notice also that it says that the man bought the entire field. He didn’t buy just the small portion containing the treasure. God purchased the entire earth, that he may find more treasure in the field. That he may bring more of his children into His presence. Wow.. thats love.

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Kinda pathetic I know.

So instead I decided to do something different. I decided to start naming my years. Spending the first week of every year seeking God, and developing the vision for my next year of life.

For example, I named last year 2011: Year of Growth/Learning. I spent the entire year last year dedicated to doing everything I could to learn. Little did I know that much of this growth was going to be rough, and brought on from outside circumstances. In the last year, I quit a job and moved across the country, only to be let go from that job 3 months later, had to deal with and even work for difficult people, and probably worked about 20 all-nighters. I also read 40 books (you can find the list here), filled three moleskins with thoughts, and rebooted my blog. This past year God birthed many dreams in my head. All of this learning, and growth has set me up for 2012.

2012: The Year to Ship

For 2012, I am focusing on shipping. What that means is that I am no longer going to sit on the sidelines holding onto my ideas. It’s time for them to see the light of day. It’s time to ship them out. A number of books I read had the same thing to say… “GREAT ARTISTS SHIP!”

I have always been a starter, and a great one at that. My mom has always told me that my passion for life will take me places in life if I stick with it and not get distracted…. Man does my mother know me well.

Getting ideas has never been my issue. My issue has always been with shipping those ideas. Making them happen.

This means more…

writing.

discipline.

designing.

dedication.

shooting.

persistence.

There are three things I learned last year.

1. I don’t have it figured out. (but I’m not expected to, and there is freedom in that)

2. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. (you never know when it will come in handy)

3.  Until you ship, you are not an artist… you are a theorist. (and I’ve always been terrible at philosophy)

So what are my goals for 2012?

I want 2012 to be a year of focus, and a year of production.

This year is about pressing forward despite circumstance.

There are a few projects I have swirling in my head that I cannot wait to get out to you guys. I am looking forward to getting my book project underway (more on that later), Blogging more, Designing freebies for you guys, and trying to make a difference by fighting for people and bringing out the best in them.

This year is going to be unlike any other.  I’m looking forward to it. Stay tuned for more projects, fun, and thoughts.

Cheers.

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Anyway, my initial goal was to read 1 book every month this year. Which would be a good amount I thought. Before this year I had maybe read 12 books in 3-4 years |aside from textbooks|. Little did I know that I would all of a sudden get smacked in the head with this desire to read non-stop. It has become one of my absolute favorite things I have ever done. I ended up completing 40 books. In ONE YEAR. For those of you who know me, I know, It’s a shocker…. But I did.

Here is the list Since January 1, 2011. |in no particular order, I’m pulling from memory|

Completed:
1. Linchpin — Seth Godin
2.In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day — Mark Batterson
3. Sun Stand Still — Steven Furtick
4. Poke the Box — Seth Godin
5. Purple Cow — Seth Godin
6. Developing the Leader Within You — John Maxwell
7. The Cause Within You — Matthew Barnett
8. Creative Matters — Various People, Assembled by The Creative Collective
9. Outspoken –Edited by Tim Schrader & Kevin D. Hendricks
10.-11. The Tozer Pulpit Volumes 1 & 2 — A.W. Tozer
12. Steve Jobs– Walter Isaacson
13. Making Ideas Happen — Scott Belsky
14. The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
15. Leading on Empty – Wayne Cordeiro
16. Blue Like Jazz — Donald Miller
17. Holy Discontent  – Bill Hybels
18. The Pursuit of God — A.W. Tozer
19. Pursuit of the Holy — Corey Russell
20. Mere Christianity — C.S.Lewis
21.A Greif Observed — C.S. Lewis
22. The Problem of Pain — C.S. Lewis
23. Why Men Hate Going to Church –David Murrow
24. When Christians Get it Wrong — Adam Hamilton
25. Erasing Hell — Francis Chan
26. The Revolutionary Communicator –Jedd Medefind & Erik Lokkesmoe
27. Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design,
and Engineering of Contagious Ideas — Dan Zarrella
28. Read This Before Our Next Meeting — Al Pittampalli
29. Telling Lies — Paul Ekman
30. Unmasking The Face –Paul Ekman
31. Crazy Love — Francis Chan
32. Tribes – Seth Godin
33. Uprising — Erwin McManus
34. The Ragamuffin Gospel — Brennan Manning
35. Anything You Want – Derek Sivers
36. Self Reliance — Ralph Waldo Emerson
37. Do the Work — Steven Pressfield
38.  The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald
39. The Complete Poems of John Keats — John Keats
40.  Untitled — Blaine Hogan

Still Reading:
41. Pursuing God. Creating Art. — Gary Molander
42. Living as a Christian —  A.W. Tozer
43. The Bible |almost finished reading the entire thing cover to cover|

I am looking forward to this next year and all the exciting things in store. Check back tomorrow for a look at what my prayers and goals are for the year.

What did you read this year?

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“But Scott, I create the best art by pouring everything I am into it. How can you say that seperating the artist from the art is a good idea?”

I get it, many artists can’t fathom the necessity I am alluding to here. That’s ok. What I am talking about is not necessary for being a good artist, but it is a necessity to not losing your mind at a young age.

I too do my best work when I can pour all of myself into a piece. However, the process I am talking about is how you handle things post-creation.

1. Create. Create. Create.
This is the fun part. This is where you throw on your Spotify playlist and go to town. You spend hours writing colors and slinging words all over the place. If you are like me, this part is fulfilling and sometimes full of vibrance and emotion. Your heart, and your vision are getting put on display for the world to witness. You are the very definition of an artist.

2. Self-Examine.
This is a step that I feel is often overlooked by many artists. However, it is probably the most important step of the process… This is where you take an ample amount of time and evaluate your art for yourself, no critiques, just you. It is your opportunity to make changes with your emotions without them being trampled on. Enjoy these moments, for they can be very self revealing. I have often looked back on a piece of music, or a graphic I have done and asked the question, “where did that come from?!?” It’s in those moments that I see a subconscious side of myself on the canvas… And I either love it or absolutely hate it… Either way I am the only that sees it. When we create things, all sides of our mind show their face. Even the parts that we didn’t know existed in us… It is for that reason, that self-examination is necessary.

Disconnect Your Heartstrings
Most people skip right past step 2 and this one as well. This is the hardest part. We MUST DISCONNECT OUR HEARTSTRINGS. I can’t stress that enough. It is totally beautiful to throw ourselves into a piece, project, job, graphic etc…. But at some point, that valve has to be shutdown. This is going to sound completely corny, but I don’t care…. It we leave Heartstrings attached, they often become Hurtstrings. They are a direct line to our identity as an artist. If people love it, we feel satisfaction, but pray we avoid the day that it is not well received. I think it’s funny how we can receive 30 compliments on something we did, but if we get one bad one… That is all it takes to ruin us. It gives opportunity for bitterness, self doubt, and a full array of negative emotions to set in. [NOTE: THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE THAT DISLIKES YOUR ART] Next thing you know you are painting pictures of sad puppies, wearing all black, and drowning in the ocean…. Maybe that is a little overboard, but i hope you see why it’s important to not give people access to that side of you. Moving on.

The Reveal
This part can either be a roller coaster, or a smooth ride. Depending on if steps 2 and 3 are considered or thrown out. This is where you let anyone and everyone see what you have created. You have an opportunity to let people have opinions, and them not affect your life. It gives you the choice to take the positive affirmation and hug it like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer, while examining the negative as a tool to make things better, or throw it out all together. Like I said earlier, there will always be someone that dislikes your work. Whether it be rooted in jealous, or just personal taste, you will not please everyone. So just know that. Knowing that thou, will help you in the disconnection process that allows you to step back from your work and let people speak their opinions.

I cannot stress how hard this is, yet how helpful it can be as we move forward in life, work, and in art.

Remember, you are not your art.

You are not your job.

You are not your promotion.

You are not a pink slip.

You are a child of God, and at the end of the day THAT is what matters….

It is a lot easier to disconnect from your art, when you have a loving Father to connect to.

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“When Faith has eyes to see, there is a smiling presence of God.”

-A.W. Tozer

I have been thinking about that phrase a lot today. Just trying to fathom the incredible fact that when we have the faith to see what God is doing in our lives, and in the lives of others, there is a rejoicing Savior smiling on us. I have often wondered what makes God smile? Then it hit me…. the better question is, what doesn’t make God smile?

The fact of the matter is that he rejoices over you and I everyday. I wonder how many times we forget that? I know I do all the time, I forget that he is smiling on me when I am slamming my head into a wall trying to figure him out. He is smiling on me when I love people, when I get frustrated, when I breathe in, and when I exhale. He smiles on me because I am His child, and so are you. I think so often we get caught up in what we are doing “for God” that we think will “make God smile on us,” that we totally neglect the invisible presence of our loving, and powerful Father.

See, so many times I know I get into this ministry rut. Where I think that I am hitting it on all cylinders, when I am rebuking things, and tearing down “strongholds.” In reality though, I am trying to scale a metal wall without any tools, without any help. God is sitting there smiling at me saying ” are you ready to listen to me? are you ready to just BE with me? ” Instead, I continue to jump and beat on this wall thinking that I am reaching for the stars.

We, all want to grow up so fast that when we actually think we have, we get this pride. This pride that says ” God I’m a grown-up now…” Who are we to tell God, the timeless, all glorious Creator of the universe, that we are “grown-up”? You see what I am getting at? We blindfold our faith…. take away its eyes. But still God smiles on us. As if we were a toddler with a t-shirt stuck over our heads, unable to see. He knows what is going on, and he smiles because our naivety is cute to Him. My point is, we are all toddlers. We are all stubborn. We all have listening problems sometimes, but still God smiles on you.

Take some time to stop what you are doing. Take a breath, and just BE with your Daddy. You don’t have to build towers, or accomplish great feats to be loved by the Father. He smiles on you at all times. At your highs, and at your low’s. He smiles on your success, and when you have to ask Him for help.

Do you understand? Stop worrying about what you can do to make Him smile. When you do that you hide yourself from His light. It is there already stinging on you but you sit there blindfolded…. take off the Blindfold.

Live knowing how much he smiles on you… there is freedom there.

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Everyone always laughs about it, and it’s a funny take on the issue at hand. I agree with him. Why is it that it is so hard for guys to Man-Up, and ask a girl out? I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that we have made it so important to “just be friends first,” that we have traded that courage in the men, for sheepish friendship. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do see the value in a friendship, but be intentional guys. It’s ok to have coffee with a girl to get to know her. Ladies, the same goes for you, it’s ok to go let a guy buy you a scone. I think it is so funny to watch guys contemplate how they are going to make that move though. As if everything in their life has been riding on this moment. The looming question so many of us guys face ::myself included:: is ” what if she says no?”

Men have this horrible fear of failure, its a natural thing. However, we apply this term “failure” too loosely. Guys, if a girl says no, it’s not failure. Its actually probably a blessing. God, is saving you from a bad thing. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. I have known so many guys that sit on this utopian idea of what it would be like to end up with a certain girl, but they never follow through with it. So they get stuck in this “what if?” space. If you have ever seen anyone that is bad at hiding it, you know what I am talking about.

I hate to break it to you like this, but THE WORST THING SHE CAN SAY IS NO.

What is sad is that as I type this I know that some guys would interpret that as ” THE WORST THING SHE CAN DO IS TELL ME I SUCK AT LIFE AND DESTROY MY DREAMS”

To those guys, GROW A PAIR. It’s moments like that, that will shape you. Embrace the NO FACTOR. I used to be that guy, that would crumble under the word “NO”. Since then, I have figured out that hey, my life isn’t over. Neither will yours.

I guess what I am trying to say is that you can either embrace the opportunity to hear the word NO, but also risk being with that special one that is too good for you.

SHE WILL ALWAYS BE TO GOOD FOR YOU….. THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE.

Or on the flip side, you can continue to live in that awkward utopian fairytale land, people will think you are pathetic, and you will probably develop an image problem.

Swing for the fence boys…. and Buy that girl a Scone.

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It’s really hard on your flesh to hear that what you thought was working is, in fact, not working at all. I fought through the shock, pushed through the hurt, refused to stay in a place of frustration, and settled in the peace that comes from the Creator.

I found myself questioning everything. Why do I do what I do? Am I so naive to think that I can change the world? What am I going to do next?

All of theses questions were essentially my self defense mechanism kicking in and trying to rationalize what was happening.

The final question in this process was “who do I work for?”

Upon answering this question I reached a state of peace. Yeah, it sucks to find out that you aren’t perfect… It hurts every…single… Time. It’s at that moment when I remembered that everything I do, I do for God. I work for him. I may employed at a house of worship, but I am only accountable to Him.

I AM NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT….
But the best part is knowing that I don’t have to be. Jesus was never looking for the able, but for the willing. The only ones that expect perfection are people, who ironically are imperfect themselves.

I want to take a moment to encourage you.

YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO GET IT RIGHT ALL THE TIME.
But the Father holds you up, proud of you for giving it everything you have.

YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL.
That’s why The Creator loves hearing our prayers, and answering our questions.

PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS MISUNDERSTAND YOU.
But you have a Grand Artist that understands your every cell, every organ, every thought, and every hurt. He sees every smile, and feels every heartbeat. He rejoices in your creativity, and laughs at your antics. He smiles on you because you are his greatest work of art. You are his beloved.

YOU ARE LOVED.
By the one that holds the entire world on his index finger.

YOU ARE VALUED
By the heavens. By the Son of God, who went to the cross for every time you cut someone down, lied, or hated. He went to the cross with joy in his heart…. Joy in his heart for you. To make a way for you to enter the holy place. The value placed on your life was bought with blood. The ultimate sacrifice.

So next time you need to remember why we do what we do in ministry, in our workplace, in our lives; remember what you mean to the Creator. Remember that we live, work, breathe for His namesake. For that we can rejoice. We can rejoice in knowing that He has our backs, and that everything, everything,everything…. Is going to be alright.

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