Wisdom from Solomon:The Man who tried EVERYTHING

I'm learning quite a bit from Solomon, the man who tried everything. King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in his final years, as he was reflecting on his life. His words are sharp, focused, and experienced. He speaks from what he knows first hand.

Solomon was wildly successful. He was a brilliant thinker. And yet, he realized that all his quests for wisdom, money, and power led him to vanity. "For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" (1:18). He saw everything under the sun, and deemed all of man's work and effort meaningless vanity. He noticed we (humans) spend our entire live striving after the wind, and forget to enjoy life. This must be why my good friend says:

Do less. Be more.
-Dave Rahn

But Solomon also warns of too much pleasure. He made great houses, planted vineyards for himself, made gardens of fruit trees, parks to play in, dug a few pools (sounds like MTV cribs), bought male and female slaves - who multiplied and brought him more baby slaves, had the biggest zoo in the world, and filled the vaults full of silver and gold and some crowns, goblets, and jewels (sounds like National Treasure). He made sure there were plenty of women hanging around for his spontaneous and frequent delight. He said "whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure" (2:10).

And yet, even with all that ... he looks back on his life and says this:

Then I considered all my hands had done and the toil I had expended doing it, and behold, all was vanity (meaningless) and a striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. (2:11)

Meaningless, he says. Meaningless. He did all that and still came up short, empty, and hollow.

Do less. Be more.

Being vs. Doing

Over a year ago, I wrote on the topic of "Being" vs. "Doing".

I think it's time to revisit this. The following are some excerpts from my recent talk to Normandale Reformed Church.

Do we really “Get it” that God isn’t interested in how much we “DO” for him, but rather, just want us to “BE” with him?

This was a huge revelation for me this week.
That God isn’t interested in how much I DO FOR HIM, but His head turns when I express that I simply want to BE WITH HIM.

In English, we call this abiding (connect, be close, to be attached). Abiding might be a little like constant text messaging – even though a person is not here, you are remaining connected to them while living life.

Jesus tells a story of two men in Matthew 7. One builds a house on the sand, the other on the rock. The winds and rains destroy the house built on the sand, but the one on the rock stands firm.

I’ve read this a kazillion times, but something new was revealed to me this week – THEY BOTH BUILT HOUSES! They both had something to show for their work. They both labored furiously, and from the outside-looking-in, you might not have known the difference. In fact, you might have walked in the house built on the sand on the day it was built and said to yourself “Man! I wish I could build something like this! This person has it all together! They are a master builder!”

I can’t believe I’ve missed this all long. They both were furiously laboring, tirelessly building, and both had a house to show for their work.

But the problem was in the foundation.

And I’m not much different. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and my mind immediately begins calculating the list of things that I need or should do that day. Those are good days – usually the list gets put together a few weeks in advance. And sure, I find “space” for God – sometimes – where I’ll just sit and be with him.

But Jesus says makes it very clear that our lift ticket into eternity is a personal relationship with him. A deep abiding relationship, that is willing to be quiet, and listen to his still, small voice. Look with me – just a few verses before, in Matthew 7:21:

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

Sometime when you have a chance, read John 15:1-17. Jesus invited us to abide in Him. The word abide appears 11 times!

The bottom line:
More than how much we “do for” Jesus, Jesus wants us to simply “be with” him.

What a privilege

Somewhere along the way, I forgot the privilege. I got tired. I was burnt out, worn, and exhausted. I let the holy-passion that once burned inside of me become a routine. Not only a routine, but a burdensome, religious chore. It sounds like this:

Pick the songs. Arrange them in a fresh “flowing” order, all-the-while being mindful of the song’s key and lyrical theme. Pray (because I’m supposed to, you know). Research appropriate scripture. Type the lyrics. Rehearse every chord. Print 8 copies for the band. Printer out of ink. Drive to store. Buy ink. Look at watch. Complain about having to do all this. Return home. Clear the printer’s queue. Re-print. Paperclip. Stack.

Re-type the lyrics into Powerpoint (yuch), MediaShout, or Keynote. Computer crashes. Re-re-type the lyrics. Grab guitar and rehearse with slides. Make sure they’re in the right order …

Sound equipment: Looks like I need a _____. (guitar string, pick, AA battery, mic cable, insert missing-piece-of-equipment here). Call a friend. Drive to friend’s house. Borrow the equipment.

Rehearsal. Email the band. Find a time that works. Discover that “no time” works, of course. Do the best we can with who can come. But now, where? Where will we rehearse? Call a church. Acquire a key. Figure out the church’s sound system. Screeching feedback. Loud noises. I don’t know what we’re yelling about.

Somewhere along the way, I forgot the privilege. I let the holy-passion that once burned inside of me become a routine. Tonight, the holy passion returned. Thank you, Jesus.

This is not a routine. This is not a burdensome chore. This is an ongoing conversation. It is a continuous dialog between my spirit, your spirit, and the Maker of the entire universe. In this very moment, we have the privilege of communicating, adoring, worshipping, proclaiming the glory, falling down in complete awe before, and singing at the top of our lungs to the One who made us.
For “all the earth bows down to you: they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.” (ps 66:4)

This is for glory. What a privilege, Jesus. Father, forgive me for making this about me.

Silence and Solitute

Today was a big day at the apartment on Elmwood. For the first time in 5 years, I have my own bedroom. I got home from work at about 5:30, and the guys and I immediately began moving our junk around. It's 12:41, and we're still not done, but calling it quits for the night.

I'm really pumped about having my own room. I'm thrilled to have a place to retreat to, where I can close the door and relax - nap - eat - sleep - read - whatever. This "retreat space" has been missing for 5 years, and the need is becoming obvious.

We read in Luke's gospel that "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. At times He withdrew with His disciples and other times He withdrew alone.” I have vivid imagery in my mind of Jesus speaking to thousands, all the while nudging Peter to "go get the boat" so they could retreat for rest and restoration.

Psalm 46:10 instructs us to
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Today I am thankful ... for this new space ... to be still in, and call home.

Chronicles - Chapter 6

Solomon had just finished building the most ornate building imaginable. It took thousands of skilled men to build the structure … so many that there were nearly 4,000 supervisors alone. Gold and precious metals were imported and poured into beautiful ornaments, with two enormous gold winged creatures placed inside. Surely this was an incredible sight! Solomon’s God given-task, and his life-purpose fulfilled!

But Solomon recognized that his creation was merely human. He never lost sight of how small he and his efforts were in comparison to the God of the universe. In fact, in his prayer of dedication he said this:

Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! (v18 - ESV)

God honored Solomon’s kingdom-building efforts (in a huge way – read Chapter 7), but I would imagine God’s response had something to do with Solomon’s humility.

I, too, am making efforts to build God’s kingdom. Most days, however, I think way to highly of myself. I trick myself into thinking that God somehow needs me. That I’m a big deal. Look at me! Look what I’m doing, God! Everyone else come take a look at what I’m doing for God!

Do you catch the sarcasm?

Behold, even the highest heaven cannot contain my Jesus, how much less these little efforts I build.

God, you be God and I’ll be Jake. Today (and again tomorrow), I’ll submit to you.

Our Story is God's Story

I have a friend. His life has a story. Our lives are connected. His story becomes part of my story.

"And our story is God's story. So many of us have been conditioned to think of our faith as solely an issue of us and God. But faith is a communal experience. A shared journey. I have heard people say their stories are not exciting. I can only imagine how deeply offended God is with comments like this. Not exciting? If the story is about me, then, yes, it is only exciting to a certain degree. But the point of our stories and our faith journeys is that they are about something much bigger."

So, if you have a friend ... If your friend has a story, then claim it.

"I tell my story and my wife's story and my friends' stories -- I tell every story. I want others to see how they're all connected. So if you think your faith story is boring, take someone else's.

All things are yours."

(quotes taken from Velvit Elves, by Rob Bell)

Today- When I feel like I don't need Jesus, it's because I'm way too self-righteous. I trick myself into thinking that somehow I deserve all this ...

... that somehow I've earned this life.

The truth is, I need Jesus not because I am good but because I am very, very sick. Because He's seen my filth at the very core of my being and genuinely wants to spend time in my dirt.

He does this because He and I have no other choice - He, because I am His created child and He loves me unconditionally. And I, because there is this God-shaped hole in my heart that can only be filled by Him.

Thank God that He came to seek and save the lost (me).

Catalyst Conference - Day ONE

Incredible drumline, live monkey on the stage licking a lollipop, surprise guest comedian/preacher Jeff Foxworthy (yes, redneck guy), knights on real horses, and a Beatles cover band ... these are the things we experienced today at Catalyst 2006.

Justin has some great Foxworthy quotes on his blog. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the speakers today:

Andy Stanley on Humility

• The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and he gives them to anyone he wishes (Daniel 4). This should change our perspective on leadership, and eliminate our arrogance.
  
• Leadership is a stewardship. It's temporary, and you're accountable
  
• Christ-like leadership should be diligent, fearless, and humble ... because God has placed me where I am, and I just serve as a temporary sub here for Him.
• This isn't about My Story - I am a substitute helping with God's Story

Marcus Buckingham on Management

• All great teams have one thing in common: great management
• The job of the manager is to turn individual talent into performance, and grow team goals
• We're always a work in progress. We are never done with our work
• If you can't do - teach. If you really can't do - consult
• Capitalize on individual uniqueness
• Great managers never speak in generalities about their team: they know vivid detail about each person
• When dealing with difficult people, managers should spend 80% of the time sharpening the person's strengths, and 20% of the time filling-in for weakness (most managers have this backwards)
• Door after door will continue to open, but not all doors open to your strengths
• If you studied "Bad" and inverted it, you don't get "Good" - you get "not bad"

George Barna on the Church

• We're not called to "go to" church. We're called to "be" the Church.
• Family is the central church experience
• "Bigness" is not as big of deal as "depth"

John Maxwell on Leadership

• In the beginning of your leadership journey, do everything. In the process, lean towards the things you do very well.
• Begin to develop people to complete you in your weak area
• We attract who we are, not who we want.
• Jesus did not spend equal amounts of time with everyone (Pete, Jim, and John - what do you think Matt and Barts convo looked like?)
• The greatest investment in the Kingdom, is to invest in your best (Phil Jackson -> "Get the ball to Michael")
• Paul said, "This one thing I do" ... NOT "Fourty things I dabble in"
• I'll buy lunch to the first person who reads this line and comments
• People who lead the most, have not always had the highest position
• Moral failure in leadership is usually due to (1) No accountability, (2) No time in the Word, and (3) a "it won't happen to me" mentality.

Tomorrow ... Louie Giglio and Donald Miller!

To see what my fellow travelers are saying, check out their blogs:

Charlie Dean
Chris Evans
Justin Ganschow
Tim Schraeder
Leadership Journal Blog

How is life similar (or dissimilar) to a "Choose your own Adventure" book?

You know, the kind where you get to choose the next plot twist and "turn to page 36" to see the result ...

A stupid question, I know. But I'm interested to see what kind of similarities or dissimilarities people can come up with.

You can learn (a lot) from my mistakes ...

A couple days ago I fed this homeless man named Eugene. He was sitting behind Avanti's starving, and I brought him a gondola. As soon as he received it, he began to devour it. Once finished, he did not acknowledge me. No eye contact. Not even a "thank you".

My roommates were around when I got home, so naturally I began to discuss this tragedy with them. "Can you believe the guy didn't say thanks? I bought him food and he couldn't even offer a simple 'Thank You'?"

My mistake. I forgot that my worship doesn't begin with me. It begins and ends with Jesus -- who said this:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them ... when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do ... that they may be praised by others.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus in Matthew 6 (ESV)

Learn from my mistake. Give freely today to the needy. But don't tell anyone. And don't require thanks. Just give.