There is a song by Todd Agnew (one of my favorites) that has a chorus that so speaks to me right now that I have to share it. I know that I am not the only one. There are too many people out there that I know of that are in the same boat, or the same wilderness. The song is called Written on the Wall. The chorus says this: 

“And I wish you still spoke through burning bushes,

            And I wish you still wrote, on blocks of stone,

            ‘Cause the sound of this world’s deafening,

            And I’m having a hard time listening,

            And I wish your will was still written on the wall.”

The references in this song go back to the Old Testament. The writing on the wall was when God’s hand appeared and wrote on the wall inside the king’s court telling him his days were numbered, and Daniel interpreted it (Daniel 5:1-31). The burning bushes and the blocks of stone are also reference of when Moses was given the Ten Commandments and when God spoke to Moses through the burning bushes.

Even though the references go back to the Old Testament, the desire for God to speak as clearly is still strong today. I don’t know about you, but there are so many times that I really, really wish God would show up and just speak, maybe a heavenly neon sign, or a map, or a burning bush. I pray at times He would be that pillar of smoke in the day and pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21). There are times I just need Him to speak to me. I need guidance. I need His presence. I need to hear from Him, but like the chorus says, it’s so hard to hear Him over the clamor of the world. We get mixed messages from friends and family, we get static from the media, and the world fills our life with noise that blocks out God’s voice.

 We have to get away. We have to be still. We need separation from the things that separate us from God. When we are in wilderness, we need Him to guide us. In Psalm 46:10, God tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” It’s easy to know that He is God. It’s easy to put Him in that role. It is not easy to recognize what that means. It is not easy to be still and reflect on what it actually means, how great that role is, and how amazing it is to have a relationship with the living God!  Be still! Easier said than done, right? Even Jesus had to do it.

Every time that something major was happening, about to happen, or had a decision to make, Jesus went away to be alone and pray. I recently was reading in Luke 6 (verse 12-16) where Jesus chose the 12 apostles. My Bible points out that there were many disciples (followers) but Jesus appointed 12 of them to be apostles (learners) who would be the ones that Jesus would “do life” with. They would be His community. They would be the ones that He would confide in, train, teach, and trust to be in His inner circle. These were His guys. Jesus didn’t just start pointing at the group and “pick a team.” Before that, in verse 12, Jesus prepared. It says “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” That’s when Jesus needed to make huge decision. The twelve He chose would start THE CHURCH. Jesus got away. He set His alarm clock, He packed a bag, He got up early, He beat the crowd, He went away, He did whatever it is that you are currently thinking it would take for you to be still and meet with God.

 How do we find our way in the wilderness? How do we hear God? Is God speaking? He is. He wants to talk to you. But you have to be still. And you have to listen. If you are like me, you spend most of the prayer time praying and not listening. I do all the talking, and I walk away frustrated at times wondering why I haven’t heard from Him. It’s because I won’t shut up usually. See, I get away, I get up early, and I pray, but rarely am I still. Even spending time with Him, I’m not still. I have to change that.

Today, tonight, in the morning, at lunch, at some point, be still. Talk to God, and then be still. Listen. He talks, He guides, He directs, but we only hear Him when we quit hearing ourselves.

Category: Stand Up
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To get anywhere, you don’t need directions. To get somewhere specific, you will need the map. You path equals your destination. What path you are on is going to lead you to where ever that path leads, whether you know where that is or not. The question then is where is it you want to go?

We all have questions about where we want to go in life, or where life is leading us. My life has led me down many paths that I never saw coming. So, I’ve learned a thing or two about changing directions. But, the one direction that I know is never going to change is what happens after this life. I even know that I have a house to live in once I go.

In John 14, Jesus confirmed that. In verse 2, He says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” God has a place already for those who love Him! Isn’t that amazing? If the gold is pavement in heaven, I can’t imagine what this house will look like.

So, how do I know I’m going there? Because I know that Jesus is coming to get me. In verse 3 and 4, Jesus explained, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.” So, while it will be nice to have directions, it’s much easier to get there if He just leads me there.

How do we know that He will get us there? I’m glad you asked. See, Thomas (one of the disciples) asked that very question! He wasn’t sure where Jesus was going, much less how they would get there. That’s when Jesus hit us with one of the more impactful truths in the Bible. In verse 7, He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I say impactful because so many people struggle with this statement. To many it seems like to narrow a path, too unforgiving for those who don’t want to follow Jesus. Here’s the part that they don’t realize. It’s actually the easiest way. Instead of so many paths that may or may not lead to the Father, there is one path, one way that is sure, certain, and big enough for the entire world should they all decide to believe!

How do we know if we’re on the right path? You follow the directions. What are the directions?  The directions are in verse 12. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” That’s the direction, the marching orders, the way. If we truly believe, we’re supposed to pick up where He left off. We have seen the example of God’s love, of God’s character, and we are asked to imitate. We are asked to mimic. We are asked to shape ourselves after that mold.

The destination is made achievable by the directions we were given–by the creator of the map.

Category: Stand Up
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When I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to be an architect. I loved drawing, loved designing buildings, loved all those types of things. Then I took trigonometry, and that pretty much ended that dream. Squashed it, really.  So, then I went into advertising. It sounded like a lot of fun, and I was actually pretty good at it.  So when I went to Lee College, that was what I did. I even worked for the college newspaper doing the advertising. I won awards. It was great.

Then I transferred to Sam Houston State and had one of the worst professors/teachers I had ever had and it made me change my mind. Isn’t that strange how one person influenced what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? But I let him. Instead of coming up with clever slogans and campaigns, I decided I’d change majors about four more times and ended up teaching English and coaching in high schools. I did that for eight years and then went into healthcare management (Environmental Services). We did that (I say “we” because at that point Mandie and I were married and we do all things together) for five years, and here I am, here we are, at a crossroads.

See, my last place of employment through a curve ball that I never saw coming. I now know that God was closing that door, but at the time, I didn’t understand it. So, for a while now, my prayer has been a very direct one. I pray that God would close each and every door I’m not supposed to walk through. I pray that He would only open the door I’m supposed to walk through.  I want to know what I’m supposed to be when I grow up. I’m tired of trying to figure it out on my own. I am not very good at it. I only want what God wants me to do. If it means digging a ditch, okay. I just need clarity!

Here’s what I know that I know…

I know that God has called me to ministry. I know it’s not necessarily a senior pastor position, but I know it’s ministry; probably as an associate or executive pastor. Here’s the other thing…I’ve applied to a LOT of jobs. I’ve even applied to teaching jobs again. I’ve received ONE call. One. Uno. Roman numeral I. It was from a high school. Actually, it was from the high school that my wife graduated from! So, even though I have prayed that God only open that one door, here I am wondering if this is the right door!

Why do we I do this? Seriously? Like it’s the wrong color door or something! As if God just gave me the very answer I was asking of Him, and I need a second opinion? What is that?

So, I pray. Please pray. I just need to convince myself that God has a plan. I know He has a plan for me. At this point, that’s all I want. I’ve made other decisions without His guidance, and they didn’t turn out very well. This one I need to knock out of the park. I need to get it right.

I need to know what I’m going to be when I grow up.

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