If someone asked you who your hero is, what would your answer be?  The follow up question would then have to be, why?  I know the answers would vary from person to person, depending on age and stage of life, but I am sure you would hear a few names of sports stars and celebrities, as well as incredibly famous people that you don’t really know personally.  Our litmus test for heroes can be very subjective and not very good.  As a child, most of us called someone a hero that we didn’t know personally just because they were famous or did something extraordinary.  For one generation it could have been JFK or Neil Armstrong, for another Michael Jordan or Ronald Reagan, and today it could be Brad Pitt or The Jonas Brothers.  But what is heroic about their lives and how does it affect your life?

A hero is typically defined as someone who shows admirable qualities, is brave and has done some sort of great exploit.  But I believe what I want in a hero are qualities that cannot just be seen in the external exploits, but qualities that are driven and sustained by an internal relationship with Jesus Christ.  So I know my definition is going to differ a bit from the dictionary, but I believe for something to be truly heroic in an eternal sense, it must have an eternal impact.

This thought process led us to the Heroes series that we first did in May of 2009.  We had such a great response that we decided to do a sequel, Heroes II.  Like any good movie, if the results are positive enough it demands a sequel (it will be better Rocky V).  The Bible has plenty of material, so here we go again! 

Our goal is to encourage the fact that there is a hero within every single one of us.  That is why I like my definition.  In my world (and I believe in God’s kingdom) being a hero is something all of us can do with our lives.  Heroes have God-given characteristics and qualities that are exhibited in their daily lives.  The decisions that these heroes make affect people’s lives every single day.  Their bravery often goes unnoticed and their impact is often not seen until years down the road.

There are a few obstacles to discovering the hero within you.  One of the greatest obstacles is the erroneous thought that fame equals heroism.  There are plenty of famous people that have nothing heroic going on in their lives.  Another is thinking the heroes of the Bible somehow had something that is not accessible to us, and therefore must be unattainable.  That could not be further from the truth.  As a matter of fact there are some who would argue that we have something even greater to help us because of what Jesus did for us in giving us access to God and sending the help of His Holy Spirit.  So thinking Noah, Ruth, Paul and others are biblical “history” without much modern day relevance to our lives is tragic.  It really sells God short on the incredible things He wants to accomplish through each of our lives.

We may not save the world from total destruction, or plant churches all over the world, but the characteristics that came from God that allowed men and women to do such things are the same Godly characteristics that we have access to today.  We should be exhibiting these on a daily basis in whatever environment we find ourselves in, whether in our homes, on our jobs, in school or in the community. 

What could be more heroic than exhibiting loyalty, faithfulness, obedience, courage and love in all of our realtionships and as a result change the course of their life forever?  My answer is nothing!  So that is why for the next few weeks we will explore heroes from the Bible, heroes from today, and the characteristics that they both exhibit that we must emulate in our own lives.  It is in each one of us because God put it there for His purposes.  It could start with something as simple as inviting someone to your small group or to this series.  You might reply, “How is that heroic?”

My answer is simple.  If it changed the course of someone’s eternal destiny, could there be anything more heroic?  If a hero is typically someone who saves someone else’ life, then in essence isn’t that what we are called to do by witnessing and showing God’s love?  Let’s discover the hero within each of us, because that is what God made us to be.

If we would be good listeners, make the time to listen, take the time to listen , find the special place to listen, then we would find ourselves hearing things we have never heard before.  Our prayers would then become prayers that we are praying back to God, instead of hasty, presumptuous ramblings of our own one-way conversations.

Have you ever heard anyone utter the words, “All I want is a little peace and quiet!” It is usually someone in the middle of a loud, chaotic moment that seems like it will never stop. Maybe you have said this before only to have your request overtly ignored by anyone listening or pretending to listen. It really doesn’t matter what season of life you are in, there is something in all of us that longs for peace, quiet and rest.

The dilemma that faces us in our culture is that our lives don’t lend themselves to slowing down at all. As a matter of fact we have bought into the view that the more we do, the more places we go, the more music we hear, the more people we hang out with will satisfy us or at least keep us preoccupied until exhaustion begs us to stop. Even then we can take a shot of “5 Hour Energy” and keep on going like sleep is something that only the “weak” do.

Ironically the creator of the universe (who has way more to do and take care of than you and me) actually believes in the concept and the benefit of rest. After taking the time to create the entire universe, plant and animal kingdom and the world we now live in, the Bible said that he rested (Genesis 2:2-3). God purposefully worked in the Sabbath in our seven day week. Now if you think that the “Sabbath” is a nickname for a heavy metal band, then you are probably more tired than you realize. In essence, it means to cease from your work.

I know some of you are thinking that would be a good idea… to cease from your work, but “it is just not possible.” However, I want to point out that we are made in such a way that we reap all kinds of benefits from getting the rest we need. If that is the case then there has to be way to accomplish this vital aspect to living well. Even Jesus (God in the flesh) made time to rest, so I am again confronted with the need to implement it on my own life.

There are many aspects to finding peace and quiet, and even resting in a busy and noisy world. In the month of June In Focus Church is going to take the time to explore the benefits of certain disciplines that help us to live the way God designed us to live. Each message will cover different aspects of what we can do to gain peace, quiet and rest in our lives. We will explore the art of waiting, which no one seems to enjoy in our “fast food world.” We will look at the art of communication and how to just listen to God instead of always talking. The art of contentment in a world where we never have enough will be another one of our topics. And finally we will close out the series looking at the art of resting.

Maybe just reading this makes you long for peace and tranquility in your life, and the Bible says there is a peace that we can have that goes beyond our human understanding. The title of the series is Monastery, and no we are not asking you to move into one. But the images that monastery elicits tie into what we are trying to communicate. That is this; God wants you to find a place of peace, stillness and rest in Him.So everything we are doing this month will be to help facilitate that end. We want to help remove the hindrances we all have to cultivating a still and quiet soul (Psalm 131:2).

Take this month to experience the nearness of God in a new way. Invite others into this experience so that God can minister to their tired and thirsty souls. Maybe this is a month where we follow the advice of Ecclesiastes 5, realizing that God is God and we are not, so we will let our words be few. We will be still, wait, listen, and find contentment and rest in Him.

I had a great Mother’s Day.  It is such a fun time of life when you get to take your children shopping for mom and they are just old enough to pick out their own cards and gifts.  Sometimes it can be humorous but it sure takes the pressure off of me to pick something out.  This year the cards were appropriate for each child and the gifts were actually really good ideas (and I only helped a little).  I hope they do this well when Father’s Day rolls around this year.

One thing about yesterday was that I felt like God taught me something about a mother’s heart, faith, and His character.  I was truly honored to be able to have my eyes and heart opened to some new things to me, about all of these things.  I also realized He had been teaching me some of the specific things that I would share on Sunday, for about a week in preparation for the Mother’s Day message.

In short, I got to see the story of Moses mom in a way that I never had before.  I was reaquainted with the power and providence of God to work behind the scenes of our lives to do the things that only He can do.  At the same time I was reminded of the importance of doing all that I know to do in prepration of God doing what only He can do.  Read the account of this story in Exodus 1 and 2 if you like and see what God shows you.

I also got a glimpse into the type of faith it takes to be a mom that pleases God.  I have a mom like that, and my wife is a mom like that, but it takes courage and wisdom.  Since having children is like watching your heart walk around on the outside of your body (I once heard my mom say) then letting go and trusting God in the face of troubling circumstances is not easy.  It takes a courageous and wise faith.

That is what it takes for all of us to live the lives God has called us to live.  God desires to help those who seek Him and put their trust in Him and when we exhibit courageous and wise faith you can be rest assured that He is faithful.  And that is what I was reminded of when it comes to God’s character.  Faith is every virtue I have put to the test.  Faith is receiving the good and the bad and trusting God implicitly either way.  Faith is doing all I know to do, not necessarily seeing the answer or the “way out” and trusting that God is bigger than any threat that I might encounter.

Forgive the ramblings, but I am thankful for my mom, my wife, my children, my church and my God who is well able to accomplish His purposes in my life and the lives of my family.  I will do all I know to do and then let Him do what only He can do!

I don’t usually post anything that could just as easily be a simple facebook message or tweet, but I am going against my normal approach to blogging.  So instead of just saying, “great job everyone” on my twitter or facebook I am doing this blog.  I love it when I get rebellious against my own standards.  I am truly joking here, and being very tongue in cheek, because my blogging standards are non-existent and the frequency with which I do blog is comparable to the amount of times I change the air filters in my house.

This month we have been in a series at church entitled the Real Jesus where we have been taking a look at who Jesus really is in the Gospels.  We really wanted to look at Him as the truth, a forgiver, a friend and our leader and Lord.  I used a book by Bill Donahue entitled “In the Company of Jesus” as my main source for preparing each message.

So in my own opinion things have been really good, and each week we have seen people giving their lives to Christ as they have been “introduced” to this Real Jesus who loves them unconditionally and wants  to lead their lives.  One saying that that I have highlighted throughout the series is that Jesus loves for us to “out do” Him.  In other words when He see us looking like Him, acting like Him, loving like Him, He looks at us and enthusiastically says, “I love it when you do that!”  “I love it when you out shine me!”

Now we might say, “is that even possible?”  And when it comes to perfection, deity, sovereignty, etc…  obviously no, but when it comes to reflecting his character and heart to other people (love, compassion, kindness, wisdom, faith, peace, power), He encourages us to do just that… out perform me!  And when we do, (here it comes again), we should here in our hearts directly from the mouth of your savior King, “I love it when you do that!” (John 14:12)

If you think this is far fetched, then consider your own children if you are a parent.  When my kids out do me, out perform me, I glow like a lightening bug on steroids!  And I say, “Caleb, Josiah, Anna Joy, I love it when you do that!” 

And how does this relate to yesterday at church?  Well there were plenty of people all over this building from worship leaders, to teachers, to ushers, to hospitality team members, light techs, sound techs, visual techs and more that I wanted to scream out to… “I love it when you do that!  I love it when you do well and succeed.”  Even greater than that, is the fact that Jesus was saying it even louder.

Maybe I am in a sentimental mood right now (I just watched Marley and Me over the weekend and it messed me up), but I know this is how Jesus responds to us, and how we should respond to one another.  Give it a try this week.  Maybe tears will well up in your eyes when you look at someone who has grown in their walk with the Lord, or maybe a huge smile will come across your face when you encourage a friend or family member on a job well done, regardless of the situation, let these words fly… “I love it when you do that, I just love it!”