MikeZook.com

Enough Already!

Sent from my Blackberry Wireless Handheld. (Please excuse any misspelled words.)

Time Well Spent

As I have been listening more to the Spirit of God lately and have been trying to seek his direction in how I should spend my time ministering to others, He has revealed one important thing to me. My mind has been too busy with things that don't matter and consequently as a result, that has spilled over into how I spend my time.

I left the business of being a professional pastor 9 years ago. When I left, I made no declaration of "how long" I was going to be out. Or "if/when I was going back in" (those were the words I used). You see I was paid to think about Jesus, albeit in a very structured specific way. And it was my job to come up with creative and innovative ways to get more people to think about Jesus come to our church.

Quote of the Week

"One of the fundamental issues of misunderstanding that leads to corrupt churchmanship in our generation is the failure to distinguish between a crowd and a church. The failure to distinguish between a crowd and a church is ...to misunderstand everything about preaching, everything about ministry, everything about our task. If we think our business is to build a crowd, frankly any of us can do it. There's always a way to bring, draw and attract a crowd. . . . Let us never mistake a crowd for a church or think our business is to draw a crowd."

- Al Mohler

Learning to listen

If you are one of the few people that read this blog then you will notice that I haven't written a thing in a while. I have been putting my thoughts on this site for a year now and I have entered a season where I am not sure what to say anymore. Actually it's not that I don't have anything to say, those who know me know this. It's that I am trying to listen more. Listen to God. To others. To my own heart. To my kids. To my wife. As a result I have not said much lately. It's amazing how much you learn about yourself when you listen, really listen!

I have been reading my good friend, Mike Brantley's blog. His last few posts (all those posted in January) have been altering my thoughts about some things. My life. My faith. My God. My false securities. My pagan tendencies. My posture toward others. My belief in the Matrix - My desire to break free of it. My purpose. My life as a sacrifice. My life lost in God as my Shepard. My want for my life vs. my want for my God. My ability to walk in truth. My ability to forgive and to be forgiven. My ability to love and let others love me.

Thank you Lord for using Mike to stir my heart, mind and soul.

Here is one thought that really shook me:

"Believing the creedal proposition of 'saved by faith alone', but also believing what James said, 'faith without works is dead', can a person be a Christ follower and not live out in the most practical and sacrificial ways a life of deference, postured to serve, sacrifice and live to love others into the Kingdom? Can a person be saved be merely believing (the demons share this reality and tremble) and doing sin management, while continuing to live materialistic greedy, rights centered lives and not giving away ourselves, our wealth, our hearts for the world? Is this not what it is to be a disciple following our Rabbi?"

Now if you read the above paragraph and thought that it really didn't apply to you. Read it again and be honest with yourself. The reality is if you live in the western culture, have a roof over your head, food to eat, clothes to wear, a car to drive, a computer to blog, you get impatient when your needs aren't met and you have even the slightest sense of entitlement (which most of us do)....then it does apply to you! But most likely you are slow to recognize this like like I am, so there we sit like the frog that has been slowly boiled in a pot of water and is dying unaware of his surroundings, not knowing to jump out.

Damn! I thought listening was going to be the hard part. But now I think hearing and responding is going to be harder!

I've been in contemplation....