The Conference was amazing, but there was almost NO time to process. I heard Louie Giglio talk about living a free life. Saying YES to Jesus and living out your life FOR Him. He talked about how we need to take time to step back and soak in life with Jesus. How we can't go to a conference like Passion and then expect to live off of the "spiritual high" that you got. A walk with Jesus is NOT a walk in the park. It is not easy and it is not something that is perfect all of the time. A walk with Jesus is like high altitude climbing. You CANNOT go up to the top of Mount Everest in a helicopter and see the glorious view from on top of the world...you will DIE with in 15 seconds because your lungs will collapse and things just do not work properly when you go from ONE extreme to the next so fast. You have to be prepared. You need to go up a little and back a little... Up a little and back a little, until you make it to the top. You have to allow your body to get used to the altitude that you are at. That is like a walk with Jesus. You go up a little. STOP. PAUSE. THINK. PROCESS. LEARN. TAKE IT ALL IN. APPLY IT TO LIFE. Go down a little and figure out your next move. Then you go up a little more and back down to do it all again. IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE that way!! I get frustrated so much of the time because my walk with Christ is FAR from perfect. Most of the time I am left confused and wondering how to do this right. But I have never taken the perspective that processing is not a bad thing, going down a few steps to take it all in is GLORIOUS, it is the way I will survive.
Beth Moore's talk blew me away. The mind was the talk of the hour. How complex and confusing the MIND is just blows me away. The circumference of your BRAIN can be measured but NO ONE has ever been able too or ever will be able to measure the MIND. How insane! She told us that we need to " Think about the thoughts that we are thinking." Confusing huh? But think about it... when you think a thought you tend to not think about the thought that you are thinking. You need to get to the source of that thought. The brain has a "thought process memory". The thoughts that you habitually think will eventually PHYSICALLY pave a path in your brain to automatically go to that path and think those thoughts. So, if for 10 years someone has been an alcoholic, and for 10 years their thought has been "I will just numb the pain with another few drinks", it will be extra hard for them to not think that way even if they want to. But it is possible to start paving another path in your mind, but thinking about that thoughts that you are thinking of. For that previous example: If you are thinking.... "I will just numb the pain with another few drinks" think about that thought and create a new thought instead, saying it will numb the pain for a MOMENT and then go away, what can I do to solve my pain and not just numb it. We need to create a more positive path in our minds.
Francis Chan was so full of life and passion that it got me on fire. He made me realize that living in the United States and being able to attend a conference like Passion, walk around with my Bible, talk freely about Jesus, and have so many people proclaiming to know Jesus without living out their faith is NOT NORMAL. The majority of the world lives in places where to PROCLAIM THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST will get you kicked out of your family, your life and your country and make you run for your life and for Christ. We do not have that type of persecution here. We need to live out our life for Jesus with such passion that if we were to be persecuted we would THANK GOD that we were able to RUN FOR HIM and his NAME and IF we lived to see another day, THANK HIM for the chance for another day to run for him again.
Andy Stanley's talk hit home for me as well. He talked about the story of Jacob and Esau. Esau gave up his Birth Right ( double inheritance, the family judge and a blessing ) for a BOWL OF SOUP. WHO DOES THAT?? Answer: YOU and ME. We may not give something up for SOUP but many people will give up a FAMILY for drugs, a drink, sex or money. And just like Esau we will be left with NOTHING. No Birth Right and an Empty bowl of soup.
And John Piper was nothing short of brain altering. I don't know about you but I have always heard PUT JESUS AT THE TOP... but John Piper talked about how we need to put Jesus at the BOTTOM. It sounds weird at first I know, but think about it, if Jesus is at the BOTTOM then he is our foundation. He talked about that we have two options of a foundation, making much of YOU ( this may mean doing Good things in the name of God but the root of it is to make YOURSELF look good/godly ) OR making much of GOD ( having the root of your heart being TRUE glory to God). Per his example: What is the true motivation for good grades? Let's say...
1- You want to make good grades
WHY?
2- To get your masters in psychology
WHY?
3- To become a clinical psychologist
WHY?
4- Because your life was awful and you want to help others through it
WHY DOES THAT MATTER??
Now #5 has a choice.... its either:
5- Because I want to make myself feel like I am helping people and I will get praised for such a selfless job
OR
5- Because I want to bring glory to God in helping people, letting them know that Christ changed MY life nothing else.
..... SO where is the motivation?? That is why Jesus is at the BOTTOM the FOUNDATION.
So all in all my weekend was AMAZING. Lots of stuff to unpack. I'm sure you will be hearing more thoughts on this later.
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