Last week Jay and I watched The Dead Poets Society, an inspirational classic about a passionate English teacher who motivates his students to appreciate poetry and live life to the fullest.  The teacher, played by Robin Williams, quotes Walt Whitman at one point in the film:

The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

This quote has echoed in my mind since then, leading to a barrage of questions. What is the verse that I am contributing to God’s story?  If my life was to be summed up in one sentence, as they often are even in the Bible, what would it say?  Would it be so ordinary that people skim over it without the slightest vocal emphasis or emotion? Would it create feelings of hope, inspiration, and passion, or ones of frustration, disappointment, and pity?  Most importantly, would it be worthy of the God I claim to serve?  Would it advance His plot and bring Him glory?

The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

What is your contribution?

Michelle

So we’ve learned that lust is a cancer, but it’s treatable and beatable.
Interestingly, the key to beating cancer and lust are one and the same.
And though it’s a lifelong process, it’s actually quite simple- you must starve it.

But you can just try to ‘be good’ and expect lust to go away.

And as I mentioned in this post on masturbation, if you can’t work your way into heaven, then the opposite is true: you can’t work your way out of sin.

We must feed our spirit if we are to develop that strong immune system that’s necessary for wards off the diseased attacks that constantly try to infect us.

As the old song goes, we need to “light the fire again.” It’s the only thing that truly purifies us.

Here are a few ideas…

1. Eat this book.
There’s a great quote about the Bible… “This book will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from this book.”

Or as Psalm 119 says, “Your word I hide in my heart, so I won’t sin against You.”

Finding it hard to read?  Start by just Getting Your Calories.

2. Cuddle with a Dude.

Okay, not actually. But a pure life does require intimacy with Christ. Worship and pray in a way that draws you close to Jesus. The best way that I’ve found to personally draw closer is through writing and being in nature.

For you it might be rocking out and singing at the top of your lungs. For others it might me quiet times of solitude and meditation. For others it might mean serving the poorest of the poor. For others it might mean taking a long drive and yelling at the top of your lungs.

Figure out how prayer and worship will best draw you closer to the Lover of your very being.

3. Be a gold digger.
Proverbs suggests that we “Seek wisdom like gold and fine jewels.”

This might be books, podcasts, messages and sermons, even (gasp) blog posts.

The Apostle James once said, “Ask God for wisdom, and He’ll give it to you without finding fault. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.”

Start digging.

4. Buddies!
(anyone else LOVE the movie Heavyweights?!)

This is about intimate friendships and intentional community.

I’m talking Chicken Fried nights that turn into worship nights around a campfire.

I mean sleepovers that turn into all-night talks about things that matter.

I’m thinking dinner dates that inspire everyone at the table to take it to the next level in their relationship with God, their relationships with others, and their passionate pursuit of the dreams and calling that God placed inside them.

I mean living together and working together and ministering together.

5. Getcha Four-eyes On.
Now we’re talking about VISION. Seeing the unseen. Calling it out for what it is. Righting wrong. Being the dreamers of His dreams. The Apostle Paul suggests that we make our calling and election sure.

The disciple Matthew tells us that the kingdom of heaven is violently advancing, and that we should get on board.

As Rick Warren said at Catalyst two years ago, “if you want to receive God’s blessing, you gotta get with what God IS blessing!”

So put your spiritual glasses on. Wake up, wake up, open your eyes! As Jesus said to all those who are blind “Receive your sight, and sin no more.”

6. Get reminded.
My buddy Rich and I were sitting at his cottage once and he was explaining to me how Israel’s biggest problem was simply FORGETFULNESS. Do not forget the God of your youth. Do not forget the Saviour who rescued you.

Get accountability. Get people to ASK you the hard questions. And if they don’t… ask THEM why! Bring everything into the light, and keep it there until it’s radiated away. Return to your first love. Be called to account.

7. Stare into the distance.
Oh if only our generation would look down the road and see what’s coming. If we would but stop staring at trees and get a glimpse of the forest. God has plans to prosper you and give you a hope and a future, life abundantly, and He PROMISES so!

Yet we grind and pay bills and fulfill visions and missions for others far lesser than those which God implanted on our hearts. To what end? To end life the same place we started, with little or no impact on eternity. Disgrace. Such waste. I suggest another way.

Surround yourself with godly elders, people of the faith who’ve gone ahead and made a difference. Climb on their shoulders and see further. Seek more territory for the Lion and His lands.

(that’s my ineloquent way of saying “get a mentor asap.”)

Okay, that’s my list. If you have any more to contribute, PLEASE comment below and help us out.

For the record, you don’t HAVE to do any of these things. But don’t expect to beat lust or have a fulfilling relationship with God without them. It takes INTENTIONALITY to become a man or woman of God. It takes conscious thought to truly live. Choose THIS DAY whom you will serve.

Michelle and I watched Dead Poet’s Society (on VHS!) last night. Always a good reminder.

As Henry David Thoreau said “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die Discover that I had not lived.”

Carpe diem- seize the day.

Or as the Bible says, “Teach us to number our days, that we might learn to live right.”

Do so, and you will LIVE.

But first, an apology:

I burned out.

It’s what happens when you run five blogs and write over 300 blog posts on sexual purity in one year.

We had just finished Journey, we were crazy busy with finishing the documentary on sex trafficking and moving to Central America… that by the time we landed, I was totally toast.

I was empty.

But this “Sabbath Season” (sabbatical) is restoring me. I’ve got a renewed vision and a hope for the future. I’m gonna ease back into it, so here we go!

Michelle and I are living in the mountains of Mexico right now. Yet with the joys of technology, we’re able to download messages to listen to right here in our little lakeview casita.

We listened to a message two nights ago that absolutely WRECKED me.  

I wish I had learned this lesson years ago.

I wish the concept and truth had permeated my soul when I was a high school volunteer.

I wish I understood this principle when I was a youth pastor.

It’s a message that I hope and pray many of my friends will come to receive, as many of us are struggling with this very issue.

Read the rest of this entry »

In this scene, a young lost-boy discovers someone he once knew through the mask of old age. Peter Panning had forgotten who he was. Peter Panning had forgotten his true identity: Peter Pan.

What is your true identity? Does your outside reflect your inside? Do your actions reflect your heart? Are you who you know God wants you to be?

I struggle with pleasing people. It bothers me like hell (hell bothers me!). I want people to like me. I want people to be pleased with what I say, what I do, and who I am. But like I said, it bothers me.

It bothers me because I often feel like I can’t be myself. I feel l can’t challenge people and systems like I feel God prompting me too. I feel held back by my desire to be liked. I feel like I can’t be myself.

To work on it, I need to open up. I need to let go. I need to be myself, and sometimes, just recognize that I serve Jesus, who had so many people unpleased with him that he was murdered for challenging people and systems. I need to be who God has called and made me to be.

Who has Jesus called you to be? Who has Jesus made you to be? Are you that person? Maybe it will take someone to help you discover it, like the lost-boy for Peter. Get around those people. Maybe it will require a lot of hard work, asking questions, and mistakes. Step up and work hard.

It’s time to rediscover who we are! It’s time we change and start hearing the words from friends, family, and Jesus … “Oh, there you are!”

For Jesus’ fame,
JK

I play Ultimate Frisbee. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re missing out. I love it! It’s my best exercise, and usually only, of my entire week. A few months back we had two pretty big games. As Captain, my role was to motivate, encourage, teach, and lead by example.

In our first game, I did none of those. We were trying new things I had taught and nothing was working. I was playing horrible and my attitude switched to silent, negative, and frustrated. What kind of a leader is that…a useless one. I recognized it near the end of the game and tried to switch back, but it was too late. We lost a game we should have won.

When I look back on that game, our entire team was more negative. There were nearly no “high-fives” going around like usual. Nothing was clicking. Attitude reflects leadership. If you’re a leader, its time you reflect on your own attitude. If you follow a leader, your voice has a major impact on your leader. Encourage and challenge that leader to be a better one!

People tell me that their favorite leader is one that lives what they teach. Is your attitude reflecting what your calling people to have? How is your attitude when you lead people? Would you want people to echo that attitude?

What are your thoughts about this?

In my second post on leadership, I will give a few definitions of leadership, followed with a potential definition of a lead pastor of a church.

For Jesus’ fame,

James Kelly (JK)