This world will go on without you.

Watching the news is proof of that.

Once you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all:

Either it’s hotter or colder, cloudy or sunny, or the weatherman is mistaken.

All the sports teams either won or lost, someone was injured, someone else is rumored to return shortly.

Someone somewhere is fighting. Wars are waged for lack of understanding and deep-rooted selfishness. Innocents are still dying.

Politicians are still talking. Citizens are still watching.

Celebrities are still living. Tabloids are still gossiping.

The market is up or down or stable. No one really knows why or how. There’s talk of changes soon though.

Gaps in ‘real’ news are filled with stories of cats being rescued, games being played, and mindless diversions being critiqued and dissected with incredible detail.

There’s nothing new about the news. It’s all the same. Always.

The longer you watch the news, the more you begin to realize that this world will go on, just as it is, without you.

And that’s the problem- because you could change everything.

I am declaring war on passivity…both personal, and of that which surrounds me.

Take a guess at which I detest most.  Is it…
a.) People who talk about the weather.
b.) People who complain about not having enough money.
c.) People who are tired and sick all the time because they work so much for no apparent reason.
d.) All of the above.

I am SOOOO sick of people who are living unconsciously.  Who don’t take the time to actually THINK about what God created us to do.  We’re letting the world dictate what OUR life is supposed to look like.  And it’s making us forget that “our” life, is indeed, not our own. (any Bible verses come to mind?

We as a society have created some absolutely MENTAL diversions to keep us so busy that we never get anything done!

Think about it…
-you have to work for 25-30 years just to pay for the box of bricks that you live in.

-people slave for 40-50 prime years at a job they hate, in hopes that they’ll be rewarded with 5-10 years of healthy retirement before the slow and painful decline towards death.

-the ‘holiday’ seasons are now a huge constant shopping barrage…we go straight from Thanksgiving to Halloween to Christmas to Easter to whatever…no one stopping to think, “hey, this is bull$#!t.” (someone had to say it)

-the major sports seasons run pretty much year-round, with thousands of possible game options, highlights, re-runs, endless commentary about the most trivial of matters.

-news stations, tv, papers, etc…spout the same boring crap on repeat 24 hours a day, just in case you forget that this world is still falling apart. (and let’s be honest, it’s all day-old Twitter news anyway

I’m ready to EXPLODE!  Or rather, declare war.

So here’s my official warning:

If you want to live a passive, mediocre, boring, safe, guarded, mask-wearing, run-of-the-mill, just-like-the-rest-of-the-world life…stay the heck away from me.  I don’t want to have to hurt you, and I certainly don’t want your disease.  Seriously, stay way from me.

***I want to be surrounded by people of adventure, people who care more about Jesus and people than anything else, people who dream big, work hard, and inspire me to do the same.  People who care more about being than working, people who desire experience over stuff, people who see Jesus in the common, ordinary things of life. People who take the gloves and masks off, people who are honest, real, passionate, loving, and violently gentle.  People who are so on fire that they light up the world and advance His kingdom without thought for personal harm OR glory.  If you’re that kind of person, move into my neighbourhood homie!***

(I’m so amped up that I’m sweating right now.)

A good friend took me to the Raptors game on Sunday. We had a great time- laughing, talking, cheering, and planning a very exciting ministry project for the New Year.  As for basketball, we’ve been known to play a bit.  We’re minor fans. We have no stake in the Raptors.  A win or loss doesn’t make us furious or ruin our weeks.  But I looked around us- we were surrounded by many whose very lives seemed to hang in the balance…of how many times a piece of leather dropped through a metal-and-mesh net.

Dear God, allow us to see ourselves through your eyes.

Another good friend of mine is a nanny.  She takes care of two kids from a ridiculously financially wealthy family.  And last week, she taught the kids how to make cookies.  They didn’t know that people actually made cookies (they assumed only the store did), because they’d never made cookies with their parents before. They don’t even own a cookie sheet.  Add to this the fact that my friend is now away with this family for their Christmas vacation…because the parents are too busy partying to even spend the holiday with their ‘loved ones.’  Sorry- what is the point of amassing wealth and working for a family who’ve you’ve clearly rejected with your actions??

This world is driving me nuts.
Women who obsess over food and clothes and decor and ‘fashion’.
Guys who gush over sports and booze and video games and television.
Couples who spend so much time working towards the delusion of ‘getting ahead’ that they forget to LIVE.
Families with so much on their agendas that they’ve lost their souls and forgotten their dreams and passions.

And it’s the worst when it’s a Christ-follower.  Because Jesus was oh-so-very clear: be in this world, not of it.

If this pains you to hear- talk to Him, don’t complain to me.

And so, my dear friends, I beg of you to do something radical today:

Declare war on passivity…both personal, and of that which surrounds you.

My friend PJ over at the Link youth group in KW asked me to write an article for their newsletter a month ago. It was written to high schoolers with one question to be answered: what’s one thing you wish you were told when you were young? Here’s what I wrote:

I’m a late bloomer.

I wish I knew it was okay to dream big and start young.

We’ve all heard THE verse: “do not let people look down on you because you are young, but set an example in life, love, faith, and purity.” But that’s the starting blocks, not the finish line.  I’m assuming you’re growing and setting an example in these for areas.  If you’re not, get in community and get some older wiser people to lead you there.

We live in a culture that expects very little from you as teenagers.  If you haven’t read the book by the Harris brothers, you need to… it’s called “Do Hard Things.”

Truth is, you’ve bought the lie.  That you can’t achieve the things God lays on your heart…yet.

But ’someday’ is the poison that ruins ‘today.‘  Because today is all you have.  And you need to steward every moment.

What CAN be done by young people?

• Did you know they used to let kids run the New York Marathon?
• My wife started an organization that reached 20,000 college kids in the first 6 months. She was 19.
• I have a Twitter friend in South Africa who makes over $10,000 per month online. (he’s 20)
• My buddy Kevin became a pastor at a downtown Toronto church at age 20.
• I started a scrappy little blog that’s reached over 10,000 people in the past 9 months. (I know, I’m old at 23)
• Did you know there’s a development bank founded in India that’s run by street kids? They have 79 locations in 6 countries, and no one’s over 18.

Small things, big things, all things.  Everything must be done to the glory of God.  Miss that and you’ve missed it all.

So why not ask Him what He could use YOU for…right now?

William Carey was a shoemaker who taught himself another language and became the first missionary in India. He paved the way for the big Mama T. His life chorus was “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

What’s going to stop you?

1. You. Lazy you. Distracted you. Sinful you.

2. Others. Others putting you down. Others discouraging you. Others distracting you.  Others not expecting much of you.

3. Satan. Get some prayer partners, some godly mentors, and a holy community. Resist the devil, and he’ll get lost.

But you gotta fight through.  You must dream big and start young.

Because what’s the worst that can happen?

You remain exactly as you are.
Trying can’t hurt!  “Shoot for the stars and you might land on a cloud.“  It’s pretty much the only smart thing Kanye West has ever said.

You miss out on what God created you to be and do.
In that case, did you ever really life at all?

You become a cynical old fart.
I know SO many people that are brutally cynical of my dreams. Even people in their early 20s.  Because they’ve ’settled’. They’re down with the status quo. They’re comfortable or unknowing or lazy or distracted.  You don’t want to become someone who not only doesn’t fulfill your dreams, but also discourages others.  The Bible says you should tie a rock around your neck and go for a swim.

Dreaming big and starting young isn’t easy.  But there’s a dude who sticks closer than a brother.

Rick Warren said it best: “if God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.”

Rest in that.  Work in that. Play in that.

Dream big, start young.

Holla.
Jay Brock is a daily blogger at www.sexrev.org.
He and his wife Michelle run an organization that fights sex trafficking called Hope For the Sold.
His dream is to be a significant author and an elder that helps lead a rockin’ Jesus-centred church community.

Post-script

Here’s an afterthought- if you think that God can’t use you until you make more money or get a degree, does that mean that God alone isn’t big enough?

Meet Lawrie and Eileen.

We met them in a hostel in British Columbia.  They’re cycling across the Rockies.  They’re 72 years old. Seriously.  My grandma would DIE if she biked to the grocery store.

I ask them where they were staying the next night. “Oh we don’t like to get tied down with reservations, we like to keep things open!”  It’s nice to see old people that aren’t stuck in their ways!

When we met them, they were averaging 50 to 100 km per day.  I was totally inspired.  Not to biked the Rockies, but to hear their story:

They used to own a bike shop back in England.  They’ve been biking for 55 years- they’ve biked the Andes, the Pyrenees, and the Alps. So they figured they should do the Rockies too.

I asked them what the key to biking huge mountains was.  We all laughed at Eileen’s British-accented answer:

“Put it in a low gear and just keep pedaling!”

LOL!

Move at a sustainable pace.
Work on your endurance.
Take your time to do things with excellence.
Pursue your dreams with people you love.
Don’t put a limit on your potential.

Jay

So I went to see Coldplay with my wife last night. (that link is for a free live album by the way). A few thoughts:

• Chris Martin is very man pretty.
• I’m wondering what there biggest song is- Yellow? Talk? Fix You? Viva la Vida? Lemme know.
• They sound just as good live as on record.
• Apparently there were 43,000 people there.  Tickets ranged from $40 to hundreds. Do the math. Dang.

But let me say something on the record: I very much dislike Toronto.

I hate Toronto. Took me two hours to get downtown. Parking was $10. Food was overpriced. Server lady was meaner than Hitler. Some drunk guy was smoking in front of us. Took us 2 hours to get home.

BUTTTTT…

• No two were the same.
• Everyone is so special, so unique.
• Each has a story.
• God has a plan for each of them. (THAT’S what He’d been doing for all those years- planning!)
• Each of them is wired differently.
• Each of them has a dream.