kcmark Mark Blog Post

Legacy, Team and a GOAT

After last night’s Super Bowl victory by the Los Angeles Rams, I was thinking this morning about how nice it will be to not have to listen to the national sports media fawn and gush for the entirety of the NFL off-season about how Joe Burrow is the new golden child and heir apparent to Tom Brady. I have nothing against Burrow personally, but the national sports media doesn’t just beat a dead horse, they beat it, grind it up, make some glue out of it and then try selling the glue with the classic Middle School Theory of Persuasion – talk as loudly and as often as possible to try to get your way.

My thoughts of gratitude toward the Rams for enabling us to avoid this painful alternate reality were interrupted as I was checking out post-game comments and came across this quote from Aaron Donald, defensive tackle for the Rams and who many would argue is currently the best defensive player in the NFL (Sorry, Watt)

“Legacies aren’t built from individual stats but team success.”

In the context of the game of football the quote doesn’t seem that profound — in fact, it seems fairly obvious, right? Tom Brady wouldn’t be considered the GOAT if he hadn’t made it to 10 Super Bowls, winning 7 of them. Swap TB12’s Super Bowl numbers with Dan Marino’s (1 SB, a loss) and tell me Brady is still the GOAT. No way.

However, Donald’s quote didn’t stop me because of it’s application to the game of football, it stopped me because of it’s application to the game of life. It was one of those moments where the Holy Spirit nudges my own by shining light into the shadows of my inner thought life.

Oh, Father – how often am I inclined to look at my “individual stats” in my marriage, my relationships, at work, or even in ministry?

Sure, I want to build a legacy through my walk with God, but I’m once again reminded that life doesn’t work that way – legacies aren’t built that way. Aaron Donald has it right. Building a legacy – even a legacy through your walk with God – requires teamwork.

Of course, this implies we are on and have a team and I was reminded that I (and you) do have a team — two of them.

First, we have the ultimate team in God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. If you’ve been around E6 enough you know we often begin pray with “Father, Son, Holy Spirit”. That’s because if we desire to create a legacy in the Lord they must each have a role in our lives. God is our Father, creator of heaven and earth and sustainer of life. Jesus is our king, our redeemer, our savior and friend. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, our comforter, our guide. Like a football team, there is some overlap in their roles – receivers sometimes block, running backs sometimes pass (like Mixon’s TD pass last night). The point isn’t to put God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit in a box – the point is that when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have a team walking with you in life and it’s a team effort, not an individual one, that creates a legacy. I’ve had periods where I’ve lived my life, and measured it, based on my “individual stats” and that road always leads to a dead end.

Which leads us to the second team we either have or need. Brothers. Specifically, other men who are also seeking to follow God daily. Without this second team, I might not have ever realized the true value of, and my desparate need for, the first team. There is a reason that Solomon, who God gave immeasurable wisdom, says in Proverbs 17:7,

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

God designed us as men, and he designed us in a way that if we desire to become all that God created us to be we must be in relationship with other men. How does this happen? We must ask our first team – Father, Son & Holy Spirit – to identify, draft and build our second team. Don’t miss this point. It’s all too easy to go back to relying on our own stats and our own skills to attempt to build our second team. This is where we have to lean in and trust that God our Father, truly knows best and desires the best for us, because He truly does. If that last statement seems impossible or ridiculous to you, I get it. I really do. If you long for those words to actually ring true for you personally, consider coming to our Spring Boot Camp. It’s a place where God has shown up to reveal that truth for many, many men.

If you look around and realize that you don’t have much of a second team, or perhaps none at all, I would invite you to do two things. First, pray – pray for God to put Christian men in your life who are looking for the same thing and then continue to pray. Just like a championship football team, a band of brothers directed by God doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient and focus on your first team in the meantime. Second, sign up and join us for our upcoming Brew & Chew. We can’t wait to see what God does when guys take the active step to gather together as men to share a beverage and have conversations about things that matter to God. You might even meet some other guys needing the same thing as you in this season of life.

Lastly, if you’re wondering if building a legacy in your walk with God is actually worth it, consider this promise from God recorded in Exodus 20:6 as He spoke directly to the children of Israel from Mount Sinai,

“I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Are you kidding me? A thousand generations?? Now THAT is a legacy worth letting go of “individual stats” and allowing the team’s needs and the team’s success to be your success.

Never forget – there is only one true GOAT and He’s already on your team.

egrusc1 Ed Blog Post

Knowing My Identity

Over this Thanksgiving weekend, I have been thinking about all the things that I am thankful for and how God has provided so much.   I am definitely thankful for my lovely wife, fantastic kids, extended family, food (pizza specifically), a warm home, friends, my new job, a close relationship with the Lord and so much more.  These can be seemingly common to many people.  However, I also have been thinking about how grateful I am that my identity as a person is in the Lord.

What do I mean by the word “identity”?  Well, Google defines identity as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”.   That’s a pretty bland way of describing what I am feeling and what I am grateful for.  When I think of my identity, I think of who I am as a man, what I stand for, my name and how I would be described by others.  Even better, I think about what God has to say about me, who I am in His eyes and the Godly man He has called me to be.

Let’s take a look at what the Lord has to say in the Bible about us and our identity in Him:

  • I am a child of God – John 1:12
  • I am the light of the world – Matthew 5:14
  • I am strong and courageous – Joshua 1:9
  • I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father – Romans 8:14-15, Galatians 3:26 and 4:6
  • Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier, He is not ashamed to call me brother – Hebrews 2:11
  • I am righteous and holy – Ephesians 4:24
  • I may approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence – Ephesians 3:12
  • I am a new creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • I am free forever from condemnation – Romans 8:1
  • I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit – John 15:16
  • I am joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him – Romans 8:17
  • I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved – Colossians 3:12 and Thessalonians 1:4
  • I am an enemy of the devil – 1 Peter 2:11
  • I am a son of light and not of darkness – 1 Thessalonians 5:5
  • I am a temple – a dwelling place – of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me –                  1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19
  • I have been justified – completely forgiven and made righteous – Romans 5:1

Could it not be any more clear how much the Lord loves and cares for us?   Is there any doubt about what He thinks of us?  If the answer is so clear, then why do we have such a hard time believing that these verses are real and true?

I think we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis where we are seeking our validation and identity.  Is it from the world that we search for our answers or is it from God?   Do wealth, power, success and fame determine our identity or is it in our character built by the Lord over time?  I think we know the answers to all of these questions on the surface, but truly knowing in our hearts can be a different story.

So let’s talk about receiving our identity from the Lord instead of the world.  How do we do this?  One way is to just ask Him.  During your quiet times with the Lord, try asking Him these questions:

  • What do you think of me Lord?
  • What do you see in me?
  • What is my identity?
  • Who am I called to be?

If you don’t receive an answer right away, stay with it.  Come back to it later and be persistent.  He loves you and wants you to know how special you are to Him.  Seek and you shall find.

Part of my prayer life each morning is to ask God to speak to my identity.  I want to know who I am in Him each day.  He answers this prayer by speaking directly into my heart, through other people, through music, books, podcasts, nature and more.  Knowing who I am allows me to be true, real and authentic in my relationships and activities.  I can be who I truly am in the Lord and not worry about what others think.  I can walk free and without fear throughout my day.  Knowing He is with me and that I get my validation and identify through Him allows me to be my true self.

Having this knowledge of who I am and who He made me to be is better than gold.  With this knowledge comes a sense of peace, comfort and confidence for anything that comes my way in my life.  The confidence is not of my power, but only received through Him.  For all of this, I am grateful and thankful this day.

Let me leave you with this wonderful song sung by Hillsong called “Who You say I am”.  This song was played at our church service this past Sunday morning, and it spoke directly into my soul.  The Spirit of God reigned down upon me like the rays of the sun as this song played.  I felt His love encompass me as a true Son and Child of God.

https://youtu.be/lKw6uqtGFfo

Just know that we can all have this connection and identity in the Lord.  Just ask Him for it.  He wants to reach out to you and for you to reach out to Him.  Take the risk.  You won’t regret it!

egrusc1 E6 Ministries, Ed Blog Post

Can I really hear from Jesus?

There are numerous examples of men and women in the Bible who speak with and hear directly from our Lord. It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Abraham then gets instruction to sacrifice his son Isaac and Moses is told to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. How about Moses seeing a burning bush and receiving the 10 Commandments?   Noah is also told to build an ark because the world will flood. David spoke directly to God throughout his entire life.

Yes, these are examples from the Old Testament, but what about the New Testament? Well, besides Jesus living as a human on Earth for over 30 years and giving us countless instructions to live by, we have other examples like Saul on the road to Damascus when Jesus confronts him and asks “why do you persecute me?”. Saul then becomes Paul and is given clear direction from the Lord to spread the Gospel throughout the world. On and on it goes throughout the Bible, God communicating directly with his loved ones.

What about today? Does God speak to us now? Do Jesus and the Holy Spirit give us personal direction for our lives even on a daily basis? I hear some people say that hearing from the Lord is impossible and that he only spoke to people long ago.

What does the Bible say about Jesus speaking to people?

Check out John 10: 2-5 NIV – 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. What does this mean?   Well it says that we listen to his voice and He calls us by name. He knows us personally. He leads us and goes on out ahead of us as our Leader. We, as sheep, follow Him because we know His voice.

How about Revelation 3:20 NIV – Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

If I hear His voice and open the door for Him, then He will join me, even for dinner. Think about how we interact with our closest friends and companions. We get together and “break bread” for intimate and personal conversations about life. Jesus wants to do life with us too.

I believe the Bible is clear on Jesus speaking to us directly. Here is one example in my life where the Lord communicated with me and provided specific instructions on something I needed, but didn’t want to do:

A few months ago, I was driving through the state if Illinois after seeing my son in Chicago for the weekend. On the way home, I felt the presence of God in the car as I drove alone down Interstate 55. You see, this was the location where my life fell apart 18 years ago. I became divorced and also a single Dad raising two children full time after my ex-wife had an affair with the neighbor across the street. It was a traumatic event and my heart was broken at the time. Now, 18 years later, I thought I was past the pain and the need for healing from the divorce. God, however, had other plans for me.

During the drive, I invited the Lord in to my prayer time. After a few minutes, He spoke into my heart and said I needed to forgive the man from this affair. He told me to go to his home and tell this man that I forgive him face to face. Needless to say, I wasn’t excited about this great opportunity the Lord was providing me. I wanted to get home instead of having this conversation. However, I had been asking God to speak to me for weeks prior to this day, so I felt the need to be obedient to His direction, no matter how uncomfortable it would be.

Commentary: Jesus speaks to us today in many ways if we will make time for Him. In my case, I was driving alone in a car where there was no competition from a television, a laptop or even my phone at that point. He wants to be our #1 priority. He knocked and I met Him ½ way by having three hours of quiet time on the road. This type of quiet time, even if for 30 minutes each day, is something we need on a regular basis to hear from Him. Ask Him to join you. Ask Him all of your intimate questions. He will respond if you believe and have faith.

Back to the Story: On the way to the man’s home, I looked for any excuse to drive right on by. What would I say to him? Did he even live in the same home? What if his wife came to the door? On and on the questions came as I battled spiritual warfare on how “stupid” I would look if I showed up at his door.   As this battle raged, I became more and more confident, knowing that anything was possible through Him.

So I came to the city where he lived and said “God, you need to make this clear to me if You want me to forgive this man now.” 10 stoplights in town stood between me and his home. I was looking for a red light from God, but all 10 lights turned green just as I approached each one.   Point made. I felt Jesus say, “Green means go, so go and forgive this man now”.

I then stopped outside of his home and prayed again asking Jesus to send a sign to move me on past this “opportunity” for character building. No sign came to my dismay. So, I walked up to the door and pushed the doorbell. No response. I hit the doorbell a second time. No response again. Was this a chance to leave? “Knock on the door” is what I heard next.

Commentary: Jesus can speak to us in many ways. Sometimes it is directly to us (not audible words, but a stirring in our hearts). Other times, it might be through another person’s words, or through nature, music, books, poetry and so on. It is very personal when coming from Jesus. He knows the words we need and the manner in which we need to receive it in. In my story this time, I felt His presence and words in my heart.

Back to the Story: I then knocked and the man who had the affair with my ex-wife came to the door. He looked at me in shock with his eyes becoming the size of silver dollars. I shared with him that what he did 18 years ago was wrong and also a betrayal. I told him that God asked me to visit him on that day to forgive and release him from the affair. The man stood there speechless and only grinned. No apology came as he just listened to me. I left that man’s home not needing an apology that day. It didn’t matter what he said or didn’t say. There was healing that was needed in my soul (and maybe his) that the Lord provided to me through an act of faith and obedience. I never felt as strong as when I left that man’s home that day. I could do anything through the power of the Lord. I believe that the Lord gives us what we need, even if we don’t recognize it sometimes. He knew I needed healing and spoke directly into my wounded heart. I am so thankful for His gift of a healed heart and for speaking directly to me on that day (many times).

There is no doubt that God wants to speak to us. We just need to have the ears and desire to hear Him.