Life Halfway with Jesus. (Peake Post)

God came as a man and fixed everything just so we would not be separated from him! He says, I am new and IF I live life for him I will find real life, fulfillment, purpose, joy. That to live for him is actually what I am made for.

Jesus death and rising to life resulted in death for the part of us that lives for our self, now we can be alive truly, which is living for God, and others because of who God is. We are made like him; to quote Genesis in “image and likeness” in character and semblance of love, goodness, kindness, etc.. We were made to live in perfect, awesome, union > relationship with God; now we can again :  )

All my life I only died half. I fit Jesus in wherever it was convenient and figured at some point this “new life” the Bible speaks of would just click. This is what I was taught. This is what I saw. This is christianity in the US as I understood it.

I understand to even say the things above and have them mean anything to anyone that doesn’t share these beliefs assumes they recognize a God, AND Jesus, AND the Bible as legitimately from this God. I understand people have issues with the authenticity of the Bible, and we could argue about that, we really could, indefinitely I’m sure.

BUT consider the message, consider what it says. Look at who Jesus is and what he does in there, and undertand he is a historical figure to say the least, at the most, he’s God.

Check into it and see if you buy it! Imagine even that it is from a creator that has given everything for you.

Only after really understanding an option are we put in a place to truly agree or disagree with it.

Good quote from CS Lewis on a different side of that here.

Moving.. (Peake Post)

So I moved.

Over the past couple of months I realize in many ways I have not moved much my whole life.

I was born and raised in San Francisco Bay.

I held several jobs that have been good, but did not lead anywhere.

I have been in several relationships that did not go anywhere.

I called myself Christian, but never followed Christ.

I never got it, not really. 

I am tired of living halfway. 

I moved because God is real. I have stated I believed this my whole life, but if I really do how can it not be the most important element of my life? To live otherwise would be a contradiction. I have always said it is, but not lived that way.

If something is the most important, and you see another thing keeping you from the important thing most fully, you have to change it or hang out in denial land.

I say God made us and gave everything to be with us so we could be live with him unfettered. He says I am not actually designed to live life all about me and my stuff. I am made to live with him in perfect, awesome, union forever. He paid in blood, torture and death to get back to us, all of us. Anything less than my everything given over only shortchanges myself. He’s our everything, he does not change, he does not lie, he is always good. I believe it. (More on this here)

I have looked a lot for things to fulfill and give driving purpose, for life, and come up empty.

Jesus says he came so we would have life, and in abundance(Jn. 10:10). He also says if we seek to save our lives, we’ll lose it, but if we lose our lives in God, we will find it (Mat. 16, Mark 8, Luke 17).

It’s true.

I moved to change my life and give my time and money and whatever else to God as he would direct and will.

He requires all, it is what’s best, it is what we are made for. 

It’s not about me, and it is such a relief.

Faithfulness (Israel Post)

I’m about to go to sleep. I’m lying on the couch of some incredibly sweet and loving people who have offered us their living room and home to sleep in. I feel the love and comfort of the Holy Spirit as I see His faithfulness and provision for us everyday.

We went to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission tonight and hung out with some homeless folks who stay there. It was great. I want to get involved. I believe God is directing us to the mission.

I’m excited to see what happens.

Sleep!

Life Since Ghana.. (Peake Post)

In Ghana I saw a very different culture, pace of life, and acquired a new perspective to look at the world.

I left it open to God’s leading whether to stay or not. As three months came to a close I did not feel a significant sense of peace, despite the love I had for the people there, I wanted to go home. 

Upon returning I endeavored to put some, “serious thought” into next steps, especially any entrance into full time employment. Through the gift of my family, I was able to take that time, with shockingly little responsibility.

Also during this time I got turned onto two speakers by my friend Israel, Todd White and Dan Mohler. Both really amazing, because true things are amazing. They speak primarily on identity. We are sons of God, Jesus paid for it, we are, what does it mean? I had to listen to a couple of their podcasts before I was on the same page, but they wrecked me for anything less, in a great way. Things I’ve “known” my whole life started coming to life and making sense.

I looked at different positions, researching with the thought of trying anything and everything because I had somewhat realized you can’t know what you like til you try it.

After a bit it seemed fruitless. I started wondering how God views work, what is said about it? I came to verses speaking to integrity in your work, like whatever you do, do unto the Lord. But not a lot about work itself.

I was hiking at edgewood park, thinking, talking to God about work and life. I sat to read and this verse jumped out, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mt. 16 Also in Mark 8, and Luke 17. 

This spoke to me, don’t look for the right job, look for God, lose yourself on Him, to know Him. That is the life you have always looked for. I don’t find it through the right job or community or etc.., I find everything in Him. He cares for me, loves me, died to be with me, and He knows what I need, really need. He says don’t worry about my life, follow Him.

Urbana reflections, what I took away. (Peake Post)

Urbana consisted of three main components:

1. Morning Bible studies.

2. Large group sessions in the morning and night.

3. Seminars in the afternoon.

1. The Bible studies were great. A facilitator managed a room of between 1-200 people and directed the group through what is called an inclusive study. I believe this is common practice throughout intervarsity groups. The format looked like this:

- Begin with a song and prayer to direct the study to knowing more of God.

- Select a passage to study.

- Have someone read over the passage out loud to the group.

- Read over the text once more individually.

- With a notebook, read over the passage once more and take note of observations like numbers, names, repetition, anything that stands out. Limit observations to within the text.

- Discuss your observations within a group of 3.

- Read over the text and write down any questions that come to mind.

- Compile questions within your group. Which questions stick out to you?

- Decide which question gets most closely to the core of the passage.

- Read over once more and attempt to answer questions only referring to the text at hand.

I found this method beneficial as it forces a very close and critical look at the text itself and allows time to notice and make connections which may be easily overlooked Ina short time.

2. Large group sessions are meeting with all 16,000 in attendants. These were conflicting for me. Lots of very emotional and striking testimonies were shared and questions to the effect of, “if you will not go, who will? You are the most educated, most supplied, most blessed…”

Don’t quote me on that. What I found conflicting is the feeling of being motivated to go serve by emotional obligation or a general call rather than who God is and what He did. The truth of who God is does all the speaking we need.

He gave it all for us, and showed us who we really are, that we are made to be his perfect sons. That truth, the identity as sons living with all the fullness of God within us! That is what we go forward in, drawing from truth that is not exhaustible. Maybe it’s the same and I’m missing it, but here’s where my thoughts led to. ***More thoughts below

3. The seminars offered in the afternoons were good. There must have been over two hundred different seminars to nail down into 6-8 possible available time slots. “Lord, what session do you want me to go to..” : X

I went to a session by Mark Scandrette called practicing the way of Jesus. It was really good, he has a book. That one stood out to me the most.

For some thoughts on other aspects of the event, follow this link:

http://shpeake.blogspot.com/2013/01/urbana-as-event.html

***So here’s where I live, what I’m thinking when I say this about who God is and what he did. Even if you don’t believe in God, suspend your disbelief with me for a second…

God made everything, He’s perfect, pure, good, love. We are the pinnacle of his good creation, we are made to be like God in both nature and personality, image and likeness. We hang out with God and it’s awesome, perfect, unity, every day, it’s what we we are created for. We mess up. We believe the devil and we mess up and we can’t live in awesome, perfect, unity with God anymore. We sin, sin = doing something we’re not made for, it produces no good things and will never fulfill us.

God doesn’t like that, he wants us, he does not settle for separation, he comes as man and he fixes it. He pays the price for all our disobedience, ever. He fixes it, to be with us, and He did it for free cause He loves us. He made it as if we never sinned, justified. He returned us to the value we were created with, as sons and daughters, redeemed.

Now, so me and God are back to awesome, perfect, unity. Thank you Jesus, really. We get to know him, we get to be with him. With knowing him comes everything. Purpose, fullness, new identity, new heart, new life.