Tag Archives: Become Good Soil

Planting Seeds

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I’ve been reminded lately of the teachings of Jesus regarding planting seeds in Matthew 13, from the Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed to the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  I’ve heard this teaching so many times over the years and as I began to study Scripture myself, I continued to run across it.  It took some time for these teachings to really sink in.  To know what it means to become the good soil and the harvest that is produced as a result of this.  Then having faith like a mustard seed and how faith, even so small can grow to be so big.  Then the Parable of the Yeast and how faith is like that yeast in that it permeates all through the dough.

These have become so significant to my life and how I continue to strive to live out my faith so that I continue digging to become that good soil and to be like the yeast or the mustard seed in how they continue to grow and spread.  What’s interesting is that I’ve never thought of my faith in the context of how it can impact others until recently.  I wrote early this year about the ripple effect that faith has when seen by others.  The impact of Baptizing my wife and our  three teenagers in January was so substantial.  Being able to share my own faith and insights from God  of my life and how that has helped others in different settings, both at home in my community, out west in on my last trip to Colorado, while on campus at Liberty University last month for an Intensive course, and then my writing on this page, and counseling and ministering to people.  All of it, I’ve been able to start to see movement in the lives of others.hand-seed

When I was at the Become Good Soil Intensive in May, one of the things the Father revealed to me through one of my mentors was the the image of Jesus planting seeds in our lives and then in my growth, me standing along side Him to plant seeds.  Then he showed my wife and children joining me to plant seeds as well.  That was such a powerful moment for me and realizing that yes, God is using me to continue to plant seeds in the soil, or the lives of others to help them grow their faith like the mustard see or the yeast.  It helped me to realize the impact that is very real and spreads more than I ever thought.

I write and share all this for a reason.  I firmly believe that God desires to use each of us in this way.  I have thought of some of the short-term effects, but never really gave thought to the long-term.  The seed we plant to day can grow to produce so much more for years and years to come.  I have heard and seen the effects people have had on each other.  I never thought that simply meeting my good friend and pastor, Tim, while our sons played baseball together 5 years ago, would have had such an intricate role in leading me to where I am today.  I never thought that my colleague, KC, handing me Wild at Heart as a gift one day 4 years ago, during some of the most challenging periods of my life, would have led me to walk the life I do now.

The Father is planting seeds in our lives and seeking growth and deeper intimacy with each of us.  The fruit of those seeds may not be seen immediately, even thought we may desire it to.  As the saying goes, God’s timing is perfect.  One of the most beautiful things God does is take time.  When we dedicate our lives to what He has for us, however, the results can be tremendous that we are drawn closer to Him, help lead others to desire deeper relationship with Him, who may then lead others to draw to Him.

You never know the effect simple things may have on the lives of others.  Become that good soil to allow the fruit of God to grow in your life and watch the abundance in the fruit that will be produced all around you.  I’m excited to see where God takes me and how I may be able to help others planting seeds in their lives for greater growth.  He’s using us all.

A Decade of Excavation

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I feel like it has been forever since I last wrote anything.  Well, it’s been a couple of weeks.  Two weeks ago, I made took a journey across the country.  Loading up my truck and driving west to the mountains outside Colorado Springs.  This was my 2nd trip out there for such a trip.  The first was the Wild at Heart Boot Camp last year, and this trip was for the Become Good Soil Intensive, both with Ransomed Heart Ministries.  People thought I was nuts for driving out there, but it was just what the Father called for to allow me the opportunity to really unplug from the world for a few days.

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My story group from the Intensive

When I came home from the Wild at Heart event, I was on fire.  I was ready to share with the world everything the Father had done.  I was found real freedom and fully surrendered my life to Christ that weekend.  This trip out was different.  The experience was so holy and the Father’s presence was so profound and real.  Getting the chance to sit in the presence of some older, godly men, along with 47 other men close to my age was so rich.  I came home with so much on my heart, but I made a conscience decision to slow it down first.  I really need to take time to process, even slowing my return to social media in any real way.bgs-logo-offset-min

So what was different?  I gained so much and a big part of me was ready to just get out there and share it with everyone.  I realized, however, that this was a journey about really becoming the good soil that Jesus speaks of in the Matthew 13.  This is growth and teaching to take to the world, but the first part that must be worked is me.  I’m entering into a decade of excavation of my own heart and soul.  Truly getting at the core within, tilling the soil with the Father to become good soil.  It takes a lot of shit to become good soil, and it requires truly getting into the depth of my heart to bring that out.

One of the biggest things I took away is that one of the most beautiful things God does is take time.  The world is in a hurry, but God isn’t.  He is beginning a work in me to truly come into my role as a king over my own domain that He has entrusted me with in this life.  This is a work that He desires to begin in all of us.  To step into this decade, I must crawl, then walk, and then run.  With that, I wanted to be very deliberate in how I returned to writing and to life in general.

There’s so much to share and so much to bring to those around me in my world and through this writing.  Going to take time with this though as this decade gets underway.  I will say that this weekend was one of the most richest times of my life.  The encounter with the Father and the other men in attendance was so awesome.  It was truly good medicine for the heart and soul.

The most difficult part of it all was coming back into the matrix again.  The demands of life were right back again.  It was plainly obvious that the enemy was trying to turn me away from this and turn me away from this journey.  He tried the same thing when I returned from Wild at Heart.  It doesn’t take long.  The attacks and the messages come right away if you’re not ready for them.

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My piece of the Colorado Rockies. I cut and branded this piece of ponderosa pine as a daily reminder of the journey I am on with the Father

So let the decade begin.  You may be thinking…decade?!?!  Yes, decade.  As I said, God is not in a hurry.  If I try to run through life trying to do everything so fast, I’ll be standing there waiting for my soul to catch up to me.  Dallas Willard shared that “The most important thing about a man is not what he does, it is who he becomes.”  I can’t be focused on doing, doing, doing, but rather on arranging my life in a way that I grow to experience God fully every single day.  The goal is union with God.  Walking as the son he has called me and he has called all who chose to follow through Christ.  The union and intimacy with the Father is available with us all.  Who will you become?

 

Inviting His Presence

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Well today is the day.  Truck is all loaded up and I am now on the road heading for the mountains of Colorado. I’ve been anticipating this journey for the last several months.  I don’t know what all will be waiting while I am there and what all the Father will have prepared me for.  Over the past month, we were given a series of things to do as we get ready for this time in the mountains.  Some included listening to various teachings, re-reading Wild at Heart, and spending time in deep prayer asking the Fathers hand and presence in preparation for this event.

There was one thing that was asked of us that seemed very out of the ordinary and just different.  We were asked to plant a tree.  For some this may not be a big deal, but I don’t have the greenest of thumbs and it’s just not something that on my radar too often.  We were asked that however we do it was up to us, but to invite the Father into it.  Invite his presence.

I love my time with the Father each day.  Getting to walk with Him and bring His presence over my life.  For some reason, bringing Him into the activity of planting of tree was very challenging.  I was too preoccupied with why and what kind of tree and where to put it.  Feeling His presence in this particular thing was tough.  As I wrote last week, my oldest son graduated high school.  It’s been a special time for our family celebrating his accomplishments and his coming journey to college.  With all of that, the day for this trip was looming.  I had not planted a tree and didn’t know where to begin.  20160523_185637.jpg

The other day I finally released all of my presumptions about this one activity.  I walked around thinking about my son’s graduation and the future.  Then I hear, “plant a tree for Shawn.”  It was so profound to hear that.  I started seeing images of the roots of a tree growing deep just as the roots of my faith has grown deep which has branched to my family as their faith grows deep.  So that’s what I did.

I found a tree, a red maple to be exact, with Amber’s help, found a great place for it and yesterday planted that tree.  This young red maple now stands for as a symbol of my son, Shawn and the hope that his roots in his faith will grow deeper and deeper as he journeys into manhood.  This is now something I will do for each of my kids as they move to the next step in their journey in life.

I now make my way to Colorado fully ready for all the Father is going to have for me.  I don’t know what it will all be, but I look forward to being unplugged and locked into His presence.  It all starts with letting go and inviting His presence.  You’ll be amazed at what He will reveal when you are in a position to receive.

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A New Adventure In The Works

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Two months from now I will be hitting the road on a new adventure as I drive across the country for the first time in route to Bear Trap Ranch just outside Colorado Springs.  I’m so excited for this journey as I was accepted and have the opportunity to attend the Become Good Soil Intensive event with Ransomed Heart Ministries.  I am so humbled and honored that the Lord has afforded me this opportunity.  As I have written about extensively over the last year, I attended my first Ransomed Heart event last year at the Wild at Heart Boot Camp.  That was 4 days packed with tremendous spiritual growth, unplugged from the matrix and getting to have some good sound fellowship with other godly men and time alone with God like I had not experienced before.  I surrendered my life on that journey to Jesus, as I quit tiptoeing in the shallow end and dove into the deep end.maxresdefault

This time around, I am looking forward to even more spiritual growth.  Whereas Wild at Heart had over 400 other men there, this Intensive is a more intimate setting with only 48 men accepted through a lengthy application process.  I gained so much at Wild at Heart, I can only imagine what the Lord will have in store for me on this adventure.

One of the biggest things I have learned on my walk over the last year is the importance of walking through life with other men in the faith.  I have especially learned the importance of walking with men who have journeyed through life longer and garnered a great amount of wisdom and experience, like Timothy walking with Paul.  I have made that a priority for my life to do just that with who I have surrounded myself with at my round table.  At this event, I will get a chance to do this as well, completely unplugged from the matrix of this world.  As the event information states, it is in the company of wise, older men…those out in front already.

mostimportant-01Any chance I get to gain something new in my walk with God, I will take advantage of.  Something that I have learned to be so valuable also is that we all, men and women, need opportunities to escape the stresses of life.  Unplugged from life.  I believe this is important, not just with event like this, but to find time to get away , at least once a year.  No phones, no work, no distractions.  Your soul needs this.  As I have shared time and again, why do you think Jesus always escaped to the wilderness.  He knew he needed to get away from the chaos in order to walk more intimately with the Father.

Look, I have suffered and lived long enough to know that I don’t have all the answers and never will in this life.  We need the wisdom of others and need to be able do disconnect to allow ourselves to connect with the Father on a deeper level.  It can be so easy to be lost in a sea of chaos out of control, but in the process, you can lose who you are.  Don’t let that happen to your life.  Find a way to unplug and also lean into others you can glean godly wisdom from.

I am very much looking forward to this adventure.  Last time I flew, but this time, I decided to load up my F-150 and make it a road trip.  I look forward to the solitude on the road as well as I prepare for the event. I’ve never driven that long on my own, and I am so excited to have this opportunity and to have a wife that is so supportive of this huge growth opportunity.  It will definitely be an adventure and I will certainly share about it more as I prepare and of course after the event.  It’s going to be an amazing adventure and I look forward to what God has in store for me this time around.