There have been a couple of different things I’ve considered writing about over the past few days, but one dual topic comes back to me more than the rest. That dual topic is boldness and fear. Let me explain… and it’s gonna be a little more random than usual :)
Boldness, to me, is wrapped up very closely with faith. When your faith is large, then boldness to share that faith in any circumstance flows naturally. When you know something, then you have no problem telling about it and acting on it. It’s when you have doubts about your beliefs that timidity and uncertainty set in. Thus, when the time comes to actually put your faith into action, fear can come swooping in and paralyze you.
For me, the most common way this manifests itself is when I’m in a public place (at the mall, at a ball game, at work—basically anywhere but church) and I have the opportunity to do something for God. Whether it is the urge to pray for someone, the opportunity to witness, or an occasion arises to just step in and make sure justice is given to the helpless, I sometimes hesitate. My mind starts to wonder things like, “What if I pray for them to be healed and it doesn’t happen?” “What if they laugh at what I say?” “What if this guy beats me up for getting in his business?” All of these questions stem from fear. Even though I can feel the Lord pushing me to do/say something, I have given fear a voice in my decision-making process.
Those times that I give in to the fear, I walk away so mad at myself. Only later, after the heat of the moment has cooled, will I start to see how my timidity was foolish. The main reason I have for not doing what I know God wants me to in certain situations springs from stupid crap; i.e. I’m scared of what people will think about me. Additionally, the hesitation can spring from a lack of faith. If I genuinely believe what is written in the Bible about healing, will I not pray for the sick with more boldness? If I genuinely believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, then won’t I witness that to more people? If I really think it my duty to carry out the will of God and make sure that nobody is taken advantage of, then won’t I speak up for the widows, orphans, and powerless every time I see it happening?
The answer to having more boldness so you can do these things is increasing your faith. You increase your faith by reading the Word, walking out what you read, praying and talking to the Lord, and experiencing the work of God firsthand. As you see the truths of God manifest in your life and in the lives of those around you, fear loses its stronghold. You worry less about what people think of you; you start to care more about God’s opinion of you.
There is a Jason Upton song I was reciting the other day that says, “In your presence, all fear is gone.” How true. When we are covered in the presence of God, fear has no residence. I pray that you press into the life-changing presence of the Lord more and more. That fiery presence is what pushes out fear and raises up boldness. Please pray for me, too. I need that boldness now more than ever.
May God bless each of you richly and deeply through His Son Jesus Christ.
In His Never-Ending and Boundless Love,
adam
8.31.2010
8.28.2010
8.22.2010
Song of the Week #8
These guys are awesome musicians and sold-out believers. They're not exactly big (yet), so there's no video to go with the song... but it doesn't need it. I am pleased to introduce to most of you My Epic :) The song is "Untitled".
8.19.2010
Discipline Cannot Change Your Heart
I know there are those of you out there that are like me—you exercise self-control, you’re good at planning things out, you do well at sticking to plans, etc. All of these are good qualities, yes? Well I’ve got news for you: those disciplines that you employ in your life are not enough; they are not the whole equation.
Think about it. Can averting your eyes during sex scenes in movies make your heart cease to lust? Can holding your tongue when being verbally attacked make you love your accusers more? Can faking a smile when everything is falling apart make you more joyful? Probably not. Though your actions are well-meaning and can, indeed, produce some fruit by their own merit, they need to be paired with something else. That “something” is a pure and broken heart before God.
Being near to the Lord is what changes your heart. When you draw closer to the love of Christ, worldly temptation is not as strong, you have more patience and love, and joy flows out of you. You don’t have to try as hard with your mind or your flesh to make yourself do certain things. In short, a changed heart naturally produces discipline.
Discipline cannot change your heart.
Think about it. Can averting your eyes during sex scenes in movies make your heart cease to lust? Can holding your tongue when being verbally attacked make you love your accusers more? Can faking a smile when everything is falling apart make you more joyful? Probably not. Though your actions are well-meaning and can, indeed, produce some fruit by their own merit, they need to be paired with something else. That “something” is a pure and broken heart before God.
Being near to the Lord is what changes your heart. When you draw closer to the love of Christ, worldly temptation is not as strong, you have more patience and love, and joy flows out of you. You don’t have to try as hard with your mind or your flesh to make yourself do certain things. In short, a changed heart naturally produces discipline.
- Side note: As important as discipline is in the life of the Christian (and it IS important), it is not what life is made of. If discipline is the center of your faith then you are missing out on the good part—the part that experiences love, joy, peace, and life more abundant! In fact, if discipline and a works mentality are what your faith is based around, then you are probably well on your way to becoming hardened, joyless, religious, and burnt out.
8.13.2010
Song of the Week #7
This song is all about intimacy and passion with the Lord. I gotta say, the first time I heard it, it almost felt weird.. or wrong. But it totally isn't.
Take a look at Song of Solomon. It's a story about 2 lovers. In the Bible, it's a man and a woman playing the parts of the lovers. However, many take the story to be an allegory of God with His Church -- that's us.
Get your heart open as you listen to this. It just might mess you up.
Take a look at Song of Solomon. It's a story about 2 lovers. In the Bible, it's a man and a woman playing the parts of the lovers. However, many take the story to be an allegory of God with His Church -- that's us.
Get your heart open as you listen to this. It just might mess you up.
8.10.2010
The Giver
There is a guy whose passion is to give financially to support ministry. Every single year, this guy makes around $100,000 selling the crops that his land produces. From that money, he tithes $10,000, but also goes way beyond that by giving another $40,000 to orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries. He figures that he can live comfortably on $50,000 and that the money he gives away is better used than if he kept the excess to purchase things he really doesn’t need. Thus, every year he blesses a lot of different people through the donations he makes.
Well, one year rolls around where the economy has been down and donations to non-profits have declined across the board. This guy sees an opportunity to help because his crops still produced $80,000 in income. So he gives his 10% tithe, as usual, but then gives $52,000 to the orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries he always supports. He knows he is only left with $20,000, but thinks to himself, “I can sacrifice to make sure these things are supported.”
The next year, the farmer can’t put out as much seed, hire as much help, or lease as much equipment to farm his land because of his drop in income. His land still produces well and he profits $60,000. He tithes 10%, as is his custom, but then wonders how much to give this year to his usual benefactors. “Well, I gotta keep giving them at least as much as I did last year b/c they are counting on that money now,” he thinks to himself. So, he again donates $52,000 to orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries. He is happy with himself and feels like he is really helping people out given the still-sad shape of the economy.
When the next year starts, he has to take out loans—which is weird for this particular farmer because he never likes to be in debt to anyone—to buy seed, hire help, and lease equipment. After his crop comes in, and he pays back his debt, he still profits $40,000. He tithes 10%, and then wonders how much to give in donations. He knows that kids are still hungry, people are still homeless, and the Gospel still definitely needs to be spread to the nations. To make matters more complicated, the economy has continued to sink. Now he personally knows people who are losing their homes; he sees kids in his very community that don’t get to eat 3 nutritious meals a day; he sees missionaries coming home because all of their support is drying up. This man, with his huge heart, is distraught.
“Wait a minute,” he thinks to himself, “I’ve still got $36,000 in profit this year. On top of that, I own all this land that I haven’t even been farming the past two years! I’m just gonna sell some of it so I can help these people out.”
So the man sells half of his land and puts that money with the $36,000 he had after tithing and gives it all away. In this down year, he gave his biggest offering ever! Six figures! He loved that he could help some people out in their time of need.
Well, the next year rolls around and the farmer takes out loans again to buy seed, hire help, and lease equipment. He doesn’t take as big of a loan though because he only has half the land he had before. The good news is that his crops produce well again and he profits $20,000 after paying his debts; the bad news is that economy continues to plunge. Some of the man’s neighbors are forced from their homes because they can’t keep up with their mortgage payments; local children are now on street corners begging for bread; church plants in foreign countries are shutting down due to lack of funding.
This man’s heart is breaking. He wants to help. After tithing $2,000 to his church, the remaining $18,000 he made has already been spent on living expenses—he has no excess to give away this year.
“I can’t stand watching all of these people suffer. My friends and neighbors are losing the homes they’ve built their lives in. I see children unable to eat. And worst of all, the Word of God can’t be spread effectively because nobody has money to give.”
As he keeps going over the dire situation in his mind, he becomes more and more grieved. He loses sleep at night, skips meals during the day so he can take his food to hungry children in the city, and gives any spare cash he has to his friends so they can try to make their mortgage for one more month. All the while, he grows weaker.
After a few months of this, he finally comes to a decision. “If I sell the rest of my land, I could clothe and feed an entire orphanage for a few months, help my friends keep their homes, and even send some missionaries back overseas. I’ve gotta do it. I’ve gotta do all I can to help.”
So, the man puts the rest of his farm up for auction and watches as strangers bid on the land he worked profitably for years. He takes the money from the sale straight to his neighbors, the orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries. They are overwhelmed by his generosity and thank him for his kind heart. With all of the strength he has left, he smiles and then turns to go home, very well satisfied knowing that all of those people have been helped.
The next morning, the man can hardly get out of bed. He hits the snooze button more times than he can count, but finally manages to drag himself to the kitchen. Whereas he would usually make some coffee, he remembered that he had given the last of it away to his neighbors. “That’s alright,” he thinks to himself, “they needed it more than me.”
With no coffee, his mind turns to a hot shower. When he turns the knob in the shower, only cold water comes out. “Oh yeah, I forgot I had the hot water heater taken out so that I could give that money to the hungry kids. That’s alright though; they need it more than me.”
After a cold shower to wake up, he gets himself ready for a day of work. He makes it all the way out the door and into his truck when he looks up and sees other people in the fields around his house. And that is when it hits him: the land is not his anymore. The farm he poured his sweat and life into, that profited $100,000 annually, and enabled him to give away $50,000 year in and year out, had been sold to strangers. With reality setting in and tears in his eyes, the man asks himself, "How can I produce anything now?"
* * * * *
This man, with his huge heart, and with the best of intentions, ran until he was empty. In his zeal, he neglected himself to the point that he became useless to those around him. Although he was long looked at as a man of means, with excess to give, he was now counted among those he once strove to help.
When you are running with a vision, it is imperative that every once in a while you take time to hydrate. How can you expect to finish a marathon when you’ve been sprinting the whole time?! If you don’t slow down periodically and take a moment to breathe, to get some fluids, you are probably gonna pass out with three miles to go.
You have GOT to make sure that you nourish yourself when you are aiming to feed and lead others. The blind cannot lead the blind. The sick cannot save the sick. The poor cannot save the poor. The weak cannot save the weak. You have to have something to give. And you can only consistently have something to give when you are pulling from a place of excess, of more than enough.
For those of you like me, this can be hard to swallow. You never like to slow down, always like to be pushing and planning and thinking and orchestrating. But we’ve got to remember to keep ourselves filled up; we are of no use to anyone if we run out of gas.
* * * * *
Finally, I want to leave you with one last thought. This is an adaptation of a Word given straight from God to my pastor this morning: If you are in an airplane and there is a drop in altitude, when the oxygen masks come out, whose mask are you instructed to put on first? You or your child?
Well, one year rolls around where the economy has been down and donations to non-profits have declined across the board. This guy sees an opportunity to help because his crops still produced $80,000 in income. So he gives his 10% tithe, as usual, but then gives $52,000 to the orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries he always supports. He knows he is only left with $20,000, but thinks to himself, “I can sacrifice to make sure these things are supported.”
The next year, the farmer can’t put out as much seed, hire as much help, or lease as much equipment to farm his land because of his drop in income. His land still produces well and he profits $60,000. He tithes 10%, as is his custom, but then wonders how much to give this year to his usual benefactors. “Well, I gotta keep giving them at least as much as I did last year b/c they are counting on that money now,” he thinks to himself. So, he again donates $52,000 to orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries. He is happy with himself and feels like he is really helping people out given the still-sad shape of the economy.
When the next year starts, he has to take out loans—which is weird for this particular farmer because he never likes to be in debt to anyone—to buy seed, hire help, and lease equipment. After his crop comes in, and he pays back his debt, he still profits $40,000. He tithes 10%, and then wonders how much to give in donations. He knows that kids are still hungry, people are still homeless, and the Gospel still definitely needs to be spread to the nations. To make matters more complicated, the economy has continued to sink. Now he personally knows people who are losing their homes; he sees kids in his very community that don’t get to eat 3 nutritious meals a day; he sees missionaries coming home because all of their support is drying up. This man, with his huge heart, is distraught.
“Wait a minute,” he thinks to himself, “I’ve still got $36,000 in profit this year. On top of that, I own all this land that I haven’t even been farming the past two years! I’m just gonna sell some of it so I can help these people out.”
So the man sells half of his land and puts that money with the $36,000 he had after tithing and gives it all away. In this down year, he gave his biggest offering ever! Six figures! He loved that he could help some people out in their time of need.
Well, the next year rolls around and the farmer takes out loans again to buy seed, hire help, and lease equipment. He doesn’t take as big of a loan though because he only has half the land he had before. The good news is that his crops produce well again and he profits $20,000 after paying his debts; the bad news is that economy continues to plunge. Some of the man’s neighbors are forced from their homes because they can’t keep up with their mortgage payments; local children are now on street corners begging for bread; church plants in foreign countries are shutting down due to lack of funding.
This man’s heart is breaking. He wants to help. After tithing $2,000 to his church, the remaining $18,000 he made has already been spent on living expenses—he has no excess to give away this year.
“I can’t stand watching all of these people suffer. My friends and neighbors are losing the homes they’ve built their lives in. I see children unable to eat. And worst of all, the Word of God can’t be spread effectively because nobody has money to give.”
As he keeps going over the dire situation in his mind, he becomes more and more grieved. He loses sleep at night, skips meals during the day so he can take his food to hungry children in the city, and gives any spare cash he has to his friends so they can try to make their mortgage for one more month. All the while, he grows weaker.
After a few months of this, he finally comes to a decision. “If I sell the rest of my land, I could clothe and feed an entire orphanage for a few months, help my friends keep their homes, and even send some missionaries back overseas. I’ve gotta do it. I’ve gotta do all I can to help.”
So, the man puts the rest of his farm up for auction and watches as strangers bid on the land he worked profitably for years. He takes the money from the sale straight to his neighbors, the orphanages, homeless shelters, and missionaries. They are overwhelmed by his generosity and thank him for his kind heart. With all of the strength he has left, he smiles and then turns to go home, very well satisfied knowing that all of those people have been helped.
The next morning, the man can hardly get out of bed. He hits the snooze button more times than he can count, but finally manages to drag himself to the kitchen. Whereas he would usually make some coffee, he remembered that he had given the last of it away to his neighbors. “That’s alright,” he thinks to himself, “they needed it more than me.”
With no coffee, his mind turns to a hot shower. When he turns the knob in the shower, only cold water comes out. “Oh yeah, I forgot I had the hot water heater taken out so that I could give that money to the hungry kids. That’s alright though; they need it more than me.”
After a cold shower to wake up, he gets himself ready for a day of work. He makes it all the way out the door and into his truck when he looks up and sees other people in the fields around his house. And that is when it hits him: the land is not his anymore. The farm he poured his sweat and life into, that profited $100,000 annually, and enabled him to give away $50,000 year in and year out, had been sold to strangers. With reality setting in and tears in his eyes, the man asks himself, "How can I produce anything now?"
* * * * *
This man, with his huge heart, and with the best of intentions, ran until he was empty. In his zeal, he neglected himself to the point that he became useless to those around him. Although he was long looked at as a man of means, with excess to give, he was now counted among those he once strove to help.
When you are running with a vision, it is imperative that every once in a while you take time to hydrate. How can you expect to finish a marathon when you’ve been sprinting the whole time?! If you don’t slow down periodically and take a moment to breathe, to get some fluids, you are probably gonna pass out with three miles to go.
You have GOT to make sure that you nourish yourself when you are aiming to feed and lead others. The blind cannot lead the blind. The sick cannot save the sick. The poor cannot save the poor. The weak cannot save the weak. You have to have something to give. And you can only consistently have something to give when you are pulling from a place of excess, of more than enough.
For those of you like me, this can be hard to swallow. You never like to slow down, always like to be pushing and planning and thinking and orchestrating. But we’ve got to remember to keep ourselves filled up; we are of no use to anyone if we run out of gas.
* * * * *
Finally, I want to leave you with one last thought. This is an adaptation of a Word given straight from God to my pastor this morning: If you are in an airplane and there is a drop in altitude, when the oxygen masks come out, whose mask are you instructed to put on first? You or your child?
8.07.2010
8.03.2010
Stop Maintaining!!!
I’ve been rolling around what I want to say for this particular blog for about a week now. I’ve known what I want to talk about, but not exactly how I need to say it. You guys are gonna have to bear with me—this might just come out as a huge word vomit.
It is time for us to stop maintaining. It is time to quit doing just enough to get by. We’ve got to quit barely meeting our needs, accepting mediocrity, doing just enough to avoid consequences, being satisfied with how things are, living off other people’s excess, and coasting through on other people’s dreams.
Maintaining is something that encourages settling. When you are in maintenance mode, you get comfortable with just keeping things the way they are. Instead of pushing forward, you are cool with setting the cruise control and taking it easy.
Usually, this is where I’d make up some example to illustrate my point. Now I don’t know if this word is for you (although I do think it’s for somebody out there), but I definitely know it’s for me. So I’m going to make this example a real-life one…straight from the life of Adam Kees.
I just took over as Worship Leader at PromiseLand Metro in Owensboro, KY; I guess it’s officially been about a month since I took the reins. When I came in, there was already a worship team in place that all knew each other and about 70 or so people that were regular attendees of this 7-month old church plant. After sitting in a handful of services and talking to the pastor about where we wanted to go, the transition was set to look like this: implement some new songs, get to know the praise team, make a few changes to songs they knew, and gradually introduce a new style of worship. That was my plan.
But since arriving there, things aren’t transpiring in a business-as-usual sort of way. The Spirit of God has been noticeably thick from the very start. People in the services are visibly and openly hungry for the Word of God, and the presence of God. There is a sense of something new happening, and a consistent stirring in my spirit like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. All of this makes it very apparent to me that my initial plans need to be changed.
First and foremost, we’re gonna be here to worship. That shall never change. Let’s just set that straight from the start. From there, however, my approach to everything has got to be different. You can see from what I told you of my initial transition thoughts that it was a very tame plan—one in which people could remain comfortable as we got to know each other, not be challenged to commit to anything very time-consuming, not be asked to sacrifice much of themselves in the interest of moving the group forward, not to really do anything but maintain what was already going on.
Now, the things that were going on already weren’t bad. Not at all. The Word of God was being preached, and people were being drawn into the presence of God. But I am not content to only keep hearing about what the Lord did yesterday. I don’t want to settle on yesterday’s move of God. I want to see what God is going to do today! I want the current level of anointing plus some!
That means that the attitude of chilling in maintenance mode has no place here. It is time to dream again, time to push, time to yearn for the things of God to show up in a way so powerful and real that the world has no choice but to take notice. I want to see miracles that move stone hearts to repentance, I want to see relationships put back together and love return to families void of it for years, I want to see emptiness and apathy vanish in an instant as people realize that there is a God in Heaven that longs for them and loves them jealously. I want to see the Glory of the Lord fill the earth.
My primary role at this moment is to lead the praise team into a place of deeper commitment, intimacy, and sacrifice so that we can do the same for our congregation, our city, our region, and our world. I refuse to merely maintain any longer. I’m still figuring out what all this means for me in every area of my life, but I am ready to push forward. I don’t have to know the details to trust that my future is taken care of.
It is time for us to stop maintaining. It is time to quit doing just enough to get by. We’ve got to quit barely meeting our needs, accepting mediocrity, doing just enough to avoid consequences, being satisfied with how things are, living off other people’s excess, and coasting through on other people’s dreams.
Maintaining is something that encourages settling. When you are in maintenance mode, you get comfortable with just keeping things the way they are. Instead of pushing forward, you are cool with setting the cruise control and taking it easy.
Usually, this is where I’d make up some example to illustrate my point. Now I don’t know if this word is for you (although I do think it’s for somebody out there), but I definitely know it’s for me. So I’m going to make this example a real-life one…straight from the life of Adam Kees.
I just took over as Worship Leader at PromiseLand Metro in Owensboro, KY; I guess it’s officially been about a month since I took the reins. When I came in, there was already a worship team in place that all knew each other and about 70 or so people that were regular attendees of this 7-month old church plant. After sitting in a handful of services and talking to the pastor about where we wanted to go, the transition was set to look like this: implement some new songs, get to know the praise team, make a few changes to songs they knew, and gradually introduce a new style of worship. That was my plan.
But since arriving there, things aren’t transpiring in a business-as-usual sort of way. The Spirit of God has been noticeably thick from the very start. People in the services are visibly and openly hungry for the Word of God, and the presence of God. There is a sense of something new happening, and a consistent stirring in my spirit like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. All of this makes it very apparent to me that my initial plans need to be changed.
First and foremost, we’re gonna be here to worship. That shall never change. Let’s just set that straight from the start. From there, however, my approach to everything has got to be different. You can see from what I told you of my initial transition thoughts that it was a very tame plan—one in which people could remain comfortable as we got to know each other, not be challenged to commit to anything very time-consuming, not be asked to sacrifice much of themselves in the interest of moving the group forward, not to really do anything but maintain what was already going on.
Now, the things that were going on already weren’t bad. Not at all. The Word of God was being preached, and people were being drawn into the presence of God. But I am not content to only keep hearing about what the Lord did yesterday. I don’t want to settle on yesterday’s move of God. I want to see what God is going to do today! I want the current level of anointing plus some!
That means that the attitude of chilling in maintenance mode has no place here. It is time to dream again, time to push, time to yearn for the things of God to show up in a way so powerful and real that the world has no choice but to take notice. I want to see miracles that move stone hearts to repentance, I want to see relationships put back together and love return to families void of it for years, I want to see emptiness and apathy vanish in an instant as people realize that there is a God in Heaven that longs for them and loves them jealously. I want to see the Glory of the Lord fill the earth.
My primary role at this moment is to lead the praise team into a place of deeper commitment, intimacy, and sacrifice so that we can do the same for our congregation, our city, our region, and our world. I refuse to merely maintain any longer. I’m still figuring out what all this means for me in every area of my life, but I am ready to push forward. I don’t have to know the details to trust that my future is taken care of.
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