Chapter 4 by Bill Hybels:
Feeding the Frustration
The tendency for most of us when we encounter stuff that creates dis-ease and frustration in our souls is to push it away. And fast! We feel the discomfort of holy discontentedness coming on, and reflexively we want to medicate it.
But the truth is this: the best thing you can do is to move toward your area of holy discontent until you have clear direction from God as to what action you should take to resolve it.
Get close to your holy discontent because when you feed rather than flee it, God will birth new visions in you to become part of the solution. Stay near it so you can pick up fresh sights and fresh sounds that will stoke the firestorm of frustration in your soul.
If you want to be a force for good, then, like David, you've got to choose to take action in the area of passion God has placed inside your heart.
I've found this to be so true. I remember early on in my walk with God, having my ministry interview with Pastor Allen. One of the questions was "If you had all the resources, time, and no restrictions, and you knew you wouldn't fail, what would you attempt to do for God?" For my at that time, my holy discontent was feeding, clothing, and training poverty-stricken and homeless families so they could get back on their feet. I still have that passion today, to help those who need help. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to give food bags to those in need. That's a very small action, and I crave to do more.
What's you're area of holy discontent? What drives you crazy in the world?
Showing posts with label Holy Discontent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Discontent. Show all posts
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Holy Discontent #3
Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels:
Continuing on from yesterday. "They have a constant awareness that what is wrecking them is wrecking the heart of God. Refusing to stay fed up, though, they instead get fueled by their restless longing for the better-day realities God says are coming soon. They listen to the soulish instinct inside them that says life just doesn't have to be the way that most people experience it. Most importantly, they suit up and jump into the game when God says, "If you'll hook up with me, I'll involve you in effecting some much-needed change around here!""
Bill then talks about his own holy discontent and describes when it first hit him. "The church I was attending in those days was so unbelievably self-absorbed that it didn't give a flying rip about people who lived close to us but far from God. In my estimation, the church leaders and members preached compassionate love; they just didn't see the need to practice it."
Bill recounts the time his father was going to ask a man to church with his family, and Bill begged his dad, "Oh, no, dad, not our church! We'll lose him for sure!" That's how much he disliked his church growing up. That's so sad. What do your youth think of your church? They are the future. Can they tell you your church's vision? Do they come up with ways to reach the lost and heal the broken? Do they have a holy discontent, not for their church, but for those outside their four walls? Are they sold out to God?
Continuing on from yesterday. "They have a constant awareness that what is wrecking them is wrecking the heart of God. Refusing to stay fed up, though, they instead get fueled by their restless longing for the better-day realities God says are coming soon. They listen to the soulish instinct inside them that says life just doesn't have to be the way that most people experience it. Most importantly, they suit up and jump into the game when God says, "If you'll hook up with me, I'll involve you in effecting some much-needed change around here!""
Bill then talks about his own holy discontent and describes when it first hit him. "The church I was attending in those days was so unbelievably self-absorbed that it didn't give a flying rip about people who lived close to us but far from God. In my estimation, the church leaders and members preached compassionate love; they just didn't see the need to practice it."
Bill recounts the time his father was going to ask a man to church with his family, and Bill begged his dad, "Oh, no, dad, not our church! We'll lose him for sure!" That's how much he disliked his church growing up. That's so sad. What do your youth think of your church? They are the future. Can they tell you your church's vision? Do they come up with ways to reach the lost and heal the broken? Do they have a holy discontent, not for their church, but for those outside their four walls? Are they sold out to God?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Holy Discontent #2 and School
Last night Greg and I attended our first session of Old Testament Survey at Global Bible Institute in Modesto. It was great! My brain got exercised very well. It was fast paced, which I love. I took so many notes my hand was sore. Fascinating. I'm actually looking forward to the homework, though I'm just auditing the class, I might just do all the work anyway and switch to taking the class for credit. Who knows?
Onward to Holy Discontent. Bill Hybels says that the powerful, spiritual congruence that connected Moses' priorities to the priorities of God as his "holy discontent."
"If you expose yourself to all that's broken in our world but neglect to view the brokenness from heaven's perspective (which promises that everything is in the process of being restored), then you'll get sucked into an impossible, downward spiral of aggravation and anger. Things will seem so bleak that you'll wind up taking up residence inside your firestorm of frustration instead of allowing it to propel you toward positive action.
Once that frustration and anger is understood as being your holy discontent, though - your spiritual connection to the God who's working to fix everything - it's as if an enormous wave of positive energy gets released inside you. Much like Popeye in his spinach-infused state, you become an unstoppable force for good in the world. This energy causes you to act on the dissatisfaction that's been brewing deep within your soul and compels you to say yes to joining forces with God so that the darkness and depravity around you gets pushed back. This supernatural supply of energy allows you to move forward past all the natural human-nature responses and enter instead into a life viewed from God's point of view. In other words, your perspective shifts from that which your eyes can see to that which God tells you is true."
Onward to Holy Discontent. Bill Hybels says that the powerful, spiritual congruence that connected Moses' priorities to the priorities of God as his "holy discontent."
"If you expose yourself to all that's broken in our world but neglect to view the brokenness from heaven's perspective (which promises that everything is in the process of being restored), then you'll get sucked into an impossible, downward spiral of aggravation and anger. Things will seem so bleak that you'll wind up taking up residence inside your firestorm of frustration instead of allowing it to propel you toward positive action.
Once that frustration and anger is understood as being your holy discontent, though - your spiritual connection to the God who's working to fix everything - it's as if an enormous wave of positive energy gets released inside you. Much like Popeye in his spinach-infused state, you become an unstoppable force for good in the world. This energy causes you to act on the dissatisfaction that's been brewing deep within your soul and compels you to say yes to joining forces with God so that the darkness and depravity around you gets pushed back. This supernatural supply of energy allows you to move forward past all the natural human-nature responses and enter instead into a life viewed from God's point of view. In other words, your perspective shifts from that which your eyes can see to that which God tells you is true."
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Prayer Drive and Holy Discontent
Yesterday Greg and I went for a prayer drive partly because we've been trying to go for a prayer walk for a month, but due to us being sick and also because we didn't have much time and the weather was threatening and starting to rain, we drove. We went to a school on the west side and parked and prayed. I have to say I didn't hear anything from God like I did on the prayer walks, but it was good.
I've also been reading Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels and absolutely resonate with this book. I think I've said that before. Here's what I've loved recently about this book.
Bill talks about Moses and the frustration he felt at the mistreatment of his people.
"Because God couldn't stand the Israelistes' mistreatment either, he used what I call a "firestorm of frustration" that was brewing in Moses' soul to launch this unlikely leader into a prominent role that resulted in the nation of Israel eventually inhabiting the Promised Land.
I believe the motivating reason why millions of people choose to do good in the world around them is because there is something wrong in that world. In fact, there is something so wrong that they just can't stand it. Like Popeye, they too experience a firestorm-of-frustration mement when when they grow so completely incensed by the present state of affairs that they throw their hands up in the air and shout, "That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!"
The point is, the irresistible attraction to a specific cause that compelled these people to invest joyfully of their time, their money, and their energies always linked back to a single spark of frustration that fueled what is now a raging fire in their souls."
Have you ever felt frustrated by the things you see around you? By the attitudes of people or the way things are done sometimes? Is there a group of people you see are not being served by the local church? Do you see a need that if you had all the resources, you would gladly meet? How about trusting God to meet that need with the resources He'll provide? They question then becomes, are you frustrated enough to be willing to do something about it? To research the situation, to plan, to jump in and go for it? What is brewing in your soul, your purpose, that you can pray to God, the all-capable, to help you do? Think about that. What bugs you?
I've also been reading Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels and absolutely resonate with this book. I think I've said that before. Here's what I've loved recently about this book.
Bill talks about Moses and the frustration he felt at the mistreatment of his people.
"Because God couldn't stand the Israelistes' mistreatment either, he used what I call a "firestorm of frustration" that was brewing in Moses' soul to launch this unlikely leader into a prominent role that resulted in the nation of Israel eventually inhabiting the Promised Land.
I believe the motivating reason why millions of people choose to do good in the world around them is because there is something wrong in that world. In fact, there is something so wrong that they just can't stand it. Like Popeye, they too experience a firestorm-of-frustration mement when when they grow so completely incensed by the present state of affairs that they throw their hands up in the air and shout, "That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!"
The point is, the irresistible attraction to a specific cause that compelled these people to invest joyfully of their time, their money, and their energies always linked back to a single spark of frustration that fueled what is now a raging fire in their souls."
Have you ever felt frustrated by the things you see around you? By the attitudes of people or the way things are done sometimes? Is there a group of people you see are not being served by the local church? Do you see a need that if you had all the resources, you would gladly meet? How about trusting God to meet that need with the resources He'll provide? They question then becomes, are you frustrated enough to be willing to do something about it? To research the situation, to plan, to jump in and go for it? What is brewing in your soul, your purpose, that you can pray to God, the all-capable, to help you do? Think about that. What bugs you?
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