Spinning…Riding hard, but we getting anywhere?

12 09 2011

Spinning

Last year my wife asked me to participate in a spinning class with her at the gym. Once she explained that “spinning” was the trendy, fit-persons term for the stationary bike class, I agreed to try it. Once. Amidst the soundtrack of grunts, groans and an intense techno beat, I hopped on a bike near the back hoping not to be noticed by the instructor and started to “spin.”

About a minute later, soaked in sweat, I heard the instructor inform us that we are about to begin, and that we should all turn our resistance knobs to level 1. Oh good.

So this is how it works: The instructor, who looks like she lives on her stationary bike, shouts out how fast to pedal and where to set the level of resistance, and in unison, her spandex-suited stationary-biker gang submissively complies.

Or do they? Within the first minute I realized that the instructor has no way of knowing what level I’ve actually got my bike set at. As long as I make the same strained face and  grunt with the rest of them, I could keep my resistance level much lower and I just might live through this class.

At the end of our “ride” our instructor congratulates us and informs us that we’ve “travelled” nearly 40 kilometers today.

Really? Where did we go? What did we see?

I’ve noticed that as good, church-going Christians we put a lot of emphasis on training, making sure that we are in perfect spiritual shape. We focus on eating the right food, drinking the right liquids (and not drinking the “wrong” ones…), wearing the right clothing, the right equipment and then we train. We spin and spin and spin…but do we ever really get anywhere? Do we ever really race?

I’d rather ride a mile outside, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting…than spin 100 miles in the cool climate-controlled atmosphere inside. If the rubber never hits the road then all we’re doing… is spinning.

How much of all this exerted effort is simply to impress the instructor or our fellow stationary riders? If we are just going the through the motions, grunting at the right times, dramatically toweling off the sweat at just the right moment, then it is all for naught. It is very easy to get caught up in the attention of people or leaders observing us as we work-out, showing off our skills and talents, finding fulfillment in their acknowledgement.

What good is all this “training” if it is never put to use? The church in general has an inward focus. Very little of what is done inside is targeted to applying our training in real-world situations outside. In fact, most of our energy is spent trying to make sure everyone is keeping up with their training, keeping each other accountable with devotions, service and lifestyle.

I liken this to the resistance knob, because nobody really knows what level you’ve got the bike set at, and as long as you make it look good, you’re fine. This culture places great importance on the outward appearance, and fosters relationships based on that, limiting the potential for real relationships that allow for failure and encourage growth.

There are churches that take the show on the road, as it were, and attempt to focus some attention outside and evangelize, but, for the most part, it isn’t done very well.

We keep this awkward distance, a buffer, between “their” way of doing things and “ours.” Instead of outfitting ourselves with equipment suitable for riding “their” way through the “dangerous” and “difficult” terrain of this world, with perhaps a road bike or mountain bike, it’s almost like we’d rather put our safe, stationary bikes on a trailer and tow them, and show the world what we can do from a safe, elevated platform. All the while we’re decked out in protective “armor-of-God” styled helmets and safety gear, possibly forgetting that it is designed to protect us from the devil’s schemes, and not from people.

It’s a ridiculous, exaggerated example, but sometimes our way of doing things and the language we use can seem as absurd as riding a stationary bike towed on a trailer.

Well, I’m looking for a new bike. See you on the open road. Me and Jesus will be the ones riding with no helmets on.

Peace.

Travis


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Lights

23 06 2011

Last night Brandee & I spent some time being creative and recorded a demo of a new song. Check it out. “Lights”

Lights

To anyone who has ever wondered, “Who am I and what have I done?”
To everyone who can’t remember how you got here or where you came from…

Let lights shine around you and chase the dark away
Let heaven break open and light stream down…

If you’ve let your past become your future, the bright lights have faded and you’ve disappeared
Though shadows surround, you can’t hide forever, let life and let love conquer your fears

Let lights shine around you and chase the dark away
Let heaven break open and light stream down…


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Risky Business

25 05 2011

When someone chooses to invest money, whether is be in an RRSP or on the stock market, it is considered best practice (and can be required by law) for the financial advisor to conduct a risk tolerance assessment of the investor, to basically determine what their viewpoint is on losing money while on pursuing a return on their investment.

The outcome of a risk tolerance assessment is the determination of the investor’s risk category or style, traditionally ranging from conservative to aggressive. The conservative investor generally never wants to see less money then their original investment, while the aggressive investor realizes that hanging on through short-term losses can often lead to significantly higher gains.

So you’re asking… “what’s all this about investing, Travis!? Are you trying to sell me life insurance or get me into some kind of pyramid scheme or something?”

My purpose in bringing this all up is fairly straightforward. What if you were to conduct a risk tolerance assessment on your walk with the Lord? Do you take a conservative position and stay satisfied with maintaining your nest-egg or will you take on a more aggressive portfolio, with higher short-term risk and the possibilities of a much greater reward? The parable of the talents comes to mind…

Now, what if you conducted a risk tolerance assessment of your church? If the church was the investor, it’s members the shareholders, and the pursuit of Jesus the asset being invested, what would the outcome be? How aggressive is the pursuit for growth? Is the expected ROI (return on investment) numbers driven or is there a deeper purpose?

Do you notice a conservative, controlled growth plan (keep it on the safe side) or do you see an aggressive, passionate – even maverick – vision to go deeper, to go further, even if it means risking short-term numbers for long-term success?

Sometimes the best move an investor can make is to diversify or strengthen their portfolio, rather than to try to hit a home run with a single strategy or property.

What would a successful return on investment mean to you? A full church? A full heart? A fulfilled life?

Will we bury what the Master has given us, to ensure it stays “safe”? Or will we ready ourselves, move out of the rut and risk the criticism of man to experience a real relationship with God and with each other?

I, for one, am going all in…all the way. What does that look like? I can’t wait to find out.

Peace.

Travis

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Breakeven-The Script
Come All You Weary-Thrice
Healer-Jesus Culture
You Found Me-The Fray
100 in a 55 – Pop Evil
Come All You Weary-Thrice
Price Tag-Jessie J


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Making Room For Destiny

22 03 2011

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (New King James Version)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

I have the privilege and honour of co-leading Windword church in Abbotsford, BC with my good friend and pastor Brent Borthwick, who used this quote in a recent Sunday morning sermon:

Destiny is only as big as you’ll let it be.
 (Brent Borthwick)

We were designed with limitless potential, the only limits we face are the ones we impose on ourselves. How many times in life have you heard or said, “You can’t do that, you’re too weak, young, old, inexperienced…” or, “I can’t do this, I’m too shy, nervous, small, etc…” Whatever the adjective we choose to hide behind, or choose to impose on someone, the result is the same: we either limit our own destiny, someone else’s or both.

Both? How can the limitations I place on myself, based on my own insecurities, affect the destiny of someone else?

Here’s an example to help illustrate how limiting your own destiny can limit the destiny of the people around you. If you are placed in a position of authority, and don’t fully embrace the destiny that God has placed in you, then the people he’s placed around you to help fulfill and empower that destiny can’t fulfill theirs. Likewise, if you’ve been placed in a position to support the vision God has given someone else, and you don’t fully embrace that calling, then you are limiting both the fulfillment of their destiny and the fulfillment of yours.

Another way we can limit destiny is by trying to hold too much for ourselves. Imagine your life as a tower in a city, and destiny as the stairs connecting each floor. You start from the ground up, gaining knowledge, wisdom and life experience. As you move upwards you accumulate various titles, responsibilities and positional authority…these are the things you carry with you, tucked in your briefcase, they define who you are, and what you do. If you become too possessive of your title, or your responsibilities, then the  contents of that sleek, professional briefcase will begin to bulge and overflow until the classy gold clasps snap and you are forced to transfer the contents into a bigger, bulkier suitcase.

Burned out? You’ve probably been hanging on to way to many things! There are people behind you with briefcases filled with nothing but potential, ready to carry some of the load for you, to allow you to continue your journey to the top. If you try to push, pull or drag your baggage up to the next floor, you’ll likely just get stuck in the stairwell. You can’t go up if you try to bring everything you do or have ever done or accomplished up the stairs with you! Not to mention, you’ll be blocking the way for anyone else to go to the next level as well.

It’s hard to let go. I know. But it will be okay. You aren’t letting go of who you are, just what you do! The life experience, the knowledge and the wisdom gained goes with you.  You don’t always know what awaits you, and even though you’ve gone up a level it may feel like you’re starting from the ground up again, but remember, the floor on this level is the ceiling of the level you came from.

When we release something we’ve birthed or carried for a time, something new can be released to us.

Eight years ago, when we were coming up with a purpose statement for Windword, we came up with this: “Empowering and Equipping People in the Pursuit of their God-given Destiny.” Destiny is to be pursued, to be chased, and we all can equip and empower each other as we seek it.

One more thing. We have the ability to change destiny. A simple attitude change or change in priorities can cause the path of our lives to shift, and this shift can range from a small correction to a complete change of direction.

Peace,

Travis

 


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Life in the Key of B-Flat

16 03 2011

If I sat down at my piano and played a B-flat, it would sound simple and pure. Compare this to birth. From here we can go anywhere and do anything. No one knows what our song will sound like.

If I took that initial note, and built on to it by adding a third and then a  fifth, you would hear an innocent B-major chord; a happy, positive sound, filled with hope. This is childhood and adolescence, where parents & teachers do what they can to build and equip a young person, giving them the tools to sing their own life’s song.

As we grow, we transition from those innocent childhood stages and move into adulthood. Such is life that we will experience good times and hard times, celebration and loss. When we lose something or someone we love, we can be left feeling like a piece of us is missing.

Going back to the piano and the “B-flat chord of life,” if we take away the third, it will feel like something is missing, even though our song is still played, it sounds different. We power through with all we have left (the first and fifth) until something is added to replace the missing piece, perhaps a suspended fourth, similar to the third that was lost and hope fills our song of life once again.

The note that is added is different enough that while nearly completing us once again, we can never fully replace what was lost, and this causes tension. It is this tension that adds yet another note, perhaps a seventh to the mix, which completes us, at least at this stage of life’s song. Even though we’ve lost some of the simplicity and pureness of those first few notes, it is in the balanced tension and complexity that we are able to determine who we are (in this case a B-flat suspended fourth with added seventh or Bb7sus4).

Once we know who we are and what we can do with each note He has given us, with each individual talents and giftings, it becomes possible to play in His masterpiece, in harmony with all those who choose to bring what talents He’s given and worship him together in concert.

He is the Composer, we are His song.

Psalm 139:16 (New King James Version)

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.


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Chasing Inspiration

10 02 2011

A sound.

An image.

A smell.

A feeling.

A taste.

It’s that sudden feeling of passion, that flood of raw emotion, it’s that moment when Jack stands at the bow of the Titanic and yells, “I’m the king of the world!”

Inspiration.

Like a beautiful woman, eluding her suitor, evasive with her emotion, it makes you pursue her, desire her, chase her. While her actions may be misunderstood, her heart says come find me.

Inspiration.

Where does it come from? Where does it go? How do you find it?

Are you inspired?

By what, by whom?

Do you inspire?


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Shooting Three Throws

20 01 2011

If I were to give an alternate title for this article it would be “How to feel good about making a difference while making the rest of us look dumb.”

I first heard about the “Three Throw” while listening to Christian Radio station K-Love this past Monday. Usually I am lulled into a mind-numbing coma by the repetitive, poorly-rhymed lyrics and themes of most Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), so I am surprised that I even heard the interview with the founder of the “Three Throw” movement. Along with most of my co-workers, I was caught up in the absurdity of a hand gesture to connect me to other members of my Christian faith. I quickly glanced at my calendar, is it April 1st?

Here’s how it works. Hold up three of your fingers as if you were a toddler telling me your age. There! Now I know you are a Christian! If I do it back we can both rejoice, because as we stand in the middle of a world going to hell in a hand-basket, we are secure in our belief that we’re going to heaven! Yay. Of course, I could look at you with a dazed expression that says, “what the…?” In that case, you can view the situation as an opportunity to witness to me, “this little finger is God, this little finger is Jesus, and this finger is the Holy Spirit…” Once I know the sign, I’m in! Hmmm. So that’s the “Three Throw.” For more info, check out their website: www.threethrow.com. Seriously.

I know that I am using a facetious tone as I get this message across, and while I admire anyone who actually gets up out of their pew and does something about their faith, this is just a bad idea. I am specifically referring to the actual idea of a “Christian” hand gesture, I am trying hard to ignore the fact that there is an entire line of merchandise for sale. We need Christians that will not use their faith as a marketing strategy, but as a way to affect who they are and the world around them.

I shared the link for the “Three Throw” website with Seattle-based author Jeffrey Overstreet, and he had these words to share:

If I remember right, the idea was that those who know Christ would be recognized by their love… not by their “Are you in the club?” exclusivity signs. Nor, for that matter, by the way they vote, their political party, their fashion, their ethnicity, their income, their denomination, their taste in art, etc… etc…

We don’t need our own sign! Nor do we need our own “Christian” Facebook, iTunes, music or bookstores…. As Christians, we are called to excel in the gifts and talents that God has given us, and share the love of Jesus organically as we live life to the fullest in the world! Rather than “Christian” authors, musicians or who-ever’s, as Christ-following authors we will write out of the overflow of heavenly inspiration, as Christ-following musicians we will be passionate about creating something that would sound sweet to the One who has heard it all. In whatever we do, we are to do it to bring glory to God. Labeling something “Christian” doesn’t necessarily accomplish this.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am aware of how easy it is to criticize someone else’s work, and I actually believe that the founders of the “Three Throw” are well intentioned. I bet they’ve spent time in prayer and poured a lot of time and energy into this. I’d love to see that much energy and creativity poured into an effective witness for Jesus. Because of my criticism I must must resign myself to finding real, constructive ways to allow my faith to affect people around me. I hope that means living and loving life and letting Jesus shine through.

Peace.

Travis

PS – Here’s hoping the Three Throw goes the way of WWJD bracelets and Fish-shaped car decals…BE the change, don’t BUY it.


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