A Seamless Life

Over the years I've developed the habit of beginning each new year in prayer listening for God's direction and wisdom for the coming year. In January, 2007 I sensed the Lord telling me he wanted my life to be more 'seamless'. Honestly I had to look up seamless in the dictionary to get a better understanding for what God might be calling me to. The dictionary definition of seamless is: smoothly continuous or uniform in quality, combined in an inconspicuous way, continuous or flowing.

  As I continued to reflect on how the word seamless might be related to various areas of my life I began to get some direction. I sensed God wanting every area of my life to flow out of one central and connected purpose. In July, 1998 my family and I relocated from Pakistan to live and work in Mobile, Alabama. After 5 years helping to establish and develop an eye hospital in Gilgit, Pakistan the Lord had spoken two words to me in the winter of 1997: International Students.... and thus began a major shift in my life. Jesus tells us clearly in the gospel of Matthew, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." It seems that God's purpose and direction for our lives are meant to flow out of relationship.... a relationship that depends on hearing and obeying the voice of God to us.

  Nearly 10 years after our family arrived to Mobile, God was calling us to some significant changes in our lives and ministry. Serving as the directors of the international student ministry known as Friends of Internationals had been deeply rewarding. Over the years literally thousands of students from nearly every country on the planet had become a significant part of our lives. However saying goodbye was difficult to say the least. One significant memory is from the spring graduation in 1999 at the newly opened USA Mitchell Center. As the international graduates from FOI crossed the stage to receive their diplomas I wept.... something significant was leaving my life and I didn't know if I could bear the loss.... I told God I could not do this year after year. The sorrow I experienced that day lessened over time but never fully left me. If life is all about relationships... and I believe it is, than how was I able to tolerate the sudden abrupt leaving that graduation entailed?

  In 2001 I met a young man from Nepal in my living room during an international dinner. In a very crowded room Sudip Khadka grabbed my attention with his pointed and heart felt invitation for me to visit Nepal. Sudip was a student from the Brownsville school of ministry in Pensacola who had driven over with fellow students to experience the international fellowship of FOI. For the next several years Sudip had been asking me to come to Nepal. I rather abruptly said No many times to his overtures. I was very busy with all the related activities of Friends of Internationals. Deep down I really did want to go to Asia again but was afraid of getting stretched too thin.

  Now in the spring of 2007, God was in part saying through this word 'seamless' to begin to prepare for international travel. God's will was for our lives of ministry to international students to continue to the countries of their birth. We were to have a seamless and ongoing relationship with all those who came into our home and lives through the years. Since that time I have visited both Nepal and India and hope to visit more nations in the coming days....but more change was coming.

  In 2009 after years of prayer for someone else to pioneer a multi-ethnic church in Mobile I surrendered to the call to help begin All Nations Community Church. For years we had hosted a large and vibrant bible study in our home on Monday nights. I loved doing it...but it wasn't seamless. No matter how hard I tried it was difficult to connect some students to our local area churches. It seems God was making me a Pastor and I didn't recognize it! Since those early days of beginning the church in homes through small groups we have continued to develop a truly seamless international vision. In the book of Acts chapter 1 and verse 8 we're told, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." There was to be a seamless continuity to every aspect of our international relationships and community. We were to establish an ongoing and progressive relationship to God birthed friends from across the globe.  In some ways I would continue to have to let go of the majority of people who came into our lives through their connection with the University of South Alabama...but we were getting guidance and direction from God to be willing to go and be with those whom God has brought into our lives by his sovereign will.

  In 2011, All Nations Community Church became the Mobile campus of Liberty Church.... a multi- campus church we've had relationship with for over 20 years. The Senior Pastor of Liberty is my Pastor and mentor Buford Lipscomb. In many ways this is a seamless connection to our spiritual roots. Mary and I attended Liberty Church in the late 80's and early 90's where we studied international ministry at Liberty Bible College. We were being reconnected and reestablished in a local church family that would offer accountability, wisdom and guidance. We continue to be stretched and guided by the word seamless.

  Yesterday as I asked God in prayer to again define the word seamless to me personally he surprised me when he said, "It's Holiness." To be holy is to be whole... in body, soul and spirit. Too often we have a huge distance and separation between our body, soul and spirit...we proclaim one thing with our lips and live another.  Holiness is nothing less than a seamless continuity in every dimension of life.  I am meant to be the same person wherever I am and with whomever I am in relationship.  I want to live a seamless life.

Jim

Waiting on your Dream

Waiting is hard. Dreams are born of desire & passion. When our dreams don't develop or come to pass in our expected time frame it hurts....sometimes the delay destroys our hope for the future. We become despondent and even depressed. It's so important to remember that just because something is 'not yet' doesn't mean it will never be. Dreams are spiritual. They come to us from deep inside our souls. They are born from both within and without. Our soul was created by God and he communicates to us often through depositing something of heaven in our thoughts ,desires and dreams.

While we're waiting on our dreams, God wants us to discover him. The bigger the dream the more we need our creator to breathe life into it and us. Faith really isn't an option in life. We all believe in something....or someone. If our faith is misplaced or distorted our dreams will certainly die and our soul along with it. You truly were born to believe....to dream....to love.

Cynicism is a disease of the soul you can't afford to 'catch'. It eats away at your dreams, your desires and your passions. Before your dream can come to pass, you need to 'see it' in your soul before you can see it with your eyes. Cynical people will destroy your hopes and dreams. They have been hurt by disappointment and are intimidated by people with fresh vision and desire. Choose your intimate friends carefully....they will either nurture your passion or put the fire out in your life.

Today, you must choose to be led by your passion and not your hurts. Your injured soul is not a trustworthy guide in a world of pain & suffering. Dare to dream again. Listen to the voice of hope... the voice of love. Dare to dream again.
Jim

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

When Dreams Collapse

 We are built to believe, to hope and to dream. All of us universally are created with a capacity to create and shape our futures. Right now, our world is experiencing a world wide recession. We seem to be moving backwards on an escalator out of our control. Our dreams are collapsing personally, nationally and internationally. Just what in the 'world' is going on?

  The concepts of economic and political unity which have forged a European Union and even a United States of America are fraying and faltering. Today, we are hearing of the likely collapse of Greece due to its overwhelming debt. What often starts as a grand vision of hope and excitement often collapses somewhere along the way.

  The concept of unity offers so much to those who will agree to key unifying concepts related to values and goals. But the unification of people is a very difficult thing to achieve without deep commitment and effort. Politicians can't create unity over the long term.  Democratic freedoms are dependent on an inner sense of morality and a commitment to a cause greater than oneself. Selfishness leads to an eventual collapse of a society and economic and moral chaos .

  Dictators and despots arise at times such as this. Adolf Hitler arose in a time of economic disaster and hopelessness. He offered a false sense of national unity and pride and his guns and butter philosophy set the table for the destruction and death of millions. The times in which we live could likewise produce another false hope.

  What or who are you hoping in? What are you dreaming about? There are false messiah's in every realm of life. When you put all your hope on a person or a politician you will inevitably be disappointed. The chaos we are seeing in our world today is at its core a spiritual struggle. There is real evil trying to overcome good through deception and an appeal to our sinful nature.
 The false god of wealth is not doing so well in our current climate of economic uncertainty. Money in and of itself is not evil. Money is an exchange for time.... for life.  What we do with our wealth reveals much about what we worship and what we value. When we recognize that life is about relationships and keep that front and center in our priorities we preserve and honor truth. Jesus told us clearly that a man and woman's life does not consist 'in the abundance of their possessions'.

  There is a time and a season for everything under heaven. At present we are all experiencing an economic recession or contraction. Don't waste this recession! Evaluate your priorities, your dreams and your hopes for the future.  Are your goals too materialistic? How would your dreams fulfillment impact the relationships in your life? Would your dream bring honor and glory to God?

  We are all in a time of change and transition. We're all headed somewhere and now would be a good time to decide where you want to go with the rest of your life.  As for me and my house....we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

Jim
  

Broken Places

A whispered pain
A broken pane in the window of my soul

The rain leaks through and reaches deep
It touches places no one knew

I'd lost hope and hidden who I really was
But the rain found it's way inside my heart

Broken places raised from the dead
And now I knew what love was for

The cracks let in the rain and gravity sent the healing where it was needed
Random chance didn't heal my soul....the Father's love rained where needed most

Letting go and letting in the grace and love inside my heart
The cracks remain but healing comes to light my path

Rain and light fall on my darkness and give me hope
I'm coming out and coming alive to a place of love where healing flows

The City of Mobile Budget Crisis

  Like most cities in the United States, the city of Mobile is facing difficult times. For the last two years the Mayor and council have been battling over the Mayor's desire to raise the sales tax rate to 10 percent. The city of Mobile already has one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation but Mayor Sam Jones has despite several rejections continually assaulted the council and the citizens of Mobile with endless requests for what he has deceptively called the 'penny tax'.

  For much of the last several months, the official line on the need for the increased taxation was the Mayor's assumption that we would be 29 million dollars in the hole for the coming fiscal year. For months at various council and finance committee meeting we have heard this figure debated despite little evidence for the 'magic number' of 29 million in deficit. Finally after much wrangling an independent and volunteer finance committee from each district came to the conclusion that the figure was inaccurate and that the deficit was more likely around 2 million at most. The 29 million figure was arrived at by various decisions arbitrarily made by the Mayor and his staff to jack up the deficit none of which were required by law or necessity. The political cries of Mobile 'going down in flames ' to quote District 1 representative Fred Richardson have left the frightened and frustrated public wondering who to trust with their money. Is there a severe deficit? For what reason exactly are we being asked to pay 10 percent on every purchase we make in the city including food and medicine?

  Last night (August 23rd) I attended an open meeting hosted by City Councilwoman Bess Rich of District 6 to discuss the budget crisis with Mayor Sam Jones and several other important city officials in attendance including 2 members of the volunteer finance committee. The Mayor introduced an entirely new set of reasons for increasing our taxes... instead of 'going down in flames' like the old disaster film 'Towering Inferno', Mobile was now on the precipice of becoming 'Fantasy Island'. But in order to transform our fair city into a 'world class city' (quoting Mayor Sam Jones) We would need to give the city of Mobile millions more in tax revenue so they could 'invest' it in development projects related to the Airbus 'incentives' and Brookley field complex infrastructure. The change in script was massive and bold. We were no longer beggars in need of a cash infusion to survive...we were now wise and savvy business investors  sure to get a return if we would just pay for everything and trust the administration to handle our increased tax burden wisely...never mind that empty cruise terminal, debt laden and often empty convention center, the old and worn Civic Center, the maritime museum,  the mismanagement at Ladd Pebbles and the city owned baseball stadium that doesn't pay rent for years..... just trust the city leaders.... or not.

  We were told by the Mayor and his minions that we would be needing to fork over millions of dollars now and for the foreseeable future to not miss this unique opportunity to better our city. We would see that increased tax revenue used as collateral to borrow even more money by issuing bonds. But don't worry it's a good investment... says the Mayor.

  The trouble is that multiple other cities have tried this formula and are now going into bankruptcy all over our nation (simply Google city bankruptcy and make a special note of California). Taking on more debt when we're struggling with an ongoing recession seems a very risky proposition to me. I agree that Airbus coming to Mobile is potentially a game changer in our local economy. I just question the suppositions put forth by the Mayor in his approach to leadership and management. For months we are told of dire consequences if not doom without an increasing revenue stream. Now we are told we are going to use our budget to create a new 'world class city' right here, right now. Excuse me if I doubt the wisdom of this proposition. Should not our priorities and focus be on the failing basic core services struggling so hard to be delivered: Police, Fire, Sanitation and a public pension system deeply in debt?

  The citizens of Mobile need to be aware of the Mobile budget situation in detail and communicate with intelligence with their council and Mayor. We already pay some of the highest sales tax in the nation. Could at least some of our problems relate to poor management and prioritization? Could it be that the current Mayor and his administration have lacked a consistent focus (other than asking for more money)? We are living in a challenging economy together. I don't know a single person or business entity that is not watching their budget very carefully and with great caution. As a concerned citizen I deeply believe that before we are asked to pay more in taxes we need to know that the priorities of our city leaders are honest, wise and prudent. There are more questions to be asked and answered before our city is granted a 10 percent sales tax.

A Sustainable Life

  For the last couple of days I've been thinking about the word sustainable. The dictionary definition tells us that a sustainable life is one that is able to be supported with the basic necessities or sufficient funds. A sustainable way of life is one that is able to be kept going or maintained.  Is your life and the vision you have for it sustainable?

  In 1992 I traveled to London to study at the Institute of Ophthalmology to obtain a diploma in Community Eye Health. One of the lessons driven home by all the learning there was that whatever we were going to do in the area of health care in the developing world needed to be sustainable. So many good works begin with great zeal but end with great disappointment. What happened? In the gospel of Luke chapter 14 we hear the wisdom of Jesus about sustainability, "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! They would say, 'There's the person who started the building and ran out of money before it was finished!'"


  A sustainable life is built on something much deeper than an emotional response to need or opportunity.  There will always be deep needs all around us. Emotions can drive us and lead us to places that are not sustainable and contradictory to a defined vision for our lives. Have you ever met someone who was very busy but never got anything done... or at least not done well? The 'tyranny of the urgent' is in fact the routine operating procedure of someone driven by emotional impulse. We are meant to be led by the Spirit of God and not  driven and controlled by emotions.

  A sustainable life vision needs to include an honest and transparent 'cost analysis' of what it is you are moving in the direction of accomplishing.  As I write this the world is transfixed by the intense beauty and physical accomplishment of the world's great Olympic athletes. We see great speed, strength and agility on display in seemingly effortless performances. But the cost of participating in the Olympics involves years of daily sacrifice and discipline. Great athletes know that for every goal there are corresponding disciplines that require saying NO to what others can easily say YES to. They daily face down peers and have to say no to late nights... no to dietary temptations....no to distractions and anything that might take them off the path toward athletic excellence.

  A disciplined life is a response to an inward vision and direction for our lives. When we know where we're going and what we desire in life...we can exercise an appropriate discipline and lifestyle. (See Proverbs 29:18) We need to have a vision for our lives that has the 'long view' of what our life might look across our entire life span. You will not always have the same physical and mental sharpness that you have at a particular age. We need to make a sustainable plan for our life goals that will get us to the finish line across the decades.  So many careers, relationships and visions for life falter as we age or unforeseen circumstances interrupt our 'life script'.  Perhaps even now you're facing adversity or difficulties that you could have never imagined even a short time ago. Your soul is weary and your emotions are frazzled. What to do now?

  The ability to live a sustainable life of meaning and purpose depends on a source beyond ourselves
You do have strength and purpose built into your soul. The emotions and will of men and women are remarkably strong and resilient....but there are limits. We need a life built upon the Spirit and not just our bodies and soul. In Isaiah chapter 40 we read of a sustainable source of power and strength that every person can draw upon, "He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait upon the Lord will find new strength. They will fly on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."


  Today I encourage you to go deeper to find a well spring of life that will sustain you for your entire life. You were born for a purpose.... to build, to create, to relate.... and to love. Let God empower and guide you into a life of deep meaning and satisfaction that will last a lifetime!

Jim

Vision for Life

  "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18) A vision for life... a sense of purpose, a reason for being...it's an absolute necessity if we're going to have a meaningful and satisfying life. But how do we get a vision? How do we know what it is we're supposed to be doing with out lives? Today in this short article I would like to talk about three words and how they relate to finding your vision and purpose for life.

  The first word is Location. We're all born somewhere on the planet. Where we're born does have an impact on how we're raised and on our formative belief systems. Location is important but not vital to discovering what it is that is meant to define and direct our souls. We all hit a certain age when we think that if we would only change our location that we would find happiness, fulfillment or more of what we really want. But living in the right place without defining who we are and what we're called to do will only lead us to always hating where we are at the moment. You might be called to a particular place for a specific time but there are more important things that need to undergird your search for 'place' in life.

  The second word is Vocation. Vocation can be defined as " a strong impulse or inclination to a career or activity.... a divine call to God's service." Too often we find ourselves looking for a job when we should pursuing a vocation. A vocation is connected to self discovery and identity formation. Simply put, when you know who you are, you'll know what to do!  What do you find greatest pleasure doing? What do you do in life that others find brings excellence and value to the world around you? You are a unique person created and designed to do great things in life!  Read this amazing poetic statement about who you are for both encouragement and insight, "For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works, And that my soul knows very well." (Psalm 139:13, 14) When we discover and really believe that we are designed for something marvelous and meaningful, we begin to live disciplined and directed lives...where every day counts. We find ourselves walking with confidence and excitement even when we are far off from actualizing our dream. Disciplined lives flow out of God inspired dreams.  Until and unless you know who you are and why you're here, your life is in danger of futility and the kind of failure that is most deceptive: succeeding at things that don't really matter at all.

  The third word that helps us find our 'Vision for Life'  is  Motivation.  Location gives us a 'where' to fulfill our dream.  Vocation gives us a 'what' to fulfill our dream. Motivation provides the all important 'why' to our life's dream. Motivation is what provides us with a reason to act in a certain way... inspiration enough to move, to risk, to labor and to keep moving forward in spite of hurdles, obstacles and temporary disappointments.  Every dream is tested by trial, time and temptation. When our motivation is weak or misplaced we will often quit long before our dreams are realized. We need to examine our motives with honesty and humility.  Why do you want to accomplish your dream? For what purpose? For whose glory.... for what end?  Our motivations are born and developed in our inner man and woman... our soul.  Listen to the wisdom of Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." Selfish visions have a short shelf life and ultimately work to destroy the visionary himself. When our motivations are based on the things that last forever (Faith, Hope and Love ....see 1 Corinthians 13:13) than we are building and living for something that will inspire, invigorate and empower our daily lives.

  You were meant to be guided by a vision for your life and not live randomly from day to day.  You are not an accident. You were born with special gifts, talents and desires that when surrendered to God and dedicated to his purpose will bring both pleasure and deep satisfaction to you and the world around you.  Start dreaming and find and develop that vision that lies dormant in your soul.

Jim