As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. (Genesis 7:18 NLT)

I love the imagery is this passage of scripture. This is a beautiful picture of God’s grace in Noah’s life. God reaches out to Noah, instructs him, and protects him along the way.

While the flood waters were rising, Noah and his family were safely floating on top of it all. The waters came, but they weren’t enough to take down the boat or Noah.

Your flood waters may be rising.
That problem you face may be forcing your faith to new heights.
That situation you’ve fell in to may be raising the level of your boat.
What’s around you may feel completely hopeless.

Know that it is possible to float safely on the surface of the rising waters.

He’s got you.

Let go. Let God.

Rest in him.
Come to him during the day.
Breathe deep.
Know that He’s there.
Know that He’s grace.

I read this article last week from fastcompany.com. Basically, the article says that today’s generation (millennials/geny) is buying less stuff. The reason, the article says, is because stuff is available anywhere and everywhere. Whatever we want (theoretically), we can get no matter where we live or who we are.

So, companies and businesses have to adjust to this new idea of buying and shopping. No longer is the product the source of buying for today’s generation.

The article lists 3 reasons people buy things in the millennial generation…

1. People buy things because of what they can do with them – It’s about the experience

2. People buy things because ow what they can tell others about it – It’s about connection

3. People buy things because of what having it says about them – It’s a social thing

Now, businesses aren’t the only ones that have to adjust, Christians in general have to adjust. I really believe that this new idea is in the favor of the Church.

We have THE thing that provides experience, connection, and identity. We have the advantage. We can’t, though, continue providing a pretty and flashy product and expect it to get the job done.

No one wants something that’s all show and no substance… all in a pretty package, but is void of real value.

So, we have to quit selling a product and begin selling a real, authentic relationship. We get back to simple, living it out kind of faith.

Want to reach my generation for Christ? Quit offering something that looks good on the outside and begin offering something that changes people and lives.

It’s going to require building relationships and investing in them.

Show them how Jesus has changed you. Tell them how what you believe has changed you. Let young people see the life changing potential in a relationship with Jesus.

Live it out.

What have you found effective in reaching 20 somethings?

A couple of Saturdays ago, I ran my first ever road race. Not a marathon or even a half marathon, but a 12k… 7.5 miles. I actually did a lot better than I thought I would going into it. There’s something about running with a bunch of other people (probably a little bit of pride) that makes it a little easier to keep going when you’d normally quit or slack up.

Everything was going really well until about the 6 mile mark. That’s the point where a lot of the adrenaline (and pride) wore off and I was faced with already running 6 miles and having another 1.5 to go.

I managed another mile as I pushed through the pain. The last half mile, I got a glimpse of the finish line. That literally changed everything. That was my goal and I had my eye on it.

Here are 2 things that happen when we set our eyes on a goal…

1. Motivation
Just like in my race, when I saw the goal, my motivation increased. I got a 2nd or 3rd win because I could see the fruits of my labor. I could taste the victory at the end. The same thing happens with the goals we set. Goals are important because they give us a glimpse of where we’re going and provide some motivation to get there. Make your goal realistic, but make it something that will require a 2nd or 3rd wind.

2. Celebration
Goals are important because they give us something to celebrate. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but while you’re celebrating an accomplishment, you feel the most empowered to take on something even greater. You build momentum in the celebration. As you’re celebrating one win, set the next goal. Celebration creates anticipation of ‘what can we do next?!’

Are you a goal setter?
How do you set goals?
How have you found goal setting beneficial?

Being a young leader (or any kind of leader) can be an overwhelming duty. Being young and feeling like you’re always trying to overcome your lack of experience or life experience can make it even tougher. The challenges that come with leading anything require much of us.

We care about the vision. For those of us that are young, it’s often someone else’s vision that we’re championing, but it still takes time and energy to help move toward accomplishing that vision. Sometimes, time management and priorities can be a challenge.

Here are 3 things I’ve found that all young leaders (leaders in general too) should make sure are a part of their schedule…

Exercise time

It’s hard to do. Schedule it. If you hate it, try to make it fun. Vary what you’re doing. Tell yourself you’re just gonna do 10 minutes. Maybe that 10 minutes will turn into 30 or 60. Get going. Do something. Your physical health is important!

People time 

That’s what it’s really about, right? Especially for those of us that lead in the Church. People are the number one priority. Sure, other things play a part in our leadership, but it eventually always comes down to people… they’re the ones we’re leading. In the process of managing things and papers, don’t forget about the people. Make time for them. Stay aware of their importance.

Down time

We have to unplug… trust me. It’s one thing to be ‘available’, it’s another to be ignorant of our emotional and spiritual health. Take time to unplug. Watch a movie, listen to music, watch sports, or do anything that helps you unplug from the demands of leading. For those of us that are young, taking time daily will keep us from having to take a larger amount of time later. Work hard? Yes. Take down time? Definitely.

What would you add, young leader?
What would you add, experienced leader?

Most of us that have been in church know the story of Peter.

Peter was out finishing a long day of fishing when Jesus hijacked his boat and began to teach a crowd from it. After Jesus gets done teaching, he tells Peter to go out into deeper water.

Peter, having just finished a long day on the job, argues with Jesus a little, but eventually decides to do what he’s told. After they get in deeper water, Peter is told to lower his net.

Peter, once again, argues with Jesus. Peter had to be thinking, “Dude, I do this for a living, this is what I do, I’ve had a long day today. I just wanna go home and sit in the recliner and watch some Duck Dynasty (Peter fished, he had to like hunting too, right??).

Finally, though, Peter lowers his net. Luke gives us a beautiful picture of what happened. Peter caught so many fish that his net could hardly hold them all and the boat started to sink from the weight.

Peter went from catching nothing, to more than he could handle.

Peter went from fishing to get by to fishing for eternity.

Peter bows down to Jesus and Jesus tells him…

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. – Luke 5:10-11

That moment with Jesus changed Peter’s everything.
It changed Peter’s mission.
It changed Peter’s priorities.
It changed Peter’s everyday.
It changed his life.

Jesus saw what meeting Jesus could do and it changed him.

Has Jesus changed you?

Does jesus change the way you go to work?
Does Jesus changed the mission you live with?
Does Jesus change the way you interact with people?
Does Jesus change the way you lead?

It did for Peter. It changed his very livelihood.

Jesus swept Peter off of his feet.

Praying he does us as well.

I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD!

It’s one of those things that, for as long as I can remember, I’ve loved and could eat everyday.

When I took Melissa, though, I didn’t realize that she wasn’t a big fan of mexican food. Not really because it tasted bad, but mostly because she didn’t know what to order when she went.

So, this day at lunch, we sit down, get our salsa and chips, order our drinks and start talking. As we’re looking over the menu, I asked, “So, what do you think you’re getting?”

Melissa responded, “A cheese quesadilla.”

Huh?

You’re telling the Mexican connoisseur that you’re getting something that should be on the kid’s menu? Basically a grilled cheese?

That day, that’s what she ordered. I guess she liked it. We went back not long after that. Since being married to me, we’ve gone to mexican thousands of times (give or take a hundred or two).

In fact, the other day I asked her where she wanted to eat. She responded, “Let’s go to Mexican.”

That’s my girl!!

My point? The more time we spend with someone, the more we become like them.

Want to become more like Jesus?
Want to begin to like the things Jesus likes?
Want to begin to think like Jesus?

Spend time with him.

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Saw someone and thought, “Oh man, they’re just…” After talking with the person a little while, I came away with an entire different perspective. Don’t judge a book by its cover… or in this case, a hamburger by its bun.

We do this both ways though, don’t we?

We look at someone on the outside and think they have it all together and so we play to the comparison game and feel great about ourselves.
OR
We look at someone (like I did the other day) and pass judgment that falls short of telling how great the person really is.

Check out the video below…

Just a reminder we could all use.

Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. (Genesis 7:6)

Imagine this…

You’re 600 years old.
You’re a stranger to rain.
You’re asked to build a boat… A big boat.

That seems ludicrous.
Ridiculous.

That’s where Noah was.
He found himself in unfamiliar territory with strange instructions.

What did he have?

Faith.

So he did.

He built.

He put his faith in action.

We miss that step many times.

Faith does.

Faith moves us to do something beyond what we would normally think was possible or what most people would consider “normal.”

My question to you? My question to myself?

Is my faith DOING?

Faith that does moves beyond wishful thinking and into solid belief.
Faith that does grows because it’s been tested and has passed through the fire.
Faith that does looks at what’s around, but trusts Who holds it all in His hands.

Regardless of how tough it may be or how tired I may be or how big the waters rolling in seem.

My faith must DO.