Men of Fuel

It’s crazy how time flies.  I find it hard to believe that it has been almost two years since we started meeting at Hidden Creek.  Sure it seems natural now to pull up in front of Hidden Creek on Wednesday morning for Fuel, but it wasn’t always that way.  As a matter of fact, two years ago we were getting ready to wrap up our final semester of Fuel at the GAP room over by the McPizza Hut in Reston.  I remember standing in front of many of you indicating that our time at the GAP was coming to an end, as the lease was up and we would no longer be able to meet there.  At the time I had no idea where we would be meeting the following fall, but had said that I was sure it would be incredible based only on what God had provided for us to that point.

Over the past two years I have been blessed by every meeting, every series, and every man that has walked through the doors of Fuel.  At the same time I don’t think I have been more convicted by a series than our current series: SAFE.  This series has caused me to step back and consider the last two years of Fuel and potentially the next two years.  Did we play it safe the first two years?  Are you kidding me?  There was nothing safe about setting out on our own.  As a matter of fact it was the opposite of safe, and yet look how God has blessed this ministry.

But what about the next two years?  Could we keep meeting every Wednesday at Hidden Creek Country club?  I think we could.  However I also think that would be the safest thing we could do.

So that is where this current series has brought me……..to the exact same place I was two years ago, which I will share more with you tomorrow.  In the meantime I would ask you to consider the areas of your life where you might be playing it safe.  Areas where God may be calling you out of.

Are you living a life that is worth dying for?

You should be, because someone did.

See you guys in the AM

This morning, Dr. Clark gave an inspirational talk about taking risks.  Ever play the game RISK, the board game of strategy and world domination?  It’s a game of calculated risk, alliances, and perhaps a little luck of the roll of the dice.

In many ways the game of Risk is analogous to life…no, not the game of Life, real life, without the luck.

In order to win, we need to take risks.  We can’t sit back and hide in New Zealand while our enemy captures the territory around us and we just wait to get eliminated.  Our calling is to step out from our safety zone…stretch our borders and enter new territory.  Roll the dice, and move out…

Yet most of us are not wired to move out.  Most of us want to be courageous, but we don’t want to take the necessary risk. We stand on the edge of the cliff, and look at the chasm below us and imagine what the death feels like when we hit the bottom.

In many ways, we are like the spies entering the promised land, and only see the giants and the challenges…not the benefits and the opportunities…nor God’s promise of something more for us.

But what if that were to change?

Imagine if God gave you a shot of courage that lasted 24 hours, and meant you had no fear…what would you do?

I challenge each of you to think about what courageous step you need to take this week.

Call the doctor?  Schedule that appointment with the Dentist?  You know its something you may not WANT to do, but you’ll be much better for it.

Confront your boss? Ask for a raise? Talk to your wife about your sex life?  What???  Seriously…did I get your attention? What conversation with your family are you putting off and getting passive-aggressive over?

How can we step out in faith and be bold enough to trust that God has something for us once we face our giants?

This time, don’t do it alone.  Ask Christ to join you.  Ask for His strength, His words, His courage…and invite him into the courageous step that you are going to take together…

In our weakness, we find His strength.  In our weakness, we have limits.  But with God, all things are possible.

Do the impossible, complete the improbable, attempt the unimaginable and be amazed by what God can do THROUGH you.

Stop playing it safe.

Go get ‘em boys…

Taking the risk with you,

pat

Men of Fuel;

Tomorrow morning we continue in the series, “Playing it Safe” and will look further into the dynamic of how when we play it safe, we often miss what God has for us.

As we realized from our recent talks, God is much more interested developing our character rather than designing our comfort.  Yet, we often seek routine, hate surprises, and want even-keeled consistency in our lives, jobs, and our relationships.

As leaders, we falsely believe having that tight control over our circumstances  protects us, when in reality, at times it prevents us from experience the challenges that God has laid out before us.  We were made for so much more than we allow ourselves to experience.

We were made to be daring, to walk on the moon, to explore the depths of space, to sail across seas…and live an adventurous life of faith, resting in the protection of God , bravely living under His grace.

That does not mean we stand up through the moon roof when we drive, nor take wildly silly risks.  But somewhere between living like a stuntman and Grizzly Adams or the slouch that drives back and forth from his comfortable home to his comfortable office, there is a call by God to becoming more adventurous in almost every aspect of our lives.

Do we step out in faith in our jobs and stretch ourselves to become the best that we can be?

Do we raise our children with dreams of becoming whatever they want, or are we forming them to be seekers of comfort?  Get an education, get a high paying job…retire early…

What about being OK with a little unknown?  Being ok with making tough decisions and taking risks?

I know I set my limits based on my own past performance, and rarely look at what I can do with God…

I define myself by what I cant do, rather than define my life by what God can do through me…how about you?

Does this resonate with you?  Are you happy being comfortable or do you miss a little more adventure and spice to your life?

Well, come join us tomorrow morning and find out more about playing it less safe…and trusting that God has something MORE for you…for your marriage…for your family…for your career…for your impact on the Kingdom…and for God’s glory through your walk of faith, and courage.

Invest, and Invite,

pat

Men of Fuel.

Over the last couple of years “Adventure/Obstacle” races have been taking the country by storm.  Warrior Dash, Tough –Mudder, Muddy Buddy are a few of them, but the one that seems to be getting the most recognition is the Spartan Race .  Crazy that as dangerous as they are these races are selling out at a record pace.  Perhaps there is something inside of us that feels called to that which is not safe, something that comes alive outside of the routine where we spend so much of our life.

I have included the link for the Spartan Race (http://www.spartanrace.com/) because I thought the video, when you open the link, did a good job of capturing the idea of what we discussed last week.  Not to mention that I loved the fact that they included the quote from Rocky Balboa that we discussed last year.

Below is the quote that is also heard during the video.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Have you been liberated from your own fear?

Set your alarms and join us on Wednesday morning for week two of our current series “Safe”: Limit day.

See you on Wednesday

Hope you guys had a good Easter, and that you were able to watch at least part of the Masters.  Had you told me last week that a Christian that owned the General Lee (http://jalopnik.com/5900439/masters-winner-bubba-watson-owns-the-original-general-lee) was going to win the Masters ON EASTER I might not have believed you. So this week as Bubba wears a Green jacket while driving an Orange car with a big 01 on the side, we begin a new series at Fuel: SAFE.

Think about that word.  What comes to mind?  I ask that because when I think of that word I tend to see it as a good thing.  But is it always a good thing?  Could there be an aspect of what we think is safe that actually isn’t.  I mean I don’t see safety being a huge topic that is discussed in the bible, or taking up the space that I want it to in my life.

What I do see in the bible is God actually calling people out of their safety zones.  Why is that?  Could there be something more important to God than me playing it safe?  Could there actually be more for me beyond the territory of my life that I previously deemed to be safe?

Well, set your alarms and come on out in the am as we begin our new series “Safe”

See you guys in the morning