As the sun sets over the Jerusalem countryside, I reflect on a day that began with an early walk into the Old City of Jerusalem to some of its most famous sites. Our journey began with the walk to the Dome of the Rock (a.k.a. The “Al Aqsa Mosque”) and the Western (or "Wailing" wall). As we walked there, it was profoundly interesting to walk through both Israeli and Palestinian security forces. Within a matter of fifty to a hundred feet, Israeli mothers and fathers sing songs for their childrens' Barmitzvahs while Palestinian worshippers prepare to enter one of Islam's holiest sites. The celebratory nature of the Barmitzvahs was contagious even though the cultural traditions of worship were foreign to me and somewhat bizarre at times. Without sounding insensitive, the men beat their heads against the wall as they pray to express their sincerity and devotion to the Lord. Before you judge... you might beat your head against the wall a bit too.

The devotion of the Jews praying at the Western wall was unmistakeable, but my heart sunk at the reality that their worship is misguided. Essentially, they're just beating their heads against the wall. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to tear down the temple system so that the Holy Spirit could dwell inside the hearts of men. We don't need to go to a place to worship anymore. We are the Temple of God if Christ is in our lives. It is the fulfillment of prophecy after prophecy straight from their Scriptures.

Rather than embrace this reality and the newfound freedom of a personal relationship with God, Jews choose to reject Jesus and continue “waiting” for God to bring a Messiah or someone else who will reestablish the Temple. Rather than point the finger at the Jews, it sincerely caused me to ask the question: “Is anything in my own worship misguided?” I don't want any passion in my life towards the Lord to be misplaced. My prayer is that my methods of cultural worship would always be honoring to the Lord. I don't want to wind up like a Jew beating my head against the wall thinking it shows my passion for God when it is nothing more than misguided worship.

As you think about your worship, is there anything misguided? Maybe you try to sing the songs super loud and clap right on cue, but in your life there are some things that Jesus wants Lordship over. Jesus wants true worship through the obedience of our hearts.

Today has really caused a great many feelings and emotions, but that's enough for now. Love you all and miss you!

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Right now, it is 10:14 on Sunday morning and I am (abnormally) not at City Church today. Every ounce of my body wants to be there, but I am too sick to attend. Right before my wife left the door, she said something incredibly insightful that allowed me to be used by God while sick at home.

"Kyle, don't let the devil get into your mind this morning."

Honestly, the question caught me off guard. I'm a pastor constantly telling others to rid themselves of the thoughts of the enemy... why would my wife ask me that question? Then I asked her a clarifying question:

"What do you mean by that?" - Lisa's response was spot on. She told me not to let the devil tell me I'm a bad pastor because I wasn't well enough physically to be in church. In that moment, that was exactly the thought in my mind. I had not spoken it to anyone, but I was feeling it. I kept thinking...

"I could probably muster up the strength to get in there." "What if people feel let down?"

Though I hadn't said a word, my wife tapped into an unspoken sense of guilt set in my heart.

All it takes is a TINY amount of guilt for the devil to get into our brains.

Had my wife not given me that encouragement, I would be sitting here quietly allowing a negative thought process to go down. When we are tempted to start going down that road, we need the Word of God wash our minds. So I read these verses to renew my mind:

1. Romans 12:2: "be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

2. John 15:4: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."

When our minds are RENEWED, we are ready for DIVINE OPPORTUNITIES.

COOL STORY - While sitting at home, the church phone number rang and a woman called who couldn't find City Church. Normally, I would never have had the time to answer this call 3 minutes before the service, but I believe God supernaturally allowed me to be at home sick just so that woman could find our church.

Because my mind was renewed, I wasn't dwelling on what I couldn't do (be at church), and I was open to what God wanted me to do. While sick at home, God used me to help ONE person.

QUESTION for you: how does the devil get into your mind?

-Is is telling you you're not a good parent?
-Is it telling you God hates you because you're addicted to porn?
-Is it telling you that girl is prettier than you are?
-Is it telling you that you'll never amount to anything in life?
-Is it something completely different?

That nagging sense of guilt from your past can prevent you from what God has for you. It can keep us from being used by God. You aren't defined by your sins if you know Jesus, you are defined by your Savior.

CHALLENGE: when guilt comes: RENEW your mind with God's word so you can be ready for whatever God wants to do through you.

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It's Sunday night, and Lisa and I are literally just finishing what has been a long day of ministry for us. I spoke today on the question "What am I going to do with my life?" The topic really seemed to resound with people who have a desire for God to do something in their lives but aren't really sure where to start.

This might sound weird, but I'm going to share something I learned from giving this message today. Yes... believe it or not pastors should learn something even when they speak. The biggest thing I learned from my message today was that...

Many people feel like they are in "the waiting game" in life right now.

"The waiting game," is a sense that God will do something large in our lives, but current mundane circumstances cause us to feel in between, unsure, and as if what we're doing now is marginally significant. I didn't expect so many people to respond that they felt like they were precisely in this place, but lots of you are there right now from the show of hands in the service and conversations I had afterward.

I have been through many waiting times in my life. They aren't fun, but in some ways life is really one big waiting game to the next, so we all need to learn to "wait well." Truthfully...

Hearing God's voice = much easier said than done.

I also took a risk today to be vulnerable up front and say that I have never received a clear "call" from God to be a pastor. Some might say that makes my ministry illegitimate. I respectfully disagree. For me, it has been more a journey of discovering my gifts and abilities and realizing that pastoral ministry was the perfect "fit" for my life. While there have been a few key undeniable acts of God in there, it's been much more of a process for me. The ONLY reason I do sometimes hear from God is when I open the Bible and pray. As trite as it sounds. The Bible is called "God's word" because it is "God's word."

BOTTOM LINE: hearing God's voice is no easier for a pastor than anyone else. Many pastors feel like their ministry is one big waiting game for God to "do something." Truth is, He is often waiting on US to "DO SOMETHING." We need to learn to "wait actively."

Here are a few ways I challenged our church to "wait actively" that I leave to anyone out there who feels like they're in a "waiting game." Hopefully it helps you.

1. Remember what you deserve. Many of us live life thinking God owes something to us and unintentionally confuse God's will for their lives with an illusion of grandeur. We deserve death, punishment, and separation from God. In Christ, God has already given us everything we could ever desire in this life and riches unfathomable in the next. When in a waiting game, keep this in mind to put things in perspective.

2. Stick to the basics. God's will is very simple: he wants our obedience. The next right decision in front of us is God's will for us. In a waiting season, there are still lots of things right here and right now we need to take seriously. They might seem mundane, but they are not.

3. It takes TIME. If God has spoken something to you that He wants to do in your life (yes I believe He does that - Check John 16:13 if you don't believe me), always remember that it takes TIME. Nothing great happens overnight.

Are you in a waiting season? Leave a comment. I'd love to pray for you.

LISTEN TO THE MESSAGE on the web HERE or on iTunes HERE if you'd like.

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If one or more of these four apply to you... you might be a Twitter snob.

#4 The smart-aleck (I wanted to use another word here). You only respond to people's posts when you have something negative to say OR a degrading joke that makes you look smarter than the tweeter. Rather than finding the heart of what someone IS saying, you find the one thing it DOESN'T say and digitally shame them publicly for it.

#3. The "Non-responder." You only reply to @ replies when it's from an actual friend or someone with more followers than you. It's one thing if it's a busy day and you forget, but if it's an intentional decision not to respond to make yourself look cool, you are a snob.

#2. The "Un-Follower." You un-follow people because you are ticked off at them for _______ INSERT STUPID REASON HERE. This is the twitter equivalent of the 5 year old who tells his best friend he can't come to his birthday party because he's mad. OR you un-follow someone because you think you're too cool for them. The ONLY reason I un-follow someone is if they un-follow me. I do this not because I'm offended they've un-followed me, but because I want relationships where both people can communicate. No one likes being ignored. It's rude in real life, and it's rude online too.

#1. UNGRATEFUL for RT's. When someone RT's your post... THANK THEM! BE GRATEFUL when something you say blesses someone instead of just assuming they should because you are the cheese. If you don't thank people when they RT your post(s), you're probably a snob. DISCLAIMER: I know that some people have too many followers to do it all the time, but I also know that Justin Bieber (who has over 6.5 MILLION followers) still takes several hours daily to greet/thank his fans. He doesn't have to, he's just not a snob.

SYMPTOMS OF A SNOB - All of these are symptoms of a person who thinks Twitter (and subsequently the world) is all about them and their "Cool Clique." Twitter is supposed to be a place to tear down barriers between all people, not a new fortress for even greater walls. Don't be twitter snobs people. It's immature. It's stupid. And YES... people notice. People notice snobs in the real world, and they can spot them on Twitter too.

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A blind spot (in driving) is an area in a car where the driver of the car simply can't see from his/her vantage point without turning his/her head to check. This picture highlights the different points where a driver is completely blind. In driving school, they teach a very simple lesson about this...

CHECK YOUR BLIND SPOTS.

It is the DRIVER's job to check his/ her blind spots before making a move. Sure, a wise driver nearby should avoid another car's blind spots; but technically, it is the DRIVER's responsibility to check his/her blind spots.

Spiritually, we have blind spots too.

One of the most famous examples of this in the Bible is the story of David (Read the entire story in 2nd Samuel 11-12). David had everything money could buy and then some. One day, David saw something he couldn't have, and it drove him nuts. David saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheeba bathing and he wanted her... HAD to have her... problem was... she was already married to another man. Her husband Uriah wasn't just any man, he was a great man.

What did David do? He chose to put on his horse blinders and decided pursue his lust no matter how great the cost. Well, things got really messed up. The woman gets pregnant, David tries to cover it up, and winds up killing Uriah (his best soldier/commander) all because he chose to ignore the truth. Blind spots exist because sin exists, and Before we bash on David... we do this too!

The two "dimensions" of blind spots.

1. Those who simply don't know.
-Many times in life, we simply don't know that a blind spot is there. When we find out about it, we feel terrible, ashamed, and really want to make a change. I have had this happen to me plenty of times in life. I believe this is still sin, but it is sin of ignorance. Once the truth is brought into the light the person has the choice to either embrace the truth, or move to the next dimension of blindness by hardening their hearts.

2. Those who choose to believe their own lies.
-People who believe their own lies know the truth, but they think "know better" than God. Somehow, they feel exempt from the rules that apply to the rest of the universe. David was at this point the entire time until he saw the truth in a simply story from Nathan the prophet. He was choosing to believe what he wanted to be true rather than embrace what really was true.

Have you put some "horse blinders" on in an area of your life?

Being unaware for a period of time is one thing, but putting on horse blinders and willfully ignoring the truth will only wind up hurting YOU in the end. Leaders put on horse blinders all the time when they spiritualize failure and keep repeating the same things while expecting a different result. People do this all the time when confronted with something they don't like about themselves.

Pastors often get slammed by people wearing "horse blinders" because we are the ones who bring up the things people don't like about themselves. Rather than addressing the problem, people with "horse blinders" on simply attack the messenger. Pastors are prone to mistakes too, but for the most part they only want to help you improve your life. Rather than get angry, CHECK YOUR BLIND SPOT!

If you have "horse blinders" on and don't know what to do... here's some advice.

1. ACCEPT THE TRUTH.

You will not be able to see the future clearly as long as you deny the present. Accept where you are wrong, ask forgiveness from Christ (AND the people involved) and experience the grace of Christ in that situation.

2. BRING NEW PEOPLE into your life who will ask you tough questions. This one is CRUCIAL.

Many "friends" aren't real friends. Don't surround yourself with haters, but also don't surround yourself with people who just tell you what you want to hear. The goal of life is to become more like Christ. To get there, we need people in our lives who will be honest. AND we need to not attack those people when they tell us the truth.

3. WATCH GOD WORK!

This is the exiting part! When God shows up in someone's life and removes the scales of blindness, it's an incredible sight to see.

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I've been thinking a lot lately about how a person can "KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO." Life is one gigantic state of transition. We move from one place to live to the next, one school to the next, one occupation to the next, one stage of life to the next, and in between there are dozens of tiny adjustments and readjustments along the way.

If that's true, then how do we know if it's time to "FORCE" a transition? In other words... how do we know when it's time to go? To make this more simple, I'm applying this post specifically to leaving a job, but it's principles apply to any life transitions.

1. When in doubt... STAY PUT.

I think God is more interested in HOW we do what we do than what we do. In other words, God doesn't care if a person is a plumber, a businessperson, or a pastor. What He cares about is if that person is a HARD-WORKING plumber, an HONEST businessperson, or a FAITHFUL pastor.

Colossians 3:23-24 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24).

So if God is stirring something up inside of you but you're still hashing through your thoughts and feelings... STAY PUT. A bad job is still better than no job. If you're in a tough spot, work hard as if Jesus himself was your boss and start dreaming about a better future.

2. Weigh the options.

Every profession/calling/leading will have elements you will not enjoy. Some parts of the grass might be greener on the other side, but there will always be tasks that are not particularly enjoyable. When looking for a new job, more money often translates to more stress. Whenever making a "jump," weigh all the options on the table BEFORE making the leap.

3. Wise counsel.

The word "counsel" appears over 90 times in the Bible. Proverbs 15:22 says "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." Good counsel includes counsel from the Lord (in prayer/Bible reading/however you spend time with him), AND counsel from a few trustworthy people. The "trinity" of wise counsel is you, God, and people who are for you.

SIDEBAR: while you are in the "counsel" phase of the decision, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. It is really important not to spill the beans to the wrong person. It causes problems you won't want.

4. Don't over-spiritualize the decision.

I am a Christian, and I want God to drive ALL my decisions. Having said that, I have seen people waiting for "signs" from the Lord and MISS the truth. The right counsel in your life will tell you when you are out of line, and they will also tell you when it's time to make a decision. Pray about it, talk about it, but don't over-spiritualize the decision. God gave you a brain and free will. USE THEM!

5. Create a vision for "The New You."

The worst reason to leave a job is because someone isn't "happy" at the current one. Being "unhappy" at a job probably says more about your heart than it does your job. The Bible talks about being content wherever God puts us (2 Cor. 12:10; Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5).

Having said that, there are still valid reasons to leave. Instead of leaving because of unhappiness, create with a vision for "The New You." "The New You" is honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and has a clear mental picture of what life should be like. Sometimes, compromises must be made to achieve "The New You." That's OK! Less money might mean more freedom. If that's part of the vision for "The New You," celebrate that. Get a clear picture of what you are looking for so that you know how to prioritize the options. The goal is to find something where you can operate in your strengths as much as possible.

BOTTOM LINE: A new job is not just a new job, it should include a new vision for your life. Behind it, underneath it, and in front of it is a sense that God is creating a new "you" already. When it comes, you'll be ready! LEAD WITH VISION, and God will take you great places.

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