Category Archives: Faith

October 25, 2011

My 22 years of wrestling, running, and resisting God

By Chris Lewis

22 years ago today, I was reborn.

I don’t know what your journey looks like, but mine has been a beautiful and messy mosaic. Virtually every part tells its own story, some of them tragic and unsettling, until you step back to see the whole.

Some people seem to have clean stories. ‘I was lost. Jesus found me. My life has never been the same. My struggle was over.‘

That’s a wonderful story. It’s just not my story.

While my life was certainly never the same, over these 22 years I have found myself in some precarious situations. My journey has been one of wrestling, running, and resisting God.

It wasn’t clean and neat. In the contest of wills, mine seemed to be winning most of the time. There were some times in that journey I didn’t look very much like Jesus. I spent more than a decade running from God’s calling to pastor. I was saved. I was disobedient. I was miserable – all the while trying to convince myself that I wasn’t.

Even after God had finally chiseled away enough of me to make room for Him and I let go of the reigns, I had a mountain of guilt to deal with for even being in that position.

Here’s the takeaway.

It’s through the wrestling that God brought me ultimate peace and is shaping me into who He desires me to be.

It’s the running that finally brought me full circle back to a Father who loves me.

It’s through my own resistance God forged my spirit into willing obedience because I know His ways are best.

And guess what? It’s not over.

I still find myself wrestling over issues that should be settled in my heart. And so I will. And my Daddy, with all His might and power and strength, gently and lovingly allows me to punch myself out. Then in my fatigue and defeat quietly picks me up, dusts me off, and teaches me!

He speaks life into me and says ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you‘, ‘My ways are higher than your ways‘, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you‘. And I find comfort. And hope. And the strength to take another step.

And so today, I say ‘happy birthday to me. Thank you Jesus for redeeming me, calling me, and never giving up on me!‘

How about you? What has your journey been like?

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Faith, My Thoughts - Chris, Personal - Chris

September 10, 2009

From blessing to disobedience

By Chris Lewis

Blessing-Disobedience

I’ve been wrestling with this thought since I heard a guy say something similar recently:

Remember, the place you are today that once stretched your faith and offered you blessing will one day become a place of disobedience if you fail to take the next step of faith God is calling you to.

Wow.

It seems whenever God is really blessing a particular work, one of the biggest “arguments” I hear is that there is little depth.  That’s probably fair considering our misunderstanding of what it means to be “deep”.

This is not a post about what people really mean when they say that…even though it usually has more to do with a teaching style than anything else.  It’s actually a very shallow comment made by shallow people who are more loyal to a three point alliterated expository preaching style that Jesus, or the apostles for that matter, never modeled.

Real depth is measured in baby steps and giant leaps. It is more about ongoing sanctification than accruing more knowledge that we don’t apply anyway.

Real depth is about obedience. Yesterday’s obedience can become today’s disobedience. Depth is progressive…we grow deeper as we walk in obedience. The only step of faith that really matters is your next one!  Spiritual depth is not a destination we arrive at, but a journey we commit to.

Real depth involves sacrifice. Jesus loves us sacrificially.  Why should our response be any less?  Many of us live lives completely devoid of sacrifice.  Our walk with Jesus should cost us something, shouldn’t it?

This is not popular speech. We want the gospel to be attractive and draw people in.  We want a Jesus who hangs quietly on the cross but is raised in rapturous glory in the resurrection.  We embrace the Christ who liberally provides for and blesses his followers but we dismiss the humble, foot-washing, servant Jesus.

The thing is, He is both of those and much more.  Think about that the next time you or someone else says “I just want to go deeper…“

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, My Thoughts - Chris, Theology

June 17, 2009

Pick up a load!

By Chris Lewis

Carry Load“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”- Galatians 6:2

It’s easy to be critical.

It’s even easier to listen to someone else be critical.

What we’re called to do by Christ is “carry each other’s burdens“.

So stop pointing fingers, quit attacking with your words, refuse to listen to negative talk…and PICK UP A LOAD!

This is how we fulfill the law of Christ.

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, My Thoughts - Chris

April 21, 2009

To everything there is a season!

By Chris Lewis

Everything has its time and season and there is definitely a time when everything in this life comes to an end.

Change rarely comes without some measure of heartache, mainly because we are all creatures of habit and grow attached and cling to the familiar.  Change is often complex and very difficult (I did a series on “Change” last year).

With that in mind, I need to inform you that I have resigned from my role as Executive & Worship Pastor at Washington Avenue Church.  My prayer is that Washington Avenue Church would continue pursuing the plan God has purposed and designed them to be.  We leave behind many wonderful friends and some of the best ministry experiences of my life.

I would like to thank the people of Washington Avenue and specifically Chuck Bridges for the time we shared together.  Though we will be laboring in different works, we share a common goal.  That goal is that Heaven would be more crowded because of our faithfulness.  I encourage you to pray for WAC and its leadership.  Great things are ahead!

I would also like to share what’s going on with us right now and how you can pray for us.  Tabitha and I are in the middle of an intense season of prayer and refining the next steps God has for us.  As most of you know, we have accepted a call to plant a new church and went on a scouting trip to Boston, MA last October.  Upon our return, God confirmed that Boston was not our destination.

We do have a very clear sense of what God intends our specific next steps to be and are seeking confirmation of this.  Over the next several weeks, I will be posting more updates about what is coming up in our exciting journey.  Thank you so much for your prayers and I can’t wait to share these exciting things with you!

1 comment | posted in Church Plant, Church Stuff, Faith, Personal - Chris

March 10, 2009

It’s not a competition…

By Chris Lewis

Race competition

…but if it were, we would all be on equal footing! Nobody deserves the love God has shown us.

“Everyone has turned away,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.” – Psalm 53:3

Why is it some people act as if they somehow earn the respect and affection of a holy God?  Perhaps it is simply human nature that drives us to compare ourselves with those around us and say things like: ”I’m not as bad as…” or ”I am more committed than…“.

Thank God that’s where Grace comes in. Grace so amazing that it will blow your mind and turn logic on its head.  Grace that confounds the senses and delivers the impossible!  Best of all…IT’S FREE!

Grace that is earned ceases to be grace.  I’m going to type that again to be sure you read it right: Grace that is earned ceases to be grace.  But therein lies the beauty – it can’t be earned but it is offered freely to anyone who will receive it!  That’s some pretty Amazing Grace!

I hope that encourages you today.  I hope you know the security and peace brought only through experiencing the grace of God!

Leave a comment | posted in Devotional thought, Faith, My Thoughts - Chris

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