Saturday, December 5, 2009 @ 8:55 pm by Josh Burcham

Recently finished Francis Chan’s Forgotten God, which has been on my reading shelve for months, and one phrase stuck out over all the others:

I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this on my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn’t come through, I am screwed. (I probably shouldn’t write that word here, but it’s how I truly feel about this.) - Francis Chan (Forgotten God, pg. 142)

Let that permeate in you for a second. I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now and it is just not sitting right. Not because I disagree with it, I don’t, but because I don’t know if I can attain that. That can be weird to hear, but it’s how I feel. I want that for my life, I want to be in-tune with the Spirit’s leading. But I don’t know if I am capable.

I can take comfort in Truth, Matthew 7:7-11. I know God loves me more than I can comprehend and that His plan for me fits perfectly in His big-picture plan. But there is a part that is my responsibility. There is action that I have to take and that is where I get fearful in whether or not I can preform.

And then it hit me.

It isn’t whether or not I am prepared to perform or have the right knowledge or skills. It is just about me saying yes and doing it. Let me tell you a story about how I suck.

Few weeks before Thanksgiving my grandpa (step-dad’s dad) was in town. We were headed out to dinner with him, my sister and brother-in-law. As I drove into the parking lot there were two younger women sitting on the corner asking for money. The Spirit-led and asked me to invite them to dinner with us.

Explainable Life: I came up with excuses, they’ll probably say no, our reservation is only for 7…etc, etc.

Unexplainable Life: I should of stopped my car and asked. Figured out the detail later, since there weren’t that many details anyways to figure out.

It comes down to just do. When the Spirit moves, move with Him and your life won’t be explainable.

See larger image Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Paperback) By (author) Francis Chan List Price: $14.99 USD New From: $7.99 In Stock Used from: $7.10 In Stock

Friday, July 17, 2009 @ 12:23 pm by Josh Burcham

Throughout your life as a Christ-follower, God moves in a way that sets a mark on our timeline that we look back to for encouragement and courage for those God-size dreams he places before us to accomplish. One of my mile-markers happened in Douglas, Arizona on a mission trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico back in 2002. God called me to “shepherd His sheep.” He called me to full-time ministry. As clear as day, not verbal, but God was speaking to my soul. He ‘asked’ me to give something up and called me to something great. It was a break in my routine, my focuses were refocused, for just that week and it gave me the ability to hear God’s voice.

Side note: I was sitting right where it says ‘E 4th St,’ late at night, all by myself, with a PDA in hand (I know, have issues). I remember it like it was yesterday.

I tell you all this, to tell you this: I’m going back! It is a mile-marker that I want to revisit and preserve. I’m looking to head down sometime in August, take some pictures and film a message to post here on my blog about breaking your routine and seeking God’s God-size dream for you.

I’m stoked! Want to go on a overnight trip?

Thursday, March 19, 2009 @ 9:52 am by Josh Burcham

Heard a quote this week from Francis Chan, “we can build churches without God, get the right communicator and pastors and people can build “successful” growing churches.” Bill Hybels has said he built a majority of Willow Creek without God.

It’s possible to be successful without God. The story of the Tower of Babel comes to mind.

How much do we rely on your gifts and how much do we rely on the Holy Spirit?

Just think what God could accomplish with our churches and lives changed if we stopped and waited for the holy spirit to move. I think churches would look much different than they do today.