Fields of Faith
I got the honor and privilege to talk to a bunch of high school students tonight at the FCA Fields of Faith event…which due to the rain and cold ended up being a Gym for Jesus. This is a shorten version of the talk last night:
“Every generation has a chance to change the world” U2 tells us. I believe that’s true but why then has so little of the world changed? The ’60′s generation tried to change the world by proclaiming what they were against. Didn’t really change the world because now they teach history in high schools.
The 70′s and 80′s come along and they tried to change the world be focusing on themselves and their lack of a clear identity – Generation X. The 90′s was about GREED. 2000 forward is you and the lie we’re trying to sell you is that you can change the world if you have enough information.
The problem is none of this has really worked and it’s not going to work in the halls of your high school. I think the secret to changing the world around you is found in John 9. The man was born blind. Jesus comes along and makes two mudballs big enough to cover his eyes with his SPIT. The man is blind, not deaf. He can hear Jesus coughing up spit to make these mudballs. He can FEEL the slimy mud made of another person’s spit on his face.
Disgusting. Right? Huge insult in that culture to put saliva on another person’s face. Even though the man was blind, he had dignity, right? This is the secret for changing the world.
The man wanted whatever it was from Jesus’ hands more than he wanted anything that he already had. Dignity. Blindness. Possessions. Whatever he had, as valuable as it MIGHT have been, he was willing to trade it all in for whatever Jesus had in his hands – as disgusting, messy, degrading, and nasty as MAY have appeared. He trusted Jesus that much.
If you want to change your home, start trading with Jesus with whatever of value you think you have for WHATEVER is in His hands. Follow him, trust him, desire him first. That will change your character which in turn will change your world.