Lessons from being a Dad - Discipleship 160

We have a weekly tradition in our home...it's called Daddy date night. Most Thursdays my wife (who is a stay at home mom) is set free for an entire evening while Daddy and the kids run rough-shod over, in and through the house.

Most weeks are uneventful; some weeks are deeply insightful for me as a dad. Tonight was one of the deeper nights. Yes, chaos was the flavour of the evening, but prior to bed time, my daughter blessed me with the gift of an insight into the inner workings of her heart...and to be honest, mine as well.

My son Cannon had just finished responding obediently to a task I had asked of him, so I paused to thank him and tell him how proud I was of him. All of a sudden, Saydie burst into tears uncontrollably...I had no idea what I had said or done. When I was able to decipher her broken speech in the midst of sobs, she in no subtle way shared with me that she was crying because I didn't say I was proud of her too.

I was a little shocked...how does my four year old possess the courage to share a deep longing with me and her big strong dad have difficulty to share this same craving with others? What spoke to me tonight was not only Saydie's willingness to share with me, but also the truth to which this question resonated in my own heart.

As human beings each of us is longing to be loved; to have someone share that they are proud of us. And what's super cool about this all is Jesus had this same desire. The Bible records the story of Jesus' baptism. Just after Jesus was being lifted out of the water, the very voice of God...His Father...spoke from the heavens and said "this is my son, in whom I am well pleased" (different wording in some translations). We want someone to believe in us...to notice us...to take the time to encourage us.

I'm convinced that if there is any gift we can freely offer to others en mass its the way we choose to utilize our ability to speak. Are we known as encouragers or discouragers? Of course, our words become empty if they do not line up with our actions...but there are times when we need to speak into the deep longings that others have. So...if you haven't done so yet and you are reading this rant...share with others through the gift of language in some form of what they mean to you. Who knows, maybe you will discover that this is what they needed in that moment. Speak the truth in love, and ensure that your actions speak of the same love that your words do.

Struggle, Determination & Hope...Discipleship 159

Time and time again I'm inspired by the younger emerging generation in our society. I'm awestruck by the incredible hunger for change, significance and hope I see emanating from these individuals lives. I believe God has hard-wired this generation of young people to revive the global church and change the world.

The determination, passion and desire of our youth is challenging us to perceive, embrace and join with them in the calling of restoration. My hope and prayer is that passionate followers of Jesus would rise up to walk alongside this gifted generation to support, encourage and mentor these world-changers because they aren't the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today!!

I saw God working...Discipleship 158

Well, it's a new year, and this is my first post of 2012.

I'm not really into the whole new year's resolution thing, but I do strive to incorporate and build upon strategic growth elements in my life. My hope this year is that I am able to use my blog to share stories of what is inspiring me, causing me to grow and causing me to pray more fervently.

So, I will begin with a subject matter that captivates me more each day...my kids.

The bedtime routine in the Frizzell house includes brushing our teeth, using the potty, reading a story, praying together and sharing moments of our day with one another. As my two oldest children (the only 2 at this point that can speak using decipherable language) and I were in the bathroom brushing our teeth together when I asked a simple question: Where did you see God working today?

My son Cannon, our soon to be 3 year old piped up and said he saw God working in fireworks. I probed this idea a bit further and in his own simple language, my boy was able to share with me the wonder and amazement he had in the creative experience of fireworks. He was referring to a memory of the summer time when we watch fireworks from our bedroom window, and he marvelled at the creativity that God has given to humanity through the use of this form of entertainment we call an explosive.

Saydie was next to speak. She told me she saw God working in her heart. When I asked her about this further she told me that God was working in her heart to treat people with kindness, love and respect.

The bible records a story of Jesus and little children. Being a father of 3 young ones, it is a story that often captures my imagination. Jesus was in the middle of doing busy adult stuff when some kids came running up to Him. His disciples (followers) got frustrated with the kids (and perhaps their parents) and were telling them to go away and leave Jesus alone. Jesus stopped this confrontation right away and told his followers to let these kids come to Him. He then uttered something that rings in my ears every time I hear it: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14).

There is something magnificent about the innocence of children. They have the ability to possess complete hope, complete trust and complete honesty. These are just three of the many lessons my kids teach me every day. I see God working in the lives of my children, and I am completely captivated by it!

It's 2012, my hope is to create a habit of seeking out evidence of God at work in the lives of others more frequently. What about you, do you see God working? Perhaps viewing life through the eyes of a child will open your own to a world filled with wonder, possibility, hope, innocence and a much needed fresh perspective.

Pace, Tone & Rest - Discipleship 157

As I get older I'm learning more and more about what it means to find rest. I've been on vacation for the week leading up to Christmas, and I've begun to notice that it takes me more time to finally hit a space of rest and renewal the longer I go in between taking vacation time. I'm not sure what the correlation is with this all, but as I get older, it seems like it gets more difficult to rest on a regular basis. There is always something that needs to get done, some place I need to be, and somebody that needs something from me. But in all the hustle and bustle of life, am I actually doing myself more harm than good by running myself ragged?

The ironic thing is that in the fast pace of life, I don't even recognize that I'm flirting with an unhealthy space in my life. It's only when I intentionally unplug with regularity that I discover the symptoms of over-exertion. The added dynamic to this conversation is that as a husband and father, I set the pace and tone for life for my entire family. My wife and kids take their cue from me as to what is and what is not a healthy rhythm for life.

So this is the problem...but what might be the solution? I'm still working on that. What I do know for certain is that regular scheduled moments of rest are absolutely vital for the long-term health of my family and myself. Resting does NOT mean running away from responsibility, it means intentionally prioritizing one's responsibilities. There will always be more stuff that needs to get done, there will always be someone else that needs something from you, and there will always be another reason why choosing to rest doesn't seem like the best option. But, if you truly desire to have the most significant impact on others that you can, you must be willing to demonstrate a healthy pace and tone for life that others are willing to learn from and even mimic for their own lives.

Consider this as we head into a busy holiday season. What is does that pace and tone of your life say about what's important to you? Can others discover what true life and true love is by observing the rhythm, pace and tone of your life? My hope is that the answer to both of these questions is yes for my life so that I may inspire others towards life and not confusion. I think I've still got a lot to learn...

A heart is the symbol of love - Discipleship 156

Christmas is nearly here. My house is full of anticipation with my three little kids excited to various degrees about this season and what it brings. My wife, of course, is the most excited of us all! She can hardly wait for our kids to experience presents, family time and lots of caroling...

I've been thinking about the symbol of the heart as of late. Partially because of my own fascination with its' function in the human body, and partially because of what the heart often symbolizes.

Our younger son, Deklon, was scheduled to be born a week prior to his actual birth. Because my wife was overdue, we were sent for an additional ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay. During the appointment we got a sneak peak into our son's anatomy, which included the view of the heart. I was amazed at the level of intricate detail I witnessed on the screen as the ultrasound technician passed over his heart where we were able to see a fully functioning and healthy muscle...all four chambers working together in great symmetry and harmony.

Did you know that if our body experiences heart failure it begins to die? Probably not an out of the box concept for anyone to comprehend. But it remains true...without a heart we will die.

The heart seems to be the universal symbol of love (if you don't believe me just wait till February when consumer culture goes rampant with the pursuit of the dollar and capitalizes this symbol of love!!). In the same way that we can't live without a heart, I'm not certain that we can live without love. If you think about it, I think you may agree with me. If we are not loved, or do not experience love the quality of our lives in greatly impeded.

Consider this during the Christmas season...if the heart is the symbol of love, and we truly cannot live without love, what sort of symbol could be used to describe your own life? Those who claim to be followers of Jesus must represent love...do people say they can't live without you because of who you are or because of who God is and how God is using you to show them love?

What do you think about love?

Consistency or Perfection - Discipleship 155

Hollywood has totally messed us up.

In our quest to be entertained, we've allowed ourselves to be deceived by our entertainment. Most movies (even over-emphasized multi-movie sagas...ahem...TWILIGHT...BARF!!) pursue a happy ending to the story. Sure, the ending might have a sinister twist, but in some way shape or form, there is resolution to the protagonists quarrel with the antagonist.

Romance movies have been particularly harmful to our perception of reality. For some crazy reason, the girl and guy always seem to find each other...in some sort of perfect, and most of the time unrealistic, fashion.

This quest for perfection also rears its' unrelenting, thirst-driven head in the realm of discipleship. For some reason we simply buy into the misconception that we need to be perfect to be a friend of God, and continue to be perfect once we've committed to this friendship. The problem is that we as human beings are incapable of perfection. If we could attain this illustrious status on our own, why would we ever want  or need to be friends with God?

I'm not advocating for a pursuit of life utilizing an abused grace type of mentality...meaning that if you are God's friend it's ok to do whatever you want. But what I am suggesting is that we need to replace the word perfection with the word consistency in our pursuit of discipleship, friendship and relationship with both God and people.

My children don't expect me to be perfect...and thank goodness for that! Thursday nights are normally date night in our home. There are weeks when I'm "on" and we have a super fun time together. But then there are weeks when I don't feel well, or I'm distracted by other things and my ability to invest heavily in our time together isn't what I think it should be. I wrestle with the notion that I must pursue a perfect date night with my kids week in and week out...believing the lie that my kids desire a perfect experience from me, rather than my consistent presence in their lives.

Discipleship is not about perfection, it's about consistency. Are you someone who consistently chooses to invest in the lives of others, or are you stuck waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so? Remember, we as humans are incapable of perfection, so if you're waiting for the perfect timing...you are going to be waiting a REAL LONG TIME my friend!! Get in the game. Be consistent and leave the perfection piece up to the only one that is...God.

Timing - Discipleship 154

My apologies for not posting last week...sometimes as thoughts are simmering they take time before they are ready to be served up and shared with others.

This past weekend I had the privilege of spending time connecting with youth while on retreat. One of the concepts we explored together was the thought of timing as it pertains to faith in Jesus Christ.

Timing is a key concept in our world today. Whether you are looking at sports, business, the arts, relationships or consumer culture...timing is evident in all of these venues. If a communications company releases its product behind that of its competitors and the product is inferior in some way, shape or form, the consumer reaction is one that leaves the company on the brink of irrelevance. If the athlete commits a false start, runs the incorrect route, jumps offside or mis-times a particular athletic feat...the results can determine the final outcome of the competition. If one presses an individual into a relationship pre or post maturely, the result could be devastating on an emotional level.

In the same way, a friendship with Jesus is all about timing. Galatians 5:25 records this concept in simple form.  Followers of Jesus are called to "walk in step" with the Spirit of God. Walking in step with someone is all about timing. You must match the pace of your partner; you need to ensure that you have a level of understanding in terms of direction, purpose and goals; and you must possess the endurance necessary to keep going.

In the pursuit of discipleship, timing is critical. The best coaches know when to push, and when to leave things alone. The best disciplemakers and those who possess this very same talent; they know when to challenge and when to back off. Disciplemakers inspire, convict, convince and demonstrate what it means to walk in step with the Spirit of God. Simply put, someone who makes disciples understands and appreciates the value of timing.

What does it mean for you to walk in step with God's Spirit? How can you make sure you are in time or in tune with what God desires to do in and through your life? These questions are all about timing. Perhaps it's time that you consider how you might answer them.