Ben Eggers

Fog

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I love the fog. I love the way it blankets everything in haze. I like the way it makes rays of light appear as streetlamps strain to put forth their glow. I am amazed at how it seems to dampen sound, make everything feel peaceful and make you feel as if you are all alone even when surrounded by busyness. The world looks different through the fog.

Unfortunately, a lot of times I let my spiritual life be hampered by fog. The thing about fog is that it impairs our vision. And in the spiritual realm, that is not good. Spiritual fog clouds our sight - it keeps us from seeing things the way they really are. It makes situations hazy. It can even keep us from hearing God's voice unimpeded. You feel isolated, alone, cold.

There are many things that can cause spiritual fog to cloud a situation - sin, perception, anger, depression, just to name a few. But there is only one thing that can clear it. God. As it says in Isaiah 42, God opens eyes that are blind. He can help us see things clearly. He can give us an entirely different perspective. He can give us hope. All we have to do is ask.

If you are struggling today, if you have some troubles you are facing, I would encourage you to pray with the words of the song "Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord."

Spiritual Toughness

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:24:00 +0000

I run marathons. Slowly. Actually, I am pretty fast until mile twenty. Then I tend to fall apart. As I looked at my performance, I realized that I needed to work on my mental toughness, so I began to research the brain and its effects on physical performance. I was amazed! I had no idea how much the brain affects how well we do in sports. In the past, common knowledge has said that the reason that you slow down at the end of a marathon (after mile 20) is because the glycogen levels are depleted and your muscles just give up. New studies are showing that is not true. It is actually your brain telling your muscles to slow down to avoid injury. Your brain is regulating your physical state.

I thought about that and how it applied to everyday life. What if our brains are could control our environment? What if our outlook on life dictated what was and what could be? Well, with the scientific information that I talked about above, our brains may just do that. Think about what it would be like if instead of being battered around by your health, your relationships, your job situation, home life, you could determine how you want your life to be and it would become that way. To a certain degree you can. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Are your circumstances leading your life, or is God's vision and direction leading your life? It's your choice.

Change of Plans

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:59:00 +0000

How do you react when things don't go the way you thought they would? Last night, I was sitting on the couch with my wife and she casually mentioned that she was working the next day and that I had the kids. I groaned and whined and cursed. Because that was not the way I thought my day was going to go. My wife probably told me that I had the kids that day, but somehow, I had planned it differently. I didn't even mind that I was in charge of the kids, it was just the shock of getting used to something different than I had planned. It took about a half an hour for the tension in the living room to abate. All over a little change.

The day arrived and the kids and I had a great time. We went to Pizza Hut for lunch and asked each other trivia questions, laughing the whole time. We went to the beach and played. It was a lot of fun. And as I sat and thought about it, I wondered why I made such a big stinking deal about it in the first place. It turned out better than the way I had planned my day.

I find that I am that way with God many times, too. How about you? He initiates a change in my life, or things don't turn out the way that I thought they should and I'm kicking and whining. I'm fighting the change the whole time. Maybe it's a matter of control. But God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans for us, so maybe I don't have to fight the change so much. It might turn out much better than I could have hoped for.

The Sound of Silence

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went to a lake by my house, ate lunch and took a walk around it while I prayed. It was incredibly peaceful and a much needed time to reflect and talk with God. It had been too long since I had done that and my mind and spirit had felt cluttered with the detritus of life.

It was interesting, though; as I was driving into the park and thinking about my plan to spend some quiet time and pray, I had an urge to take my computer. I thought; "Hey, I could do some work while sitting outside - that would be cool, right?" That wasn't why I was there, though, so I put that idea away. Then another thought popped into my head: "I could take my iPod. That would be relaxing, I could listen to inspirational music." But something inside told me that I just needed to have quiet.

I listened to the birds chirping, and the leaves rustling in the wind, and I could feel the clutter draining from my mind. And I realized something. I am not still enough. I am constantly busy, I am either doing something active, or watching TV or a movie, or listening to music, or talking with someone. It is very rare that I will sit, stand or exist in the absence of visual or audio stimulation - in silence and reflect. The problem with this is that the Bible says God speaks in a still small voice, and if I don't take the time to listen with nothing else going on - I will miss it.

How about you? When was the last time you sat in stillness and asked God a question and then took the time to listen for the answer? When was the last time you turned off the radio and cell phone in the car and prayed? When was the last time you went for a walk in the woods and thanked God for what He has done in your life? Take the time and do it and you will find that the silence may speak to you best of all.

Keep on Running

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:22:00 +0000

I ran a marathon this last weekend. Actually, I only ran 20 miles of the marathon - it was a training run, so I quit early. But it was still tough. I got to about 17 miles and every bone hurt, every muscle ached, I felt like I couldn't get enough air or go any faster. Despite my best efforts, I walked several times in the last three miles. I hadn't made up my mind before I started the race whether I would run the full 26.2 miles or just do the 20 miles my training schedule called for. When the pain in my foot started at 18 miles, that decided it. I gave up.

Now in my case, it was probably wise that I quit at 20 miles, because otherwise I ran the risk of a more serious injury on a training run, but that got me thinking - how many times in life do we quit before the finish line? How often do we just accept the bad and believe that "that's just the way life is," instead of pushing on for God to do something amazing. I was over 3/4ths done with the marathon, and there is a part of me that wishes that I would have finished - even if it would have meant walking the last six miles.

You will feel the same way if you give up before the "finish line" in your situation. There will always be a part of you that will wonder what greatness awaited you at the finish. Your trial may physical, emotional, financial, or relational. You may feel like you can't go on, but God says that He will provide all your needs (Phil 4:19) but your task is to finish - to put one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line. Only then will you feel the accomplishment of a job well done.

Do I have what it takes?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Over the past several years, I have been going through an intensely difficult time, complete with business failures, financial hardships, things not working out the way that I thought they should, attacks on my character, self esteem and motives. I have prayed endlessly - pleading with God to make these things go away, to make my life easier. Unfortunately, that has not been in the plans because God is initiating me - preparing me.

John Eldridge writes that the question that every man has is: "Do I have what it takes?" This question isn't just "Do I have what it takes to make enough money that my family can live comfortably," or "Do I have what it takes to be viewed a success in my neighbor's eyes," this question is much deeper - the heart of it is: "When you strip away all my accomplishments, all my possessions, all my abilities, what is left? Am I significant?" That is the question that has been consuming my heart.

I have been viewing these failures, these trials as proof that I don't have what it takes, but then I realized that things are not as they seem. As my heart cried out for significance, God heard and answered. I ask: "Do I have what it takes?" And God has been saying through these trials "Yes, I'll prove it to you."

The heroes in the Bible were taken through an initiation, a wilderness (look at Jesus, Moses, Joseph), through which God prepared them. Through great trials, God prepared them. These difficulties are my wilderness - not a punishment, not a breaking, but proof that the answer to the question "Do I have what it takes," is a reverberating, clear "YES!"

Live, bones, live!

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:39:00 +0000

I have been thinking a lot lately about the nature of faith and how by our faith or lack thereof, we can limit what God wants to do in our lives. Let me explain.

The other day, God impressed on my heart to read about the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. One phrase stuck out to me; "Son of Man, can these dry bones live?" And I realized that this is the question that God asks us almost every day of our lives about many different situations. And I wondered what my answer would be.

We are selling one of our houses. It is located on 10 acres of land. Now, you know the housing market isn't great right now, but nonetheless, we had an offer on it. Then the potential buyer talked to a neighbor and came to believe some things that weren't true, prompting them to withdraw their offer.

I was devastated to say the least. But in my heart, God asked me this question; "Son of Man, can these dry bones live?" Am I going to resign myself to this abysmal situation, or am I going to believe in the God of the impossible - the God who does ALL things well? Am I going to live in the natural or wait expectantly for the rattling as the "bones" come together and tendons and flesh appear - and life springs from death?

I choose to believe. I may look like a fool, but that is a chance I am willing to take to serve a God that is greater than I have made Him out to be. Look at the "dead areas" in your life. God is asking the same question of you, pleading with you to believe, to let Him show His greatness; "Son of Man, can these dry bones live?"

Life Lived Large

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:28:00 +0000

It has really hit me lately that we only go through this life one time. We get one chance. One. Yet so many times we tiptoe through life like we're scared to death of somehow marring our fragile existence. We stand frozen in our fear waiting for the right moment to step forward. And that moment never comes.

What are we so afraid of? Death? Well, it's going to come someday, why worry? Failing? Almost guaranteed at some point. Making a mistake? Are we afraid of facing ourselves? Reality? Hope? What is it that holds us back from living this life with all the vitality and passion that we can dredge up from within our wilted souls?

What would happen if we left behind our fears? How would our lives look different? What could we accomplish - for others, for ourselves, for God?

Right now, I will make a pact with you: I am going to live life a big as I can. I am going to breathe deeply of cold air. I am going to go for it when others say it is impossible. I am going to believe in something far greater than myself. I am not going to let my life be limited by the steel constraints of what this world thinks is plausible. I am going to look for the path that requires faith. Forget the easy road. I am going to scream from the bottom of my lungs. I am going to leave behind my fears and bind them to the rock of lesser men, because I am going to move forward. When the wind is in my face, when I am out of breath, and when I can't move another step, when others' hopes lay dead along the path of broken dreams - I am going to live life large. I am going to take another step. Join me.

Accomplishing Everything, Doing Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Did you ever notice that God has a way of doing things that makes you feel completely helpless and dumb? It seems that whenever I look at my life and think about the way that things should or could work out, God does it completely different. Then, when I look back at the situation, I realize how elegant God's solution was, and how ham-handed mine was.

I think so many times I try to "help" God. He will whisper a secret about something that he is going to do to my heart, and then I will try to do everything that I can to make it happen - usually mucking it up as badly as Abraham with the whole Ishmael situation. I guess I feel that I have to "earn" His greatness, or repay Him in some way. I know, I'm messed up.

Take for example this last week. God spoke to my heart and told me that He was going to do something great in my life that week. I thought "Cool, well, if you are going to do that, I will fast to grow closer to You." Sounds like a good idea, right? I started fasting, and about midday, God spoke to my heart again and said: "You don't have to do this."

I answered "What?"

He said "You don't have to do this. This week is about me showing my greatness, not about you earning it." I was completely humbled, because, I once again found myself trying to make myself worthy of His grace - thinking I could somehow become good enough to earn His favor. He was reminding me that I couldn't. I stopped fasting, because I had the wrong motives and just said: "God, I believe you."

The week ended with my business picking up two big new accounts, $10,000 from an unexpected source and someone interested in one of the houses that I have had on the market for over a year. All without me doing anything.

How Real is Real?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:43:00 +0000

It has been a while since my last post and that has been because I haven't had anything to say. More to the point, I didn't have anything to say that I felt you wanted to hear. God has allowed me to be broken over the past several months. Everything that displayed my talentedness, my skill has been shown as hollow and imperfect and for someone who has built their sense of worth on their success, that is devastating. It has left me feeling lost, empty and worthless.

God is allowing this to happen in my life to heal me, but at this point, the thoughts I have aren't bubbling with hope, don't have Christian platitudes, and can't be wrapped up in thirty minutes. Which brings me to my question: How real are we allowed to be as Christians? I know that God wants us to be 100% real with Him, but what about with each other? At what point do you shy away from the emotional turmoil of someone else? How accepting are we of each other in all of our shining imperfect glory? Or do we only accept each other as long as they fit into our mold of Christianity and don't require too much emotionally?

If I were to write the words in my journal - thoughts without hope, hurts without answers, no-holds-barred questions about God and His working in my life, would they be embraced or held at arms length because they mirror too closely your own feelings of failure? Why are we ashamed of our imperfection? Is it because we feel God doesn't accept us as we are? Maybe, but could it be that we know that other Christians will not accept us the way we are?

I long for a time when we as Christians can embrace each other, fully knowing each other and being fully known. When we stand beside each other instead of denouncing the failure in one another. When there is no fear of being totally real and there is no doubt that our friends are being totally real with us. And as this becomes the norm in Christianity, it will call non-Christians to Christ.

Leave Your Vomit

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:28:00 +0000

The other day I was struggling with the knowledge that someone I knew didn't like me. I had done nothing wrong, I hadn't spoken badly about them, or hurt them in any way, they just didn't like me – or they were threatened by me. This matter was consuming an incredible amount of my time as I would run though the "what if's" in my head. "Maybe they would feel warmer toward me if I acted this way... or did this." I wanted them to like me.

I came to realize that it just wasn't going to happen. God reminded me of Prov. 26:11: "As a dog returns to his own vomit..." and I realized that was what I was doing. I was never going to get this person to like me. I did everything in my power to live in peace with them, but it was not my problem, it was theirs. Yet, I kept going back to the situation and trying to remake it. It was like I was returning to my vomit and trying to dress it up with flowers, or thinking: "Maybe if I imagine it is beautiful, that will make it better." But God said: "It's still vomit."

Sometimes we need to leave our vomit behind - whether it is a bad relationship, a hurtful situation or a painful memory. We do all we can to be at peace with what happened, but there comes a time when we realize: "It's still vomit." Leave it behind.

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Perception=Reality?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:35:00 +0000

Lately I have been thinking about the tie between perception and reality. Many times we allow reality to dictate our perception, but what if the relationship between the two was actually much more intricate? The Bible calls God "the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." (Rom. 4:17) This tells us that at least for God, perception becomes reality.

Is the same true for us? If not, why is it that those people that seem to continually look for the good in life always seem to find it? And what about the parent that believes that their child is good/bad, dumb/smart, and that child happens to turn out that way? What if we can change a situation by changing our perception of it? One study at UCLA said that 93% of communication is non-verbal. If our perception about a situation is different, how does that change our non-verbal cues? How does that change the way we act? How would that change the way we lived?

I'm not talking about ignoring reality or living in fantasy, but what if you didn't have to be a slave to circumstance? What is your perception of your life? Your problems? Your relationships? Your future? How much do you think that perception will affect reality?

Bound by Shoulds

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:54:00 +0000

I am busy. I have three jobs, two kids, one wife. It's enough to drive a saint to sin. The problem is, that it is all good stuff - securing clients so that my family can eat, booking speaking engagements so that peoples lives will be changed, spending time with my family, attending church, playing on worship team, the list seems endless.

I found myself exhausted the other day, but nowhere close to the end of my to-do list. I was sitting in a chair, ready to cry, carrying on an argument with myself. My body and mind were saying that I needed a break, while my guilt was stridently proclaiming the need to do the things I had planned. My guilt attacked my from every side, telling me why I should do certain things - because others were counting on me, because it would make a difference in the kingdom of God, because, because, because.

It is true. You should do the things you say you are going to do. But what happens when we do too much? What happens when we don't give ourselves enough time to recover, recoup, relax? Our minds get cluttered. We have a hard time hearing God. We get stressed out, snappish, and stupid. Unfortunately, that is the way most of us as Americans live.

What do you do when you feel bound by "the shoulds?"

To do or not to do, that is the question.

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:21:00 +0000

The new year is here, and many of us have made resolutions - stop smoking, read your Bible more, get in shape - you get the picture. How are you doing with those resolutions? Have they gone the way of the dodo bird? Are they gathering lint under your bed yet?

I don't mean to be cynical, but we are a society that does. We measure our worth on what we have accomplished, by what we have accumulated. It makes sense. It gives us measurable goals. It also whips us into an unrelenting need for more - more accomplishment, more fun, just more. What if, instead of making a New Year's resolution based on "doing" this year, you made a resolution to truly follow what Psalm 46:10 says: "Be still and know that I am God."

Lately, God has been impressing on my heart the need for times just to "be." Times to BE a Christian instead of trying to DO Christian things. Times not to worry about the next step, the next goal, not to overthink my life and just surrender into the wonder of my relationship with an amazing God. Our relationship with Him isn't just about accomplishing things - it is about being in relationship - knowing and being known. Find time to be. "Be still and know that I am God."

Dying is Easy, Living is Hard

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:24:00 +0000

If you are like me, you spend a good deal of your time wondering why life is so hard. Why does it always seem like there are so many problems? Why does my car always seem to break down at the exact point that I can least afford it? Why are relationships so hard? Why do others hurt me so often? Why doesn't the universe bend to my will?!?

It gets so bad sometimes that I just want to give up - throw in the towel and become a beachcomber somewhere. (Of course that would collide explosively with my desire to have regular showers, but oh well.) I was at that point the other day when I heard the quote: "Dying is easy, living is hard." For some reason, that struck me as very profound. We spend so much of our lives trying to make things easier, but the simple fact is: living is hard. I don't know why we expect it to be different - the Bible tells us that in this world we will have troubles. Yet we think we must be doing something wrong if our lives aren't the ease-filled grace that we expect.

Living is hard. And living in the calling and faith that God intends for you is impossible. Yes, impossible. Thankfully, God does the impossible (Matt. 19: 26). So chin up. Life is hard. You will run into troubles, but live like you mean it. Bite down and suck the marrow out of life. Do something radical. Don't give up. Follow God's path with every fiber and strain of your muscle. It's worth it.

Christmas tears or Christmas cheer?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:31:00 +0000

Christmas is the loneliest time of the year for many people. Why is that? I believe that is because we look around at all the beautiful decorations, all the "happy" people, all the "perfect" lives and we somehow feel like we don't measure up. We feel like we've missed the boat and everyone else is happier, more satisfied and better off than us. And this pressure builds up inside of us until it reaches the breaking point. And many of us just give up.

We give up on a happy Christmas, we give up on peace during the holiday season, we give up on a majestic God that came to earth as a vulnerable baby so that we could approach Him, we give up on ourselves. We settle for the idea that Christmas must just be a bad, unhappy time of year for us.

I just want to encourage you - don't give up. This can be the happiest, most fulfilling Christmas you have ever had. Search for the good in the season and let this year be a fresh start for you. Don't give up on the majesty of God. Search for Him like the wisemen did so many years ago and He will meet you.

What Defines You?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:36:00 +0000

Who are you? Really? Are you defined by what you do? By your friends? Your job? Are you defined by your fears? By your age? By your denominational affiliation? By your past? By your failures? For about the past month, I have been plagued with an ill-defined unsettled fear in the pit of my gut. As I prayed, I realized that the fear stemmed from a feeling I had that my book "Sowing and Reaping Pizzas" wasn't going to sell well. This feeling wasn't rooted in any hard evidence, it was all based around my insecurities and shortcomings. I realized that I had a choice to make. I could choose to give in to that fear and accept it as true, letting it define me and plot the course of my life, or I could choose a different ending. I could choose to trust God and allow Him to define me.

This world will try to define you. Your friends will try to define you - as will your job, your insecurities, your fears. They are all skewed - set on their own agendas and not necessarily looking out for your best interest. The Bible says "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7) If you accept these definitions, they will become reality. The only unbiased, unfailing, uncomparable definition of who you are comes from God. The Bible calls Him "the God who gives life to the dead and calls the things that are not as though they were." (Rom. 4:17) Jesus called Peter "the rock" well before Peter actually acted that way. Jesus defined Peter. He wants to do the same for you. Don't give in to the temptation to let other things define you and miss out on the calling God has for you.

My book, "Sowing and Reaping Pizzas" is on sale through Christmas for 20% off on my website. You can buy it here, or at most major online stores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.)

Thanksgiving & Faith

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:49:00 +0000

God knows more than we do. He can see the whole picture - we can't. He wants what is best for us. (Jer. 29:11) He asks us to have faith in Him; to trust Him. He tells us that He will always be there for us. He will always come through for us. We can readily believe that when things are going well. We tip our hat and say: "What a great God!" and go about our day. The problem in faith occurs when we are in the midst of the mire and there is no visible relief. The problem occurs when times are hard and getting harder. The problem occurs when we are in the situation so many of us are in right now.

In the dark night of doubt is is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to wallow in the hopelessness of the situation. It is easy to say "Where, God, are you now?" In those times, I say, give God thanks. Thank Him for what He has done. Thank Him for what He will do. Thank Him for the good in your life. Draw near to Him with a thankful heart and the surety that He is sovereign-He is God, and He has the desire and the power to change your situation. Look up with tears in your eyes and say with Job "Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him." (Job 13:15) Have a great Thanksgiving!

My book, "Sowing and Reaping Pizzas" is on sale through Christmas for 20% off on my website. You can buy it here, or at most major online stores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.)

Proactive/Reactive Faith

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:17:00 +0000

I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of faith. Yes, there are many shades within those types, but nonetheless, two basic types. The first is called reactive faith. It is the faith that you can choose to excercise when you are faced with a difficult situation – you lose your job, you receive a bad diagnosis from the doctor, your marriage is in trouble; these are all examples of reactive faith. Reactive faith helps our faith to grow and is incredibly important if we want our Christianity to be more than empty words.

There is another type of faith, though. I call it proactive faith. It is found in Isaiah 6 when the Lord calls out and says "Who will go for us, whom shall I send?" Isaiah answers "Here am I, send me." Proactive faith looks to God and longs to be used by Him. It says, "God, I want to see you glorified. Whatever you ask of me, no matter the cost, that I will do." Then that person goes and does it. They don't worry about the obstacles standing in their way, but they move forward like Abraham when God told him to move to a distant land. The next morning Abraham picked up his tents and moved.

There is a new call to the church. It is a call to proactive faith. God is looking for Christians who have the brazeness to seek God for what He wants in their lives, and then to do it. Are you that person?

By the way, my book, "Sowing and Reaping Pizzas" would make a great Christmas gift for someone who wants a good laugh but also wants to grow in their faith. You can buy it here, or at most major online stores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.)

God's Timing is Impeccable...Mine, Not so Much.

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:56:00 +0000

Four months ago, we put our house up for sale. It was spring and we thought it would sell during the summer and we would move. You see, after much prayer, we had come to the conclusion that God was moving us to another city. We had things all figured out. We knew what school our kids would attend, we would be closer to our jobs, all would be well.

Four months later, we had only had one couple look at our house... three times. Finally, they came with an offer. We couldn't accept it, it was too low. We had to walk away from the deal. Four days later, they came with a new offer we could accept. The only difficulty was that we had three weeks to move out and no house prospects in the new city. So we started looking for something to rent. After searching for a week, and finding nothing, we happened to drive by a home that had gone up as a for sale by owner that day...and dropped in price by $35,000. The house wasn't complete, but we made an offer. We thought we would have to move into temporary housing for a bit, but surprisingly, God is working it out so that the house should be finished and we can move right in.

God knew what He was doing right from the start. He had the house picked out where we were going to move. He allowed us to enjoy the summer in our present house. He made it so that we didn't have a bunch of people viewing our present house, and He sold our house for a good price in a difficult real estate market. Sometimes I want to push ahead of God, or force things to work out my way. But, as in this situation, I am always glad when I rely on His timing and plan.

The Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:54:00 +0000

I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in October and it was the most challenging run of my life! It was 85 degrees and 88 percent humidity and it felt like I was running through the armpit of Hades. I found out later that over 250 people collapsed from heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I was ready to quit after only 7 miles. This was my fourth marathon, and I had never felt like that before. At that point my goal changed from setting a PR to finishing without dying. I had nineteen miles left! I couldn't even think about it, it was too overwhelming. I made myself put one foot in front of the other. I struggled, sweated, walked with cramped legs and somehow, what seemed like an eternity later, I crossed the finish line - exhausted, dehydrated, and elated that I had finished!

As I thought about that experience later, it was amazing to me how many people I have talked to in the past couple of months that are in the same position in life. They are in valley of the shadow of death and are ready to give up - forget about the calling God has on their lives, and just live a life of mediocrity. If you are at that place, take heart. There is an end to your hardship. Don't worry about how far you still have to go. Just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. You will cross the finish line, and you will know you have done your very best! Just don't give up.

Reach for More

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:13:00 +0000

I have been re-reading the book Wild at Heart by John Eldridge and it has been an immensely challenging, frustrating, freeing process. In the first few chapters, he makes the assertion that the average Christian male is... bored. As I look around me, I realize that it is true. It is so easy to get caught up in the machinery of everyday life - job, kids, house, cars, finances, spouse, you name it... it's enough to frustrate you to the point of death. And at the end of the day, we feel bored. We know there should be something more - some grand plan that transcends the drudgery of everyday life. We know that this Christian walk should not be boring, because God is not boring. We know that it should be an adventure, but somehow we're stuck.

What would happen in our lives if we truly reached for more? What would happen if we broke out of the mold of what "everyone else is doing," or what is "socially acceptable," and asked the question "What do you want me to do, God?" What if we didn't ask "How?" but like Abraham, when God gave us an answer, we picked up our tents and obeyed? How different would our spiritual life look? How would we affect those around us? How would we affect the world?

If you choose this road, others will not understand. You will be on the cutting edge. They will try to mold you to their view of what is acceptable, but God will understand. He will cheer. He is waiting for someone reach for more - to step forward and say "Here I am, God, send me."

Enjoy the Journey!?

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:24:00 +0000

About 11 months ago, God spoke three words to my heart. Little did I understand how important those words would become. Just one phrase. One command. It was "Enjoy the Journey."

In my blithe ignorance I thought, "Yeah, OK, I can do that. I'll enjoy the journey." See, I'm a hard-charging type A person. I see a goal and I figure out how to get there. I push as hard as I can until I attain my dream. I was working with some others to start a new arts ministry and I could see how it was important to enjoy the journey. I was stepping out in faith and this ministry was bigger than me, there were parts of it I was immensely ill-equipped to even know how to handle much less have the capabilities for. So, I determined to enjoy the journey.

Since that time 11 months ago, I have been deeply wounded by a friend, I own three houses-all for sale-none sold, two house deals have fallen through, I am covering three mortgage payments on a meager salary, my wife and I both are commuting an hour or more a day five to seven days a week, and can't move closer yet, and the art ministry that I am involved with has hit numerous roadblocks. Enjoy the journey?!
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I am realizing that sometimes the events in our lives - the problems, the difficulties, the triumphs; are not about the events, not about what we should learn, not even about the sin that we have committed or about building our faith. Sometimes they're about the relationship we have with God. In "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers says that sometimes the things we go through have one purpose - to get us to "look up."

Faith is about "looking up." It is about knowing God so well that you trust Him even when you can't see the way, even when things go miserably wrong. And they will go wrong. The Bible says that in this world, we will have trouble. I don't know why we are surprised when it happens. Faith is about learning that life is not a problem to be solved but an adventure to be lived. And when we keep our eyes fixed on Him, no matter what we are going through, we can truly enjoy the journey.

Die to Live

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 02:56:00 +0000

It seems like so much time and energy is spent trying to stave off death. Eating right, excercising, even engaging in more obscure manners of prolonging life such as cryogenically freezing oneself. I was looking at the passage in the Bible the other day though (Matt. 16:24) where Jesus says "If any man would come after me, he must pick up his cross and follow me." And I realized that in order to truly follow God, we MUST die. We must die to our sefishness. We must die to our fears. We have to be willing to do whatever he requires of us.

This is not an easy thing. I felt the struggle so poignantly as I readied myself to make calls to churches to schedule speaking engagements the other day. Inevitably there are "no's" and rejections in these types of phone calls, and my old insecurities were so strong that I didn't want to face the calls. I knew that I had a message for God's people, though. I had a choice.

I could choose to let my fear of "death" (in this case death of my ego, my feeling of self-worth) stand in my way and shrink back, or I could allow myself to die and move forward. The following phrase has become my courage: "I must not be afraid of death because from death springs life. Without death, there is no TRUE life."

Faith is not a "Glooey Kablooey."

noreply@blogger.com (ben eggers) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:12:00 +0000

I am realizing as I have talked with Christians lately that we tend to think that Faith is this "path" that we have to find. And that once we find that path, that everything will be clear to us, that the road will be sunny and birds will sing. We think that the path will be easy to follow - that somehow, there will be a "glooey kablooey" and everything will magically fall into place.

There are two points that are important, one is true, one is not: the first point is God has a faith-path for us. Absolutely true. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God does have a plan for us. He has a way mapped out for us. He wants us to prosper.

We have to believe this, because the second belief - that once we find the path that God has for us, everything will be easy is not necessarily true. Take Abraham for example: what do you think was going on in his head as God told him to kill his own son? Do you think he experienced doubts? I would have. What did he tell his wife as he left to kill his son? How did this ninety-year-old man get his son to submit to this? Did he say "Trust me son, I've got to tie you up now, because I'm going to kill you?" I somehow don't think that would have gone well. I'm sure that he had extreme doubts.

Faith by its nature is filled with doubt. Faith is believing in God and what He has told you to do despite the doubt. Faith is not a "glooey kablooey" because if it were, it wouldn't be faith. So take heart, just because things are hard, doesn't mean that you are on the wrong path. Sometimes it means that you are exactly where you need to be.