Wild Goose Chase: Chapter 3 Cliff Notes

I began reading through chapter 3, Dictatorship of the Ordinary, without pen and paper and honestly never felt the need to stop and write. I was in the book, my mind wasn’t wandering but nothing jumped out that I wanted to write. Well a couple things; here they are:

• Spiritual maturity has less to do with long-range visions than it does with moment-by-moment sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And it is our moment-by-moment sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that turns life into and everyday adventure.
• One of the greatest dangers in spirituality is learning how and forgetting why.
• Small changes in routine can result in radical change.
• You have to be willing to let go of an old identity to take on a new identity.

This backs up all I’ve said through the last post. I know these things. The moment-by-moment promptings (to obey); the forgetting why and remembering the how. I have fallen into a trap, a routine that is not my own and it leaves me dry. I am dead bones sometimes because my lame routine isn’t even one I came up with. I get so caught up in copying other people that I don’t even create my own routines. Is that embarrassing or what? But now anymore, I am ready to leave my old “routines” and start some healthy spiritual disciplines of my own. God cannot speak to me and give me kingdom-sized dreams when I’m trying to dream someone else’s. God doesn’t want me to be anyone else; that person I want to be is already that person. The world doesn’t need two of them and I am slowly realizing that world does need a Tyler Sloan. Well maybe need isn’t the right word, but God does have a use for me. I am ready to be used in huge ways. I have to get out of this rut of a routine and start living my own life and hearing God speak directly, powerfully to me.

(That’s pretty cool to think about and believe in)

Wild Goose Chase: Chapter 2 Cliff Notes

• We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. We star living when we find something worth dying for.
• Mistake: starting out pursuing a career and settling for a paycheck.
• Responsibility becomes irresponsible when it becomes an excuse not to follow Christ. But, responsible irresponsibility is refusing to allow your human responsibility to get in the way of pursuing passions that God put in your heart.
• Most God ordained passions are laughable.
• The passion is more important than the qualifications.
• Once the God ordained passion is placed it becomes a responsibility.
• Through prayer our convictions grow stronger and our dreams will grow bigger.
• Quit praying, start acting.
• God won’t do for you what you can do yourself.
• Get your feet wet.
o Don’t wait on God; he’s waiting on you.
• Faith doesn’t follow signs, signs follow faith.
• The primary reason most of us don’t see God moving is simply because we aren’t moving.
• If you’re faithful in Babylon God will bless you in Jerusalem. (Nehemiah’s story)

I really enjoyed this chapter because it was written to pump you up. It is there to get you krunked up enough to actually get off your rear and move for God. Honestly though I don’t know what my passion is. I don’t think there is anything within me that right now I couldn’t do without, aside form salvation. I have more like hobbies. I have gone after a couple job opportunities that I believe God led me to but neither of them worked out. Was that failure? No I don’t think so. I think it was one ting that is leading me to where God wants me, where God will use me, where God will show me my inner most being. Only he knows my true passions right now. He knows what will cause me to lose sleep in a good way. He knows what will get me fired up. I don’t know that right now. Yeah it sucks; it makes me feel immature and non-spiritual. Am I focused enough? Do I pray enough? Do I read enough? Do I surround myself with positive Godly influence daily? Do I practice the things I do know to do? Probably not. I have to get my mind right before God rocks my world. I need to develop a yes mentality when it comes to God. I need to be able to whole-heartedly say yes before God even asks a thing of me. I’m not there. Until I am passionate about the work of God in my life God won’t be investing passions in me. He’ll wait to reveal those sorts of things till he knows I will use them for his glory. I won’t be doing anything great and be able to take the credit for it. Everything I have done and everything I will do is because of the greatness of God’s love and mercy and grace and creativity.

The Way I See It: Wild Goose Chase

I got my copy of Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson and have read a little bit so far.
So far I have written down a lot of stuff though.
I have to take notes to remember.
I thought I’d let you in on my notes.
So instead of doing a book review, or telling all my favorite parts, I’m going to blog my Moleskin.
It would be the longest post ever if I waited til the end so I’ll do it chapter by chapter.
Here’s my two Moleskin pages on the first chapter: Yawning Angels. (You’ll catch on to my rhyme and reason)

• [on figuring out the will of God] “Intellectual analysis usually results in spiritual paralysis.”
• Circumstantial uncertainty = adventure
• Boredom is the root of all evil
• 6 cages that keep you from the adventure God (the Goose) has for you:
o Responsibility: God ordained passions get buried beneath day-to-day responsibility. The wild Goose chase begins when we come to terms with our greatest responsibility: pursuing the passions God has put in your heart.
o Routine: Nothing is wrong with routines. You need spiritual routines aka discipline. Once a routine becomes routine it’s time to disrupt it. Otherwise, sacred routines become empty rituals.
o Assumption: With age we begin to assume rather than believe. We stop imagining and begin memorizing. We put a box around God.
o Guilt: Satan gets us to focus on what we have done wrong. Jesus brought grace wants us to be revolutionaries for his cause. As long as you focus on the past you won’t have energy to dream kingdom dreams.
o Failure: Actually Goose chases often begin with failures. Your plans fail and God’s succeed. Divine detours and delays get you tow here God wants you.
o Fear: Quit living only to arrive at death safely. Have daring plans, Yes, YOU!!

Thoughts from the chapter (Mark asks questions to provoke thoughts and allows a time of reflection at the end of every chapter. You get to read my answers.)

The thought of chasing the Wild Goose is exciting. It is tempting and looks to be full of life, joy, and adventure with Christ’s cause backing it up. It looks scary because I’m not in control. What will be required of me? Can I do it? Do I want to follow Christ bad enough to do anything?

My inverted Christianity (a term Mark uses in the chapter referring to people trying to get God to serve their purposes rather than them serving God’s purposes) has brought me down. I do things as if life’s a formula to get God to do what I want/to get me what I want. I read/pray/talk the talk and try to go after what any Christian would consider good but I still don’t always get it and that usually results in me getting upset/angry/jealous. I need to serve God like I am called to do and listen to God more directly in order to get to where he wants me. I play it safe rather than live dangerously for God. I do take some risks but in the past once I fail myself or others I become paralyzed for a time because I am a wimpy Christian that has a lot of pride and confidence in my own abilities and that never gives enough glory and praise to God.

The call is intense. There is no question that it’s for me. I know there is a dangerously God filled life for me. I’m not living it yet though. The cage of failure bogs me down. The café of fear is all over my life. The cage of routine has me trapped. (But not routine of responsibility, the routine of being irresponsible with my time.)

Next round won’t be so long & drawn out; I won’t explain the rules. I’ll get straight to it.

del.icio.us 2

Just in case you forgot what Church is about.

Bloggers unite to get a message across.

I want this, this, and It. (In that order)

I got to meet Chris Elrod at NewSpring the other day. His blog is only getting better. And I think he copied my theme too…

An interview by this guy with this other guy who wrote this book I loved and that book that I am buying tomorrow.

Keeping my eye out for dates to some shows.

Wow. Perry had some awesome journaling time this day.

Do everything to you do with excellence. It is all important.

Identity before activity.

This will speak for itself. Don’t skip this one.

That’s all for now. These come from the past 2 months about. I got bored with the Internet for a while but I think I’m back for a while. Hopefully I’ll be finding more and more delicious treats to share.

Psalm 15

Ever wondered why you were so down all the time?

I can’t be the only one. It is so easy for me to forget all that is good and abundant in my life and I focus on what is not in my life. I even focus on what isn’t there that probably doesn’t need to be – but that’s another story.

Psalm 15 just a gave me a checklist that if I follow is a promise that I will not be shaken. Check it out:

I am to be blameless, do what’s righteous, speak truth, and have no slander.
I am to do my neighbor no harm, do not slur on my fellow man.
I am to despise a vile man but honor those who fear the Lord.
I am to keep my word, be generous with my money, and no accept bribes against the innocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

Pretty real stuff. I spy a couple things I couldn’t put a check mark down.
It’s time to step up to the plate.

2 Keys to a Beautiful Life

You know, I’ve been blessed. A lot.
A lot lately. I know I’ve always been blessed but I’ve asked the Lord for things and he has given me those things.

Two things that create successful prayer. Here we go. Quick and painless:

1) Not my will, but yours be done.

Do you mean it when you say it?

2) Pray scripture.

Lately I’ve been thinking I need to focus on memorizing scripture. And I’ve realized how many promises area ‘hidden’ in his Word. This one is resonating in my thoughts.

Psalm 9:9-10: “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

I hope I never forget this. God is on my team. (and yours)
He will not forsake me as long as I seek him.
It’s as simple as that.

Stay trusting and following him and he will take care of you.

Nash-Vegas

Finally, after an entire year (+ 1 month) I am going to back to Nashville.
Tomorrow is a day i’ve been looking forward to since July 5 of last year.
I love that place. Tomorrow is the first time I’ll ever be there with Allie.
I think I’ll love it a little more by the time I get back on Wednesday.
I am excited to check out Cross Point Church on Sunday night. It just might be one more
thing that makes me want to move there after I get out of Anderson University.

That is one thing I have been dealing with lately though — not my will but God’s be done.
It’s the prayer of all prayers. Jesus prayed it, three separate times in one night. I have big plans for my life but God’s plans are…well, they are God’s plans. More than I can ask or imagine but I won’t receive that blessing if I don’t pray His will be done. I want to serve and love and be blessed as much as possible.

Maybe one day I can do that in Nashville. Just maybe.