HE is the Reward!

In Matthew 6, Jesus speaks directly to the heart of prayer and fasting. In contrast to the pious and the hypocrites, Jesus says when you're praying you should "go into your room and shut the door and pray to the Father who is in secret". And then, rebuking those who fasted and made a big, religious, self-centered show out of their deprivation and sacrifice, Jesus said instead you should "anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but your Father who is in secret." In other words, don't walk around looking miserable so that everyone knows what a spiritual juggernaut you are. 

In reading His words, there are some things I think we've misconstrued or misinterpreted about the heart of what Jesus is telling us in these verses.

This past week our church family at The Brook - like many other churches - began walking through a Daniel Fast together. (You can read more about that HERE. You can also read Daniel 1, 9 & 10 to learn more about the origin of this fast - spending 21 days fasting from specific foods.) Already this week I have been incredibly encouraged by what I see the Lord doing in the lives of many of our people and families, and I am being challenged, refined, and rejuvenated in my own walk with God as well. But as I said, there are some things I think we tend to either ignore, misunderstand, or become too attentive toward and can miss the whole point of an opportunity like this. Let me explain.

First off, Jesus doesn't say we should make it a SECRET that we are praying or fasting. But He does expressly say that we shouldn't make a SPECTACLE out of it either. It's about our heart and motive. Why do you pray or fast? If it's to look more religious or pious in the eyes of other people, as Jesus said, you've "already received your reward". (And in case we're not certain as to what He means by this, the reward in that instance would be ZERO. Nothing. Except maybe you've falsely impressed someone else. Way to go.) There are times you need to or have to tell someone else you're fasting. Just do it discreetly and humbly. Make sure your motive is in check.

Also, remember the most important point of fasting is to draw closer to the Lord. It's giving something up that quite possibly you've become dependent on - maybe even begun to "worship" - so that you are driven back to the realization that the Father is the One you need. For me, if I'm bearing my soul here, it's a constant reminder that Jesus told me to ask the Father for my "daily bread", not my Dove Chocolate & Diet Dr. Pepper. My flesh begins to deceive me into believing that I NEED these things. I'm dependent on them. And as a child of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, this is incredibly unhealthy. All the way around. Fasting, as Amanda McNeil puts it in her blogpost, too often "become about changing WHAT WE DO, when it should be about changing WHO WE ARE." When we draw near to the Lord, it changes us.

The nation of Israel fasted corporately. David, Daniel and others fasted during times of mourning. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, longing to commune with the Father. The motives and heartbeat were always brought back to this simple, yet life-changing desire: SEEK GOD.

If you're doing the Daniel Fast, yet finding yourself thinking, "This is a piece of cake! (No pun intended.) I don't see what's so hard about this." You might want to consider fasting from something else. There will almost always be SACRIFICE involved. I know someone right now who is fasting from Facebook, Twitter, and every form of social media because they've literally become addicted. I have another friend who is completely fasting from TV, movies, and every form of entertainment, wanting their children to feel some of the tension of this sacrifice and using that time to be together as a family, fully present. Consider whether or not your fast is driving and propelling you to a greater dependence on God...or is just some sort of challenge to your dietary habits. Remember WHY you're doing this in the first place.

I want to encourage you, if you're fasting right now, spend some time the next few days meditating on these verses in Matthew 6 (which include the Lord's Prayer). In fact, walk through the whole Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Draw near to the Lord through this. 

Seek Him wholeheartedly. 

HE is the reward!

Other Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 8
Daniel 9 & 10
Matthew 4

What Would a Homeless Person Tweet?

This morning I was on my way to the gym and started thinking to myself how funny it was - and predictable - that the heater in my Jeep would get nice & warm right about the time I pulled into a parking place. Doesn't that kind of thing always seem to happen? And so of course I began crafting in my mind how this would best be expressed in a tweet. How could I convey this nagging annoyance with all my friends, who would most certainly resonate with my frustration. It would probably sound something like this:

On the way to gym at 6AM. Freezing my butt off! Heater in the Jeep finally got nice & toasty....when I pulled into a parking space. #annoying

And then I remembered something else. 

The night before (when the Arctic front moved into our area) there was a segment on the news about how a few area churches and missions were opening their doors to the homeless for the next few nights, providing a place to come in out of the frigid cold. I remember praying, "Lord, bless and use these churches and people! Please keep those people without shelter safe tonight." Suddenly I was struck with the thought: I wonder what a homeless person would think about my tweet? I wonder what someone fighting for their life to get out of the cold would think about my horrific dilemma with waiting on the car to heat up? It got me thinking: I wonder what a homeless person would think about half of the things we tweet or post on Facebook? And for that matter, what would it sound or look like if a homeless person started tweeting? Let's compare one of their potential tweets with mine from above:

Got to shelter. Stood in line outside 2 hours. Plate in my hand, they ran out of food. GONE! Feels like my stomach is eating itself. #annoying

I wonder if we ran our thoughts, complaints, grievances, and annoyances through the filter of WHAT WOULD A HOMELESS PERSON THINK ABOUT THIS? if they might not sound a bit different. 

Would we complain a little less?
Would we hold a few less things over other people's heads?
Would we be a little - or maybe a LOT - less annoyed with our petty, materialistic list of wants?

I wonder if we actually spent more time with our brothers and sisters who are homeless and hungry - meeting their needs, hearing their stories, loving them with our actions - if some of our petty thoughts, complaints, grievances, and annoyances would not only sound different, but would completely disappear.

What do you think?
What would a homeless person tweet?

Your Words Have Been Heard

When you read the Book of Daniel, you realize that one clear characteristic of this man's life - when he was both young and old - was that of fasting and praying. He passionately sought the heart of God, wanting to know the steps that the Lord was ordaining for him, but more importantly wanting to know the One who was ordaining those steps. He wanted to KNOW GOD! He wanted his people to KNOW GOD - to return to Him with their whole hearts. And he tirelessly, persistently kept on asking the Lord for these things.

We see this powerfully displayed throughout Daniel 9 & 10. Specifically in Chapter 10, as Daniel tells us he "was mourning for three weeks" (he had been fasting and praying), he has a vision. The men who were with him didn't see it, but they experienced the presence of God and it sent them running to hide. Daniel himself was afraid as well, even trembling.

When was the last time you were overcome by the presence of God?
Can you remember what it felt like to be overwhelmed by who God is?

At that moment, Daniel experienced this. 
And I love what the messenger of God tells him:

He addresses Daniel as "man greatly loved". This stabbed me in the heart this morning as I read it and was reminded of the indescribable love the Father has for me as His child. Amazing!

After he tells Daniel to "stand upright", this is his message:

"Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled youself before God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words." (Daniel 10:12)

Have you poured out your heart before the Lord, longing to know Him more?
Have you lifted up that person you love, longing to see them surrender their heart to the Living God?
Have you asked the Lord for wisdom & discernment in your life, to follow Him wholeheartedly?
Have you begged God to do things in & through your life that only He can accomplish?
Have you been tempted to think - even for just a second - that your prayer is insiginificant? Unimportant? Unheard?

Think again.

From the first day that you asked for wisdom...
from the first moment that you begged for intervention...
from the first breath you uttered on behalf of someone else's salvation...
your words have been heard.

Don't lose heart. Don't give up.
God's ways and His timing and His plan are much bigger and better than ours.
And He's always working for your GOOD and for His GLORY!

Isaiah 55:6-9
Matthew 7:7-11
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Multiply Or Die

Small Groups.
House Huddles.
Missional Communities.

Call it what you like. At the end of the day, if the driving force and foundational principle is not sending, thrusting, and propelling Christians OUT toward those who are lost and in need of Christ, eventually...it will die. Once in awhile, it may be a sudden execution. Most often though, it dies a long, slow death. And it's painful; to experience and to watch.

If you're not involved in the community of the Church, then you cannot fully or effectively be walking with Christ. You can't just be "going to church" and simultaneously answering the call of discipleship. And when I say discipleship, I'm referring to other Christ-followers pouring INTO you and you being poured OUT into the life of another. It's the Apostle Paul saying, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1) It's what the crazy church growth folks, small group gurus, and missional community pastors refer to as "multiplication".

No good at math? Me neither. 
Thankfully this multiplication we speak of requires no Algebra.

Going back to the point - if the driving force and foundational principle is not sending, thrusting, and propelling Christians OUT toward those who are lost and in need of Christ, eventually...it will die - this is part of multiplication. If the community of the Church is not feeding, nurturing, and growing this multiplication, it's luring and leading people to a long, slow, self-centered, gospel-forsaking death.

The mantra of our calling - both as individuals & as the Church - can be summed up this simply: MULTIPLY OR DIE. 

NOW is the perfect time to to resolve - to commit with unwavering determination - to give your life away. To be spent for the sake of the Kingdom. To embrace that the Good News of the Gospel is not meant to be hoarded or kept, but carried and delivered to those who are lost. To have the courage to say to someone, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." To MULTIPLY.

How are you intentionally aiming to MULTIPLY?
How is Jesus using your life to reproduce His life in someone else?
Who has He placed in your life right now that you can be pouring into?

Luke 19:10
Matthew 28:18-20
Romans 10:9-17
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

Time to Make Memories

January 1, 2014
Today, I ran into the ocean.

I'm here in Charleston almost every New Years Day. It's a great place to start the New Year. One of the great traditions here in the area is the Polar Bear Plunge. On Sullivan's Island, Dunleavy's Pub hosts this crazy event to raise money for Special Olympics. Last year they raised $60,000! And today, Nathan, Libby, and I took the plunge. It was crazy! Many people have asked me, "What in the heck were you thinking? Are you nuts?" While the answer to that second question is not necessarily up for debate, I want to tell you WHY I decided over 2 weeks ago that on January 1, I would be running into the Atlantic Ocean.

I don't think everyone should do this. Some folks would probably have a heart attack.

I'm not really a daredevil or adventure junky. Although I do like cliff jumping.

No one dared me, bet me I wouldn't, or even paid me to do it. I wish.

Quite frankly, it's a whole lot easier to just stay inside, kick your feet up, and relax in the warmth of the glow of the 55" flat screen with football endlessly numbing your mind. Every year up until now, that's exactly what I did. And that's why this year I decided it was time for a change. It's time to stop automatically taking the easy route.

It's time to stop talking about memories and start making some with my kids.

It's time to stop defaulting to easy, lazy, clean and tidy. It's time to get dirty.

It's not about doing the opposite of what you always do. It's more about prayerfully examining WHY you always do WHAT you always do. And for me, beginning to ask that question and kick it in the teeth meant running into the freezing cold ocean on New Years Day. And if I'm being honest, it was awesome! Now my question is, what does that mean for you?

What's going to be different this year in your life?
What are you going to determine to change?
What memories are you going to make?
What are you going to do NOW to determine that it happens THEN?
Let's hear it. How are you going to make 2014 extraordinary?

Happy New Year!

Make the Most of This Opportunity

The following is an email I sent out to our church family today - part of a series of posts & emails we've sent out in preparation for Resolution 2014.

This is it. 2013 is rapidly coming to a close and a New Year is here. As a church family, we are going to make the most of this opportunity. As we resolve to spend every day with Jesus - as we seek Him like never before this year - I want to encourage you in a few specific areas and ways that I believe will set you (and us) up for success:

• Have a plan. As we emailed you yesterday about one example (the YouVersion reading plan) and have posted several others on our website, the important thing is to have a plan. For many of us (who find great motivation and normalcy in structure) this can give you direction and even a bit of inspiration. What's your plan?
• Write it down. On one hand, I highly encourage you to WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL/PLAN. If you already keep a journal, write it down. You can go back and remind yourself of WHAT you committed to and WHY. And on the other hand, if you don't keep a journal - a written record of what you're learning in God's Word, what you are praying about & who you are praying for - make this a priority. I have struggled with this in the past, but when I have taken this step it has been incredibly powerful. And if you're a parent and don't want to do this for yourself, do it for your children or your grandchildren. Keep a journal that you would want them to read 10-20 years from now. If that doesn't motivate you, nothing will.
• Find a friend. Don't walk this road alone. For several reasons, there is great power in walking this journey with someone else - in a friend (or friends) knowing the goals we've set and encouraging and challenging us to stick to them. There is no greater or more foundational place to find this than in a Missional Community. As the New Year begins, there is no better time or opportunity to find the biblical fellowship and focus that come with living on mission together.
• Live under grace. Over the next 365 days, while our aim is to spend "Every Day With Jesus", that is not our ultimate goal. What we truly aim, hunger, and long for is to KNOW GOD - to know Him more today than ever before. We desperately desire to know Him - His heart, His character, and His will for our lives, our families, and our church. And mark it down: You will mess up. You will have a bad day. A really bad day. You may very well miss a day of Bible reading. You may abandon your journal for weeks. God will not be mad at you or condemn you. This is not a new law for you or me to follow, but a plan to lead us where we desire to be. Live under grace. With yourself and others.

Have a plan. Write it down. Find a friend. Live under grace.

2013 was a great year. 2014 is going to be amazing!

Happy New Year!

Hiatus

No, I haven't forgotten I have a blog.

I've had people ask me over the last weeks & months, "What happened to your blog?", "Why aren't you writing on your blog anymore?", "Did you run out of things to say?" I'm pretty sure we all know that last one is the farthest thing from the truth. That said, I haven't really had an emphatic or exclusive answer or resolution to this question. Truth be told, the only answer I could give is a very short one: I don't know. So I've started looking back, retracing steps, and trying to pick up the trail of when and why I began neglecting this online mouthpiece of mine. Here are the things I have sensed have played a role in all of this.

1. Busyness
At the beginning of 2012 I had to take on some responsibilities at The Brook that I had not faced in quite some time. This wasn't anyone's fault or the result of anything other than just the Lord allowing us to walk through a new season with new mountains to climb. But over time - as you walk with the Lord - you begin realizing that most mountains He leads you up are going to be worth the trek up the hill. It has definitely been worth it. And while I've actually had some folks tell me along the way, "Brian, it's not your job to have to deal with all of that!", I see things differently. While I understand and appreciate the sentiment (and I do ultimately believe that we should be working toward "Doing the things that only we can do"), there are times as a leader that you have to be the one to roll up your sleeves, hammer through it, and just plain flat work hard. Life gets busy sometimes. Leadership gets even busier.

2. Changes
While most of my life has been an open window over the last 5 years, there are changes and challenges we have walked through over the last months in our family that I have chosen to keep private. Not hidden, just not plastered up publicly for everyone to see. To give you a 2 cent version of a million dollar story, here are just a few of the changes that have gone on in the Mayfield home:

• Last year we chose to homeschool Libby & Nathan. It was one of the greatest decisions we have ever made. (That's a blogpost for another day) This year we enrolled them at Providence Classical School in Huntsville. So far, it has been amazing. (Another blogpost for another day)
• Last year we began working with the Harris Home for Boys in Huntsville. There we met a young man named Dre. At Christmas, for the first time, Dre came and stayed with us. This began an almost every other weekend ritual of Dre coming to our home. Finally, through much prayer, conversation, and counsel, we came to the conclusion in the spring that Dre was supposed to come and live with us full time. The government would call him our "foster son". We don't really care about those words. He's part of our family. This is Dre's senior year in high school and Morgan is homeschooling him to help him prepare for whatever the Lord has ahead.
• At the beginning of this year I began developing a tightness in my leg muscles that would not go away. After months of trying everything I knew to try (stretching, massage, chiropractic, inversion, more stretching), my doctor and I came to the conclusion that in all likelihood the statin drug (most famous name-brand cholesterol drug on the market that starts with an "L") I was taking was causing this inflammation. I'll spare you all the tests and doctor visits I went through. Thankfully, with the drug out of my system, I am now beginning to see some return to normal. I've gone running 3 times in the last 8 days. That hasn't happened in 8-10 months.
• My mom made the decision to move away from Texas after 33 years. That was an incredibly difficult decision for her. We've been neck-deep in it, walking with her, praying that the Lord will give her guidance. It's tough to close a chapter of your life, especially one that long and that good!

I'll stop there. Just writing it all down is starting to make my head spin again.

3. Priorities

I really think that as a leader your priorities are going to change. As you enter new seasons, you take on new responsibilities and challenges. And then...your priorities will change again. To cut to the chase, I have had an underlying conviction over the last year that 2 things were clearly more important than me writing on my blog:

1. Spending more intentional time investing in the lives and leadership of our staff at The Brook. We've gone through a major transition and we've walked through it together. In fact, in the last 3 years, we've made what I believe are the 2 most important changes in the life of our church: transitioning to being an Elder-led church (&) transitioning from small groups to missional communites. This has required our full time, attention, and most important, unity.
2. I also felt clearly that I simply needed to "Shut up and listen". There are times - seasons - when the Lord gives us something to say. Something important to whisper. Maybe something life-changing to shout from the rooftops. But other times the world needs our ears more than our mouth. And not only that, we need to begin to learn to listen all over again. Think James 1:19 on steroids. Really listening takes practice and discipline. It's worth all the hard work.

4. Unknown Reason

There has to be a 4th reason I'm not thinking of or subconsciously supressing. And besides, preachers always have 3. I'm going with 4.

While this is definitely not an all-encompassing and completely thorough disclosure of the reasons behind my blog hiatus, these are certainly the most prevailing factors involved, none of which am I the slightest bit in regret. God has, is, and will continue to work faithfully in and through our lives as we seek Him first and focus our lives intentionally on living for His Kingdom and reaching out to those who don't yet know the hope we have in Christ. So keep seeking and keep reaching.

Be back soon.