DIRECTION, NOT INTENTION

By Milan Ford

This past weekend, my wife and I took our kids on a road trip to Washington D.C. to attend the high school graduation of their uncle. As the parents of two daughters (ages 3 and 2), and a 6 month old baby boy, I'm sure you can imagine just how difficult that road trip was for us.
If it wasn't for our children's godmother (who came along with us), we would have certainly had to check into a psychiatric ward once we got back.

During this trip, I learned a few things about myself that I hope (after reading this) will help radically reshape the way you and I have long perceived the direction and path God may be leading us to follow.

My wife and I go absolutely nowhere without our GPS system. From locating the nearest restaurants and gas stations, to discovering what roads and highways serve as the best shortcuts, our GPS has been like a distant cousin to us both. So much so we gave it a name: Anne.

Although we had been to D.C. a few times before, navigating in and around the city has always been a daunting task. Not only are the multiple Beltway interstates (I-95, I-295, I-395 & I-66) a never ending maze, the number of two-way streets that turn into one-way roads will make your head spin. So needless to say, having Anne around with us on this trip was extremely vital.
On the morning we were set to return, I had the bright idea of stopping through downtown to take some pics of the family in front of a few monuments; been a big fan of them ever since I was a kid.

We packed up the car, fastened all the kids in their seats, and then took our favorite person in the whole wide world (Anne) out of the glove compartment. I turned her on, overwhelmed with joy to begin entering in the addresses for the monuments we wanted to visit before leaving town. But suddenly, my joy quickly turned into shock as Anne uttered these four very frightening words:

Unable To Locate Satellite.

This message from Anne was something (I'll admit) I had seen once or twice before. It happens every time I would forget to charge her up over night. Without a full battery, Anne became useless.

So being the revolutionary man that I am, I decided to take matters in my own hands, and tried to drive downtown without Anne's assistance. (In my mind) I didn't have the time to wait on Anne to charge back up; I wanted to get there by myself.
I'm sure you can just imagine where this story is heading now, right?
It never ceases to amaze me how we as believers find it difficult to wait on the guidance and direction of God concerning our lives. Despite the fact that He has proven time after time that He will never lead us astray, many of us still seek to take the wheel of our lives in our own hands and navigate along certain paths that He may (in many circumstances) never intended for us to take.

I learned a very valuable lesson nearly two years ago from a message by Pastor Andy Stanley. It serves as the underlining message of his brand new book, The Principle of The Path.
Here it is: Direction, Not Intention, Determines Destination.

No matter how much you and I intend on doing the right things in life, we need to assure that it is God who is directing and guiding our decisions, and not our individual pursuits and desires. More often than not, the paths many of us find ourselves on are driven by how we feel, and what we see, rather than the paths God may have for us, which are never bound or dependent on our senses.

Is there anything wrong with wanting a better job? Absolutely not. Is there anything wrong with wanting a bigger home, or nicer car? Again, not at all. And yes, I realize the timetable you set for getting married has come and passed, but before you try to grab the wheel and make something happen, allow these words to redirect you as they did for me this weekend:
Direction, Not Intention, Determines Destination.

If you're heading down the wrong direction, it doesn't matter what destination you intend on reaching, you will never get there (no matter how hard you try or how hard you pray). God's laws of guidance do not bend towards us. We bend towards them.

Funny thing happened once we finally got downtown to visit one of the monuments (a 45 minute trip that on any other day would have taken less than 10). As soon as I parked the car, Anne (our GPS device) found the satellite and prompted us to enter in our directions.
God is quite the comedian, isn't He? Gotta love Him.

Milan Ford has been a leader (and survivor) of ministry within the local church for most of his life. A lover of Red Vines Licorice and all things pointing North, Milan is scheduled to release his first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, later this fall (2009). You can find Milan blogging at ThePewView.com or follow him at Twitter.com/milanford.

GET IN THE SPIRIT AND DREAM

Deshawn Snow

Sometimes you have to get away to pray in the spirit, worship, truly focus on Him and listen. Then, through the Holy Spirit, we can see and hear God's desires more clearly. God's desires become our desires when we are walking closely with Him.

Sometimes, we expect a loud voice to speak directly to us from Heaven. Or perhaps we really are waiting for a vision, a dream, or something. Believe it or not, God will give them to us! When we are in intimacy with God and seeking Him, the desires we begin to feel, and the words we hear, are God given! That is what our father does.

He will begin to whisper and birth desires in our spirit. Sometimes we think we came up with the idea, but it was from Him! And, when He provides the idea, all we have to do is ask! The Bible says you have not because you ask not.

There are many spiritual principals listed all throughout the scriptures, from the Old Testament to New, regarding speaking out loud in faith. If God were to ask you today, "What do you want from me?" what would you tell him?
Remember that God makes the largest, most outrageous things come to pass. When you receive a revelation from Him, you need to write it down, believe through faith what God has told you, and go after it - no matter how outrageous it may seem.

Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Then the LORD answered me and said, 'Record the vision and inscribe it on talents, that the one who read it may run." Do you see how powerful that instruction is? To write it down then RUN. Part of running is to keep going, even when you face obstacles. Don't let one, 10 or 100 small things keep you from running after your destiny. God is faithful!

Genesis 18:14 says, "there is nothing too hard for the Lord! When God told Abraham he would have a child with his wife, Sara, he laughed." Genesis 17:17 says, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall a child be born to man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear a child?" Romans 4:3 says "God credited Abraham's unwavering faith as righteousness."

That is the type of God we serve - a God who wants to make the desires and dreams in our hearts come true. We need to dream big! When you become intimate with the Lord, you must remember to:

Listen for His voice.

Act upon His leading.

Don't let obstacles stop you.

A motivational speaker, television personality, and philanthropist, DeShawn Snow lives in the metro Atlanta area with her husband-NBA player Eric Snow and three adored sons. A socialite-turned-servant, Deshawn is studying to earn her Master of Divinity degree. For more information about Deshawn, log onto DeShawnSnowEnterprises.com or DeShawnSnow.com/Blog

Singing in Barrenness

Have you ever needed miraculous intervention from God, but didn't know how to pray for it?
Even now I am in the midst of praying and waiting for a miracle in the life of a loved one. Though God has provided answers to many of my prayers, I have been in the process of birthing a vision from God for this person for more than seven years.
The problem is not with God. He always has a ready ear. He is ready, willing and able to respond. The work to be done is on our part. We need an increase of understanding about how to call on God.



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When God Disappoints Us

Some of the greatest challenges to our faith are those moments when we must endure the cold blight of a disappointment. The greater the anticipation, the greater the disappointment when we fail to receive what we have anticipated.
There is no shield that can keep away the days that come to teach our hearts submission to God's will and purpose for us. There are no roses so fragrant that they dismiss for us the tingling sensations of brokenness that come upon us when we see our expectations cave in.


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WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT YOU GET

By Linda Sommer

Proverbs 12:12-14

One of my constant prayers is that the law of kindness would be upon my tongue and that my conversations would be seasoned with grace. There is a proverb that says that pleasant words are health to our bones. This proverb says that we are satisfied with good by the fruit of our lips.
Everyone desires to live a pleasant and good life. Whether we attain this depends on what we speak. If we are critical, judgmental and always murmur and complain, we will not be satisfied with good. The fruit of our lips will taste bitter. If we have a grateful heart and look for ways to exhort people to love and good works by our words, we will be satisfied with good fruit.

Each day we live we will be able to taste the goodness of the Lord. The Bible says to taste and see that the Lord is good. It is interesting to me that most digestive problems have to do with an overproduction of acid in our stomach. The Bible also warns against the gall of bitterness. Bitterness in the heart will always cause bitter words to come out of our mouths, and this may ultimately affect our physical bodies. When we are critical and judgmental of others, acid words can come out of our mouths that will eat away at our joy and the joy of others.

Nothing feels better than having been satisfied with a good meal. When we are satisfied, we feel a great sense of peace and well-being. When we speak kind, uplifting words to others, we also will have that sense of peace and well-being. What we speak has the power to set the atmosphere at the dinner table. Have you ever thought about that? Most counselors suggest that people not argue at the dinner table because it brings stress to their digestive systems. Communication at the dinner table should be uplifting and peaceful. Meal time should be a time of not only giving thanks before the meal, but also of thanking the Lord for one another during the meal. Sadly to say, many households spend little time at the dinner table together. TV, activities and the computer have stolen our times together as a family at the table. Eating together should be an experience that we look forward to. It is just not time to "slop the hogs," as some people say.

Tonight make a special effort to gather together the whole family around the dinner table. Make something special, and then think of sharing with each person present an uplifting and encouraging word. If you live alone and eat your meals alone, use your meal time to read some of God's Word. Make a practice of these dinner habits, and I believe your digestive problems will be solved.

Lord, forgive me for being so busy with outside activities that I seldom eat with the entire family and have time for conversations. Relationships are very important to You, and sometimes I trade relationships for activities. Help me to daily taste and see that the Lord is good, and then share Your goodness with others at meal time. Amen.

READ: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

The Bridge (Part Two)Milan Ford

On yesterday, StreamingFaith.com allowed me to share with you something that was very personal to me. Something that many would not dare to share.
Before reading part two of this devotional, I encourage you to click here and read part one first.

Although I have more gray hair at the age of 33 than most people twice my age, I am still a fairly young man. However, there is one thing I have come to know for certain:

When life seems unbearable, you have to make a commitment to always VENT UP. Our natural tendency as human beings when things do not go our way is to either VENT OUT to our family and closest friends for comfort, or to VENT DOWN to those we have influence over, in order to use our pain as a way of rallying others less mature on our side. A very bad decision I might add.

After being fired by my church, my wife and I had a very long talk.
We discussed that the circumstances surrounding my termination were not going to be something that we would VENT OUT about to many of our family and friends. To be quite honest, very few of them to this day know exactly what happened. Until now. (Hi Mom!)

We also discussed that the circumstances surrounding my termination were not going to be something that we would VENT DOWN about either to those students and church members alike that we had a measure of influence over. We had seen far too many leaders before us share their pain with those less mature, causing many to grow bitter and leave their churches angry.

Insuring my wife and I would never be tempted to do just that, we made a rather painful, yet tough decision to temporarily worship at a different church.

We decided to do the only thing that seemed right. We decided to VENT UP.
We knew that only a radical pursuit of God (and a considerable amount of time) could reset and reconnect our hearts. But to be honest, I had no idea on where to begin.

Until that package (the one I told you about yesterday) arrived at my front door.

THE BRIDGEWhen I opened up the package, I discovered that it was a new music CD (not yet widely released at the time) by a young man named Anthony Evans. The name of the CD was entitled: The Bridge. Inside I found this words; words that I will never forget.

"We all come to a place where God is taking us from what He had, to what He has in store. As we continue this journey, true solace isn't found in knowing what's on the other side; it's only found in worshipping Him as we cross...the bridge." - Anthony Evans.

It was those words, and the songs found on that CD, that have literally served as a BRIDGE of restoration for me for nearly two years. A CD that helped prepare me for something I never saw coming.THE HOMEGOING
This past February (2009), I received a very disturbing call that a college student, one that I had mentored while serving as the College & Student Ministry Director at the church I once worked at, had passed away in a tragic car accident. Ironically, just eighteen months prior, I was blessed with the opportunity to marry him and his wife (a student I also had the opportunity to serve while there).

The homegoing was scheduled to occur at the church I had once worked at. And at the request of the wife, I was asked and approved by the church pastor to provide the eulogy.{Insert very awkward feeling here!}
On that day, I had to return to a place of tragedy in order to bring comfort to those now struggling with their own tragedy. God's ways are truly beyond us all! So as I spanned the audience, filled with faces I knew all too well, I gave them what was given to me nearly two years ago: A song (Click Here).

Today, as you listen to this song above, I pray you will understand this simple, yet widely misunderstood truth: TRAGEDY and WORSHIP are inseparable.

At our lowest of moments, God is still ever present. He is ever faithful. To know Him, is to worship Him. A lesson I am grateful to have learned over again.

Today, I extend to you THE BRIDGE that I now (through pain) have crossed.
Enjoy your journey. I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

Milan Ford has been a leader (and survivor) of ministry within the local church for most of his life. A lover of Red Vines Licorice and all things pointing north, Milan is scheduled to release his first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, the fall of 2009. You can find Milan blogging at ThePewView.com.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Bridge (Part One)

Milan Ford

Over the next two days, StreamingFaith.com has carved out this space for me to share with you something that is very personal to me. Something that many would not dare to share.It is my sincere prayer that this two-part devotional will provide us all with an extraordinary moment of solace and worship with God. For indeed it is in Him......where our lives are made perfect. (Colossians 1:28)

Nearly two years ago, during the Spring of 2007, my entire world was turned upside down. An incredible, yet unfortunate chain of events helped set me on a course from simply living life as a leader of ministry, into one day becoming an authentic ministry leader.

I was working for a very large and influential church; one whose vision and passion for young people transformed my heart in an immeasurable way when I was still in college.

Although a believer in Christ at an early age, like most college students, I decided to place my faith in God on a shelf, and indulge in many of the temptations that the college life has been known to offer. Had it not been for this church and the desire and commitment of its pastor to begin reaching out to the local college campus community, I'm not sure where my life would have ended up.

It was through this church that my faith in God was renewed. And it was at this church, that I found a real love for ministry, especially for young people and college students within the campus community I once was apart of. After nearly six years of becoming apart of the ministry that had given so much to me as a college student, I was blessed with the opportunity to become the College & Student Ministry Director for that church.

A tremendous honor to say the least.

Things at first were moving along quite well. My passion to see college students impacted and encouraged to follow after Christ consumed me completely. From visiting and creating ministry programs for students while on campus, to opening up my home and spending time with them while off campus, I had never been more on fire for God in my life.

Every day I woke up, to know that I actually was being paid to do something I loved to do, that I perhaps would have even done for free, was a blessing too wonderful to comprehend. After getting married, and being blessed with two lovely children, I thought that nothing could derail me or distract me from the path that I was on in ministry.

But then...it happened.

SUCCESS

It is amazing how a period of success or the roaring sound of praise can cloud the judgment of the most dedicated of leaders. Our hearts of flesh can so easily be turned into hearts of stone when we no longer align our hearts with the heart of a holy God.

It was not long before my drive in ministry had more to do with receiving the accolades of man, than bringing glory and honor to God. My desire to please God was exchanged with a desire to please myself. Ministry no longer was viewed as a privilege. It had become an idol.

An idol that in the Spring of 2007, was completely exposed, creating an unfortunate situation for not only my pastor and fellow ministry leaders, but for several of the students I had been given the responsibility to lead. A decision had to be made. And it was.

TERMINATED

Ashamed.

Devastated.

Depressed.

Shocked.

I can probably write an entire thesaurus full of words that described the kind of pain I felt on that day after being fired by my church. And it still wouldn't do it any justice. As I drove home from the church that day, a drive that seemed like an eternity, I will never forget pulling up in our driveway, and noticing a small package left at our front door.

The contents of this package radically changed my life. And brought a brand new perspective of God, and the importance of worship, that I hope we all can embrace as believers today.

(Stay tuned for part two of THE BRIDGE tomorrow right here on StreamingFaith.com!)

Milan Ford has been a leader (and survivor) of ministry within the local church for most of his life. A lover of Red Vines Licorice and all things pointing north, Milan is scheduled to release his first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, the fall of 2009. You can find Milan blogging at ThePewView.com.