Keys To The Abundant Life

I recently had the opportunity to teach a large singles class at Hill Country Bible Church for three weeks and the topic was the abundant life.  I explained how Jesus told us in John 10:10 that he had come to give us the abundant life, life to the fullest.  So we talked about what this life was here on earth and and what it wasn’t. We discussed whether or not we personally had experienced the abundant life and whether you could say that God had done more in your life than you could have asked or imagined (Eph. 3:20). Or, had you felt that life had never met your expectations.

I asked the singles to help me come up with a list of the characteristics of the abundant life we experience while we are living.  And through our discussions, these are the characteristics mentioned:

• Purpose and meaning
• Gifts of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control
• Receiving and giving Forgiveness
• A new perspective of living for God and not self
• Contentment
• Power to overcome sin
• Hope
• Healthy Relationships with others
• Grace-filled life
• Healing
• Generosity
• Security and freedom (Bible is our road map and the Holy Spirit our guide)

And a few things that the abundant life is not:

• Material things, prosperity
• Status and power
• The American dream
• Life free of trouble
• A perfect spouse. 

We also talked about obstacles that prevent us from experiencing the abundant life and decided the four most important were:

• Disconnection from the vine John 15
• Faulty Expectations
• Living outside the boundaries God established (Seven deadly sins)
• Living from fear instead of faith 

We discussed how sad it is that some Christians never realize the life God would have them live.  And yet many have experienced this life, whether for a moment in time or for long extended periods. And those times when we experience the full life are when we choose to die to self and walk through the doors of faith.  God gives us opportunities and choice. But to experience the abundant life we have to say yes to God often.  This usually takes risk and lots of faith and trust in Him. Those choices are not always the most logical ones and most of the time they require us to move from the security and safety of our comfort zone and to make changes in our lives.  When we live from the purpose he called us to live, with passion from the unique talents He has given us, to love and impact others, we can and will experience this abundant life!

Keys to experiencing more of the abundant life:

• Stay connected to the vine. Prayer and reading the Bible
• Stay within God’s boundaries 
• Dream God-size dreams that require risk and stepping out of your comfort and security zone
• Say yes to God often when He presents you with opportunities
• Choose people to join you on the journey who will encourage, direct and help you. You can’t do anything great by yourself! 

Learning from the Spurs way: TRUST AND OBEY

The San Antonio Spurs did it again, shocking the basketball world and doing what few thought possible, winning a playoff series against Houston without their two best players.  Not just winning, but blowing away the Rockets on the Rockets home court by a record amount. No one saw this coming.

I love the Spurs not just because they win a lot, but how they win and how they so often provide such great life lessons in the process. 

As I often do, I try to analyze what the Spurs do and find the parallel principles that I can apply to life.  The lesson from the win last night was pretty profound, simply trust and obey. It's like that old gospel hymn, trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

I can imagine coach Pop telling his players before the game that if you trust our system and your teammates and do what we've told you to do, follow the game plan, we can win even without Kawhi and Tony.  You all have certain abilities, great skills or you wouldn’t be playing for the Spurs.  And the coaches have put you in position to win. If you play hard and smart and follow the game plan, you will win! Just trust, obey and play! And what a great motto for life in Christ also!

Jesus said I've come to give you, not just an ordinary life but extraordinary, abundant life.  This is a life of joy, fullfillment, significance and contentment.  I've given you all you need to succeed.  You are a masterpiece, created to do good works that I've already prepared for you to do and given you the skill and ability to do them (Ephesians 2:10).   Now if you would just trust me, follow me, obey the instructions I give you, you will experience that victorious, abundant life.  Proverbs 16:20 – Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

I know that the playoffs are not over.  Am I saying that the Spurs are guaranteed a championship? There is no guarantee. They certainly won’t be the favorites against the Golden State Warriors. And chances are they won’t win. Even when we trust and obey, victory over every battle is no certainty. The Spurs won’t win every championship and just like in life, this fallen world has a way of knocking us down at times. However, if we trust and obey, especially in the difficult times when we've been knocked down, received a set back like losing our best player, we can turn a sure loss into an incredible victory.  Trust, obey and go play! 

Miracles Continue at Honduras Orphanage

Living Water Children's Ranch, Honduras

This is an update on my post on my blog, Miracles on the Mission Field, about the miracles God has provided as we tried to build an orphanage in Honduras. You can read the fascinating story of its beginning here.  Since I wrote that blog, God has continued to bless our efforts and bring the ministry in Honduras to fruition and it has been fascinating to watch and see the hand of God in the process. 

Teresa Devlin, the missionary who helped find and secure the property and get the building built passed away in the fall of 2012.  She had suffered from scleroderma for years and became very sick in June of that year and had to be flown back to San Antonio.  She never fully recovered and went to be with God in October of 2012.

Teresa had been concerned for years about who would succeed her and be the one to oversee the orphanage. Two weeks before Teresa became ill, a young woman from Arkanas, Jennifer Zilly who had been referred to Teresa by a friend, flew down to Honduras to spend some time with Teresa in order to get a feel of the ministry and to see if working along side of her was a possibility.  

Jennifer, Darwin and 5 of the children at the ranch

That plan quickly changed while she was there, as Teresa became sick. With the timing of her visit, and Teresa having to leave Honduras, Jennifer was suddenly faced with a decision. Do I return to the states and forget about this opportunity or do I stay? She felt as if her timing was God's and that she was left to further Teresa's ministry. So instead of flying back home like most would have done, Jennifer stayed in Honduras and began to adjust and learn the Honduran ways. This young American, right out of college, found a job coaching girls basketball in La Ceiba, Honduras and made herself part of the community (that there was even a coaching position open is a miracle and another story).  Fairly quickly Jennifer adapted and over the year she began to pick up Teresa's ministry.

Today Jennifer is married to a wonderful Honduran young man, Darwin who was Teresa's main instructor at her music conservatory. They now live at and oversee the Living Water Children's Ranch, the orphanage we had been working to establish for several years. 

It hasn't been easy but they have 7 children living at the home now. The process of securing children for the orphanage is difficult and sometimes drawn out because they have to work with and through the Honduran government. So they take the children that God provides and wait for the next one.

Doing their schoolwork

What has been incredible is all of the ministry that they have started for the children and the neighbors around them.  Not only are they raising the orphans, but they have also started a school on the property for children in the neighborhood.  Darwin continues to teach music to children and oversee the music conservatory. And they have recently started a weekly Bible study for the families in the neighborhood with a surprising number attending. 

Jennifer is a prolific writer and she chronicles in a real and personal way their struggles with these very difficult children in this third world country.  She doesn't gloss over the ministry and you'll get a great up close and personal view of life as a missionary by reading her blog.
  

The interesting thing about the transition from Teresa Devlin to Jennifer Zilly was that I along with a mission team from San Antonio, met Jennifer that spring in Honduras during Jennifer's initial visit to meet Teresa. We didn't know how serious Jennifer was about moving to Honduras and working with Teresa, but most all of the team members did not think that Jennifer would be the permanent replacement for Teresa.  

However we were not in a position to make that decision, thank God, and a few weeks later we suddenly needed a person to fill in for Teresa and Jennifer was there.  We realized that she was God's choice!  

Darwin directing his choir

Jennifer is completely different from Teresa, in age, personality, life experience, etc., but what each have in common is a heart for God. Jennifer has turned out to be an incredible self starter, who has stayed as close to the word of God in her words and actions as most anyone I have ever met. She needs our prayers every day to continue the incredibly difficult and demanding work in Honduras. She has fought illness, difficult living conditions, an apathetic, uneducated and Godless people in which to minister.  In spite of all of this, Jennifer and Darwin are committed to reaching this community for Christ, and raising children with the knowledge of Christ so that they may choose an eternal home in His kingdom and may live productive, fulfilling and Godly lives as an adult.  

It is beyond my comprehension how God has provided every time we hit a wall with this project.  And not only did He provide, but God gave us more than we even imagined every single time.  So yes, I'm learning to accept God's will, wait on His timing and not try to control the process. He is infinitely wiser than his children.  Go here to read about the first children at the orphanage.

Lessons learned from San Antonio Spurs: The Bonner Principle

Perhaps the greatest reason the Spurs are such a successful team, setting records for consecutive playoff appearances, is that they follow the principles that the apostle Paul conveys in 1 Corinthians 12.  It's no secret that Greg Popovich is considered the best coach today and the reason is that he sticks to the same principles, one body, one team with many parts all working together for one goal. As the Spurs attempt to win their fifth title most all agree that they are the epitome of a team that plays "team" basketball.  In a league where the stars are the focus and many games boil down to the star players going one on one, the Spurs stick to the team concept. All teams make an attempt at the passing game but never seem as committed to it as the Spurs. 

Popovich's players all know their goal, their abilities and the role in which they are called to play.  And because they don't try to be more than the assigned role they play on the team, they excel at what they do and so does the team.  Sure the Spurs have stars, Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, but these stars and the rest of the team know their specific role and put team first before individual accolades.

Matt Bonner is another great example, a player who may not see the court on many NBA teams.  Not many want a slow footed big man that can't jump but he thrives in the Spurs system because they know how to maximize his talents, using his great 3 point shooting to stretch the floor and draw the opponent's big men out of the paint.  The coaches know his limitations but minimize them by using him in situations that call for his strengths.

Players like Patrick Mills last year and Corey Joseph this year, spend the majority of their time on the bench cheering the team on.  Mills made the most of his time on the bench last year waving a towel and cheering the team on and was ready when called on to play this year bringing that same energy to the court. Joseph was called on in the Thunder playoff series and did as well if not better than the starters when he got his chance to play.  

It should be no different in ministry, only our goal changes from winning a championship to making a difference for God's kingdom (much greater).  Our team is the body of Christ and God has given each of us special gifts and talents to accomplish His purposes which He has already prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10) Church planters, pastors and all believers need to understand their unique talents and gifts and accept their unique role they are called to play in the body of Christ.  

Paul explains to the Corinthian believers, everyone is valuable in God's kingdom but not everyone can be a Michael Jordan. The team needs point guards, back up centers and forwards. They need scouts, front office personnel coaches and trainers.  All are important and play a role in a successful team. In God's kingdom we need house church pastors, urban planters, missionaries, Godly businessmen and women, children's workers and on and on. We can't accomplish God's work without any of them. Don't worry about being the next Rick Warren or Craig Groschell.  When you know your purpose, find your unique calling, do it well, you'll accomplish incredible things for God and will be an instrumental part of The Ultimate Winning Team.  Video of Spurs team basketball