The following was written in my journal on a recent vacation day when I found the changes in the sky reflective of the various relationships that add spice to my personal rule of life…

A rainbow to greet us and remind us of God’s faithful, unending love.
Sunshine and blue skies reminiscent of the promises and blessings of life in abundance.
Occasional clouds that skip across the skyline to shade and shadow the earth below.
A dark cloud descends with rain to shower the earth and slow down our torrential lives.
Sunshine brought on by the dawn; sunset to brighten and then sullen the sleepy horizon.
Moonlight and starlight to dazzle and amaze the deep violet sky.
All in one day. For all to employ. So noticeably vibrant, alive, beautiful, faithful, surreal.
So too are the relationships that sparkle and splatter and surprise and scatter our days.
Some filled with beauty and joy – others accompanied by sadness and need – still more that come and go to delight or disappoint.
But all in one day and all to embrace, for all will be with us both now and forevermore.

Our roles and relationships matter significantly to the life God invites us to humbly fulfill for Christ’s glory. Join others who are crafting their rule of life and share your story at www.RuleOfLife.com

As we listen and attend to the loving voice of God, He invites us into a relationship of ever-deepening intimacy. That’s the way God has worked in the hearts of His beloved children since the day Adam and Eve walked freely in the garden. His welcome is consistently one of affectionate blessing toward all whom He created…including you and me.

Our best response to His divine invitation is to seek His glory in both private and public worship, solidify our understanding of His call on our life, and then lean fully into a vibrant walk of daily faith. This is where our personal rule of life becomes a central focus…our gracious response to God’s loving initiatives.

Becoming lovingly intentional begins with our roles and relationships with others. What are your roles and with whom are you currently in relationship? For example, your roles may include being a child of God, a mother or father, a sister or brother, a friend, worker, student, etc. Within such roles there exist several relationships…all with names and faces, stories and needs, etc.

Interview the Spirit prayerfully, inquire of others specifically, process with your small group, and reflect personally on questions like the following: what are my primary roles and relationships? Am I seeking a realistic number of roles and relationships? In what ways could I be contributing to the health and/or healing of my primary relationships? With whom shall I reach out today?

Sitting prayerfully with such questions allows us the privilege of serving others in Jesus name, even offering a cup of cold water to refresh their heart with our presence, prayers and provisions of grace. We were meant to exist among others and within community. Renew today the pursuit of your roles and relationships with loving intentionality.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Phil. 2:3-5.

For more information on crafting a rule of life join the online community at  www.RuleOfLife.com

Ever sit with a selective listener? They only want to hear what tickles their fancy, satisfies their current preferences, keeps communication shallow, and/or entices their self-centereed curiosity. Usually lacking in attentiveness and oftentimes accompanied by impatience, a selective listener will choose to hear what they want and disregard the rest.

When that happens the listener often misses the deeper, most crucial message. Hearing the words but missing the meaning can lead one down a primrose lane of pretense which lacks depth, maturity, and wisdom. For such listeners the journey is only a good one when fulfilling that which is easiest to hear and follow…have you ever been such a listener?

Crafting a rule of life invites us to consider unhindered, unbiased, uncontrolled, and unhurried listening.  Attending first to the voice of God, and then to those who know us best and love us most, is the starting point of discovery. When we do so we are making a fundamental decision of life as a follower of Christ – listen first and then respond.

Listen long and hard and deep and slow…so you don’t miss the voice of the One who created you, calls you by name, knows all about you, and has your best interests in mind. Choose that path and avoid the potholes of selective listening…it will lead you into the abundant life of fuller awareness and into the freedom that comes hand in hand with joyful submission to the call of God.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight , so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God,” (Phil. 1:9-11).

This past weekend we were thrilled with the positive response to our inaugural “Soul Care for Leaders” event at LTi Houston (TX). David and Cindy Wu, Matt Scott, and the team at Access Church, were used of the Lord in powerful ways and we give God all the glory, honor and praise.

At this seminar we released and commissioned my new IVP/Formatio book, Crafting A Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way. There was great interest in the subject of a personal rule of life and that made my heart glad. How I pray this interactive workbook will be an encouragement to all who read and process the material in the days ahead. The longing and prayer of my heart is that each reader will discover afresh the unique God-given call on their life.

As believers, it’s vital that we attend to the intimate “tap, tap, tap” on the shoulder of our hearts – the ongoing and loving initiatives of our heavenly Father toward us as his children. His consistent invitation is to draw near, come close, and follow him. The extravagance of his love is overwhelming to consider and life-transforming to receive. May your heart remain open and receptive to the many gracious gifts that come moment by moment from his generous hand.

Attending to God’s initiatives is the starting place of crafting your personal rule of life. From that posture of attentiveness, we are invited to respond to the daily question, “What is the Lord inviting me to consider as I…(fill in the blank regarding decisions, relationships, and responsibilities you face today)?” Answering that question and intentionally pursuing faithfulness to the Lord’s call on our life is what sets us apart as children of the Most High God.

When God taps on the shoulder of your heart today and offers you life in all its fulness (the good and the bad, the easy and the hard), let me encourage you to receive it well. Allow God to reform your relationships, renew your commitments, and reorder your loves. As you do so, the person you’ll become will unfold like a freshly formed flower blossoming forth with the fragrance of heaven and bless all who cross your path here on earth.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand ,” Psalm 16:11.

God cannot love except abundantly.
God does not love except extravagantly.
God will not love except it be gracefully, mercifully, forgivingly, righteously, unconditionally.
There is no end to God’s love. Thus, it is true – God is love.
From the porch of heaven your God has His eyes fixed on you. No matter how long you have strayed from home, He’s watching out for your return. So prodigal is His love for you, dear friend. His love initiates toward you 24/7 – and his tap, tap, tap on the shoulder of your heart will never end.
Sit prayerfully with that reality of the gospel we profess and your life will never be the same ever again.
His initiating love toward you is all because he wants your heart back in the fullness of His embrace. Every ounce of your being held closely to Himself, each fiber of your being under the shadow of His protective wings.
There – in His presence – and only there will you and I find fullness of life.
From that posture of worship and intimate love we spread our wings and fly toward others as an expression of our love for God and our obedience to the call of God on our lives. This is the context out of which we understand what a Personal Rule of Life looks like…a life well-ordered (and continuously re-ordered) around the love of God – initiated toward us by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and therefore fulfilled through us as we intentionally live among all others for His glory, honor and joy.
Come and receive from the Lord the Divine Invitation to intimate love – and then go forth to fulfill His Divine Intentionality through you as a child of God toward all who cross your path each new day.
This is the heart and soul of a Personal Rule of Life – may it be so for you and for me!
“How great is the love the Father has LAVISHED on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

Today is MLK Day 2012, the day we recall the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was an iconic figure who advanced justice and equality using nonviolent means, always keeping in front of him the vision of a color blind society. In commemoration of his life, I listened to the “I Have A Dream” speech he gave on the Washington Mall in DC, at the base of the Lincoln Memorial, on August 28, 1963. His famous speech is an inspiration to all leaders, especially those with a well articulated call, passion and mission. King’s dream lives on today, marked in great part by his clarion call, “Let freedom ring!”

Your Personal Rule of Life is very simply the articulation of the dream God planted deeply in YOUR heart. The dream you’ve been invited to fulfill for God’s glory. It’s there. You have one. Mining for it is a process of discovery that will lead you to the true you. Once found and embraced, you too can experience unspeakable joy as you live intimately and intentionally with and for the Lord.

A Personal Rule of Life is defined by yours truly as “a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ’s glory.” Over the coming weeks and months I will unpack this definition one topic at a time. My goal is to help you discover your dream and live it with vigor, joy and ever deepening faithfulness.
But for today, may these select words from King’s “I Have A Dream” speech swell within you and bring to life your own dream for a future blessed by Almighty God…”We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice…Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children…I have a dream that one day…Let freedom ring…and when we allow freedom to ring…we will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Consider for a moment something beautiful that you admire…a piece of artwork or architecture, a glorious sunrise or sunset, a newborn baby, a snow capped mountain, a trickling brook, a well articulated poem, a compassionate word or action, a gifted athlete, or even a splendidly adorned table.

What do they all have in common?

Each has been crafted carefully, prepared and ordered lovingly. Each brush stroke fitly placed, every angle thoughtfully configured, all aspects designed by their creator and intentionally focused to bring joy to their world.

Those who purposely embrace their call to holiness and faithfulness are beautiful reflections of the God who created them for His glory, praise and joy. But, as John Stott once wrote, “Holiness is not a condition into which we drift” (God’s New Society, IVP/1979,p 193).

Therefore a holy life is not something that comes naturally to any of us. A holy and devout life is one that we choose. As a result we become children of God who respond to God’s loving initiatives by our daily intentionality toward faithfulness – and in so doing fulfill our “Rule of Life.”

Your holy life…becoming someone beautiful for God…is not a life we drift toward, but instead a life we choose in and by His mercy. Lean in to God’s loving embrace and wisely order (and then continuously re-order) your heart according to His wisdom, grace, forgiveness and truth. God delights to show you his pathway toward a beautiful, holy life.

“Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.” (Psalm 16:11 from The Message)

Are you looking for a good-for-the-soul resolution for 2012? How about one as simple as “rest in God”? When we rest in God we put our trust – and our lives – in his faithful hands. Choosing to rest in God brings our hearts back in alignment with his loving invitation to draw near and follow him – no matter what.

Throughout the coming year we will be considering the myriad ways God initiates toward us as his dearly loved children. We will cover a variety of topics under the banner of a personal rule of life. I will be encouraging you to consider attending deeply to the voice of the Lord and his desires for you. I will be urging you to reorder your loves according to God’s best intentions for the fullness of your life in him.

In the early 5th Century, St. Augustine wrote profoundly on this subject. The following excerpt is from his Confessions (Book 1, Chapter 1, Section 1), “‘You are great, Lord, and highly to be praised (Ps. 47:2): great is your power and your wisdom is immeasurable’ (Ps. 146:5). Man, a little piece of your creation, desires to praise you, a human being ‘bearing his mortality with him’ (2Cor. 4:10), carrying with him the witness of his sin and the witness that you ‘resist the proud’ (1Pet. 5:5). Nevertheless, to praise you is the desire of man, a little piece of your creation. You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Throughout 2012 my prayer for you is that you will indeed rest in God…for only then will your restless heart be stilled and comforted in his love. This will lead you into a life of praise that pleases God and brings joy to all who cross your pathway of faith.

Happy New Year from all of us at LTi!

During Leadership Transformations recent celebration of our 8th Anniversary, we held an event entitled “Re-Ignited: Kindling Our Inner Fire for God.” During one of the plenary sessions I spoke about “Feeding the Neglected Soul,” and suggested five inviting ways we can nurture our souls.

The first way we feed our neglected soul is to open ourselves fully to receive the abundance of our Heavenly Father’s loving embrace (blog entry 11.18.11).

The second way I suggested is to trust in the Spirit to create from deep within us a transformative walk of faith (blog entry 11.28.11).

Thirdly, we feed our soul by leaning fully into the manifold gifts of Sabbath (blog entry 12.12.11).

Fourthly, we feed our soul by practicing life-giving spiritual disciplines in order to become more spaciously attentive to God (blog entry 12.19.11).

And fifthly, our soul is fed by discerning and fulfilling our Personal Rule of Life – defined by yours truly as “a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ’s glory.”

Over this past weekend we’ve recounted new chapters of the Advent and Christmas journey, found in storybook fashion through the pages of Luke 1 and 2. Here in the biblical text we see with clarity the radical availability of the various characters who surrounded the baby Jesus. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, Simeon and Anna. Each received a divine touch and specific invitation to respond to the loving initiatives of God. When they answered with a “Yes!” they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be and become all that God intended. Their delightful stories have been recounted ever since that first Christmas.

When we too hear, understand and affirm God’s unique invitation for our own life – in all its beauty, creativity, and authenticity – we see and sense firsthand the touch of Almighty God. Our path of life (Psalm 16) is to be followed humbly, generously, and intentionally in service to others. When we share the fullness of God in and through us, and in the context of Christian community, we do so for the honor and pleasure of the Lord Jesus.

As we turn the page into 2012, I’ll be devoting my weekly blogs to Rule of Life concepts. Your personal Rule of Life is about both being and doing. We’ll explore multiple topics with broad brush strokes and with specific granularity. The desired outcome is a life well lived for the glory of God. It is my hope and prayer that you will find great joy in all the visitations of God’s Spirit inviting you into the well-ordered way of faithful love and service.

During Leadership Transformations recent celebration of our 8th Anniversary, we held an event entitled “Re-Ignited: Kindling Our Inner Fire for God.” During one of the plenary sessions I spoke about “Feeding the Neglected Soul,” and suggested five inviting ways we can nurture our souls.
The first way we feed our neglected soul is to open ourselves fully to receive the abundance of our Heavenly Father’s loving embrace (blog entry 11.18.11).
The second way I suggested is to trust in the Spirit to create from deep within us a transformative walk of faith (blog entry 11.28.11).
Thirdly, we feed our soul by leaning fully into the manifold gifts of Sabbath (blog entry 12.12.11).

And fourthly, we feed our soul by practicing life-giving spiritual disciplines in order to become more spaciously attentive to God. Jesus himself maintained such openness to the Father throughout his earthly ministry. He also invited his disciples to follow in his footsteps and do likewise. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31) he called, in anticipation of showing compassion on the crowds and miraculously feeding the 5,000.

The spiritual disciplines are means by which we experience the richness of the grace of God. They open us up to the wider possibilities of love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and service to others. The disciplines remind us about the “one thing” that matters most, our intimacy with God, out of which we give our lives away in Jesus’ name.

As you consider for yourself what spiritual disciplines are most life giving to your soul (of which there are dozens to choose from), let me encourage you in a small handful of ways:

a) In your prayer closet, always begin with the Word of God. Contemplatively receive the Word in a slow and deep read, embracing every word as a gift from the Father.
b) In your prayer chair, listen for the voice of the Spirit whispering in the ear of your heart. In your prayers, purposefully shift away from doing all the talking to God and tip the scale more toward listening for his still small voice.
c) In your prayer chamber, reflect on your life in Christ. Consider ways God’s faithfulness has been previously exhibited in your life and give thanks. Deem ways you can reflect the love of Jesus in the coming day(s) and walk forward faithfully and intentionally.

In the midst of a busy life, be reminded today to prioritize the care and nurture of your soul. Begin your day in that quiet place of biblical receptivity, listening prayer, and faithful reflection. As you become more spaciously attentive to God, may your soul be nourished by his empowering presence and peace.