:// I dream of CHANGE.

I dream of EPIC CHANGE.

Just about every other week, I wonder why I am here.  Why I do the things I do.  Why I pay the price I pay.  Why I give up the things I give up.  Why I sacrifice things of high value to me to be a leader in Master’s Commission.  Why I lay my life on the line.  Why I don’t just find another place to be.

I ask these questions, just like you do, because I have to know.

I HAVE to know.

I can’t imagine myself living at this level without the “why”.  I ask these questions, because the answer is SO important.  If I don’t constantly remind myself of the “why”, then my focus and leadership gets blurred in the cloud of daily battles and demands.  I stop seeing the forest, because I can only see the trees.  The big picture gets lost in the haze of the small, daily issues.

When I lose the “why”, I start losing my will.  The excitement fades, the passion wilts, and my effectiveness is diminished.  I start wasting my time on what matters less, to forget about what matters more.  Sound familiar?

One of the dangers I often fear happening in our Master’s is a contentment in busyness.  I fear that the appearance of our busyness alone will fool us to believe that we are effective.  That we will trust that as long as we are busy… God is changing our lives.  The problem with this is that great amounts of activity don’t automatically produce life change.  It only gives the impression that things are happening, that there is life.

I want us all to make sure that we put a purpose to our busyness.  I want YOU to put a purpose to YOUR busyness.  We can’t change the fact that our weeks are filled with awesome opportunities, and really, I don’t want to, because God moves through it all.  BUT – we can change the way we live and lead through those weeks.  We can fight to hold on to the reason we are here… the “why”.

Why am I in prayer today?  Why am I leading this AC?  Why am I memorizing scriptures?  Why am I serving in this task?  Why am I organizing this event?  Why am I discipling this person?  Why am I showing up today?

Let me take you back to the “why”, and help us all to put a fresh purpose to our days.

EPIC CHANGE.

That’s it.  For you.  For me.  For them.  For us.

This is why we’re all here.  This is the mission.  This is the vision.  This is the purpose.  This is the process.  This is the thing we should all be thinking about, praying about, hoping for, working for, moving towards, and dreaming for.  EPIC CHANGE, and nothing less.  This is the one thing we should NEVER forget.  An EPIC CHANGE that is initiated by God, and founded in Him.

I’ve dreamt of it and I want to share my dream with you…

Everybody talks about it.  Everybody lives it.  Nobody is excluded.  Nobody falls short.  Nobody misses out.  Nobody loses.  Nobody quits.  Everyone finishes their race… a race to cross that line of revolutionary life change.  Christlike change.  Epic Change.

Every event in our schedule moves us one step closer to it.  If we can’t figure out a way to put Epic Change somehow in the event, I don’t want the event.

Prayer times are mind-blowing.  Students are showing up an hour early, or even more, because they’re so hungry for God.  Their desire for intimacy supercedes their need for extra sleep.  They learned this because they SAW IT in us.  The anointing fills the room much earlier than the schedule requires.  Those who do come on time walk into a bath of God’s Presence.  Their defenses fall.  Their problems shrink.  Their strength is renewed.  Their desire is stirred.  Their apathy is held at the door by angels of aggression.  Their insecurities are dismantled, and they cry out to God in spite of who’s listening.  Everybody enters in and nobody is on the outside.  God’s Presence is there and we get Epic Change.  This is POSSIBLE.

Relationships are deep.  Accountability is strong.  Unity is binding us together as a family.  When the world is working division, we are building unity.  When others are hiding their problems, we are open about them.  When others are afraid to tackle the deep issues, we are courageous to.  Because that brings EPIC CHANGE.  Discipleship is intentional.  It is aggressive, and it is happening everywhere.  Car rides, lunch rooms, hallways, offices, living rooms, altars.  It builds upon great friendships, and goes gut-level to places most are afraid.  It is courageous and risk-taking.  This is POSSIBLE.

Worship is freeing.  There is a breaker anointing present every time.  It is wild sometimes, and intimate others.  Nobody sits down on the inside, because the team (not just the leader) leading us is going for it so bad, we are moved to do the same.  They are so captured by the Great I AM that they cannot hold it in.  They don’t care who’s watching.  They don’t care what people might think of them.  All they can think about is giving Him their very best.  It makes us hungry to go to there with them.  We are all moved to do the same.  We are a class of worshippers.  Epic Change again.  This is POSSIBLE.

What God is doing in us, we get to give it away.  Our ministry is at a whole new level.  Anointing.  Excellence.  Power.  Creativity.  It’s not a chore, but a privilege.  It’s not a chance for us to shine, but a chance to make Him shine.  Every leader carries a sense of ownership of what God has given them.  It is their worship to God, and they always give their best.  God is using that.  Ministry Streams are developing creative tools more often that we can even use them.  We’re creating, not re-producing.  New songs are being written.  They change the class.  New illustrations are designed, and used to show people the Truth in a whole new light.  New tools for outreach are conceived, and souls are saved as a direct result.  Schools are begging us to come change their kids.

We are causing Epic Change in others.  We are discovering how we fit in to the big picture of God’s plan.  This is POSSIBLE.

Everybody LOVES to be here.  Not because it’s always fun.  Not because it’s always easy.  Not because it’s always exciting.  We love coming in everyday, because we know what is here… because we know the why.  We know what awaits us in our days.  We know that we can have our own EPIC CHANGE.  Let me tell you that, if we fully buy in to this as a team, we are unstoppable.

If this dream is going to come true, it’s got to become YOUR dream.  One person can’t do this alone.  We need to band together like never before, and believe that this IS POSSIBLE.  What if we all believed it?  What if we all pursued it?  What if we all gave everything we had to get it?  What if we all came together and experienced it all?  This would be the most unbelievable year of your entire life.  This would be a year of EPIC CHANGE.  It IS POSSIBLE, and it starts now with you.

I love you all.

~ by jeffjohnston on January 31, 2008.