welcome to the story.

Excerpt from my Sunday morning talk at Cross Pointe: As we continue our journey of trying to sort through what it means to understand God�s will, we have arrived at the place of realizing that God�s will for our lives is not found in formulas, or equations, or prayers that we rehearse. Ultimately, understanding God�s will for our life supersedes those simplistic ideas, often given to us by good intentioned friends or pastors, but which leave us frustrated, guilty, and confused when the process isn�t as simple as claimed. These formulas oftentimes feel mechanistic, as if we pray a certain way, or follow �four easy steps�, we will be able to force God�s hand, twist God�s arm, put him in a sleeper hold death lock, and force him to give us what we want. But God doesn�t work that way. And even if he did, would we really want a God we could control. Because a God we can control and explain means is a God that�s not much better or bigger than us. But that�s another story for another day. So if God�s will isn�t found in formulas and through Chinese death locks, how is it found? How do we get to the point where our lives are in the vein and heart of what God wants for us? These questions can be partly answered (I�ll continue attempting to provide the rest of the answer over the next couple of weeks) when we begin to rethink what the term �will� means. In many of the New Testament passages when you see the word �will�, it didn�t mean �will� like we think of it today. We think of the word �will� as controlling, forcing, or in a legal sense. But in many of the New Testament passages what the word �will� meant was passion, heart, desire. I think if we redirect our conversation away from viewing God�s will as controlling, forceful, and legalistic and begin to see it through the lens of passion, heart, and desire, we will open our understanding and ourselves up to a much higher plane of relating with God. Where our relationship with God becomes free, creative, hopeful, inspiring, daring, passionate. If we reframe our conversation and move it in that direction I think we will begin to understand what it means to understand God�s heart for our life. But let�s be honest, most of us grew up with a different view of God. Our God was a God that was controlling, demanding, legalistic, impersonal, angry, vengeful. To think of God as a loving Father who is passionate about the quality and direction of our life seems strange if not altogether foreign. Most people think of God as up in the sky playing chess with us, the pieces. If he needs somebody to help take care of starving people in Africa, he makes somebody become a missionary and forces them go to take care of the starving people in Africa. If he needs somebody to lead a church, he makes somebody become a pastor and forces them to go work at a church in the middle of nowhere and make no money for the rest of their lives. Perhaps that�s why so many people are so scared to understand God�s will for their life. They think if they finally begin to understand it, God�s going to make them move to China or Timbuktu and suffer for the rest of their life. But this idea of God as the master chess player and us as his little pawns in his game is such a flawed view of God. I�ll be honest, a God like that is not a God worth following. If all I am is a piece that God arbitrarily forcefully moves around in his game, then that�s not for me. I�d go find some over domineering, controlling wife that pushes me around and dresses me every morning if that�s what I wanted for my life. But I believe that God is not like that. I believe there is no game going on between him and his buddies. I believe that I�m not a piece to a board game. What I do believe is that God is my friend. What I do believe is that God is my loving father. What I do believe is that God has is passionate about me and he�s passionate about the quality and direction of my life. And I believe that God gave me a mind for a reason. And the ability to choose for a reason. And the ability to think for a reason. And the ability to create for a reason. And the ability to dream for a reason. And a God like that is a God worth following. One of my favorite authors, Brian McLaren uses the metaphor of fatherhood that gives us a snapshot into this idea. This scenario I think will provide us some handles on how we might begin to approach God�s will. He writes, I have four kids, including a son in college. Imagine he calls me on the phone and says, �Dad, what is your will for my major in college?� I would say, �Son, I have raised you to this point in your life so that you can make that decision.� �Yes, Dad,� he replies, �but I want to do your will, not my own will. So, please tell me what major to choose.� �Son,� I�ll say, �I�d be glad to help you think this through. For example, we can talk about how much you hate history and calculus, and how much you love writing and business. I think I can help you eliminate some options, but I really want you to decide this. �Dad, don�t you love me? What if I make a mistake? I just want to do your will!� he says. �But Son,� I�ll reply, �it is my will for you to make this decision. Again, I�m glad to talk with you and help you think it through. But my will is for you to grow up, be a man, and make a life for yourself by making decisions, hard decisions, like this one. And believe me, whatever happens, whether you major in business or art or physics, whether it goes well or not, I will be with you. You can count on that, no matter what.� The point is he lives with my guidance, but not my domination, because he�s my son, not my lawn mower. Brian�s response to his son�s question was completely the opposite of how we think God would respond to us when we ask him for advice, council, direction. We think of God as treating us like pawns in a game or his little puppets on a string. Screaming at us, �dance puppets, dance!� And if we mess up, he just cuts us off at the string and goes and finds another puppet to play with. His own personal little toys robots, programmed to his remote control. Do you see how this metaphor of fatherhood is so much more freeing than the metaphors of puppets, pawns, or robots? As we continue our conversation, let�s shift our attention away from a God with a controlling and legalistic will and towards a God with a big heart for the quality and direction of our life. As a side note, if God doens't desire to control us, what makes us think we can control God?