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You wouldn't necessarily expect to find it oozing out of the Old Testament, but Nehemiah 9 gives us a fresh look at the heart of God. Listen, there has never been a moment in your life where God's love for you has dipped below the red-line. It never fails. Unfailing love. There is no one else in your life who will not fail you. But his love never fails.  You are relentlessly loved with an indiscriminate affection. That's the story he's writing. That's His voice you hear whispering, "Child come home."  His heart is for you. 

And when we know his heart.. Our only response is to return. This is the essence of repentance. This is why we look deeply at our sin. It's not to lash our hearts with shame and guilt. It's not to motivate us to work harder. It's because this is what returning looks like. So, is it time to return?

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One of the ways that my stream of Christianity likes to describe our faith is with the words, "A personal relationship with God." It's not about religion, it's about relationship, a personal relationship with God. But what in the world does it mean to have a personal relationship with God? In Psalm 46:10, it starts with these words, "Be still and know that I am God."

Usually when we think of the stillness, we think of quiet; a lack of distractions and in our world today, the noise is part of our problem. I'm not saying we don't need quiet. But when God says in Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." it's a far deeper call than just "be quiet." The Hebrew word means stop striving. Literally let your arms hang down and your hands go slack. Stop fighting. Relax. Quit trying to measure up. Give up. Hands up. Let it go. And watch me be God.  That's at the heart of this message in answer to the question, "Do you know God?"

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In the last episode, I encouraged us to ask God for more. But here's the reality, too often we are satisfied to settle for something less than all God has for us. Why are we satisfied to settle for less? Are we satisfied to settle for less purity in our hearts? Are we satisfied to settle for less people following Jesus? Are we satisfied with the state of our relationships. Are we satisfied with the degree to which we know God and experience his presence in our lives?

 Or do we want more? In this episode, we'll ponder a couple of reasons why we settle for less and I will encourage you, "Don't be satisfied with less, because there is more!"

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Someone asked me years ago, "What do you picture when you keep talking about and praying for an awakening, for a revival. The question surprised me, not that it was asked but because I didn't have a quick answer. But as I've thought about it, while it is as varied as the creative work of God. If I could give it just one word, it would be the word, MORE. I just want more. More Jesus. More of His Spirit. More glory. More neighbors being loved. More holiness. More power in prayer. More people coming more alive to the glory of God and the love of Jesus. More joy. More presence.

God cannot be manipulated, but He can be asked. So would you join me and ask God for more?

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This episode is all about joy. You will hear me say that I think we have seriously underestimated two things. We have seriously underestimated our need for joy and we have seriously underestimated God's capacity for joy. Listen, God has no desire to wake us up to our sin, our failure; He has no desire to wake us up to our dark thoughts or our undone good; He has no desire to wake us up to our shame and then just leave us there. 

God wants to awaken us to the fullness of joy that comes in His presence. Every true awakening leads to an awakening to joy. And as Nehemiah told them, "The joy of the Lord is our strength!" 

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Listen, I understand for some of us, parts of the Bible are hard to believe. You wonder if it's true. Some of it's even harder to understand and we run into all sorts of different interpretations of all the rules and the theology. Rules and theology which some people fight about so much, you wonder if they are even on the same team. I understand. 

God doesn't tweet or txt. He doesn't do facebook posts. He's old school. He  expounds and mystifies. Sometimes on purpose, I think, He's less than clear.  He shares stories that create questions and some of them are hard to read and some of them are hard to answer. He's not afraid of poetry or doubt or deep dark emotions. But I'm telling you that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. And life comes from knowing God and when we know God we love His Word. 

So, open the Book with an open heart and see what He might do!

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Is there any Psalm more loved than the one that starts with these words, "The Lord is my shepherd and I will lack nothing." But here's the deal...I can't say those words without embracing these words, "And I'm a sheep." Now of course you are more than a sheep. You are a child of God filled with the Spirit of God. You are God's beautiful masterpiece, created and called to make a difference in the world. But you are, I am also a sheep. That's where we started in episode #2 of "A Life Refreshed" our look at the Psalms.

And at the heart of the message are some thoughts on how we get from here (drained, discouraged, perhaps even a bit lost) to there, a life refreshed!

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Even if you are not sure you believe it, would you suspend your skepticism and consider the possibility that nothing's more important than hearing God's voice, letting His Words saturate our souls and if there is nothing more important than hearing his voice; no book is more important than His book, the Bible, the Word.  

I know some of us need to be convinced, but honestly some of us just need to be convicted. Because while we wholeheartedly agree about the Bible's value; we open it halfheartedly. So in this episode we will ponder the questions, "Am I devoted to God's Words? Are we a people of the book?

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How many of us understand that it isn't easy being the first one to start something big? It isn't easy to be the first one to go to a new place. It isn't easy to be the first one to explore new strategies or climb to new heights or go on new journeys. It isn't easy to be the first one to pray for or live for or sacrifice for an awakening? In the history of our country we've often called those 1st-Ones, pioneers. They're the ones who left their homes with a spirit of faith; aiming toward an unknown  destination. Some of the very best chapters of our story have come when we lived with a pioneering spirit.

Nehemiah 7 is a call to honor those who came before us, but it also asks us, "Do you have a pioneering spirit?"

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Nehemiah 7 contains a long, (kind of boring) list of names. But in this episode I just want to make it clear that no list of names is boring to God. Long ago, before all of the grand and awesome creation was even a gleam in Father God's eye, Paul says that God loved us and chose us. He created you in his image. He fashioned your heart with His heart as a model. At the beginning, the warrior-poet David wrote, as He formed you in your mother's womb, He dreamed dreams about your life and He looked forward to all your days. His plan for you has always been for good. 

Why? Because you are God's precious treasure. If you don't believe me, just listen in.