Posts Tagged ‘Direction’

Jul
15
2011

Friday Five Interview: S. Michael Houdmann (Gotquestions.org)

This is the last of three classic Friday Five interviews I’m posting while our family enjoys some vacation time. This is with S. Michael Houdmann, founder and proprietor of Gotquestions.org, one of the most heavily trafficked Christian sites online. And believe it or not, this interview continues to be one of the most popular pages on my blog:

Last year, while attending the annual gathering of the IFCA, I stopped by a booth and met S. Michael Houdmann, a graduate of Calvary Bible College and Seminary. He introduced me to his powerful website, gotquestions.org. I remember thinking, “Why hadn’t I discovered this before?” Since that time I’ve regularly visited gotquestions.org. Its a unique ministry idea. Essentially they answer Bible questions every week, not just easy questions like “Who is Jesus?” but tough theological questions. And every single question is answered with Biblical precision and accuracy. I can’t tell you how many times I was preaching or counseling on a narrow theological idea and just needed a sort of launching point in Scripture and turned to gotquestions.org. They have an archive of thousands of questions and even have a page of FAQ, what they consider their most important questions about God and the Bible.

By the way, Got Questions is now available as an iPhone app.

I think gotquestions.org is one of the most profoundly useful tools to the Christian today. Today, we have the privilege of talking about gotquestions with its founder, S. Michael Houdman.

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Oct
19
2010

Moving: The Way to Your Gifts

I’ve been thinking and speaking a lot of about God’s will, gifts, purpose, God’s calling, etc. And sometimes I think we just make too darn hard what God has made rather simple. Lot of Christians wrestle with questions like, What is it that God wants me to do with my life? How do I know God’s will? How do I identify my gifts?

Some churches have their members undergo a spiritual gifts survey. I think this is good, though we don’t do that at Gages Lake, though that doesn’t mean we never would, because we might find that a useful tool in the future.

But I have largely come to believe and understand and experience that God reveals Himself as we begin to move and work. In other words, we do something. We don’t wait for a blinding flash of light or a burning bush. We act, based on what we’re comfortable doing, where the needs in the church and community are, and what we enjoy doing.

And . . . we try stuff. In fact, I dare say that I have discovered my calling in life more often from finding out what God didn’t want me to do, than what He did. For instance, growing up, I always knew I would write, but I was never quite sure the vocational field that I would employ that in. I had two tracts that I loved. I loved ministry and I loved politics.

For a long time, I aspired to be a White House speech writer, which is a pretty heady and impossible goal for an unknown Christian kid. A childhood trip to Washington D.C. spurred a love in me for America and its government workings. Plus I love people and in politics you largely engage with people.

So, a few years ago, I got my chance. I was very involved in a congressional campaign that was a national campaign. I had the opportunity to meet governors, the vice-president, the First Lady, and a whole host of political heroes. And I was making headway, I was carving out the beginnings of a career. But, the strangest thing happened. The longer the campaign went on, the less I enjoyed it. My stomach turned at the sort of machinations and trickery that must be employed to be successful. By the end, I longed for ministry, I longed for the corner church, where the eternal, timeless truths of the gospel would have a more trans formative effect on the culture. God clearly does call Daniels and Josephs into government and I applaud the good men and women who answer that call, but it wasn’t for me.

And so I found, or rather, solidified my calling in the church, as a pastor and a writer. And that came as a result of a closed door.

I think this applies in all areas of life. Sometimes its a misguided fear of doing the wrong thing that keep us from doing anything. We sort of sit and wait for God to show up and drag us into our calling. But we have to be willing to go, to try stuff, to fail, and then to realize where we are needed in God’s advancing Kingdom. I think of Paul’s admonition to “do,” in Philippians 4:9. I think of Jonathan’s bold actions to take out a Philistine garrison. Amazingly, Jonathan admitted that “maybe” God was in it (1 Samuel 13).

This is both an encouragement and and admonition. First an encouragement that if you are in an area where you may have failed or just doesn’t seem to be working, look at this as a sign from God at what he doesn’t want you to do. Praise Him for his wonderful clarity. Secondly, this is an admonition to stop the navel-gazing and haziness. And get up and lend your life to the cause of the Gospel.

Apr
24
2010

7 Factors to Determine Your Direction

I run into a lot of young people who are pretty committed to following Christ with their lives and yet they sort of live in this fog about exactly what that looks like for them. We tend to over-spiritualize God’s Will as if it is some hazy, foggy, wispy thing when it is really not that hard to discern.

Here are some biblical guidelines for pursuing, finding, and obeying God’s direction for your life. Read More