The Problem With Safe
Safe equals protection.
Safe equals a longer life.
Safe equals stability.
Safe equals existing
These are all wonderful things.
The problem with safe is you lose…
Risk.
Failure.
Redemption.
Revival.
I know many would argue that you see those within safety…
But you don’t.
So this week…
As you program your services…
Ad you plan your set lists…
As you write your blogs…
As you plan that strategy…
As you have that meeting…
As you play with your kids…
Risk…Fail…Redeem…Revive…Live
Los
RAIN IT DOWN
preached on being a Dangerous Church today…this so resonates with me today…
TAKE A RISK…BE DANGEROUS…GRAB LIFE BY THE MANE!!!
Awesome.
If I may be so bold as to suggest two more…
Listen and Follow…
…So all that risking, failing, redeeming, reviving and living is done at the inspiration and by the power of that unpredictable Holy Spirit of God Jesus left to comfort, counsel and light our paths…
I need you to be my friend.
Hahaha. I already am…
carlos, i love safe. on my way to church this morning i drove behind a car with a “be safe” bumper sticker. got me to question if God wants me to be safe. (not safety belt type safety) i was thinking He’d rather I be daring.
thanks for reminding me.
How can you do that this week?
I had a pastor who used to say “if your not living life on the edge, then your taking up too much room.” sometimes we learn and grow the most when we take risks and make mistakes.
Love that quote!
good stuff, sometimes the risks we take determine how well God can use us…
Amen
Spot on Los!! This is something God has been challenging my wife and I on the last year and it’s led us to take a year of “faith risk”. We have one income, a 20 month old daughter and a second child on the way and felt God calling us to give more than we can afford in 2010 and trust Him to provide. It’s a risk, it blows safe out of the water and its challenging for me as a guy to trust God to provide for my family when that’s my job right?
God has been teaching us amazing things through the ways He provides… no huge miracles yet, but the unmistakable work of His hand in the little things. We’re blogging our journal to encourage others to believe that God is faithful, you can find it here: http://andrewedwards.wordpress.com
Thanks again for being real and telling it like it is!
Hi Ed! Thanks for sharing your blog! We are going through this exact same thing right now…I want to leave a job that I know God is calling me away from and we are trying to figure out if we can financially do it on just my husband’s salary (we have two kids and are in the process of adopting as well). Crazy huh? Mortgage, electric bills, food, the adoption…how will we pay for it all? I love that you show exactly how he provides for your family and your leap of faith. We will def be following…and I’m praying for the same jump soon! Thanks for the encouragement!
Wow. Ed. That is awesome! Thanks for sharing that link. I devoured it.
Sorry…
I have posted about this before but have to completely disagree. When I do what God wants I am always safe. My only risks are when I am not walking with Him.
Safe may mean I die, get cancer, horribly fail etc. But those are mans terms of risk, not mine. I choose to play it safe. And to me safe = God.
semantics!
Agreed. And they are hugely important…
Yet again. It actually sounds like you completely agree! Lol
I think there is a slight difference between safe and protected. I, and I think others agree, associate safe with comfortable. And we are definitely not called to be comfortable. Because I was curious I actually looked up the definition and one that was listed was “careful to avoid danger or controversy”. I think choosing God can definitely and usually does cause controversy somewhere. If we arent taking risks for Christ then we arent reaching the full potential of what we could be doing and who we could be reaching.
So like Carlos said I think we actually technically are agreeing.
I guess I am not getting what you all are talking about. I am comfortable with God. And He isn’t controversial to me. He is truth. That isn’t that controversial. I don’t take any risks “for” Christ. I don’t recall Him asking me to. I just walk with him. “For my yolk is easy, and my burden is light.” “Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” “Be still and know that I am God.”
If I am in the fiery furnace or a hammock in the back yard I am comfortable with God.
Good stuff folks…
Maybe God is trying to speak this message to me! Christine Cain spoke at our church and Women’s event this weekend on just this message of taking a risk to change the world. Funny play on words, she said “The church needs a ‘but’ reduction” (But I’m a woman…but I can’t speak well…but…but…but).
Where was the event? She is AWESOME!!!
Dude…convicting stuff…playing it safe robs God of opportunities to do some crazy stuff…
totally.
This is good.. : ) thanks!
thanks MAndy.
well this post was timely. dang it.
thanks, Los. I needed this.
You are welcome Josh!
Good, good word today.
The fact that this type of post is always timely should tell us all something…we like safe.
I’ve been blogging about participating in Christ’s death this Lent season, and God is revealing a lot of things right now in my life that aren’t comfortable. Being vulnerable (even online) is not an easy thing. But it’s good, I tell you.
I’ll check out some of your posts!
be gentle….’tis only 4 months old.
Oh man, I’ve been thinking so much about this lately. Why do we pray about where to work, where to go to school, what career to have, but when we choose where to live it’s automatically in the “safest” area? That’s why we’re moving to the city. We need to be in community with the least of these to serve them best, even if it means not being in the “safest” neighborhood.
I love this idea. I really have been thinking about being uncomfortable and getting out of my saftey zone. Also it is huge to coming our of this little bubble and go talk to the crimanals. This is something Jesus really risked and without these risks they would not know that they are loved by God.
There is “safe” and there is indestructable. I may be in peril, but I will not be destroyed. I may be surrounded by rubble, but I am not crushed. I may say something stupid to my wife, wait already mentioned the peril part!
We are called to follow…closely. And when you closely follow the path someone who was killed for being themselves lays out for you, it is rarely “safe”. but your soul becomes indestructable!
my 2 cents
If I communcatied I could thank you enough for this, I’d be lying.
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