John Markum

Can you see it?

Have you ever seen one of those “Magic Eye” pictures? They look like a bunch of textures and colors but seem to otherwise have no rhymn or reason to them. It looks kind of like a big mess on the surface. Once you’ve learned to see “into” the picture you figure out how it works and you can see that there is a design to the mess all along. Here, try this one. Different people have different ways of adjusting their eyes to see it, but it all boils down to depth perseption. Try to look about 3 feet past the screen:

If you can see a shark, then you figured it out! Now right now some of you are mad, cause you’ve tried but you can never make these things work for you. You can’t seem to find the trick to seeing what everyone else is seeing.

God’s word brings my life into focus. On the surface, my life is full of textures and colors and looks like some kind of big abstract mess. But through God’s Word I can see that “All thing work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” God’s Word gives me the advantage to see things from a different perspective, God’s perspective. And only then can I truly embrace the circumstances that God brings my way that look like a big mess on the surface level. Hidden inside all of my pain, failures, disappointments, hopes, dreams, and ambitions, is a masterpiece that is breath-taking, but only from the proper vantage point.

Are you getting frustrated because you haven’t seen anything of “masterpiece” quality in your life? Are your current predicaments making you think that your life is a big mess? Then spend some regular time in God’s Word and learn to see things from a better perspective.

The masterpiece that God is putting together in your life, has been there all along. You just have to learn to see it from His perspective.

Blessings,

John

REAL: “Speak Life”

This past week, we wrapped up series “REAL: life meets church” with a message called Speak Life, (Proverbs 18:21, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue…”) in which I shared the story of my teenage friend, Bryce, who literally spoke life into me when I was on the verge of suicide. You can read all about that under my post here. We looked in James 3:1-12 which deals with the potential power that our tongues possess to do good or destruction. We also looked at a few other passages and took some principles away from how we talk to people:

  • Your sin is my business. And my sin is your business. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to call one another into our potential to be Christ-like. Hebrews 3:12-13
  • Build up, don’t tear down. Whenever we speak to others, even when correcting, we use words of life to build them up not tear them down. Jesus did this even when confronting an adulterous women. He did not condone her sin, but called her out of that lifestyle and into her potential.
  • Don’t be a fool. Proverbs 12:15, “A fool is wise in his own eyes; but the wise receive counsel.” Assume that you can learn something from anyone.
  • Deal with the person. Matthew 18, Christ tells us how to handle conflict with people which begins with “go to them…” Don’t try to deal with a tense situation over facebook! Go to them, or at least call them.
  • Stay out of it. Refuse to listen to someone else tearing another person down. It’s gossip, and you should refuse to receive it or spread it. Period. Don’t give-in to your curiosity at the expense of someone else’s reputation.

You can watch the message here if you want to more. God bless!

John

If I only get one thing right…

I have about a dozen BIG goals for my life (in no particular order):

  • Love my kids, and teach them to be good adult followers of Christ.
  • Pastor for 30+ years.
  • Train up another generation of church leaders.
  • Be a voice that calls my generation to it’s potential.
  • Be a part of a national/worldwide revival.
  • Start churches on every inhabited continent.
  • Lead without a paycheck one day…
  • Give more than half of my total life’s earnings away.

And I pray for these things daily. These are not just goals and wishful thoughts. I want to see each of these things happen one day. But I made a decision about 12 years ago that still guides me and is at the heart of everything I do. By now, someone is thinking up some great spiritual answer like, “Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” Yeah, but that’s more of a mission statement than a goal.

If I fail at everything I set my heart and mind to do, Oh Lord, let me succeed at this one thing – to love 1 woman my whole life. Unconditional,ly passionately, unwavering, uncompromising. And earn her love in return.

I love the church. I love the calling that God has placed on my life, to serve in ministry. I love the people that I get to serve with, both here at Edgewood and around the world. I couldn’t picture doing anything else with my life (which is great, cause I’m not good at alot of other things). But every thing else pales in comparison to my undying love and commitment to my first calling: Tiffany Markum.

I love you, sweetheart. Besides Jesus, you’re the best thing God ever gave me.

Your husband

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

The Premium of Pain