More Than Fine
05/04/12 11:58 Filed in: David Ellis
Yes, the sun rises each day.
And yes, I get up, hop in the shower, have my coffee and breakfast and get going to work.
And somedays, that keeps me busy till I’m back asleep, ready to “rinse and repeat” the next day.
But is that really enough? I mean, really?
These past two weeks in the “matrix” has been fairly brutal for me. Not that there has been any earth-shattering events or issues… more like a deep awareness that the life I want to live is not congruent to the world around me. That the freedom and courage that my heart yearns for is under a daily and sustained assault, from the world, the enemy and, at times, my own internal wounds and decisions. As I was recently listening to my iPod, I came across a song from the group Switchfoot that just captured my thoughts:
When I wake in the morning,
I want to blow into pieces.
I want more than just ‘ok’, more than just ‘ok’.
When I’m up with the sunrise
I want more than just blue skies.
I want more than just ‘ok’, more than just ‘ok’.
I’m not giving up, giving up, not giving up now.
I’m not giving up, giving up, not backing down.
(I want) more than’ fine’, more than ‘bent on getting by’.
More than ‘fine’, more than just ‘ok’
That’s it… I want more than just being “fine”. I want more than just “ordinary”. Unfortunately, the world we live in, this ‘matrix’, is just fine with plodding along, living in a small story with small adventures and small passions. I am not fine with that kind of life!
And I just know, especially when I look at the men around me… the men at my work, the men at church, the men walking down the sidewalk or riding the bus next to me… I can see this look in their eye. That look that says “is this IT?” Going to work, paying the bills, trucking the kids off to the next activity, moving the lawn, going to church- is this ALL that God has in mind for me in this life? For some men, I can see the resignation in their eyes. For some, I see some fight left in them, but they just aren’t quite sure what to do next, and for some, they are just trying to stay busy so that they don’t have to really stop and think about the nagging sense too long.
But if you’re like me, sometimes something comes along and it stirs you. It could be a song, or a movie, or seeing something of deep pain or deep beauty and mystery. Maybe it’s just a whisper at first. But it stirs you and you get that feeling- to not be satisfied with “fine” either. Or for many of you, life has not been “fine” anyway, so replace that with whatever word fits for your story… hopeless, useless, spent, tired, depressed, posing, pretending, religious…
So here is the incredible news of the genuine offer of Jesus Christ… are you ready for it?
“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come that you may have LIFE to the FULLEST MEASURE POSSIBLE!!!”
What we have to realize is that when we have these moments of weariness in this world; when it feels like life is beating the life out of us (and rather quickly I might add), it is not LIFE that is pulling us down. It is Death. What we NEED is MORE LIFE. And that LIFE is not only for later, but for now. As David proclaims in Psalm 27:
“I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Take heart. Be strong. Don’t lose hope. This from a man who knew tremendous trouble and pain in his life, yet knew that the answer was more Life from the only Source who can truly give it. So wait for the Lord. And that word “wait” doesn’t mean hang around in the kitchen eating chips waiting for your wife to finish getting ready. A more accurate reading would be “remain with” or “get close to”. David is trying to tell us that the only way to Life is to hang tight with Jesus. Close by. Next to.
But know this… to get “close to” you must press thru the strategies and systems aligned against you- not only externally, but internally. It’s for this reason that we created IGNITE! If you are a man who’s ready for “More Than Fine”, we invite you… no… we IMPLORE you- come to IGNITE! You will finally understand who you really are, and what is aligned against you, and most importantly, how to break free to live the life you were meant to Live! Your life will never be the same. What have you got to lose? “Fine” sucks. “Living Free” is where it’s at.
Join us and discover your very own Revolution!
Living the Revolution!
David Ellis
When I wake in the morning,
I want to blow into pieces.
I want more than just ‘ok’, more than just ‘ok’.
When I’m up with the sunrise
I want more than just blue skies.
I want more than just ‘ok’, more than just ‘ok’.
I’m not giving up, giving up, not giving up now.
I’m not giving up, giving up, not backing down.
(I want) more than’ fine’, more than ‘bent on getting by’.
More than ‘fine’, more than just ‘ok’
That’s it… I want more than just being “fine”. I want more than just “ordinary”. Unfortunately, the world we live in, this ‘matrix’, is just fine with plodding along, living in a small story with small adventures and small passions. I am not fine with that kind of life!
And I just know, especially when I look at the men around me… the men at my work, the men at church, the men walking down the sidewalk or riding the bus next to me… I can see this look in their eye. That look that says “is this IT?” Going to work, paying the bills, trucking the kids off to the next activity, moving the lawn, going to church- is this ALL that God has in mind for me in this life? For some men, I can see the resignation in their eyes. For some, I see some fight left in them, but they just aren’t quite sure what to do next, and for some, they are just trying to stay busy so that they don’t have to really stop and think about the nagging sense too long.
But if you’re like me, sometimes something comes along and it stirs you. It could be a song, or a movie, or seeing something of deep pain or deep beauty and mystery. Maybe it’s just a whisper at first. But it stirs you and you get that feeling- to not be satisfied with “fine” either. Or for many of you, life has not been “fine” anyway, so replace that with whatever word fits for your story… hopeless, useless, spent, tired, depressed, posing, pretending, religious…
So here is the incredible news of the genuine offer of Jesus Christ… are you ready for it?
“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come that you may have LIFE to the FULLEST MEASURE POSSIBLE!!!”
What we have to realize is that when we have these moments of weariness in this world; when it feels like life is beating the life out of us (and rather quickly I might add), it is not LIFE that is pulling us down. It is Death. What we NEED is MORE LIFE. And that LIFE is not only for later, but for now. As David proclaims in Psalm 27:
“I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Take heart. Be strong. Don’t lose hope. This from a man who knew tremendous trouble and pain in his life, yet knew that the answer was more Life from the only Source who can truly give it. So wait for the Lord. And that word “wait” doesn’t mean hang around in the kitchen eating chips waiting for your wife to finish getting ready. A more accurate reading would be “remain with” or “get close to”. David is trying to tell us that the only way to Life is to hang tight with Jesus. Close by. Next to.
But know this… to get “close to” you must press thru the strategies and systems aligned against you- not only externally, but internally. It’s for this reason that we created IGNITE! If you are a man who’s ready for “More Than Fine”, we invite you… no… we IMPLORE you- come to IGNITE! You will finally understand who you really are, and what is aligned against you, and most importantly, how to break free to live the life you were meant to Live! Your life will never be the same. What have you got to lose? “Fine” sucks. “Living Free” is where it’s at.
Join us and discover your very own Revolution!
Living the Revolution!
David Ellis