Thank you for calling, I can help you!
This is how most people seemed to be when I worked at CompUSA.
I work in customer service. It's thinly disguised as a tech job, but really, if we're honest with ourselves, my job is all about warm and fuzzies. If I can solve the problem, great, if I can't, but the customer feels warm and fuzzy, well that's just as good.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as a problem solver, for the first few months here I was less concerned with the 'warm fuzzies' aspect of the job and more concerned with solving the problem, which was how my last job was. Warm fuzzies were mostly irrelevant. The goal was to solve the problem.
A few weeks ago we were assigned a project at work. I found it to be mostly asinine, and a general waste of my life. Later I found out I should have put more time into it. More on that in another post.
The project was to contact several support outfits of companies we were likely to work with three different ways. Phone, email, and instant support like chat.
The company I dealt with over the phone had their operators answer with 'Hello this is Sue with [insert company here] I can help you!'
I had two initial reactions to this.
1. Ew. I hate over-zealous proactivity that is clearly perpetrated by arbitrary quality assurance guidelines that these people are supposed to meet.
2. This is the attitude God has when we pray.
I know, two very different, strange thoughts. Welcome to my world.
The important thing to note here is that the person on the other end of the line isn't asking HOW they can help you, because chances are they know better than you how they can help you, so why would they ask you what you think they should do. Why would you be calling them if you already knew how to fix the problem?
When you say 'How can I help you' you're doing two things:
1. You're giving the power to whomever you're talking to to tell you how to solve their problem. Now, this can be a good and bad thing. It's good because people who have problems like to tell other people how they want it fixed. It feels good, makes them feel like they have control of the situation. The problem with this is at some point, you're likely going to need to wrench control back from that person, which they are not likely to appreciate.
2. It opens the floor for them to vent. This is always a good thing. A top-ten rule of support is listen. Just listen. Sometimes, people just need to vent. As long as they aren't vulgar or straight-up insulting, that's okay. When people feel like they've been heard, it's a good thing.
When you say 'I can help you,' you're taking that power back and essentially saying, 'tell me the problem, and I'll get it fixed. Don't worry about how, just know that I can fix it, after all, I'm the one that's trained to help you.'
I don't think God ever answers the phone with 'How can I help you?' He's God. Why would He ask how we want a problem solved?
And when you've gone to God with a 'here's how I want you to do this' attitude, how did that work out for you? Good? Did He do exactly what you were expecting? Or did He show up in some completely unexpected and awesome fashion?
Maybe this is particular to my life, but God never works how I think He will, and frankly, I love that.
Sure, I have expectations when I pray, which is something I've talked about before, and those expectations are that God will move. I expect that He will move however HE sees fit, not however I see fit.
I am of the opinion that when you pray, God says, I CAN Help you. Not, How can I help you. If we pray with this attitude, confident that He will do what He does best, how would our lives change?
'Thank you for praying, Jesus speaking, I can help you!'
Friend or Foe?
I listen to AM radio at night. Not during the day - I don't care for political commentary. I like the weird stuff that comes on at night. The shows about the paranormal and aliens and anything weird that well-adjusted adults don't want to hear on their way home from work.
I was listening to a show with a 'medium' on it the other night, and it got me thinking.
The Cat-Missile is ALWAYS foe.
When I pray, particularly over groups, very occasionally I will get an impression from the Holy Spirit that something very specific needs to be addressed. Usually, if I'm not obedient to that, it eats me up, and I feel like someone missed out on something because of me. When I'm obedient to it, it is indeed powerful. People will recognize a specific message directed to them and huge bounds can be made in the midst of corporate prayer.
This 'medium,' as he calls himself, takes calls and 'connects' with people's dead relatives. Now, he doesn't do it on request, that is to say, if you call him and say 'Hi. Can I talk to Grandpa Joe?' he can't do that. Grandpa Joe may however choose to 'come through' [to use his vernacular.] As I was listening to this, several parallels drew in my mind.
1. The way the Holy Spirit speaks during prayer can (if abused and not respected) be said to imitate 'clairvoyance.'
2. God used a medium at least once in the Bible to scare the bones out of someone. (more on that in a moment)
3. It would be painfully easy for a 'spiritual' Christian to buy into this phenomena that is peddled by radio and TV hosts.
Which brings me to the title of this post. Friend or Foe?
In 1 Samuel 28, Saul has kicked all of the mediums and spiritists out of the land. So he called for a medium to be brought to him. I find this to be one of the most comical scenes in all of the Old Testament. Saul calls for this medium, and she knows that Saul himself has banished all of her kind from the land. Saul is all dressed up in a disguise, so she doesn't know its him. She makes him swear an oath that she won't get in trouble, then asks who he wants to see. Then it gets good.
11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"
13 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit [a] coming up out of the ground."
14 "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
This straight up freaks the medium out. She was NOT expecting to pull up Samuel and have him talk to Saul. I'd imagine she was gonna pull something very generic out of her little crystal ball and send Saul on his way. Then she gets handed this.
This is one of my favorite stories in the whole Bible for two reasons.
It's hilarious.
Anyone who reads this story and doesn't think God has a sense of humor afterward clearly wasn't paying attention. Here you have God using the very thing this medium pretends to do scaring the living curdles out of her. (I think I just coined a new phrase. 'Scared the curdles out of her.' Feel free to use that.) This proves that she really hasn't ever had a genuine experience with this stuff, and that she was basically stealing people's money.
It's real.
There is genuine fear, and genuine power in the Holy Spirit shown here. This is a real, tangible experience Saul and this medium had. We don't really know what happened to the medium after this, but I believe that things changed for her dramatically.
I also believe however, that the impressions she 'got' from 'spirits' were real to her. And this is where the danger lies, and hopefully where this post comes together to a point.
The guy on the radio genuinely believes he's helping people. He really believes this is happening. To him he isn't pulling vague words out of the air, he is genuinely in contact with spirits.
Is he?
No.
At least, not with the spirit of Grandpa Joe. Friend or foe? That's the question. Who is he talking to out there? Grandpa Joe, or one of satan's demons, tasked with confusing and consternating otherwise Godly individuals?
Sounds dramatic huh? It is. It isn't drama for the sake of drama, however. When the door to these kinds of things is opened, (pardon the expression) all hell can break loose. It only takes one little invitation for things to start happening.
So really, what's my point here?
Be careful.
If you give the Enemy an inch, he'll take a mile. Constantly check your perception. Where are you looking for comfort? In the ethereal voice of Grandpa Joe, channeled from beyond the grave, or in your Heavenly Father?
When you feel guided to give advice, or lead someone, check yourself. Is it Biblical? Does it line up with what Jesus spoke and what His word speaks?
If you don't bother to check, you can't know who's on the other end of your inspiration.
Friend, or foe.
Interesting fact about recessions…
They end.
There's a billboard near 40th street and Broadway in Phoenix/Tempe that says this.
I think it's probably my favorite billboard ever.
Someone, or some company, or some church, bought a run on this billboard and put this on there.
Just that. No URL, no phone number, no product name or company plug. Just that simple phrase.
It gives me hope in humanity that there's at least one person out there who has decided that the depressing news is enough, that the dark cloud hanging over the economy is just part of the economic weather shifts. An 'El nino' of money, if you will.
It got me thinking this morning about what I'm doing to offer people hope on a daily basis.
Jesus brought hope. Every day He was on this world, he restored hope. He told people it was going to be alright, that yes, things might get hairy, but they'd always turn out well under His protection.
Especially in times like this, its not our duty as followers of Christ to participate in the gloom and doom and the naysaying, but rather it's our job to give hope to the hopeless through our faith in Christ Jesus.
For those of us who for anytime were unemployed (or still are) in the midst of this recession, this seems an impossible task. But for you, for us, it's doubly important.
I was laid off last year as a byproduct of the recession. I'm now employed again, so it would hardly help for me to say I have hope. 'It's easy for you to say, you FOUND a job, before the recession got worse.'
True. Those of you still searching for a job should do so with a smile. Put your faith in Christ and when people ask where your joy comes from in such times, you'll know exactly what to tell them.
Admittedly, I got a little depressed at the beginning of my time among the unemployed. But after a week or two, I began to understand the work He was doing in me. It was through that job loss that I learned to trust my God with everything. I had no choice!
For those of you who are employed and are still looking to improve world-wide morale, there's a simple solution.
Pray for people. Everyone. Anyone.
If you had an unlimited amount of money, and you could give it away without feeling it yourself, and it would do only good to those you gave it to, would you not give it out freely and constantly?
Prayer is much more powerful than money.
Pray for the guy who cuts you off.
Pray for the guy who hands you your coffee in the morning.
Pray for the people who are crossing the street as you wait to make a right turn.
Pray for the people you talk to at your job.
Now I don't mean stop and pull them aside and put a hand on their forehead. If you feel the spirit pulling by all means obey, but I'm just talking about a quick prayer.
"Lord please let that person find an unexpected blessing from you today."
"Lord wherever that person is heading, please get them there safely."
"Lord give this person whatever their looking for today, and write your name on it so they know it's from you."
They'll never know it was you, but they'll feel it.
Take heart and be encouraged. Recession or not, Christ is still King.
Let’s keep it moving in a forward motion…
Motion is relative.
If you're sitting in a car at a stop light, and a large bus pulls up next to you but doesn't quite stop, just keeps slowly rolling, your brain occasionally tricks you into thinking it's you rolling, not the bus.
This is because the bus is so big that you can't see anything else. You have no other frame of reference.
Just the opposite is true too. You might assume that the bus is moving, when in fact it's you rolling slowly into the busy intersection.
Motion is relative.
Why is it that so often we fail to apply the principals of our physical lives to our spiritual lives?
I'm one to complain that I'm not moving. I complain about that a lot.
I complain that things have been the same, nothing is changing, I'm not getting it, I don't understand, why is it this way.
Motion is relative.
I've discovered in listening to this song [several thousand times thanks to the long song life that Christian stations tend to have] that though I may feel stuck, motion is relative. And for anyone who can see around the huge bus next to me, I am indeed moving. Slowly, painfully, but moving. Progress is being made.
It is crucial that I [we] remember this in our daily lives. We must remember that it's all relative, and what looks obvious and boring and stagnant to us is a completely necessary journey for us to complete.
I find myself praying daily that I see with new eyes the lesson I'm missing, the key factor that's keeping me here in this spot. For the first time today did I truly allow myself to realize that perhaps this experience is the lesson. That there's nothing more to learn than just to lean and wait. Stop looking for the next step and embrace the current one.
This hardly means that I'm welcoming this revelation with open arms, as a matter of fact, it is an equal part frustrating and encouraging. Encouraging to finally see for sure that God is in fact working on me (while I never doubted this, it is easy to become discouraged) frustrating because it means this step has a good chance of lasting longer than I want.
In my desire to 'move on' I've lost sight of the one goal of my life. Its sole purpose is to serve the King of Kings. Serve Him by loving his people. Unconditionally, happily, not grudgingly. It's hard to do that when you're complaining.
So what next?
Well. Let's keep it moving in a forward motion. We'll stop complaining and embrace the reality and gifts the Creator has blessed us with. I'll see beyond the bus and notice that it is me moving. That I am rolling slowly in the direction that He has determined.
I won't, be afraid, Your hands they cover me,
It's so worth it, 'cause it's worth it?
I can't let it fade
My hands are high and, raised, 'Cause it's worth it
The Dating Game
I read this article over at Relevant Magazine today. It talks about some of those who 'Kissed Dating Goodbye' at the heart of the craze and are now wondering if that was the best decision.
I always found my parents stories of high school dating...interesting to say the least. I never had any experience that even close to mirrored what they had.
No dates on Friday nights, no dates on Saturday nights. The only time I ever had a 'date' was to a dance.
And those of you from Loyalton can attest, there wasn't much variety in our school...if you chose to date someone in your class, you were dating someone you'd known for virtually your whole existence.
Having that kind of upbringing, I never put too much emphasis on dating itself, rather I found myself wanting a girlfriend. I think there is a distinct difference here. By the standard definition ('Dating is any social activity undertaken by, typically, two people with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as their partner in an intimate relationship or as a spouse. The word refers to the act of meeting and engaging in some mutually agreed upon social activity. Traditional dating activities include entertainment or a meal.' <--thank you wikipedia.), I really did a lot of dating in high school. Granted, we did it in a group, but all of us, whether consciously or unconsciously were sizing each other up as potential mates. Maybe just temporary, maybe for the long-term.
I think society has branded 'dating' as something that followers of Christ should in general seek to avoid. 'Dating' to a lot of people means casual hookups. From a Christ-centered perception, I consider dating to be seriously evaluating someone for marriage. To the point that I'm spending time with this person practically praying for God to show me if/why they aren't right for me.
After one relationship that I FORCED to work as long as it did crashed and burned, I decided I was going to let God lead me to my next partner. And along the way, I tried to force some other things, but God was a little more stern in holding me back. Since then I've resigned myself to His will, and I'll just tell you, His faithfulness is not a joke. He is faithful beyond anything you can imagine.
All this to say that those of you who consider yourselves 'socially inept,' take heart, because God designs us with strengths and weaknesses. Even if you don't have any dating experience, God has someone for you. And that person will likely have the same amount of experience you will. It's a journey you'll get to take with that person you eventually end up with, instead of sharing pieces of it with the world. Inexperience among both parties garners intimacy.
What’s your role?
I had a strange dream last night about nuclear war.
I don't know who was involved, but I was at a bible study, and two nuclear bombs went off somewhere not too far in the distance it was very realistic. I ducked and held my breath as the heat wave flew over me, then grabbed onto something as the shockwave hit.
Then the real strange thing happened.
I took charge.
I got up, made sure the people I cared about were okay, and then started barking out orders.
I decided that my group was going out into the forest to set up camp and provide shelter and food to all who needed it. I immediately assessed all the skills in my group and made assignments accordingly.
In a matter of a few minutes we were preparing for the next blast and gathering supplies to set up a sort of home base/headquarters.
When I woke up, aside from being greatly relieved that it hadn't actually happened, I realized that in a crisis, be it global, personal or just in my group, I have the skills to take charge and be the calm head. It was almost like God was showing me, in a fairly dramatic fashion, that that was what he was calling me to be.
The challenge for me now is to find the spots to step up and actually embrace them.
I can't say that if a bomb dropped today, this morning, that I would be quite as level-headed as I was in the dream. Part of the ease of the dream was that those that I cared about were centrally-located. They were all with me. There was no uncertainty about anyone. That enabled me to cross that off my mental to-do list and go into action mode on everything else. My loved ones are quite scattered at the moment, so that would take some time to get settled, but once that settled, I do believe I would move int o action mode and make some things happen.
Regardless, I realized that to a certain extent, I should be the level-head in a crisis situation. God usually has to employ a little hyperbole to get my attention and to show me what He wants from me, I think this was a case of that.
What would your role be in such a situation? I think some people would be tending to the hurt and wounded. Others would be making lists of supplies, others would be aggresively moving to actually procure those supplies. I think this situation, while dramatic, provides an enhanced view of our intrapersonal skills.
I also remember in the dream thinking 'This is it. There's officially nothing else to live for but to make sure as many people as possible come to Christ before it's too late.'
I remember a few months back talking to my high school boys about 'what's holding you back' I asked them, and myself, what they would do if they knew for sure that Jesus would be back in a year. Most said quit whatever they were doing and spread the gospel. Then I asked them why they're not doing that now. Jesus could be back tomorrow. That talk continues to knock on my heart. Especially on days when my attitude doesn't match my heart's desires.
So think about it. A) What's your role, and B) What's holding you back?
We’re all one phone call from our knees.
This is from a Matt Kearney song called 'Closer to Love.'
I was talking to a dear friend of mine this morning about this song, and she suggested that it's about how we really don't need Jesus until we NEED Jesus. As in, we don't bother to pay him any mind until things fall apart.
This is something that's covered pretty thoroughly already. I'm not sure I've mentioned it specifically on this blog, but I know I've talked to some of my youth about it.
It comes down to not putting God in a box, or on a shelf, or anywhere. It's about letting Him be who He is. And that is someone who's everywhere...always. Not just some places sometimes, but everywhere, all the time.
The funny thing is, I find myself thanking Jesus the most when things are good, and forgetting him when things go sour. I think this represents the opposite of the general conception. I don't know why this is in my life. I just don't really think about praying sometimes when things suck. Then when it finally occurs to me I'm like...oh duh.
It seems to me that it's easier for me to just let God be God when it's convenient for me. Not so much that I break Him out when I need Him. I tend to put Him on the shelf during the hard times because somewhere I know that he is trying to teach me something with all the hardness. And usually I have to make that worse by not letting Him do his thing.
As much as I like to learn, I tend to drag my feet when it comes to spiritual lessons.
So really, I am one phone call from my knees. I just don't know which phone call it is that would get me to my knees.
Golly it feels good to be a gangsta…er…Christian…
I was thinking the other day about how we develop into who we are.
I would totally wear those.
Some of us 'get it' a little easier than others, I think.
Everyone goes through a process to find out who they are and where their identity rests, but we don't all take the same path to get there.
I was thinking about how I eventually found MY definition of self, the process I had to go through to get there, and the mistakes I made along the way.
Then I was thinking about people who don't know Christ, and how that process becomes infinitely harder when you don't have the security of Self that knowing Him provides.
I look at it this way. As humans, we have to find our place in this world in order to be existentially comfortable. I think only then is our mind tame enough to handle the minutiae of our existence.
As a Follower of Christ, this purpose is lined out pretty clearly in God's Word.
I am on this earth to:
- Love the Lord with all my Heart, soul, and mind.
- Go and make disciples of all nations.
- Love my neighbor as myself.
Pretty simple to say/write/read. Difficult to put into practice.
Nonetheless, I know my purpose. It's clear.
What about people who don't believe? People who don't know Christ? This first step becomes instantly more complicated! They don't have their purpose for living lined out for them. Well, they do, but they don't recognize it. So it's on THEM to come up with a reason for existing. That's a stress I'm not sure I could cope with.
Now for some, perhaps those not as existentially-minded as I am, this may not be a big deal. Not having a concrete 'purpose' for living might not be a bother for some. Some might simply be content to BE living. Not needing a reason WHY.
Not me.
I tried to separate my identity from my faith. I walked far, far away from my faith and used other things to define me. Other people.
I used the things I was good at, the things I liked, the people I loved...well...the person I loved.
I never allowed my identity to reside in Christ. I was not content to say "Christ made me, molded my heart, folded my mind, died for my sins." I would not let that define me. I gave myself titles like "Future Husband," "Future Actor," "College Student." "College Dropout." "College Again-Tryer."
I went through plenty of ridiculous titles and tried to sink my heart, mind and soul into accepting this identity as my own.
Eventually, everything was stripped away, and it was just me and Jesus, when I finally let Him back in. It was then that I realized that I needed to find my identity in Him. That my worth as a human was wrapped up in the fact that He created me and died for my sins. That HE found me lovable enough to die for me.
Existential crisis averted, no?
But what to people who don't know Christ do? Sinking your identity into another, faulty human is never a solid idea. Talk about building a house on sand! That doesn't work well.
I guess this is how some people become defined by ambition and their career. Sure, those of us that follow Christ have ambitions, but I don't think we let them define us.
I think a lot of times we try to let our parents define us. Especially in our teenage years. This can be a very, very bad thing.
If someone has abusive parents and they try to sink their identity into what their have taught them by way of their treatment, how warped of a self-image are they going to grow up with?!
Now, I'm not a parent, but I think that when I am, I will make sure that I am always pointing my children back to Christ. I want to keep them from finding their identity in me, and find it in Him. I think it's somewhat inevitable that people will try to find their identity in their parents, those are the people we spend the most time with during our formative years.
If you're reading this, and you're existentially lost, and you're not a follower of Christ. Take some time and read His word. I honestly am scared to think of what it might be like if I was to be stuck in this world without a solid purpose.
If you know Christ, and you're still searching for an identity, stop it. Look to Him and His word, and you'll find it. And then and only then can you really live a truly fulfilling and worshipful life, I think.
I feel like I've been up on a high horse today, but I think someone needed to hear this today...
Eating Garbage
I'm doing this devotional with a friend of mine, and today's little message was about Spiritual Garbage, and how we as Christians tend to consume is in massive quantities.
We're called to 'hunger and thirst for righteousness.'
But usually, we're not hungry. We're full of junk. our hunger is quashed by the things of this world that we sink our passion into. Fame, money music wealth, self gratification, anything.
We supplant the desire to know God with these worldly and never fulfilling pursuits.
I was thinking about this in my own life and trying to pin down exactly what it is that I sink my passions into that are taking the place of my hunger and thirst for righteousness.
It could be anything. It needn't be something as dramatic as sexual immorality or anything, it can be simple things that you might not have even considered.
I think if you were to take a few minutes right now and think about what it is that's taking your hunger for Christ and falsely filling it, the Holy Spirit is going to show you some things you never considered.
At least that's what he did for me.
I’m just really dumb.
Someone said to me today that they felt like one of the pieces in a giant game of Risk between Jesus and the Devil.
I think Jesus is probably the green guys.
I had a chance to kind of zoom out last night and see the giant spiritual battle happening right over my head. It seems so silly to me now that I'd never noticed or bothered to see. It made me feel really dumb actually.
I think we forget far too easily and often that Satan is real. Demons are real. They are out there, and they are fighting against you. I saw last night just exactly how Jesus has literally sent angels to fend off attacks from the enemy. I've seen where my mistakes allowed Satan to grab a foothold and take a stab at this dangerous thing.
Satan wants us to think he's not really there. He wants us to picture him as the horned guy with a pitchfork and a pointy beard. He doesn't want us to know that he's really the stray thought in our head that doesn't line up with God's word. He doesn't want us to know that he's that voice that tells us that we're just gonna screw up whatever God gives us. He doesn't want us to know that he is the guilt we feel when we stumble.
He's more powerful when we don't recognize his true form.
It's not like all this is a mystery. God's word makes it real clear.
We have to be vigilant. When you actually sit down and allow yourself to realize that Jesus doesn't just love you, He is LITERALLY fighting for you, your perspective will change. You will start to recognize things, thoughts and feelings for what they are, and when you do that it robs the enemy of all his power.
As soon as you realize what Satan looks like, he's going to take it up a notch. He's going to get more clever. Just don't lose hope. Remember that "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1: 6)
I realized for the first time in a while that Jesus has big plans...for me. I tell other people that all the time, but I really took ownership of that last night and I know that he has huge huge plans for me. And truly realizing that and letting it be written on my heart has lit me up and set me on fire for Him all over again.
So realize that there truly is a battle going on for your heart and your spirit and your passions and your attention. But also know that we already know who wins. 
Meet the Author
Joshua Davis
a.k.a. the kid with the cape.
joshua at joshuascape dot com
Welcome!
Latest Posts
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- Thank you for calling, I can help you!
- Where’d they go George?!
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