Courage Day 2011

Happy Courage Day!

Three years ago today my family and I said goodbye to CA and headed east to follow a crazy calling to plant a church. We celebrate the day every year now as a family holiday - Courage Day. Though this year our big celebration will be on Saturday (Kimi is planning something secret, anyone know what it going on?), today is that day and I didn't want it to pass without calling attention to it.

The church that now exists is the greatest church on the planet. I'm so proud to be part of this community of people and I'm blown away every day that I get to be part of it. Thank you STORYCHURCH for having the courage to follow Jesus wherever He leads us.

This thing is just getting started!

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7 Myths about Courage

We finished up our Courageous series recently and I have personally been deeply impacted by all the things we've learned as a community. I think for me it was the most important learning we've done together as a church since we started. If you are interested in hearing the message series, make sure you check out our podcast.

I've had some big posters (giant sticky notes really) on my wall for the past couple of months as we worked through Courageous and on one of them I had posted 7 myths we believe as it pertains to Courage. I'm getting ready to clean house a bit and switch gears so I wanted to record them and put them out there before they are gone for good.

7 Myths about Courage

1. Courageous people aren't afraid - I think we tell ourselves this in order to excuse ourselves from actually acting on the things we know we should be doing. As if people who demonstrate great courage didn't have to deal with fear. The truth is that courageous people have fear, they just don't allow it to win.
2. Courageous people have a special calling - I think this is related to #1, but a little different. This is more about ignoring the dreams and ideas that we have and just giving in to the life of "normal". We tell ourselves that those people who do courageous things must have a special calling from God, whereas I'm *just* called to be a _______. I don't buy it. God is calling all of us to live courageous lives of faith, and some of us actually go for it.
3. Courageous people have clarity about the future - Every one of us has uncertainty about the future. For many of us, that uncertainty is the source of all the fear we experience. But courageous people don't have some magical ability to see how things are going to end up. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that courage is taking the first step when you can't see the rest of the staircase. You will never have the clarity you want. Don't let that be the excuse that keeps you from ever taking the next step.
4. Courageous people are born that way - This is the "some-people-have-it-and-some-people-don't" mentality. We tell ourselves that courage is like the ability to dunk a basketball. God made some of us to dunk, and some of us to play golf. Unfortunately it isn't true when it comes to courage. Courage is more like a muscle. We're all born with it - but regular exercise helps it to grow.
5. God wouldn't ask me to do something risky, "foolish", or "crazy". - Really? Have you ever read the Bible? Ask Daniel how the lions den was, ask Joshua about marching around a city for seven days, ask Gideon about intentionally fighting a massive army with only 300 men, ask Moses about standing up to the most powerful person in the world with nothing but a stick, ask Abraham about nearly sacrificing his own son. Jesus said that his followers would face persecution and even death. He said that to follow him meant to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He said it meant to give everything away. He said that our enemy is like a lion seeking someone to devour. Sounds pretty risky to me.
6. Courageous people act with the full support of others - It would sure be nice if this was true, but it isn't. People don't like change. Courageous people are change agents. They aren't satisfied with things the way they are. They take risks. They step out in faith. And you know what that does? It makes "normal" people nervous. When you take a step of courage, it begins to threaten my perfectly controlled safe world. And so I will start to say things like "You don't really want to do that", or "think about what that will do to your kids", or "it's not worth the trouble", or "the issue is so big, what can you really do anyway?". You will face serious opposition to your courage - and it will probably come from the people closest to you. Be ready for that.
7. Courageous people don't fail - The truth is that courageous people probably fail more than most people. You can't fail at something you never attempt. So courageous people try, then fail, then try again, then fail, then try again - and maybe get it right. Don't ever let failure make you retreat back to "safe". You will fail. Push on - the dream is one step closer to becoming a reality.

What are your thoughts? Have you experienced any of the above? What would you add to the list?

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A couple more thoughts

For my STORYCHURCH family, here are a couple of bonus thoughts on yesterday's message and Joshua 7:

• Both courage and fear are HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. Be careful which one you are projecting.
• Achan's sin (cowardice really) affected thousands and thousands, but it affected those closest to him the most - his family. THEY PAID THE PRICE for his lack of courage.
• Contrast Achan with the unspoken hero of Joshua 6 - Rahab the prostitute. Her courage to hide the spies was the primary reason for Israel's success. And her family was saved as a result. THEY REAPED THE BENEFIT of her courage (6:17).
• Speaking of Rahab - that one act of courage resulted in her rescue, her family's rescue, and an eventual place in the lineage of King David - and oh yeah, some guy named JESUS.

And a couple more thoughts:

• Not everyone will be excited about your courage. Some might oppose you, and some might even try and make you fail - even those you thought were on your side (see Achan). When you start to follow Jesus into courageous things, it makes THEM feel uneasy - and THEY don't like that. So THEY will do whatever it takes to get YOU to stop dreaming and start fitting in with everyone else again.
• Don't be surprised when the ones that support you and believe in you are the ones you'd least expect - like Rahab the prostitute (and the enemy of Israel).

And one more thing:

• Don't ever be the Achan to someone trying to be Joshua. Honor, encourage, support, cheer on, rally behind, celebrate, lift up, and fight with the people you know that attempt great and courageous things for God. There will be enough people opposing them - THAT ROLE IS ALREADY FILLED.

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Courage pt.1

This week we launched a brand new series at STORYCHURCH called Courageous. In case you missed it, you can listen to the message here. My plan is to reflect a bit more each week here on the blog to both reinforce what we're learning together and to give opportunity for further learning and discussion together. So jump in to the discussion!

I believe that when it comes to Courage, there are several myths we believe about those that seem to have it and those that don't. Let's tackle a couple of those here.

Myth #1: Courageous people aren't afraid.

It's funny really to think about, but many of us really think this must be true. We see people that take courageous steps and we assume that they don't feel the fear that keeps me and you grounded. We say things like "I could never do that" and we justify our fears as something we could never get over. But the truth is that courageous people are just as scared as you and me. Maybe even more so. Because unlike you and me, they actually put those fears to the test. Instead of being potentially dangerous, or potentially risky, they remove the "potential" and just go ahead and live the dangerous and risky. I love how in the Scriptures there is this constant command to not be afraid. Joshua is told around a dozen times between Moses and God himself to not be afraid, to be strong and courageous, to not fear. The only reason you tell someone to not be afraid is because they are afraid.

Myth #2: Courageous people have clarity about the future.

We often tell ourselves that we would go ahead with that dream in our hearts if we only knew what would happen next. We assume that courageous people take acts of courage because somehow they know that in the end it's all going to work out. The truth is that courageous people are just as fuzzy about the future as you and me. They do have clarity though - clarity about a vision, a desired future. But how they will get there? They have no idea. And yet, they take the steps they need to take to begin to see that vision become a reality.

The reality

Fear and uncertainty will never go away as long as you follow Jesus. The truth is that as you follow Jesus and as He begins to transform you, you will begin to dream crazy things. He will start to birth a vision in you that seems ridiculous. And at some point you will have the opportunity to either follow Him in obedience or stay where fear and uncertainty leave you alone. But I can promise you this, that as you choose to be courageous, the call of Jesus will be stronger than the fear and uncertainty. He will strengthen you and will never fail you.

Courage is being willing to do what you already know you should be doing. Many times we hear from God and it scares us so much, that we decide we'll go ahead and start "praying about it" for the next five years. Stop praying about what God has already told you to do. Be obedient.

What are your thoughts? How has fear or uncertainty paralyzed you in the past? What do you think God may be calling you to today?

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Happy Courage Day

August 1 is Courage Day. At least in my house it is. Two years ago on August 1, 2008 I climbed into a truck with all my earthly belongings and drove away from a comfortable life in southern CA to plant a church in Durham, NC. Yesterday morning I was busy setting up preparing for the weekly services of that church when my daughter came running in with a card yelling "Happy Courage Day." Apparently my wife has turned this day into a family holiday - a day to celebrate a step of courage that our family took together. How awesome is that? So yesterday was a day of celebration in our house. And every year now on August 1 we will celebrate together.

Do you know what is strange about courage though? When you take one step of courage, you want to take another. It's as if the first one is the hardest. When we are finally willing to take the "risk" to do something different, to do something extraordinary, it's as if a switch is flipped mentally and we are suddenly freed to pursue all kinds of dreams. What seemed to me to be a HUGE step two years ago seems tiny compared to the dreams I have for our church now.

So Story Church - we celebrate with you on Courage Day. God has been so good to us. Your willingness to take a risk and join us on this adventure is such a blessing to us. But - are you ready for what's next? I believe the greatest need for courage is still ahead of us. God is birthing some huge dreams in us right now and I can't wait to go there with you. The best is yet to come!

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