​I have a VERY busy mind. I tend to be OCD about my work and life really. I am constantly planning, thinking what's on my to-do list or at times analyzing different situations and trying to figure out how to make things better or even just take them to another level. This is not a bad thing to be like, I just strive for perfection in all I do and it causes me to focus too much or as my wife calls it "obsess" until I believe perfection in the situation is reached. So one of my "new years resolutions" was to "disconnect" or "turn off my brain" when I'm praying and when I go home. I wouldn't say I've done splendid on this new goal of mine but never the less, making big strides at it.

In turning my focus completely to The Bible when studying and not allowing myself to be sucked into my strive for perfection in my daily work I've been able to see and learn things that I probably wouldn't have unless I was disconnected and not preoccupied. The other day I was doing some reading and studying, I came to John 21 (a story that I've heard a million times) and something different jumped out at me. 
John 21:1-7 NIV - Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” 

I've heard and read this story many times and thought, "wow, that's cool that they caught that many fish" and even "this is why you listen to Jesus, He'll bring in the haul". But as I was reading the story this time, a thought came to me - you could consider these guys as pro fishermen (it was their job) before following Jesus, so why wouldn't be know where to cast especially when they haven't caught anything all night? So as any OCD person would do, I sat there thinking about this, analyzing their situation and the subsequent outcome. A story I've read and heard many times before became something new to me. 

See, these guys were out doing what they knew and loved but came up short on catching anything. It wasn't due to the lack of time or effort fishing because the Bible said they were out at night and by early morning they still hadn't caught a thing. It wasn't due to the lack of knowledge because they were fishermen by trade. It wasn't until Jesus (on the shore, not on the boat with them) directed them to cast on the other side that they caught what they been working for all night. It's all about STRATEGIC CASTING. 

The ONE thing I learned in this story and about strategic casting: "Just because you're casting doesn't mean you're catching."


These guys were casting and casting and not catching a single fish. They burnt through so much time and energy casting into empty waters. Too many times as Christians, we get use to doing what we know to do and stay in that groove. This is not a bad thing until the groove turns into a rut. We find what works for us and is successful and by nature we stay there, especially when it's successful. But once we allow the groove to turn into a rut, religious routines or traditions we become blind to the outcome or end product. There's times when we must tweak or even (the most dreaded) change something to get back into the God groove instead of the self made ruts. 

Not only do we as individuals do this, but the church as a whole. The church gets into these religious traditions and routines that were very successful for a season, but as the times and seasons change, we must adapt to those changes. Just like in any situation, there's 3 different ways we look at this topic. On one hand we have those that go too extreme on being too "relevant" and lose the standard and sight of the message and purpose. On the other hand, we have those that go in the totally different direction and doing church as they did way back when because "that's what we were founded on and brought up on". Which brings us to the third different way, a mix and blend of both sides. Finding the identity for the church and purpose that God has for the church is key. There's more than just traditions or fads that we must take into consideration. You have to know the area and lifestyle of the community you're ministering to. Just because you're "casting" to a more modern and younger generation (by having all the next level lighting and technology, sing all the newest modern worship songs, the best graphics and top of the line facility) doesn't mean you're catching. But "casting" to traditions, routines and having "church with the oldies" doesn't mean you're catching either.

This isn't a blog or rant about changing how we do church in the aspect of modern vs. traditional but why we do what we do. The debate on modern vs. traditional will always be a debate because like it or not, our world is daily evolving and changing...moving forward. What we consider traditional was once considered "modern" and they debated about it back then. In 15-20 years, what is known as modern will start turning into traditional and the debate will continue. But lets all move from this debate and talk about what really matters at STRATEGIC CASTING! Like I mentioned before, just because you have all the elements of a modern, a traditional or even a blended church doesn't mean YOU ARE CATCHING when you're casting. 

The bottom line is, are we listening to God? Are we willing to do what God is telling us, directing us, showing us to do to win the COMMUNITY that we're in? Are we willing to put aside personal agendas to walk with our God agendas? Just like the disciples, we have a choice to stop and listen to God and act upon what he's telling us or just listen with good intentions but still do it the way we always did it or even be so clouded with finding the next fad that we miss the mark?

It's time for the CHURCH to stop and listen to what God is telling us and be open to do what we are CALLED to do, not what we WANT to do. All I want is to be part of a movement that lifts the name of God without personal agenda and do what we're all called to do and that is to go unto all the world preaching the gospel, being Jesus' hands and feet and point others to the ONE that can save them instead of a program, a tradition, a personal opinion or agenda. It's time to take a backseat and actually do what Carry Underwood sings...Jesus take the wheel and start STRATEGICALLY CASTING rather than doing it to impress a younger generation or appeases an older generation. We only need to worry is we're impressing and appeasing God. Are you strategically casting?

With fall finally getting here and the weather cooling down, me and my family like to go hangout in the backyard cooking out and letting the kids run their energy out playing. One evening when my wife and I were playing with the kids, I notice my daughter was on the other side of the yard roaming from spot to spot. She would walk to one area in the yard, squat down and look at something. But then she'd stand right back up, walk over to another spot, squat down and look at something and do it again and again. My curiosity got me so I walked over to her to see what in the world she was doing. With my 1 year old daughter, you never know what she's doing. She's our curious child, our accident-prone child, our wondering child so who knew what she was doing. Once I got over there I saw what she was doing or actually following was a small grass hopper. She thought it was the most amazing thing and couldn't wonder why it would hop away when she got close to it.   

After we all went in and got my son to sleep and my wife was putting my daughter to bed, I started thinking about that little grass hopper and how it would jump from one piece of grass to another and it got me thinking....we as humans can be a lot like a grass hopper in jumping from one blade of grass to another and even jump from one yard to another yard. We've all heard the phrase "the grass is greener on the other side" and that's probably one of the biggest reasons why a lot of people can't ever be happy. The more I thought about it the more God started to reveal and show me things. 

1 - The Grass Isn't Always Greener 
I can talk about this for days but I won't. In our fast pasted, instant gratification society we tend to always find the better in other situations. Someone always got it better, someone always get it faster and someone always got it easier. Even if it's true on some level, it's never the case. Why do I say that? Think about it. Yes, some people have it better, get it faster and have it easier than you but they have the same amount of work to do as you. For example: when you build a new house and it doesn't have any grass, you have 2 options; 1-bring in rolls of grass/sod and plant it (which is instant yard) or 2-bring in seeds and plant it (which is the cheapest yet longer process). With these two different choices, they both have the same outcome. It doesn't matter which option you choose or about to choose, you still have to water and nurture the sod or the seed. One of the most quoted piece of scripture is Psalms 46:10....Be still and know I am God. When we want to jump ship, or grass in this metaphor, we must wait and think about it. Did God place you on/in this piece of "grass" for you to abandon it in mid season? No, it might not be what "you desire" at this time. Yes, God does give us the desires of our heart....but how can He give you a nice, big, green, easy (to our eyes) to maintain yard that's HUGE and awesome when you can't take care of the small and minimal yard?  

2 - You're Placed Where You Need To Be 
When you're in the trenches and pushing forward, sometimes you forget where you've been. Because of that, we loose site of what we're suppose to do and why we're doing it. Once we get to that point, we start playing the comparison game or for some people, start comparing MORE. Thanks to social media, we're able to see the successes of everyone (because people don't post about unsuccessful events or failures in their life or ministry) and start wondering "When is that going to be ME??" When you let the chatter of your peers/hero/other people's successes start to speak louder than God's voice, you'll start wondering or start to push your way to that piece of grass WHEN in all actuality, God has you where you are to grow yourself and/or the ministry to what He needs it to be and not what YOU want it to be. A perfect example of this would be in the book of Genesis in the story of 2 brothers, twins actually. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob was envious of his older twin brother Esau. Because Esau was born first, he got all the birth rights. Jacob wanted to be where Esau was so badly that he ended up cheating his own brother out of he's birth rights! 

3 - When We Get Spooked, We Jump 
Just like that grass hopper would jump away from my daughter when she got close, we tend to want to jump when we get spooked, when things get tough, when things don't go our way. It's probably the smartest thing to do for the grass hopper to jump away from my daughter instead of letting her grab it and poke it and probably shack it until it didn't know what was up or down. BUT then after she "examined" it, she'd put it back down and let it hop on it own way and never bother it again. Just like when we go though storms or valleys in our walk with God, if we would stand there and weather the storm and let it pass, it won't bother us. But if we keep running from the storm, it will always trail us and we will always run. And the thing is, you can't out run the storm. It will get you and if you just stay where you are and not be spooked and run, God will bring you though it and make you stronger. Look at Job. The entire book of Job is one of the BEST examples of going through MULTIPLE storms, Job staying where he was and God not just replacing what he lost but giving him MORE. Job could've easily packed up and ran but the question is, would God replaced what he lost and if God did, would he give him more? 

One of the hardest things to do is to not think sometime down the road in life that the grass is greener on the other side. Sometimes it's easier to jump to the next piece of grass than to stay where you are and let God take control and guide you. You will never feel accomplished or fulfill in your purpose in life if your chasing the next best thing and the next best piece of grass. And then even harder thing to do is to not jump to the next best piece of grass when you see a small door open to that next best piece of grass. My wife is always telling me and reminding me to not settle or chase the good but the great. 
--- Good is the Enemy of GREAT ---