Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Let It Go

I'm a control freak by nature. Some of you are, too.

There is a positive side to this trait. The reason we are control freaks is that we want things done with excellence. We aren't satisfied with a so-so result. Whatever it is, we want it done well. That's a good thing.

The negative part is that we're often convinced that we are the only ones who can do it well. We know exactly how it should be done, therefore it is easier and safer to just do it ourselves.

This produces much stress and anxiety in the control freak. And because they are a control freak, they seek to control their stress and anxiety. Which produces more stress and anxiety. And the control freak just perpetuates this vicious cycle in his/her life.

It's time to stop. Control freaks, listen to one of your own…let it go.

Recently, I made a decision to let it go. I was holding onto something because I thought I could do it better than someone else. I had the best of intentions (or so I thought). I wanted it done well, therefore I would do it myself.

But then, I was convicted about what was really motivating me. More than anything, I was motivated by pride. Pride motivates us to take on more than we should because, after all, we can do it better than anybody else…right?

I made a decision to let it go. It wasn't easy, but I did it anyway.

And you know what? The end result was spectacular!

Turns out that I'm not the only one that can do it well. And that's a very, very good thing.

CIY Update

From CIY: Part Two

Boom, baby!

C.C. DeVille

Throw up your rawkfist! C.C. DeVille, lead guitarist for Poison, recently gave his life to Christ. How cool is that? This is a guy who has lived "the rock-n-roll lifestyle" for so many years, but still came up empty. He found that there was a void in his life that only Jesus could fill.

Dang! The depth and breadth of God's grace never gets old. I never stop being amazed at what God can do. There is no life that God cannot change. C.C. and I are both living proof of that.

Pete Wilson had a pretty awesome post on his blog about his experience with C.C. DeVille, complete with a video. You can check it out here.

CIY Update

Brian managed to snag an Internet connection at CIY. He just posted an update on the conference.

CIY from Carbondale

Keep 'em prayed up this week!

I'm Bigger Than That

Edom may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins."

But this is what the LORD Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD. You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD -even beyond the borders of Israel!' (Malachi 1:4-5, NIV, bold mine)

I read these verses this morning and God used them to nail me with this convicting thought:

My view of God is too small.

Edom had been cursed and destroyed by God. But the Edomites arrogantly claimed that they would rebuild. If they were to rebuild their city, God promised that He would demolish Edom yet again. Then he points out to his people, the Israelites, that he is great, "even beyond the borders of Israel!"

Because Israel was God's chosen people, they came to believe that God's activity was limited to them. Their worldview, and their Godview, completely revolved around the nation of Israel.

And God simply said, "You can't box me in. I will display my power and my glory wherever I choose. Your borders mean nothing to me. I'm bigger than that."

This morning, God said the same thing to me. "Stop trying to box me in. Stop thinking that you have me completely figured out. Stop limiting the scope of my power. Stop shortchanging the reach of my glory. You need to realize that I'm bigger than that."

A lot of times, my view of God is too small. There are times when I think that God won't (or can't) do something. It just seems to big. My perception of God is smaller than my perception of what I'm facing in my life. I box Him in, and in doing so, I short circuit the power that He wants to display in my life.

What problem are you facing? What pain are you carrying? Is your problem or pain bigger than your God?

In reality, the answer is, "no."

But in your perception of reality, the answer may very well be, "yes."

It's time to let God out of the box. In fact, it's time to destroy the box altogether. God wouldn't be constrained by the borders of Israel and he will not be constrained by the borders of your box.

Let God be God in your life. Because, however big your box is…He's bigger than that.

Pastor For Sale on eBay

No, it's not a joke.

The eBay listing reads, "You are looking at/bidding on a very contemporary out of the box Pastor. As you can tell by the pictures He preaches and teaches in a very unorthodox manner. He does it without compromising the true written word of God. He and his family has chosen to go this route of putting themselves on the market in hopes to find a church that is untraditional and is ready to reach their community. He and his family will consider relocating in the continental United States."

Still don't believe me? Here's the listing.

Man, you can find ANYTHING on eBay!

CIY

A group of teens and adults from ACC left this morning for a Christ In Youth (CIY) conference in Carbondale, IL. Please pray for them.

I'm a HUGE believer in the ministry of CIY. The conferences I attended as a teen had a profound impact on my life. I'm positive that I wouldn't be in ministry today were it not for CIY. And it's not a stretch to say that I might not even be a Christian today if I hadn't attended one particular CIY conference.

I'm praying for God to work in the lives of these teens through the ministry of CIY…just like he worked in me.

Tony Snow

Former White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow, passed away yesterday. Regardless of your political leanings, you have to admire the faith that Tony exhibited throughout his protracted battle with cancer.

Almost one year ago exactly, Christianity Today featured an article that Tony wrote about his fight with this dreaded disease. If you haven't read it, you need to.

Cancer's Unexpected Blessings – Tony Snow

This is the Best Day of my Life

My family went to a local fireworks show on July 4. In all honesty, the show was pretty pitiful. We didn't feel like driving further for one of the "big shows," so we stayed local. It was pretty much what I expected. One firework at a time for about half an hour, followed by a flurry of fireworks for their grand finale (which lasted about 10 seconds).

All in all, it was nothing to write home about…in my eyes. My four-year-old saw it quite differently.

At one point during the fireworks show, Ryan (who was sitting on my lap) looked at me and said, "Daddy, this is the best day of my life!"

The comment prompted a smile from me, not mention the choking back of a few tears. Wow! Talk about a priceless moment.

Talk about an "out of place" moment. How could this piddly little fireworks display constitute the best day of anyone's life?

All you have to do is look at it through the eyes of a four-year-old. He hasn't been spoiled by bigger and better fireworks. He had no idea that something bigger and flashier was available. In his eyes, the show was awesome. He was perfectly content with the simplicity of the experience.

Is it any wonder why Jesus never told children to become like grown-ups? He told grown-ups to become like little children (Matthew 18:1-4).

Don't Feel It? Force it.

I recently discovered that someone (who I don't particularly care for) has achieved a measure of success that I have long desired in my own life, but have yet to achieve.

First of all, yes…I said that I don't really like this person. Get over it. Pastors are people too. Like you, we have personalities that mesh with some people and conflict with others. I didn't say that I don't love this person in Christ. I honestly do…we just won't be attending a barbecue together anytime soon.

Now, about this particular achievement…as soon as I found out about this, I had to reign in my thoughts and emotions. Immediately, I wanted to dive headfirst into a pool of critical resentment. And immediately, I knew this was wrong.

God commands us to, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15, NIV)

We usually focus on the "mourn with those who mourn" part. If someone has suffered a loss or is experiencing pain in their life, it's not that hard for most of us to mourn with them.

Actually, the more difficult portion of that verse comes first: "Rejoice with those who rejoice." To do that, I have to be willing to put my pride on the shelf.

When it comes to this particular person's success, I must rejoice with them. And that's not easy. I have a hard time getting along with this person. Plus, they have achieved something that I have always wanted in my own life. That's a dangerous combination of emotions swirling inside me. I know where those feelings could lead, and it's not a good place to be.

So, as hard as it is, I'm forcing myself to rejoice over their success.

Yes, it is forced.

You could argue that, if I have to force it, then it is not authentic, heartfelt, or real.

That may be so, but I would rather force myself to obey God instead of allowing my pride and resentment to destroy me from the inside out.

What about you? Do you see someone succeeding where you have failed? Do you see someone (especially someone that you're not particularly fond of) excelling in their life?

Rejoice with those who rejoice.

And if you don't feel it, force it.