The Best Never Rest

Broken Voices - Monday, June 29, 2009

By: Andrew Morgan

I saw a bumper sticker last week that caught my eye: “The best never rest.”

Since then I have been asking myself, “How well am I resting?” Life moves a million miles per hour in my world, and I am starting to see my drive to pursue what God created me to be leading me away from God Himself. I am asking Him today for a life that is quiet and still enough to hear His voice.

I often think I am the exception, able to squeeze just a little more in my day, and in doing so I miss the greatest gift God has for me – Him. He is more in love with me than what I am working on for Him. He is in pursuit of my heart and longs to restore my soul. There is no more creative force in the world than a truly restored soul. Creativity requires rest, there is no substitute.

When I truly rest, the most amazing thing happens. God makes clear what was complicated, He simplifies what was complex, and He re-ignites fresh vision that I could never create on my own.

Are you taking time to truly rest? Begin asking God to restore your soul, create quiet, be still, and let Him love you. Pursuing what God called you to be is a marathon, not a sprint. Rest well – we need you in it for the long hall!


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Faith Moves

Broken Voices - Friday, June 26, 2009

As we mentioned on Wednesday, Broken Voices TV was filming at a summer camp for inner city children earlier in the week. While we were there we had the privilege of spending some time with Dave, the camp’s founder. He drove us around the camp sharing story after story of God’s provision and the steps he had gone through seeing the vision become reality. (A vision that he’s been pursuing and developing for over 6 years) His insight about faith in the midst of actively pursuing an impossible dream was moving.

Here are a few paraphrased moments from our time with Dave:

Faith is taking the vision and dreams God is giving you and starting to move forward, believing that God will come through on the details to make the dream happen. If you wait until all the details are in place and all the money is lined up, you will never accomplish your God sized dreams. I made a decision earlier this year to host our camp on our new property rather than rent the facility we’ve used the last several years. We hadn’t broken ground yet. I had no idea how to build a camp. We didn’t have all the money we needed. But I felt released by the Lord to go for it.

God brought in all the people and materials I needed to get started and we began booking campers. I could have kept delaying our start time and pushed kids back or I could believe that God was going to come through. Camp started yesterday. We got inspected and approved for occupancy that same day. And now, look up at that zip line. You see that little dude flying down that zip line? He just conquered a huge fear of heights by going up there. He wouldn’t be up there if we hadn’t moved in faith and trusted God to make this dream a reality. 


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BVtv in Production!

Broken Voices - Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Yesterday we were in Roberta, GA wrapping production on Episode 3 of Broken Voices TV. The upcoming episode features Adam and Becca Stanley who have been following Jesus into the inner city of Atlanta. Yesterday we found them in the middle of one of the more vivid pictures of restoration and healing I've ever experienced - tough inner city kids playing and being kids at summer camp. It was awesome and I can't wait to share the whole story with you. Do not miss their episode which begins airing right here on Tuesday, July 7th! 


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Broken Hearted Dreaming

Broken Voices - Monday, June 22, 2009


May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

-       A Franciscan Benediction

Those very old words are more profound today than ever before. Dreaming begins with a broken heart that reflects the broken heart of God. What is it about the world that you know could and should be different? You are the person God chose to be a part of that answer. 

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The Impossible Dream Pt. 2

Broken Voices - Friday, June 19, 2009
By: Josh Roland
If you missed part 1 of this article - Click here to read 

No one is called to be an ordinary Christian. There was never supposed to be a “normal” Christian life. God did not ransom sinful man to merely provide a relaxed 80 years of moral living. The life of His Son was too high a price. Our unique purpose has been planted in our hearts and we are not complete until He completes that work in us.

 

So often the dreams raging deep in our hearts seem too big to pull off, too crazy; so we will attempt the possible based on our resources and abilities.  The impossible is not pursued.

 

The possible is not enough. If we succeed at the possible we receive the glory. God asks for the impossible because only then is the glory truly all His. The Bible is full of the impossible and not much of the probable: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Gideon, David, Peter, John and Paul. The list goes on and on. Is the God of the Bible not still our God today?

 

Perhaps miracles are scarce today because we often plan around God’s power. Far too few dreams are launched anymore without a clear man-centered path to success. I often replace faith with realism, replace miracles with practicality and replace God’s power with my ability. What would happen if I intentionally attempted the truly impossible for God? What if I moved forward with a ministry dream without all the needs already accounted for?

 

God is calling you to the impossible dream He placed in your heart. Faith is not merely belief that God can do something, but faith is taking action that requires God to do the impossible for that action to succeed.

 

What dream do you have today that would require the impossible to pull off? 


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Fall Tour Dates

Broken Voices - Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Here are the first round of dates for the fall campus tour. To say we are excited is an understatement! God is moving and we are believing huge things in the lives of students. Thanks for your encouraging words on this, please continue to pray for wisdom and direction as we prepare and plan!


9/10/09 Hillside Methodist - Woodstock, GA

9/15/09 Georgia Tech - Atlanta, GA

9/22/09 Shorter College - Rome, GA

9/28/09 Toccoa Falls College - Toccoa, GA

9/29/09 Mississippi College - Clinton, MS

9/30/09 Jackson PM Young Adult Event* - Jackson, MS

10/1//09 Mississippi College - Clinton, MS

10/6/09 Belhaven College - Jackson, MS

10/7/09 East Texas Baptist University - Marshall, TX

10/8/09 Metro* - Shreveport, LA

10/12/09 Letourneau University - Longview, TX

10/14/09 Mary Hardin Baylor - Belton, TX

10/20/09 Hardin Simmons - Abilene, TX

10/22/09 Moody Bible Institute - Chicago, IL

10/26/09 Judson University - Elgin, IL

10/27/09 Huntington University - Huntington, IN

10/29/09 Grace College - Winona Lake, IN

10/30/09 Bethel College - Mishawaka, IN

11/3/09 Anderson University - Anderson, IN

11/5/09 University of Kentucky - Louisville, KY

11/12/09 Clemson University - Clemson, SC

11/17/09 Gardner Web University - Raleigh, NC

11/18/09 Charleston University - Charleston, SC

*more info coming soon

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Treasure Hunters

Broken Voices - Monday, June 15, 2009

By: Andrew Morgan

I recently read an article about real life treasure hunters. Yes, some people actually grow up to hunt treasure! The article said the greatest treasure hunters possess the ability to perceive value in items others overlook. You and I might simply see a rock, but a great hunter might see a rare gem.

God is the treasure creator – in geology and people. He created every single human unique and with divine purpose and value – a value worth the blood of His Son. God is calling you and me to see the truer more beautiful things in people.

The apparent value of people we meet does not dictate their worth to God. My interpretation of personality, beauty or talent is broken. It is easy for me to prize skilled, or successful people. It’s not natural to pursue the seemingly average or mundane.

God is endlessly in love with every person alive. He knows what their life could become – what He created them to be. The same people I write off, look over, or learn to tolerate are the same people He dreams for, calls to, and believes in. Those are God’s treasures.

Today I’m asking God for his way of seeing the world to invade my own. What would it look like for you to become a hunter of God’s treasure?

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The Impossible Dream Pt. 1

Broken Voices - Friday, June 12, 2009

By: Josh Roland

At some point must we let our dreams go “gently into that good night” in the face of adult responsibilities and the reality of life and family?  

Does growing-up involve surrendering the hope of eternal significance and the dream of impact for Christ as increasing responsibilities choke our schedules? 

I think not.

I recently heard C. McNair Wilson, a brilliant speaker and author, say that God’s act of Creation extends beyond the six days in Genesis. God creates each of us for a purpose; for the fulfillment of the dreams He intentionally placed in our hearts. God’s creation will be incomplete if we allow those dreams to slip away, unrealized. The dreams God entrusts to us, to glorify Him, are a critical aspect of His story of time and eternity.

Do we believe in God’s specific intentionality? Belief without action is merely opinion. Do we truly believe God has specific plans for us or is that just a nice opinion?

If we believe we were created specifically for tasks that God placed in our hearts as desires and dreams (Psalm 37:4, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 2:10), then a few questions surface if we are being intellectually honest…

Am I really chasing the dreams God put in my heart?

How would the world be different today if we all pursued those dreams without fear? 

Does my life reflect belief or opinion?

Part 2 coming next Friday…

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The Scoop

Broken Voices - Wednesday, June 10, 2009

 By: Matt Deuel

Thanks for all of your incredible feedback on the new web site, your thoughts and ideas are making Broken Voices what is. Today I wanted to take the chance to let you know what you can expect going forward here on the site.

On Mondays we will post an article from Andrew Morgan or me. Everything we are writing is aimed to inspire and encourage you on your journey. Our commitment is to be totally honest and real about how these ideas are playing themselves out in our own lives. Fridays will feature an article from one of our guest writers, if you saw the post on May 29th from Becca Stanley then you already know these will be incredibly fresh, honest and new perspectives. We will use Wednesdays to do one of two things - share tantalizing Broken Voices news, when we have new and important things to share or link you to an outside article or video that is shaping our lives.   

Finally, new episodes of Broken Voices TV will air the first Tuesday of every month. Please disregard what I say in Episode 2 about the being back on July 2nd. As it turns out, there are two “T’s” on the calendar and I mistook Thursday for Tuesday. We’ll have our new story up on TUESDAY, July 7th and trust me when I say you will not want to miss this one.

As always we encourage you to join the conversation. Please don’t hesitate to comment and share your ideas with the community. Your voice is needed. It is an absolute privilege to have you take part in what God is shaping here...more to come!

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Every Moment

Broken Voices - Monday, June 08, 2009

By Matt Deuel

We’ve been working with Adam and Becca Stanley to capture their story for an upcoming episode of Broken Voices TV.  I can’t wait to share their story with you – it will begin airing on Tuesday, July 7th.

As we’ve spent time with them and their students, we have become engaged by their vision for the city of Atlanta and our hearts have been broken for these amazing children. It’s become a Sunday morning routine for our families to go and have church with a handful of these middle school students.

Yesterday I led the discussion. I use the term “led” quite loosely because that’s hardly what actually happened. The students were all over the map and I wasn’t prepared. The convicting moment for me was realizing that when we host a Broken Voices event I spend hours preparing. I set aside special time to write, pray, and think about our specific audience and consider their needs. Why then would I give a group of middle schoolers any less? I think because I’ve been spending more consistent time with these students it’s becoming routine for me. Rather than being something special it’s started to slip into something I do on Sundays.

God’s grace is sufficient and I know that I’m loved and accepted regardless of my poor presentation yesterday. I also know that he is bigger in the lives of these students than I will ever be and he doesn’t need me to lead an amazing discussion to be present in their lives. What strikes me is that I am faced with opportunities every single day to bring glory to God and show love to another person. My failure is in giving greater importance and urgency to the “big moments” of my life rather than treating every moment as a special gift.

I wonder how many more lives I could serve if I treated every moment and every person as special?  What about you? 
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