John and I lead a small group that is going through this Garden to City series. I love the conversations we have because of all the different life experiences and perspectives in the room. We were discussing 1 Samuel 16 and the conversation went in a direction that I hadn’t thought about on my own... It lead to a discussion on stereotypes and labels that we give to others or we put on ourselves.

When Samuel went to Jesse looking for one of his sons to become king, Jesse labeled his youngest, David, by not even presenting him to Samuel. Jesse may have loved his son, but he labeled him as unworthy to be considered as a future king.

Don’t we do the same to others?

We label strangers that aren’t immediately appealing as unworthy to be considered people we let into our lives. We label our spouses with specific roles that can put strain on our relationship because of unattainable expectations. We label a homeless person as someone to be afraid of instead of a soul who needs compassion... not pity.

When thinking about this concept, I immediately thought of an organization called People of the Second Chance (potsc.com). They state their soul purpose as this mission:

“We challenge the common misconceptions about failure and success and stand with those who have hit rock bottom in their personal and professional lives. We are a community that is committed to stretch ourselves in the areas of relational forgiveness, personal transparency and advocate for mercy over judgment.”

What an incredible concept. What would happen in our world if we all tried to advocate for mercy over judgement? I highly encourage you to look at this website and to be inspired by what the community is doing to release labels.

What would have happened if David wasn’t given the chance? If his label stuck? He wouldn’t have been called a man after God’s own heart. He wouldn’t have changed history.

God showed so many things about His own character through David, one of the most important in 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

There was a movie that I adored growing up: The Neverending Story.

It went like this:

Boy is bullied.
Boy steals a book from the store where he retreats to.
Boy hides in attic of school (because all schools have AWESOME attics for story reading)
Boy loses himself in an adventure that he can only dream of being a part of.
Boy realizes that he IS a part of the story.

Bastian, the reader of the story, passively interacts as the story progresses. By the end, he realizes that the story is his own and that the fate of Fantasia (setting of the story) lies in his own hands! The only way that he is able to accept this (and to stop exclaiming, “But that’s impossible!” or “What do I have to do?”) is to examine what has happened. Only then is he able to become the coauthor of the story.

What if we looked at God not only as our Creator but, as the passionate and devoted Author of our story? What if we looked at ourselves not as readers but, as coauthor?

Have you ever felt like you’re just going through the motions of life? Stuck or not feeling passionate? Has anyone ever asked you to share your story? Did you know how to respond? Life shapes our outlook, tendencies, choices and decisions! What if we studied the map of our life to figure out where to go next?

Peter encourages us to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,…” (I Peter 3:15). He’s not telling us to have our apologetics at the ready and our theological doctrine straight. He’s telling us to readily give our story away because we could be the one to set others passions and desires on fire!

But how do I start? What approach can I take? How can I tell what God has done in my life without sounding “preachy”? This is what we’ll talk about and work on in a workshop on sharing our story. We’ll look at our own lives and choose one aspect to develop into something coherent that we can share. At the end, if a few people would like to share what they’ve written or outlined, we’ll give them the opportunity.

We hope you’ll join us this Saturday, May 19th at 7:00 PM in the Café at Harbor of Hope. Please RSVP by Friday, May 18 so we can be sure to have sufficient supplies for everyone. We’d also like to have a time to chat over dessert and coffee, so if you want to bring a “spring-time” dessert to share please let us know.

We’ll give you some tools, God will continue to supply the plot, and you will bring glory to Him.

RSVP to women@harborofhope.org

For some, your platform is crystal clear. For others, finding your personal platform still feels somewhat cumbersome.

Allow me to suggest one reason why this may be.

A common pitfall that many of us will encounter when considering what our God-ordained platform may be is what I call the ‘Epic Trap.' It goes like this...

“The biblical characters have epic stories of personal encounters with God that are generally audible, visible and oftentimes lead to supernatural outcomes. Simply put, their stories are epic and grand...mine, however, is ordinary.”

Some of my friends and I were recently sharing together about how we so easily become ensnared by the 'Epic Trap'...the subtle, self-defeating sense that if our lives are not of epic scale or proportion according to the standards of the world, then we are somehow less (less significant, less important, less valuable) than who we should be.

As a result of the 'Epic Trap,' many of us don’t discover our platforms because we’re looking past the ordinary opportunities God has already placed in our lives for the more significant opportunities that don’t exist.

We pass on the ordinary in search of the extraordinary.

Meanwhile, it is oftentimes the ordinary opportunities that are ripe with potential for God to reveal His extraordinary power and purposes in and around us.

The truth is that God has not called you to spend your days in pursuit of the Epic Life, but to leverage your ordinary life for His glory and others’ good.

You and I leveraging the ordinary... Leaving the extraordinary to Him...

Maybe this is why Jesus called us to be servants and not Kings. Maybe it’s why He called us to humility and not grandiosity. Maybe it’s why Jesus called us to follow Him first and join a revolution second. Maybe it’s why the greatest in the Kingdom are those who mourn, hunger and thirst.

You see...it is through our ordinariness that God’s extraordinariness shines. Isn’t this what Paul is speaking about when He writes in Ephesians...

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

I wonder what kinds of ordinary opportunities stand in front of you today?

Opportunities to...

• Serve your neighbor...
• Love your wife... 
• Listen to a colleague... 
• Meet someone’s physical need... 
• Lead your children well... 
• Work with integrity... 
• Honor your parents... 
• Give generously... 
• Encourage a friend...

Ordinary opportunities...ripe with extraordinary potential.

These (ordinary opportunities) are often where our platforms are found.

Let me close with this piece of encouragement: When the day is over, this is what truly matters, and without this foundation, our platforms will crumble.

Do not get lost in your search for an extraordinary life. Rather...become captivated by your pursuit of an Extraordinary God.

After all...He is the One who has pursued you.

This...to be pursued by the King...is anything but Ordinary.

-Jed

We've got an incredible series coming up on the life of David called HEARTBEAT: Living in rhythm with the heartbeat of God.

We're really excited about walking through David's life, and learning about character, availability, honor, and humility. Download this wallpaper and use it on your phones or computers to remind you to live in step with the heartbeat of God.

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God is STILL looking for people to pray "sun stand still" prayers!

Bold prayers honor God.
God honors bold prayers. 

Small prayers insult our Almighty God. He is capable of the unthinkable, and yet we ask Him to help us find parking spots. Do you think He rejoices in those moments? Do you think His Name is glorified when those prayers are prayed?

How many of our prayers make little of God and much of ourselves?

Another thing... When you're under-qualified and overwhelmed, THAT'S when God has you right where He wants you. To follow the footsteps of Christ, we need to be in over-our-heads sometimes. We need raw dependence. You can't walk on water with one foot in the boat. You think Peter felt "safe" getting out of that boat?

How many prayers go unanswered because they go un-prayed?

Think of God as your Father. Sometimes a parent will withhold a blessing or a gift simply because they want their child to ask for it. ASK!

There's nothing too big to ask for from God.

Don't think small, don't ask small, don't pray small...

Expect God to do the unexpected!

Believe God to do the unbelievable!

Our God is able!

Sun Stand Still by Elevation Worship Mighty to Save by Hillsong With Everything by Hillsong Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin

You may not see your platform...

You may not feel that you have a platform...

You may not believe that you have a platform...

You might not even understand what a platform is...

Nonetheless...

You have a platform.

You’re a parent...that’s a platform.
You’re a neighbor...that’s a platform too.
You’re an employee...an employer...or self-employed.
You’re a student...a teacher...a stay at home parent...or non-profit leader.

You have a platform.

You’re 16 and starting to think about college.
You’re 60 and beginning to plan on retirement.

You have a platform.

You’re in the prime of your life... Or you feel that life has passed you by.

You have a platform.

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words...

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17

How you and I choose to apply this instruction will ultimately determine whether we embrace the platform that is before us.

Your platform is your life as it is today. Your platform is a God-ordained opportunity. Your platform is what the Lord wants you to do, right now. Your platform is not the opportunity you missed yesterday. Your platform is not tomorrow’s opportunity waiting to come your way.

Your platform is now...in this moment...and it’s waiting for you to embrace and leverage it for the good of others and the glory of God.

You have a platform.

In the upcoming days, I’ll be sharing more about platforms...and how we can discover and embrace the platforms in our lives. In between now and then, visit our series, Platform, as we consider what it means to be people who live our lives for the good of others and the glory of God.

God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called!

Don’t let Satan convince you otherwise. He’ll try. He’ll tell you God has an IQ requirement or an entry fee. He’ll tell you God employs only specialists and experts. When Satan whispers such lies, dismiss him with this truth: God stampeded the first century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds.

Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store. Their collars were blue and their hands calloused. There’s no evidence that Jesus chose them because they were smarter or nicer than the guy next door.

What about you? As God calls, he equips. Our maker gives assignments to people. What have you done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.

You have one. An uncommon call to an uncommon life.

This post was written by Max Lucado.