Bob Goff is one of my favorite guys. He inspires, encourages, challenges, and cheerleads for Jesus. He reminds me of Peter Pan – a perpetual kid on a kingdom adventure filled with hope and joy. He throws candy down to kayakers from a cliff above them. He helps orphans in Uganda. I want to be his friend.
If you haven’t read Love Does, DO! (Check back in on Wednesday for an opportunity to win a free copy!)
Bob spoke at the Leadership Summit a couple of weeks ago and asked, “Are we just stalking Jesus? Have we just been learning more and more stuff about Him?”
I picture a psycho with a creepy room with a stash of Jesus pictures, and Bible verses with strings to cards with the Greek translations, and maps with arrows. But then…maybe he’s talking about people like me who love to learn and can get stuck there.
Bob says, “I want to move from just agreeing with Jesus to doing stuff.”
AMEN! I don’t need deeper teaching, I need deeper obedience.
We’ve heard it before, just in other words. “Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and truth.”
On his bathroom mirror Bob has three post-it notes to remind him:
The “Do Stuff” is often the part we leave out. We just take more and more notes in our Bibles about loving God and people.
“Do stuff” doesn’t mean “Do everything“, but do something!
There’s the everyday stuff of discipleship (Love others) and then there’s the particular way God will use you as an individual in your environment.
People often refer to that as “calling” which sounds really mystical to me. Like God needs to speak in His James Earl Jones voice and say, “THIS is your CALLLLLING.” But I think it’s simpler and less mystical than that.
Start doing stuff and then pay attention to the particular way God has wired you, gifted you, positioned you.
Galatians 6:4-5 says “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
Bob says, like a Polaroid, our particular calling comes into focus over time.
How awesome is that if we’re doing stuff, AND we’re also able to give ourselves and others grace – able to see people for who they’re becoming. To remember we’re all still in process!
Like Jesus saw Peter! He said, “Peter, you’re a rock.”
Well, not so much at the moment…but He saw who Peter was becoming.
So, today, I’m going to
1. Do stuff (like taking some homemade granola to my next door neighbor who’s alone now that her sister died)
and
2. See Polaroids. I want to give grace (like to that person I’m frustrated with because they’ve been talking about getting something done, but never moving forward), knowing that we’re all in the process of developing.
Check in Wednesday to win a copy of Love Does!
P.S. One of the crazy things I’m doing is trying to run a half-marathon to raise money for clean water in Africa. My goal is for 100 people to get clean water. We’re at about 35. If you want to help click here and go to the orange “donate” button. Thanks!
