Just by chance?

Do things happen by chance or does God orchestrate everything in our lives? Or is there a something inbetween?

I've had a pet peeve for a while about a phrase flipped around by Christ-followers and non alike: "Everything happens for a reason." I say absolutely not. Shooting in Aurora, Colorado or in Wisconsin don't happen for a reason. They are evil, plain and simple. People aren't saved in those cases because God blessed them more than those who died. It's just pure evil without a shred of reason to it.

I do believe that God will use everything that happens in our lives, some of which He orchestrates and if we cooperate by staying in His will, we can with confidence say it didn't happen by chance. John didn't get a swimming ticket because God orchestrated things. We thanked Him for it but in the big scheme of things I'm not sure God really cared. However, I was able to use it to bless John and in turn I received a great blessing and my experience and understanding of God was enlarged. We used it and more importantly He used it.

My approach to meeting people and being in places to learn has been this: pay attention; don't make more out of some meeting but don't miss an opportunity to take it further.

While eating dinner last night in an Italian restaurant, a group of young men sang a traditional blessing. After our meal I walked to their table, learned it was a "last meal" outing for one of them getting married. I thanked them for their blessing song, said it blessed us and the one on the end said, "God bless you." "And you as well," I answered back. A chance meeting but a blessing. I could have walked away and made no connection. I chose something else and something bigger happened.

I was thrilled to stumble upon All Souls Church tonight as we walked around London and ate a small meal in Soho. All Souls is the place where the renowned theologian John R.W. Stott preached for decades. It is another place where an evangelistic fervor leads to a contagious faith, the people using their lives for the opportunity to share their story of faith.

Later on the way to High Leigh (where we are staying) I met a young man from Estonia. Striking up a conversation - which was by choice - I learned he is heading to Asbury Seminary in just a few weeks. I gave him my contact info and assured him I'd like to touch base when I'm down in Wilmore every couple of months. A chance meeting? Probably not, but I had to introduce myself and have an eye for things outside of myself. We can ruin God's plans, I think....I'm too tired....I'm not interested....I'm selfish.....I don't care.

Then I met Daniel from Romania where he serves as the Athletes in Action (AIA) national coordinator. He pursued me, found out more about me and ministry, and said - "I don't believe this happened by chance."

So there you go. Maybe it blows my theory out of the water. Maybe some things just happen and God can make something out of them if we'll pay attention. Maybe God does orchestrate every moment of everyday - something I really can't agree to because it flies in the face of free will. Fatal determinism just isn't compatible with free will.

I'll continue to pay attention. I'll continue to strike up conversations, taking opportunities that might open up other opportunities for God to be glorified. What about you?

Performance Oriented Workers (POW's)

Do you know who the control freaks are in your life? Perhaps you find the first one in the mirror. Perhaps you live with one. He or she could be your best friend, co-worker, boss, pastor, parent or sibling. Chances are you've got at least one in your life and if you recognize yourself as one then you're halfway toward becoming a recovering control freak.

I'm a recovering control-freak, a desire to control fueled by perfectionism. Recovery is similiar to a 12-step program. It's a daily choice with accountability to stay out of control. Perfectionism is one of what Henry Cloud calls a "hole in your fence." These are the "unhealthy needs, fears, inabilities and other conditions that tear holes in our boundaries." (p. 58, The One-Life Solution)


Excellence is a high value for me but I often have overstepped boundaries into perfectionism. I won't go into where it all comes from; I know I've got it and have spent years figuring out how to overcome it, sometimes becoming a control freak about not being a control freak!! If you are one then you know what I'm talking about!


Here's what Cloud says about the need to be perfect which represents a hole in the fence of my boundaries:

"It gets you dancing around, 
spending time on things that are

not worth spending time on, just 
because  you cannot stand for them to be less than ideal.


The need to get it right has 

turned into the need to have 
it perfect, and you spend hours and 
fret and stress over things that 
others are able to let go." (p. 59)

One lesson I'm learning through this book is understanding my lack of boundaries. Not moral boundaries but mission, vision, value and goal boundaries. The kind of lines in the sand that keep me on the playing field of my strengths, calling and job description. I have little doubt that I am only scratching the surface of it all.


Excellence honors God. Doing things half-hearted for our Lord is simply not acceptable. There's no shortcut to excellence. Getting there requires practicing deliberately, delaying gratification and forever challenging your current comfort zone. And that's the line between excellence and perfectionism that takes one into the world of the Performance Oriented Worker - a spiritual POW.


Perfectionists and control freaks are often that way because we haven't yet internalized grace. Grace means receiving favor and blessing that is undeserved, unearned and unrepayable. Those are three descriptive words that are difficult for control freaks to live out. When we live by grace we're not in control. When we accept God's grace we are acknowledging we're not perfect.


Do your best. Give 100%. Be disappointed if you fail. Honor God if you succeed. Move on to the next hill. That's living out grace and it's very difficult if you have perfectionistic tendencies (which can be due to any number of relationships and issues in life).


Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast."


Any gaps in your boundary fence?