http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org Pilgrimage of the Heart by Jeff Goins - Journeying from the slumber of religion into abundant life en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:38:29 GMT 30 http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=good-christian-movies http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=good-christian-movies I've seen a lot of so-called "Christian movie reviews" lately, and, frankly, I don't know what makes them innately Christian. Some have been useful, like the local Christian radio station's moral watchdogs who tell me what is "family-friendly" and what's not appropriate for young children. However, just because something is moral, does that make it Christian? Muslims can be pretty moral people, but you wouldn't confuse them with Christians. Moreover, even Buddhists can practice good ethical cond Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=i-guess-this-is-growing-up http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=i-guess-this-is-growing-up For those who hadn't heard, my car broke down about a month ago, as I was driving down I-24 to my ministry's main office in Georgia. About midway through the trip, my car engine basically blew up.   The 95-degree heat was a bit uncomfortable to endure for an hour while I waited for the tow truck, but God gave me patience. On top of that, having your vehicle unexpectedly break down in the middle of nowhere can feel defeating to your spirit. The $1000 of replacements that needed to be do Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=megashift-by-james-rutz-revisiting-good-news http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=megashift-by-james-rutz-revisiting-good-news Seth Barnes told me to read this book awhile ago. A few months back, I finally picked it up, read through it pretty quickly and wrote this review:    The first fifty pages or so of Megashift absolutely enthralled me: tales of people being raised from the dead (and these weren't Bible stories!), miraculous healings, and mass conversions to Christ awakened my sleeping spirit that was accustomed to letting God off the hook. I had been downplaying the call of Jesus to his disciples to Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=life-is-short-have-an-affair http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=life-is-short-have-an-affair I caught wind of this while I was in the airport yesterday, watching the news. The CEO of ashleymadison.com, an online "dating service" for married people looking to have an affair, squirmed a little in his chair, but unapologetically described his business. They hook up those who are looking for "a little more excitement" in their marriages by plugging them into adulterous relationships. It made me sick to my stomach.   Maybe it was just coincidence, but my wife and I went to see the ne Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=do-christians-suck1 http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=do-christians-suck1 Here's a provocative post from Tom Davis:    Each Sunday, millions of Christians in America gather to worship the God who commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We belt out praises to the God who tells us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for widows and orphans in their distress. We kneel in pious prayer before the Almighty God of the universe who describes Himself as loving, gracious, merciful, and generous. Then, we walk out the back door of the church, s Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=participants-reflections-from-this-weeks-mission-trip http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=participants-reflections-from-this-weeks-mission-trip Today is the last day of our short-term mission trip in Melbourne, FL. The youth group from Living Word Church in Columbus, OH drove 17 hours down in a van to serve Jesus for a week, and they have done just that.   Yesterday, with tears in their eyes, they said goodbye to the kids at the Master's Workshop, where they got to do VBS every morning for at-risk children. They yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit and went on a prayer walk that afternoon. In the evening, they passed out hambu Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=asking-the-lord http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=asking-the-lord At AIM, we encourage our mission trip participants to "ask the Lord." For short, we call it doing an "ATL." My team is doing that right now. I was a little nervous how they'd take to it, and what crazy thoughts might pop into their heads while they were praying.   Nonetheless, we quieted our hearts and minds and inquired as to what the Holy Spirit wanted to do through the group. I asked anyone who felt God was speaking to them to raise their hands. Instantly, three hands shot up all with Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=fighting-sickness-on-the-mission-field http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=fighting-sickness-on-the-mission-field Every mission trip I've ever been on someone always gets sick. It's like a foregone conclusion. Yet, for some reason, I didn't see this coming...    Yesterday, one of the leaders stayed back, because her stomach was feeling upset, and she was a bit dizzy. Last night, I was kept awake for most of the night with some stomach discomfort and other things that aren't suitable to post onto this blog. Let's just say I'm a little dehydrated.   This morning at breakfast, I asked how ev Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=it-is-well-with-my-soul-and-stomach http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=it-is-well-with-my-soul-and-stomach We spent the afternoon at a nursing home, singing songs for the elderly, playing Bingo, and praying with the quirky, old folks. One of the songs that Pastor John sang was an old hymn that many of the seniors recognized: "It Is Well with My Soul."   As John belted out those high notes, my spirit was stirred, and I realized that despite the hardship of this week - the poor planning, the rain, the sickness - God is still sovereign and that brings peace to my soul. No wonder the Apostle Paul Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=loving-god-means-loving-children http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=loving-god-means-loving-children I'm currently leading a mission trip in Melbourne, FL. Melbourne is a beach town with a lot of tourists coming and going, but beneath the veneer of cheap trinkets and flashy restaurants, there are a lot of hurt and broken people here... especially kids.   The group has been challenged to really listen to the Lord to find where he wants them to minister, since the needs here are less obvious than in a place like New Orleans, for example. It's been great to see them awaken more to using l Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=ct-studd-rescue-station-at-the-gates-of-hell http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=ct-studd-rescue-station-at-the-gates-of-hell I'm on a mission trip, seeing God move in small and large ways. In the modern hub-bub of fast faith and Christian cliches, it's easy to forget why we were ever fascinated with the movement of Jesus in the first place. But I remember hearing about a few heroes of the faith that challenged me so much with their lives that I knew I wanted to live a life that was more then ordinary. Guys like C.T. Studd made me want to be a missionary in the first place. The following is a list of excerpted sermons Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=learning-to-be-the-church-of-jesus-in-florida http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=learning-to-be-the-church-of-jesus-in-florida I'm still in Melbourne, FL on a week-long mission project with a youth group from Columbus, OH. The group has been great and is already pressing into the Lord, excited to experience all that he has for them this week. It is great to be out in the field again and plug into a crazy, hectic schedule full of God-surprises around every corner. It is an exciting way to live and makes me miss the Church of Jesus, the Church that I sometimes lose sight of when I get caught up in my own self-serving reli Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=on-being-wrecked http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=on-being-wrecked The church group from Columbus will be arriving in the next hour or so, and I'm getting nervous and excited. I'm nervous, because I don't want to mess up what God has planned for this week, and I'm excited because I know for many of these young people this will be a life-altering experience for them, where Christ will really "wreck" them for nominal Christianity and call them to a more vibrant and radical faith. It reminds me of how Jesus has continued to disrupt my definition of "normal" as I'v Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=wrecked-update-71108 http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=wrecked-update-71108 We've got a great new issue of Wrecked for you to check out this week. As always, we welcome your comments, submissions, and feedback. Enjoy!    In this issue: The Hand That Feeds Her by Jeff Campbell It was mostly out of a sense of duty that I visited my grandmother. I don't really believe myself when I say it its not that I don't care for her; in fact, I care for her very much. Its just hard to see her not know who I am, to be bedridden and so confused about whe Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=next-weeks-ministry-in-melbourne http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=next-weeks-ministry-in-melbourne In case you're just tuning in here, I'm in Florida for the next seven days. I spent Thursday night and Friday afternoon visiting the local ministries with which we'll be working in Melbourne next week. The group arrives tomorrow. We'll do some orientation on Saturday, training on Sunday, and begin ministering in these areas, trusting that this will just be the context in which the Holy Spirit will move and challenge us to do what he wants to do here. Here are some, not all, of the places where Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=hearing-god-in-high-drama http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=hearing-god-in-high-drama I just discovered John Eldredge's blog. How did I miss this? Seeing as I just had a car break down two weeks ago, I can relate to this post about how our view of God changes when facing difficult situations. I'm currently sitting in the Nashville airport, waiting to lead my first AIM short-term trip. I don't mean to sound negative, but everything that could go wrong has.   At the moment, we don't know where we're staying nor exactly what we'll be doing. Understandably, the group is ups Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=ministry-frustration-is-it-the-devil-or-god http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=ministry-frustration-is-it-the-devil-or-god Although the church group from Columbus, Ohio doesn't actually arrive until Saturday, I'm in Melbourne, FL already, doing some final setup work to make sure all of our ministries are ready to go once the team is on site. Check out the map below - the star is where I am. It's just past 8:00pm on the East Coast, and I'm beat. Starting with spilling coffee all over myself in my new car while my wife was driving me to the airport, this has been a long day. My luggage somehow didn't end up in t Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=walle-not-a-movie-about-environmentalism http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=walle-not-a-movie-about-environmentalism I just saw WALL-E with my wife last week, and we both loved it. According to her, it's worth seeing just for the hilarious short at the beginning, in which a magician dukes it out with the rabbit he is attempting to pull out of a hat. I concur. Here's an excerpt from a review: In WALLE's world, Earth is no longer inhabited by humans; they fled the planet over 700 years ago, having rendered their home world unlivable. Now, mankind floats through space in a giant space station/spa/shopping Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=what-is-the-will-of-god-for-my-life http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=what-is-the-will-of-god-for-my-life The following is from Jimmy McCarty and is a good treatment of my generation's struggle with finding significance. Having gone through some impacting life experiences, each step of the way, I've found myself wondering, "Is this it? Is this the thing that will give my life meaning?" Every time, I've been disappointed, despite some of the amazing circumstances. That kind of disappointment could lead to disillusionment, if I'm not careful, but that's assuming that I'm supposed to find meaning in my Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=dont-ask-what-the-world-needs http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=dont-ask-what-the-world-needs John Eldredge is often misquoted as being the source of the quote, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."   The truth is that the quotation originated from a lesser-known American theologian named Howard Thurman. It just goes to show you that some of your greatest ideas may never be appreciated in your lifetime, or even be credited to you! (Eldredge wrote Wild Sun, 6 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=what-does-it-mean-to-minister-to-the-lord http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=what-does-it-mean-to-minister-to-the-lord Watchman Nee, a prolific Christian author who had a fruitful ministry in China in the early 20th century before being imprisoned, wrote: "Let us note at the outset that there is little apparent difference between ministry to the House of the Lord and ministry the Lord Himself." Nee's point is that we can be "religious" without pleasing God. Moreover, we can even humanely minister to "felt needs" of other people but only in the power of the flesh and not in a prayerful, worshipful manner that Sat, 5 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=jamaicans-attack-aim-missionaries http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=jamaicans-attack-aim-missionaries Have you heard about this? I'm reminded of the first verses in the epistle of James that begin with: "Consider it pure joy, brothers, when you face trials of many kinds..."   39 missionaries robbed in Jamaica  By Associated Press 5:42 PM EDT, July 1, 2008 KINGSTON, Jamaica - A U.S. Christian group said Tuesday it will find a new location for its goodwill trips to Jamaica after 39 young missionaries were robbed at gunpoint in the crime-prone capital of Kingston. The America Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-to-keep-life-simple-in-a-complicated-world http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-to-keep-life-simple-in-a-complicated-world Last year, I realized that I had spent my first year in the real world, living off of less than $10,000. Everyone told me how "hard" it was to survive in the real world, how much you needed "security," and how we ought to protect ourselves and our finances, because "you never know what could happen." I didn't buy it.   While that can be true, we Christians don't walk by what we see; we walk by faith, which is counterintuitive to the ways of the world. If we're not living our lives somew Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=wrecked-update-70308 http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=wrecked-update-70308 What's new at Wrecked, an online magazine for spiritual misfits:   Living Simply and Loving Well in Africa by Sara Shelton As Americans of the more recent generations, we have been raised to focus on success, taught to think bigger, aim higher, run faster, and push farther than any other nation, any other people before us. Read more in Simplicity... Christians and Divorce by Karen Swank My parents' grandkids are children of divorce, all of them. My siblings and I have Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=is-jesus-really-the-only-way-to-god http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=is-jesus-really-the-only-way-to-god Living in a pluralistic society like the United States, I come across this question a lot: "Is Jesus really the only way to God?" It seems that with some historical, Judeo-Christian roots, we have difficulty saying that there is no God. I've met many people in America who claim a  belief in God, but struggle with the concept of a god being so hard to reach that the only path to finding him/her/it would be through a Jewish rabbi named Jesus. It seems exclusivist, they would argue. I met Wed, 2 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=a-christian-defense-of-obama http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=a-christian-defense-of-obama This whole Obama-Dobson argument has really got me digging through my Bible and scratching my head over how involved Christians should be in politics. In case you've been out of the loop, Focus on the Family's James Dobson trashed Barack Obama's theology and view of the Bible and Christianity.   I'm left wondering where to go from here. I mean, come November, I've got to vote in one direction or the other... right? What should be my stance on the economy? The poor? The war in Iraq? I kn Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-to-stay-radical-while-plugging-into-reality http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-to-stay-radical-while-plugging-into-reality The summer between my junior and senior years of college was a formative one. My girlfriend and I broke up, my best friend left the country, and I no longer sensed the Lord's tangible presence in my life. As a result, I pushed deeper into God and found incredible spiritual breakthrough. I forsook the typical pursuit of a career during my final days as an undergrad and instead dedicated my life to serving Christ in the mission field.   After graduation, I traveled the country with a minist Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=are-you-going-to-church-today-or-staying-home http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=are-you-going-to-church-today-or-staying-home I've had a love/hate relationship with church for most of my life. Before I was a Christian, I found the "gathering of saints" to be quite boring, but I thought that it made you a good person, so I begrudgingly went and patted myself on the back when I stayed awake for an entire service. When I came to know Jesus, I was excited to go to church and experience God for the first time. A few years later, I found out some of my Christian friends were more interested in having Bible studies than they Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-can-i-eliminate-apathy-in-my-own-life http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=how-can-i-eliminate-apathy-in-my-own-life The following excerpt is from a blog by a World Race missionary named Angela Tibbo. I met Angi about a year ago, as I was picking up her and the rest of her team from the airport. They were preparing for a year-long trek around the world, and had no idea what they were getting themselves into. The World Race is a bit of a bait-and-switch, Im afraid. We (the missions organization that I work with) are rather unapologetic about it, actually: we bait potential participants with lofty ideas Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=dobson-obama-and-fruitcake-interpretations http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=dobson-obama-and-fruitcake-interpretations I'm not a huge fan of James Dobson, but I think it's funny that he used the word "fruitcake" in reference to presidential candidate Barack Obama. In the interview, Obama says that Americans haven't been reading their Bible, which is interesting. How true. I myself struggle to understand which parts of the Old Testament are applicable, but I'm learning to apply the New Testament to the Old Testament and understand the whole Bible as a revelation of Jesus, not as a book or order. Of course Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT