Luke Parrott

Turning the Pages to a New Chapter

This morning we had a Senior Appreciation Breakfast for our K-Life graduates.  They came en masse with their parents and lawn chairs as we sat outside on a beautiful, cool blue sky Colorado morning.  Many tears were shed as parents handed a letter to their son/daughter as they prepare to move into this new chapter in life.  It was amazing to see these kids hug and cry with their parents as their biggest cheerleaders spoke words of love into their lives.  A beautiful thing.  I had the pleasure of sharing my heart with them.  When I speak, I rarely write down what I will say.  But on this particular occasion, I felt prompted to write out my speech.  It's titled, "Our Life is a Journey of the Heart". 

"This is an exciting time for all of us as a new chapter of life is about to turn over.  But we are all in different places regarding this transition.  Some of us are racing ahead to read and write what the next chapter has in store.  Others are holding on to the now and are quite resistant to see what lies in the chapter and pages beyond.  But we are all a part of the story.  And the end of one chapter only marks the beginning of another.

God has uniquely designed you to accomplish something beautiful in this broken world. 
I would like to leave you with two questions that I hope will echo into the next chapter of your journey.  “To what will you apply your heart?”  And to quickly follow that question with a second, “What breaks your heart?

We all have a heart condition.  Our life is a journey of the heart.  And God is greatly concerned with the matters of your heart.  The Bible is full of references to the heart.  It can start out a little ugly.  The intention of our hearts are evil from our youth (Gen 8:21).  The heart is deceitful above all things.  But as the story unfolds, God steps in and exchanges beauty for what was once unappealing. 

God searches the heart and tests the mind (Jer. 17:9).  Man is looking on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (I Sam 16:7).  In fact, the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth the strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chron. 16:9).  He offers a new heart and puts a new spirit inside of us.  He removes from us our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26-27).  We begin to pray “create in me a pure heart oh God” (Ps 51:10).  He begins to deal with our broken and contrite hearts (Ps 51:17).  We confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and we believe it also in our hearts (Rom 10:9).  We begin to love the Lord with all our heart and do likewise with our neighbor (Matt 22:37).  And in one of my favorite words of Jesus, we find that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matt 6:21).

Our life is a journey of the heart.  To what will you apply your heart?  To what will you give your heart?

Our journey is not promised to be clear all the time.  There are very unexpected turns and twists.  One of my favorite Psalms speaks of  the unique way of God’s path for our life.  It is a path through the sea.  His way goes through mighty waters.  And his footprints can go unseen (Ps 77).  This Psalm refers to the time when the Israelites were trapped with their backs to the sea and the Egyptian army was closing in.  There was no way out, no way of escape.  Who would have thought that the sea itself would become a passageway on dry ground?  But that is just like our God.  His paths are beyond tracing.

I love to read the writings, speeches, and sermons of Martin Luther King Jr.  I want to share a quote with you from one of his sermons in 1956.  “I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world.  This is the end of life.  The end of life is not to be happy.  The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain.  The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.”

Come what may. 

We are all on a journey to discover what God’s will is for our lives.  And it is said that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, he will give us the desires of our hearts.  (Ps. 37:4)  But those desires of our hearts are often not where we would think to find them.

I once heard these words, “Through our greatest pains come our greatest passions.”  The things that break your heart are the very things that feed your passions. What are the things that keep you up at night?  What are the things that disturb you the most?  What do you get most passionate about?  What makes you pound the table?  What puts you on the edge of your seat? 

God has uniquely designed you to accomplish something beautiful in this broken world.

 “To what will you apply your heart?” And quickly follow that question with, “What breaks your heart?” 

Give your heart fully to the One you love.  And even when you go through times of trial and trouble, loneliness, or apathy, be sure to run back to him with all the passion that you had when you were in that place where you were “on fire” for God.  He never wants us to hold ourselves back from him regardless of where we’ve been or what we’ve done. 

Allow Him to break your heart for the things that break His heart.  And in that brokenness you will find your way.  You will find your path.

As you begin to open this new chapter in your life, may you follow passionately after Jesus Christ as he breaks your heart for the things that he desires you to pursue."

Finding Your Groove

An excerpt from Robert Gelinas' new book, "Finding the Groove".  (Yep, just one more plug for the book.)

"Seek syncopation.  Hear that which is so often missed, and accent the offbeat until IT begins to swing.  Find the groove, and set the Spirit of God free to improvise in you and through you.  Hone your skills and begin to call and see if there are others who will answer in response...Embrace the mystery and tension of your faith, and let it lead you deep into a relationship with the most creative being in the universe and the third-way thinking of Jesus.  Have time to develop your ear so that you can hear those around you and live in concert with them.  Get to the woodshed and practice!  Practice the ways of Jesus so that others can confidently count on you when you take the stage.  Dig deep into God's word, not for the purpose of regurgitation, but so you can join in with the melody of the Spirit's eternal song and add your own voice to that of the ancients.  And when pain visits, don't forget to finger its jagged edges--sing the blues--until those around you have no choice but to smile in recognition of the living crucified Christ in your life!"

Getting to Know Africa (or The Journey Towards that which Breaks your Heart)

The more I hear Africa on the news, the more I want to learn.

Darfur--genocide
Somalia--pirates on the sea
Rwanda/Congo--driving out remaining Hutu rebels from the 94 genocide
Zimbabwe--wild inflation
South African history--apartheid and Nelson Mandela

And the list goes on.  The stories we find out of Africa are quite sensational.  And sensational news attracts the media.  But, for me, i want to understand the causes and roots of everything going on in these countries.  I don't want to understand the continent of Africa without looking at the people within each nation.  If we are going to concern ourselves for the brokenness in this world, we must do some research. Why do they struggle so much with poverty?  Why does democracy seem to fail?  Why are their so many military regimes and refugee camps?  That's why I have picked up some books on the political and economic struggles in the countries within Africa.  It's also why I believe more and more Christians are seeing in new ways how they can serve the Kingdom of God by going into business, economics, politics, engineering, etc.  Did you ever consider that your economics class would actually equip you for Kingdom work?

My first trip to Africa is coming up in March.  It will be my first trip (of many hopefully) to the continent.  I was going to travel to visit my Compassion sponsored child in Tanzania at the end of our Rwanda visit until i realized how big Africa really is.  It was going to be another $1000 just for me to get from Kigali to Morogoro in a matter of 5 days.  This picture helps put the size of Africa into perspective.

I challenge you today to begin a journey towards the things that break your heart.  If it's Africa, then learn more about this massive continent.  If it's poverty, then start picking up books like Jeffrey Sachs, THE END OF POVERTY or Collier's THE BOTTOM BILLION.  If it's people's understanding of the Bible, then start looking at Seminaries that could train you in how to rightly divide his word.

Whatever you do, start moving towards that which breaks your heart! 

What is Your Dream?

Ordinary dreamers is what they call themselves.  They are Group 1 Crew.  You may have heard their latest hit on the radio, "Keys to the Kingdom". 

But more than their music, these guys have a desire to infect their audience with a passion to pursue dreams.  I love that! 

Check out their website where they give you the chance to write in your own dreams on their site.  It's cool to skim through all the different dreams that people have out there. 

God wants to use your giftedness in a way that furthers His Kingdom.  He wants you to apply your passions to the broken world around you. 

What is your dream today?

"Exhibit Darfur" and a Car Conversation

I went downtown to a small gallery this afternoon to see "Exhibit Darfur". I have to be honest, I am not well educated on the struggles surrounding genocide in the Sudan. I took in a mountain of information and realized i have much to research. Did you know that many Sudanese have relocated to the United States? There are many who live right here in Denver!

I will write more on Darfur as my research deepens but for now i want to highlight a car conversation i had with my roommate on the way back. It really made both of us think about where we should put our time and energy.

My roommate shared about how overwhelming it is to hear of all the social injustices that exist and feeling lost in the pool of needs. If I put my energy towards genocide in Darfur, I feel guilty when I hear a week later about the need for mosquito nets in sub-Saharan Africa. Or why am I putting so much effort abroad when I just drove past at least 3 people at different intersections holding up "Hungry" signs?

All the more reason to realize that awareness of our global community is not enough. It is equally important to contextualize this observation with your faith. And then to understand how it aligns with your passions and giftedness. Because that is where you will flourish!

We all have to work within our own abilities. And we can't tackle all the world's problems by ourselves. Just the same as one missionary cannot go out and save all the lost souls he is aware of. But that's why we are called the Body. And each member must do it's part.

So what is your part? What role will you play?

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

If you haven't seen this one, you need to watch.  Some of our kampers did this skit at kamp and it was amazing!

Should I Leave Politics?

That was the question Wilberforce asked himself after he began to follow Jesus and he saw life with a new lense. As a 26 year old he had ascended to the heights as a powerful, persuasive statesman in the House of Commons. But when he came to Jesus, his priorities began shifting where he spent his time and money. No longer did he see value in his luxurious mansion or the countless hours spent partying, drinking, and being a crowd pleaser.

He thought that he must leave his poltical platform and go into "christian service" (a common feeling amongst Jesus followers today). Thankfully, Wilberforce had good men speaking into his life. They told him that his service to God could be performed exactly where he was, utilizing the passions and position of influence he already had.

It's funny how we often neglect or betray our very own passions as if we need to do something for God that is more centered. As if we all need to go to seminary. Or we all need to be missionaries to Africa. Youth Pastors. Or Pastors of a Church.

What we forget is that God has created us with passions for a specific purpose. Whether your profession is in politics, education, economics, business, the arts, or science, God wants to utilize your gifts for his kingdom WITHIN THAT VERY PROFESSION!

Three of my greatest ambitions in life are:
1. To help you discover and embrace your passions
2. Contextualize these passions in light of your faith
3. Understand how God desires to use you for Kingdom work on a global scale.

What makes you angry? What do you lose sleep over at night? What makes you pound the table? What makes your heart beat faster?

Then, GO and DO THAT!

But make sure you see that passion in the context of your faith in a global community!

It's easy for me to get up in the morning because these are the things for which my heart burns!

Wilberforce did not leave politics and he did more for the Kingdom of God because he stayed true to his passions. His christian service was in politics--that was his "mission field" (if you want to spiritualize it).

Don't leave your passions for the idea of "christian service". Find your service to Jesus within the passions he has already given you.

That is how He desires to spread the good news of His Kingdom.

Allow God to awaken your passions

I'm playing catch up this week with our K-Life leaders. Seeing how their summer went, where their hearts are at this year, and if they will be helping out with K-Life again. It's a great time to see what passions God has awakened.

Ian and I talked over lunch about his heart that is moving towards the poor and needy. He wants to spend more time with them and less time in the "christian bubble doing christian things and running christian programs".

I sat in a booth with Keith as he shared with me his love for the book of Joshua and how challenging the story of Achan's sin is in Chapter 7. He is ready to fully commit time and energy to kids who need a mentor.

I was on the phone a few weeks back with a girl who was planning on working for K-Life but plans changed quickly as her heart and passion has always been to work in the church. I'm glad she came back to her real passions and didn't just settle for a job that was made available.

As everyone is navigating new opportunities this fall, i want to urge you to be TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE. If God is moving you to get involved somewhere then it means you need to say NO to other good things coming your way. Don't overcommit and do to many activities. Don't say NO to the passions God is awakening. Be true to yourself and even if it disappoints a few people, that's okay.

I see too many people doing too many things in a mediocre fashion. We need to choose a few things, and do those with excellence. And make sure the few things you choose are those that align with your passions--not just what everyone else wants or expects you to do.

our greatest pains become our greatest passions

Discovering my own passions has been an amazing journey. But what blows me away is how often i find myself passionate about things for which i've felt the most pain. Maybe you've noticed the same thing in your own life.

I work year round with 13-18 year olds because those were the hardest years of my life. I travel every year internationally on a mission trip because the pain i see around the world (from poverty, to orphans, to spiritual darkness) ignites me to move towards our global commuity. Pain develops passion. It's the brighter side to some of the darkest moments in our lives. James 1 tell us all about what the testing of our faith develops.

My hope is that this blog ignites your passions or helps you discover them more clearly. But i hope that you would see those passions as they fit into your faith and how God desires to use you in a global community. I don't want to simply "raise awareness" of issues. Raising awareness and donating money to causes is much needed. However, i believe a generation is rising that wants to do more than this. You want to GO and BE where the pain is. Not just financially support it from afar. Not just put a band aid fix over it that makes you feel good about yourself. You want to go to the roots of the problem and dig it up from there.

My intention is that this blog will be a resource to help pave roads and provide avenues for you to discover/discuss your passions (whether it be medicine, engineering, missions, education, business, art, etc...) and see how that God given gift can be used to advance his new kingdom on a global scale until he returns.

...that's no small dream.