I often speak to teens on the streets of Europe that say there is no God. This is a normal opinion among European teens. They are so sure of it because they have never seen any evidence of God’s existence. I love it when the conversation gets to this point because then I tell them my story…and how my life is proof that God exists.
You see, we want so much to know the meaning of life, the significance of events and the grand design of things. We pretend to be wise. We claim to know this or that. We think we know why we are here. We may even have a life plan.
We want so much to be in control! We make sure the categories of our lives fit into neat little files. We basically draw boundary lines around the zones of our lives. The problem is that we think in such limited terms and in such finite ways.
When we cordon off our lives (we might as well put up the Police “Crime Scene—Do Not Cross” yellow tape), we do so to help us feel secure; and this protects our safe, little lives. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit our impetus is fear.
In our struggle to make sense of life, we have developed a formula, a schematic diagram – an algorithm, if you will—for the order of things. This removes from us the element of the unknown, reducing life to simple cause and effect. But in doing so, we also place limits on an infinite God.
The problem with our pitiful equations is that they often rule out the mysterious, the unexplained…the supernatural. God is so much greater than our preconceived ideas! I believe God enjoys coloring outside the lines we have drawn. We see in black and white…sometimes even in shades of gray.
But God sees in vivid color and He wants to introduce this color to our black and white world. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is good not to have all the answers. This opens up a whole world of discovery and possibility.
One of the purposes of redemption is to do away with our cold, hard hearts of stone and replace them with living, feeling, malleable hearts that are capable of experiencing an infinite God and discovering life in all its wonder. It’s in this journey of discovery that we truly begin to experience “life—even abundant, overflowing life!” (John 10:10).
We need to pray the prayer Ephesians 1:17-19.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
This gives God permission to start opening up our lives by removing the boundaries we have made. Which, in turn, enables us to live out the God-created lives we were meant to enjoy.
After resigning from his Associate Pastor position in a mega-church in the north Dallas, TX area, Jon and Robin moved their family to Germany in October 2001. There they focused on empowering European church leaders through mentoring and coaching, as well as teaching in seminars, conferences, roundtables and Bible Schools. They also planted a number of churches and youth groups throughout central Europe.
After planting and pastoring a “church for those who don’t do church” in Freiburg, Germany, they returned to the Texas Hill Country in August 2014 to help U.S. churches prepare for the coming Post-Christian cultural shift. Jon’s book, The Coming Post-Christian Tsunami is available in print and Kindle formats from Amazon.com.
Although they reside in the Texas Hill Country, they continue to equip Christian leaders throughout Europe and North America.
Jon and Robin have been married since 1993 and have three children: Ryan, Ashton and Emma.