by Rick Snodgrass

​In 1519, Captain Hernán Cortés landed in Veracruz to begin his great conquest. Upon arriving, he gave the order to his men to burn the ships. As I imagine it, someone then laughed and Cortés promptly thrust his sword into the man’s chest. After which, the rest proceeded to get hammered on rum by the glow of the blaze--almost like a bloodier version of The Pirates of the Caribbean, with Cortés played by Johnny Depp.

Here’s the lesson: Retreat is easy when you have the option. Let that ruminate in your brain for a moment. I had to. We all cling to something that acts as our escape hatch or our exit strategy (with negative connotation here). It’s our safety net, our “just in case…” 

What we fail to do is honestly complete that sentence. We lie to ourselves. If we were honest, we would see that what we’re actually saying is, “This is my safety net, just in case I get scared.” We postpone action until we no longer feel fear. Either that, or our actions are shallow attempts never designed to succeed. In reality, we must learn to act decisively in spite of our fear.

 “That doesn’t make sense.” We love that phrase. We love to hide behind it. We tell ourselves that certain things don’t make sense. It would have “made sense” for Cortés to keep a ship or two, if not his entire fleet. But Cortés was on a mission and he knew that the only way to keep himself or his men from quitting on the mission was to take that option off the table. What Cortés did was force himself, and his men, to either succeed or die trying. Retreat was not an option. I believe that to truly achieve the level of success we each desire, there are times when we need to “burn the ships.”

The question we have to ask ourselves is this: What are my ships? What am I afraid to let go? I can’t answer that question for you, but you can. “What ships do I need to burn in my life?” As you consider your answer, move quickly to the next question. What is it that makes it hard to set them ablaze? Is it a false sense of obligation to the task? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of being perceived as a failure? What is it?

…Jesus burned the ship for me.

by Rick Snodgrass

​Educator Roy Blitzer says, “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” Blitzer must not have been a leader.

As a Christian, you take on the mantel of leader. You are to influence the people God has placed in your path with the grace that He has placed in your heart. Like it or not, you are a change agent. It is your job to create a dissatisfaction with the status quo. To stir the pot. It is your task to articulate a preferable future and to inspire others to do what needs to be done to get there. To stem the tide of complacency.  To live a Christ life so virtuous that people see you change into His likeness. Make no mistake, we are people of change. We embrace the unflinching belief that people and things can change. Not everyone believes that people can change. You do. As a follower of the great Rabbi Jesus you are praying that an entire community will be transformed. You believe God when he says that in Christ old things pass away and things become new.

Now, here is what doesn’t change:

• The affection the father has for you
• The need to live out His love in the context of community
• The neediness of my soul to be fed and nurtured
• All people matter to God, so all people must matter to me
• As I forgive, I am forgiven
• Jesus died so I might be free to be the me He has in mind

The main things don’t change, everything else has to because God created a changing dynamic called life. Be a leader, a change agent for Christ our King.

by Rick Snodgrass

I really do believe that 2018 is going to be one of the greatest years in our church’s history. Not because of blind optimism, but because of a determined outlook and because God is hearing and answering prayer. A few months ago, the new CTK Network Lead Pastor shared with me that he was determined to pray Luke 10:2 every day. So determined was he, that he set an alarm to go off on his smart phone for 2 minutes after 10:00 am each day (except Sundays) so he could stop whatever, wherever and pray. Chip and I have done that for some months now and it has not only been an exciting part of our weekly conversations, but it has charged our faith in God. It is where we get our optimism. 
​
Dave Browning had some great thoughts about optimism and the Christ walk. He said, “As a Christian it is incumbent upon us to model a positive attitude. There are three kinds of sunny outlooks we can champion. The first is optimism -- the firm belief that things will go well. The second is hope -- the belief that things might or could go well. The third kind of outlook I will call “relentless positivity.” Relentless positivity is not an optimistic belief that things will go well, or could go well. Nor does it involve denying or ignoring bad things that happen. Rather, it is a determination to stay positive knowing some bad things are going to happen.

In any social enterprise - churches not excluded - there will be challenges (disagreements, disappointments, frustrations, misunderstandings, unmet expectations…). At these setback moments, a Follower of Christ must behave more like a thermostat than a thermometer. For the Christian, the positivity is fueled by a promise from Christ himself: “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” It starts by reading and praying Luke 10:2 Will you join us in 2018?

by Rick Snodgrass

Thank you, Father, for the times You have said “no.” Those times have helped me depend on you so much more.

Thank you, Father, for “not yet” answers to my prayers. It reminds me that you know what’s best for me, even when my vantage point is different from yours.

Thank you, Father for protecting me from things that I am mostly unaware of.

Thank you, Father, for thinking the best of me when many times I act out of the worst of me.

Thank you, Father, for the way physical pain has been used to instruct me. It has helped me more closely relate to your sufferings on my behalf.

Thank you, Father, for the alone times in my life. Those times have helped me focus on trusting you more and leaning on me less.

Thank you, Father, for the uncertainties I experience. It has deepened my trust in You.

Thank You, Father, for the times You came through for me when I didn’t even know I needed a rescue.

Thank You, Father, for the tears I have shed. They have kept my heart soft and mold-able.

Thank You, Father, for the times I haven’t been able to control my circumstances. They have reminded me that You are sovereign and redemptive.

Thank You, Father, for those people in my life who have gone home to be with You. Their absence from this earth keeps my heart longing for the right future. 

Thank You, Father, that right now, I have an inheritance in the heavenly places...something that this world can never steal from me and I could never selfishly squander.

Thank You, Father, for the greatest gift you could ever give me: forgiveness and love.

Thank You, Father, for love I don’t deserve and mercy for the things I do deserve.

Thank You, Father, that you know me, you hear me, and you see me and you believe in me. Remind me through difficult times that you are God and I am not.

​Thank you, Father for saving my life.

by Rick Snodgrass

My friend and mentor Dave Browning passed from this life to the next with grace and faith. He was an amazing man that had significant international influence. If you put him in a room with ten great influencers of the same caliber, it would be hard to pick him as the main guy in the room. But most of the time, he was the main guy in the room.

​Here is an e-mail he sent out in 2007. He had no idea when he wrote this that there were only 10 summers left.

by Rick Snodgrass

​Elijah was a human being just like you and me. James, the half brother of Jesus, said that. I find it is easy to make Elijah extraordinary, so I don’t have to be, but the truth is, he was ordinary. What makes ordinary people stand out is extraordinary decision making, and nearly anyone can make an extraordinary decision. Plus, if you look at the ordinary nature of today’s Christian, it doesn’t take long to realize that there is a very low bar making it almost too easy in many ways.  Most often, the line to cross in order to make such a decision is the line that divides fear and faith.

Consider some excerpts from Dave Browning in a piece he wrote in 2007:
Faith or fear. These appear to be the options, for you individually, and for Christ the King Community Church as a whole. In life, these are the two different driving forces. There is an invisible line that divides them. One of the greater decisions a church can make is deciding which side of the line they want to be on.

On the fear side you take a defensive posture. You view people as potential threats. You spend a great deal of energy preventing the worst. You put in place a lot of policies and protocol to keep bad things from happening to good people.

On the faith side you take an offensive posture. You view people as the prize. You spend a lot of energy promoting the best. You put in place a lot of leaders to make sure good things are happening to bad people.

You know when you are on the fear side of the line when you keep hearing words like no, accountability, process and authority. You know when you are on the faith side of the line when you keep hearing words like yes, support, story and empowerment.

Every ministry must pick a side. At CTK we have made a decision to walk in faith, instead of fear. We have decided to not put the energy of our organization into protecting ourselves. Instead we have decided to put the bulk of energies into reaching out, knowing that we will have to be responsive to messes as they occur (which they most certainly will). This decision - to be responsive instead of protective - frees up significant time and energy for the mission.

​So we pick a side...fear or faith. Both choices have their own pain, only one a virtuous outcome. Neil Maxwell said, “It is better to trust and sometimes be disappointed than to be forever mistrusting and be right occasionally.”

by Rick Snodgrass

“In a society that always wants more from you, it’s important to draw a line in the sand. What I’ve learned though is if you can draw the line with your heart, you can take a stand with a smile, dump the guilt around doing less, and instead of disappointing others, remind them what’s important in their own life by honoring what’s important in yours.” Courtney Carver
I am working at working at the right things, which is a serious discipline for me. I have fallen time and time again to the mantra of our culture, “to be more, do more”. The problem isn’t just the obvious; that it doesn’t work. It’s that I rob myself of the greater part of my God story.  

This is a sabbatical year for me, so I am working through the following thoughts to guide a more virtuous life for me in Christ, where I am enough.

1. I will not say “yes” when my heart says “no.”
2. I will measure more by what’s in my heart and less by what’s crossed off my list.
3. I will prioritize love and health.
4. I will ask better questions, so we don’t have to talk about how busy we are.
5. I will not let my phone run my life. 
6. I will trade my fears for joy.
7. I will create space for solitude.
8. I will linger longer.
9. I will do the right thing and turn loose of the results.

For me to live in this reality I have to sacrifice the busy life for a full life. My experience so far is that, at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice. I do have to fight off the voices of the illegitimate story tellers in my head, but that is a short battle when I do what Paul tell us in Philippians 4:2-9.

On a different note, it’s Passion Week. Engage the suffering Christ who died for the love of your messy life.

by Rick Snodgrass

Did you know 50% of all Americans set a New Year’s resolution? That’s pretty amazing!

Wanting to change and better yourself is a beautiful and inspiring thing. What’s not so beautiful and inspiring is that according to researcher Richard Wiseman, 88% of all those resolutions set in America fail. That’s 156 million failed resolutions and disappointed hearts and minds each and every year. “What a mistake – the whole idea around New Year’s resolutions. People aren’t picking specific behaviors, they’re picking abstractions” says B.J. Fogg from Stanford University.

The problem is clear: any abstract goal you have that is not tied to a specific behavior is nearly impossible for your brain to focus on. We also need a real relationship to invest in emotionally and spiritually as we search for the power to overcome or achieve. What we need to stick to our New Year’s resolutions is willpower and a meaningful relationship with Jesus. 

Despite popular opinion, willpower is not something we’re born with. “Research suggests that willpower itself is inherently limited, and that our January promises fail in large part because the brain wasn’t built for success.”

That’s where Jesus comes in. Time spent each day in surrender and adoration, super charge your ability to change a behavior or achieve something together. Resolutions made and managed in isolation are doomed to fail. 

Just like your bicep has to be trained in order to grow stronger, so does the prefrontal cortex in your brain, as well as your relational muscle. The key is to make sure not to start lifting too heavy, as then we’re bound to drop everything on the floor with your new year’s resolutions. Start small, be specific and be together…

by Rick Snodgrass

I am increasingly amazed at how easy it is to move in and out of the distracted life. I am writing this on Election Day, and here we are…DISTRACTED. No, not everyone, but many are, and the rest of us probably have our own customized distraction(s). 

The hardest distractions to detect are the ones we celebrate…i.e. hard work, always there for every need, never has a hair out of place… notice that none of these are bad. They are even virtuous, unless they have made the turn into a distraction.

This week, I went to a prison to visit a man in our church who has recently come to faith in Jesus. He had lapsed into an addiction, and his parole officer responded in kind, landing him in the Hotel Caldwell. It was a great ministry moment for several reasons. The first of those was the long wait resulting from the officer forgetting to take him to the room where we would connect by phone with Plexiglas between us. It was in that long wait that I questioned why I was never behind bars. I thought about why I should have been, what happened that kept me out, and in that wait, I felt God’s grace on me. Then, I was distracted because I had to wait… see how easy it is?

When he finally arrived, we had a truly amazing, tear induced talk, and then he said it. “It doesn’t matter if I am in or out. God knows best, and I will serve Him no matter the outcome of my trial.” Now, you may be thinking that it is much easier to be present with God when you are in prison and not distracted. Only those who have had nothing to do with prison would have such a thought. The biggest difference in being in prison and being out of prison is that most distractions when we are out of prison are of our own making. 

​As I write this, I am not aware of who will be elected, but I am aware of the invitation to be distracted. I am also reminded of how important it is to have God’s word in my head… “and they will know we are Christians by our love.” What evidence is there in the past week that you had moments where you were present with God, engaged in what He was doing right in front of you?

by Rick Snodgrass

We have been talking about Soul Food, here is the beginning of a list of junk food for the soul. See if you can add to it.

1. TV dramas/sitcoms. Think back to the shows you were watching last year. Has it contributed to you as a person today? Did you learn anything valuable? TV shows are entertaining whilst we’re watching them but it’s not until it finishes or gets cancelled that we realise what kind of things we could have accomplished if we spent all those hours differently.
Studies have shown that filling your life with trashy TV about people arguing, cheating and lying, can lessen your sensitivity to the consequences of doing so. Watching shows about crime, murders and blackmailing can make you more paranoid and afraid than the reality.

I’m not saying all TV is bad, or that we should cut it out altogether. I am saying that it is not supposed to be a part time occupation or a way to numb your brain.

2. Evening News. The news obviously cannot report everything that happens in the world, so it has to be selective. Unfortunately, more people are interested about robberies and murders than charity runs. The news has become a medium that dramatises negative events to increase audience ratings. Check out the front page of any news site and count how many times the word ‘death’, ‘dies’, ‘killed’, ‘stabbed’ and so on appear.

Of course we should be aware of what’s happening in the world around us, but in my opinion there’s no need to know about every single thing. Sometimes, it feels beautiful to be disconnected. If another Michael Jackson dies, you’ll hear about it, don’t worry, you don’t need to keep looking out for it.

3. Facebook. It’s a great way to keep in touch with friends, but how much do you need to know about them on a daily basis? Most people have hundreds of friends on Facebook, so it’s simply not possible to keep track of everything they do anyway. A lot of the time, people live in fear of missing out, so they think their lives would be better if they know what’s going on all the time, but deep down they know that this is simply not true. Letting go of the need to always know what’s going on at this very minute is the key to freedom. Ignorance is bliss.

​4. Other internet black holes. Mindless surfing on fail blogs, lol cats sites, Youtube and so on is just another way to take our minds off things that really do matter. Life is short, and there are better ways places we can go to take a break.