Apr 5, 2006

crazy things i recently said

Sometimes a sound byte is better than a whole post. Here are a few crazy things I recently said somewhat spontaneously... and absolutely stand behind.

"Writing is one way that the human soul is able to grow a mustache."

"A person with an answered prayer is full of Christian cliches... a person waiting on an answer to prayer needs to hear none of them."

"Never treat any job as though it's a stepping stone... and yet look back on every step you've taken thus far and give praise to the Rock for providing it."

"Hope you smile like a baby with a clean diaper."

"I believe God has called us to plant a church in Portage. (pause, wait for wife's reaction) Now let's watch The Amazing Race."

10 comments:

Frank Martens said...

Here's one I used recently...

"Don't let preference turn into legalism..." followed by deep thoughtful silence by the audience of two.

tonymyles said...

Good stuff! Given that the church is God’s bride, we must actively find ways to die to personal preferences when the issue of church unity is at stake.

Katie said...

wait, you didn't say the (pause, wait for wife's reaction) out loud? And I thought you narrated your actions. That would be funny.

Great quotes, funny for us to look back on what we say and actually listen to ourselves.

tonymyles said...

Actually... I did. :)

I timed that statement just before the Amazing Race was to start. Then as I turned on the TV it turns out they bumped it an hour later to make room for some lame new crime solving show.

So my plans were foiled. And we had to talk about it.

And it was awesome.

Katie said...

ahahahahaha

so your plan was foiled eh?

such a guy thing to do, bring up a big topic and then avoid the conversation

glad it went well, so are we going to hear the details of a new adventure?

tonymyles said...

Sure will... we're just now going public with it.

While it's been conceived of for a while, guess where it all was birthed, though? :)

thatcoffeeguy said...

It was birthed from a dragon? I just re-read "having your cake" blog. Here's what struck me. You wrote...

On my end, I have been praying for the past year that God would take the passion in my heart and do something with it. I have been searching and asking him to show me a church that I can become a part of and utilize all that is in me to help others better know all that God is (at least, the parts of him we're able to understand).

And so if my son got his cake and got to eat it, too...
Maybe God wants to answer my prayers. Maybe he wants me to keep praying them. But...
Maybe it won't show up in some pre-fabricated circle that everyone else seems content with. Maybe he actually wants to use me in all my unique weirdness to be the means by which my questions get answered. Maybe my hands are supposed to dig into the goop.
Hmm... "Happy Birthday" to me.


And this is what came to me...

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

"Rejoice in the Lord Always; again, I say, Rejoice!" Phil 4:4

You see, I'm re-reading John Piper's book Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. This is what he says: "The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy, you cannot love man or please God." He goes on to say "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

Now, he is not saying to make a god out of pleasure, but what he IS saying applies to what I sense from you...

God has birthed in you unique gifts and abilities (weirdnesses, you say). He has placed inside you a God-inspired passion for His people. I have a strong feeling that you get most excited and happy when you "help people make God their God", and when you help "wakening in them the greatest pleasures in Him." Dare I agree with John Piper when I say, Tony, God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied with Him. If you will be most satified in a place of service to Him, I believe He wants to give that to you for His own glory.

Just as Joshua realized his hope, I pray that you too will be able to see your own hope realized. For God's glory and your satisfaction.

tonymyles said...

Wow...

wow...

Amen.

Seems like God is able to use many things the dragon has gooped up and redeem them to his glory.

Frank Martens said...

Now where is Portage? Is that a U.S. City?

tonymyles said...

Yep... the immediate neighbor of Kalamazoo, Michigan (home of Western Michigan University).