One advantage to having an ailment that lasts awhile is it gives you time to think.  This was true two years ago for me and was a valid point recently.  Not all of my thinking was clear but there were a few lucid moments.  Every believer should take advantage of such occasions to let God reveal your heart.  You may or may not read of all of my discoveries lately but I will let you in on a big one.  First be clear that such moments of clarity often call for us sharing them with others.  Sometimes this may be just in a conversation with another person.  There may be other times when you should spread the news further about.  Keeping what God says within you seldom leads to a deeper healing.  Now it may expose some weakness in you but being vulnerable is good for staying humble.

The one item for tonight is there came a growing awareness between my theology and my reality.  My core theology did not really change any during this illness.  What happened was an awakening to something more.  You cannot help but read scripture to realize God was an amazing God all through the pages.  He was not simply a third person reference but rather He is the real deal.  Knowing this in my head is very different than knowing in my heart.  Some believers walk so close in their relationship with God that such a reality is just par for the course.  Others of us talk boldly of what God can do without much sense that He is actually doing it in our present tense.  Maybe this is more like trying to sing a song with no idea about the music.

I could not help but notice how very real God was to the faithful in scripture.  You also cannot escape the Psalms without being impressed with their exclamation of His character.  It did not take long to realize that I need that.  Life itself can be rough without the extra pressures.  This world is indeed a sinful place where God is set aside at any convenience.  If this current condition is to know of God's greatness then it must be seen through His people.  I decided to use the word "outrageous" to describe both the power of God and the hope for His followers.  How do we become an outrageous people with an extravagant God?

You will need to know His word for any hope to be outrageous.  This is where we invite God to build our life beyond who we are now.  It is God who will be doing the work both in us and through us.  His initial point of entry is by the scriptures.  We are challenged to admit our weaknesses to give them to Him.  We are also going to have to be involved in His purpose in our world.  There will be no response to us going it alone or just wanting His greatness for selfish motive.  We will learn that God heals the broken in order to use them in ways beyond imagination.  We also learn that He is always with us.  Most everything we face or do in our life will be past our ability or skill.  None of it will be bigger than Him.  We draw near to Him in our weakness so as to draw on His power.  Being outrageous is more than knowing stuff or managing our life better.  It is always the outcome of God showing up to be given free reign to act as he wills.

We should also say more about this later.  A blog is not always the best forum for in depth analysis.  Maybe you will get a sense that there is more to your life than what you see or think.  Just be sure God wishes to act in outrageous ways to grow our life as well as do the incredible through us.

Bro. Trey