There are so many people all around you who need an encouraging word or a practical touch of God’s love with no strings attached—it’s your world, and God’s inviting you to share his love with it.  If you will hone in on God’s heart for almost any individual person, you’ll get a specific assignment telling you how to proceed.  It’s not complicated, no matter what you’ve thought in the past.

Jesus says when we show compassion to outsiders, we’re actually showing love for him.  Maybe we should get rid of those bracelets that say “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do?) and replace them with new ones that say “HATJ” (How Am I Treating Jesus?).  Are we walking by on the other side of the road—doing everything we can to avoid the hurting people around us—or are we stopping, kneeling down, and doing what we can to love and serve them?

OK, God loves the world and Jesus died to bring eternal life to anyone who believes in him.  What does that have to do with you?  If you believe, there is a wonderful promise here for you.  You won’t perish and you’ll have eternal life.  But that’s not all—if it’s true that we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19), and if it’s true that Jesus calls us to love each other in the same way he loved us (John 15:12)—then this verse (John 3:16) is more than just a promise to us . . . it’s also a call to action for every Christ-follower.  God so loved the world . . . that he did something about it!  God’s love is a love of action, of sacrifice, of immense generosity.  And it’s how our love should be, too.  God so loved the world—let it be true that every single Christian so loves the world.

Everyday of your life, if you pay attention, the Holy Spirit is urging you toward a deeper and richer experience with God.  If you let him, God will guide you beyond your comfort zone into new frontiers of personal healing and change.  Contrary to a lot of the teaching that’s out there though, the change you’re looking for probably won’t come from meditating on what’s going on in your own heart.  And it certainly won’t come from focusing on your personal problems or limitations.  In most cases, the path to growth begins with focusing outward on how God is calling you to bless others.

If you’ve ever felt too small, or unskilled, or unworthy to be a world-changer, God has remarkable news for you—you are chosen! 

Hard to believe, but it’s true nonetheless, God wants to pour his love into you and through you in world-changing ways.  Jesus said, “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20a, The Message).

Jesus was talking to you—and to all of us who know we don’t have what it takes to pull this off.  That’s why the very next thing he says is: “I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b, The Message).  You may feel unimportant, but with Jesus always at your side, nothing can stop you!

One of the prime reasons we tend to settle for mediocre spiritual results in our own lives is that we gravitate to the level of vision we feel comfortable with.  We seek comfort by nature. You may be distressed by four-letter words, but here’s one you need to make friends with risk!  Jesus spoke about it frequently and modeled it wherever he went

Each time you go out and share an act of service, each time you show generosity in the spirit of Christ, you’re inviting others to come to God’s “party.”  Unfortunately, the “celebrations” many churches are throwing feel more like funerals.  Like the Pharisee’s party that Jesus attended; unspoken rules, dead-boring religious traditions, and an endless, unceasing torrent of words take center stage in these places.  That’s something Christ’s followers need to rise up and change right now.  Stop the funerals—start the party!

Each time you go out and share an act of service, each time you show generosity in the spirit of Christ, you’re inviting others to come to God’s “party.”  Unfortunately, the “celebrations” many churches are throwing feel more like funerals.  Like the Pharisee’s party that Jesus attended; unspoken rules, dead-boring religious traditions, and an endless, unceasing torrent of words take center stage in these places.  That’s something Christ’s followers need to rise up and change right now.  Stop the funerals—start the party!

You may be distressed by four-letter words, but here’s one you need to make friends with risk!  Jesus spoke about it frequently and modeled it wherever he went.

If God has two words for anybody who wants to overflow with love, we think those words might be go and listen.  The best way to connect with not-yet Christians isn’t to stand at a safe distance under billboards announcing that God is real and that he loves them.  No!  We’ve got to go where they are and demonstrate that love in person.

“Only a life lived for others is worth living.” –Albert Einstein

The two greatest commandments Jesus gave us are both about love.  In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest command.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

We’ve heard a lot of people say they were trying to be “silent witnesses” of God’s love to those around them; but how would you feel if you asked someone to testify on your behalf in court, and they exercised their right to remain silent instead?  Christ-like service and God-honoring words go together like macaroni and cheese—they’re made for each other.  When we serve, we choose to surrender our freedom to do whatever we feel like doing in order to do what’s best for someone else.  It’s seldom convenient.  But it can have miraculous results.

Here’s some great news for everyone struggling to bring a friend or family member to Jesus: It’s not all up to you!  Though you may be tempted to believe that you’re the only one who can do the job, God himself is knocking on that person’s heart. 

If your goal is to share the love of Jesus with those closest to you, doesn’t it make sense to lead off with friendly actions and follow up with loving words?  You can help those around you—even those who’ve had unpleasant experiences—see Christ and his church in a different light!

 “Take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”   --James 1:19 (NIV)

Flinging seeds --how evident are the seeds of Christ’s love in your life?  How often do your family and friends see—and experience—Christ’s love in you?  One of the best places to begin flinging seeds is your own front lawn—that is, your closest relationships

"The scientists think it likely that there may be other planets out there, but thus far nobody’s been able to communicate with anybody else.  Maybe we’d better learn to communicate with each other first.”  --Madeleine L’Engle

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish that he didn’t trust me so much.” –Mother Teresa

“Infinite sharing is the law of God’s inner life.” –Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island (1955)

“Not everyone can do great things, but everyone can do small things with great love.”  --Mother Teresa. 

“Small things done with great love will change the world!” –Steve Sjogren

Love is a little bit crazy—it’s incredibly easy—and totally impossible.  The Apostle John writes that if you don’t love, you can’t know God, because that’s what his infinite power and unspeakable glory are in a nutshell—love. So what does it all mean, anyway?

There are factors that can get in the way of what God wants to communicate to you . . . and the blessings God wants to give you.  Two of the biggies are: the hurry factor and the worry factor.

We’ve blown it and continue to blow it for one big reason: we’re easy to deceive.  The chief tool of the Thief is deception.  For the world’s oldest and slimiest deceiver, it’s practically child’s play to mess with our values . . . to get us thinking down is up, good is bad, richness is poverty . . . that trash is worth millions and that the true treasure is trash.

A life that sucks?  When you dance to the Thief’s tune, your life begins to suck in instead of flow out.  The Thief has an arsenal of weapons, each one meant to block the flow of blessings in your life and eventually turn you into a dried-up fountain.

I was blessed to spend a few days in the mountains with family...in-laws (yes, I said in-laws!), kids, and grandkids. Where we were there was no television, internet, or cell phone service. As a result, the blog readings from Outflow had to take a break. The only sounds we heard were the animals and the laughter with family. Last night,

Is your life due for God’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Is God’s blessings-bus waiting for you, or has it not yet pulled up at your life’s front door?  If your life is meant to flow like a fountain, is there something seriously wrong with the pump?

God is anxiously and eagerly waiting to reveal a life different and far better than anything you’ve been hoping for—a life he has tailor-made just for you, a life he knows is exactly what you’ve always wanted, and a life that will blow your mind.  All you have to do is honestly believe in God’s love for you.

What if your life was like a fountain?  What if love, joy, hope, peace, grace – what if all of that flowed as freely in your life as sparkling water flows in a fountain?  Overflowing.  Abundant.  Refreshing.  Captivating.  It certainly sounds poetic, but could it possibly be true?

It is.  It’s a promise made to every person willing to accept it.

Maybe you’ve wondered about God.  Does God exist?  Does he really care about me? Are God and religion even relevant anymore?  My life is filled with technology, busyness, and modern problems—what, honestly, does an old-fashioned God have to do with my life?