:::. joshbrickey.com .:::

There's gotta be more...

I have had some thoughts that have consumed me over the past few years. It may not be on my mind all of the time, but it's definitely on my mind a solid majority of the time.

Have you ever had dreams and goals that you cannot shake? What things are constantly on your mind and constantly in your heart? Whatever those things are, those are most likely the vision that God has placed within you. So many times as Christians, we take the safe road whenever we are making decisions. We typically don't like to take risks and we love to take comfort in what we know will "work.' Yet, I can't help but think that when we play it safe, we're disobeying God. Hear me out. That doesn't mean that we are to do things completely on a whim, and know that God's dreams will never contradict values and concepts set forward in the Bible (i.e. neglecting your family, using people to get what you want, etc...). But it does mean that we do need to pursue His dreams no matter what.

So I ask again, what is it that God has placed on your heart?

Maybe it's time for you to pursue that career that you have always wanted (even though your current one is safe)

Perhaps it's time to help that person that you can't get off of your mind (even though you don't know what's going on in their life).

It might be time to go ahead and adopt an orphan (even thought you can't afford it---but miraculously have the money to make payments on a new car).

Whatever it is...pursue God without reservation.

Either way you die...

"Among the plastic saints of our times, Jesus has to do all the dying, and all we want to hear is another sermon about his dying."  A.W. Tozer

A little over a week ago, we took some of our college students to a conference in Myrtle Beach.  One of the elements that was incredible about the weekend was having Shane and Shane lead the worship for the event.  One line in one of their songs, really hit me hard: May the vision of You be the death of me.

It has made me think a lot about the topic of vision and here's what I've realized.  A lot of people quote Proverbs 29:18 and talk about how people will die without vision, which I totally agree with.  Without a divine spark inside of us (vision), we will all die without reaching our maximum potential in God and end up separated from him.  However, when I think about what the message of the Bible, I realized that when we do have vision from God, we still die.  The difference is that when we have vision from God, the death that comes brings new life. Luke 9:24 tells me that "whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."

Here's what I've discovered in my life recently.  Whenever I get closer to God, my vision dies and a much bigger vision comes to mind.  Visions that are God sized.  God's story is not one that ends with Christ dying on a cross.  That is simply the beginning of so much more.  A death of us.  Another birth of life.

If anyone actually reads this much anymore, stop chasing your vision.  Let the vision of God be the death of you.