by Dave Miller
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Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!
– Isaiah 6:3
The moment will never be forgotten. The first international trip to Tanzania had been completed and God had wrecked my team. He was no longer an American God who catered to prayers offered for selfish ambition, with hopes of an extra heap of grace for wants. God became big. To be honest, he became too big to handle. He understood Swahili and Kimaasai, was glorified in a warrior dance of jumps followed by uniform stomps in the heart of the Serengeti, and changed this heart forever. His glory stretched far beyond my imagination, far beyond any box where I tried to put Him. My small hometown God became a global phenomenon and I became consumed with a thirst for more.
The next God-moment came without warning. My fiancé Ann, now wife, had gone with the Baptist Student Union of Oklahoma State University to a little gathering in North Texas called Passion in the summer of 2000 while I was in Africa. She talked about the 268 Generation, Louie Giglio, and a pastor named John Piper. Curious, I popped in the DVD of sermons when it arrived and heard these words, “Look Lord, my shell collection!” It was a call to abandon the American dream that we may finish life not as retirees on the Florida coast, but to meet our maker having done all to the last breath to finish the task of the Great Commission. My heart was wrecked more, so I got his book and read, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”[1]This John Piper was calling the listeners to Hedonism? No wait, Christian Hedonism? An insatiable thirst was afoot in my soul, a Holy Spirit wrecking ball had made ready for my repair, and the Glory of God sounded so good to my awaiting heart.
Next up: Glory Takers
Until there's #NoPlaceLeft...
[1]John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist(Grand Rapids: Multnomah, 2003), ?
Sentergy: When Jesus, People, Practice and Theology Collide
Chapter 1: The Glory of God
Chapter 2: The Glory of God in Jesus
Chapter 3: The Glory of God in the Gospel
Chapter 4: The Glory of God in Disciple Making
Chapter 5: If You Love Me You Will Obey What I Command
Chapter 6: Monday Morning Disciple Making
Chapter 7: Monday Morning Disciple Making Part 2
Interlude: The Father's Heart
Chapter 8: All Scripture All People All Places by Carter Cox
Conclusion: The Lump In Your Throat