Frank Laubach
As I wrote in Soul Revolution, Frank Laubach was an amazing man. He lived in relative obscurity until about age 46, when he decided to try to line up his will with the will of God every 15 to 30 minutes during the day. What he began to experience made him decide to try an even more radical experiment—seeking to fill every minute with the thought of God in complete surrender to his will. Forty years later, when Laubach passed into eternity, he was one of the most widely known, best loved men of the twentieth century. God had led him on a wild ride of faith. He started the Each One Teach One literacy campaign he had taken to nearly every land on earth. He had written fifty books, consulted dignitaries and Presidents worldwide. He lived a truly remarkable life, but it all traced back to his discovery of life found by practicing the presence of the living God.
I’ve found some great lessons reading his journals because we can so easily miss what Jesus meant by “abiding in Him,” “remaining in His love,” “walking in the Spirit.” Laubach confesses, “Perhaps a man who has been an ordained minister since 1914 ought to be ashamed to confess that he never before felt the joy of complete hourly, minute by minute – now what should I call it – more than surrender. I had that before. More than listening to God. I tried that before. I cannot find the word that will mean to you and to me what I am now experiencing. It is a will act…I determine not to get out of bed [in the morning] until my mind is set [on willingness].”
This willingness is the key! Willing and wanting for God to be actively guiding my life. Of course, what keeps this from happening is a plethora of little things. My mind so quickly gets filled with all the things I “must do” or I’m “supposed to do” or I want to do that I feel I don’t have time to even consider God’s will in the whole operation. Which of course is so ludicrous–that I would have more important things to do than the will of the One who created me! That anything I dream up could be more important (or more fulfilling—which is a more dastardly lie than the first) than anything God would will for me! But that’s the battle we must fight in our busy little minds.
What Laubach experienced with greater willingness and responsiveness is what I’ve personally experienced. The life He leads you into is so much better than anything that came before—it’s not worth comparing! Laubach describes it: “As for me, I never lived. I was half dead. I was a rotting tree until I reached the place where I wholly, with total honesty, resolved that I would find God’s will and I would do that will though every fiber in me said no, and I would win the battle in my thoughts. It was though some deep artesian well had been struck in my soul of souls and strength came forth.”
Man, that’s the life I want.
Is there any way to make watch beeps louder?
Comment by Geezer — October 30, 2008 @ 8:34 pm
Maybe try turning everything else down a notch.
God bless you!!
-Amanda
Comment by Kimbo — October 31, 2008 @ 7:35 am
Laubach’s desire is deceptively simple, but the way to get
there flies in the face of everything the enemy and the
world teach us - that we can have it all, that we are
measured by what we accomplish by the strength of our own
hands, that we are the ultimate shapers of our destinies.
Even as I read John’s post I found myself thinking “That
sounds great but there’s no way I can do it.” Why? Maybe
deep down I just like the selfish life too much; like C.
S. Lewis said we are like kids who are content with making
mudpies in a slum because we can’t imagine a holiday at
the sea. I can feel God’s desire for me to enter into this
kind of life with him, but winning “the battle in my
thoughts” is going to be hard, although that’s only because
the enemy wants me to believe I have to fight the battle
alone. With God for me - plus my wife and my small group
and other Christians at Gateway and my old church - all
things are possible.
Comment by notan — November 3, 2008 @ 8:02 am
Wow! The more I learn and see the revelation of Jesus Christ, the more I realize I know nothing at all.
I can say that I have seen accelerated growth in my relationship with Jesus since I surrendered my life to the Lord in 2003. From 2003 until now we have moved from Minnesota to Michigan. From Michigan to Iowa. From Iowa and now here to Austin, Texas.
I learned about Gateway through a friend whom I just met in August at a grocery store a week after we moved here from Iowa. Her name is Jennifer Entrekin.
This season of my life as I just got to author and self-publish my first book in November of 2007 and now being here has been pretty dramatic.
The past few years I’ve had sweet fellowship with the Lord, but I just knew there was more to crave and want. I want to be so addicted to Jesus Christ, I want Him like I’ve wanted nothing else. I want to long for Him in ways that the most “steamy” romance novel could not describe the longing for her lover.
I don’t mean to get so descriptive as I am married and madly in love with my husband of 10 years. But it’s weird, I’ve been craving to watch things that glorify the world’s way of living. The breaking point was on Saturday night. From the moment I awoke to the moment I went to sleep, being that I was stricken with the stomach flu and reveling in it as I could just be lazy and do nothing. I kept hearing the still small voice of God say, “I want you, talk to me.” I kept ignoring the voice and as I went to bed I was so convicted that I opened the Word and just got real with God and repented my sin of ignoring Him…intentionally.
I fell asleep and instead of falling asleep to the “Kardashian’s”, I just knew that I needed to surround myself with praise music for His glory.
I woke up the next morning which was Sunday. And I just knew, “I need to start the Soul Revolution book, call Jennifer.” I called Jennifer and I had no intentions of going to church, being that I hadn’t felt well the few days before.
But then that still small voice said it again, “I want you, worship me.” So I started preaching to myself and started cleaning, turned the praise music on in every room so it was blaring throughout the whole house like a mighty trumpet, declaring the mightyness of God.
I know I have written a lot, but I must say, I got the book from Jennifer, I went to church, praise God and I have read to Chapter three of Soul Revolution, and that craving I have had, it was confirmed inside of me as I read about Frank Laubach. I am blown away!
Pastor John thank you for your obedience in writing this book. As I wrote on my blog today, as we experience revolution in our lives as Frank did and get a revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that revolution will spread to our families. As our families experience the revolution in our lives and get a revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that revolution will spread throughout our neighborhoods. As our neighborhoods experience the revolution and get a revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that revolution will spread throughout our schools and cities. As our schools and cities experience the revolution and revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that revolution will spread throughout our nation. As our nation experiences the revolution and revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that revolution will spread throughout many NATIONS. This trickle effect goes on for eternity, beyond what we could ever imagine. Because it all started with us! God called us to be world changers as well as generation changers!
Wooooooooooooo! I’m so geeked and excited as I challenge myself to hear the Lord as He commands us to pray without ceasing. We must realize that if He calls us to pray without ceasing then He speaks to us without ceasing (From John Bevere, “Drawing Near to God”).
God bless you as you boldly teach us His mighty Word, without wavering! It will be rewarded, if you haven’t seen it already! For sure, in eternity!
Comment by Godisenthralledbyyourbeauty — November 3, 2008 @ 8:52 pm