Guest Post From My Father…Phil Barrett

I am honored to have my father Phil Barrett guest post today on my blog. My dad has been and is an incredible inspiration in my life. I can’t think of another man that has made more of an impact in my life than my dad! He has always encouraged me to expand my boundaries and believe God to do amazing things. He is the Pastor/Corps Administrator at the Brown County Salvation Army Corps in Nashville, Indiana. Recently he wrote a great book titled, “Called To Action” this is an exert taken from Chapter Seven: Expanding Boundaries…

“If I take one more step, I will be the farthest away from home I have ever been,” said Samwise to Frodo. He took that step, however, and found an amazing adventure! That was fiction! We live in the real world, not make-believe, not fantasy, not science fiction. Nevertheless we, like Samwise, may find ourselves ready to take a step further than we have ever gone before. Taking that step may seem risky—change always seems that way but we do not serve a God of the status quo. We serve the God who transformed this world by sending His only Son into this world that we might have life. By entering into His world, His kingdom, we are transformed and transplanted into the ways of His kingdom. We have been given a new life, a new start, a new relationship, a new nature and a new quality of life.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior

~Titus 3:5, 6

God will disrupt our routine, challenge our priorities, and shake up our world! In Deuteronomy we find a picture of the eagle stirring up its nest. This is a great picture of how God wants to work in our lives, as we find ourselves comfortable in our nest.

Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

~Deuteronomy 32:11

The mother eagle stirs up her nest to make it uncomfortable for the little eaglets. The purpose is to get them out of their comfort zone so they may learn to fly. We, like the eaglets, need a stirring of our nest, making it uncomfortable. Thus we choose to leave the nest and learn to fly, spiritually. Through it all, if we are willing to yield to His will, believe for new opportunities, step out of our comfort zone which we have made for ourselves, He will be there, holding us in his mighty hand!

“Lord do things we’re not used to” was a prayer from Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary. We should be willing to pray this for ourselves, as we step out of our comfort zone. When we find ourselves doing this, it becomes easier and easier to take that step. Just like a child that is learning how to walk, each step they take makes the next one easier, and eventually they find their balance and walking becomes as natural as breathing. This is exactly what God wants for us.

For each of us, that step will be different; we are all at varying stages in our life and in our relationship with Christ. Wherever you are, and if you have a desire to grow in His grace and knowledge, God will meet you there. He will place on you no more than you can bear—that is His promise. All of us have areas that need expanding in our life and ministry; pray and ask God to reveal those areas to you. You may already know where you need that stirring. If so, you can begin right now. It’s your choice! As you pray for His guidance, be ready to get an answer, and be ready to take that step into the unknown, expanding your boundaries!

“Are you ready? To go, To do, To speak,

To live, To be—Are you ready to live dangerously,

To risk all you have for Christ? Are you ready?”