I had the opportunity to spend 14 days in Israel. This was a dream come true and an experience I really cherished. The most important part of the trip for me may have been the desert experience. When we think about the desert our minds typically turn to the challenges and extreme danger associated with a desert.

• Lack of water
• Extreme heat
• Deadly animals
• Dangerous terrain
• Lack of food and nutrition

The truth is, the desert brings us imagery of hopelessness, loss, and ultimately death. This truth was experienced by the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the desert. As we read through this account and consider their journey it’s easy to take for granted what they experienced and overlook the journey they were on.

Let’s take a moment to take a step back and consider what took place in the desert for them. The journey through the desert positioned the Israelites in the most desperate of situations. They were in a seemingly hopeless situation and they found their only hope of survival by wholly trusting in the provision of the Lord. Probably one of the most important aspects of their wilderness journey is what they learned during the 40 years. Imagine what people were feeling as they wandered. They had such high hopes for the promised land. They could remember the bitterness of slavery and they had hopes for a better future.

Take a moment to pause.

I think this describes us in many ways.

As some of you are reading this you are instantly considering your own life. You may not be in a physical desert, but you are experiencing a “desert season” in your life. You find yourself filling your head with doubts and questioning God’s will for your life. You may have experienced some kind of failure recently. What possible worth could there be in the waiting? In the pain of the desert? Why would a loving God allow us to go through desert seasons?

Theological Framework:

First, lets take a look at Acts 17:24-28. This passage is a source of incredible encouragement for me. My specific boundaries and geographic location were determined by God. Not only our boundaries but even the “allotted periods”. This at the most practical level means that our work, school, families, and homes that we live in are allotted and determined by God for a purpose, namely our good and His glory.

Hope in the desert:

The Israelites experience in the desert was meaningful and not meaningless. They learned how serious God was about his Holiness and his people living according to his laws. They learned humility in being forced to trust God when the had no way to provide for themselves. During the course of 40 very difficult years, they experienced the simple and life giving blessings of the Lord. These experiences caused them to return to the hope they had in God.

Your desert is not meaningless. The job that you have is not meaningless. The neighborhood that you live in is not by accident nor is it meaningless. There is a purpose and God is working in your desert to provide simple blessings to cause you to remember the hope that can only be found in him.

Learning in the desert:

Human nature and our current cultural trends have us focusing on the destination. There is much more focus and drive to achieve and arrive at the goal. In the process we create a tunnel vision that causes us to miss the beauty of the journey. In Israel our tour guide, Boaz; focused on this aspect of our behavior as we walked up to the Mt. of Beatitudes. So many of us were focused on getting there, that we missed the beauty of the sea of Galilee that can only be seen on a certain part of the journey up.

Our hyper focus on getting ourselves out of the desert season we may be in may not be the best for us. Just as the Israelites had to learn important lessons, we must also. The desert just happens to be the means by which God teaches at times. What can you learn in your desert? How is God working to shape and form you in His likeness and image? What are the frustrations that you bring to God and are pleading with him to resolve so you can move on to the bigger and better?

It’s in these questions that we find the grace of God and we begin to see his will and purpose for our life a bit clearer. As we realize what God is teaching us, we can be encouraged to know that he also has a plan for us and is working in a 100 different ways simultaneously to cause us to reflect Him and prepare us for the future.

There is meaning in our desert. There is a value in our waiting. God is actively working and shaping us and uses the desert seasons of our life to accomplish this. Be encouraged, the desert will come to an end. The saddest thing is if the desert comes to an end and we missed out on all that God had desired for us to learn in that season.

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My wife Brittany (AlmostIndianWife.com) got me into this #PeriscopeWithPurpose challenge. I’ll admit, I wasn’t real sure about it. I really didn’t feel like I had the time but after seeing how easy it was and how much fun my wife was having I decided to give it a try. I had no clue that this challenge opened up a channel for me to communicate my faith journey, challenges as a traveling dad, and also meet some pretty cool people. Today, the challenge dealt with giving 3 tips. One of the benefits I have of traveling to christian conferences around the world is the ability to glean and learn from some of the best theological minds out there. So I decided to share some of the most practical and important Bible Study tips that I’ve learned.

Read With The End In Mind:

It’s easy for us to read the Bible and think in a closed box or isolate the story. One of the most important aspects of the Bible, is its scope. The reality that from the very beginning, after the fall, there was a plan and purpose. The narrative leads us to a triumphant climax with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This sets the stage for our eager anticipation of the return of our savior. Sadly, at times we read without this important filter. There are serious challenges that occur when this happens. We begin to miss major themes that run throughout the pages of the Bible. We start to value individual people within the Bible over Jesus himself. And possibly the most dangerous, which leads me to my next point, is that we think too much of ourselves.

You Are Not The Point Of The Bible:

If you were just offended by that headline, do me a favor and give me a chance to explain. I’m glad you were offended (stay with me). I think of the biggest dangers of reading the Bible is when we impose ourselves as the hero. We read the stories of Moses, David, Solomon, and we start to read as if we were them. First, we are not them! Second, I’d encourage you to go back read their stories, I really doubt you want to be them if you really understand who they are:

Moses – murderer, disobedient to God multiple times.

David – adulterer, murderer, disobedient to God multiple times.

Solomon – disobedient to God, loved women more than God.

So how are we supposed to read the Bible?

We are supposed to read the Bible with Christ centrally positioned as better, all sufficient and fulfilling.

Read the Bible with Christ centrally positioned as better, all sufficient and fulfilling.
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Jesus is the point of the Bible. In the same we read in eager anticipation of his coming to reconcile us from sin, and then look forward to his second coming, we must see Christ in every portion of the Bible. This skill and intentional thought will open our eyes to the beauty of Christ and his Word and will cause us to find rest, satisfaction, and fulfillment in Him. Our slavery to our own selfish ambition and self idolatry becomes vanquished when we have a right understanding of who Christ is and how he rescued us.

Actually Read The Bible:

It’s amazing how many times I find myself having gone days and weeks without actually reading the Bible. I find time to study my fantasy football team, binge watch my favorite TV shows, get all my work done, and so on. I have a sneaky suspicion one of the biggest issues for people when it comes to Bible study, is that they don’t actually read their Bibles.

So, quickly share this post. Now, run and grab your Bible and begin to dig into the greatest story ever told. The best part, its true, and it can and will meet you exactly where you are today.

P.S – You can follow me on Periscope and catch the video replay of my drive where I talk about these three tips first, for the next 24 hours –

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Traveling is hard. When I was younger (it’s scary I even wrote that phrase) I always dreamed of being able to travel and see the world! Well, God gave me my wish and while I appreciate the travel, it has proven to be really challenging. As of writing this post I just crossed 90,000 air miles for the year and I still have six major trips left.

As I consider how I’ve survived this year, I’ve been surprised to find that there are seasons where I feel like I am incredibly productive. Then, there are seasons where I am surprised I can even keep up and remember to jump on a flight. After evaluating my productive seasons, I found the following principles crucial in my ability to accomplish everything I need to with excellence.

Rest and Reward:

Get the right amount of rest that your body needs. Train yourself to sleep at the right time so that when you have to wake up, you do so refreshed. For me, I’ve found that I need at least 8 hours of sleep. I’ve also found that TV, iPad, and my computer are serious distractions to getting the rest that I need. My iPad may be the biggest culprit. I love reading on it, but it’s only a click of a button to get to my ESPN Fantasy team or start researching on food places for the next trip I have, or get to that last email quickly. I didn’t want to give up reading, and I didn’t want a print book, so instead I was able to pick up the Amazon Voyager. Its amazing and has a simple function, to let you read. The benefit of rest is priceless. It allows your mind to be sharp and for you to be more effective in thought process.

Be Smart With Technology:

As I mentioned earlier, technology can’t always be assumed as helpful. However, when used thoughtfully and with intention it can be a game changer in how productive you are. There are so many apps, tools, and resources that I use, but the ones that I always go to are:

• Evernote – Its the best. If your not using it, your missing out. It serves as my digital brain and stores everything I need. Recently I purchased the premium version and I love it!
• Wunderlist – Its a simple task list app that syncs across all your devices. Its not overly complicated and works seamlessly across all my devices.
• All Apple – I drank the Koolade, and I love it. Seriously, all my devices are apple. My wife even got me an apple watch and I have grown found of it. However, if you are on the other side, seriously consider the devices that you have. Do they all play well together? Do the research and ensure that they do, its a world of difference
• Kindle Voyager – For distraction free reading, its amazing. I have found that I can actually read longer staring at the screen and I don’t get a headache.

Dig Deeper Into The Word:

This is honestly one of the most overlooked disciplines in my life.

My passionate pursuit of the Word of God sets the stage for everything else in life @Muddamalle
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Have Fun:

Seriously, have fun. Make sure you carve out time to enjoy life. Whether that’s playing sports, watching a movie, or taking a walk; do it. Life gets busy and we have a lot to do but neglecting what makes us happy and refreshes us is a huge mistake!

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