The red phone is ringing.

"Our strength and firmness are in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone."
In Luke 9 Jesus asks these guys to follow him but they all respond "well can I _____first? They weren't what I would call "lame excuses" either...I mean one of the guys wanted to go bury his father!! I mean thats kind of emotional in the first place and now Jesus wants him to drop it!! At first, reading this, I thought that Jesus' response, "No one who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God," was insensitive. However, when I thought about it, our trust is supposed to be in Jesus right? he is our strength, he is what instills strength into our bodies... So he knows everything about us and knows what is best...so why is ANYTHING holding us back? I usually associate pain, regret, fear, and sorrow with things that hold me back but what about best friends, important days like your wedding or maybe even a death of a family member...how are those holding us back!?I mean they are important... they aren't things that we just let go of in any circumstance.

This reminded me of an analogy one of my mentors challenged me with...
In your room there is a red phone.
Its one of those phones in the cheesy commercials or spy movies that is directly linked with someone important in case of an emergency.
Your phone can only be called by God.
So one day when you are jammin out to some music in your room the phone rings.
You of course pick up because I mean its GOD! He tells you to drop EVERYTHING, tell NO ONE, take NOTHING, and get on the 2:45 bus to NO WHERE. What do you do!? Grab your Bible cuz that's important right?? Wait he said bring nothing. Go tell your mom you are leaving and that you love her?? He said tell no one! Do you go to the bus???!!!

This is the picture that is challenging me this week. If that red phone starts to ring do I ignore it? Do I pick up and say "Sorry God I really don't trust you?" or do I go. I mean I sing the song and pray the prayer "Here am I send me!!" but to what extent am I willing to go.

Jesus stooped lower.