Feeling Close to God

Rich Mullins was a pretty amazing person.
Awesome musician, incredible songwriter, and a very humble person.
He really makes you think.
Here is a clip of one of his concerts I found on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQnFU5JvuWY

Here are some things he said in that concert that really stuck out to me:
"We were given the Scriptures to humble us into realizing that God is right in everything and the rest of us are just guessing."

"I am all the time being asked by people, 'How do you feel closer to God?'. I kinda always want to say, 'I don't know.'. When I read the lives of the great saints, I think they didn't necessarily feel very close to God. When I read the Psalms, I get the feeling like David and the other psalmists felt quite far away from God for most of the time. Closeness to God is not about feelings. Closeness to God is about obedience. It's just as simple as that. And here's a little Bible verse that I've come to love more over the years - Jesus said 'Whatever you've done unto the least of these, my brethren, you've done it unto Me.'
Jesus seemed to have a particular place in His heart for the oppressed . . . . I don't know how you feel close to God, and no one I know that seems to be close to God knows anything about those feelings either.
I know if we obey, occasionally, the feeling follows, but not always. Occasionally. Jesus said 'Whatever you do to the least of these, you've done to Me.' - and this is what I've come to think -
that if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Saviour and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This, I know, will go against the teachings of all the popular Evangelical preachers, but they're just wrong. They're not bad, they're just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure, little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house, where you have no minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love as Jesus loved, and Jesus loved the poor. And Jesus loved the broken."

Wow. That is so true, and powerfully convicting.

Not that there is anything wrong with having a "perfect little wife, perfect little kids, and a beautiful little house",  - there isn't.
I think it is more of a challenge to live a more selfless life, not to be satisfied with just a quiet little life, but to be willing to step outside our comfort zone to reach out to the poor, the broken, and the oppressed, as Jesus did.
This has rung so true with the things the Lord has been repeatedly challenging me with - investing my life and everything I have in the work of His kingdom, ready and willing to do hard things.

I am adding a blog called "The Rebelution" to my blogroll. Please - I encourage you to read it, and be prepared to be challenged! The Harris twins, Alex and Brett, are the founders of the blog and the authors of the book Do Hard Things, a challenge to young adults to a 'rebellion against low expectations'.
This book was a tool God used to begin convicting me to rethink the teenage years, and to go against the culture's mentality towards young adulthood.

There have been many times in my life, in the past and recently, when I have not ''felt" really close to God, but I desire with all my heart to do His will, and in that He gives me peace.