When God Disrupts Your Comfort

Brenen Beeler

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About

As the pastor of a church in California, Brenen Beeler was safe, secure, and respected—but he wasn’t truly content. When he was presented with a new opportunity at Cavalry Chapel Eagle in Idaho, it took a great deal of prayer—and numerous signs from God—to convince him it was worth taking a chance on a new church in an entirely different part of the country. But God soon started paving the way for Brenen and his family, and now, as the pastor of a thriving church in a rapidly growing community, Brenen testifies that it was “the best decision we ever made in our lives.”

Brenen recounts that story to Nate Dewberry this week and relates some of the messages he’s sharing with men in his congregation searching for meaning: listen to your feelings of “Godly discontentment”; be humble enough to recognize that all our strength comes from God alone; and make sure you have an “armor bearer” who has your back and can recognize your potential weaknesses—and be that armor bearer for others.

Show Notes

Segment chapters

0:00 Intro/The beginnings of a major life change

7:20 Wrestling with God’s plan

15:25 God makes everything fall into place

22:32 “The best decision we ever made in our lives”

25:55 When you’re safe and secure, but not content

33:54 How Brenen’s church is reaching out to men in search of meaning

40:04 Locking arms as “armor bearers” and facing challenges together

48:48 Closing thoughts: What matters the most in Brenen’s life

Snippets/excerpts

5:32 to 7:20—How Brenen finally surrendered to God’s plan and decided to reconsider Cavalry Chapel Eagle’s offer to become their new pastor

12:21 to 14:28—Brenen randomly comes across a 35-year-old sermon by one of his mentors—and feels like it’s speaking directly to him

26:15 to 28:31—The feeling of “Godly discontentment” is real—here’s how we should respond

36:58 to 38:56—In defense of meekness: Accepting that our strength only comes through God

41:53 to 43:17—The origins of the “armor bearer” and its importance in men’s lives

Discussion

6:15—Can you recall a time in your life when you surrendered completely to God? What had he been asking of you, and why had you been resisting up to that point? What did it feel like to give up control over such big life decisions and hand that control to God? Was it scary, and did that fear ever turn into exhilaration? Luke 9:23

8:46—What was the time in your adult life when you felt the most aimless or uncertain? What did it feel like to have no plan and no idea where your future was headed? When did you finally find some clarity and direction, and how did it happen? Psalm 37:23–24

10:33—What’s the greatest level of security—financial, physical, occupational, or otherwise—that you’ve ever given up? How hard was it to sacrifice that degree of security and certainty for something different that might or might not be as good as what you had? What was it that finally made you decide that was a risk worth taking? Matthew 6:19–21

26:45—Have you ever been in an objectively good life situation—good job, nice house, stable family, etc.—yet still didn’t feel fulfilled? Did you feel guilty or ungrateful for not being satisfied with those blessings? Was there ever a point when it felt like God might actually be calling you to something different? Ecclesiastes 2:10–11

39:30—Many men these days preach a message that to be a true “manly” man means dominating, subjugating, ruling almost like a dictator. Has this definition of manhood ever made you feel uncomfortable? Have you even heard it in your own church? How does that image compare to the man that Jesus is portrayed to be in the Bible? Mark 10:42–45

43:10—Do you have any “armor bearers” in your life—people who will point out to you where your blind spots and potential weaknesses are before they become a problem? If so, how did that person earn your trust to the point where you were willing to listen even when they told you difficult truths? If not, who are some people in your life in whom you might be willing to place that kind of trust? 1 Samuel 14:6–7

48:22—Think of one or two really close friends you’ve had in the past whom you haven’t talked to in a long time. How did you fall out of touch? Was it a deliberate decision to cut ties because of a disagreement, or did the two of you simply devote less time and energy to the work of cultivating the friendship? What are some things you could do to make sure your current close friendships don’t meet the same fate? Proverbs 17:17