Rick Nier...Woo!

The Silent Years

2012-01-25T08:35:00.082-05:00

Hmmm, have you ever thought about something, had lots of conversations about said topic, then got really excited when someone finally decided to write a book about it?

Yeah, me too.

The aforementioned topic would be all the years of Jesus' life not talked about in the Bible. Let's face it, we get a birth story full of animals and characters. Then we get one snippet of the childhood of Jesus at age 12. Then, WHAM!, it's Jesus taking down demons and loving on the sinners.

For anyone with an imagination, it leaves us wondering what it was like for Jesus, and His family, when He was a child or young adult. Was He always correcting His parents? Did His siblings ever try to get Him in trouble? Did Mary ever lose her patience and use His name in an incorrect manner? If so, was she breaking a commandment?

So I was excited to recieve a copy of The Silent Years by Alan W.C. Green. The story was told from the perspective of an Uncle He may have had, but largely fictional character, named Benaiah. He was a Pharisee who would serve to teach Jesus the Torah as a child.

Alan, for the most part, does a good job of weaving the unwritten parts with the record we have from the four Gospels. He does not seem overly concerned with everything fitting perfectly with the Gospel records. For instance, in Alan's version, there is no mention of any wise men or an escape to Egypt. Later, some of the miracles seem to be performed before Jesus actually starts His ministry. But I think we can allow some freedom here for the sake of imagination.

Yet, if the point was to give us a realistic look at what could have actually been, I was left a little wanting. Aside form the historical license Alan took, my biggest problem became the seemingly cluelessness Jesus had about Who He is. The vigin birth is discussed, but other than saying that Jesus probably had a special mission from God, there is no real mention of what the miraculous birth meant.

Alan does have Jesus referring to Himself as 'the Son of the Human', but even with that he stops short of painting Jesus as someone who had 100% clarity.

The story was entertaining, nonetheless, and would cause great thinking and great discussion. Alan does a great job of weaving familiar characters earlier in the life of Jesus in ways that one might not have considered before. It's worth the read.

I received this book from my friends at SpeakEasy. They give me books and ask that I talk about them. They don't tell me what to say, just a review.

You can find this book for purchase here.
#SpeakEasySilentYears

Rock Climbing Is Not About Me

2012-01-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

The other night my family went to the Y. Jacie wanted to go rock climbing and I said I would climb with her. You have to know, internally, my goal was not to let a 10-year old girl show me up. My competitive side is well known by my kids, because as I was encouraging Jacie on one of her climbs, Luke (8-years old) asked me why I was encouraging the competition. I reminded him that we were on the same team, so it was good to work together. And we did. Jacie reached the top of two different climbs.

Perhaps you're wondering how I did. I thought about telling you. I almost put it down. But then I realized that would make this about me. Whether or not I reached the top does not change who I am. What you think about whether or not I reached the top does not change who I am either.

I could tell you. But if all we're doing is comparing, which I started to do, it will get us nowhere.

Nowhere.

Let it be known that the family had a good time, so the mission was accomplished. A lot of times we think the mission is to make it about us. It reminds me that there were moments in the life of Jesus when He too was silent. Specifically, I am thinking of His trial by Pilate when He remained silent. You can find that in Matthew 26.

I know, that's a big jump in topic, from rock walls to trials. I'm sorry if I jarred you. But realize that we have so many ways of making life about us, even in trivial matters. Jesus, in a moment of life and death, said nothing. Not about His innocence. Not about the injustice being done to Him. Not a word about Himself.

Do you still want to know how I did at rock climbing?

God First, Man Second: New Year's Series

2012-01-23T08:33:00.073-05:00

I think that we love the New Year because we have a romanticized view of what happens when the clock rolls over. We seem to think that we'll make some resolutions and everything will be rainbows and kittens. But then we wake up and realize that old acquaintances are not all forgotten.

Relationships that stunk the year before will still stink, unless, of course, we decide to do something about it. Consequences carry over, without caring to look at the calendar.

I think this leaves us with a despair that leaves us not wanting to try. Why bother, right? The New Year doesn't actually change anything. If we look closely, we'll realize that the New Year is really just a new day.

Sounds kind of discouraging, doesn't it? Well, hold on, because I am actually a big believer in a good night's sleep and a new day making a world of difference. In fact, I could be chief among those accused of romanticizing the New Year, a new month and even just one new day.

But for all the romantics out in the world, there is a day coming where things will be made new.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ~Revelation 3:11-13

I know, I know, there are other verses later in Revelation that make us long for Jesus to come even more. I chose this one because the focus is clearly on Jesus. It is Jesus who brings the real action here. Jesus is coming. Jesus is making pillars. Jesus is writing the name son us.

What do we do? We hold on. Yes, we hold on to that which Jesus has given us. Oh, and we achieve total victory, but not in the Ninja Warrior sort of way. This victory has already been won by, you guessed it, Jesus.

So, celebrate this New Year. Aim high for resolutions and new goals. Romanticize if it helps you. But make sure you are focused on the right new day. And then...hold on.

How do you handle the New Year? Does a new day make a difference for you?

It's Not What Others Think

2012-01-20T08:03:00.052-05:00

I have spent way too much time considering what other people think about me. From the way I dress, to the way I talk, I've obsessed over too many details of me. Why? Because I've concerned myself with what others think.

Earlier this week, I talked about a guy named Simon the Leper who didn't seem too concerned with his identity. His name is only mentioned in passing, because it will be a woman who steals the scene, although it's not really about her either. Mark 14 tells us of a woman who comes in and anoints Jesus' feet with an expensive perfume. From the gospel of John, we know that it's Mary, the sister of Martha.

Forget what you know about the argument the disciples have with Jesus about this being a wise or foolish use of money and resources. Forget that this seemed to spur Judas into betraying Jesus. You can even forget about the imagery of this being preparation for Jesus' burial, although it is a beautiful picture.

What strikes me is the bravery Mary had when walking into this room. This wasn't just giving Jesus a bottle of perfume, an odd gift to give any man, unless this was a musk. The Gospel writers always leave out the gritty details like that.

Mary not only turns her back on the crowd, but she puts herself in a most vulnerable position, so she can wipe the feet of Jesus with her hair. There's no suave way of doing that. In fact, there's no way of keeping your face off the floor when giving this gift.

And while what she did has been told and retold for generations, this is ultimately about Jesus. It is preparation for His burial. So it didn't matter that others thought it was a waste. It didn't matter that others might have felt awkward as she was wiping His feet. It wasn't about what others thought.

The gift we give Jesus is about Him. It is our response. It's not what others think.

When's the last time you lavishly gave to Jesus without considering what others thought about you?

Hometown Prophet

2012-01-18T08:59:00.002-05:00

I recently read Jeff Fulmer's novel Hometown Prophet. The story follows Peter, a classic story of a man who lives with his mom and receives visions from God.

Wait, that's not classic? Before you scoff, we don't really know where some of the Old Testament prophets lived. Maybe that was why Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. You might cry to if you still lived with your mom.

Despite it's un-classical nature, Jeff does a good job of thinking through the implications of receiving, and then delivering, messages from God. Especially when you live with your mom and back in your hometown, where everyone knows your flaws. Aside from the obvious supernatural aspect, I think this story flowed very realistically through the consequences to our hero, Peter.

Good book. Good story. Good characters, despite their flaws.

I do have one minor soapbox of mine to get on. There were a handful of swear words used. I know, I know, there is a huge literary debate about what is necessary or not. I understand that if you have characters who are not Christian, and you want to portray them realistically, sometimes they use language. I get that, I do.

However, at several points, words were spelled out. At another, a f-bomb was dropped, but wasn't spelled out. Instead, he used the symbols to show a bad word was intended. So, clearly, the author had a line he did not want to cross. So why not use symbols for all of the swear words. More surprising, in my mind, was when a swear word was used outside of dialogue.

It will sound like an old argument, but for me, it didn't add to the story. Characters were angry. I already understood that. But I digress. Other than what may be an irritation for me, the story was good. I appreciated seeing an in depth look at what it might actually be like for some one who has the gift of prophecy. It wouldn't be easy, that's for sure. Despite my irritations with salty language, I was entertained by this story.

You can check out all the extras below. I received this book from my good friends at SpeakEasy. They send me books and ask that I say something about them. They don't use bad language when they do.

Hometown Prophet: http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/

Jeff’s blog: http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/news/

Video trailer for Hometown Prophet: http://youtu.be/hjufn9mjVN0

#SpeakeasyProphet

It's Not Who You Are

2012-01-17T08:47:00.001-05:00

I've had some pretty bad nicknames. When your legal name is Richard, it doesn't exactly make it difficult for name-callers. But even I feel bad for Simon the Leper.

Apparently people in the first century weren't very good with last names. And since there were a bunch of people with the same first name, your identity became unique by some other marker. Can you guess how Simon the Leper got his name? It's not difficult.

Simon was evidently the only Simon people knew who had suffered with leprosy. But it must have been a thing of the past, because Jesus is at his house. Leprosy was something that made people live outside city limits, with other lepers. With no modern meds and no known cure, it was a segregated life for lepers. So for Simon to be back home, he must have been cured, probably by his house guest, Jesus.

What strikes me about this story is that it has nothing to do with Simon or his leprosy. We're merely told where Jesus is at. In fact, the major part of the story is that Mary, sister of Martha, came and anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. (We'll save that part of the story for another post.)

Simon the Leper is mentioned because of who he is with. Seems like a good reminder for the rest of us.

Some of us are known by things in our past. Be it sin or habits, or even silly details from a summer camp. Some of us are recognized for one part of our lives, math whiz, jock, computer dork...or maybe just a regular dork. It doesn't matter that the rest of us is ignored, most of us have a label.

But it doesn't matter. It's not who you are. It's who you are with.

If I were Simon, I would have invited Jesus to my house that day too. And as I was spreading the word, I would have made sure people knew where to go. The invite would have read;

Jesus Party

Simon the Leper's House

God First, Man Second: New Year's Series

2012-01-16T08:35:00.033-05:00

I was playing guitar and singing when my 5 year old interrupts my American Idol-worthy groove to ask what grace is. Now, you know how parents, when they are talking with another, say things they wouldn't say to their kids? Well, sometimes I say those things to my kids.

What's grace, my child? It's what God gives you, even though you're a little sinner and don't deserve it. That's grace! It ranks right up there with some advice I got from Jack Handy. He thought it was a good idea that when a kid asked where rain came from, to tell them it was God crying. When they asked why God was crying, he'd tell them it was probably because of something they did. That's parenting at its best.

I think of that because of Lamentations 3:22-24.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him."

See, despite what a dirty sinner I am, God's love overcomes all of that. He has compassion on me. He extends His grace to my life.

Oh, and God does it every day.

Therefore, I will wait for Him. What are you waiting on God for this week?

Grinch: The Whole Story

2012-01-13T08:24:00.010-05:00

Christmas is in the rear-view mirror, but I have something that's been bugging me for a couple of months. It's our use of the word Grinch. When we call someone a Grinch, we are not normally handing out a compliment. In fact, we even have the song all worked out. You're a mean on, Mr. Grinch. We rhyme and wax poetical about just how insufferable he is.

I may stand alone here, but I think this view of Grinch is short-sighted. And as Christians, I think we should re-think this name-calling.

First of all, name-calling is just not nice. So let's not be so stupid. Secondly, we are ignoring the whole story of Grinch. Do you remember the end of the story? His heart grew 3 times as large as I recall. He became Dr. Seuss's version of Zacchaeus.

Do you remember that guy? He's not just an avid tree-climber that Jesus spotted. He was a tax collector that apparently had a Napolean complex and took care of things by cheating people on their taxes. But after a visit with Jesus, good ol' Zac was paying people back 4 times what he cheated them. We don't normally think of Zacchaeus as the cheat he was before he met Jesus. We think of him as the success story.

How would you like it if you were remembered for the sins you committed before you were saved? 'Hey, there's Greg, the fornicator!' It just doesn't sound right, does it?

From now on, if I call someone a Grinch, it will be because of the great change and growth of heart that I see in them. Perhaps we should all be striving to be a Grinch.

Your turn. How do you see the Grinch?

Sacrilege

2012-01-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

2012 is starting out really well as far as my book choices. Last week I reviewed Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I thought this was a good place to start a year because it laid a foundation of truth.

Then I jumped right into Sacrilege by Hugh Halter. I must admit, the title had me scared a bit for what I would find inside. But you know what they say about judging a book by its cover. So I jumped in anyways.

And...

I say jump in with both feet, my friends. What Hugh basically does is to break down the Beatitudes and explain how deviant these words would have sounded to the original audience.

Hugh writes in a very easy to follow manner. He explains in the introduction that he is writing as if to his daughters in a letter, so they may know the real Jesus. Also near the beginning he defines how he is using the term sacrilege. It comes don to tipping holy cows. That sounds mean, but these cows had it coming. Really.

What we need to understand is that people did not sit through Jesus' teaching like we do through a sermon. Instead of obedient silence and perhaps a smattering of 'Amens', there would have been shock and awe. Imagine gasping, scoffing and disbelief and I think we get a bit closer to the reactions Jesus would have become accustomed to.

Hugh weaves the Beatitudes together and shares some very clear implications for how we follow Jesus, from the sharing of communion to the sharing of our resources to how we spend our Sabbaths. He even returns our focus to how we respond to people.

In the end, nothing is too sacred to be questioned and yet Hugh finds the true character of Jesus to be uber-sacred. Yes, uber.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is new to the faith and needs to start out right, before getting comfy with the holy cows. Oh, and for the rest of us, this would be a great opportunity for a refocusing.

I received this book for free from my good friends at SpeakEasy. They ask me to say something but don't tell me what to say. They're cool like that.

Hugh Halter is a church planter, pastor, consultant, and missionary to the US. He is the national director of Missio and is the lead architect of Adullam, a congregational network of missional communities in Denver, Colorado.You can vist him at his blog if you'd like; http://hughhalter.com

#SpeakeasySacrilege

Thinking Ahead

2012-01-10T08:15:00.006-05:00

Do you ever spend time thinking ahead? I don’t mean in the sense of merely looking forward to dessert, although I do that a lot. I’m talking about the kind of thinking that is especially popular at this time of year. You start thinking about what your last year was like and what you want your next year to be like. Perhaps you think about relationships that need to be repaired. In your home, you may ponder the next big home project. In your work, you may scheme on how to attain more paid sick days.

Whatever kind of thinking it is, we’re given some guidelines in God’s Word.

Hakuna Matata

We’re told not to worry about the future. In fact, Jesus compares us to birds and flowers and assures us that we’re worth more to God than those things (Matthew 5:25-34). Whew! In case you become concerned that God might be ok with us being hungry and naked, rest assured, He is not. Jesus tells us that our Father knows we need them. But God also knows that “life is more important than food, and the body more important than clothes” (Matthew 5:25b).

So while Timon and Pumba, of Lion King fame, may have sang Hakuna Matata in an attempt to do as little as possible, we can sing it as praise to God. No worries may not mean problem-free living, but it does mean that God has our back.

Don’t Worship the Plans

Have you ever had a near-death experience? I’ve had a couple. When I realize how close I was, it makes me pause and think about my plans for that day. I’m all for planning, but James was correct when he said that we “are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). So we should plan with open hands.

You never know what God has in mind. If we did, it would likely change all our plans. So would the knowledge of how many close calls we’ve actually had. Not every close call is one we will see. Consider all the delays and distractions that come your way. Yeah, they may mess with your plans. But they may be in God’s plans.

If we’re to really look ahead, I think we may need to do some more thinking.

How often do you plan ahead? How far ahead do you look? How has that helped or hindered your faith?

God First, Man Second: New Year's Series

2012-01-09T08:29:00.029-05:00

I'm judgmental. There, I said it. I'm pretty bad about it as well. Oh, I don't often say things out loud, but I'm judging. I can't tell you how many times I've judged a person because of some pattern of living they have, only to be reminded of God's grace. But even in the view of grace, I return to judgment fairly quickly, piously reminding myself that people still have consequences to live with.

There may be consequences, but that really shouldn't be my concern. How I deal with people should reflect God's grace. Period. This was Paul's point in 2 Corinthians.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

Like all scripture, this is about God first and man second. So what do we see God doing? Reconciling. And God is getting it done, in amazing ways. God loves reconciling so much that He has given us this as a ministry. It's like sharing your favorite hobbies with your friends.

I think we might experience better relationships across the board if we took this way of living to heart. Stop judging people in a worldly way. See people as new creations. Work more on reconciling people with God.

Hmmm, there might be something to this.

How about you? What goes on in your head regarding other people?

You're So Vain, And With Good Reason

2012-01-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

I must apologize to Carly Simon. I'm sure she has life experience that I don't have. I am positive that she is trying to make a point. But in this one instance, she is just plain wrong. The song is about him!

What song, you ask? You must be young. The song is called You're So Vain by the aforementioned Carly Simon. She sings about a guy that she would clearly rather forget. She was hurt. I feel for her, I do. But, like a teenage girl who pretends that she doesn't care what a stupid guy thinks, she tips her hand. Yes, my lady doth protest too much.

She tells us this guys is so vain that he probably thinks this song is about him. Well, what is he supposed to think? She describes him in pretty clear detail in 3 verses. Or are there multiple guys leaving her, travelling to Saratoga, then jetting off to Nova Scotia? Maybe I just don't live in the world where every other guy wears hats and apricot scarves. Maybe that's just me.

Or maybe the song is about him.

We don't do any favors to those who think too highly of themselves when we think too often about them. It just feeds to the ego that has already stayed too long at the Thanksgiving table.

What Carly should have done, if she really wanted to convince this guy, was to feign memory loss. Perhaps forget some of the tiny details and choose not to attend the same parties. It's just a thought. But perhaps people would believe that you're not all about them if you weren't singing songs about them, then telling them the songs aren't really about them.

It comes across like;

Kobe Bryant talking about that one really big, All-Star center he played with, but he's not talking about Shaq.
Colts fans talking about not really needing that one quarterback they have, but they're not talking about Peyton Manning.
People in general talking about that evil guy in a red suit that takes Jesus out of Chrismas, but we're not talking about Santa.

Of course we are. It's time we admit that some things, people included, get too much of our attention. Some times that person is us. Is this blog about you? You're so vain...

Dug Down Deep

2012-01-04T07:45:00.002-05:00

Doctrine and theology can be fun. No, seriously.

Joshua Harris has done both serious and light-hearted on this subject of uber-importance. As he writes early on, "all of us are constantly 'doing' theology." Since "all of us have some idea or opinion about what God is like" we might as well 'do' theology properly.

See, we all know things about God. But we have to be pushed to make the applications for that knowledge. For instance, it's one thing to know that God is good. But what does that mean for us in a practical sense? Sigh if you must, but it's the working out of in depth questions, like how a good God can allow bad things to happen or even knowing if God can make a burrito so hot that even He can't eat it.

Yeah, it's deep stuff.

So Joshua tackles all the basics, from reading the Bible, redemption and sanctification to the 3 personalities of God. He even tells us why church is important. As a pastor, I have to give that chapter 2 thumbs up.

He does it all with an understated humility, which is where he ends his book as well. The truth is not something for Christians to use as a weapon, against other Christians or non-Christians. The truth is something that exists outside of us. Since we cannot control it or own it, but only claim it, we need to be careful how we use it. Joshua emphasizes that our main task is to live by this truth. Much like the parable of the wise and foolish builders, our job is to dig down deep and continue discovering core truths and then shaping our lives by the Truth.

I received this book from my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing. They send me books for free and ask that I say something about said books. This latest edition comes with an in-depth study guide, which would be great for small groups.

You can purchase this book here. I recommend that you do.
#BloggingForBooks

The New Divide

2012-01-03T08:37:00.013-05:00

Ok, now that Christmas is over, we can move on from birth stories and manger scenes, right? Maybe. While we may talk less about baby Jesus we won’t (or shouldn’t) stop talking about Jesus. As annoying as the phrase ‘Reason for the Season’ may be, the simple truth is that Jesus is the Reason for…well…everything!

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Church, he began by telling them how thankful he was for their faith in Jesus. He tells them how this good news is “all over the world” and is “bearing fruit and growing.”

Then Paul tells these Colossians how he is praying that God would fill them “with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” But this not just knowledge for the sake of having knowledge. This knowledge’s purpose is so they “may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way.” This is our faith becoming action.

This knowledge is to be shared. It is to be lived. Knowing Jesus is not like checking an item off of our to-do list. “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” There was our life before. Now there is our new life.

Jesus is the New Divide! You can decide which side to be on, but it would seem a waste of what God did to walk right back into a darkness that He already saved us from. Maybe that's just me.

Question for today; Do you tend to compartmentalize the Christmas stories? Or will you remember Jesus as baby stories all year long?

* All of these quotes can be found in the first 14 verses of Colossians.

God First, Man Second: New Year's Edition

2012-01-02T08:53:00.004-05:00

Well, happy New Year to those willing to read another year of my blog. (See how I assume that you'll read it all year?) I hope you will. I have some new ideas for posting themes that I will be working on, in an effort to increase our interactions here on the blog.

But one series I'll be continuing starts today. It's God First, Man Second. Every Monday, I'll post a scripture and answer the following questions in the following order. What does this say about God? What does this say about man? I believe the order is important because asking who man is first can get us wrong answers.

Alright, on with it...

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezekiel 18:30-32

What does this say about God? We see that God is the judge, but more importantly, we see that God is not a vindictive judge, looking to smite people just because He can. He is encouraging the people, including us, to change our ways. We're told sin equals death, but that God doesn't take pleasure in death.

That's good news, because the prospect doesn't sound enticing to me either.

So, what about us? The best news for us is that we can receive a new heart and spirit. It's not something we will earn or purchase or work hard for. If that were the way it was done, believe me, I'd have done it by now. I tend to be goals oriented.

The doing focus for us here is more of simple repentance. In case it doesn't seem simple to you, consider the options. Die in your sins, to your heart's content. Or get a new heart by changing your ways. Sounds like a no-brainer.

I'm not a big resolution guy, but maybe the New Year helps you focus. If so, what's your resolution? Any chance putting God first will help you accomplish that goal?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T08:04:00.005-05:00

So I had this idea and then I saw it wasn't original. Buuut, that isn't exactly new to me. I'm often slow to the hip things. For instance, have you seen this deal called the iPhone? I hear it's got some great application. I went looking for one online and discovered that they just keep upgrading these things.

Sorry for that lttle tangent. Let me get to the idea. I'm going to take a break from blogging. Before you thank me, hear me out...

I'll be breaking until the new year. For starters, you're much too busy to be reading all these blogs. Second, I've once again left Christmas shopping for my wife until the home stretch. Sooo, add it all together and you'll see I'm doing this for both of us.

Now, I've seen where some blogs will post their most popular blogs during their off-time. Here's why I won't be doing that. Again, if you're too busy to read blogs, why would I assume that you have time to read a better blog? If I assumed that, I would just post links to other people's blogs. (Get it? Self-deprecation. It kills, right?)

Oh, the real reason for not posting most popular blogs? It kind of goes against my whole m.o. If I believe (and I do) that this life isn't about me (even mine), then it seems a tad self-centered to offer up the 'best of me'.

So have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2012!

God First, Man Second: Christmas Edition part 4

2011-12-19T08:51:00.033-05:00

This is part 4 of my God First, Man Second: Christmas Editions. You can find the other 3 here, here and here. No matter what you do at Christmas time, no matter what your traditions, I hope that you will take some time to remember why we even get to celebrate this season.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ~Luke 2:14

This is what it all comes down to. The whole heavenly host come out just to sing it. Glory is given to God. This is right, because God is deserving of our glory. In fact, God is the only One deserving.

What do we get? Peace. This is beyond our undertanding. We can think we understand it. But we know, deep down, we don't.

See, we come to this God-man relationship offering nothing. I could sugar-coat that for you since it's the holidays and all, but let's be honest. We're in a big heap of trouble and we have no actual solution.

But God, planning as only He can, prepares and foretells and gives us Jesus. I'm not saying that our lives as Christians become a cake-walk, though that would be yummy. But now we have an answer. And not a 12-step, apply twice daily, take this pill kind of answer. This is miracle beyond miracles!

God is worthy of our glory. We don't need it anymore. So give God the glory that is due Him.

Practicing the Way of Jesus

2011-12-14T08:06:00.001-05:00

To say that this book was read would be a misnomer. This is a book that you experience. That is on purpose by author Mark Scandrette. The title of this book is Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love.

I experienced this book with a small group at my church. The book comes complete with study guide in the back, giving a schedule for which chapters to read and in what order. There was thought put into this. The basic premise that Mark puts forth is the idea that the Christian life is not one lived while sitting in a pew, but one that is lived out.

Mark divides the book into 5 main sections. These are areas that he believes all of us must work on in growing deeper in our faith. Those areas are: Identity, Purpose, Security, Community and Freedom/Peace. He wrote one chapter on theory and one on practice for each area.

One of the first things I said when I read the first chapter was that the book scared me. I believed it was gong to be too fanatical in its approach. The experiments, as Mark calls them, were designed to push, but were not beyond comprehension or capability. Many times, it took our group just collectively talking out the fears and then pushing forward.

Filled with successes and failures, this book certainly did not hold its nose up in the air. Mark was unapologetic that not everything happening in the Church is helping Christian growth. He works a bit more with those who might call hemselves post-congregationalist, but he is not a hater of the Church either.

There are very practical steps for believers in every stage of faith. It's come as you are, but don't become content on staying there. Weird, right? It sounds similar to how Jesus called us originally.

You can check out this book for yourself over at Likewise Books, a division of InterVarsity Press.

God First, Man Second: Christmas Edition part 3

2011-12-12T08:47:00.036-05:00

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~Luke 2:10-12

Even as a baby, God comes first. It's really amazing when you think about it. The God of the universe, in a way that only God can fathom, left Heaven, a place we can only imagine, and came to Earth.

But Jesus did not come as a grown man, regal and ready to rule. He did not come as an adult.

Jesus came as a baby. He entered the world, yes the world He created. He came as a mortal and left as a Messiah. The good news for us, in fact the only reason we are a part of this story, is that we receive a Savior. We are on the receiving end of the greatest gift ever given.

God gives. We get. We no longer have to fear. We have received good news. We now get to live with great joy. God loved us first. We now live in that love.

Neglectful Parents

2011-12-09T08:41:00.001-05:00

Each child is a gift. They are to be prized and protected. They should never be mistreated or neglected. (Did a tear just shed? I was going for a tear...)

If we're up on our Bible-reading, then we'll be familiar with Bible verses that say "with painful labor you will give birth to children" and "he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating." Wait, not those verses.

These verses. "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing" (Psalm 37:25-26). Oh, and "And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:16).

It would seem that children are, in fact, the future and should be valued as such. All of them. (Any tears yet? Dang, you are a tough crowd.)
Given all this, it makes this one little story seem a bit odd. We're told about parents who were told they'd be receiving a very special child. This child was not like other children. He was to be given a special mission in life. They should take special care of this child.

Oh, did I mention this child was the Son of God?

I'm not saying I'm the best parent, but I would think the neurotic make-sure-my-child-is-alive meter would be at an all-time high if I was told I was about to play the role of dad for the Son of God! If each child is really just on loan to us, you might think that having God's Son on loan would make you extra careful.

So why do we have this story in Luke?

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ~Luke 2:41-46

If I take my kids to the grocery store, we're holding hands in the parking lot, I'm constantly making sure they don't drop sugar cereals and candy bars in the cart and I'm counting heads as we return to the vehicle.

Joe and Mary were an entire day away when they realized they left Jesus behind in Jerusalem!!! Are you kidding me? I suppose, if nothing else, it tells me I should give myself a pass when I'm not the perfect parent.

Church Outside the Walls

2011-12-07T08:37:00.048-05:00

I received an ebook copy of Church Outside the Walls by Raj Samuel. Raj is a house church planter who is committed to education and church unity.

Raj has written this short book, just over 100 pages, for the purpose of educating Christians back to their original purpose. But he begins his whole book with a quote by a Hindu. "Christianity has failed in the West. Christians should not try to promote their religion in other parts of the world when it has not worked here in the West."

There are so very many things wrong with thsi remark, none the least of which is the fact that Christianity did not originate in the West, so it is philosophically unsound to argue for it not to be spread farther from here. Since Christianity was begun in Jerusalem and the spread everywhere from there, we should not be so elitist in the West to assume that our successes or failures have any bearing on Christianity worldwide.

Leaving that thought for the moment, Raj spends the rest of his words taking us back to the origins of many Christian practices, including meeting in a building and using leaders to, well, lead. These, and many other practices of the American Church, are pagan in nature, according to Raj, something we've picked up from the Greeks and the Romans and John Maxwell, I would guess.

All of these take us away from a Church body that should be more effective than it is. While I agree that too many people are sitting passively on the sidelines while watching the 'pastor professionals' perform the show, I think Raj has swung the pendulum too far in the other direction.

All that being said, I think Raj provides us with some good food for thought. We should know our purposes. We should know our origins. To take some time and chew on these ideas with other believers is a great idea. Just be careful not to throw out the baby with any dirty bathwater you come across.Because Raj will have you believing that all churches that have any structure are working against the work of Christ, not for it.

I received this ebook for free from my friends at SpeakEasy. They give me books and I review them. Win-win!

You can check out the book for yourself here.
#SpeakEasyChurchOutside

Always Be Prepared

2011-12-06T10:00:00.002-05:00

Always be prepared. It's a lot more than just a slogan for the Boy Scouts. It's great advice for anyone hoping not to get caught off guard. Hey, it's even a command given by the Apostle Peter when he tells us to always be ready with an answer for the hope that we have.

My senior pastor was prepared this past Sunday when he discussed being prepared. It would have just been ironic if he hadn't been prepared. But thankfully he was as he discussed the many ways that God prepared Mary for being the mother of the Son of God. That's a tall order.

Aside from being prepared to play the role of such an important mom in history, her and Joe were first time parents. Have you ever considered what it was like for them in this regards? For instance, when they had to flee to Egypt, how hectic was that?

I remember packing up for trips with my first child. There was the diaper bag, complete with enough baby food for 3 days, in case we got stuck someplace where Walmart has yet to find. We had diapers and wipes and blankets and rags, bottles and lotion. Then we had the back-up diaper bag, the stroller and enough toys to distract for any situation. This was just for a routine trip to the post office.

Joe and Mary were escaping to Egypt, but I'm sure they still needed a stroller. More importantly, they needed to be people who could handle the pressure and remember why it was important. We talk about the Reason for the Season. They were holding Him!

Our stress factors will be vastly different than Joe and Mary. None of us should need to escape to another country. Our biggest problem may be figuring out what to get for wives and moms. (I strongly suggest not getting her a vacuum.) Our preparation should also go beyond the giving of physical gifts.

Are we ready to worship the newborn King? Are we ready to share the Joy of the world? Are you ready to give a reason for the hope you have this Christmas?

Let's banter people. What do you do to be prepared for the Christmas season?

God First, Man Second: Christmas Edition part 2

2011-12-05T08:27:00.033-05:00

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

Luke 1:46-55

Well, here we are in week 2 of the Christmas series. God should come first all year long. Christmas is no different. But this isn't how we always deal with Christmas, it is? When it's our birthday, we get gifts. And when it's Jesus' birthday, we get gifts again. Does that make sense?

But here we read a song by Mary, the pregnant mother of the Son of God. It's a good song. It's great that she was even in the mood for writing songs. Many pregnant women are only in the mood to eat. While they eat, they send their husbands to go get more food, so they can keep eating.

But Mary packs in a lot about the greatness of God in this one song. And we see both positive and negative as regards man. I won't hold your hand and walk you across the street. Simply notice that God does what He wants to with man. Those who are humble see God's good side. Those who are proud experience God like a dad who's been woken up early from his nap.

Mary's soul glorifies the Lord. I hope yours will too this Christmas season.

The Perfect Gift...For Me

2011-12-02T08:50:00.007-05:00

Have you ever thought about the perfect gift for that special someone you love? You know, the person you hold most dear? That person that you spend hours just wondering what the absolutely best gift could possibly be? And, of course, I’m talking about me.

I’ve wondered about what I would gift to myself. This is despite childhood training that runs in the opposite direction. See, growing up in my family, gifts only happened on 2 occasions. Christmas and birthdays. This worked out alright for me because my birthday is in June. So I was showered with gifts every 6 months. But one of my sisters has a birthday 4 days before Christmas. (Read: short end of the stick.)

If it wasn’t Christmas and it wasn’t our birthday, our days were marked with rations and needs, but not gifts. Long, arduous days until the next season of gifts appeared. (When you read this, Mom, I’m kidding.) But seriously, we were raised that gifts were for special occasions. You shopped for the other members of your family and depended on their memory to receive what you wanted.

So what would I give myself? I could list the myriad of tech gadgets that would be fun to play with, since I’ll readily admit the truth of the difference between men and boys. It is the price of their toys, although have you tried shopping for young boys these days? It’s not cheap.

I’ve thought this idea through. If I’m going to get myself something, it’s going to be something that someone else wouldn’t get me, no matter how many hints I drop. More than that, I think it should be the thing that only I can get, something only I know how much I need.

So what am I getting this year for myself? It’s a better perspective. It’s the idea that this Christmas season will only last about 30 days, despite the Christmas décor that retailers put out before Halloween. Since the season has a Reason, I will be sure to enjoy the calm and the chaos that comes this month.

No matter how many versions of The 12 days of Christmas drone on the airwaves over and over again, I will keep in mind the Reason we have to sing about this season.

No matter how crowded the stores become, especially when I shop with 2 days left, I will enjoy the time spent with family and friends, no matter. I will not lose the perspective of why I look for and give gifts, because there was One who gave to me.

Because, when the presents are all opened, some are exchanged and a week later when others are forgotten, the Reason will remain. And once I have this perspective in my mind, it’s one I can keep the entire year. Indeed, Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving.

What gift would you like to get yourself this Christmas?

The Chronicles of Narnia; The Silver Chair

2011-11-30T08:00:00.034-05:00

While Mr. Lewis certainly needs no review from a 'son of Adam' like me, I did just want to comment on my favorite line from the book.

Fear not, I will offer no spoilers if you haven't found time to read book 6 in the series. I would just say that you are missing out until you have read them all.

This line is sandwiched in a scene with a Marsh-wiggle and a Witch. (That line makes no sense to anyone who has never heard of Narnia.) The Witch is trying to convince the heroes, including the aforementioned marsh-wiggle, that the world they thought existed was only an illusion. The Marsh-wiggle, called Puddleglum, says the following:

One word, Ma'am. One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you've said. But there's one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things - trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen, and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in teh dark to spend our live slooking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's small loss if te world's as dull a place as you say.

Well said, Puddleglum, well said indeed.

We're fed many lies in the world of today. So many, in fact, that more lies are built on top of other lies so that we don't even know where to begin. But the Truth is out there. I will chase after Him for as long as I have breath, until I can chase no longer. I will seek after it with everything i am until such a time as I find it.

I believe I am on the right path.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2011-11-29T08:00:00.004-05:00

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Do you ever get tired of choosing? Everywhere we turn we have options. Yes, it gives us freedom to personalize everything, but we’ve eliminated simple. Take coffee for example. I don’t drink the sludge, but it appears ordering cup involves 17 mini-decisions. Sizes, spices, toppings and choice of your first child’s name is just too much when ordering a drink. Just give me a hot chocolate. Done.

Deciding to order pizza used to be easy as well. Pick a topping and you were done. Now I have options on toppings, cheese, sauce and even what they do with the crust. Just make me a pizza.

And forget about buying a cell phone or computer. My head explodes when I see all the choices that have to be made there. I’d like to be done with choosing. But that presents a problem as well. If we don’t make decisions about life, then options will be chosen for us.

We consume, on average, over 7 hours of media every day. I’m not sure we’ve factored in the Amish in those statistics, but regardless. We devour a lot of media. How do we decide what to allow?

Decisions.

It’s nothing new that we have to choose. Adam and Eve had a choice. And we’ve been reminded of the same simple choice throughout the Scriptures.

There is the plain, and obvious, choice laid out for the Israelites.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. ~Deuteronomy 30:19

There was the charge given by Joshua.

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Even David reminded us of our choices, in song.

Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. ~Psalm 25:12

And then there was James, who didn’t seem to worry how he came across.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ~James 4:4

Since God chose us (John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4) it seems fair that we have to make a choice as well. So who will you choose? When it comes to making decisions about our media consumption let’s keep in mind that what we choose to put in our minds reveals who, or Whom, we have chosen to serve.

How do you make your choices?

God First, Man Second: Christmas Edition Part 1

2011-11-28T08:07:00.007-05:00

I've decided to take my Monday morning focus and zoom in on some scriptures that surround the birth of Christ. The same rules apply. It's God first and man in a distant second.

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. ~Luke 1:35-38

Here we have an angel delivering what has to be, like, the biggest news any teenage girl has, like, ever received. But this is more than just telling a girl she's miraculously pregnant. We learn about God in these verses. The power of God overshadows. God has actually made a way for His Spirit to be in us!

We can always trust God's Word. It never fails. Not epically. Not at all.

And we learn that when we trust in God, we learn more about ourselves. Things that we would be unable to do by ourselves, God can do in us. Our best response, no matter the Word, is Mary's response. May God's Word be fulfilled in us.

When have you experienced God's Word fulfilled in you?

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

2011-11-23T08:18:00.001-05:00

Mark Batterson has taken a somewhat obscure couple of Bible passages and made a whole book about it. Yes, he's that good. The book is called In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. The subtitle is How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars.

The story has to do with one of King David's mighty men, a man by the name of Benaiah. There was this one time when he chased a lion into a snowy pit. Then he killed the lion. End of story. If you're looking for more details, you won't find any. But if you combine that with other references that tell us about Benaiah becoming the leader of ol' Dave's army, and you can can start to put together a few details.

Benaiah was one bad dude. And you can be too. That's what Mark tells us....sort of. Even though there isn't much to the story, Mark does a fantastic job of inspiring us to embrace the tough times in life and realize that God has many plans for us. Only some of the experiences will be filled with rainbows and ponies. Some of them will involve snowy pits and lions, at least metaphorically.

One might imagine this to be a self-help book, but trust me when I say that Mark is not blowing smoke. Some of the gems in here include;

"In the beginning, the Spirit of God was hovering over the chaos. And nothing has changed. God is still hovering over chaos."

"God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want t get where God wants you to go."

"To the infinite all finites are equal."

I could list more, but you're probably wanting to read the book by now. Yeah, my reviews will do that to you.

I also enjoyed that each chapter ended with a review. It was as if Mark wanted to save you time from underlining great quotes and so he pre-selected what to love. 'What's that, you got something totally different out of that chapter? Here's what you should have highlighted.' Seriously, though, it did provide good highlight material.

I received this book from my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing. They ask me to say something, but don't tell me what to say. They're kind like that.

You can check out this book for purchase by clicking here.

What About Them? What About Me?

2011-11-22T10:35:00.001-05:00

As I was applying discipline to my son (yet again), his older sister said, 'This is going to be good.' My first thought was that I had not seen such bloodthirsty behavior in my children. Then I took a second to ponder. Isn't this what they seek every time they tattle? Aren't they looking for justice to be meted out in quick fashion? Could it be that my children stand back in giddy excitement whenever a sibling is in trouble?

Sigh.

So, after finishing with my son, who indeed did deserve punishment, I moved on to his sister. We had a conversation about what loving our brother really means. We talked about how we should want good for one another, not bad.

It was later that I realized how very human their response is.

The fact is that we all cry out to God for justice to be delivered to our enemies. We're not the first generation to be like this.You can just about flip blindly through the book of Psalms and land on a song where David wishes punishment on his enemies. So not only did David count on his enemies being God's enemies, but he put it to song. Classy.

Long before David, Adam turned on Eve when he realized punishment was coming. Not exactly a good example, was he? It seems to me that if there's only one other person on the planet, you might not want to throw them under the bus. But he did.

So where is our love for one another? Because, after all our other reasons for wanting justice are given up, this does come down to how we care for and look after one another. There is something wrong when we would rather see someone 'get it' than to to help prevent them from the actions that caused the discipline in the first place.

Much like many other areas in our life it shows a very narrow focus on self.Yes, justice is often needed. No, we can't prevent everyone from actions that deserve justice. But perhaps we could treat it less like a spectator sport when it does happen.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone else find too much enjoyment from others getting punished?

God First, Man Second; 1 Corinthians 10:30-31

2011-11-21T07:19:00.023-05:00

If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~1 Corinthians 10:30-31

It's turkey time this week. So I wanted a verse that focused on thankfulness. Or at least contained the word. Because, as you know, I'm nothing if not current with the times. Who knows, I may even mention Rebecca Black in an upcoming post sometime soon. Has her 15 minutes already passed?

Anyways, I know I could have chosen a more basic verse on being thankful, however, that's not how I roll. I chose this scripture from 1 Corinthians simply because Paul is in the middle of an impassioned plea for Christian brothers and sisters to get along.

I agree. We tend to complain about a lot of stuff that just doesn't matter. Or, if it matters a little bit, it won't by next week. That's just how fickle we are. We are very much like seventh grade girls, majoring in the minors and finding something to be over-dramatic about.

But Paul sums it up pretty well here when he says that everything we do should be done for God's glory. So when you take time out this week to be thankful for all the stuff you normally take for granted, go ahead and make that practice a resolution. You'll be a month ahead of all those New Year's resolution people, plus you'll be properly focused.

In everything we do, we put God first.

God's Story, Your Story

2011-11-16T08:09:00.006-05:00

It has been about a decade since I have read a book by Max Lucado. (Max, I'm sorry.) It wasn't for any dislike I had for his books. In fact, quite the opposite. I had probably spent the previous decade reading every book he published.

I guess I just needed a break. But the title alone intrigued me enough to lure me back. I'm glad it did.

Jumping into a book by Max Lucado is like putting on your comfy pants on a rainy day. Being the lyrical wordsmith he is, his writing just warms you instantly.

This particular book is about our story being more than just a one-chapter tale. We are not destined to fail. Yes, the subject matter may be familiar, in a day when we're constantly prodded to be more than we are. The difference with Lucado is that you can read without feeling lost in technical jargon, made-up schemes or quick-fix ideas.

More than mere pop-phsychology, this book offers a genuine look into how we are called to be part of the greatest story ever told. Let it be a good reminder if you've heard it before, but don't let the truth pass you by.

The Truth is in the Mirror

2011-11-15T08:34:00.002-05:00

Last Friday I posted a story about a meal with my kids. Luke (8 years old) forgot his manners. Jacie (10 years old) called him out. Luke (still 8 years old) did not like it. It was a good time and you can read about the details here.

As funny as I though Jacie's comment was, I did feel bad for my son. After all, he already has to live with two sisters. That's not easy. I know this all too well. (Feel free to comment, sisters.) But he had just been called out cold on something that he already finds frustrating.

Shouldn't we all be able to sympathize? Or maybe you're some super person that enjoys having others call out your faults. Perhaps you're the type of person who enjoys sitting around while others list, in detail, all the things about you which annoy them.

Oh, you're not one of those types of people?

Maybe we don't have to enjoy it, but I think we should expect it. And, in our experiences, it won't be somethig relatively harmless like talking with food in your mouth. I'm talking about sin here.

If your brother or sister sins,go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ~Matthew 18:15-17

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot of talking about faults with people. It sounds like a lot of people pointing our faults out. Facts are facts. We will slip up. We will fall. When we do, we need family to be around to help us out.

In order to help us, truth has to be told. Guess what? If food is falling out of our mouth while we tell a story, then it is up to our brothers and sisters to hold up a mirror. Let the truth be told.

When is the last time you appreciated someone telling you about a fault? If you didn't appreciate it at the time, how long did it take to appreciate it?

God First, Man Second: John 3:16-17

2011-11-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ~John 3:16-17

This one is real simple. Each Monday I like to start out the blogging week with a reminder of how God comes first in scripture. We figure out who God is and then we realize who we are. It's kind of like basing all other Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks on the performance of Peyton Manning. You realize really quick that there is no comparison.

In John 3:16-17, we have a clear vision of who God is and what He has done. Our part, by comparison, is quite simple.

God loves. God gives.

We get to not be condemned.

God is love. God is giving eternal life.

We are not condemned. Wow. Think that through. We are not condemned. That is simply amazing! God is the life giver and we are the recipients. That is why God comes first and we come in second...a distant second.

Immaturity Times Two

2011-11-11T09:07:00.005-05:00

It's not an uncommon event. With 3 children 10 and under, immaturity happens quite frequently in my house. My wife would be quick to add that said immaturity is not limited to the 10 and under crowd. Oh well. Here's what happened;

My 8-year old son, Luke, was just making noise in his younger sister's general direction. This happens a lot, but this time it was at the dinner table, always a precarious time with children without the need for further distractions. My wife was bringing over his second helping of food and suggested he put some in his mouth and stop annoying his sister.

My oldest daughter, Jacie, then aptly commented, 'He'll just talk with food in his mouth.'

I hated to admit it, but she was totally right. Even as he screamed in protest, I could see some of his first helping still in his mouth. Seriously, we're working on him. I'm sure after 8 more years of teaching him table manners, he may be presentable to other people. But then again, I could be wrong.

The bigger issue here was how I was going to parent this situation. Was Jacie correct in what she said? Yeah. Did it need to be said? Maybe not. On the other hand, how was I to point out to Luke, again, that other people noticed his shortcomings as well?

This was a teachable moment for two kids at the same time. For Luke, it was letting him know that manners are noticed, not just by his mom, but by many. For Jacie, it was noting that just because something was true did not mean it needed to be said.

Two kids, two truths and a whole lot of whining to get it all solved. Ah, the joys of parenting.

Seven Spirits Burning

2011-11-09T08:19:00.019-05:00

So I have another book today by John Crowder.

This one is called Seven Spirits Burning and is about the seven-fold nature of the Holy Spirit. Some of you may have heard all you wanted to hear. Others have just had their curiosities piqued. Either way, I would say that for the one who wants to learn something, this book is worth the read.

Crowder is detailed. That can be a very good thing, for someone who hadn't just read another book of his. Early on Crowder uses much of his own material from his book Mystical Union. He said he was laying a foundation. I get that as important as well. I wasn't quite sure this was all foundation that needed to be laid for the subject at hand. It felt at points that we'd left this book and entered another. Indeed, I kept checking the covers.

Once we got past the very in-depth review it was very informed. Although there were still parts where it felt like rabbit trails, albeit smaller ones, were taken. But in the end, the book is organized much like the Menorah. It all points to Christ and has mirror images on either side, something Crowder says is representative of the sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit.

Crowder breaks down each chapter by explaining the different facets of the Holy Spirit. It is based on this scripture from Isaiah

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— Isaiah 11:2

As always he uses plenty of scripture to back up his ideas. While a lot of it seems harmless, there are a few times when I feel like the interpretation is more to back up his own idea than to support what is really said.

My guess is that fans of John Crowder will love this book. Skeptics will find reasons to be skeptical. I find myself comfortably inbetween. There is much to learn and another perspective is always good.

I received this book from my good friends at SpeakEasy. You can learn more about Crowder, and Mike Morrell (of SpeakEasy) and his thoughts on Crowder at the following links.

John’s online home: http://www.thenewmystics.com/

An example of John Crowder’s good-news bottom-line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOcWH-VkudE (How you respond to this is a good gauge to how you’ll like the books)

The first installment of Mike's blog series on Crowder three years ago – much has changed, much has stayed the same: http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/charismatic-chaos-or-holy-spirited-deconstruction/

There is a 'Meat' in Team

2011-11-08T09:34:00.002-05:00

There is no 'I' in team. But there is an 'I' in win. And if you rearrange the letters in the word team you could spell me. Yeah, we could go round and round like this. Did you realize there is meat in team. Does that do anyone any good? I doubt it.

I think our spelling gymnastics are beside the point. The fact is that we can make everything about us, which is the exact opposite of what a team should be.

I believe there are two important things to remember when it comes to teamwork.

Teamwork has a price.

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. ~1 Kings 19:19-21

What did following Elijah cost to Elisha? He said good-bye to his parents. He destroyed his farming equipment. In fact, he slaughtered the 12 pair of oxen. That he had 12 pair of oxen shows he came from a wealthy family.

But Elisha destroyed it all. It was signifying that he would not be returning to the family business. I do not believe that most of us would have done that. We might decide to do something, but we would simply store everything, in case we wanted to come back to it.

Are we willing to pay the price?

Teamwork has a prize.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”~2 Kings 2:9-10

Here we have what is a somewhat sad story of the last time Elijah and Elisha were together on Earth. Elijah is called by God to go to Bethel, but it would appear as if everybody knew Elijah was about to be taken away by God. So Elisha decides he will not leave Elijah’s side.

Elijah asks what he can do and Elisha does a bold thing. He asks for a double portion of the spirit in Elijah. And that is exactly what happens. Elisha watches as Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind to Heaven. And the Bible records twice as many miracles performed by Elisha as performed by Elijah.

Elisha was committed to the team and to the cause. For that he received a double portion of the spirit when Elijah left.

Are we ready for the prize? When is the last time you sacrificed for the greater good of a team and saw it pay off with a prize?

God First, Man Second ; Hebrews 7:18-19

2011-11-07T10:31:00.001-05:00

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. ~Hebrews 7:18-19

It seems like such a simple equation. Create something good + man's involvement = imperfection guaranteed.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I dislike us humanoids. I'm a fan...really. It's just that we have a tendency to muck things up. It's not really a problem as long as we have the right expectations.

For example, if I come home from work expecting a steak and lobster meal and my 3 children to be dressed formally, my wife would guess there is something drastically wrong with my expectations. For starters, she's never cooked lobster. Ok, that's actually a stupid place to start for starters.

The point is, my expectations would not be anywhere close to the reality I live in. Not even in the same zip code. However, if I come home expecting supper to be somewhere close to being ready and my 3 children to be...clothed, then I probably won't be disappointed. Although clothing isn't always a guarantee. I'm just saying.

The same thing applies to God and the covenant we have. If we expect that the old covenant was good and useful, then we're going to be disappointed. The writer of Hebrews gives us the bottom line when he tells us it was 'weak and useless'.

However, God is not weak and useless. It's really as simple as that. What we can't do, God can. And He did.

Anything that involves man gets a little messed up. But as imperfect as we are, God creates a better hope. This is why we place God first, man second.

Less is More? That's Stupid Math

2011-11-04T07:43:00.001-04:00

Perhaps you have heard that less is more. That’s ridiculous. More is more. Saying less is more is akin to saying that 2 = 3. Even a young child knows to choose the hand holding 2 treats over the hand holding one treat. Less being equivalent to more is mathematical nonsense. It’s something we tell ourselves when we want everyone to be content with having less.

I believe that the statement arrived as a push back to the idea that more is better. Now that is something I can get behind. For starters we don’t believe that more is better in a general way. We believe that more of the good stuff is better. We don’t want more bills, headaches and meetings. We want more money, fame and time to do what we enjoy. But is that always better?

The Apostle Paul said it best when he wrote the following;

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

~Philippians 4:12

It’s hard to argue against contentment as a virtue. But that doesn’t really answer the question regarding more being equivalent to better. Yet people have long argued that you can have too much of a good thing. Too many cookies will result in a stomach ache. Too much work may make Jack a dull boy, but too much play will lead to the unemployment line. And it didn’t take the smartest guy who ever lived to figure out that all the riches are still meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).

Perhaps we should take a cue from Jesus. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” Isaiah 53:2. Isaiah goes on to describe Jesus as being despised and held in low esteem. That seems to be a harsh labeling of God. But He must be self-aware and had a plan for us to be like Him.

“God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—

to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” ~1 Corinthians 1:28-29.

We’re not more than we need to be. We don’t need more than the next person. Practicing contentment will be a key factor in discovering true joy in a life of balance where God knows the exact amount we need.

That will be a great thing to keep in mind as we serve up turkey and trimmings and begin our Christmas lists. Bigger is not always better. More is just that, more. So it would seem that while less may not be more, it is actually better.

Who Does Have the Time?

2011-11-01T08:10:00.000-04:00

‘I don’t have the time.’ I hear those words…a lot. It’s almost become part of the standard greeting. It comes just after hello and often instead of how are you. It is as if we want to preempt any favor the other person may want to ask. Or perhaps we just want the other person to know, right up-front, that we are very busy.

Why? Because busyness is next to godliness, or so they say. Isn’t our importance found in how busy we are? The best doctors are tough to schedule an appointment with because they are so busy, right? So that should apply across the board in every area of life. Right?

I’m not so sure.

Weren’t our new gadgets supposed to be saving us time? How do they take more time from our lives? More capability means more time to get more things done on our ever-growing to-do lists. If only it worked that way. It doesn’t.

Where does this leave Jesus? It can be really easy to let a week or two pass by, maybe even longer, and all of a sudden realize that you haven’t given much time or thought to God. We can give lip service all we want to where our priorities are, but one look back at our actual calendar reveals the truth.

I have also heard it said that if you want something done, you find a busy person to give it to because they clearly know how to schedule their time. That brings us back to feeling significant and capable when our plates are full.

I would put forth that significance happens when you have free time. Free time leaves us available for God, available for friends and family and available for new experiences that come along. If you can spare the time, consider what new adventures may come along, if only you have the time to see it.

God First, Man Second: 2 Chronicles 20:6-12

2011-10-31T11:00:00.011-04:00

“LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:6-12

I heard an evangelist speak from this passage just last week. I won't review his points here, but it struck me as another good passage of scripture that highlights the distinction between God and man and how the order is important. Even King Jehoshaphat got that.

Don't get me wrong, I know this king is generally one of the good kings of Judah. But he doesn't always strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed. After all, he hung out with the evil King Ahab of Israel and allowed himself to be used by Ahab. (You can read about that in 2 Chronicles 18.)

Back to this story, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah are about to be attacked by 3 big armies, so he prays. Always a good decision. This prayer he prays shows he gets it. He places God first, ackowledging that we are dependent on God.

Even when he starts to sound a bit accusatory, he is still showing that we are hosed without God's help.

So who is God? He is the ruler with all the power.

Who is man? We are the creatures who depend on God. We can't save ourselves, nor should we try.

Have your prayers ever looked like this when you needed something? What do your prayers usually look like?

What Else Would He do?

2011-10-28T07:50:00.005-04:00

I have a great wife. Before you assume I did something wrong and needed to do something to fix it, hear me out. She likes watching sports with me. Sometimes we play a game while watching a game. We do it mostly while watching basketball or baseball. It's called What Else Would He Do?

You see, there are some athletes that don't look like athletes. They look like bankers or businessmen. Take John Stockton for example.

John Stockton looks like a math teacher. If you saw him on the street and never watched sports, you might not believe that he leads the NBA all-time in assists. But he does.

Here are a couple of others that we've pegged with different careers.

Brad Miller would be a banker.

Brian Scalabrine would be a red-headed step-child.

Christian Laetnner could be the lost member of the Backstreet Boys.

I think I like this game because I realize that none of us neccesarily looks like the typical version of the job that we have. Yes, I am a youth pastor and yes, I have a goatee. But it's not like it's the source of all my youth pastor power.

It's not just our looks either. Where we were born, what our parents did, which hand we eat candy bars with...none of this determines what we do.

The fact is that we all make choices. We can choose to work hard or we can choose not to work at all. Personally, I hope the NBA players choose to work. But that's just me. What about you? Have you ever imagined a professional athlete in a different type of job?

Just Do Your Job

2011-10-25T12:06:00.006-04:00

The big assignments seem to avoid me. I don't mean that there is nothing for me to do. I mean that my assignments don't always seem very significant. Even at home.

I was coloring with my 5-year old yesterday when I once again got the small assignment. We were coloring from the same book, which meant we would have to choose a 2-page spread to color. Below is what my 5-year old chose for herself.

Ok, that is alright. She chose a ballerina bear. I could do something like that. I've got years of coloring experience, after all. But what do I get?

Candy wrappers? And not just one candy wrapper. Four candy wrappers. Except for the one which is slightly different than the others, this assignment did not leave me much creative input. This kind of thing happens to me all the time. Perhaps you feel the same way. If we're to believe all the hype, then where does that leave us with regular assignments?

If we were made for more, then how come it seems like we get less. I'm training to be more humble. It's not something I'm doing on purpose. It's not like I'm in intense training, vying for the Most Humble Man Award. But just to be sure, I could totally win that award year after year. I'm sure you're not surprised.

Nevertheless, I am in training. I haven't chosen it, yet it has chosen me. I realize I'm in training every time I compare what I do to what somebody else is doing. In case you're wondering, no, that is not the best way to train for humility.

It's all too easy to imagine what else I could be doing. In my imagination, it's always bigger and better. After all, who imagines life as smaller or worse than it actually is? And although I've never been one for pithy poetry and posters that make solutions easier than they actually are, I do believe in the endeavor to bloom where you are planted.

I was reminded of this when coloring with my daughter.
We need to accept the assignment we've been given and do our best there. Because sometimes, you'll be called on to do more, like when my daughter asked for help finishing her page. I totally owned those color choices.

God First, Man Second: Genesis 3:21-24

2011-10-24T08:33:00.001-04:00

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. ~Genesis 3:21-24

Each Monday I like to start with scripture and ask what it says about God, then what it says about us. You might think today's selection is a bit odd, since it consists mainly of God's judgement on Adam and Eve. But I think we do learn some things about God here.

First, God makes garments of skin for the sinful duo. That tells us that in the midst of His disappointment that He still has compassion. This is still true today. We see it every time we receive a second chance...and a third....

We also see that God is willing to punish. Adam and Eve were bainshed from the Garden and were blocked from ever returning. Yeah, unlike the many spoiled children we see today who misbehave and still get the ice cream cone, God will punish for sin.

What about us? Well, in the midst of, arguably, our lowest point in history, we are still on the receiving end of grace and mercy from God. Yes, we got evicted from our home, but at least we weren't sent away naked. God could have said that we had to go get our own clothing. We might still be wearing leaves. That might chaff.

Oh, let's not forget that we did become knowledgable of good and evil. This is a trait that we share with God. That's not nothing.

So starts our week together. The good, the bad and what we learn about God and ourselves, even in the midst of trials. When is the last time you learned more about God or yourself through punishment?

God Saw it Happen

2011-10-21T07:24:00.005-04:00

The other morning a bird flew right into our bay window. My wife commented that the window must be too clean and that the commercials are correct. My two young girls, 10 and 5, both started crying. We looked as the bird just dropped to the ground and sat there.

Its neck was a little to the left. Anything could have caused that, right? Just because it wasn't moving didn't mean anything. It was right before we were leaving for school, so I didn;t want them leaving upset. So I was trying to think of a soothing scripture to share. So I said, "You know that God saw that too, right?"

While that was technically true, I can't help but wonder if, in her head, my 10-year old asked why bad things happen and God does nothing. God saw it too? Ok, it's true that a bird does not fall from the sky without God knowing it. And while I believe that God may have chuckled at one of His birds doing such a stupid thing, that was probably not the verse to use with my children.

God saw it too.

I know, it sounds ridiculous now that I retell the story. Maybe when a close friend or family member dies, I should use the same line. You know, because feelings don't matter as long as you're quoting scripture.

A lot of life is like that. And knowing that God sees the suffering does not always make us feel good at the time. But it is a good reminder that, when bad things happen, God is still watching. And sometimes He watches when the bad turns good. Like when that same stupid bird hopped up and flew away 10 minutes later.

When have you been glad that God was watching?

Enemies of the Heart

2011-10-19T08:02:00.032-04:00

Enemies of the Heart is the newest title from pastor and author Andy Stanley, although this is the first I have read. Sorry, Andy. But if this book is any indication of the punch that Andy delivers, it won't be the last.

The subtitle is Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You. Andy cuts right to the point in this book, expressing what I feel are some deep ideas in a way that everyone can relate to. That doesn't mean he dumbs it down. He tells it like it is.

Stanley's theory is that we have tried forever to fix ourselves by fixing our behavior. As you may have noticed, in yourself and others, it's not working out so well. The problem with behavior modification is that this is not the core of our problem. The problem is our heart, where everything stems.

This can be a bit hard to swallow, as all of us want to assume we're actually good people. But again, experience begs to differ. So does the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that we are a people with a bent on doing evil. It's called the sinful nature. The Bible says we are all stuck with this disease and that Christ is the only cure.

Stanley further shows how Jesus points out that these problems stem from the heart. After making that truth crystal clear, he spends the rest of the book talking us through spiritual exercises that will address the heart issue and make the heart stronger. It's all very practical, though not always easy. But who said exercise should be easy?

I received the e-book version of this book from my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah. They didn't tell me I had to say anything nice, just say something. They're pretty cool like that. You can purchase the book here. I would highly recommend that you do so.

Assuming You're All Alone

2011-10-18T07:20:00.002-04:00

Of all the wild prophets, Elijah set the bar pretty high. Elijah was kind of a head-case. He did some great things for God, even got a get-out-of-death card. But there's a scene or two where he goes all narcissistic on us and thinks it's all about him.

It's not just that it happens, but when it happens that surprises me. It's right after he defeated 450 Baal prophets in a God-contest. Yeah, he won. He should be high-fiving the king or chest-bumping other prophets.

Instead, we find him all alone on a mountain, wanting to die. When asked why, he said he was the only one following God. He said he had done all he could do. He said he was done. What's admirable is the passion he put into what he did. But he misses the point here, if only for a moment.

Elijah assumed he was all alone. But God had 7,000 just like him.

When your count is off by 7,000, that's a pretty big deal. Try it sometime. Mess up your checkbook by 7,000 and see how your spouse reacts. Better yet, see how the bank reacts. This isn't a small oversight. This is an error.

It's our error. We make it when we assume no one can empathize with us because no one has ever been hurt like we have. We make it when we assume no else has a busy schedule quite like ours. We make this mistake when we assume that our experience is unique and the factors will never change. And we make this mistake when we want to quit rather than look for someone to team up with.

We do this relationally. We're way off on our math and end up in embarrassing situations because of it. Why didn't we ask for help. We assumed we were alone.

But we're not alone.

God First, Man Second: 2 Chronicles 7:13-16

2011-10-17T08:16:00.006-04:00

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. ~2 Chronicles 7:13-16

Revival! The very word breeds energy. It gets the juices flowing. And nothing speaks of revival more than this interchange between God and Solomon. This happens just after Solomon finishes the Temple of God, although I imagine, as king, Solomon did not actually get his hands dirty. But whatever...

I'm also quite sure that this little conversation happens long before Solomon writes Ecclesaistes, when everything is meaningless. No I imagine this was at a time when Solomon still had the wisdom to catch what God was saying.

God indicates that there will be a day when He shuts up the heavens. There will be plagues and locusts. It will happen. But just as surely as that happens, He will also open those heavens up. He will listen and hear. He will heal. These are the focal points of this conversation. God can do it. God will do it.

The people will be revived. There is no mistake in that. The mistake comes when we start to believe that revival is one of the 3 wishes we have when we rub the magic lamp that contains God. That's the problem when we read this passage of scripture backwards and assume it's more about us than it is about God.

All we have to do is humble ourselves, pray, dance a little jig and...voila! No, its not a magic key. God's hand is never forced. The healing comes because God is a Healer. The prayers are heard because God is a Father. The sin is forgiven because God is a Savior.

Thank you God.

Ahab's Reaction

2011-10-14T07:52:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but I sometimes struggle with what to say right after a Church service. Be it a youth group, small group or especially the Big Show, I am usually at a loss as to the best transition into what feels like 'the rest of the week'.

It feels weird to follow a Sunday morning worship service with, 'Hey anybody up for the Pizza Hut buffet?' Shouldn't something from the previous hour with god have affected me more than that? Shouldn't my focus on hunger be more spiritual than physical?

As much as I internally struggle, it would appear that King Ahab had none of these problems. He has a front-row seat to one of the greatest Old Testament displays by God. You can read all about it in 1 Kings 18.

The Cliff-notes version is that King Ahab just saw 450 Baal prophets slaughtered after losing a my-god-is-better-than-your-God battle with Elijah. Now he's told that rain is coming, something not seen in Israel for 3 years.

What's his reaction? Worship? Repentance? Reconcile with Elijah? Lots of people in the Old Testament came up with songs to commemorate this sort of thing. He didn't say a prayer or even suggest a moment of silence.

Nope. He decides to go have a bite to eat. This has got to be the epitome of being all about yourself. An experience to rival all others has just been put on display for Ahab and all he does in response is to fill his own temporary needs.

Yes, Elijah did tell him to go eat and drink. But if Ahab had any sense of following after God within him, he would have said that worship...or prayer...or something was more important than getting a value meal at the nearest McKing.

I'm guessing he didn't debrief with his attendants while at a buffet. I know a guy's gotta eat, but this smells like more evidence of a life spent ignoring God.

What about you, ever had difficulty transitioning from a worship service? Do you have any ideas how to best go about this transition?

Mystical Union

2011-10-12T08:10:00.002-04:00

It's not about me, it's not about me, it's not about me.

Sometimes I have to say that a lot to keep reminding myself. I found that to be true while reading Mystical Union: Stuff They Never Told You About the Finished Work of the Cross. In fact, I hate to admit just how much I struggled with this book. The book is by John Crowder, an advocate of supernatural Christianity, although I have to wonder if there is any other kind.

I write this review as a member of a holiness movement myself, which is one of the reasons I hate admitting my struggle. I believe in God's complete and victorious work on the cross. I believe that, by grace alone, I have been saved by God. I believe that this life is all about God and Jesus and, therefore, not about me. I'm comfortable with all of that.

In fact, I have often taught and confused the next generation with what I was taught was a second act of sanctification. This work being the entire removal of sin from our lives. Some call it Christian Perfection, some call it Entire Sanctification. Despite many people's struggle with it, I've taught it and believe in it.

If I had interviewed John Crowder, however, I imagine he would say I haven't gone far enough. Crowder teaches that justifiation and sanctification were all done at the same moment when Jesus died. Some in the holiness movement would have called that Instant Sanctification. That still would not have pleased Crowder because he writes convincingly that this is what is done for all believers.

It's hard to argue against his points. After all, who wants to say that we have some responsibility in this deal, other than saying yes to the arrangement? Believe me, I have said that, but it always sounds arrogant when you try to make yourself even a 5% partner with God. Either you agree that God has done 100% of the work or you do not.

I have just two overall problems with the book. I don't feel I ever got a full answer to what this means, for John, for the sin that is still in existence among those who are Christians. At points he centered on identity. The sin does not define us, which I agree with. At other points, however, he made it sound like to sin was impossible for us, although near the conclusion he did say otherwise. You know, can salt water and fresh water mix? I get the point, but as I look around...

The other detail, minor perhaps, was the million different versions of the Bible he used. He said it enhances his understanding of scripture to see many different translations. I get that. I think it also opens up the possibility of looking for exactly the wording that backs up your case. I'm not saying that is what John did, although at times I did wonder.

Overall, this is a good book that I think is worth the read. I received it from Mike Morrell and my friends at Speak Easy. They don't tell me what to say, just say something. This book will push your thinking and, at the very least, bring you to a greater appreciation of the work of God on the cross.

For more information you can link to.....
John’s online home: http://www.thenewmystics.com/

An example of John Crowder’s good-news bottom-line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOcWH-VkudE (How you respond to this is a good gauge to how you’ll like the books)

A press conference for Crowder’s book ‘Mystical Union’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd8nlvrY-Po&feature=grec_index

The first installment of my blog series on Crowder three years ago – much has changed, much has stayed the same: http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/charismatic-chaos-or-holy-spirited-deconstruction/

#SpeakEasyCrowder

The World is a Stage

2011-10-11T11:00:00.024-04:00

Oh, Bill Shakespeare, you really called it like you see it, didn't you? Perhaps you reflected life in your art. I'll agree with that much. However, I am quite sure that as much as you saw life as it is, you did not see life as it should be.

Yet people seem to accept your words as gospel truth. That could be due to your plays sounding like the King James version of a particular Holy Book. But just because your plays contain thee's, thou's and verily's does not make them equal to the Bible.

Take, for instance, your words that the world was a stage and that we are merely players. Many people may recognize that they are words from a play, but we live like they are gospel truth. For if the world is indeed a stage, then isn't somebody looking for someone to play the lead role?

Why shouldn't that person be me?

Ironically, the famous line comes from Shakespeare's play titled As You Like It. I believe that a starring role is just what we would like. This seems to be the way the world operates. Sadly, it is often brought into the Church as well. But it's certainly not a new thing.

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. ~Matthew 6:1-4, The Message

The truth of our Jesus-following life is meant to be lived inside and out. The world is not a stage. We are not actors. But one way we live this out is with our inner monologue. You know, the diatribe you'd like to use on someone who rubs you the wrong way. Or perhaps it comes out in the many details you share with everyone about everything. Facebook, anyone?

According to Jesus, working behind the scenes should be our goal. The good things still need to be done, to be sure. But perhaps not in a way that seeks the applause of people.

So tell me, have you ever realized you were in the middle of a monologue? Did the monologue get spoken out loud?

God First, Man Second: Colossians 3:1-4

2011-10-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

Each Monday I start my week out by looking at a few verses from the Bible and answering two questions. First, what do these verses say about God? Second, what do these verses say about us? In case this is your first Monday on my site, I'll let you in on a little secret. I believe the order that we ask tthose two questions is very important.

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ~Colossians 3:1-4

Right away I get the idea that Christ is the subject. Why? Because Paul, the writer of Colossians, says we have been raised with Christ. He is the focus. To assume otherwise would be like telling your friend that you went to see Justin Bieber in concert and wondering why he didn't start asking questions about how loudly the crowd cheered for you. So not only did you just admit to being a Belieber, you probably just lost a friend.

We also read that Christ is our life. That kind of puts a whole new spin on getting a life, doesn't it? Because God has yours. Plus it also makes asking what these verses say about us pointless. Our life is now hidden. It's like playing peek-a-boo, but when you move your hands, all the baby sees is Jesus.

That's not a raw deal, by the way. We have been raised with Christ and we will appear with Him in glory. That's a two-for! Oh, and God remains the subject.

So let's talk about hiding. When have you wanted to hide from God? And when were you glad to hide behind Him?

No Ideas

2011-10-07T07:26:00.008-04:00

Sometimes I have a Boyz II Men moment and feel like I've come to the End of the Road. I suppose that's better than having a Backstreet Boys moment and always wanting it that way, whatever that means. But I digress, I've come towards the end of a long few weeks and feel like I have nothing to blog. Which is to say I have nothing to say.

But I want to offer something. When you put a type-A personality into the life of a blogger, you get a blogging schedule that doesn't always match up with real life. So, even though I have mapped out for myself when I want to blog, which you can read here, sometimes life (and an idea) doesn't always flow that way.

So I will not force you to read my nonsense any further. In my continuing search for insignificance, I am discovering many nuances about how I make life about me. This is one of those nuances, always wanting to be the giver and never the one who disappoints anyone at any time. At its core, that is pride willing its way into my life. But not this time, my friend, not this time.

When have you found that you have nothing to give but desired the appearance of strength too much to appear weak?

Give Me Something to Believe In

2011-10-04T08:08:00.003-04:00

I believe it was Elijah who asked for something to believe in. Or maybe it was Poison. Either way, it was a catchy tune. Besides that, it's pretty good theology.

After all, we all want to believe in something. Many will say that we may not even realize it, but we all believe in something. I think they are probably right. If it's not God, then it's someone else. If it's not someone else, then it's probably yourself, the last person you expect to be hurt by or disappointed in.

I've seen enough of myself to know that I can't place all of my eggs in my basket. I don't even have to take that by faith. It's simple fact. Don't think for one second that I'm being self-deprecating to feel the love from you. I happen to believe that you shouldn't have faith in yourself either. That may be less about hard evidence I've seen or more intuition about people.

That is to say I'm very much planted in the camp of having faith in something higher than yourself. Oh, and that doesn't mean your wife, although she is probably smarter than you. (Hello ladies!) By higher, I mean much higher...God higher. I think, with every surpassing scientific discovery we make, we come closer to making God's point for Him. He is higher. He is smarter. He is, in fact, more.

So if we initially come to this idea that God is deserving of faith, then why do we make faith about people? We say things like, 'you have to live by faith' or 'wow, look at that girl's faith'. We hold in high esteem these people who seem to have more faith than we do.

But if faith is about the object being trusted and not the person having faith in that object, then really what we are saying is that some people are more willing to embrace the non-factor that they are. Because what they have really done is to admit that they can't do what the object of their faith can do.

So, allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm a non-factor. But I have faith that Jesus is the only factor that I need.

God First, Man Second: Galatians 2:20

2011-10-03T08:30:00.001-04:00

Each Monday I am posting a scripture and asking the simple questions; what does this say about God? What does this say about me? I am cooming to believe that the order in which we ask those questions is vital to getting the correct answers.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~Galatians 2:20

What this tells me about God is quite simple. God loves me. He loves me so much, in fact, that He gave His Son, Jesus, for me. I know that we're about 2 days away from seeing Christmas decirations hit the stores and there are some sweet toys out there that I want. For my kids. Really. But nothing I give or get this Christmas will compare to this gift that God has already given.

It won't. It can't.

So I know that God knows how to give great gifts. I also know that this was not a simple one-and-done kind of gift. Paul, who write Galatians, says that Christ lives in us. So apparently God is like eating Taco Bell, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

Leaving that thought quickly, let's figure out what this verse tells us about us. It certainly sounds like we die. We die by crucifixion and we no longer live, except by faith in the Jesus. Sounds pretty finite, which is probably a good thing. If I were still living, trying to help Jesus make decisions for me, it would probably be pretty obvious what came as a result of my influence. It would be something fairly similar to Leonardo da Vinci painting teh Last Supper, but allowing his kid to put the finishing touches on it...in crayon.

I guess it's a good thing it's not about me.

Many Changes, One Purpose

2011-09-30T08:44:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, my now-10-year-old said, ‘I don’t care what people think. I’m wearing white after Labor Day.’ However the fashion police want to handle this is up to them, but clearly my daughter was having none of it. She sees no reason why her color choice should be dictated by season. Of course, there are times I look at my children and ask if anything dictates their tastes in fashion.

Seasons do change and weather will demand that shorts are packed up and jackets make their first appearance. I can accept that. Despite any of our likes or dislikes, the seasons keep taking turns, one right after the other. It won’t be long before we experience a time change. And, if we pay attention, we can see subtle changes in our children and youth ministries as the teachers may remain but the students keep changing.

Change is all about us. It is so prevalent that it’s a wonder that we have ever had time to get used to something and miss it when it’s gone. Maybe that’s just me.

Whether you are a fan of change or fight it every step of the way, I believe we can take comfort if we don’t make change our focus. In the letter to the Galatians Paul is expressing his concern for their focus. It would seem that they were fighting against change as well.

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” ~Galatians 4:8-11

I don’t care when you choose to wear white. You can wear socks with sandals, plaid shorts and a polka-dot top for all I care. My wife’s head might explode if she sees you like that, but not me. Just don’t waste all of your energy holding on to what has been.We have many seasons and many options but our one purpose remains the same.

Guess what? Change is coming no matter what. For the Galatians, it was a choice between God and ‘those weak and miserable forces’. The same choice exists for us. We can choose to remain entangled in habits that are killing us. Or we can choose to take our focus off of ourselves and our desires and instead place it on God. That’s where it belongs anyway.

Speaking of Jesus

2011-09-28T08:25:00.050-04:00

Have you heard the one about Jesus? According to Carl Medearis, author of Speaking of Jesus, you'd like that one. No joke.

I just finished Carl's book in less than a week, and I'm not the fastest reader. The sub-title, The Art of Not-Evangelism, says it all. This was a refreshing conversation that ended with me face-to-palm saying, 'of course, it is that simple!'

At under 200 pages, Carl pounds the point home that Jesus is what we should be talking about, not religion. Jesus is what attracts people, not our explanations of how our denominations began or even why our non-denominations began. He walks us through his experiences, his conversations and through the Gospel accounts of Jesus and points out the simplicity of living like this.

At the same time, he naturally points out the need and his belief that doctrine is important. He's not about to start denying basic truths about Jesus, God, the Bible, or anything else that we defend. He just says we don't need to defend them when we're talking to people.

I think he may be on to something here. If you knew the end of your conversation wasn't going to end with 'I guess we'll have to agree to disagree' but instead 'I'd like to know more about a guy like that', wouldn't you want to change what you talk about? If our whole purpose is supposed to be about pointing people to Jesus, shouldn't we spend more time pointing people to Jesus?

I received this book for free from my friends at Speak Easy. They ask me to say what I think, but they don't tell me what to think. I think this book is a very good, and important, piece of conversation we should be having. Here's some more you can check out from Carl.

Carl’s blog: http://www.carlmedearis.com/blog/

Book excerpt from Speaking of Jesus read by Carl Medearis (seriously, give this a listen: this will either make you fall in love with the book or decide it isn’t for you): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfgk1sTJGYU

Please tag your posts for this book as #SpeakingOfJesus

Ham on a String

2011-09-27T07:24:00.001-04:00

Even though I saw it happen, I actually could not believe my eyes. There was no ESPN instant replay, but I didn't need it. My wife had just tore her hamstring. She was coming to third base in a church-league softball game when the coach told her to go home. Little did he know he would soon be sending her to a couch in her home. She turned on the speed, rounded third and almost instantly pulled up lame.

If she had been a horse, I would have grabbed my rifle. Did I just compare my wife to a horse? Neigh!

Being the competitive woman that she is, my wife limped home, scoring the first run in what would turn out to be a losing effort. But at least she scored, right? Don't worry, the jokes wouldn't last long, as the pain got worse that night and the next day included a couple trips to doctors, a purchase of crutches and the realization that her softball season was over.

That's when the real pain started. Not for her, but for me. Because despite the fact that I said and did all the right things, aside from the reference to an old gray mare, my head was not where it should have been.

My wife can barely walk right now. What will this mean for household order? The cooking? The cleaning? Can the kids fend for themselves? Probably not. Bah. Oh, and the kitty litter is downstairs. Should I offer to help my wife down there so she can clean out the box? Would that be wrong?
Well, outwardly everything was done correctly. I cooked for a week (sorry, kids). I took care of the cleaning and the kids and even the kitty litter. It would be almost 3 weeks before Jen saw the basement again. We won't discuss what it looked like in the meanwhile.

So the real pain was not that I was having to pull double-duty. That was tiring, but you can accomplish more than you realize. The real pain was looking in the mirror and asking myself what kind of man even thinks about stuff like that when his wife gets hurt like she did. Like I said, I did and said all the right things. But then again, so did the Pharisees. Here's one reminder from Jesus on what He thought of those guys;

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 5:20

Have you ever been there? Your mom is sick and you have to figure out how to grill cheese? Your sibling gets hurt and yo have to help with his chores? Your coworkers call in sick and you have to do their job as well as yours? This list could go on and on.

Basically it comes down to this. When have you made someone else's problem your problem? And not in the compassionate way where you really really care for them, but in the way where you manage to get more sympathy than the person who is actually hurt. When have you made it about you?

Update:
After 2 days, my wife was planning a Willis Reed type comeback for her softball team. When I mentioned this possibility, my wife asked who Willis Reed was. Then my 8-year old son gave all the facts on this 1970's New York Knickerbocker. I love my boy!

God First, Man Second: Ephesians 2:8-10

2011-09-26T07:21:00.000-04:00

Too often we approach scripture with a question. What does this have to say to me? It might sound like a good question, but I don't believe it's the first one we should be asking. What does this say about God? Now that's a great question. With that in mind, I continue my Monday series with the following;

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~Ephesians 2:8-10

You might be thinking this is a great verse all around. You're right, but we actually answer both questions when we start with God.

First, God is a giver. Grace is such a good gift that He gives it to people and tells them it's free.

Second, we learn God created us. Nice job, God! I see you've given us a purpose. Apparently God is a planner. That's good to know.

Figuring this out tells me a lot of what I need to know about me. I've been given a gift I cannot earn, nor should I try. God doesn't want me boasting. Any good works I find to do are part of the plan, but not the payment plan.

Oh, and knowing I'm God's handiwork is a great way to start out the week. What's one promise from God that starts your day out right?

Friday Free for All

2011-09-23T08:36:00.031-04:00

I'm not exactly sure what Fridays will look like, but I'm picturing a menage of variety here. If I'm posting a series, they will continue on these days. If I have random thoughts, you'll hear them here. If I've got nothing, who needs to read that? You're much too busy for fluff. But you are in luck, I do happen to have something for today.

What I have is the realization that even in my search for insignificance, I seek out significance. It's something that occurs to me quite often, though I try to beat it down like one of those arcade games where they give you the hammer and all those smug little faces keep popping up. Admittedly that comparison got away from just a bit, much like my desire to be significant.

But here's what I realized. I don't end my blog posts with a question. I see many other bloggers that do that. At first I thought it was just their thing. But what it does is continue the conversation. What I've been doing is comparable to a guy at a party who just wants to tell his own jokes or a mom who monopolizes the conversation with stories of her children and how brilliant they are.It's a never-ending monologue about my favorite person in the world; me.

But as I continue my search, I will improve. One way I will do that is by trying to ask more questions of you, whoever and wherever you may be. So help me begin that process by answering this question; how do you find the balance between sharing yourself with others and having them share with you? Do you have a go-to question or do you simply stare at them awkwardly until they give you the information you want?

Let the conversation begin.

Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die

2011-09-21T07:36:00.046-04:00

Welcome to Wednesdays. This is going to be the day I post book reviews. I won't have one every week, but this will be where you find it. I used to post these on Fridays, but I said changes were coming. Here's another one of them. Oh, and here's my book review for this week.

It may be the title of my post bringing you here. I'm sure the word 'Hell' and Rob's name do a better job of that than calling this post 'A Book I Read'. However, I must let you know that I have not read Love Wins by Rob Bell. It's not that I didn't want to. It's not that I read a bad review and made up my mind from that. I just didn't...or haven't yet.

What I have read is Bobby Conway's Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die. As I said recently here, it makes a bit uncomfortable when people appear to be attacking someone instead of merely presenting their own viewpoint. So I imagine that Rob Bell may not appreciate the focus of this book. (Then again, maybe Hell and the people who die don't appreciate the focus either.)

I thought Conway did a good job of presenting the subject in a fair manner. He quoted from Bell's book several times. Then he presented his case using many scriptures from the Bible. It was a compelling argument, one that I happen to agree with. To be completely fair, since I have not read Bell's book, Conway could be accused of pulling quotes out of context. Somehow I doubt this is true.

I believe that Conway did a great job in presenting the argument in a manner that disagrees with Bell's stand but does not demean the person. He presented his case in a manner that was easy to follow and will be easy to reference. He also added video links at the end of each chapter to make this conversation easy to continue. Since Conway's book is on the shorter side, that is a very helpful addition for those who desire more.

I would recommend this book for any and all who want to be well informed on very important teachings of Jesus. After all, your life depends on it.

My good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah provided me a free copy on my Kindle. They asked that I review the book but did not coerce me to say nice things. You can buy a copy for yourself at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/

If Jesus Could Do It, So Can I

2011-09-20T11:00:00.005-04:00

On Tuesdays, I like to post a thought. This has been my most committed day to blog. The topics tend to vary, depending on what is rolling around my head, but I do try to keep that focus where it should be, on God. This is also usually a post that doubles as a weekly newsletter devotional for my youth group. Pardon me for multi-tasking, but the overall schedule demands it.

You're not that important. Shocked? Hurt? Dismayed that I would say such a thing? Don't be offended. I am even less so. Less important that is. (That makes me sound like Yoda, doesn't it? Less important I am. See you will.)

My insignificance has become clearer to me over the past week or so. This, for me, is my big week of changes on my blog. It's ok if you didn't know that. Insignificance has a way of keeping information like that on the down-low. What I didn't realize was that even my wife didn't know.

I try to talk with this lady in my life on a fairly regular basis. That is, after the kids are in bed, because sentences were not meant to be finished while they are awake. The other night I shared a line from one of my posts, but I did it in such a way that expected her recognition. It's kind of like when you quote a favorite movie of yours only to see a blank expression on your friend's face. You become shocked that they don't love the movie as much as you do...or find out that they haven't seen it all.

Such was the case here. My wife had not read my blog recently. That prompted the following conversation.

Me: What do you mean you haven't read my blog lately?
Her: They stopped coming to my email. (Something, by the way, that I set up for her.)
Me: So put your email in again. Clearly the devil is trying to keep you from some fairly decent stories, one liners and segues into truth. The devil is like that, ya know.
Her: Could you just send them to me?
Me: You know, you could actually type in the address to my blog and see what it looks like.
Her: (Blank expression, as if hoping the moment will pass.)
Me: You hate me, don't you?

At this point one of the children came out for a drink of water, giving my wife the needed escape from me and giving me time to realize that I probably shouldn't fight for followers so hard.

It's the truth we must all face. I used to think that if everyone else was good at listening, that would leave me free to talk. After all, someone has to be listened to, right? But we all have to realize that it's not about us. Even Jesus, who many of us would agree that life is about, seemed to deflect attention just as much as He attracted it. If Jesus could point attention to God, shouldn't I at least try to do the same?

This search for insignificance is going to be harder than I thought.

God First, Man Second

2011-09-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

I told you changes were coming. Here's the first. Each Monday I am going to roll out what I call a God First, Man Second reminder. My whole goal here is to take verses from the Bible and ask the following questions; what does this say about God? Secondly, what does this say about man? I believe the order is important, because asking who man is first will yield us very different answers. Let's get started.

Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

These verses, the whole chapter in fact, say a lot about God. You might recall that after every day, God looked at His creation and declared it good. That tells me God is good. He doesn't seem to be the good-enough kind of guy.

Oh, and He is Creator. That tells me He is creative, because I was never going to dream up the duck-billed platypus. I just wasn't.

And God is Ruler. One can only grant rule to someone else if he has it to give. God gives it to us, so He must have had it Himself.

This, in turn, tells me that man was created good, was given a purpose, and we have it in ourselves to create. We're not number one in this story, but we've been dealt a pretty stacked deck, in our favor.

Had we asked these questions the other way around, we might have assumed that we are the center of the universe, something that many of us already do conclude. We're mistaken. Very mistaken.

God first. Man second.

Insignificance Pursued

2011-09-16T08:05:00.003-04:00

If you read my book review last Wednesday, I forewarned of upcoming changes. Nope, not more exercise and less cookies. That'd be silly. I can't even fathom why anyone would do this. In fact, the other night I asked my wife if she wanted anything while I was up getting myself cookies. She said she didn't need anything.

I scoffed. Never in history has a doctor ever uttered the phrase, "Nurse, this man needs a cookie, stat!" But that's not why I eat them. Now, what was I saying?

Oh yes, changes. I mean changes to my blog. I just read 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo by Bryan Allain, a book I recommend for bloggers. He brings great focus for bloggers who want to build their platform. But this is also where I struggled.

You may notice, if you visit my blog at all, that the main topic I turn to frequently is insignificance. It's even in the sub-title for my blog. It's something I am pretty passionate about, this idea that instead of seeking to be famous in the world's eyes, we should be seeking insignificance, pointing instead to God. So it feels a bit odd when I say I want more followers so I can talk about how insignificant I am.

Yet that is exactly what I am going to do. So, for anyone that wants to pay attention, my blogging schedule is going to change a tad. This will begin next Monday as I offer short descriptions for what I will do.

I am inviting you to come along on a journey with me. You don't know me. I'm ok with that. This is my search for insignificance.

31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo

2011-09-14T08:11:00.003-04:00

Bryan Allain said he was looking for a few bloggers to review his book in time for its release on September 14. Always a sucker for humor and free books, I signed up. And Bryan delivered on both fronts.

31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo is now my blogging Bible. And while Allain's book is shorter, much shorter, than the Bible, it did some of the same things to me as I read it. The Bible is a book that helps you to see yourself for who you really are. Likewise, 31 Days did the same thing for my blog.

The Bible brings about change. Or at least, it should. 31 Days will do the same things for my blog. Or, at least, that is my hope.

Bryan Allain slipped in so much funny that you almost forget he's trying to teach you something. My version of the book is an e-book. I almost bookmarked every page. It was that good!

When I say I like other books, you have to take my word for it. I may quote from it or discuss it for a while. With this book, my like will be shown through the changes that will be coming to my blog.

I may have the jump on you, but if you're interested at all in blogging, I would encourage you to pick up this book. It's a must-read for bloggers. You can get this book as a PDF at 31daystomojo.com or for Kindle at Amazon.com.

My Son: The Toymaker!

2011-09-13T12:25:00.002-04:00

I don't know what you talk about around the family dinner table, but topics at my house have a wide range. From discussing why southerners have an accent to how it would be if Phineas and Ferb lived with us we pretty much cover it all.

So it shouldn't have surprised me when conversation turned to baby dolls and why some of them have ugly faces. After all, some real babies have ugly faces. (Tell me I'm wrong!)

My son, always quick to offer a solution, though not always a great one, offered this. "What if the baby doll smiled when you picked it up to look at it?" Can't you see the possibilities here? How could you put back a baby that smiled when you chose it? And what if the baby had some pre-recorded messages such as, 'Yay! I finally have a family!' or 'Thank you for choosing me!'

Are you telling me that you hate people so much that you could put that baby doll back? Are you the type of person that enjoys kicking kittens? You are, aren't you?

But if you're not, I imagine that it would be almost impossible to put this toy back. After all, you wouldn't just see the smile on the baby doll's face disappear, but that of your little girl, who is looking at you, wondering if you almost put her back on the shelf.

All of this got me thinking about how we affect people in our daily lives. If we got to see a visible expression from people that we interacted with, would we see a smile? Would we see hurt or discouragement? And how would that change our actions?

I know that sometimes ugliness from this world runs deep and we don't always see how we affect others, but would it make a difference? Are we willing to stretch out our hands to help someone? Are we willing to look around and choose someone?

After all, this would be faith in action.

Or, as James puts it;

"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" ~James 2:14-17

Gracenomics

2011-09-09T07:14:00.002-04:00

Mike Foster has written a short manifesto called Gracenomics: Unleash the Power of Second Chance Living. He has also founded an online community called People of the Second Chance (potsc.com) so this is not just a passing fad for him.

The book is only five chapters long and written quite simply. Don't mistake that for criticism, because the concept of grace is easier to explain than it is to live. Mike writes in a way that is inspiring and gives one hope that we could each make a difference by doling out grace in our relationships.

I came across a free e-version of this book from the good peole at Catalyst. At the risk of sounding like I lack grace, the one criticism I'll mention is that this book contains some foul language. I realize that may make me sound like a prude (or a 7-year old tattletale) but the book was not enhanced in any way by those 3 or 4 words.

All in all, a good book and a good reminder for us all as we live with one another.

Scared By Grace

2011-09-06T11:30:00.001-04:00

I can remember, as a child, how I would look at grown-up men, especially my dad, and assume they had no fear at all. It's not as if they were cyborgs who had no emotion, but they certainly didn't seem to be riddled with the long list of fears that I had to keep track of.

Among others, I was scared of:
the dark, because that's where the Boogie Monster lives
bears, even though I had never run into one
running out of cookies, a fear I still have
small spaces, a legitimate fear with a real name
sisters, but only the ones I had
and kittens, they only look innocent

Now, as a dad myself, I realize the list of things to be afraid of only increases;

no job, because a lack of an income can be a real downer on my spending habits
presidential races, because those debates can interfere with my TV viewing schedule
small children, because they are really sticky
car repairs, because I didn't listen to my dad when he was teaching me how to fix stuff
taxes, home repairs, inflation, the return of The Smurfs,...

I could go on. I left most of those childhood fears behind (don't ask), but I am coming to believe that there is something more bizarre that freaks people out.

Grace.

Yeah, the free gift of God. It scares people. See, we're accustomed to being called dirty sinners. If you're not, you're probably hiding from people. We've gotten used to thinking down on ourselves. Driving in rush hour traffic or working in any business that deals with...people...will accomplish this.

What we are not comfortable with is a no-strings-attached, free-for-all gift. Why? Because we don't see it every day. But there was a Friday long ago where a gift was given. It was free. It was for everyone. It happened when Jesus died on a cross for our sins. Yours. Mine. Everyone.

We received a free gift of grace that day. This allowed Paul, one of the followers of Jesus, to write the following;

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

No condemnation! That's a non-guilty verdict for us when we were actually guilty. Have you ever heard of anything like that? Being guilty but getting away with it? That doesn't happen, unless of course, it's a recent case in Florida or you're a former football star who drives a white bronco. I digress...

In a perfect system, one I believe God has set up, the idea of no condemnation should be given more fanfare. Give God thanks, sing Hakuna Matata, do something. But don't be scared. We need to embrace grace and live free. Perhaps the best reminder is a question posed by Paul later in Romans 8.

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

I choose not to be scared. How about you?

Unbelievable

2011-09-01T07:08:00.003-04:00

Unbelievable! You had to see it to believe it! That was a million-to-one shot! No way! Are you kidding me?!?

We have lots of ways of commenting on things that we find unbelievable. It could be a fantastic dunk in basketball. It could be a car crash that defies description. It could be hundreds of YouTube videos that make you shake your head and wonder how…or even why.

We even talk like this about seemingly smaller events in our daily lives. When someone calls us after we were just thinking about them. For some it might be finding a one-of-a-kind dress on sale, and it’s in your size. Sometimes it’s making your way down the hallway and narrowly missing all 3 of your children while they come running at you with Nerf guns and Barbies. (Ok, that last one got a little specific.)

It’s unbelievable. And sometimes we wonder if our unbelievable luck goes both ways…good and bad. Because Alanis Morrisette isn’t alone when she asks if it’s ironic when we can’t take good advice or when we’re offered a free ride, after we’ve already paid. Who would have thought, right? It figures.

But sometimes (perhaps too many times) we find the Bible to be unbelievable. I’m not just talking about the miracle stories, although we do that too. I’m talking about the basic Christian teaching that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin. I’m talking about the fact that His death means our life and salvation. And yes, I’m talking about the fact that the new life God has for us replaces our old life. It doesn’t coexist with it.

Brennan Manning was correct when he said, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Is God’s free gift of salvation unbelievable? Is the idea of Jesus paying the price for our sin too good to be true? Is it impossible to imagine a new life lived all out for God? Maybe for some. But is it for you?

The Simple Way

2011-08-30T09:08:00.001-04:00

We worry about a lot of things that we can't know about. I can remember, back in high school, spending countless hours talking with my friends about aliens and space and God's will. It was stuff that was too lofty for us (Job 42:3). But if the conversation turned towards living out our faith, practical living stuff that we could figure out, suddenly I wasn't as interested.

Did God allow aliens to abduct the dinosaurs? I don’t know, but let’s discuss that for hours.

What practical steps can I take this week to grow in my faith? I don’t know, who wants to watch a movie?

My days since high school have changed my interests a bit. Now I worry less about Bigfoot and Loch Ness and more about developing godly habits (both for me and the people I work with). That’s why I instantly liked how Moses concluded things in Deuteronomy.

Towards the end, after reviewing the entire Law with the Israelites, Moses offers this;

God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It's up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation. Deuteronomy 29:29

Deuteronomy 30 goes into detail about this revealed portion. Moses talks about how simple all of this really is. It's not exactly rocket science. Moses, even with his low opinion of the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 31:27-29), believed that they could grasp these concepts that he was presenting.

Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you
Life and Good
Death and Evil.
Deuteronomy 30:15

And as much as our progressive culture tries to muddy the waters of Truth, even we are hard-pressed to complicate this process. Blessings are good. Curses are bad. Loving God is the goal. Loving our neighbor is a command.

If everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten, then everything we need to know about God is also quite elementary. God is good and we should love him with everything we have. It’s that simple.

God will take care of the many things that are too wonderful for us to know. We can discuss it round and round and wonder our time away. But the revealed things are our business.

I'm in the business of making sure the revealed things are being followed. And business is good!

Kissing Fish

2011-08-26T07:21:00.001-04:00

I think I might have liked this book more if...

No, I'm not sure anything could make me like this book. Roger Wolsey has written a book called Kissing Fish; Christianity for People who Don't Like Christianity. Granted, I like Christianity, so that was probably one strike against it from the start. Perhaps if it had read less defensively it might have helped.

On the one hand, I get it. In order to clarify what something is, you oftentimes have to contrast it with something else that people are very familiar with. In this case, that would be conservative Christianity, although it more often felt like Roger was attacking the Christians, not the Christianity. It is hard to separate the two, but I felt part of what was missing was asking what conservative Christianity would look like if it were lived out correctly. But who has time for details?

On the other hand, if you are trying to attract followers, perhaps sounding like the smart kid who has everything figured out while at the same time condemning everyone in the opposing viewpoint as unintelligent and guarded against truth is probably not the best way to go.

Roger did a good job of breaking down the chapters. He neatly sections off subjects like God, Jesus and Salvation. He does a good job of stating conservative Christianity's view, albeit in a way that shows his criticism before he even gets to his criticism.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this was less a book to introduce people to a new brand of Christianity, one Roger calls progressive, and more like an attack on every bad thing Roger sees in conservative Christianity. This would include the theological teaching and his second grade Sunday School teacher sneering at him. (Note: I have no idea what his second grade Sunday School teacher did or didn't do.)

The complications in this book would be too many to list here. From how we view God and how He operates to how (or if) we acknowledge sin, our disagreements would be many. In its most basic sense, I find it difficult to see how progressive Christians hold anything to be true, since so much of the interpretation of Scripture is seen as up to the individual. Although even saying that would seem to be the start of a circle, since the progressive Christian would argue that conservative Christians hold too literally to the Bible.

It's enough to make this blog's head spin. It would make a much better conversation and debate than it does a blog post. Alas, some other time.

I received this ebook from Mike Morrell and my friends at SpeakEasy. They don't make me write a positive review, which was really helpful in this case.

Should you choose to want to know more of what goes on in the mind of someone calling themselves a progressive Christian, check out the links below.

Roger's helpful companion site: http://www.progressivechristianitybook.com/

Kissing Fish’s active Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kissing-Fish-christianity-for-people-who-dont-like-christianity/188533647842714

Roger on Twitter: @RogerWolsey

Roger’s column in Elephant Journal: http://www.elephantjournal.com/author/roger-wolsey/

#SpeakEasyKissingFish

Delivering Bad News

2011-08-25T10:01:00.004-04:00

I have to confess something. There are times when I want to tell the truth. Yes, shocking, I know. You might imagine that it's just the pastor in me that makes this honesty want to burst out of me like a song on Glee, but it's not that at all.

Alas, that is not it. It's not the sugary-sweet honesty that I want to tell. The type of honesty I'm talking about is the kind that will possibly offend, or at least sting for a few days. It's more than just letting you know that something is stuck in your teeth or that your hair looks like Justn Bieber's.

It's truth's truth and many times it hurts. But there are some ways to deliver truth that apparently make it easier. I say 'apparently' because they are found in the Bible.

It's Deuteronomy 31 and Moses isn't going to last much longer. So he decides it's the season of Festivus and it's time for the airing of grievances. He tells the Israelites about what could happen if they disobey God while living in the Promised Land. Except that he paints it as all but done.

Granted, Moses was right. The people were stubborn and they would turn on God. But could you imagine our president standing before us and admitting there was no chance whatsoever that we would ever pay off our debt?

Moses tells the Israelites how pig-headed they are and then decides to put it all to a song. That's right, a song. Apparently having your failures sung to you make sit sound better. Was this B.C.-emo-rock?

Just imagine having a song dedicated to you with such lyrics as;

They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are
a warped and crooked generation. Deuteronomy 32:5
“I will heap calamities on them and spend my arrows
against them.
I will send wasting famine against them,
consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the
fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the
dust. Deuteronomy 32:23-24
They are a nation without sense. Deuteronomy 32:28

Maybe the only lesson here is that if you want to drop some bad news on someone, it's better to do it in song. Ok, your turn. What would be the worst lyrics to have sung to you?

Just Keep Quiet

2011-08-23T11:26:00.001-04:00

Have you ever had someone just stare at you without saying anything? It gives me the creeps. I want to know what is going through their head. I want them to speak up. The silence weirds me out. So, like many people, I fill the silence with my own noise.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Just after crossing the Jordan, the Israelites are poised to attack Jericho. Perhaps you know about their singing to bring down the walls. Yeah, that's pretty epic on God's part. But what comes before that would make you uncomfortable.

As the entire army marches around the city walls for 7 days, they are given these orders.
“Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” Joshua 6:10

Imagine you are a citizen of Jericho and you see an entire army marching around your city walls. Only they aren't saying anything. They are marching in complete silence. Creeeepy!

Awkward as it might be, I imagine God might be giving the same orders to us today. In James 1:19 we're instructed to be "slow to speak." So how about it? Perhaps we should just keep quiet and wait for God to command the shout.

I'd say more about this, but on a topic like this, perhaps I've already said too much.

Ministry By Teenagers

2011-08-19T08:07:00.005-04:00

Youth Ministry. It's kind of a funny term when you consider it. Is it ministry to the teenage crowd or ministry by the teenage crowd?

Modern youth ministry seems to have started when some cool hippie started some fires and gathered teens around it to sing Kumbaya. To hear Greg Steir, president of Dare 2 Share Ministries, talk about it, Jesus was the first youth pastor, since most of the disciples were teenagers.

As the lights have gotten brighter and the technology cooler, there is still an ongoing debate about how youth ministry is accomplished. As the offerings for educating youth pastors increases, the expectation of being professional rises. Although, how professional can we seem when Chubby Bunny is still an approved game? But I must admit that the last time I was with some of my church leaders, I did tell them that youth pastors are like specialists, much like podiatrists, dentists, and pediatrists are considered specialists. And since they make more money than general practitioners, logically, youth pastors should get paid more than senior pastors. (In case you're wondering, they didn't buy it.)

All of this debate aside, I think I have to agree with Jonathan McKee and David Smith in their book, Ministry By Teenagers; Developing Leaders From Within. Most of our jobs should be training teenagers on the how and why of serving. And it's not just giving them to-do lists. It's instilling in them the passion for why ministry is important.

Reading a book by McKee (this is not my first) is like sitting down to a ministry roundtable discussion. Of course, since it's a book, he does all the talking. But even in this format, he encourages discussion through questions and even offers a few exercises while you put the book down. This book is co-authored by David Smith, another regular from The Source For Youth Ministry, and nothing is lost. Both do a great job of providing examples for every truth they wish to convey.

Ministry By Teenagers offers it all, from the purpose to training teenagers to handling the pitfalls that come once you have started training them. I tend to fold over pages so I can more quickly find things that I want to revisit and my copy now has plenty of pages folded over.

Training teens isn't something new to me, so I found I was able to plug-n-play some of the help right away, while other stuff will have to wait for me to implement. They even include a planned out retreat in the appendix. I have a feeling I will be referring to this book over and again for quite some time.

How Big Do You Think You Are?

2011-08-16T10:45:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, as a way of celebrating one last night of freedom before school started, my wife decided we no longer needed comfort. So we went way out...to our back yard and set up the tent. The kids loved the idea. I brought my laptop.

I was checking the weather to see if we needed to put the cover up on our tent when I found that a meteor shower was expected. I looked up and saw a lot of clouds. But the children looked anyway for meteors that we wouldn't see. It led us to talk about space, a favorite topic of mine.

I used the laptop to search pictures of space. I stumbled upon pictures of the size of Earth, like this one to the left. This was no big deal, as they've seen pictures of Earth before. But then I showed them this one.
Now I had them intrigued. Those other planets seemed awfully larger than Earth. How could this be? Shouldn't we be the largest? Why would God make other planets larger?

Without going fully into 3-point-pastor mode, I simply shared that we often forget just how tiny we are on this spinning ball. Then I showed them this next picture. In case you can't see it, that big orange ball is the big orange ball you see everyday when you wake up. It's big. Real big.

This led to a science class lesson on how the sun is a star. We talked about how far away the other stars are and why we only see them at night. I think I fooled my children into believing I know a lot. But then I blew their minds and showed them these two last pictures.

The picture to the left is of a few different stars,showing our Sun to actually be a small star. This isn't even comparing it to some of the really large stars out there.

The second picture is of some of the most distant galaxies as seen by our Hubble Telescope.

This led to me explaining that we are just one planet within a solar system, just one solar system within a galaxy and just one galaxy within the universe. Oh, and that universe is continually expanding. At this point my son's head just exploded.

We continued to have a really cool conversation as we sat out under the cloudy sky. It left us all with one very large feeling; we are very small. Yet God loves us. Then, since the laptop still had battery life left, we watched an episode of Veggie Tales.

The Core Realities of Youth Ministry

2011-08-12T08:46:00.001-04:00

I'm going back for this book review. In 2003 Mike Yaconelli wrote a book called The Core Realities of Youth Ministry. I had just come from a National Youth Workers Convention, where Mike hosted. I bought a copy of this book, as well as his Dangerous Wonder. I ate them both up and still think they are great.

That's why I was greatly discouraged when I went this last spring to find my copy of The Core Realities. I looked at home. I looked at my office. I went around accusing people of stealing it. Nothing. It was nowhere.

Figuring I would find my original once I purchased a new copy, I took the plunge. I bought it because my original copy had my notes written in the sides. I bought it because I had used it 7 years ago to add to my teaching of core values and I wanted to revisit that topic. (That's not to say I haven't talked about core values in 7 years....)

I believe Mike has written a powerful gem that every youth pastor should be required to read. I think that much of it is translatable directly to teaching with teens. The core realities are veracity, authenticity, audacity, humility, diversity, sanctuary, intimacy, mystery and creativity. This makes for a very diverse summer of discussion with any youth group.

Mike writes each chapter in a very relational way, as he shares part of his story. He also shares the space with many other youth ministry voices as they chime in with sidebars.

I highly recommend this book. It's older, so a inexpensive copy can be found quite easily. But if anyone has seen my original copy, let me know. I'm still looking for it.