Rick Nier...Woo!

The leadership had discussed, deliberated and decided. There had certainly been debate. People felt strongly on both sides.  ‘If we allow this to happen, everything we stand for will mean nothing.’ Honestly, both sides were saying it and both felt it was a matter of salvation. ‘Agree with me or I don’t know how you could possibly be a Christian.’ After all, all the facts support my view. If you choose to believe otherwise, it is only because of  your preconceived or ill-conceived view of matters. I cannot possibly be judged for considering you to be less intelligent, less caring, or less than Christ-like if you oppose my view.  That’s what everyone, on both sides of the argument, was saying. The issue at hand was, of course, circumcision. I’m sorry, did you assume I was talking about something else?   The Council in Jerusalem had just met. It’s recorded in Acts 15 if you’d like to review it. Everyone who was anyone was there and they made certain their voice was hear...

You know those posts that talk about Jesus and then attempt to shame us into sharing? They are the ones that talk about how we share jokes every day but when something talks about Jesus, we just scroll on by.  Never mind they might be a repeat of an email we were forwarding to all our friends twenty years ago, the shaming is ridiculous. As if Jesus would only be convinced of our love for Him when we hit share on a social media post. But... There’s something they get right.  via GIPHY What Will We Hate on this Week? I was thinking about this the other day when I had a Nickelback song stuck in my head. (That’s right, I said it.) Everyone loves to hate on Nickelback, saying all their songs sound the same. That might be true. But if you like that one Nickelback song, then you’ll enjoy all of them.  The thing is Nickelback is the band everyone loves to hate...right now. But twenty years ago it was someone else. And isn’t there always a recent boy band...

Buckle up boys and girls. We’re about to go on a wild ride today. When we consider the early chapters of Genesis, there are basically two camps; those who believe God created other people after He created Adam and Eve. And there are those of us who believe the early years were a purer version of Kentucky. You know what I mean, where kissing cousins is encouraged. Don’t come at me Kentucky. I know it’s not everyone down there, but you know where they are. We're going to do some math today. But wait, before you tune me out, we're also going to talk about sex. That's right. You'll be glad you stayed. So what are we talking about? How much coupling could the first couple couple? Math Time! How many kids are we talking about here? So, why all the baby math? I was conversing with friends about whether or not God created other people after He created Adam and Eve. As is normally the case when this conversation comes up, the question bothering people is whether ...

Let's take driving, for example. I'm in the process of teaching my son how to drive. He's the second child I'm teaching, so I feel like I've got a good handle on what needs to happen.  It's not like the first time I took my oldest out driving, started her at a stop sign in our quiet neighborhood and assumed she would know how to turn the steering wheel. Man, if street signs could talk, they would tell you about the day a crazy, tiny ginger played chicken with them. We're only a few lessons in with my son, but so far, so good. One of the things I'm teaching him is that you have to pay attention when you're driving. This would seem obvious, but my experiences with so many other drivers tells me it isn't.  via GIPHY Nowhere is this more painful than at four-way stops. It may seem confusing, but only if you don't understand how a clock works. (You see, the driver to the left yields to the driver on the right, and then it works around the...

In the beginning there was an idea. It wasn't our idea. The idea stemmed from the Creator of all things. Being relational, God let His idea come to fruition. This idea, to create people who would love their Creator, was a good idea. It is a good idea. But it was not the only idea.  Some may have assumed the idea's next part. Because we were made in the image of One who loves, we were also intended to love one another. This idea was also good . And it makes sense. If we love our Creator and understand that He meets all our needs, we are then set loose to freely give of the love born in us.  via GIPHY In theory, these ideas can work together seamlessly, with the creation crying out to the Creator. This alone should fill us up. At the same time, we can express unique qualities given to us by a very imaginative Creator. After all, we are better off when each part of the body does as intended. "This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members car...

Here is how some conversations with myself go.  Me: I should post a new article on my blog a couple of times each week. Also me: You haven’t posted an article in over a month! Me: This time could be different. I could be more focused. Sarcastic me: Yep, because that’s how life works.  Really Sarcastic Me: Please hurry because dozens of people are waiting on pins and needles to hear your thoughts.  The really sarcastic me can often be quite mean. And, to be honest, some conversations with myself are way worse than this one.  The truth is, I have no promises to myself, nor guarantees to you, on how often I am going to post. An honest review of my posts reveals too many that start with “Wow, it’s been a while since I posted...remember when I said I wanted to write?”  Here is what I am telling myself, while pushing the mean and sarcastic voices down. I have something to say. I have something to offer. Encouragement, hope, insight. S...

As parents, we've all been there. We tell our child to do something and they ask why. Everyone knows what words are about to come out of the parent's mouth.  Because I said so .  We can debate forever if that reasoning should be sufficient or not. The fact is we say it. I say it, and then I preach to my kids about respect and obedience and when I was a perfect child.  So why do the kids ask for a reason? Why do the teenagers bore us with their litany of reasons of how we're old, our ideas are outdated, we're short and not that good at basketball? Yeah, my teenagers have found some specific talking points in their arguments to try and get me to let them have their way.  Why do they think they're so smart? Actually, I'm trying to get my children to write a book. (Cue sarcastic music so you know I'm about to spew a heavy dose.) If they would give me time to grab a pen and some paper, I could jot down some of their pearls of wisdom. They mak...

If someone were to make a realistic movie based on the book of Judges, no responsible parent would let their teens see it. That's how I started my discussion with my youth group last night. We looked at the life of Samson, a guy with such anger issues, he makes the Incredible Hulk seem rather friendly and docile by comparison, And let me just say how much fun it can be to introduce teens who clearly only think they know the Bible stories. Just telling the story of Samson left so many shocked looks on their faces, and his story is only 4 chapters long. Judges 13-16 if you want to read it yourself . I told the teens over and over again how we all have to make a choice. God vs BAE. For those of you wondering what BAE means, it's slang for before anyone else . We're discussing how each of us has to make a choice to put God before everyone, including the crush and the guy and the date and, yes, even the spouse. BAE gives you a narrow focus where you only have energy for ...

I wear a few different hats at my church. That may be understating things, but suffice it to say I get to know a lot of different people in a lot of different age groups. One of the benefits is the relationships I build with multiple generations and the vantage point from which I can see where our church is at. On any given Sunday, I will have lots of different people that I would like to catch up with as several people that might seek out my attention. Yesterday was one of those days. But I should mention that one of the areas I oversee is that of children. And children will get your attention....ummm...whenever they can. I was leading in our worship service, which will involve leading the singing as well as calling ushers to collect the offering. This year in our church, we have children collecting change for missionaries. So while the ushers are collecting money in an organized fashion, we have about 20 kids running around the sanctuary, shaking people down for their loose c...

I want to tell you a little bit about my first girlfriend. (This was before I met Jen.) I was head over heels for this girl. Because I was so ‘in love’, I was willing to do anything to be able to date her and tell people that I was dating her. So she had some standards that she wanted me to reach for if we were going to be a couple. I really wanted to date her, so I said, ‘Lay it on me, babe.’ ( Those are the kinds of things I say to woo damsels...works every time. ) She wanted us to talk every day, at least on the phone. She wanted us to go out on a date, at least once a week. She had some rules for how I should act, both when we were together and when we weren’t. After all, she said, ‘I’ was now an ‘us’ and we should consider how people view us, even when we weren’t together. I really wanted to date this girl. So I agreed to her standards. How did I do? The first rule was that we talk every day, at least on the phone. Well, this was before cell phones, so this was kind of difficult. ...

I just know that some of you saw the title and are reading now, hoping for lyrics to a Taylor Swift song. My apologies. Yes, T. Swifty does have a song titled Blank Space , where she writes about her ex-lovers and the apparent vacancy for the next ex-boyfriend. But I have a different picture of what a blank space can offer. Blank space offers a space for grace. I have conversations with people all the time where the unspoken request is for grace. Deadlines weren't met, relationships need to be restored, wrongs have been committed. While there is certainly an understanding of consequences in most people's minds, it occurs to me that the blank space we can offer provides a way out. This way out is not something people immediately consider. After all, what's done is done and there's no going back, right? But I see a blank space that says otherwise. New deadlines can be established. Relationships don't need to remain broken. Wrongs can be made right. The Church should a...

I like my lists. They help keep me organized. Aaaaand, I probably get a bit too much pleasure out of checking things off my lists. But, like I said, they help keep me organized. There's really only one weakness to a list. You do have to look at this list in order for it to remind you. Last week I was preparing to take my youth group on a ski retreat weekend. It was a perfect time to make a list, which I did. But the thing about making a list is that it sometimes helps me to remember more clearly what  I need to accomplish. In this case, I had a packing list. As I was packing, I was visualizing what I had written down. I packed and packed and...never looked at my list. It wasn't until hours later, while driving a noisy bus with even noisier teens that I was feeling I had forgotten something. And that's when it hit me. Snow boots?!? Really...snow boots? I didn't forget extra socks...or a magazine...or a charger for my phone. I didn't neglect to bring sno...

This is just a little something I shared with children's workers at my church. Children’s Ministries is an exciting thing to be a part of in the church. We get to take an empty cup and fill it with good stuff. The scripture is filled with promises of what happens when we follow God’s plan. We know that part of His plan is one generation passing along the stories and the good news to the next generation. We’re given the hope that by doing this, generations will continue to grow up and seek God. In this way, being among the first to fill a cup with the contents of our choosing is an exciting thing to be a part of. But there is a second reality in being a part of children’s ministries in this day. It’s the sad fact that not all the cups are empty. Some of them are dirty and have been damaged. Many have been filled with ugliness that we recognize as being ‘from the world’. Rather than discourage us from trying, it gives clarity to our call to teach children ‘the way they should go.’ It...

This past weekend, I taught teens about relationships, but isn't every lesson about relationships somehow? I called it Stop and Go. You can read part 1, the Stop, right here . Below is part 2, the Go. ______________________________________ GO We have some good examples of people Going after God. Ruth followed Naomi. She was following God. Elisha followed Elijah, even asking for more of God. Twice as many miracles are recorded on behalf of Elisha as were Elijah. Elisha was chasing God. There are plenty of stories of good and bad examples throughout scripture. But there is one who models what I’m talking about here perfectly. Allow me to paint the picture. If you ever start reading 1 and 2 Kings, or 1 and 2 Chronicles, you’ll find a list of kings and the major events during their reign. You’ll find a description of how closely they followed God or, more often, how they were evil in the eyes of the Lord. The history of Israel goes back and forth like this, but always wi...

This weekend I presented a lesson I called Stop and Go , about how we pursue relationships. I'll break it up into 2 parts for you, my loyal blog-fellows. I'll post the Stop portion today and the Go portion on Wednesday. ___________________________________ So the whole idea is that we want to be Happily Ever After. As I said at the beginning, many people are after the Fairy Tale story and ending. But the Disney picture is not realistic. So the first step is realizing that we’ve been handed a distorted picture by Hollywood. I say that and realize that many of you know, with your heads, that it’s a lie. But we don’t always think with our heads, now do we? We have been sold a belief that living with your heart is better. Put your heart into it. Follow your heart. It’s all about emotions with us. Even when it makes no sense, we say ‘the heart wants what it wants.’ We say things like this, as if it excuses us from considering truth. I imagine that many of us assume reality is for o...

Do you know why people ask what you think? So they can tell you what they think. There are times when people ask my opinion. That is just stupid, for so many reasons. But I have come to realize that what they really want is to give their opinion. That's why they ask. In my opinion, they should simply ask me if they can present me with their thoughts. They would get to talk and I would get to save my breath. Someone, anyone really, and I will have a conversation that goes like this. Someone: What did you think of this book? Me: I liked it for the following reasons. Someone: Well, I hated it. Or they may ask about a movie we both recently saw. Someone: What did you think of that movie? Me: I thought it was epic for the following reasons. Someone: Here's why it wasn't good at all. Oh, ok. Perhaps if I took the advice given in James 1:19. "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." If, when ...

One might imagine that a smaller youth group would not suffer some of the same headaches that a larger youth group has. To a certain degree, it's true. I don't have to worry about the sound system working so every teen can hear me from the stage. I don't have, or need, a sound system. I don't concern myself with where all the driving teens will park. We have a parking lot large enough for us and for the adult evening service that runs at the same time. I never think about budgeting enough for a speaker or band. The most I do would involve joining with another youth group, probably the larger group that is going to do so with or without my help. But there is a problem for large and small groups alike. Cliques. Honestly, I didn't give it much thought because I barely have enough teens to form a  clique, much less several. But it crept in uninvited and made itself at home. Apparently cliques from outside of youth group feel free to come on in and join the ...

Here's a bit more from my recent sermon, on how the Church should represent Christ.  Just last week, my kids wanted to go outside. Maybe you have had similar experiences with your children, but I feel like Jen and I have to reintroduce our children to the idea of seasons every year. When summer fades and cold weather comes upon us, one might wonder if my kids have any feeling left in their bodies. All 3 of them attempted to exit the house without jackets. The oldest 2 tried going out without shoes or socks. I corrected that, but then I saw Luke unfolding a pair of socks. This was suspicious, because Luke doesn't fold socks. When that chore comes around, he suddenly shows me his hands and, to my amazement, he has 10 thumbs. Can’t fold socks with 10 thumbs. So, being the wise parent I am, I knew the boy had previously taken off the socks he wore to school, decided it would be easier to get a new pair (because, after all, there is this magic drawer in his room that makes cle...

So let's talk about how people talk to Jesus. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” ~Mark 10:35.  This was a very brazen thing for the disciples to do. I don’t know if teens today are aware of this, but you are called a generation of entitlement. People say it as an insult, meaning that your generation, as a whole, thinks that you should get whatever you want. You assume, generally speaking, that you should be able to get all A’s, play and win in any sport, learn any musical instrument, be given a phone, tablet and any of the latest gaming devices. Other generations see you expecting praise for doing nothing and assuming that jobs should be yours if you want them. Now, let me tell you that I think some of this unfair. It is a generalization, but even where it is true, previous generations have to take responsibility because we are the ones who have given you exactly what you want. Whoever is at ...

It is no secret that Hollywood is out of ideas. For all the money exchanging hands out west, we are still presented with reality shows involving Vanilla Ice and Amish people. You'll have to search for that yourself as I refused to do that to my search engine.  But I am actually okay with this when it means that a classic gets remade into something genuinely awesome. Of course, being who I am, I didn't discover this while it was actually happening. But back in 2010 a new version of Scooby Doo was being made.  My kids just recently discovered  Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated ,  a series that takes what was most laughable from the 70's version and combines it into something that is actually watchable. This version gives us a lot more information about Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby, perhaps more than we ever wanted to know. Instead of each show being a stand-alone, this series connects and has overarching themes and plots.  And the villains ...