haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 1

Okay... it's time to ask the question and attempt to wrestle with it.

You know the question, don't you?

I saw it this past week when I received a text message from someone in our church who said, "(My husband and I have been) praying... trying to get our heads around over 100,000 people confirmed dead and more to be expected. A whole school of children! How do you get your brain/heart around that? Oh God!"

And then there was another this morning from someone who said via Facebook, "My heart is breaking for the Haitian people....ANOTHER earthquack/aftershock??? This seems SO not fair! I'm having a little trouble reconciling a God of Mercy right now.....:("

Personally, I think these moments of tension are powerful.  I know I'm not supposed to, because these are supposed to be thoughts that atheists do a little dance about when Christians become speechless at the tragedy in this world.  They hurl insults like, "Look at this mess. Where is your God now?  See, I told you!  He isn't there, is He?"

Ah... what a great opportunity.  I don't by any means in saying that mean to lighten the heaviness of what has happened, but rather to point out the pure growth that can happen now that we are asking those questions.

Because the atheists have a point - the deity that we've been worshipping doesn't exist, and in these moments we learn that.   But that doesn't mean God doesn't exist - read what I just wrote... "the deity that we've been worshipping doesn't exist."

Let me be clearer - many well meaning people worship a God that is more of a math problem than a Lord over the universe.  He's the "God who always makes sense" and "doesn't give you more than you can handle" - the one that says if you're good and vote Republican/Democrat, good things will happen to you and you'll have a prosperous life.  He's the "safety-net-God," the "it's-okay-to-look-down-your-nose-at-other-people-who-are-living-apart-from-so-you-can-feel-good-that-you-aren't-like-them-God," and "go-to-church-every-Sunday-and-life-will-make-sense-God."

That God doesn't exist.

You may need to read that last sentence again.

And so the atheists have it right when they point it out to us.

Now, I don't believe that the people who wrote the comments I quoted earlier believe in this lesser-god, but rather are trying to make sense out of the real God.  And I totally applaud that and believe this is the time to do what they are attempting to do.  We must figure out what it means to reconcile the destruction in our world with who God is... and isn't.

Because the God that the atheists have formed that they will not believe in (yes, that is ironic) doesn't exist either.  The popular statement is that “A God who is good and all-powerful cannot allow evil to exist, but evil does exist, therefore there is no good and all-powerful God.”  Without realizing it, they have also made a statement of faith in forming their anti-faith.

I know... this is heavy and confusing stuff.

So maybe the greater question about all of this has to do with why we land where we land as we circle all the chaos in life.

• Why is it that on the same night as a major news special on the tragedy in Haiti the Golden Globes aired? Why do we allow that to happen?  Which did you tune into?
  
  
  
• Why is it that on a USA Today page that shows pictures of the devastation there are headlines just below like "Nicole Richie fashions a clothing line" and "Brad Pitt's beard turns heads?"  Why do we allow that to happen?  Which headline did you click on?
  

I'm going to write a bit on this each day for the next few days, and I hope in doing so your understanding of God - the real One, that is - grows.

That is, if you're willing to take part in this journey... which means holding your current understanding of God (or anti-God) a little looser so you might better understand what you do - or don't - believe in.

I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"(Daniel 12:8)

a few words on why religion stinks

Consider this - One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

Like I said, consider that for a moment.

The way we define a connection with God is called "religion," and religion on its own simply stinks.

Out of my own life, when I was growing up, I was a "Catholic." I don't mean to put the quotes around that word to hint at any negativity, but rather because when I say "Catholic" I mean it was how I defined Catholic. For me that meant I'd pop into a church service at Easter and Christmas with my parents, vaguely pay attention if we attended other times of the year, and make the "Sign of the Cross" whenever I prayed. I believed "about" God, and occasionally I believed "in" God.

But that was it. It was my religion... it was how I chose to define my search for God (even though it was usually more of a shield I raised to feel like I could "checklist" off that part of my life and go on to do other things).

• Disclaimer: I know other people define their Catholic faith or upbringing more deeply than that. I have family members, for instance, who have found that to be true. But for me... that's not what it was. Maybe you know what I mean.
  

If you would've pressed me on it, I would have argued with you that I was a "Christian." Again - notice the quotes... a "Christian" as I defined it, and not as the Bible does. After all, I had a version of a Christian religion that I felt mechanically good with. It blended in well with how and where I was raised, for in the greater Chicagoland area I had opted for a popular choice. Among my peers, being a Catholic was usually a family tradition that at times was possibly religious. Only in very, very rare instances did I see it become authentically spiritual in a friend or two.

By the way... this post isn't about Catholicism. We don't need to debate about what it is or isn't, but I needed to share that so we can turn to what this post is really about.

One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

Because everything I just described is not just true of Catholicism. It's true of any church, including the one I serve in and enjoy growing in my relationship with God.

And it's true of even people who feel they have the closest connection to Him. Sometimes those who seem the most passionate about a certain way of pursuing God have forgotten that it's not the way we worship that matters... it's the object of our worship.

Let me give you a little glimpse of the punchline of what I'm talking about. In the book of Nehemiah, the Israelites have just come out of a time of slavery and are finally back in their own land. After much hard work at restoring many of their holy places, they enter in a time of worship. Those in spiritual authority cried out to the people:

"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise." (Nehemiah 9:5-6)

If you read that passage quickly, you may miss the whammy of a thought hidden right there at the end... that who God is matters more than any blessing or praise.

Think about what that means... maybe it still hasn't hit you yet.

There is no form of blessing or praise - spoken, sung, enacted - that is more important than God Himself.

And yet...

One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

In other words, when we begin to worship "worship" more than the Lord Himself, we've created something inauthentic and tried to make it feel authentic.

• Perhaps you have grown comfortable in a routine that feels religious on your terms. And yet it is robbing you of a true relationship with God on His terms.
  
  
• Maybe there is an aspect of how you seek the Lord out that is your favorite way to do so. What happens when that itch isn't being scratched in the way you like it? Do you elevate that form of praise higher than you elevate the God the praise is intended for?
  
  
• Who or what gets to define if you are really on track with what it is you say you believe?
  
  
• Is the purpose of a church community to meet your needs? Or is the purpose of a church community a gathering of Christ-followers who decide to meet the needs God says matter?
  

Has the punchline hit you yet?

I have found that when I can put God in my pocket, He has ceased to be God.

• No bumper sticker is big enough to define Him.
• No style of worship is encompassing enough to praise Him.
• No denomination is true enough to exist without Him.
• No discovery is shiny enough to steal the spotlight from Him.
• No science is smart enough void of Him.
• No person is dirty enough that they don't matter to Him..
  

Perhaps you read this as a skeptic. Thanks for popping in... and I dare you to stop rejecting God as much as you're rejecting your idea of God. Please think about that for a moment.

Maybe you're processing through this as a religious person... again, thank you for your time. But don't let your self-defined pace of considering God keep your from recognizing the fiercely-tender, redemptively-holy One who is so much larger than you believe He is... so much more relevant to your life than you allow... so much more intimate with you than you are with Him.

Or it could be that you are taking all of this in as one who has chosen to step over the line and embrace the fire hydrant drink of Jesus Christ's love and His purpose for you here on planet earth. Again, even with you there will be a temptation to look for God-things to scratch itches only God is supposed to itch.

Even today, I wrestle with wanting to define my faith versus allowing it to be defined and refined by my God. I tell Him, "This is how we're going to best connect," and He says, "I'm actually trying to talk to you from over here. Peek-a-boo!"

There is a difference between playing your own music and asking God to dance to it, versus tuning into the soundtrack the Creator has set into motion and letting your life sway in new ways because of it... because of Him.

But as you dance, don't worship the dance or the music. Rather, enjoy and express your heart out to the One behind it all.

Religion? It stinks.

But God pursuing you isn't religion. 

He is an amazing Daddy who loves His kids.

And that... is a relationship worth letting Him define so you can more fully embrace it.

Take a look at that picture at the top of Adam and God again. Who of the two is stretching, and who of the two is barely lifting a finger to connect?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-lY8VQpSTY

fearful tactics - pt 4

There's something rather scary and revealing about this shirt, isn't there? I'm sure you've seen your fair share of these witty 100% cotton human-shaped billboards, and maybe you've worn your fair share of them, too. I remember back in my high school daze days having such a great selection of false attitude (what I call them) bumper stickers, hats, painters caps (because, yes... it was the 80's), and t-shirts that conveyed how sharp I thought I was.

Or rather, wanted to be.

Maybe the most revealing day for me was when during my junior high years I found myself at a local hardware store. I normally wouldn't frequent such a place during my tweener years, but I'd won a gift certificate for about $10 in merchandise through a local radio station. (Yes... that is odd in itself, yet nonetheless I found myself walking the aisles of Ace Hardware.) For the longest time I didn't know what to buy, but then finally I came upon the sign section - you know, where you purchase signs for your house/fence/etc - and I knew I'd hit the jackpot.

Within 24 hours, I'd placed on my bedroom door warnings like "KEEP OUT" and "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT" and (my personal favorite) "POSTED: PRIVATE PROPERTY. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, OR TRESPASSING FOR ANY PURPOSE IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. VIOLATERS WILL BE PROSECUTED."

Because that makes sense on a junior high guy's door.

Sound familiar?

In my mind, I believed that by simply putting these things up on my door I'd gained power. Suddenly my parents couldn't just walk into my room anymore, lest they be met with "prosecution." There was now a very clear line that I had put up... and I felt safe behind it. I could do/say/think whatever I wanted - eat Cheetos, play on my Commodore 64 all night, crank call KFC employees with bad jokes about chicken breasts - whatever.

Until someone walked in.

Stink.


And so I put a lock on the door... or rather, I had my dad put a lock on the door because I didn't know how. So he did, and once again I felt safe. Now an even clearer line had been put up.

Until someone walked in.

Stink.

"What?!?!" I exclaimed. "How did you get in?"

Apparently all you needed to manipulate the lock open on the other side was a butter knife.

A butter knife.

A stinkin' butter knife.

Have you ever stopped to think of the insecurity of the "security" you and I manufacture in order to gain a sense of control?

Recently I read about Joel Stein, the noted LA Times writer who spun out some thoughts on heaven that made their way unto a controversial Starbucks cup. In one of his 2007 columns, Stein told readers they were wasting their time by emailing him opposing thoughts. He said, “I don’t want to talk to you; I want to talk at you. A column is not my attempt to engage in a conversation with you. I have more than enough people to converse with. And I don’t listen to them either.”

This is something many people of all schools of thought - liberals / moderates / conservatives alike - all have in common. Just watch the potitical debates and you'll see it, with more and more people looking for things to say about someone (to look bigger) instead of sitting down and conversing with that person to share ideas. It's like we're trying to create this big smoke image of ourselves sometimes... we are in that place of insecurity and figure if we put up a few signs we can do whatever we want behind closed doors and never get busted on it.

And then one day someone uses a butter knife and walks right into our world.

I think this is why the sovereignty of God is so hard to navigate... and why so many of us respond with withdrawing when someone/something/God calls us out on an issue. Ultimately He gets the last word on everything which doesn't fly well for many people, including Christians. Imagine having your faith all figured out and then suddenly Jesus pries open your door with a butter knife.

A stinkin' butter knife.

Embarassment, I think, is when one of your curtains or doors is opened and you are afraid that what people see is unlikeable... that "you without your mask" is like some sort of Wizard of Oz moment where all the intelligent sounding smoke and mirrors gets revealed as a tiny little man behind the curtain.

Which is perhaps why heaven is so intriguing... inviting in one sense and intimidating in another. Heaven requires no such masks, and perhaps that in itself makes us quite uncomfortable at times. Yet in the same breath don't you breathe in a sigh of relief that that God really does have the last word?

Or maybe not.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23)

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)

awe-some

So first, last week I was "in awe of God..."

then over the weekend, I found myself "still in awe of God..."

As of tonight?

Tonight I realized He's even bigger than I thought, and so now I am "picking my jaw up off the floor because I am beyond being in awe of God but am notably even more aware how small I am in the glimpse of how large He continues to be and yet stoops down to leave breadcrumb trails for me to follow into something absolutely amazing and already these words are falling short so I should just stop now and hopefully say nothing more to ruin the purity of this moment."

And that's all I have to say about that.

reviewing sabbath: a community called atonement

What's the point?

Isn't this the question we unconsciously/concsciously ask about everything?

• We stare at the stacks of chores around the house.


• "What's the point?" we wonder.


• We consider yet another burst of energy on the treadmill/bicycle/track/etc.
  
• "What's the point?" we ponder.


• We begin a conversation that we know is going to end in awkward frustration.


• "What's the point?" we ask.

This was the question that began surfacing through my Sabbatical, especially during the previously mentioned "What the heck?" prayer to/from God.

Then... in the fullness of time a free book arrived in the mail.

As a bit of background, over the past couple of years I've had the chance to form some amazing friendships in various parts of the publishing world. Along the way I've been asked to do reviews of products before they hit the streets, which is not only fun in itself but is a double gift since I actually get to keep the books. There really are some great writers out there and it's always a blessing to read their stuff.

So just as I was in the midst of wrestling with God, a book arrived by noted scholar/thinker/writer/blogger Scot McKnight called "A Community Called Atonement." While on the surface it might sound like an academic theology book, McKnight writes with a practical edge that made his book "The Jesus Creed" one of my favorites.

Lean into this question with me, posed on the back cover of the book:

Can atonement be a way of life?

Again, I know this sounds like theological braniac kind of stuff, and perhaps in many ways it is. What stood out to me most, though, were the provocative thoughts and questions McKnight launches off with...

Christians believe that God really did atone for sins in Jesus Christ and that God really did redemptively create restored relationships with God, with self, with others, and with the world. Christians believe that all this took place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and (the silent part of the Story) in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The atonement, in other words, is the good news of Christianity - it is our gospel. It explains how that gospel works.

The bad news, the anti-gospel as it were, is that the claim Christians make for the atonement is not making enough difference in the real lives of enough Christians to show up in statistics as compelling proof of what the Apostle Paul called the "truth of the gospel." Does this new relationship with God really transform the individual? Does this work of Christ and the Spirit to forgive sins and empower Christians make them forgiving people or morally empowered people? Does the claim of the Gospel extend to what can be observed in the concrete realities of those who claim to be its beneficiaries?

The challenge of the atonement is this: Does atonement work? Are Christians any better than anyone else in their relationship with God, self, others, and the world? Is there not a claim that atonement generates a muli-faceted healing of the person so that Christians ought to love God and love others, so that Christians ought to be differenr? Even a little?

And I'm not talking about individuals, for it's all to easy to find a bad Christian and a good Muslim or Buddhist and say, "Christianity doesn't work but Islam and Buddhism do!" We need to think of the big picture: Are Christians - taken as a whole - more loving people? Are they more forgiving? Are they more just? Are they more peaceful? Are they really better?

These are dangerous questions, are they not?

I've learned that sometime such questions are not so well received.

Just tonight I was talking with my oldest son about our time as a church picnic we'd just come back from. At this event, a couple of kids were giving him a hard time... just standard kid stuff, but his question most intrigued me.

Him: (confused) Why would they tease?

Me: That's a great question... sometimes kids tease because they want to feel better about themselves so they try to give others a hard time.

Him: I know that, Dad. You told me that before. I mean, why would these kids tease? They know about Jesus.

Me: Ah... (pause) that's an even greater question. (longer pause) Sometimes people that know a lot about Jesus don't love others with their words and choices the way He asks them to. That's why it's up to us to ask if we're going to be the kind of people Jesus dreams of.

In his six-year-old way, my son is asking the same question McKnight is asking...

"What's the point?"

Perhaps this even hints at God's "What the heck?" response back to me in my "What the heck?" prayer.

What if the point of "atonement" isn't the mere self-serving salvation we often leash it up to be? What if the point of atonement is not to just be changed but to become change as a person/people of atonement?

In other words, what if what Jesus did/does for us through an historical/eternal act is meant to become a personal/corporate Eucharist of redemption/reconciliation?

• How would that impact how Christians critique talk about others inside and outside the church?



• How would that change how Christians waste spend their time recreationally, socially, intellectually, emotionally, relationally, and so forth?



• How would that alter how Christians overlook view their neighborhoods, jobs, hobbies?



• How would that revolutionize the time we spend debating talking?

The problem is when we believe that we ought to be satisfied rather than God glorified.

Isn't one of the greatest things we can do for someone is to love them like God does so that they can know that God does in fact love them? Many unchurched people only look at the external changes in Christians because they don't know about the internal changes... but when we live out what it is we say we believe we bridge that gap.

When we do, we're a little Christ...

when we don't, we're just wearing a Jesus mask.

Amazingly, as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same.

But... when we critique others we make them seem as though they aren't worthy of God's love (which goes against the real message of the Gospel).

And really, what's the point?

wonderful difficulty

God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life.

Don't believe me? Listen in to some insights from the Apostle Paul through Philippians 1:29-30:

"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it."

That doesn't sell very well, though, does it? Most of the time you hear the other side of the pitch, right? "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

That's because God does, in fact, love you and have a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus reveals this in John 10:10...

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I bring all that up because so often it's easy to live on one side of the Bible instead of the other. The Scriptures are full of amazing truths that live in tension with each other while both being equally true... which may seem hard to wrap our brains around until we recognize the heart of the Father.

Recently I took the training wheels off the bike of my oldest son's bike. We sort of worked up to it, but in that definitive moment it seemed as though I had a very "difficult" plan for his life. As he's trusted me to run behind him and guide his forward momentum, though, he's started to understand that my plan is actually a pretty "wonderful" one of freedom... even if it is a bit difficult.

Catch the picture?

It is in the daily grind that God gives a person polish. There will be times that we taste of the difficult path, but that doesn't mean that it isn't based on a wonderful motivation with a heavenly future. Likewise, those wonderful moments we might enjoy serve to remind us of God's grace and are often best enjoyed after we've been on an authentic path to get there. It's odd, but even knowing that this side of heaven is difficult can cause our relationship with Christ to deepen as we sense His hands around us as we peddle.

Which, by the way, is a big reason why He created the Church. If you are in Christ, you are not alone on your journey through life... so make use of the amazing gift we have in each other. Maybe you're inclined to keep the training wheels on, but God has a wonderful, difficult plan for your life that will help you enjoy the ride as He intended.

humbled cartwheels

I've wrestled with posting this, for hopefully all the right reasons. Nonetheless, after much prayer I've gotten the sense this is okay to celebrate with you... my blog readers who have tracked much of my journey for the past few years.

As you may or may not know, life was pretty tough for my family and I in 2005 and 2006. Somehow in that time of pruning and nakedness, though, I started writing... and I don't mean just this blog, but stuff I got paid for. Pretty soon, I was writing a lot... and a lot more.

One of those projects is this book... and I got my first "author's case" of copies today. I wrote it with/for SonLife ministries last year, and it is intended to take someone through 30 days of devotions on the healing miracles of Jesus.

Honestly? That whole experience was (and still is) so surreal that I never imagined it was even happening. I've never taken a writing course, and yet here I was enjoying such a cool opportunity. I mean, it's absolutely absurd in a lot of ways.

So to hold this book in my hands today felt weird.

Maybe I should have done some cartwheels or something, but instead I just found myself quiet... still... humbled.

I'm so small, and God is so big.

So again, I share this with you because you have been a part of that journey. When I was sitting on my couch in between four other jobs trying to write this thing, my blog was often times a place of sanity for me (as were your comments). I think it and you is as much a part of this book as anything I wrote.

Then there is my wife... and my boys. I swear so many people miss out on the amazing blessing they are to me. They have a sort of behind-the-scenes ministry of support that is often overlooked and unglamorous, and yet they keep praying for and encouraging me.

Of course, as these things often go another guy got involved editing the book, so we share co-author tags on it. That's fine by me... I've been a ghost writer before, so I'm just thankful for the chance to be a part of the ripple this might have across the Kingdom.

Which, by the way, is something worth doing a cartwheel about.

This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

will U

I'm always in awe of how differently people try to answer the question, "What is God's will for my life?"

Recently I've seen this played out in the lives of many close to me, whether it involves a job change, how to spend finances, where to invest their time, or relationships that may change into something greater or lesser than they were before. Sometimes we feel we owe God something and so we become busy to appease the guilt, while other times we feel God owes us something and so we become resentful waiting for Him to reveal Himself. A tricky topic, with many views on the matter.

For what it's worth, I've struggled with this whole issue from a variety of angles over the years. Sometimes I just "knew" God wanted me to do something because a set of circumstances happened in my life that "proved" it. For instance, maybe I was wondering if I should buy a blue car, "and then all of a sudden I heard someone whistling Blueberry Hill and I knew God was telling me I should buy the car." Sounds crazy, right?

Then there were those other times that the circumstances were absolutely clear... and crazy... and made no sense... which made them make perfect sense.

Sometimes we try to understand God's will through how He's working in the lives of others close to us. Maybe someone shares something tough and we have to decide if we will react in our emotions/thoughts or check in with God to see if He's speaking through the issue. For instance, when my wife and I looked into church planting in Michigan we realized into the process that it would be unhealthy for us to do this as a family based on who we were at the time. During those first few weeks after officially stopping, I wrestled with the anxiousness of having put a lot of momentum into something that had to end (and the temptation to be bitter about it, a daily choice I had to died to). In that moment, I concluded that God was speaking to me on this through my family... sounds crazy, right?

Then there was that beauty I eventually came to understand about what it means to serve God and His church within the "everyday" - without any agenda other than to love Him and love others.

I could go on with these examples, but the bottom line is that God does communicate with us using a whole range of ways to do it. What I've gleaned from all of this is that there at least three kinds of direction that He does "will" for our lives:

• God's eternal will: The Lord has a divine desire that we would be in healthy connection with Him - recognizing He's God (to be worshipped) and we're His (to be loved... or beloved). This isn't something that just happens when we die, nor is it something merely religious we're supposed to just do on this side of heaven. Eternal life is not just something that happens when we physically die but involves living now in the unending presence of the Trinity.
  



• God's everyday will: Being a Christ-follower means we don't just make 90 minutes on a Sunday morning our spiritual time but we daily attend to whatever the Holy Spirit asks of us. At times this means reaching out to someone new, while other times it's supporting those we regularly bump into. The key is to keep our radar up - like last week when I was at the bank and the pregnant lady waiting on me mentioned to her co-worker she was thirsty for a caffiene-free Diet Coke... and I had this sense like buying her a caffiene-free Diet Coke was a spiritual thing... and so I did, and then I told my wife I did this for accountability to keep our marriage a spiritual thing.
  
  



• God's vocational will: Our slice of Adam's charge in Genesis to work the ground and tame the earth. For ministers/pastors, this is what we call "professional ministry" - for non-clergy, it is whatever world you are regularly in and caring for... from cubicle world and the carpool lane to the daily laundry and weekly landscaping. This is the area of life that we feel we're able to scratch the itches of lasting purpose and ongoing provision.

I don't know if you can identify with this, but I have often found that when that last category wasn't settled or active in the way I wanted, I didn't know what to do with myself.

Have you ever noticed how much energy we spend trying to figure out where to spend our energy?

Then all of a sudden I realized the beauty of the first and second categories of God's will... and how if we are doing them the third will take care of itself. Often we skip over those two areas because we want to find value in doing something... and along the way we forget what it means to simply serve in responsiveness (and not just because of a job description).

Personally... I am in a much more secure place in my identity in Christ having gone through some shredding the past two years that I didn't want but absolutely needed. Pruning is never fun, but by losing parts of yourself you thought you needed you realize what is really required for each of us to grow. It's only on the other side that any of that makes any sense, and even then... it doesn't always.

Yet one thing is clear... God has a will for each of us today that is good, even if it does mean we sacrifice what we think we want for what we really want

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)

sightseeing

And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Over the past couple of months, I've seen some rather interesting sights around town... both locally and regionally. Take this first one that I spotted while driving through nearby Cleveland.

Here's how it went down... I was driving our van and spotted this garage advertisement. Being a quick reader, I scanned the features that this recording studio listed. Singers. "Of course," I thought - after all, it's a recording studio." Rappers. "Sure - makes sense that Ice-T gets the same opportunities as Carrie Underwood." Actors. "Well, okay... maybe for voice-over work." Dancers. "Huh? Wait a minute, why would a dancer need a recording studio? Does someone need to hear how swiftly his/her hips move?" Speakers. "Well, okay... makes sense." Preachers. "Say what?" Teachers. "Say what... again?"

Those last two threw me a curveball, to which I started laughing and had to drive back for the picture (to be clear, my wife took the pic as we did our second drive-by because I talked her into doing this nonsense favor for me). But I needed to get a shot of that because I imagined (all within the few seconds I drove by) what a conversation might look like at this establishment as each person waited behind the others.

Singer: (singing in the studio) "Whoah-a-whoah-a-whoah-a-whoah-a whoaaaaaaaaah!"

Rapper: (next in line, beat-boxing) "A-pttt-a-pttt-a-pttt-a-pshhhh-yeah-yeah-yeah-yo..."

Actor: (poorly trying to mimic the rapper to prove his range) "I said a rip, rop, a rippity-rip-rop, a rip-rop-rippity-do!"

Dancer: (boasting to the others) "So like, I hear Shakira registers 122 shakes a minute and I'm, like, up to 136."

Speaker: (trying to schmooze the dancer) "Yes, but why are you even thinking about investing your money in this when instead you can through me buy tiny little ads in newspapers that over time will make you a multi-millionaire?"

Absurd, right? Only then there's the preacher and the teacher... which, in case you don't know, is my gig and my wife's gig. So there we are... hanging out with the homies, getting ready to record our stuff.

And I found it cool that I get to roll with such playas.

"So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit." (Romans 14:10-11, MSG)

This next one I caught while shopping at a local grocery store... as if Cookie Crisp wasn't enough sugar, now we can give kids a double helping of crunchy sugar for breakfast. Don't worry... the free toy inside is an insulin sample.

And having spent most of my childhood years digesting Frankenberry and destroying the roof of my mouth with Captain Crunch Crunchberries, I was reminded again of how many things look good on the box but really decay our insides.

You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body! (1 Corinthians 6:13, MSG)

You can't see this one... trust me, you can't see it. But up in the sky circling over our house (on the left) is a turkey buzzard. "A what?" you may ask. "A turkey buzzard," I'd reply. "What's a turkey buzzard?" you'd continue to wonder. "Let me tell you what I found on the internet," I'd answer.

When seen on the ground, the vulture or turkey buzzard as he is more commonly known presents one of the most repulsive sights in nature with his bald, grotesque head, hooked beak and awkward method of locomotion. Once airborne, all clumsiness is left behind, for as a glider and sailer, the turkey buzzard has few equals.

This is flying over my house... looking for something to chow down on. I learned tonight from a friend that a lot of the small animals that hibernate during the snowy months are too weak to resist these birds... and so it's easy picking for the hunters. Apparently all that time without any solid food leaves the critters vulnerable.

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. (1 Peter 5:8, MSG)

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

Finally, this car was spotted (ha - no pun intended) when we were at a local mall (called "The South Park Mall," but no Cartman was seen). My wife saw it first, noting how a cleaning company would advertise on a dirty car. I agreed, of course, that this was ironic... so I took a picture.

And then I realized... I am the car.

"Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." (Matthew 23:26)

After all of this nonsense, though, I went back to wondering why God doesn't make Himself known, and where is He, and blah blah blah blah blah...

an introduction

I love it when God is revealed in unexpected places. Here's how comedian Steve Harvey ended his most recent DVD.

recapping life: pt 5

This isn't directly a situation in my life, but it relates to a family that I am connected with.

A young pastor and church planter named Josh Buck was in a swimming accident in mid-January, broke his neck, and is now paralyzed from the chest down.

He was airlifted from Cancun to Miami, had emergency surgery, and now is in rehab in Grand Rapids for the next couple months. This comes on the heels of the death of his
3 month old daughter Ava Nicole in an unthinkable accident 18 months ago. Josh and his wife Shelly have two young kids, and Shelly is pregnant and expecting soon.

Here is a news report detailing it:



Please use the next few minutes of your life to spend time in prayer for Josh and his family.

and a child shall lead them...

In contrast to the last post, here is something rather amazing (wait for the video to load).

a glimpse of heaven

That's a powerful title for this post, isn't it?

I mean, we're talking about heaven... REDEMPTIVE stuff... the full realization of all that we are and all of who God is.

What might this post be about?

Occasionally I get glimpses of heaven in the way you might typically think. For instance, I heard my neighbor share his story when our church gathered today. Sitting there, listening to how God is at work in his life and how he hopes our church might be a part of that, is pretty incredible. Quite humbling, in fact.

Or there are those times when I see my family live out their faith... my wife choosing to humble herself through an act of service that ripples into my life and many others.... my oldest son choosing to pray for countries as well as his own city while we get ready to eat some Fruity Cheerios... my youngest son learning what it means to go first by going last, allowing others to be blessed instead of just demanding his own way.

Sometimes I get to be a direct part of it... a thought I might share that seems to bless others... some element I put into a church service to honor the Creator and His people... helping my neighbors get their computer working while we talk about life and God... picking up a piece of trash in order to clean up God's world... building a relationship with a stranger in order to warm their hearts to Jesus Christ.

I get all of that.

Yesterday, though, it really hit me that we can gain a glimpse of heaven in a very trivial way.

I grew up in the Chicago area, and so one thing I often miss is the good food. Recently I found out there is a restaurant close by that makes "Italian Beef," something that is near impossible to find outside of Chicago.

Then there's that whole "Baker's Square" thing - when we moved here we found out there's a Baker's Square in town that makes my wife's favorite carrot cake in all the world.

Finally, I was driving around yesterday and saw this has just opened in our town...



I mean, come on! God is GOOD! Not only do I get to be a part of His kingdom building efforts in this area, but I get to drink SMOOTHIES from the place that makes them best!

Talk about having your (carrot) cake over an Italian Beef and drinking it, too!

Does God care about this stuff? Maybe not.

Or maybe He does... maybe He's that good and looks for ways for us to uncover His grand blessing in very simple ways. And maybe when we find it it's like a little glimpse of heaven.

Maybe?

score for Jesus

Gotta love it when Jesus scores some healthy press. A very cool opportunity I got to be a part of that I hope advances His kingdom in many ways, regardless of our local church playing a direct part in it.

love wins

In light of my post "a confession," I am again reminded of God's goodness in tonight's Super Bowl game. Perhaps you already know this (spoiler alert in case you don't) but the Bears - my favorite - didn't win the game. What I was most thankful for, though, was the glory that God was given by the coach, owner, and players of the Colts. That team has really operated in a classy manner this year and have given God the steering wheel in many ways - from an agreement that there would be no yelling or swearing from head coach Tony Dungy to the faithful players who were found praying on the field at the end of the game.

As Dungy put it before hand (talking about he and Coach Lovie Smith of the Bears, "No profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys the best he can—and that's the way I try to do it. I think it's great that we're able to show the world not only that African-American coaches can do it, but Christian coaches can do it in a way that we can still win."

Here's a short excerpt from his post-win interview:

"I tell you what, I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American coach to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing you can win doing it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."

Although I've been pulling for my Chicago home team to pull it off, my real prayer has been that the outcome that would give God the most glory would come out on top. Both men seem to have a solid relationship with Jesus Christ, so let's celebrate that collective win together!

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21b)