The Journey

How to Deal With Sin

2012-01-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

One of the many books I am currently reading on my Kindle, is “The Teaching of the Twelve: Believing & Practicing the Primitive Christianity of the Ancient Didache Community” by Tony Jones. In the book Tony refers to Matthew 18:15-17:

“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.”

I have taught through this passage numerous times. It seemed straight forward and obvious how to handle my sinning brother: go talk to him man to man, one on one, mano y mano. Set the deadbeat straight by exposing him to his sin. There is an air of protection to the sinner. His sin was not shared with the community (church). The hope is that if his sin was exposed he would stop and correct his behavior.

If my Christian brother refused to listen to me, the passage instructs me to bring others from our community. This instruction comes from the Old Testament with the idea that the testimony of witness requires more than one person’s word. If two or three affirm the brother’s sin, maybe then he will change his ways. No where does it require these “others” to be in church leadership, but I do believe that these “others” are from the community (church).

If the brother still refuses to change his sinful nature, his sin was to be told to the community (church). Not as we would read in the Gossip Magazines, not as we hear on TMZ, not as we might over hear at school or on break at work, but as a way to inform the community of their sinful brother’s error. It is corrective, the community is to also be a witness to help correct this brother.

But what happens when the brother still does not change his sinful ways?

treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector

What does that mean? For me it was instruction to kick sinful brothers and sisters out of the youth group. It seemed clear that if I tried everything to get those foul mouthed, smokers and partiers to stop their sinful ways by following Matthew 18 I had no choice but to kick the kid out. And isn’t this is the same method followed by churches?

But Tony Jones says that the Ancient Didache Community, an early first century Christian group, would say this is the wrong conclusion.

Let us look at the example of Jesus, who seemed to hang out with sinners and tax collectors:

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. Matthew 9:10

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Luke 5:29-30

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Matthew 11:19

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Matthew 21:31

From the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. Luke 15:1

Wild! Jesus never instructs us to kick out the sinful brother, rather these are the people we should be embracing. Matthew 18:17 is not a clause in our Statement of Faith that allows us to avoid that sinning, cussing, smoking, and drinking womanizer. These are the people we should love with all our heart and energy.

If you continue reading in the same chapter of Matthew, we see Peter asking Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?”

Jesus’ wise instruction follows!

Day 8 of the 30 Challenge to Write

2011-06-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions,
so they be each honest and natural in their hour.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's Challenge

What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

Five years ago I was working fulltime for a church in Corona as the youth pastor and associate pastor. At the time I felt like the culmination of lots of hard work and prayer was being blessed. I had worked hard to build credibility. I had worked at a large church with an enormous youth group giving me the experience to grow a youth group. I went to seminary and received a Masters in Christian Education with an emphasis in youth ministry. After three years of ministry with this youth group in Corona, we were experiencing numerical and spiritual growth. Every year more and more junior high and high school students and their parents called our church home. It was a very exciting time!

Four years ago that vocation was no longer a reality.

What would I say to myself 5 years ago?

Stay true to who you are. Do not cut corners. Give yourself fully to the work you have been called to. Never stop!

Be prepared for change, just because things are going great does not mean that rugs can’t be pulled out from underneath you.

Don’t give up, even though it hurts when unexpected change happens. It is not the end of the world. Good things can still, and probably will, happen.

I am loved. Do not lose track of those people who love you.

Be prepared to set new goals and reevaluate your old goals.

Expect the unexpected. You might end up doing something unexpected.

Work hard. Keep your eyes open.

What would I say to myself 5 years from now?

I think in retrospect of everything I have learned these past 4 years I would tell myself the same things I told myself 5 years ago. We are placed in situations that we may have absolutely no control of. But that does not mean that we cease to exist because the situations are ugly and hurtful. But we have a control on how we dust ourselves off.

We decide to work hard and keep our eyes open to new opportunities around us. Something unexpected can happen and we need to be ready to embrace the unexpected. We need to check our goals, because goals are what motivate us into action. We will always be loved. And when change happens, and it will, we are not going to give up. It is not the end of world, rather as we know from our past experiences, it is time for another new beginning.

Literal Adam and Eve?

2011-06-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am a monthly subscriber to Christianity Today magazine. I enjoy the magazine, it is a critical magazine at times and makes some unpopular statements. This month Christianity Today’s cover story “The Search for the Historic Adam” written by Richard N. Ostling, is one of those articles. Christianity Today also offers their own response to this article. Now I am not going to comment on the article here but I will present some questions that come to mind if we discover there was not a literal Adam and Eve of the Genesis narrative we grew up knowing and believing.

What happens to our faith, and Christianity in general, without Adam and Eve?

What happens to the theology of Paul?

If early man was part of an evolutionary process, are we really created in the image of God?

How hard do we fight to retain a literal Adam and Eve? Should we?

Day 7 of the 30 Challenge to Write

2011-06-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's challenge:

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue?

These past days have reminded me that I desire to be a good communicator. Communication is done in so many different mediums. There are oral communicators that speak and individuals that communicate through the written word.

I have a desire to communicate well.

These individuals use stories and narratives to communicate history. These individuals use poetry to communicate beauty and art. These individuals use truth ,fact and fiction to communicate morality. These individuals can motivate others to action. These individuals can give warnings of things to come. These individuals use humor, irony and tragedy.

I have a desire to communicate well.

It is my desire to continue to communicate through these 30 days using many of the styles and methods I have listed above. I desire to refine the craft and improve my consistently challenging myself to write deeper thoughts, to write clear and concise thoughts without a ton of words.

I have a desire to communicate well.

I look forward to feedback. My hope is that this feedback will drive to do better. That this feedback will push me to look further inside myself to discover the hidden communicator I feel I can be.

I have a desire to communicate well.

Hungry for God, Chapter 3

2011-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Every day I take a shower. It is not an option, I must take a shower. Even when I worked for a camp, almost hundred miles and an hour car ride down a very windy mountain road to the nearest big town, I took a shower--everyday.

If I do not wash my hair for even one day, I am uneasy about my oily hair, and I feel that I smell foul.

I cannot imagine missing a day. A month would be beyond my dreams, rather it would be a nightmare!

My dealings with the poor and the homeless have been limited, safe and at a distance. I have brought junior high kids to the inner city and skid road to experience and see the tragedies of people living less than 20 miles from our comfortable and big homes where we all take nice hot showers, everyday.

I have taken church groups to other poor parts of Orange County to offer a hot meal, once a month. Only once a month. It was always a struggle to get individuals and families to sign up to serve. Prior to serving the hot, and simple meal, the group would stop at Carl’s Jr. for a burger and fries. My goal was to get the groups going to eat alongside the individuals they were serving. Make connections and make relationships, get to know the individuals you are serving. They have lives and stories.

It never happened.

I believe the reason my goal never came to fruition was because of an unwillingness to face the reality that this individual I am talking to could be me. An unwillingness to face the uncomfortable and to be with someone who has gone without a shower for days or months. An unwillingness to face the uncomfortable and to face that undesirable stench that comes off someone unclean.

I pray that my eyes would be opened and that I would sense a different smell, a more desirable smell...

Margaret shares a story in chapter 3 about Jim Cymbala praying with a homeless man, up close and personal, in spite of the filth and smell coming off this homeless man. It took a God sized prompting, “Jim, if you and your wife have any value to me, if you have any purpose in my work--it has to do with this odor. This is the smell of the world I died for.”

This is the smell of the world I died for…

Day 6 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write

2011-06-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.

Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral?

A couple weeks ago a group of people followed a “prophet’s” message that judgment day was approaching. On that day the real believers would be called up, or raptured to heaven. As the weeks and days drew closer, many of these followers could be seen standing on street corners with signs and banners warning others to repent.

So this assignment was something I considered as I observed the actions of these followers. I had heard that many of these followers quit their jobs and sold all their possessions. Their belief was that anything less would demonstrate a lack of faith in the prediction of judgment day, which translated into a lack of faith in God.

What would I do if I believed that judgment day was really approaching?

As a Christian I do not believe that God would call us away from our calling, even if He made it known The End was quickly approaching. Because is it really The End?

Revelation 21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

When The End happens we discover that it really is The Beginning, again. We will live in a city, and city life requires jobs, professions and vocations. It requires moms, dads and children. It requires schools, teachers and students. And it will require grocers selling healthy foods to the people. People will continue to work. And this is not a new thing. In the first Beginning, Adam and Eve were given tasks in the Garden, it wasn’t a free ride. So maybe the oldest, and maybe noblest, profession is being a gardener. Think of that the next time you see your gardener mowing your lawn.

So what does that mean to me? God calls each of us to do and be. Many of us feel that our jobs, professions and vocations are callings given to us by God. I do! How I could stop doing what God has called me to do?

Hungry for God, Chapter 2

2011-06-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2 of Margaret’s book “Hungry for God” is Kairos Moments. Time in Greek is represented by two words, chronos and kairos. Chronos is the measure of the quantity of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and years are all measures of time. Summer, winter, spring and fall are all measures of time, chronos. Kairos is the measure quality of time.

We all experience both types of time, kairos and chronos. I like to consider a day at work. Most days I work 8 to 10 hours. Some days time drags, other days time flies. Some days are fulfilling, other days feel like nothing gets accomplished.

I look forward to my time with Monica. Thursday nights are date nights when we usually go out to dinner together. These are nights are devoted to sharing our time with each other enjoying each others’ company. It isn’t about how long we are together, it is about the love we share with each other.

Margaret uses the example of kairos with God interactions with Adam and Eve in the Garden. As I was reading this chapter I was reminded that we follow a God that lives outside time and space. God does not measure time in the same ways that we do. He does not set an alarm clock to wake up for work. I am sure God does not have a Day Planner. God lives outside the chronos. God desires the kairos.

But God desires the relationship. God desires time with us, not the quantity of time but the quality of our time with Him. It is not just about the time spent in prayer or reading the Bible. The big question is: am I devoting my entire heart, my entire mind, my entire soul and my entire strength to my kairos time with Him?

Day 5 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write

2011-06-04T13:43:00.001-07:00

If we live truly, we shall see truly.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's challenge:

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they'd like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

I have been fortunate to travel through the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. As a kid, my family would load up our camper and travel to mountain resorts. It was always an adventure to have the five of us, and sometimes the family dog, crammed in that little camper. This was the mode of our transportation and our accommodations all the way through our high school years. Thankfully, my brothers and I slept in a tent once we landed at our camp ground.

We traveled once to North Dakota to visit family; my mom lived there until her family moved to California. Many of her aunts and uncles lived there at the time we visited. We traveled up Highway 15, passing through Utah, Montana and South Dakota. We saw Zion National Park, Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. It was incredible!

In high school I was able to go with my high school band to Hawaii. It was awesome. The trip was filled with concerts, parades and acts of mischief.

When I graduated high school my buddies and I bought ourselves a Caribbean Cruise graduation present. It was another awesome experience filled with exploring the ports and experiencing culture. One of the ports we stopped in was Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We had no idea what we were going to experience in Haiti. I can tell you it was life changing.

In one of the Jamaican ports we optioned out of the tour package and just rented a taxi for the day. We saw and experienced all the same excursions that everyone on the ship did, but for only $20. We also drove through the neighborhoods, drank Red Stripe Beer and ate lunch with the locals. It was unforgettable. Since then I have been on cruises to Alaska and Mexico and we take similar, self made excursions, in the back of a cab or in a rental car.

In Haiti we were planning on doing the same thing, except there was taxi cab system in Haiti, just millions of people cramming the dock as we pulled our ship in. It was 1978. The country was in turmoil, many uprising and coupés have happened since that year.

As we walked onto the dock we were being pulled and grabbed at until we hired a young man to be our walking guide. His job was to get us to the capital, the marketplace, and to keep us safe. I think he cost us less than a dollar, total.

We experienced and saw more poverty than I knew existed in the entire world, collectively. People with deformities were lying in the streets begging for pennies. Young children were walking through the litter and urine of the streets barefooted. It was the most depressing day, but the most eye opening day I have ever known. Since that time the sights and smells have never left my mind. When the earthquake hit Haiti it all came rushing back.

I have dreams to visit Europe, especially Germany and Romania where my ancestors lived. I heard the family is still standing, hundreds of years later.

I have dreams to visit lands of Biblical importance: Israel, Egypt, Rome, the Middle East.

I have dreams to visit Rwanda and Burundi.

I have dreams to visit New York.

I have dreams to visit cities like Portland and Seattle.

But I have this deep desire to visit Haiti again and to stay in Port-au-Prince. But this time when I visit I pray that I can be used to help with the troubles and hurts that this country has experienced. That might be nothing more than offering a fresh drink of clean water, but I know that many there crave that drink.

Hungry for God, Chapter 1

2011-06-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the mailman delivered a large manila envelope addressed to me. It looked exciting! I love getting mail, especially if it is something cool. And this large manila envelope did not disappoint. In that large manila envelope was a gift from Margaret Feinberg: her latest book, "Hungry for God: Hearing God's Voice in the Ordinary and the Everyday."

A couple years back I was in the bookstore looking for something to give as a gift. That day I discovered Margaret Feinberg through her book, "Organic God." It is funny that there are those times when a book's cover is what draws you to pick it up and buy it.

I took the book home and was preparing to wrap it up when I decided to give it a quick read. This is generally very difficult since I am a slow reader. But this book sucked me in. I was giving the book as a gift that evening and I was doing my best to read as much as possible. Unfortunately I didn't finish and I had to buy myself my own copy.

So today I have started reading "Hungry for God" and I am thankful that this gift from the large manila envelope is for me to read at my leisure. I just finished chapter one, "An Forgettable Invitation." I know that God desires a relationship with His people and with me as an individual. I loved when Margaret talks about God meeting Elijah on Mount Carmel in the whisper.

When you and I whisper we need to be extremely close to the listener for them to hear us. You do not whisper across a room. A whisper is close and intimate. The whisper must have fresh breathe because you are that close. Monica and I have our whisper moments.

So when God is in the whisper to Elijah, it is close and intimate. Wow! I want to hear God in the whisper. I want God to be close and intimate with me. I know that God is always near, I pray that I would be a good listener.

Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write

2011-06-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.
Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare?
Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin,
or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton?
Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.
Do that which is assigned you,
and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's challenge:

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don't feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I'm passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.

Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.

My Post It says: What are my plans to achieve my aspirations?

Rick Ellis' Aspirations

Professionally…

I strive to build relationships with the customers and the employees I come into contact daily.

I strive to know as many customers by name as possible.

I strive to make our customers feel like a guest in our home.

I strive to fill all our customer requests.

I strive to keep the store clean.

I strive to help my employees reach their fullest potential.

I strive to reward employees who do above and beyond our expectations of them.

Personally…

I strive to serve others.

I strive to love my wife more.

I strive to grow intellectually.

I strive to read as much as possible.

I strive to rest and enjoy the world around me.

I strive to build on my happiness.

Day 3 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write

2011-06-02T07:40:00.001-07:00

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;
it is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness
the independence of solitude.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Today's challenge:

The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What's one strong belief you possess that isn't shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

One of my strongest beliefs as a leader is that I cannot hold tightly to things that others should be allowed to do. Empowerment is one those words leadership books and professionals are constantly encouraging leaders to practice. And it is a practice because it doesn't come easily. Many of us don't just fall into leadership, rather we earn the right to be a leader.

Many, many years ago, at the young age of 16, my first real job was as a grocery bagger. Later I became a produce clerk, frozen food clerk, grocery clerk, grocery manager, assistant store manager and finally store manager. The road was long, none of these accomplishments happened over night. But along the way I learned a lot about the industry and how to drive sales and make a profit.

I have heard more war stories from my bosses. These men and women worked hard to build their companies, and these stories are important to remember and share. They worked singlehandedly when there was no one else in their employment. They worked the produce, grocery and checked out groceries all by themselves. They opened the doors at 8AM and closed the store at 10PM. There were no lunches, they grabbed a snack and ate it as they worked.

The problem for many is the road to success (done so many years ago) is the thing they hold tightly to. These individuals think they are the only ones that know how to accomplish the task. Everyone else will do it wrong, or be incomplete, or they will take too long. I know how to accomplish every task in the store, I can do it all. But is that the task I was hired to do?

Empowerment requires letting go, allowing others to complete a task with little interaction from the boss.

Empowerment requires coaching and cheerleading. I feel that spending 5 or 10 minutes with my empowered leaders gives me their best performances. Daily I listen to their accomplishments, struggles and goals. I offer my thoughts without just giving a solution (who knows, they might have a better solution). I help the leaders identify problems and offer my assistance if necessary. But I really enjoy praising my team for excelling in reaching sales goals (which they are doing regularly!).

Empowerment is not creating individuals that look and work like me. Empowerment allows others to discover that they are unique and they are capable of doing great things.

Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge to Write

2011-06-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

If 'the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,' then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence?

Today I get outside myself and live for others.

These are easy words to say, difficult to execute. My senior pastor would challenge the congregation to get outside ourselves, because the church God blesses gets outside of itself. So it becomes something that is individual and collective. There is the challenge of trying to accomplish this daunting task every day. But there is knowledge that we are not trying to accomplish this daunting task alone. Others, like us are also trying to make a difference without seeking personal gain. And isn't that the difficulty for us: not looking for the pat on the back, the praise or the big bucks?

So I am going to look at every encounter with another human as a divine appointment. I will make every effort to smile and say hello. And if the situation presents itself, strike up a conversation and listen. Who knows how God will use me in that situation, I just have to be willing to be used.

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2

15 Minutes to Live

2011-05-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

I decided to take a 30 day challenge to write through the inspiration of words written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is a challenge that I heard about through The Domino Project, a group founded by Seth Godin.

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other.

Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing task for Day 1:

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.

Below are my thoughts, rather questions, about my last 15 minutes alive:

Would I look for ways to increase my legacy?

Would I run to connect with those I love the most?

If a disaster is quickly approaching would I work to save others?

Or would I love to save myself?

Would I be freaked out?

Would I pray?

Would I cry?

Would I be of sound mind to embrace and be with my wife for the entire 15 minutes?

Would I call my daughters?

Could I?

Would I be at peace?

Would I examine my past?

Would I be happy?

Would I be sad?

Would I focus on missed opportunities?

Would I relish the achievements?

Would I consider my future?

Eternity

Heaven

Hell

Forever with my creator

Or, total separation

Would I care about the stranger?

Would I share my faith?

Would I have time for experiences?

Sex

The beach

The mountains

A walk

Would I express my gratitude?

Thank God

Thank my wife and family

Thank my parents

Thank those closest to me

Thank my acquaintances

Thank my adversaries

Would I notice my breathing?

Each inhale

Followed by each exhale

As if it were my last breath

Would I be happy?

The Samaritan Woman at the Well: allegory?

2011-05-28T05:48:00.001-07:00

I get up early every morning before I go to work and I start my day with a delicious cup of coffee (ok a couple!). It is an awesome way to wake up. The house is quiet, no one else is awake. It is at this time that I enjoy thinking and reading and praying.

So as I was thinking fairly random thoughts, the prophets of the Bible came to mind. Their mission or calling was to proclaim the actual Word of God to a nation (specifically to the leadership of the nation) that they were being unfaithful. At times the nation is called a prostitute and a whore.

One of the most preached passages of scripture that I have heard is from John 4: The Samaritan Woman at the Well. It is a message filled with truth and helps us get a picture of the nature of Jesus.

Here are my thoughts that came to mind as I considered the Old Testament Prophets and the story of The Samaritan Woman at the Well.

Maybe the store of Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman was more allegory that an actual event that happened. I know that many are mad at me already!

Why would Jesus stop in this Samaritan village. According to the many times I have heard this passage, a good Rabbi would avoid Samaria like it carried a plague. Why would Jesus want to stop off on this evil, corrupt and sinful planet?

The woman is said to have had many husbands (she is unfaithful). Some say that she was nothing less than a prostitute or a whore.

Maybe the 5 husbands represent the many alliances that Israel has had with foreign nations, their alliance is no longer with God. And she is told that the man she is living with is not her husband. Could this “husband” be the alliance that many Jewish leaders were enjoying with Rome? How faithful are we? What nations or things do we have an alliance with?

Are we unfaithful? Could we be considered nothing less than a prostitute or a whore?

Why would God want to be with us, why would a Jewish Rabbi want to be with Samaritans?

Maybe the place and the way we worship is just as wrong as the Samaritans. Real worship has yet to be revealed, to the Samaritan, the Jew or the Christian.

The message of salvation, the cup of living water, is offered to the Samaritans, the Jews and to everyone willing to take it.

And for a period of time the Son of God stayed in the Samaritan village. Jesus stayed with us for a period of time.

Now to do the research and see where my thoughts line up with scholars much smarter than me. What are your thoughts?

Post "Judgement Day" Prayer

2011-05-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

So today maybe we should be praying for lives disrupted by a guy who misled them into believing yesterday would be Judgement Day. Many people selling everything willing to spread a false warning. We heard you, we saw you. Now we pray for you!

Margaret Feinberg's Latest Book

2011-05-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors of Christian devotionals is Margaret Feinberg. The books go a bit further than most devotionals. They are not feel good stories, although you do feel better after reading them. They are not the cutesy stories that you would expect from "Chicken Book for the Soul." Her books lead us into a discovery of God working in our lives, here and now. She is an awesome story teller and she writes like you are talking to a friend.

I have read three of her past books: Organic God, The Sacred Echo and Scouting the Divine. They were all great reads. The way you know that I enjoyed the book is that I lend them out and give them as gifts. The elders at one church I worked each received a copy of The Sacred Echo. They enjoyed it so much that many of them bought her other books.

Her latest book, Hungry for God, is being released this week. Margaret sent me an email with an excerpt from the book. I liked it so much I felt led to share it. I have a new item added to my wish list from Amazon: Hungry for God!

What Does it Mean to Hunger for God? (An adaptation from Hungry for God by Margaret Feinberg)

I don’t know anything about real hunger. While billions suffer in starvation and poverty, I live behind the plush curtain. Yet hunger is woven into the fabric of our humanness—no matter where you live. Appetite is a primitive desire that doesn’t discriminate. Every human has felt its pangs. Without an appetite, we slip into starvation and even death. Hunger is the gnawing reminder that in order to have strength, we must have sustenance.

If physical hunger is a set of feelings focused around the stomach that lead a person to search for food, then spiritual hunger is a set of experiences or longings that compel a person to search for God. Just as my body needs food to survive, my spirit needs God to thrive. A divine appetite drives me to pursue a vibrant relationship with God—one in which I find my sustenance and strength.

Unlike physical hunger, which can be satiated by food, our spiritual appetites can only be quelled by God. But is it possible to dine on an intangible being? How do we feast upon something we cannot see, touch, or taste? Over the last several years, I’ve learned that God’s voice is the only entrée that can nourish our ethereal cravings. Hearing and experiencing, rather than eating, assuages spiritual hunger.

The moments in my life when I’ve been the most spiritually hungry and the most spiritually satiated share a common trait: God’s voice. My spiritual hunger grumbles loudest when I feel furthest from God. Though I cling to the mental assertion that God is everywhere and he promises to never leave nor forsake, I’ve encountered days, weeks, and months, where I still wonder, Where are you, God?

I long for a single word to appease my spiritual belly. When God finally breaks the silence, the sound of his voice is spiritual nourishment, his voice a banquet for my soul—every syllable a tasty morsel, every expression flavored with love.

Longing to know him.
Longing to experience him.
Longing to hear him.
Is that what it means to hunger for God?

You can learn more about Hungry for God at Amazon. Become a follower of Margaret Feinberg on Twitter and become a Fan on Facebook.

History of Conflicts

2011-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today I was given a link to a web page that uses Google Earth and a timeline to give a visual illustartion of all the conflicts the world has experienced since 4000BC! It is impressive and very alarming. It would be interesting to determine from the timeline how many years were truly peaceful years, if there were any.

Go to Conflict History to see this incredible, powerful and alarming tool When you follow the hyperlink you will come to the years I have been alive, not too peaceful!

Literal vs. Figurative

2011-04-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

One reason some churches are considered liberal is their view of the Bible. Did everything (EVERYTHING) historically happen in the Bible? Who decides?

Now we know that Jesus spoke in parables. A parable is a story that speaks a truth, a spiritual and moral truth. The story of the prodigal son did not literally happen, it was story told by Jesus to get the listener to ask: “What?” The excellence of Jesus’ parables is that we can put ourselves into the story and discover a truth about ourselves.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Did God literally create the earth in 6 days? (Abraham Heschel would say that God created on the seventh day too, on that day He created rest, Sabbath) Or is there another truth we miss in this story? From this story we see a God that creates and shapes a world into existence. He creates in a specific order. He separates the chaotic from the ordered. He creates the plants and the animals and places them in just the right place. And then He creates humans and places them in the middle of this perfect, and orderly creation. And He hangs out with us. Our God is not a distant god that creates on accident, or makes mistakes. Our God is near, and desires a relationship with us.

I wrestle with the narrative of David and Goliath. Did this battle really happen? Or is there another truth that we miss from the story? We all face battles. From this story we are told that David faced the lion, the bear and the champion Goliath and won those battles. Did he do it alone? For me the story says that when you are in a battle and the odds are against you, God hears your cries.

I do not have a checklist close at hand to decide if a passage is literal or figurative. There are passages I hold as I literal and there are passages I hold as figurative. Both types speak truth. Does that make me a liberal? I praise God that he has given me the freedom, liberty to explore those amazing stories and to allow me to place myself into His continuing narrative.

Johnny Cash, he was such a BA

2011-04-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Are You a Liberal?

2011-04-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

“Are you going to that liberal church?” This was a question asked of someone attending our church plant. When I heard this I was unsure if I should be upset or not.

What constitutes a person, an organization or a church as being liberal? Why do we automatically think negatively when someone calls us liberal?

Liberal is defined as being favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs. It is also defined as being open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

Conservative is defined as being disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.

Being liberal or conservative does not make one a democrat or a republican. Both parties, and those outside these parties, demonstrate liberal and conservative thoughts and hopes.

When I think of liberals I think of people who were instrumental in making change. These individuals saw injustices and responded. I think of individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther, the founding fathers, maybe even Jesus.

Another interesting idea about being liberal is the reference to the word free. Consider the word liberty. If it were not the views of individuals willing to make change happen, we may not be enjoying the freedom, liberty we enjoy today.

So how do I respond to being called a liberal, or leading a liberal church?

Watch for posts as I explore this idea further.

Power of Story

2011-04-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I love NPR Radio, call me a liberal, and I heard this amazing story today. I am also a lover of narrative and the importance of allowing each of us, past and present, the ability to tell our stories. We are part of a mosaic tapestry that becomes more and more beautiful as each of us contribute to the overall story. It is amazing that The Creator would weave our stories into His grand story.

To listen to the story go here

Jake Halpern teaches journalism at Yale University.

President Obama's birth certificate, the one that his campaign released in 2008, is one seriously boring document. It tells us almost nothing about his actual birth — other than the bare-bones details. I assumed all certificates were like this until one day, a few weeks ago, when my dad discovered his father's birth certificate — which was issued in Poland, 107 years ago.

The document is packed with juicy details — I won't go so far as to say it's a swashbuckling tale of adventure — but, in terms of story development, it's way better than Obama's. It mentions, for example, the name of the presiding midwife — a woman named Chaje Rader from the town of Hutar. It also provides the name of the guy who performed the circumcision — Mr. Benzion Klein — and it even indicates that Klein was the town's butcher. This makes sense. I mean, you wouldn't want the town's blacksmith doing the deed — would you? The document notes that Grandpa was an illegitimate child. There is even a part of the document offering the name of the godparents who witness the birth.

What I am driving at is this: If you read in between the lines, a story of sorts emerges. A guy is born in a small town where no doctor is available — just a midwife to do the delivery and a butcher to cut the foreskin. Some old codger, the gray-haired godparent, shuffles over to the house in the heat of summer and bears witness to the whole thing. Then some municipal official intercedes and announces, matter-of-factly, that the baby is illegitimate. It's interesting: The birth certificate says that Grandpa's parents were actually married, by a religious figure, a rabbi. Yet the marriage wasn't recognized by the state — and this was often the case for marriages in Eastern Europe conducted by a rabbi. This is an indication that Grandpa, his family, and his people weren't really integrated into mainstream society; and helps explain why, 21 years later, Grandpa immigrated to America.

Grandpa left Poland under a false identity with someone else's passport. This was, presumably, the only way out. We're not sure why, and he's not alive to offer an explanation. But here is the interesting part: He brought his real birth certificate with him, tucked away, hidden in some deep, inner pocket. If anyone had gotten suspicious and searched him they would have discovered his ruse and Grandpa might not have made it to America. So why did he do it? Why'd he take the risk?

He did it because his birth certificate contained the story of his life — it was a very, very condensed autobiography — it told the tale of who he was, where he came from, what life was like there, and why he left. And tonight at Passover my family will take a moment — as it always does — to remember Grandpa's exodus.

Birth certificates nowadays serve a strictly bureaucratic purpose; but if we learn anything valuable from scrutinizing the president's certificate, it ought to be that its brevity, its lack of detail, its sheer boringness, represents a lost opportunity to know more about what life was like at the very moment that this man was born. This is truly the first chapter in his story and, sadly, from a literary and historical perspective, it's a very poor read.

The Triumphal Entry

2011-04-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Last night as a community we talked about the Triumphal Entry of Jesus on the Sunday before he was put to death. We looked at all four passages in the Gospel that point to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. One thing we discovered is that many are not very familiar with this passage. We felt that maybe why some were unfamiliar with the passage is that on Holy Week our eyes are focused on the cross, not the entry.

This is an amazing passage but it is a difficult passage to put our minds around. It is not a simple message to preach, although it is often preached simply.

Consider the Hero to Zero message. This one goes that on that Sunday the crowd showed up to watch Jesus parade into Jerusalem with his disciples. The crowds were excited to see this miracle worker. They had heard that Jesus had healed the leper, gave sight to the blind and just recently raised Lazarus from the dead. The crowd lines the street and as Jesus passes by they lay their cloaks on the street and wave palm fronds and cheer. But by the time Thursday night or Friday morning arrives the crowd turns on Jesus and demands that Pontius Pilate crucify him.

But I do not think this passage is that simple.

First let’s consider the donkey and/or colt that Jesus rode into town on. Jesus sends some of the boys (none of the Gospels name who he sends) ahead to get a donkey that has never been rode. They will find this animal tied up. In Matthew’s story there is a mommy donkey and a baby donkey (long complex story!). How did Jesus know there would a donkey tied up? How did he know the owner would be willing to give him away? Was it prearranged?

We are told that this ride into Jerusalem fulfills a prophecy made my Zechariah, 500 hundred years prior to Jesus’ birth. This was a tough time for the Jewish people. There is no Jewish king. They have become a province to Persia under King Dairus’ rule. There was this longed for hope for a new king, the messiah, the savior of the Jewish people.

Zechariah promises that times will get better for the Jews. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This passage talks of a victorious king returning from battle to his people. Matthew quotes this passage but omits “righteous and victorious.” Why? Maybe the battle hasn’t been won, yet.

But we do see Jesus lowly, humbly entering the city on a donkey. This is a statement of peace. He is not entering Jerusalem on a chariot or on the back of a horse or in a tank. He is not coming into Jerusalem with his army carrying guns or knives or weapons of mass destruction.

Image the scene, imagine the people, imagine the smells, imagine the sounds. The crowd following Jesus is pumped up! But the city, those on the inside, is concerned. Matthew says that the city is stirred. Being stirred has a feeling of turmoil, like waiting on an expectant storm brewing on the horizon. It brings to mind a tornado in the Midwest. Or maybe like the earthquake warning heard 30 seconds before the big one hit in Japan.

So this peaceful entry of Jesus is welcomed by one crowd and feared greatly by another.

One writer (Chad Myers) describes it:

The bulk of the passage refers not to the event itself but to the organization, preparation, and planning. The movement described is complex; there is collaboration between the out-of-towners and the local resistance community. The political action is planned to coincide with a time when imperial power is blatant and feelings of resistance are high. The protest tools are low-tech and readily available, and the demonstration design is inclusive and participatory—there is no “audience.” Large numbers serve as security and protection for those who are identified and targeted as leaders.

At Passover, the liberation of slaves is celebrated with a pilgrimage festival to an occupied Jerusalem. Security is high and the situation volatile. In this fraught atmosphere the kingdom movement stages a performance that lampoons the Roman imperial procession. The “king of peace” is not a warrior but a peasant healer who comes riding not a war chariot but a donkey, and crowds fill the streets celebrating an alternative vision. Exciting, dangerous, transformative, participatory, nonviolent!

Hosanna!

New Parable

2011-04-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

I was reading some of the blogs I follow when I found this interesting parable. It is not a parable that Jesus told. This is a parable that will anger some in a variety of ways. This is a parable that should make us ask questions and seek answers.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the story, how did the autrhor get it all wrong, how did he get it all right, what does it mean to you, how did it make you mad, what questions are you going to get the answers to?

What is the Kingdom of God like, you ask?

A woman lived in rural central California. She was known for her kindness, generosity and love, but she was also fair and just. Her five children were normal kids, but the four youngest were known around town for their rebellious streaks. As a single mom, she did the best she could to establish both love and rules in the house, but four of her kids desired freedom over relationship. So one evening, the four youngest filled their backpacks and ran away.

The mom woke up and, finding four of her children’s beds empty, began to weep. She would not rest until her children returned home or she found them. Being a farm owner, she had plenty of hired hands to help in her search. She put the farm’s business on hold and sent her workers out to search for her lost darlings. She spent every last dime printing pamphlets, recording radio spots and inundating the TV with ads exclaiming her love for her children and her pleas for them to return home into her loving arms. All that she had, was and would be theirs.

Then one day, it happened. One of her runaways returned home. Seeing and hearing her message, his heart melted and he came back. She embraced him, welcoming him home. She turned to her eldest son (the one that never ran away) and asked if he would help find and bring back the others. He set out with a mission and a message. When he found two of the three, he told them of their mom’s love for them and how badly she missed them and her relentless desire for all of them to come home. He also reminded them of the Great Rule, but they refused to come back with him. He never did find the forth lost one.

Years passed and no sign of her kids. Regardless, a great rule had been violated. So she climbed into her pickup truck with a few hired hands and set out to bring her children home. On May 17, she found them.

All three were huddled up near a dumpster, clutching a worn blanket. They saw her truck approach and, too tired to run, they just sat with terror I their eyes. See, while away, they had been told countless lies by countless people that their mom was not a kind woman, that she did not love them and that she was mad-as-hell at them. Added to this were their incredible loneliness, shame and feelings of worthlessness. Living on the street—isolated from love—can do this to anyone, and it certainly did them. Seeing her children and hearing about their condition, the mother reassured them of her love. But despite her undying, never-ending motherly love for her children, she knew that the Great Rule had been violated and she must act accordingly.

They pulled up into the driveway and the truck came to a dusty halt. The hired hands helped the kids climb out of the back of the truck. As the mom walked to the house she looked back one last time at her kids. Motioning to the hired hands, she firmly declared, “Take them away. They violated the Great Rule and did not return to me on their own.”

“But mom….!?”

“Not another word,” she interrupted. “Whether you knew it or not, The Great Rule says that my children shall not run away and that if they do, they are to return on their own within three years. If they do not, I will find them and the Great Punishment must be inflicted. I even sent my oldest son for you, but you did not believe him.”

“Mom, we are sorry. We were scared, hurting and full of shame. We did things we are not proud of and that you would not approve of. Deep inside, when the nights were the quietest, we knew you loved us but we were afraid that you would have nothing to do with us after all we had done.”

With tears in her eyes she slowly replied, “I understand, I see you are truly sorry and I love you. But there is nothing I can do; I am powerless against the Great Rule. Three years have passed, you did not return and the Rule is the Rule.” With that, she turned and walked towards the house where her returning-son stood on the porch, watching.

The hired hands, still clutching the children by the arms, took them away to the barn…even the fourth child who never heard the eldest son’s message. As directed by the Great Punishment, they entered the barn, tied the children to the posts and began beating them. Next came the kerosene. Then, in the midst of their screams and under the watchful eye of their loving mom, they and the barn were set ablaze.

The loving, kind, full-of-mercy, just and righteous mom, turning from the window overlooking the burning barn, looked at her oldest son and the child who returned to her, wiped the tear from her eye and smiled. She motioned once more to her hired hands and—with the other children still burning and screaming outside—the feast of feasts, the party of parties, began. The mom, her eldest son, her returning-on-his-own child, and even her hired hands lived, feasted, and partied…happily…ever…after.

The End.

Now go, and share this GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom. Praise be to God.

Credit for this parable goes to Jeromy Johnson, you can read the orignal post here

Fifth Week of Lent: Hunger for Self Giving

2011-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 5th Sunday of Lent, Easter is 2 weeks away! The three of us worked through John 12:20-33. Below is the section that I shared.

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

This passage follows Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we will be talking about the triumphal entry passage next week on Palm Sunday. It was the time of the Passover Feast and there are thousands upon thousands of people arriving for the celebration. Jerusalem is busting at the seams. Jews from all over would make pilgrimage to the city for this God ordained holiday.

In the throngs of all these people we are introduced to some Greeks, possibly Hellenistic Jews, and they want to meet this man that came riding into town earlier on a colt. This was the guy that the crowds were excited to see. Who was he? Was he really the Messiah?

Maybe they heard that at a wedding in Cana, Jesus changed water into wine. Not just any wine but really good wine! Maybe they heard about the healing of a man born blind. Maybe they heard about the crippled guy that Jesus healed. Maybe they heard about the feeding of 5,000 people from 5 loaves of bread and 2 freeze dried fish. We are told in John 20 that Jesus did so many miracles that they were not all recorded. No telling how many miracles these Greeks heard about.

But these unnamed Greeks, possibly God-fearing gentiles were asking to see Jesus.

Before this narrative in the bible is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus was dead and buried for four days. Four days ensured that the dead was really dead. You can imagine the excited and awe from the crowd.

John 12:17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Maybe it wasn’t just a couple Greeks, maybe it was hundreds, or thousands or tens of thousands demanding “We would like to see Jesus.”

Greeks were allowed only in the outer court area at the temple. It was here, in the outer courtyard area that the money changers and the dove salesmen had set up their tables. It was here that Jesus came armed with a whip and an attitude and turned their tables over.

So maybe they heard about the temple cleansing or maybe they were eyewitnesses to the event.

The Greeks and all women were not allowed to enter the inner courtyard area. There was an isolation of the Jews from the gentiles. Outsiders isolated from the insiders.

Is the point of this small passage to show to the reader that those on the outside were acting as insiders? Is the point of this passage to show to the reader that the outsider was soon to be the target audience of the disciples?

We would like to see Jesus.

Jesus came to the Temple to cleanse it. To drive away the money changers. To drive away the sellers of doves. To reveal the injustices being done, all in the name of God.

To the religious leaders this was a man that stood against the established religion. Jesus wasn’t the Messiah a lot of the Jews were expected—there’s no exclusive nationalism in his message. His citizenship is not of this world. And these Greeks want to see him—they hear that he hangs out with pagans and sinners; they hear that his kingdom might just have room for them, those outside Abraham’s offspring.

Who do you see when you look at Jesus? A miracle worker? A savior? God? Man?

I believe there are millions of people that would love to see Jesus. Does the church set up barriers or obstacles keeping the outsider out? These outsiders don’t want the ritual. These outsiders don’t want religion. These outsiders want to see Jesus. They want the relationship.

I hope that tables would be overturned in our own places of worship. That the den of thieves would be cleansed and this place of worship would become the place where God would be pleased to hang out with us.

Why did the Greeks approach Philip? Was it because of his Greek name? More importantly why did Philip hesitate?

Another passage to read according to the liturgical calendar is Psalm 51:1-12, I encourage you to read it as well and pray that God would cleanse us and create in us a pure heart.

As we proceed in our passage we feel that Jesus is not just responding to Philip and Andrew but we feel that maybe Jesus is talking to the disciples and to the Greeks that asked to see Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Fervent Charity

2011-04-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I was asked to give my thoughts on the King James version of 1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."

I always look beyond the world of Christian brothers and sisters and consider this and other passages as a challenge to serve others outside the church walls. It should be a given that the church will come alongside others in need in the church community (club?). It is unfortunate that sometimes the church drops the ball and misses opportunities to serve those in their own community/tribe. Think about it, if we can’t take care of our own, how are we going to be a light to others?

Quick word study. The word for fervent in Greek is ekten, and it also means out-stretched or earnest. I love all three definitions! This is an adverb that demands action. This action requires a stretching, probably to the breaking point. How much are we required to give and serve? To the breaking point! Is this the breaking point Jesus was challenging the Rich Young Ruler?

The word for charity, in this passage is agape. Interesting! We know that agape is love in the Greek, an unconditional love. Agape love looks for nothing in return. No return on investment. No recognition for a job well done. No awards, or plaques, or cash bonus.

We are clearly instructed to love others. 1 Peter is talking to the community of followers of Christ. But I feel we need to also combine that with the teachings of Jesus: to love and serve our neighbor, regardless of the lifestyle, social status, race, religion, sexual preferences, etc. to the breaking point. And we need to love and serve those that are in need: the widow, the orphan, the foreigner (illegal alien?), the sick and infirmed, and the prisoner.

Finally it is this agape, unconditional love, charity that is going to cover a multitude of sins. That’s interesting too! So my love for another will cover their sins?

Before you are quick to say that Jesus is the one and only that covers our sins, consider the stretcher bearers carrying the invalid to Peter’s house (Mark 2). They couldn’t get in so they tore a hole through the ceiling and lowered the man down to Jesus, right in the middle of Peter’s living room. I think Jesus laughed hysterically at the scene, as dry wall and popcorn ceiling fell on him and everyone in the room. I also imagine Peter being pretty ticked off by the scene as he considered the cost to repair his ceiling.

Jesus looks at the invalid and then to the four guys staring through the giant hole in the ceiling. And what did Jesus say? When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Seems to me that a multitude of sins are being covered by the fervent love and charity of others!

Meet Me in Eternity

2011-04-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

A few years back I was introduced to a young man. This young man was tough. He carried an edge about himself that made him seem unapproachable and closed off. But through the introduction he had no choice but to talk to me. And what I discovered was that this young man had a soul that I wanted to know better.

Unfortunately this was my one only interaction with him. Shortly after our initial meeting, he passed away. It was a violent passing. Part of his tough exterior was often met with confrontation. Some of it I am sure he instigated. And I am sure there were other times he was challenged by someone wanting to prove their toughness. His life was filled with many evils and bad decisions. But I never got to challenge the soul of the young man I met.

I did attend his memorial service. His former junior high youth pastor did his memorial service, even though the young man had not attended church, or a youth gathering since junior high. Even in junior high his attendance was rare, skating and girls were a higher calling.

I spoke with the youth pastor about the young man and their connection. The youth pastor said it had been over 10 years since they crossed paths. He remembers the young man as a tough junior higher that fought often and picked on the church kids. He was difficult to handle and had to be disciplined frequently.

He continued to share that one Wednesday evening the young man, then a junior higher, was touched in a meaningful way. On that evening this tough, rowdy young man prayed the prayer: allowing Jesus to live in his heart and to guide and lead him. The youth pastor, being a good Baptist, felt it necessary to baptize all the junior higher students that made the decision to follow Jesus. They were baptized that same night.

During the memorial service the youth pastor shared with the family and friends in attendance the decision that young man made so many years ago. The youth pastor shared that there is a hope for life after this. And to ensure that life continues after death requires a voluntarily surrender of self to Jesus; a life allowing Jesus to guide and lead; a life affirming and believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

I am grateful that I don’t have to do the judging. It is not up to me to determine the eternal state of someone’s soul. Our God is a grace filled God. He calls us His children whom He loves. He desires a relationship with all of us. I am praying that when the young man and I meet the on the other side I can finally get to know the young man I met and his incredible soul.

Can Men be Stay at Home Dads?

2011-03-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Watch the video below. I would love to hear your comments. How do you agree with the Biblical statements being made? How do you disagree? What is the role of culture?

Sabbath Retreat

2011-03-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our church plant, In Process, escaped to a cabin for the weekend to enjoy a mountain retreat in Big Bear. The owner of the cabin has been generous to many other pastors and families over the years to use their cabin as a place to rest. One of the best comments I heard this weekend was how restful the retreat was.

We had plenty of plans for the weekend including a time of sharing, especially since we cancelled our regular Sunday service. We were hoping that we would continue our time through the scriptures in preparation (Lent) for Easter. The theme for this Sunday, Week 3 of Lent, is Thirst and one of the passages of scriptures we were going to share was Isaiah 55:1-9.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As I read these words I feel as a group we were spiritually fed this past weekend. Even though none of us cracked open the Bible nor did we share our thoughts on Lent or this passage. We were there in the mountains as a community. And for a true community to thrive and survive requires sharing. We shared meals together. We shared laughter. We shared chores. We shared play time in the snow. We shared encouragements, and as many communities do, we shared a good ribbing with one another.

I do not understand how this act of sharing helps us spiritually, but I will tell you that we grew closer. We grew closer to one another, and we grew closer to God. We ate well, but the food we ate wasn’t what sustained us. It was the community.

There are times when I am frustrated about the politics of starting a church. And there are times when I am floored by the ways that God is working in the group. Most importantly though I am floored by the ways that the group is responding to God. I always think that if the church plant succeeds or not (don’t know how you measure that type of success), I have been fed by the living God as I continue to do the work He has called me to do.

Maybe that is real success: being fed by God.

Spinning Plates

2011-03-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Plate spinning is an act you might see at a circus or a comedy club. It is an attention getter as the performer and maybe an assistant work hard to keep plates spinning on a pole extended from the ground. The tension builds as more and more plates are added. As the plates lose their speed, the performer must return over and over again to increase the speed of the spinning plates. If not, the plates fall to the ground and break. The world record for the number of plates spinning on these poles is 108.

I have heard many individuals in management and in ministry compare their work load as plate spinning. These leaders are frustrated that they must constantly return to projects they are responsible for and check to see the status of the work. If there are issues they must take time away from other projects they are involved in. These leaders return over and over again to each project in order to keep those plates spinning. It seems to them that there is no one else who can handle this difficult, dangerous and important task. Ultimately something crashes.

No one wants to follow a leader who pushes others aside as they focus only on the work of spinning plates. No one wants to follow a leader that eliminates plates because they grow tired of spinning plates. To be an effective leader requires trust. Trust that the right person is in place to keep their plate spinning. Each pole and plate must be manned by the right person. This person understands the importance of keeping that plate spinning and they demonstrate the joys and rewards to others.

These others become future plate spinners and the number of spinning plates on pole increases. If the trust is real, plate spinning becomes an art. New methods and techniques are discovered, used and shared with the other plate spinners. A network of plate spinners is created.

Every so often a plate crashes to the ground. It might be that the equipment (pole) may need to be repaired. It might be because a lack of focus on the spinner or the leader. It might be because of a lack of training. Maybe the entrusted spinner is trying to spin multiple plates instead of empowering other plate spinners. But the great thing about plate spinning is that the broken plate can be replaced. The good leader is not actively spinning plates. This allows the good leader the ability to work one on one, or through the plate spinning network, with the plate spinner. Together they create a plan that keeps their plate spinning.

I remember the first time I saw the plate spinning act on TV, I think it was on the Ed Sullivan show. I was amazed that the performer could handle so many spinning plates. And I remember the anxiety I felt as I watched the performer work hard to maintain the spinning plates. I was at the edge of my seat. But that was a great performance; I cannot imagine living a life filled with that kind of anxiety everyday as I approached work or ministry.

Second Sunday of Lent: Hunger for Justice and Healing

2011-03-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Brian spoke about hunger from another perspective. This hunger is one defined by a compelling need or desire. Some of us hunger for wealth, fame, approval or affection. Last week I spoke on hunger being a condition; this hunger is a verb. From Brian’s definition hunger becomes a noun.

Hunger as a noun causes us to do verbs, and verbs are action words. What are the actions we do to achieve our hungers? Our hungers expose us for who we really are. Are our fears and anxieties the responses to our hungers or do they drive our hungers?

What does our church hunger for? What does that expose about our character?

In the Bible we read of an encounter Jesus had with a Samaritan woman at a well. I like to refer to this encounter as the “Samaritan Incident.” You will find the Samaritan Incident in John 4. Much has been written about the account. The character and the lifestyle of the woman are questionable. She doesn’t appear to be the kind of girl you taken home to meet Mother Mary.

Jesus exposes the Samaritan woman’s sins, and cleanses her from them. She has been changed, transformed. She runs into the village to share the news, sounds like good news to me!

The Disciples reunite with Jesus after shopping around for food at the local convenience store. The Disciples encourage Jesus to eat but He refuses. Jesus tells them of food they know nothing about. He refused to eat because he was actively doing, dealing with another hunger. Jesus knew that His nourishment would come from the one who sent Him.

And it did not stop at the well. Jesus and The Disciples spent three days in this unnamed Samaritan village. Three days of religious and personal reconciliation. Three days of lives being transformed. Three days of justice, healings, teachings, friendship and community.

Maybe we should be less concerned about what we hunger. Maybe we should seek to discover what God hungers for and make these the things we hunger for.

Intersecting Communities

2011-03-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights are planning nights for the church plant I am involved with. We share ideas and dreams. We pray together. We share a meal together (tonight was teriyaki chicken, rice pilaf and green beans). We laugh together. We watch Jeopardy. And we challenge each other to radically be the church God is calling us to be.

Quick thought: church is not a building or a location but a group of people sharing life and beliefs aligned with Jesus’ mission here on earth.

The idea of “location” was a topic of conversation tonight, and one that we will discuss further with our entire group at the next vision meeting. Currently we are blessed to have a facility to use: a church building. It comes totally equipped with chairs, sounds, new technology, heat and AC, everything you would need to do church.

But is having all these things crippling our ability to be the church?

A sister church plant of ours use to meet in a coffeehouse. What was awesome was that the coffeehouse wasn’t closed during their church services; the public was welcome to come in and get a cup of coffee and a pastry. Anyone was allowed to come in and sit and converse.

One great story I heard was that while the church was meeting, and the pastor was up front sharing, two women came in, got coffee, and sat in the middle of the church group. While sitting in the middle of the group they proceeded to have a lively conversation. They did not recognize this group as a church.

This is the church I want to be a part of. A church willing to gather together in unlikely places: a coffeehouse, a bar, a park, anywhere people gather. People may be unlikely to drop in to a church service at a church building, but imagine a church that is willing to intersect communities.

One Rule

2011-03-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was at Saddleback Church to hear about health and proper eating habits. The church is on a year mission to promote this healthy lifestyle. As a church planter, I am always interested in what local churches, big and small, are doing to be significant to their community. As a store manager of a health food grocery store, I am always interested in what groups are doing to promote healthy living.

But it is an odd combination, Western Christianity and holistic living. Maybe i will post more on this topic in the future.

A comment was made that hit me as an affirmation. People feel welcome when they can help themselves to anything in your refrigerator.

Monica and I have opened up our home weekly for many years now to many groups of people. Years ago we had two groups of junior high students that would meet weekly at our home. Monday nights was guys’ Bible study and Tuesday nights was girls’ Bible study.

I ran the guys’ night. It was a night filled with popcorn (each guy would get one bag), soda, a movie and study. It is still one of my greatest memories. 20 guys, 20 bags or popcorn (my microwave would glow after popping that many bags!), 60 cans of soda, Monte Python and the Bible!

One rule: help yourself to anything in the fridge.

After I went to another church, guys’ and girls’ Bible study was handed off to the new pastors to run at their own homes or at church. But many of the students that were a part of that great memory were now in high school or college and still wanted to hang out. So we created a Tuesday night gathering. Tuesdays for many years was Pizza Night. It was a simple night of pizza (5 large!), soda and conversation.

One rule: help yourself to anything in the fridge.

Many of the conversations around the dinner table seemed to center on their faith, community, God and their unhappiness with the church. As the students graduated from high school, many quit going to church. For some the gathering at our home became church. So we started a church.

The original groups of guys and girls that attended Monday and Tuesday Bible Studies are in college or nearing graduation. Many are connected to the church plant and show up when they can. Life is busy! But one thing they know when they come and hang out at our home is there is one rule: help yourself to anything in the fridge.

We Believe

2011-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

This morning I was watching TV (Sunday Morning on CBS) when a commercial came on. Now that in itself isn’t unusual. But this commercial has caused me to think; that alone makes it an amazing commercial. This commercial was nothing short of a religious experience!

What do you think?

Fear

2011-03-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Fear is what bosses use to get their workers to perform better. Do the job or risk getting fired. Do the job faster or we will find someone who can. Fear is what teachers use to get students to perform better. Study hard and get good grades or you risk failing. It becomes that the student knows the answer but might not understand the answer, they fail anyway. We use fear on our pets. We beat them if they get out, if they pee on the floor, if they bite. It is the fear of getting beaten that gets them to behave. They don’t understand, they work hard to avoid the punishment. Fear can cause the worker to rage against his family, cause a student to drop out or cause the pet to bite.

Fear, to me, is one of the most devastating emotions to have. I feel that many time fear is not used constructively. Instead, the emotion of fear is what carries them, what drives them, what motivates them, what cripples them. Today many are going to be watching and waiting to hear the news: are we being poisoned with radiation floating over the Pacific Ocean from Japan?

Many have been rushing to stores fearful of this poisoning, looking for a supplement to reduce the risk of getting cancer. I have seen the fear in their eyes when told, “I am sorry we don’t have that, and we are unsure when the next shipment will arrive.” I have seen the fear.

Once a group of people I am very close to decided to be prepared for a natural or manmade disaster. They considered how much water and food would be necessary for them, their families and others. They searched their shared communal property, looking for the right place to set up a storage unit to house all their survival staples. It turned out this unit would have to be quite large, there was no free space on the property to house such a large storage unit.

So the question to the group: what would happen if 10 people showed up looking for assistance? But maybe the harder question was: what would happen if hundreds of people happened onto their doorstep looking for food or water? Would they be willing to share? Day one, probably. Day 10, less likely.

My concern is fear can turn into self survival. Fear can turn into anger. Anger becomes so great it turns into rage and hatred. Hatred is ugly, what are we willing to do to survive?

Maybe at this time it would be a good time to check our hearts. Maybe this is a time to determine if it is fear that is driving us or is it something else.

Heaven and Hell

2011-03-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched as Rob Bell was interviewed by Lisa Miller. The interview was Rob’s opportunity to share with over 6,000 web viewers and an audience in New York his thoughts and ideas of Heaven and hell. Unfortunately Rob did not answer the questions directly, but the questions were great. I do believe that God is love and that Jesus came to give us that message of love. Jesus' message of love demonstrates Heaven on earth, then and now. It is this message that I feel that we as humans, and primarily as Christians or followers of Jesus, must demonstrate to others.

The interview can be watched here, go to @10 minutes into the video to watch the interview.

Hell in particular is a tough and unsettling concept/reality to wrap my mind around. there is a mystery to it. It is hard for me to consider a place of eternal torment.

I love CS Lewis' imagery of Heaven and Hell in The Great Divorce. We chose heaven or we chose hell. I like to think that we will decide where we go. In the day when there is a separation of sheep and goats, the sheep will naturally go to heaven and the goats will chose hell and a total separation from God and others, total self induced isolation.

Bottom line, I must read Rob's book “Love Wins”. What becomes of this conversation/debate, I pray, is a deeper desire to understand God and His message of love, grace and mercy that He offers through His Son.

There is so much disagreement between so many great thinkers, John Piper, Bell, NT Wright, Robert Gonzalez and others, I am not sure if we can really answer these ideas this side of Heaven, wherever that is.

First Sunday of Lent

2011-03-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent. To prepare for my message I was reading and studying from Luke 4 (although the “right” passage on the church calendar should have been Matthew 4). What I discovered was that in the past I didn’t give this passage it full meaning. I believe that to fully preach this passage you must include Luke 3 (Matthew 3, if you are preaching Matthew 4).

I encourage you to read Luke 4, I won’t be posting the passage here. In Luke 4 we read of Jesus’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness (when you hear wilderness, think lions and tigers and bears not a camping trip). When I read through this passage I look for words and phrases that stand out. Some of the words that stood were Holy Spirit, led, Jordan, wilderness, 40 (days), Tempted (by the devil), Hungry, If you are the Son of God, Jesus quotes scripture, and high place.

But before I can really understand Luke 4 I need to read Luke 3. In Luke 3 we learn of the one that precedes Jesus, the man we know as John the Baptist. John is speaking to all who will listen of one coming to take away the sins of the world. He pleads with his audience to repent and be baptized. Sounds like a time of consecration (Exodus 19).

In the process of baptizing the listeners, Jesus shows up and asks John to be baptized. Have you ever wondered, “Why did Jesus need to be baptized?”

One writer described Jesus desire to be baptized,

“Jesus's baptism inaugurated his public ministry by identifying with what Luke describes as "all the people." He allied himself with the faults and failures, pains and problems, of all the broken and hurting people who had flocked to the Jordan river. By wading into the waters with them he took his place beside us and among us. Not long into his public mission the religious leaders called Jesus a "friend of gluttons and sinners." With his baptism Jesus openly declares that he stands shoulder to shoulder with us in our fears and anxieties. He intentionally takes sides with all peoples in their neediness.

While Jesus is praying, and after His baptism, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove and descends upon Jesus, did the dove actually land upon Jesus? And the voice of God says, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” If I were a good Bible scholar these words should make me jump. These were words spoken before and should help the listener know that what is happening is of God and we need to take notice. Read Isaiah 42 and Psalm 2.

We end Luke 3 with the genealogy of Jesus. It is an odd genealogy that starts at Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather and establishes Jesus as being in the line of David and continues to track his linage through all of history to Adam. Matthew 1 also shows a genealogy of Jesus, that genealogy starts at David and ends at Mary.

Why are the two genealogies different?
Why do we need Joseph’s genealogy since Jesus is not Joseph's genetic son?

Establishing some background allows us to approach Luke 4 with information necessary to understand Luke 4 a bit clearer.

Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River and then heads into the wilderness for 40 days of testing. Does this sound familiar?

Noah and his family endured the deluge on board the ark for 40 days and nights (Gen 7:4, 12; 8:6; 9:8-17);
Moses fasted for 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai while he received the inscribed words of God (Exod 24:18; 34:27-28; Deut 9:9);
Elijah fasted in the desert for 40 days and nights before receiving a new commission from God (1 Kgs 19:8);
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years prior to their arrival in the Promised Land (e.g., Exod 16:35; Deut 2:7)

It is this wilderness setting that we read that Jesus is hungry after fasting for 40 days, it is unclear from the Gospel writers if the temptations happened after the 40 day fast or during the fast. But we know that Jesus is hungry, famished.

The devil starts each of his temptations to Jesus with, “If you are the Son of God...” Because we have read Luke 3 we have been told By God Himself that Jesus is His Son. So maybe the temptation from the devil can be better translated, “Since you are the Son of God…”

The first temptation should again make us remember. It was in the Exodus account that the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness when they too became hungry. The devil tells Jesus to turn the stone to bread but Jesus refuses and quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, but we shouldn’t read just that verse, the passage speaks of God’s word supplying all the needs of the Israelites. God would also supply Jesus’ need in His wilderness journey. Jesus passes the first test of self survival.

Notice as we approach the second temptation the devil is doing the leading. The second temptation, in Luke 4 is done from a high place, presumably a mountaintop (Matthew 4). It is here that Jesus is shown all the kingdoms and cities of the world and told it can be all yours. For an awesome video of this watch the Jesus Miniseries that NBC created, the devil is in a business suit showing a modern snapshot of our world. This picture reminds me of the mountaintop experiences of Moses and Elijah. Jesus is being tempted with worldwide domination. All Jesus has to do is worship the devil. But Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13.

The final temptation is from a high point at the temple in Jerusalem. For me this is the critical test. Jesus has been tempted with self preservation and with world power but now he is being tempted with the ability to be god. Remember Adam and Eve’s temptation? They ate the forbidden fruit so that their eyes would be opened and be like a god. Again Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6, this time verse 16. But I think all of Deuteronomy 6 needs to be read. In this chapter we have the Shema in verse 4 “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.” There is one God, don't test Him!

Imagine the invisible hand of God rescuing Jesus as he leaps from the highest point of the temple. How do you think amazed crowd below would respond to Jesus? His humanity would be vastly overshadowed by his divinity.

Later we will read these words while Jesus hung from the cross as one of the thieves next to Him challenged, or tested Jesus, “If (since) you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

After Jesus has passed the tests imposed upon him we see the devil leave. But did you notice that nowhere in Luke chapter 3 and 4 do we read that the Holy Spirit ever left Jesus. As a matter of fact when we start reading the next verses of Luke 4 the Spirit is still with Him, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit...”

It is my hope that we always recognize that the spirit of God never leaves or abandons us, even when we are tempted or tested.

The first Sunday of Lent marks the start of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus could have sought comfort, security and power but refused. Instead Jesus’ ministry was a ministry of giving. He gave it all away. We are invited to come alongside Jesus in a shared partnership to serve the poor, the sick and the hungry. Not for our selves, but for the glory of God.

God and Mother Nature

2011-03-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

The earthquake in Japan has really troubled my soul, especially since the world was able to watch the destruction of entire cities and farms on live TV. Thankfully, from this tragedy, we haven’t seen the personal tragedy of losing one’s life through Mother Nature’s violent groaning. I am wondering if our live TV is similar to what God sees the world when He looks down on us.

I have not searched the internet looking for the blog writers’ point of view regarding God’s hand being involved in this tragic act of natural violence. I remember reading in the past that anytime there is some horrific tragedy we should look to God being the cause of the destruction, as if He was punishing us through these tragedies. Is this the God I follow?

I think of an ant farm that a kid might have and think if maybe one of the ants bit the boy, would he react brutally towards the ants? In the boy’s godlike presence all he would need to do is place the ant farm in the sun to watch the ants die off due to the extreme heat. All he would need to do is place a large cup of water into the ant farm and drown his victims. All he would need to do is shake the heck out of the ant farm and bury the ants. Drought, flooding and earthquakes are all natural, and sometimes tragic facts of life, I don’t think this is the way my God punishes.

Through any act of tragedy, like the earthquake in Japan, it all comes down to, “What is our response?” Let’s avoid pointing fingers and blaming one group or another. Let’s be like Jesus and be first responders in prayer, love and action for the victims.

Ash Wednesday 2011

2011-03-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the opportunity to attend an Ash Wednesday at a Catholic Church in my community. I grew up Catholic but do not recall ever going to an Ash Wednesday service as a kid so this was truly a new experience for me.

The Mass began with a liturgy reading of Joel 2. Next, there was a time for a congregation singing, very unlike the worship songs we sing, and unlike hymns. The songs were awesome and had an essence of individually but mostly spoke of community and the Jesus’ response to the community. The Gospel reading was from Matthew 6.

The priest shared the significance the Gospel passage, especially in light of Lent. It was a simple message but powerful. Bottom line was that there are three things we need to do better during Lent:

Alms Giving
Prayer
Self Denial

So my challenge is how to these things better during Lent. And if I am trying to deny self during this process I must do these things secretly. I shouldn’t complain that I am suffering as I give up this or that. I shouldn’t pray in ways that draw attention to me. As I give I should work towards giving more sacrificially, and not brag about the hardship it causes. Lent is about giving God the honor and not honoring or looking for honor ourselves.

I pray that we all draw closer to Jesus during Lent…

Today is Day One

2011-03-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

I look forward to observing Lent every year. Many would think it very weird to get excited about self denial. I spend the weeks prior to Lent prayerfully considering anything I crave. Those cravings drive me to the point that if I do not fulfill those cravings I feel hollow and incomplete. Some of these unfulfilled cravings cause me bodily discomfort.

The first year I considered follow Lent I gave up all soda. It wasn’t that hard but I did come to realize that I drank a lot of soda. At every restaurant I was had to make a conscious decision to not order soda. Breaking this habit had long term affects, today I rarely drink soda.

One year I decided to give up coffee for the Lenten Season. Mistake! I had the biggest caffeine headache ever, and I think they lasted the entire season. Easter Sunday I was bathing in coffee!

Another year I decided to give up TV for Lent. Sounded noble! I love TV. I cannot read a book, write a paper, prepare a sermon, or have a conversation with my wife without the TV being on. I felt this would be an easy thing to accomplish and best yet: I wouldn’t get a headache. But I have a DVR. Everything I missed during Lent I recorded. Easter Sunday I was watching 40 days worth of TV!

This year I looked at my spending habits and discovered that I spend a lot of money at Starbucks. I would be embarrassed to confess the amount. I also spend too much money eating out. We make fewer and fewer meals at home. So for Lent this year I have decided to limit my overspending.

Yesterday I went to Starbucks and was greeted by all the employees there by name. I guess if you spend that much money at one location you are bound to get known. After I got my mocha and sausage sandwich I informed the crew that I would not be back until after Easter. Thankfully they sighed and didn’t applaud my decision.

As far as going out, we will be limiting our dining out experience. Thursdays will remain Date Night and we will enjoy a quiet dinner out together. But for those other nights we will refrain from taking the easy way out and getting Fast Food. Instead we will spend the extra time required to prepare something a bit more nutritious. It is cheaper.

So as I forgo these bad habits I look for the reminders that the reason I am avoiding my bad habits is to help me draw closer to Jesus. When I crave Starbucks I am reminded that the only thing I should crave is a fuller relationship with the Savior who denied everything for us. And when I desire to take the easy way out for dinner, I must remember that Jesus avoided the easy fix and suffered and endured much for us.

Music Industry and the Church

2011-03-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite authors and motivators is Seth Godin. He challenges his readers to initiate, to get out and create art, and then to ship. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t try to survive. We are told to play nice and follow the rules and you will be rewarded. The reward is a paycheck. But is there something more?

Recently I heard Seth speak at a gathering in Orange County. He continued to challenge us! One topic of conversation was the recording industry and its apparent fall. It seems that the record industry, the book industry and even MySpace are all facing this fall together.

It seems the record industry is controlled by executives and they are the ones making the big bucks. The LP was the standard for years. Innovation happened and the cassette and 8 track came onto the scene helping increase sales and profits for the record executives. The next innovation was the CD. CD’s cost pennies to make and ship helping increase profits and sales to record levels.

But the next innovation caused the record industry to lose its focus, making them forget they are in the business to sell records. This new innovation was the advent of the internet. With the internet individuals found ways to share music with one another, for free. In the past if you wanted to hear a song you could hope to hear on the radio, remember calling in for an instant request? Or you could buy the LP, cassette, 8 track or CD. Getting something for free created a problem for the industry. So to protect their assets the industry went toe to toe with these sites. Even though the sites are gone the music industry suffered the greatest, profits and sales are not what they once were. Is it too late for the industry to recover? Only if they initiate, get out and create art, and then ship.

That was a long introduction to a deeper question. As I was hearing Seth explain this problem with industries that are failing to create art I was thinking about the Church. We see in history where individuals have been able to initiate and bring something new to the faith. They create new insights, new thoughts, new questions, new theories and new perspectives. Unfortunately the initiators and their art are not embraced. And I as look at the state of the Church today I see this religious industry fighting hard to keep the way they are (were). And I wonder, will the Church be able to recover?

LATE ADDITION:
NPR did a piece on the issues facing the Music Industry. You can read it here.

Joe's Memorial Service

2011-03-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today was I honored to do a Memorial Service for a great family as they honored the life of their father. Below are some of thoughts I shared:

One thing I learned the other night was that Joe loved to gamble. There are people who gamble and lose and there are people who gamble and win. Joe was a winner! Joe played the horses and greyhounds. Joe loved Vegas. He played the slots and won hundreds every time he went to Vegas. He even taught one of his grandsons how to play craps.

Later when Joe couldn’t get to Vegas anymore he played the lottery.

Let me talk to you about the way that Joe gambled. When he played the horses he kept good records of horses and how well they ran in the past. I am sure he tracked not only the horses’ records but he tracked the jockey’s records as well. Playing the ponies was a calculated risk but Joe knew how to win.

When Joe played the lottery he tracked numbers that won. He knew the numbers that won most often. He worked those numbers and he worked those numbers looking for just the right pattern, hoping that he would discover the secret.

With gambling, rarely is there a certainty that you will win, there is always the risk that you will lose. You can’t win them all. For every winner there is at least one loser. Poker requires you to bluff. Slots machine pay off only a certain percentage of the time, the gambler hopes to be playing the right machine at the right time in order to win that big payoff. But unfortunately not everyone wins.

There was a very wise man many years ago that contemplated God, Jesus and eternity. His thoughts were that if he bet in favor of Jesus being the Savior of the world and Jesus was, he won for all eternity. But if the wise man bet against Jesus being the Savior of the world and Jesus was, he lost for all eternity. There was always the option that he could bet for or against Jesus being the Savior of the world and if Jesus isn’t, no one wins or loses. In Blackjack we would call that a push.

Ultimately this wise man bet on Jesus being the Savior of the world. I think he made the wisest choice.

Joe was given the same choice by his son. And Joe made the wise choice. Now I am not sure if Joe got his ledger out and calculated the odds. I don’t think Joe even considered this choice a gamble. But something deep inside Joe told him that believing in Jesus as his Lord and Savior was the right choice.

You see betting on Jesus is not about the big win, it is not just about Heaven.

There is a cost to betting on Jesus. It requires us to release control of our lives and devote ourselves to Jesus. The family saw Joe’s life turn around. Joe tried to live a better life. Joe showed up weekly for services here. Joe wanted to know more about this Jesus he bet everything on.

It is God’s will that everyone would bet it all on Jesus.

And when death finally came upon Joe I am sure Jesus was waiting for him. Just because Joe bet it all didn’t mean he won big bucks, no Joe is enjoying something much more glorious than that.

I am not sure what Heaven really looks like. But from the stories I have heard about Joe he is probably hanging out with the laborers of Heaven. The people who keep the place clean, the gardeners, the cooks and of course the mechanics. And I am sure that there might be a card game or two, secretly played in some corner of Heaven where Joe will be winning the wings off some poor angel's back.

Do you feel like gambling?

Revolution, by John Lennon

2011-02-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world

You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world

But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan

You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can

But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head

You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead

But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right

Times They Are A Changing

2011-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Times They are A-Changin', Bob Dylan

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Salutation

2011-01-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

The other day I had written a reference letter for one of my employees looking for a promotion. I am stoked when I get the opportunity to write reference letters. Sometimes I write them for former students seeking a college and need a reference letter for admission. Other times I write them for individuals that I have had a direct influence in their lives looking for employment. Finally as a manager there are times when employees no longer work for me and need a reference letter.

Years ago I took a business writing class. It was probably one of the best classes I have ever taken in college. Why? From that class I learned how to communicate clearly and concisely, and not to waste the reader’s time. Most of the aspects from that class I use every day.

Unfortunately the reference letter I wrote the other day was questioned by one of the recipients. They were questioning if I used the proper salutation. If I do not know the name of the recipient I always start my reference letters with “Dear Sirs:” I realize we live in a diverse world where both women and men are in roles in leadership and decision making. Is there a better way to start a business letter? What salutation do you use?

Delivering Happiness

2010-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am a name dropper. I have met a lot of people and feel I am connected to many with similar interests. The problem is through my network of connections, we call them friends on Facebook, there is little in the way of true friendships. I know nothing about my network: are they married, have kids, what is their belief system, what are their needs, etc.

I am reading through Tony Hsieh’s book, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose” and he says an interesting thing about networking that I feel can change the way that we approach others in life, in work and in ministry.

Tony Hsieh:

I personally really dislike “business networking” events. At almost every one of the events, it seems like the goal is to walk around and find people to trade business cards with, with the hope of meeting someone who can help you out in business and in exchange you can help that person out somehow. I generally try to avoid these types of events, and I rarely carry any business cards around with me.

Instead, I really prefer to focus on just building relationships and getting to know people as just people, regardless of their position in the business world. I believe that there’s something interesting about anyone and everyone—you just have to figure out what that something is. If anything, I’ve found that it’s more interesting to build relationships with people that are not in the business world because they almost always can offer unique perspectives and insights, and also because those relationships tend to be more genuine.

If you are able to figure how to be truly interested in someone you meet, with the goal of building a friendship instead of trying to get something out of that person, the funny thing is that almost always, something happens later down the line that ends up benefiting either your business or yourself personally.

…

So my advice is to stop trying to “network” in the traditional business sense, and instead just try to build up the number and depth of your friendships, where the friendship itself is its own reward. The more diverse your set of friendships are, the more likely you’ll derive both personal and business benefits from your friendships later down the road. You won’t know exactly what those benefits will be, but if your friendships are genuine, those benefits will magically appear 2-3 years later down the road.

Can this model be used in ministry? Are we building true friendships or just building a roster of names to our church attendance records? Maybe we should stop working in our offices and go meet people.

Random Thought

2010-09-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today on my way home from work I heard an interesting story on the news, divorce rates have decreased because of the bad economy. I quickly did a Google search and saw many articles stating similar claims. But I was wondering why?

Is it because the economic conditions are so bad that seperating would be too expensive living apart?

Would it be better to suffer together than to suffer alone?

And if the couple endures this economic hardship together, is there a greater hope for a restored marriage?

And if all this is true, what happens when the economy returns to its former state? Will divorce rates increase to its former rates?

Isn't it funny that when people face hardships and struggles they are quick to cry out to God? There is a willingness to restore our relationship with God when we realize that we can't make it by ourselves. Maybe it is the same with our relationships with one another. We need each other and we need God.

Quarters

2010-04-12T21:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the church group I am a part of, In Process decided to bless others less fortunate. Jesus commands us to love and help those hungry, thirsty, sick or naked. Our solution was to pay for people's laundry. You figure that it costs $1.25 for a load of laundry. On top of that it would cost another dollar to dry the clothes. And then there is the cost of soap, bleach and fabric softener sheets. The cost of a weekly laundry run for a family could be close to $20.

For the past couple months we have been collecting our loose change and using that as our weekly offering. One Sunday we took an offering of soap, bleach and fabric softener sheets along with coloring books, crayons, and games.

Yesterday eight of us went to a Laundromat in Fullerton. Now we are not looking for praise for the day of service. All we did was feed quarters into a washer or a dryer. We didn't fold their clothes or replace worn out clothes with nice new clothes. All in all, we were just there.

And isn't that good enough?

There was J. J is homeless. He made some bad decisions with his life. You could tell this guy is smart. He told of the businesses he owned and the money he made but then he told me of the bad decisions he made, including his drug addictions. J was looking to start his life over again, I am praying that he can.

Then there was H. H came driving up in his rusty van that creaked as it rolled in, creaked as he stopped and creaked when he opened and shut the door. I think H lived in his rusty van. He appreciated the offer of washing his laundry for free. To show his appreciation he played numerous classic rock songs on his guitar. He was very good and it was very cool. But mostly, it was great getting to hear his story.

Yesterday was a day to just hang out. A day to color. A day to pay for laundry. A day to talk, but mostly just a day to listen.

And isn't that good enough?

Jesus' Second Word

2010-03-01T09:13:00.001-08:00

King of the Jews

One of my favorite games growing up was King of the Hill.

For boys this is a great game! Tons of pushing and shoving. The goal is simple maintain control of your hill, the bed, the couch, a snow bank, wherever there is a hill to conquer. It is not a game for the weak. It gets very physical. Generally the strongest most powerful player becomes the King of Hill.

During Advent we talked about the visitation of the angel Gabriel to a young lady named Mary.

Luke 1: 30 Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

It seems to me that Jesus should be considered the hero. Jesus is going to be the King of Israel. We know that Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus was given ultimate power. So powerful was Jesus that he could miraculously heal people from all kinds of diseases, ailments and sicknesses. Jesus was so powerful that he could raise people from the dead. This was the hero who can kick anyone's ass.

That is the Jesus we expect to hear about. But instead of watching Jesus rid the world of evil we have Jesus, the powerful king, the son of God, hanging from a cross.

Read Luke 23:32-43

Save Yourself!

Three times we hear "Save yourself." These were not words of encouragement. These are words that mocked Jesus. The mocking was coming from individuals that did not believe that Jesus was a powerful king or the Son of God. They did look at Jesus as their hero.

It started with the religious leaders, these were the guys who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else (Luke 18:9). They should have known who Jesus was, they had the knowledge, they had the Book, they knew the prophecies. But they rejected knowledge, they rejected the signs, they rejected Jesus. And these religious leaders even plotted the death of Jesus.

He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.

Next the soldiers started approach the cross, they continue the mocking. These are professional executioners. They knew how to whip and torture someone just enough to hang them upon a cross where the criminal would ultimately meet their death. The vinegar they offered Jesus was thought to be a numbing agent, able to keep the criminal alive a bit longer.

If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.

Finally one of the two criminals hanging on the cross next to Jesus screams insults at Jesus. This man continues the mocking. There is no faith. There is no love. Just a man facing death and the emptiness of what lays ahead.

Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and save us!

So if this was our first time reading through the passage we would expect that the all powerful Son of God would say, "Ok, cut the crap! I am here to enforce God's will. You measly little people really have no authority over me; you have no ability really to put me to death. I can and I will show you who is the boss..."

What kind of king is this anyhow? What kind of hero is this who does not use his power, who does not use his divine connections, to get himself off the cross?

Forgive Them!

But instead of saving himself, he offers forgiveness. Father forgive them. But who is Jesus forgiving?

Is it for the two thieves, one on his right and one on his left? Is he asking forgiveness for the Jewish leaders who have asked for his crucifixion? How about for the Roman soldiers who have carried out the death sentence? What about for the crowd who surround him but do not know what to say about the events that have transpired?

Or is it for us…

As the end draws near, the other criminal turns to Jesus, and somehow recognizes who Jesus is and makes the deepest human plea: Remember me!

Remember me!

In the first century a common inscription on gravestones was "remember me." It was a kind of little prayer to the gods that they might remember the person in the grave. If the gods choose to remember the dead then they may well survive the grave.

Remember me!

From the criminal offering up that plea we do not hear mocking. There are no insults. Just an honest, sincere cry for help. And through the cry you sense faith. The Jewish leaders did not recognize the Messiah. The soldiers didn't know of the true King. The other criminal only saw a fellow criminal. But this common criminal recognized Jesus as an innocent man. He recognizes Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah.

And you can hear his cry because it is our cry, remember me!

Forgiveness has been offered and only one accepts the offer. One confesses the things he has done. One repents. His cry is his prayer of salvation

And Jesus responds with his second words from the cross, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Paradise

When we hear the word paradise we have visions of mountain streams or the beach at sunset or a garden. Others hear the word paradise and think heaven. Heaven is where you go somewhere in the sky as spirits without body.

The word paradise is Persian in origin and refers to a walled garden or park. By the time of Jesus, paradise was a special place in Sheol for the "righteous dead." Hades was the place of torment for the unrighteous in Sheol. In Sheol the righteous were separated from the unrighteous.

And Jesus spoke of this separation in one of his parables:

The parable of Lazarus and The Rich Man

Luke 16:19-31

The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man speak of our responsibility to bring heaven to earth. We are not poor, we are not weak, we are not persecuted. But are we stepping over and walking around the Lazarus' in our lives?

The story speaks of a present age, not just a distant future. It also speaks that signs and wonders will not save people. Even those that witnessed the miracles of Jesus were quick to look for ways to silence him. Even those that knew the message, rejected Him.

Paradise, or Heaven is the kingdom of God lived out here on earth. When that happens there will be a great reversal, the so called "righteous" are set aside, and the "poor" are blessed.

To me paradise suggests a very physical state of existence [A PLACE!]

Later in the story of Jesus' crucifixion God raises Jesus, our hero, from the dead, and the first thing the risen Jesus does is to join a couple of his friends on the road. Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interprets to his friends things about himself and about a God who wants an end to idolatry and a reunion with humankind enough to give up—and raise up—his Son to make it happen. Jesus opens the scriptures to the guys walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and then he blesses and breaks bread with them (Luke 24:13-35). It is something between a sumptuous feast and a plate of leftovers for the beggar.

Here is a stranger, recognized to be Jesus of Nazareth, risen from the dead and creating around himself a community that together reads, walks, blesses, eats, and proclaims the news, "We have seen the Lord."

It is our hope that we are not the ones mocking or shouting insults at Jesus as he hangs from the cross…Save Yourself!

But instead we hear his offer of forgiveness, "Father Forgive Them" and we cry out, "Remember me!"

Paradise is not a place we hope to one day arrive at, but rather Jesus invites us to bring paradise to our world.

Sermon Prep: part three

2010-02-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

ok, I decided to change up my questioning today.

As Jesus hung from the cross, 3 times he was told, mockingly, to "Save Yourself"

Luke 23: 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

"Why do you think Jesus didn't save Himself?" And why is the phrase "Save Yourself" so important?

Sermon Prep: part two

2010-02-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Happy Lent!

This Sunday I am preaching on the last words of Jesus. Last week Brian spoke on the first words from Jesus on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." If you missed it, Brian posted his message on the In Process facebook page.

This Sunday I will be focusing on the second words from Jesus, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" If you saw my earlier post (below) it was suggested that maybe the comma was in the wrong place and it should read "I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise."

My questions today are: What are your thoughts on paradise, heaven, the resurrection? What does the "afterlife" look like to you? What do you think happens to us the moment we die? Where do we go?

I hope you will come out Sunday evening at 7PM at Brea Olinda Friends Church.

Sermon Prep

2010-02-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today I am starting to dig deeper into the passage of scripture that I will preaching from this Sunday. In Process (our church plant) is currently going through the last seven words of Jesus as He hung from the cross leading up to His death. Last night Brian spoke on Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

My passage is Luke 23:42, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." So I was reading and praying through the passage and I found this interesting take on Jesus' 2nd word from the cross.

Is it possible that the passage could the comma have been placed in the wrong place?

Our reading again:

I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

Another possibility:

I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise.

What do you think?

Lent 2010

2010-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have been praying and thinking through Lent on ways to reconnect myself more fully with Jesus and other around me.

In the past I have given up one thing or another. One year I gave up coffee. That was a good idea and it was a bad idea. Yes, coffee is a huge distraction in my life that I need to have each and every morning. But eliminating coffee totally out of my diet caused incredible headaches and made me very cranky.

One year I gave up TV. I spent the entire Lenten season not watching TV. I love TV! Seriously! And TV demands too much of my time. When I cut TV time my reading time increased. It also increased my prayer time. But all I did was record all of my favorite shows so that I could catch up, for hours and hours, on Easter Sunday.

This year I decided to change the approach a bit and take Lent out of the box. I decided that I waste too much at Starbucks, so I will not shop at Starbucks for my favorite vente mocha and breakfast sandwich for the entire 40+ days. Each day during the week I will also eliminate another item, of the many, that are distractions and time wasters. My hope is that by doing these things I will better manage my time personally and my time with God.

Mondays are going to be Coffee Free Days. No coffee all day. I figure one day won’t kill me.

Tuesdays are going to be Internet Free Days. I will not be hanging out on the internet the entire day. No Facebook, no Twitter, No Google, No Amazon. The only thing I will do is periodically check my email.

Wednesdays are going to be Project Days. I will be devoting quality time to finish and start some project around the house. I have a ton of projects that I need to get moving on.

Thursdays are going to be TV Free Days. I am at work most of the day but instead of sitting in front of the TV, I will find some time to read and pray and just hang out with Monica.

Fridays are going to be Fast Food Free Days. I am seriously considering cutting fast food totally out of my diet like I doing with Starbucks for 40+ days. I spend too much and I am eating junk.

Saturdays are going to be Text Free Days. Simple enough, but I might include another social media fast day to go with it.

Sundays are days that are devoted to others and to God currently. I really don’t want to take away from the day and the enjoyment I am presently experiencing on Sundays.

What are you planning on doing for Lent this year?

2009-12-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

T. S. Eliot wrote a poem about the journey of the Magi from the perspective of one the travelers. It describes the physical peril they faced but it clearly describes the testing and strengthening of their faith along the way. T.S. Eliot was on his own spiritual journey and had become a Christian. This was a man with a strong Buddhist and Hindu philosophical education.

Symbolism litters the poem and the imagery should remind us of Biblical references. The three trees that are mentioned represent Calvary and Jesus’ death on a cross. The white horse represents death. And with the tree, or cross of Calvary, death is sent galloping away. The vine leaves over the lintel represent the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of as they escaped the angel of death. The vine represents Jesus, the true vine.

The Journey of the Magi

"A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter."
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty, and charging high prices.
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again,
but set down this
set down this:
were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

I would love to hear what you think of the poem. What other symbolism you find and what it means to you.

Mary: Full of Grace

2009-12-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I was given the honor of preaching to a group of people gathered at our church plant, In Process. My message centered on the message of Joy. I am not sure if it was the sermon of the century, truthfully I seriously doubt it. But it has made me stop in retrospect to contemplate the season of Advent.

The first week of Advent we listened to a message concerning Hope. And that despite the situation we may find ourselves in God hears His peoples’ cries. The problem is it requires us to wait on God. It is centered on God’s timing. I am not upset about the waiting, but I am thankful that God is listening and He will respond.

The second week of Advent we listened to a message concerning Peace. And that to truly know Peace, or Shalom requires a Divine Presence. Men and women throughout the scriptures sent by God with that special something, maybe the Spirit, answering God’s calling. They were the ones that brought Peace.

And that on some special day that no ones when exactly, a baby came into existence. This baby was the Divine and this baby was humanity. This baby came to save the world. The heavens opened and angels appeared to a group of hardworking migrant workers declaring, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Last night I spoke on Joy. For me a real joy comes with a smile and laughter. Real joy can bring a tear to our eye. Real joy changes the way we move, the way we walk or run, and even puts a skip in our step. Real joy causes us to sing and rejoice, remember the angels rejoicing to the shepherds? And real joy should make us dance. King David cries out to God, and when God responds David with a song and a dance (Psalm 5).

And I spoke on Mary and her virginal conception. How did it all happen? It is part of the mystery of a God bigger than me. I pray no one will ever be able to explain it. But what was Mary’s life after the birth of her son?

Did Mary ever get to experience Peace or Joy?

This baby boy represents the Hope people had been crying out for since the Fall of Adam and Eve. God promised that One would come. The angels rejoiced that Peace would now be on earth. God had come to save us.

Did Mary ever get to experience Peace or Joy?

When the angel Gabriel visits Mary and explains God’s plans to her Gabriel calls her “highly favored” or “full of grace.” I contemplated why Mary was given this title or new name. Maybe it was not because of something she did but because of something she was going to have to endure.

Poor Mary, I am sure, suffered ridicule. Everyone in her small village knew about her condition. They knew about this baby, conceived and born out of wedlock. But she loved this baby boy as any mother would.

And the toughest situation in Mary’s life was when she was an eye witness to the execution of her son. She was there as he breathed his last breathe. And as they laid his body to rest, she mourned as any mother would.

So, did Mary ever get to experience Peace or Joy? Truly this was a grace filled woman.

The Drum Major Instinct

2009-10-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday our new church plant met under the new name of In Process. We decided on the name first because the church plant needed an identity, a name. Secondly, the name In Process was chosen because we are in the process of discovering how God will use this church. The name was also chosen because aren’t we all in the process of change, transformation into something new?

As we met last Saturday we spent some time reading through Acts 4:1-22. We were drawn to these verses because something new was happening. And as Peter and John were explaining the something new they were doing so in a familiar setting, The Temple. They were not discounting the old, they embraced the old while welcoming in the new.

But we discovered about Peter and John was that they were bold. Verse 13 reads, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” These were ordinary, common men speaking in a way that commanded an audience.

The question asked to the group was, “When does someone qualify for the priesthood? What are the current qualifications?”

In the liturgical calendar this week is an important passage of scripture: Mark 10:35-45. It is the passage where James and John, the sons of Zebedee ask to sit at the powerful positions of Jesus’ left and right.

I was reading a sermon done by Dr Martin Luther King Jr called The Drum Major Instinct where he preaches from this passage.

I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"

But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."

And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)

And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.

I know a man—and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.

So the questions return to me as I consider Dr King’s sermon: “When does someone qualify for the priesthood? What are the current qualifications?”

Dr King finished his sermon with these words: Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that's all I want to say.

Scouting the Divine

2009-10-05T09:58:00.001-07:00

Reading the Bible can be hard; rather understanding what the Bible says can be hard. There are so many obstacles to fully comprehending what we are reading. The Bible was translated into English but sometimes translating the words from Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek loses the meaning of the words. The Bible was written at a time when moral and cultural standards of living were vastly different than the ways we live our lives today. And then there is the metaphor. The Bible was written to a group of people that understood the various metaphors used throughout the scriptures. If the Paul would have written his epistles with football or baseball metaphors I would have been able to pick up quicker the message he was trying to communicate. If the parables of Jesus talked about computers or traffic on the freeway I would have had a deeper clarity of the stories.

But the Bible requires us to do a little bit of digging. We get a deeper understanding when we learn what the moral and cultural standards were. We understand more clearly when we know that there were different words for love in Greek but only one word in English. And what does it mean to be a sheep or a shepherd? What does a harvest look like? What is a land of milk and honey? Where does wine come from?

I have just completed Margaret Feinberg’s book “Scouting the Divine.” Margaret explores the language used in the Bible by visiting people who still raise sheep, farm, grow grapes and keep bees. Through her interactions with these people she gets a better comprehension of the stories found in the Bible. Margaret asks great questions and shares some amazing answers.

For me a land of milk and honey would be found in the grocery store that I manage or shop. If the milk box is stocked it is full and all the jars of honey can be found on aisle four.

Margaret shares her encounters in a series of chapters that allow us to listen in on the conversation. It is easy for us to be drawn into the setting and hear the voices and sounds surrounding her. We know what a lamb looks like and are pulled into the compassion she shares as a shepherdess calls her flock. We get a better understanding of a missing lamb. We learn that this a dirty but rewarding profession. Rather for the shepherdess is a way of life.

But Margaret does not just look at the metaphor for clarity she also looks for clarity on the message on how it should shape the ways we live. Even though she gets answers it leaves her, and the reader with more questions. What does it mean to give first fruits? What are my first fruits? Why allow the poor to glean? How should I look at the poor? How does pruning make us more fruitful? Why does it have to hurt?

I appreciate this book and know that it will be a gift that I share with many people.

The Great Banquet

2009-06-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach to the congregation. I really enjoy these times up front. I enjoy researching the passages I am preaching from and hopefully teaching something the congregation has never heard or considered. I work hard to not to be the pastor that starts a message with a story from a Chicken Soup book or a quirky joke. I share my personal experiences that relate to the passage or I bring people up front to share their experiences.

Yesterday I spoke on the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24). This is a very difficult passage to preach, especially if you share the parallel passage in Matthew 22 or share that there is a similar passage in the Gospel of Thomas. My emphasis was not on those that turned down the invitation, although it was necessary to demonstrate that it appears that everyone turned down the invitation, rather the emphasis was on inviting in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. It was not about inviting the “in crowd but the message is about inviting those that are on the outside.

Before Jesus told the parable he shared this bit of information on who to invite to your parties:

Luke 14:12-15 “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Here is where I think I dropped the ball.

I asked the congregation to look at all the empty chairs in the room and to visually pick a chair. I wanted them to notice that there was plenty of room, and as we gather to celebrate and worship God, who should we be inviting in. (My hope is that they remembered verse 12 and would not just invite friends and family)

I was criticized for presenting a self serving message that was only concerned with filling the place (church) with people. Now I know that I did present the idea that Jesus is relational, and that throughout the Gospel of Luke Jesus enjoys table fellowship with the religious folks and with sinners. I also shared that this same idea is communicated through the Old Testament. But as I am trying to reach people without a relationship with Jesus, let alone other Christians, I am going to have to choose my words more carefully. What got lost in translation?

The servant is told to go out into the streets and make people come in to the party, the word here in Greek is anagkazo or better translated compel. Unfortunately this translation and phrase helped the Inquisition to forcefully compel others into the faith, or risk losing their lives. My hope is that I communicated well that there is a sense of urgency but we must be able to communicate to others, in love, that Jesus desires to invite everyone into a relationship with Him and to enjoy His incredible party.

The Curse of 3?

2009-06-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

First let me say that I love Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and Michael Jackson. I loved Farrah’s poster as a boy in the 70’s. My brother had a poster on his wall that I thought she was pretty HOT! Ed had that great laugh every time Johnny Carson would tell a joke. He was the perfect sidekick. And Michael was pretty cool in the 70’s and 80’s. I even went to a Jackson concert with my wife Monica early on in our relationship.

But the purpose of this quick post is to ponder the Curse of 3. Do celebrities get freaked out when one of their own dies? There is this legend that celebrities die in threes. I personally think this is crazy talk. If that were true who picks which three die? Why were the three chosen, is there a merit system? Did God cause the Angel of Death or the Grim Reaper to swoop down and pluck three celebrities?

What are your thoughts and feelings of the Curse of 3? Is it real or not?

Top 10 Reasons Why Men Shouldn't Be Ordained

2009-03-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

My partner in ministry, Tara Healy posted this on her Facebook. As we have been considering planting a church together it is funny, to the point of frustration, how many are against women in ministry. I hope you enjoy the list as much as I did.

I receive this in an email and thought "How darkly funny!" Although this list we may consider absurd, we however do not apply that same absurdity to the list of restrictions to the ordination of women, when often reasons such as this exist as reasons to exclude women from ordination. Perhaps someday the list that is given about the exclusion of women will be just as "darkly funny" as this list. Enjoy and discuss!

Top 10 Reasons Why Men Shouldn't Be Ordained:

10. A man's place is in the army.

9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.

8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.

7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.

6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.

5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.

4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.

3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.

2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, change the oil in the church vans, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.

1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.

Kings

2009-03-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am sure I have mentioned this numerous times but I love TV! Really! I love sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, games shows and even info-commercials. I cannot get enough TV! I thank God for allowing us the ability to create the DVR; my DVR can record four shows at any one time.

A new show was introduced to me last night: Kings. I was unsure what the show was about and really didn’t want to be sucked into another show, I watch too much TV already. I am thinking about seeking medical attention for this disorder. I saw the commercials for the show but didn’t pay much attention, who wants to watch a show about a modern king of a country similar to the USA? Not me!

But then I heard it was based on the Biblical narrative of King David. Really?

King Silas (Saul), whose last name is Benjamin is the current leader of the unified country of Gilboa. King Saul, a Benjamite, was the first king of the unified Israel, before Israel and Judah split.

The capital city of Gilboa is Shiloh. Gilboa is the mountain where Saul and his sons were killed, rather Saul committed suicide and fell on his own sword there.

Shiloh is mentioned throughout Joshua as the meeting and worshiping place of the Israelites. It was at this place where Samuel the prophet was raised.

The religious leader of Gilboa is a Reverend Samuels, think Samuel the prophet.

David Shepherd is the hero of the story, think King David, who was a shepherd. His father’s name is Jesse but he died in the unification war.

Reverend Samuels stopped by David’s family home with car problem. David fixed the problem and Rev. Samuels anointed David’s forehead.

King Silas’ son is Jack Benjamin. I am waiting to see the parallels to Jonathan. David saved Jack Benjamin, who was captured by the army of Gath, by destroying Goliath, a military tank. He used a rocket launcher rather than using a sling.

David didn’t wear his military uniform with the country’s insignia (a butterfly) because he couldn’t run it. This is very similar to David refusing to wear Saul’s armor into battle.

David falls in love with Michelle Benjamin, King Silas’ daughter. King Saul’s daughter’s name was Michal.

The butterfly is the national image of Gilboa. We are told that a group of butterflies encircled King Silas’ head and made a crown, signifying that he was to be king. At the end of last night’s show butterflies encircle David’s head and make a crown as King Silas watches.

Ok I am sucked into another show, I hope I have enough room on my DVR. If you don’t want to know what happens next, don’t read your Bible. But if you want to understand the story better I would suggest you read your Bible.

Lent 2009

2009-02-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

Lent started this past Wednesday and as in years past I was contemplating what I should “give up” as I prepared my heart for Easter. In the past I have given up coffee, soda and even TV for the entire period of Lent. These items had a grip on me and it was good to acknowledge the grip they had on me, the problem was I focused on the grip and not on Jesus. As soon as Easter came I was quick to jump back into my old ways, I still drink coffee to excess. I still watch too much TV, is DVR of the devil? So this year I decided to approach Lent from a different angle.

This year for Lent I wanted to give things up but not so radically that I miss the focus: the death and resurrection of Jesus. So my plan is as follows.

During Lent I will be reading through the Gospels. Do you know that more is written in the Gospels about the resurrection of Jesus than His birth? Bible Gateway has a great reading plan that I am using.

On Tuesdays I am fasting. I am not a fan of fasting but I hoping to do some quality research on the benefits of fasting and focusing that day on how God supplies my daily needs. This day will also be a day devoted to a more intense prayer time.

Fridays I am not eating meat of any kind except fish. Now that may sound simple but think of all the ways that meat pops up in your daily life. Last night I enjoyed a grilled swordfish!

I will keep you updated on how I am progressing and what I am learning in the process. I am excited to see how God communicates this Lent. But maybe even more, I am excited to see how well I hear God this Lenten season. What are some things you doing or giving up for Lent?

Give it Away

2009-02-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

Just got done watching the news and saw the video below. Imagine a church giving it all away.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dr. Dobson Steps Aside

2009-02-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

According to the Associated Press– Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago.

Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning at a monthly worship service, said Jim Daly, the group's president and chief executive officer.

Dobson, 72, will continue to host Focus on the Family's flagship radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues, Daly said.

Now I know a lot of my conservative friends are grieving this announcement while many of my liberal friends are rejoicing. What do you think, is this the start of the end of this organization? Will their voice be heard (or listened to) in the future?

Legacy or Destiny

2009-01-31T16:18:00.000-08:00

For some life is about leaving something behind, a way to be remembered by family and friends. For others it is about insuring that they will have lived the right life and maybe prayed the prayer to reach the pearly gates. But which is most important: the legacy or the destiny?

Legacy

Have you ever considered what people will say about you once you have died? Will I have done the things that God wanted me to do? Will I have been good to others around me? Will I be missed, or just forgotten? Will I leave anything that will help make my kid’s lives easier?

What about in the future, will I be remembered? Will there be a plaque commemorating some contribution I gave to society? Will I have a building named after me? Or will I just be another name in the Ellis book of genealogy on a family tree?

I have a great uncle, Rube Ellis who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1909 to 1912. He also played for the some minor league teams before and after his major league career. I have a couple of his baseball cards and a large poster of one of his cards hanging in my office. One significant piece of history I know about my great uncle is that he played a game against Babe Ruth in Brea, California. The ball field was located where the Ralph’s on Imperial and Brea Blvd. is located today. Besides that ball game, his career stats and some family information I know little about my great uncle. But Rube’s memory lives on in some baseball books and web sites.

Destiny

Have you ever considered life after death? What happens next? Does your body just become worm food? What happens to your soul?

I have been considering the “what next” question. Maybe I should start with the “what first” question. Are we only living our lives in expectation of life after death? Is it just about getting to heaven? And if heaven is the goal why should I be concerned about the here and the now?

When I consider reaching a destination I think of the journey we find ourselves on. Half the fun of a road trip is the car ride. Reaching the destination is sometimes anticlimactic (consider the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation). But for the journey of “what next” I do not know if that is a destination we will see in our lifetime. But it should be a great road trip! Do not get me wrong there is a destination but it may be different than we have thought (read Revelation 21).

So, which is most important the legacy or the destiny?

Help Wanted?

2009-01-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

This morning I saw this great picture on Brad Ruggles’ blog as he talked about the tensions that we are facing in this crazy economic time. Many churches and nonprofits (which I now can say I have worked for both) are cutting jobs or not replacing open positions. I have been out of work for the past four months and have been busy trying to land the right job in youth ministry. They have been very few openings that were right for me. It has been frustrating.

So today I have an interview with a retail grocery story. I spent almost 30 years in the grocery industry, and most all of those years in a management position. I really enjoyed those years in the store working with others and serving the needs of those that shopped in my store. Even though it is not a ministry job I looking forward to the possibility of returning to my former career.

This might not be a job where I plan all-nighters or pizza parties. This might not be the job where I create messy games or play egg blow. But this job is an opportunity to meet people, where they are, living out their daily lives. Working in a church sometimes limits our connection with those outside Christianity. It is my hope that I can land this job and connect with people inside and outside Christianity.

Please consider praying with me that God opens just the right door to just the right career.

Wish I was fitter

2009-01-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

How you feeling today?

We ain’t seen anything yet!

2009-01-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

Next Wednesday night Lost returns to TV and I am very excited. The past seasons have been the attempts of the castaways to get off the island. This season the Oceanic 6 are attempting to return to the Island. But the Island has disappeared and all that left the Island must return, but who does that really include? What about dead Locke?

In the Orange County Register today a columnist wrote that he has solved the mystery of Lost.

For me, the light bulb finally went on when Ben climbed down a ladder at Jacob's behest.

In Genesis, Jacob had a dream of a ladder that reached between heaven and Earth. The "Lost" island is a Jacob's Ladder for the post-Einstein world.

Rather than a ladder to heaven, it is a gateway to other dimensions, including the afterlife. Hence, the appearances of many dead people to the passengers, as well as the resurrections of Locke and others.

Jacob, as the ruling being of the Island, holds the key to the link between Earth and the extra-dimensional worlds.

Another thought I read was that the survivors are stuck between Heaven and Hell, with Jacob’s ladder being blocked somehow by Ben. Consider that Richard and the Others do not age, and no babies are born on the island.

It’s all amazing and who knows what will be the actual truth! All I know is that this season of Lost will be great! We ain’t seen anything yet!

In the Bible we read the story of Jacob’s dream and a vision of a ladder that reaches to Heaven.

Genesis 28:12 He (Jacob) had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

God appears to Jacob and gives Jacob a promise that includes land, descendants and continuing protection through all the wanderings that will follow and all peoples of the earth will be blessed through his descendants.

In the New Testament Philip encounters Jesus and he believes immediately that the Messiah has arrived. Philip tells Nathanael to come see Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael responds, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”(John 1:46)

Later Jesus tells Nathanael "You shall see greater things than that. I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:50c-51)

Encountering Jesus is life changing. We have an idea of what is in store for us but I really think that “We ain’t seen anything yet!”

Chastity, Marriage and Babies

2009-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

In Mark Driscoll’s Blog today he talks about the Spiritual Discipline of Chastity. Now I will admit being married has helped me not worry too much about this topic. But there is a phenomenon happening in our culture (you know I love exploring cultural things) that has been shaping marriage, or rather when individuals get married.

Driscoll shares some interesting statistics:

Statistically in the U.S., the number of unmarried adults has continually increased, with 36 percent in 1970, 39 percent in 1980, 41 percent in 1990, and 44 percent in 2000. In 2006, for the first time in history, the number of unmarried people exceeded 50 percent of the adult population. Both men and women are waiting longer to marry for the first time; the median age for men went from 23 in 1950 to 27 in 2003, and the median age for women jumped from 20 to 25 in that same period.

But the other bit of information that Driscoll shares is that individuals are more sexually active at a younger age.

A 2006 report on NPR said that 80 percent of Americans are sexually active by the age of 20, and only 20 percent of women marry as virgins. Furthermore, cohabitation has increased 72 percent between 1990 and 2000, and the cohabitation rate increased ten-fold between 1960 and 2000. Fully 41 percent of Americans will cohabitate at some point during their life.

From a Reuters article in 2004 fewer teens were getting pregnant but more unwed women were having babies. 45% of all pregnancies were to unwed mothers. 12% of all pregnancies were to teenagers (compared to 15%in 1990).

So what does this all mean? Chap Clark in his book Hurt shares that adolescence continues longer in life than in past generations. For my generation you were fully out of adolescence by the time you reached 18. Today Clark states that there is a stage of life called post- adolescence which lasts for some individuals until they are 28. Is it an unwillingness to commit the issue? How does maturity play into this?

I am seeing more and more young people getting married later in life. I have had to encourage those that are living together and enjoying all the benefits of marriage to consider getting married. It was hard enough for my generation to attempt to stay virgins until 18, imagine the added difficulty to stay a virgin until 22, 25 or even 28. There are so many outside influences that work to destroy whatever foundation we have built into the lives of our sons and daughters. As a youth pastor it requires a renewed effort, filled with creativity, each year to share again the benefits of living a chaste life.

The Wind of Change

2009-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was reminded of the movie “Mary Poppins.” Now I know that you may be thinking “Why and how does Mary Poppins come up in everyday conversation?” In the story two children decide to write up their ideas on what would make a perfect nanny for them only to have their stern father tear up their list and throw it into the fireplace where a strange wind carries it up the chimney. The next day there is a change in the weather, the wind changes direction and blows all the unqualified nannies away. But the wind of change also brings in the most qualified nanny: Mary Poppins.

We live in a world that is changing, and for some this change is happening rapidly and is an unwelcome intruder threatening to take away safety and security. Many have been saving and investing in various money market accounts: CD’s, T Bills, property, stocks, and numerous others ways to grow their money. But many have lost the wealth they have stored up for themselves, money that would ensure a simpler life during retirement. The questions become, “Who do you trust, the bank or God?” and “Where are you storing your treasure?”

We live in a world that is changing, and getting smaller. We can connect with people around the world and talk to them in real time. Social media (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and others) have created a world where our neighbor can be another continent away. We hear about the evils happening to people groups, sometimes even before the world’s media pick it up (example Dafur, Somli Pirates and the attacks in India). We can connect with our favorite author or musician and discover they are people with hopes and dreams, just like us. And we get to read, discover and share ideas and thoughts. How will we deal with the injustices around the world?

We live in a world that is changing. Next week Barrack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th president. 140 years ago the Civil War was ending and through the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, slavery was abolished. 100 years later our country faced civil unrest as African Americans fought for equal rights. That was 40 years ago. 40 years ago African Americans were given the right to vote. 40 years, a generation later, Barrack Obama is president. Isn’t it ironic that Inauguration Day is the day after Martin Luther King Day?

We live in a changing world. We can fight it, and sometimes we should, or we can support it.

Over 2,000 years ago a man was executed on a Roman cross, this in itself was not unusual and many in the Roman Empire faced a similar punishment. But this man was thought to be the savior of the world, but then he died. For his followers this death was unexpected, they believed he was the son of God, indestructible. But he died.

Most all of you know the story but three days after he was laid to rest in a tomb where he rose from the dead and was physically alive again. He beat death! This is the resurrection. I have been reading through N.T. Wright’s book “Surprised by Hope” and Wright explains that this unexpected resurrection was a culturally changing event. It changed history. Consider that in a very short period of time the day of worship changed from Saturday to Sunday.

Change is not new, we have all read our history books on movements and culture shifts, some have been good and some have been bad. But God is in charge of the wind and the wave, he is in control and he is allowing the winds of change to happen in our world.

Real Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the body!

2008-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

The weather is cool and last night I made an amazing pot of homemade chicken soup. What I love about making this soup is that it is sooooo easy! And it costs so little to make so much. I bought a whole body chicken at Stater Bros for 49 cents a pound (around $3.50 for one chicken!). I had left over celery and carrots in my fridge but that would have cost me less than $2. I bought a bag of frozen carrots, $1.50 and 2 bags of frozen grandma noodles (taste homemade) for $2.99 a bag, this was my most expensive purchase. So for around $11 I made enough soup for two meals and I had extra chicken for sandwiches or whatever strikes our fancy.

The recipe:

Put one whole chicken in crock pot and fill to the top with water, add a couple stalks of celery and a couple carrots and one quartered brown onion, cook on high for about 5 or 6 hours (till done). Also add seasonings: salt, pepper bay leaf, etc.

Remove chicken and let cool. Once cool enough to handle remove chicken from bones. Throw away those bones! Store in fridge.

Strain the broth through a cheese cloth and a strainer

Store broth over night in fridge. Next day remove fat from the top of the broth and discard.

Heat broth, add chicken cut into pieces, carrots (I used frozen carrots), and grandma noodles (found in the freezer section of the store). Bring to boil then simmer till noodles are cooked and enjoy!

Tip: taste the broth if it doesn't have enough chicken flavor, add chicken bouillon and maybe more salt. If you do not have enough liquid add canned chicken broth.

enjoy!

New Book!

2008-12-29T10:37:00.001-08:00

I have just started reading a new book I got for Christmas (thanks Michele!): Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright. Amazing book!

The book is filled with great insight into the hope we should focus on as we consider the resurrection. Are we just going to a better place? Where are we going and when will we get there? What is the impact of the Jesus' resurrection? What was the reaction of the disciples? What should my reaction be? How should it affect my life today, tomorrow?

What we say about death and resurrection gives shape and color to everything else. If we are not careful, we will offer merely a "hope" that is no longer a surprise, no longer able to transform lives and communities in the present, no longer generated by the resurrection of Jesus himself and looking forward to the promised new heaven and new earth.

Therefore Wright says it matters what we do in the present. It is not a future expectation but rather a life lived fully now.

Easter was when Hope in person surprised the world by coming forward into the present.

Peace Thought

2008-12-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

I am nearly finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" and have been praying and thinking about Advent when I came across this incredible statement:

In times of war, you often hear leaders--Christian, Jewish and Muslim--saying, "God is on our side." But that isn't true. In war, God is on the side of the refugees, widows and orphans.

This kinda sums up my messages the past two weeks, God hears the cries of the oppressed, and He responds because God is active.

Books I am Reading

2008-12-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lately I have had some free time to read, being unemployed affords you the time to read. It is funny that I heard on the news last night that more and more people are re-discovering the library. I know as my own economic situation worsens I will be buying less books and checking out more books from the library. APU Grad library here I come!

I just wanted to share what books I currently have been actively reading

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson. This is an amazing story of a former mountain climber’s compassion for people. By accident he got lost on the trail down a mountain and ended up in a village here he warmly received and nourished. While spending time with the villagers he sees the need for education in this community, especially among the girls. So his story involves building schools in a country, Pakistan, where many would stay clear of.

The Wounded Healer by Henri M. Nouwen. This book is rocking me! I was encouraged to read it as I continue to deal with my own personal and spiritual healing. As I am reading through this book, which has now become my morning devotional, I see insight into our world today through the eyes of the writer written over 35 years ago.

Reimaging Church by Frank Viola. I am about half way through this book but it is getting increasingly harder and harder to read. I will finish it! The author believes that the church structure, including the building, has been lost through time. The first century church should be the model of the church today as we build community. I do not discount the home church model but wonder if we that model is the predominant choice. Is it too late? But what can we pull from the first century church and incorporate into our “traditional” churches today?

Planting Missional Churches: Planting a Church That’s Biblically Sound and Reaching People in Culture by Ed Stetzer. I have just started reading this book and I am very excited about it. It is a “how to” book but it is so much more, Stetzer discusses the need for church plants and why we should plant churches. Stetzer identifies problems in the church and gives solutions. Financial support, discipleship, denominational influences and other issues are all explored. I am looking forward to reading through this book.

As we are exploring the possibility of starting a church I am also revisiting some of my seminary books. Two of these books on my desk right now are:

The Open Church: How to Bring Back the Exciting Life of the First Century Church by James H. Ruiz

Shaped by God’s Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches by Milfred Minatrea

Peace Prayer

2008-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

From the Common Book of Prayer
A Prayer for Social Justice

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit
may so move every human heart,
that barriers which divide us may crumble,
suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease;
that our divisions being healed,
we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

One Example of Peace on Earth

2008-12-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

One definition of peace is an absence of war or conflict. I am not sure if I will ever see our world in a time without conflict, there always seems to be a war somewhere. But I do know that when Jesus came to earth as a man He brought peace. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Peace on earth can be experienced, maybe not in the fullest sense we see in Isaiah 11:6-9 where predator will live peacefully with the prey.

As you consider aspects of peace read through the amazing story of a time of peace experienced on a battlefield many years ago. I am praying that a time of peace, regardless of how short, can be experienced on our many battlefields this Christmas.

The Christmas Truce

The truce began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The Scottish troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.

The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts were exchanged — whisky, jam, cigars, chocolate, and the like. The soldiers exchanged gifts, sometimes addresses, and drank together. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects. At one funeral in No Man's Land, soldiers from both sides gathered and read a passage from the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Article on The Christmas Truce came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

Another Nouwen Jem

2008-12-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

He is confronted with not only with the elaborate and expense to save the life of one man through a heart transplantation, but also with the powerlessness of the world to help when thousands of people die from the lack of food.

Great Henri Nouwen Quote

2008-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

I just started reading another amazing book by Henri Houwen, The Wounded Healer. I only on page 8 and came across this great quote:

When man's historical consciousness is broken the whole Christian message seems like a lecture about the great pioneers to a boy on an acid trip.

I am excited to get deeper into the book. Thanks Anne Jackson for recommending this book. Please check out Anne's new book Mad Church Disease coming out soon, there is a free chapter available to read.

Hope vs Hopelessness

2008-12-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

The message of the first week of Advent is HOPE. Hope is the desire for something with the possibility of, or belief in, its realization. Hope must have a goal. Hope is foundational and based in truth; otherwise, our hopes are just daydreams or fantasies. Hope involves our belief that what we hope for can be accomplished.

But maybe the best way to understand hope is to compare it to hopelessness.

We live in a world filled with guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, anger, sadness and oppression. Hopelessness is suicide, abortion and divorce. Hopelessness is bigotry, hatred, violence and murder. Hopelessness is hunger, poverty, sickness and death.

Feelings of hopelessness overcome us as we lose all out material objects. Sometimes this happens through natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and fire. I have a friend that is sifting through the ashes of his home that burned to the ground looking for anything of value, any memory, or any heirloom. Hope comes from the ashes.

To take residence in hopelessness is to live without Christ. The sign above the entrance to Dante’s hell says, “Abandon hope all you who enter here.” For Dante, hell is a place with no hope. Enter hell and give up hope. Hell is the place of hopelessness.

Hope has history. If we look at our Bible we see a story, a history of God trying to reconnect with His people. Creation could have just rolled over and died by living in hopelessness. But it didn’t, there has always been hope.

Hope and faith are cousins, they are related.
Jesus Christ is our hope, and we place our faith in Jesus

Hope has a past
Hope is present
Hope has a future

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lam. 3:21-23).

Advent Week 1 Hope

2008-12-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

While preparing for my message on hope this past Sunday I happened upon an incredible article titled "African American Advent and Christmas Spirituals" by Melva Wilson Costen. Although Melva was writing to an African American situtation, the opening paragraph speaks volume to conditions throughout the world today.

Waiting, expectantly and patiently waiting, for one who has already come. Waiting, hopefully waiting, in anticipation of the promised peace and justice in a world overwhelmed with injustices of all kinds. Longing, waiting, yearning, and simultaneously rejoicing that the Prince of Peace has appeared and is to be remembered in a special way. Preparing to receive again the ultimate gift from God - Emmanuel -God with us. This is Advent.

The four weeks leading up to Christmas is called Advent. Advent means coming or arrival. Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance! Jesus’ coming to earth was a history changing and a life changing event for a group of oppressed people 2000 years ago. But it is just as significant for our culture today as we continue to be prepared for the day when Jesus comes again. This is Advent.

"Christ has come! Christ has risen! Christ will come again!"

Isaiah 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Light of The World

2008-11-28T18:55:00.001-08:00

I was doing a little exploring on the internet and I found this amazing light switch plate. I think I have something to add to my Christmas list (ebay doesn't have one!).

Christ and a Coke

2008-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Product placement is important. Because of the economic situation this year many churches have had to look for corporate sponsorship.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church-A Parable

2008-11-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Check out this great video. Maybe your church is like this.

Thanks Len Sweet and Rick Chromey for video!

I Have a Dream

2008-11-06T22:35:00.000-08:00

Let me repeat the last words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's amazing speech

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Hope

2008-11-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

I am a child of the 60’s, I have seen change. I have seen people struggling to be heard. I have seen people oppressed. I have seen walls of division. I have seen triumphs and victories, and I have seen tears and loss. But along the way I have seen visions of hope.

I have seen a Catholic man become President and give a nation hope

I have seen his brother run for President along side of people of color to give hope

I have seen an African American with a dream give millions of people with color hope

I have seen the right to vote given to all people to have a voice and a hope

I have seen an African American woman refuse to give her seat on a bus and give others hope

I have seen women gain equality and have given their sisters hope

I have seen a Hispanic man rally to give farm workers hope

I have seen a man walk on the moon and give a world a sense of hope

I saw history last night as an African American became President with the promise of hope to all people. May we all come together as brothers and sisters with a common dream and a common hope.

Ron Howard Campaigns for Obama

2008-10-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of Ron Howard showing his support for Barrack Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Halloween Thoughts

2008-10-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I looked forward to Halloween. Mom always made our costumes, although there were a few years when we bought costumes. I remember being a clown, a ghost, a hobo or even Batman. It was great to dress up. When I became a dad I remember taking my daughters out in their own costumes. They would dress up as princesses and cheerleaders. Like I did many years before, we would go door to door collecting candy from our neighbors. The neighbors got such a big kick out of seeing the girls in their costumes. Our closest neighbors gave them extra candy or a special gift purchased just for them.

As I am considering Halloween I am wondering if our Christian attempt to take over Halloween has done it a disservice. Churches open up their campuses on Halloween night to offer a safe alternative; some call it Harvest Festival or a Pumpkin Party. But consider for a moment if Halloween has ever really been unsafe.

How many news reports have we seen or read about tainted candy given to kids by some crazy? How many kids have become followers of Satan because of Halloween?

Now I have had many good times at Harvest Festivals and Pumpkin Parties at many churches. We open this night to the community to come and enjoy a safe night of Trick or Treat at church. We desire that this night would be an outreach event to a lost world. But I wonder if most of the people coming to our Harvest Festivals and Pumpkin Parties are not just other Christians. Have churches missed the mark?

Here is my thought, for what it is worth: cancel church sponsored Halloween. Instead, encourage the congregation to go door to door with their kids and meet their neighbors. Get excited to greet every kid that Trick or Treats at your door. Don’t give out tracks! Spend some money on candy and be generous! Think about it, your neighbors are coming to your door, it is a natural ice breaker. This is a night to build relationships.

Fear Filled Election

2008-10-25T10:49:00.001-07:00

I know we probably don’t need another response to the election but I have some thoughts. There is a letter being circulated throughout the web predicting what the US will look like in 2012 (Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America) if Barack Obama is elected president. There are many people who are seriously fearful of the outcome of this coming election. Negative campaigning suggests there is only one choice, the right choice. If that wrong individual or proposition gets elected or passed the world is going to fall apart and you will lose your freedoms because of your wrong choice. You were warned!

Please do not let fear dictate who you vote for. Be intelligent, research the candidates and their running mates.

Do you know there are good Christian Republicans and good Christian Democrats? Maybe you have been told Christians only vote for Republicans. Therefore if you vote for a Democrat you must not be a Christian.

Do you know we have had bad Republican Presidents and bad Democratic Presidents and we have had great Republican and great Democratic Presidents? Some of these bad presidents also claimed to be Christians.

Bottom line: when we consider the teachings of Jesus where does love play out in the political process. Isn’t love Christ’s vision statement? If so, every issue and every candidate should be measured by their capacity to love and to share that love with neighbor. Our neighbors are poor and rich, black and white. Our neighbor can be across the street or across the world. Maybe 1 Corinthians 13 needs to be read again.

Institution or Relationship

2008-10-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

When I think of the word institution I think of a building or an organization. It is a place or a set of beliefs that are governed safely from inside. If you are not following the rules of the institution you can be considered unsafe and risk expulsion. Institutions have rules and regulations that help the members know what is expected from the members of the organization. Institutions protect, sometimes forcefully, those on the inside from those on the outside.

Institutions have a hierarchy that puts individuals in roles of leadership over others. Institutions are concerned with the membership of the organization from the top down with little resources for those outside the institution. The rules of the institution are generally established and enforced by those in leadership of the institution.

Occasionally institutions may feel attacked. These attacks can come from its own organization but most time these attacks come from outside the walls of the institution. In answer to these attacks strategies must be implemented to shore up the institution to demonstrate stability and strength.

As I was reading the book The Shack, Mack asks Jesus for his thoughts on the institution of marriage. Jesus responds, “Marriage is not an institution. It is a relationship.” So what is a relationship?

A relationship is the connectedness of two or more people. We are related to others through blood, like interests, affections, race, religion and nationality. For some this relationship involves a deep affection for another that leads to marriage. For some their relationship with God compels them to love others, outside themselves. A relationship is alive. It is not bound by hierarchy or rules. It should be impossible to expel one from the relationship because of infractions.

At the core of all relationships is love. At the core of all institutions is survival.

So when I consider my life and all the shortcomings that I bring into the world, I desire to be surrounded by individuals in a relationship who love me in spite of my sinfulness. Jesus tore down many walls to bring us into a relationship with Him. Walls keep people out, relationships allow people in. Maybe that is why Jesus knocks at a door and calls Himself a gate.

So the bigger question; “Is church an institution or a relationship?”

Reflections from Mr. Blue Jay

2008-10-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

In our busy lives we sometimes miss the little things and it is wild how these little things are so easily missed, especially if we are so busy being spun by the world. Every morning, around 8 or 9 a Blue Jay comes and visits us. Mr. Blue Jay (Monica named him) will land on my patio furniture and help himself to some peanuts we have put out for him. I am not sure if he loves salted and roasted peanuts better than raw peanuts or unsalted peanuts, I happen to like salted and roasted peanuts so that is what I buy. On some mornings we will forget to put out the peanuts and Mr. Blue Jay has no problem letting us know. If I am reading I will hear his squawking and I must get up or if Monica is watching the news she must get up, but Mr. Blue Jay needs his peanuts. Life stops for Mr. Blue Jay until we meet his needs. Some mornings Mr. Blue Jay will come and watch me put the peanuts out for him, but from a safe distance, he doesn’t like to get too close. I am hoping that some day he will allow me to drink coffee in the backyard as he gets his peanuts. He doesn’t eat the peanuts right away but rather goes and hides them throughout the yard storing them for another day. I think he likes them soft and mushy, gross. In a world that seems to be spinning faster and faster everyday it is great to be able to stop. And just because we stop, the spinning and the spinning of the world and everything in it doesn’t end, life continues even when we take a time out. I pray that God allows you the opportunity to stop and connect with His creation and to spend less time being endlessly spun.

The Better Debate

2008-10-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

My buddy Robert Gonzalez found this awesome video!

24 Hours of TBN?

2008-10-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

I found this interesting, 24 hours straight of TBN! Can you imagine? I am not sure even Jack Bauer could handle it.

On a weekend in last November Nadia Bolz-Weber (and 28 of her friends who signed up for an hour each) watched 24 consecutive hours of Trinity Broadcasting Network, the cable network which broadcasts the likes of Benny Hinn, Crefllo Dollar, Joyce Meyer and other prosperity preachers. To read an excerpt from her upcoming book on the experience—Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television (Seabury, 2008), go to the Emergent Village.

I'd love to hear how you would do watching 24 hours of TBN

Student vs Youth

2008-10-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have taken the past month off from writing anything on this blog, but amazingly it still gets some significant hits everyday. That encourages me to continue to write more about how God is using me and what I am learning through His word, through my relationships and through our intimate times of prayer.

Yesterday I received an email newsletter from Group Magazine. I appreciate Group Magazine and the folks who put it all together for youth workers around the world. It is a great resource. In the editoral column Rick Lawrence allowed Christian Smith (author of the book Soul Searching, which I strongly recommend that all youth pastors have on their book shelves) to write the column. In the column Christian Smith asks that student ministry return the label of youth ministry. Along with that students would be called youth and student pastors would be youth pastors.

His arguments in favor of this are that some of the students we work with are no longer in fact students, there may be teenagers in our high school groups that have dropped out of school, therefore they are not students. Another point he makes is what about home-schoolers who are not students in the traditional sense where do they fall?

He concludes with a plea to "Christian youth workers all over the country (you!) to change your “shaping” language—to use language that honors teenagers as whole human persons in God’s kingdom. Please stop calling teenagers students, and ask everyone around you to do the same."

I understand Christian Smith’s concern about how we address our groups. For years I rallied the adults in my church to consider changing their labeling of the kids (their language) to students (my language). These individuals were in the midst of life change as they left children’s ministry and entered into student ministry, especially in light of middle school ministry. Considering what Christian Smith says, our youth groups of middle school and high school are groups of students, they all attend school. For me I see little need to change the language for these groups.

But as I look at college ministries I understand that the language falls short. In college and career groups we do need to examine the language we use to call our groups. Calling this group “youth” falls short, similar to the change we see as an individual moves from children’s ministry into middle school ministry. I agree that calling this group “students” falls short too since many may not be attending school any longer. I also have concerns with labeling this group as “young adults” because this seems to convey a sense of less than a “real” adult. Isn’t that some of the same issues many are feeling in their churches currently?

I do not profess to have the answer. But what I do know is that as we lay out these arguments for and against a specific label we are showing that there are divisions in our churches. If you are at a certain age you are here or there, but few churches move beyond this to encourage all groups to come together in worship. While the children’s ministry and the student ministry are having their group time, adults are gathered for their group time. There is disconnect. Many college and career groups meet separately on Saturday or Sunday night, these individuals may help with student ministry but they do not meet with congregation. There is still disconnect from the gathered body of the church.

I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:14; 24-25 the body is not made up of one part but of many. (24-25) But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Let’s consider ways to unite the many parts of the church into one body.

Women in Leadership?

2008-09-10T01:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors is Margaret Feinberg. last year I read her book "Organic God" and fell in love with the words she wrote. I strongly recommend it, I am looking forward to reading her latest book, "The Sacred Echo."

Margaret lives in Alaska and has given some insight on Sarah Palin from her Facebook page. It is probably because of this insight that she was asked to be interviewed on CNN along with Rev. Voddie Baucham. The interview turned to the role of women in leadership in the church. Watch this video and tell me your thoughts.

How to be a Man: Pee on a Wall

2008-05-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

I found this amazing video on Youtube, I know sometimes I am there way too much! But it is fun! I am preaching in Oklahoma for Father's Day, maybe this is my message.

Tell me what you think!

Tony Jones Video

2008-04-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I hope all my pastoral friends will take the time to watch this incredible video by Tony Jones, one of my favorite bloggers and an amazing author. I would love to hear your thoughts...

The Shape of Things to Come

2008-04-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

I am excited! Lost is back next Thursday night! I have been enjoying my Thursday nights watching Lost with a group of friends. It is fun to watch others reactions to the twists that each episode brings. Thank God for DVR! We can rewind to see if we missed something, especially when the group screams.

The next episode is called "The Shape of Things to Come." Great title! But I found out it the name of an H.G. Wells book. And you know how the writers love to use books in the plot lines. This novel was based around the prophetic dreams of a doctor that come true. In the novel these visions were written down in 1930 and the book later found in 2010. Kinda like a flash back!

Guess I have some time to do some more research on this book and maybe find the movie.

I can't wait!!!!!!!

The Sound of Silence

2008-04-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a video to go with the Simon and Garfunkel song, "The Sound of Silence" and found this great video. Enjoy!

Sunday Mornings

2008-03-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of my pleasures each Sunday morning is to watch CBS News Sunday Morning. It is a fresh show that has been on for many, many years. This is not a show that is going to give you the latest dirt on celebrities but rather we see the good in people. If you want to wake up and start a day feeling good about the world and the people that inhabit it I highly recommend this show.

This past Sunday two topics were discussed: The Peace Sign and Lenny Kravitz.

I did not realize that the Peace Sign is 50 years old this year. It has always been a symbol that I have been familiar with growing up along with the raising of two fingers. The hippie movement helped display this non-copy righted symbol for everyone to see in the art, their clothing and their desired ay of life.

I remember growing up during the Cold War when people were afraid of The Bomb. A movement started to disarm the world of their nuclear bombs. The Peace Sign is the combination of two symbols for N and D: Nuclear Disarmament. During the 60’s we would hold monthly bomb drills in our school classrooms. We would get under our desks and wait for the all clear sound. Thinking back I wonder how much protection my desk offered in case of a real nuclear bomb being dropped nearby.

I do not know if we will ever see, in our lifetime, a time where the world is free from conflict or war. But I do know that we can experience a time of personal inner peace, or shalom, through our relationship with Jesus. It is through this relationship that we can rely fully on Him to guide and leads us because He is our King.

May the movement to achieve peace never die. And many those seeking peace discover it.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I always liked Lenny Kravitz’s music. But Sunday I got to see another side to this man, I like him even more.

Through the interview process we learn that he is the son of a very mixed marriage. His mom is black and his dad is white. His mom is Christian and his dad is Jewish. He says that he identifies himself as a follower of Jesus, but he did not discount his Jewishness. The diversity of growing up in this household must have been rich. In his homes he displays a large portrait of his late mother.

But then the topic of celibacy was mentioned. It turns out that Lenny is 3 years into a promised celibacy until he finds his perfect mate. Wow! This sex symbol is celibate, my wife thinks he is even hotter now. It is my hope that others will ear about this celibacy and embrace it and not belittle it. I can imagine a future marriage for Lenny Kravitz that is based on love and not on a physical feeling.

Christvertising: Selling in the Name of the Lord

2008-03-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

I was cruising the web and catching up on my blog readings when I found this amazing link posted by Robin Dugall to Christvertising. This “unique” web site uses the power of prayer to help you sell your brand, they call it Brand-Targeted Prayer (BTP).

It makes me laugh and cry. I hope it is the best prank ever produced. And if it is a prank what does that say about Christian marketing? If you happen upon the site please look through Who, What, Why, How and Where sections.

Some of the sales slogans from their web site include:

Christvertising takes a whole new approach to marketing your brand. We skip the strategic deliverables. We pass on the matrixes, the payoffs and the metrics. We ignore any viral functionality. We focus on the ultimate end-user: God…

…If God loves your brand, it will become stronger and more successful.

We skip the strategic deliverables. We pass on the matrices, the payoffs and the metrics. We ignore any viral functionality. We focus on the ultimate end-user: God

But the company does offer a wide variety of refreshments.

And just when I thought I saw enough I find this video on YouTube informing us of a new service with Christvertising they are offering in light of Easter called TBR: Targeted Brand Resurrection.

Quaker Meadow Job Opportunities

2008-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Summer is approaching quickly and many of you may want to work at an amazing place: Quaker Meadow. Applications for employment are at the Quaker Meadow web site

The Quaker Meadow Staff is an integral part of the mission of QM- to “win and train youth and adults for Christ”. All applicants should know that we have extremely high standards for moral integrity, for a willingness to humbly serve and for a positive attitude. Hours are long and the work is hard, but the benefits are eternal and a summer on staff can be life changing (and very fun too!).

Applications will be available for the 2008 summer staff after January 15. Application deadline is March 15. We plan to have our staff in place by early April. All Leadership applicants must be able to complete the core 10 weeks of summer without leaving camp (June 14 - August 16). We will consider Support Team applicant arrival and departure times on a case by case basis.

It would be great to see many of you working with me this summer at camp!