Do you Dream of Changing the World?

Our church gathered tonight for some teaching. The theme... our version of the Davos Question... being a church that Dreams of Changing the World. So how would you answer? What one thing do you think that countries, companies, churches or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?

Here is Bono's answer:

Your Calling is Calling

This is by far my favorite commercial right now. The idea of breaking the mold... and going against the flow... and even considering a higher calling... just resonates. Kudos Monster!

DETERMINATION

We are cracking the whip about our picky son not eating the food we put in front of him. Notice those 3 tiny pieces of chicken drowned in ketchup... that is the source of today's stand-off. It is 2:25pm and he is still finishing off last night's dinner. No we haven't made him sit in the chair all night... but he will be eating those juicy little morsels before this battle is over.

Burrito-ville Blessings

Have you ever been at the wrong place... at the right time? I have... yesterday... and oh it was such a buh-lessing. I had conversations with 3 different pastors from 3 different churches in a span of less than one hour... is God trying to tell me something?



















I planned on a meeting Steve, a local youth pastor, at the local Chipotle. Now I rarely go out to lunch in the first place, so this is a special occasion. So I'm meeting Steve out at Chipotle...but I completely go to the wrong one... and he has to double back to meet me there. I am always encouraged by his perspective on things and his example. This lunch proves to be no different.

During our lunch... I spot, Jonathon, a guy I met in Cincinnati but hadn't seen in 8 years. At the end of my lunch with Steve I go up to say hi. I find out that he went off to seminary in Philadelphia and is now pastoring a church up in Mount Vernon. He just happens to be in Columbus today. We now have coffee scheduled to catch up more on each others story.

As I'm getting ready to leave... I spot Brad, another local pastor, sitting off in the corner. We'd only met once, but I sit down and we pick up the conversation that we'd started a few months back. In just a few minutes he encourages me more than I could imagine.

What are the chances of that? And when it comes to that... What some call chance, I call the providence of God. I'm a pretty relational guy. There are not many things that can fill my tank like a few positive interactions with people. I could not have orchestrated a better lunch... but with chance... I guess I didn't have to.

Consumed to Death

I am fascinated by the show The Biggest Loser. The show where some of the heaviest people you’ve ever seen work off the weight in weeks that they’ve taken years to put on. They step on the scale for the first time… almost dying… barely able to walk up stairs without being winded. And they got this way for two reasons… they are great consumers… and they are very lazy. They are professional consumers… meaning they like to eat. At the same time they lead extremely passive lives… their simply isn’t enough activity in their day to burn up the energy they’ve consumed. And because of that… they’ve nearly consumed themselves to death.

I sometimes wonder if our churches have fallen into similar patterns. By creating systems that allow people to consume an excessive amount of our spiritual goods and services… but which do not allow them to actively exercise their gifts by tapping into the spiritual energy available to them.

I mean think about it… when people think of going to church they think of sitting quietly and taking in what others are serving up. And for far too many this is the extent of their church experience. The same few voices teach, lead, and share… while the masses feast at the table of religious goods. But there is no exercise… no action… and the result I fear… is no discipleship… because discipleship is an active process.

I’m challenged by a comment from pastor & author Alan Hirsch about the effects of consumerism upon the church… “we simply cannot consumer our ways into discipleship.” Where is the space for disciples-on-the-way (that is all disciples) to be active in exercising their spiritual gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ?

If the only people active in our churches are a few seminary trained men… then I think we’re missing the key to discipleship… and we’re starving our churches of some of the gifts that have been given to it.

What if the couple on the second row has an apostolic bent and is most aware of their “sent-ness”... but never gets to challenge the body to go out? What if the guy sitting on the back right has a prophetic gifting to challenge people to return to truth… but he’s stuck in the nursery every week? What if that lady in the 10th row and those few guys two rows back are gifted shepherds? Or that older lady who sits in the back and those college students are gifted teachers?

If only trained clergy is doing church…we’re in trouble. And discipleship will be choked out by gout… through excessive consumption and extreme inactivity. Literally, consumed to death. And in the end… the cause of Christ becomes the biggest loser.

What is this love?

I've been reading a children's Story Bible to my boys lately. And the way it describes God's feeling for his children is almost too good to be true. At the end of the juicy Garden scene or the "Snake Story" as my boys call it... we read of the reason for hope.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children - with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

If you've ever been dumped,
If you've ever been cut off,
If you've ever been given up on,
If you've ever been written off,
If you've ever been forgotten,
If you've ever been ignored,
If you've ever been shunned....

... just know that if you are a child of God... there is one whose love is pursuing you.

Looks can be deceiving...

John Calipari... the coach of the #2 ranked Memphis Tigers reminded me... that looks can be deceiving. It all happened when I was down in Huntington, WV this past weekend visiting some good friends... Josh & Sarah Perry. Josh landed us some tickets to Saturday's Marshall - Memphis basketball game. How often can you see a #2 ranked team play in person. Going into the game... Marshall had no chance... but that just makes the game that much more exciting.

And we have a blast... because this is how college basketball should be watched. We stuff into the 8,000 capacity gym to see if David can knock off Goliath. Not wanting to sit in our nose-bleed seats we stand in the "unofficial standing" section. But on this night Mr. Security Guard is taking his job very seriously... and chases us off to find seats 2 or 3 times. Not wanting to be on the run all night... we look for options.

It is at this time that we notice that there is a block of open seats... right in the middle of the Memphis section. It looks like none of the parents have traveled with the team to the game. So we decide to sit in among the Memphis fans until the rightful owners of the seats come and kick us out. But they never come.

So we enjoy the entire game... from the sixth row... as Memphis fights off a couple of runs and eventually blows out Marshall by 23 points. We have been cheering our lungs out for Marshall the entire time. I'm even starting to lose my voice a bit.

So after the game... I put on my sea-blue parka and we head down to the court to cut across to our exit. I notice that they are blocking off the passage and the Memphis team is getting ready to pass right in front of us... so I stick out my hand. That is when John Calipari... seeing my Memphis blue jacket, in the midst of the small crowd of Memphis fans... grabs my hand, puts his other hand on my shoulder and then says to me and the crowd behind.... "Thanks for traveling down to the game to support our boys!" How hilarious is that.

But it proves a point doesn't it. Looks can be deceiving can't they? You can't tell the character of a man by the color of his skin. You can't tell the status of a persons heart by their external appearance. You can't really know a person... if you base your knowledge by what you see on the outside... because there may be an entirely different person inside.

Coach Calipari... saw my blue-jacket... the Memphis crowd... my outstretched hand... and thought I was part of his team. But under that coat... was a full-blown Marshall fan... who had rooted on the thundering herd to a dismal defeat.

Congrats Coach on a superb win... and a timely reminder.

Here's your sign

Have you ever wanted... or even needed... a sign from God? I have. But I'm pretty skeptical about signs... and the people that are always waiting on them. There are so many ways that we try to get direction for life's decisions: we ask friends, interpret dreams, pray, listen to pastors, seek out counselors... and then there are those crazy, church signs.



Don't tell me you haven't been driving down the road... and then you come across that church sign... and suddenly your path in life becomes crystal clear. Hey... God works in mysterious ways.

So Christine and I were traveling down 23 this past weekend to visit friends in Huntington, WV... home to the thundering herd of Marshall University. And we were talking about life... where we find ourselves... where we've been.... and where we think we may be heading. For us this has been a regular conversation for awhile.

So at one point in our conversation I say to Christine... "I can't believe that God has taken us all this way, for me to be doing what I am doing right now." And then we fade into silence for the next few minutes... until I see this church sign. It reads... actually God has bigger plans for you. I'm not kidding. It was really weird... because I think that is what we'd been silently wondering ever since I'd asked the question.

So now I'm off... to bigger plans and better things... because I've got my sign.

God & Seaweed

Christine recently got Caden on film explaining one of his water-coloring projects. When he puts God in the middle of some sea-weed... the explanation turns into pre-school theology.

You will be enlightened on topics such as:
... how Jesus saves our lives...
... what God hates... and...
... how to defeat Satan



If faith is like a seed that is primarily planted and watered by Mom & Dad in the rhythm of home-life... then we've got some work to do.

Good News for T's and ND's

I had the chance to enjoy the OSU Mens hoopsters crush the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight... and I'm a bit tired... but I've want to add some thoughts to my post from the other day.

I had some fun posting on Toppers & Name-Droppers last Friday. But sometimes there is a serious issue at hand... and it comes down to your heart. If words and actions flow from the heart... then topping and name-dropping tendencies might reflect deeper heart issues. To get to the "heart" of the matter... some reflective questions can be of help, such as:

*Why do I feel the need to always share my story over-top of someone elses?
*Why can't I just enjoy someones story and affirm them?
*What motivates me to tell others that I know a famous person?
*Why do I tend to drop a well-known name into a story, when it is not necessary?
*What do I seek out of my interactions with others?
*How much affirmation do I need from others?
*What will I do to earn such a response?

This might seem a bit excessive... but let me assure that regularly checking your motives (and inviting others to help you do the same)... will uncover blind spots of self-idolatry in your life. Our hearts are prone to elevate the self and justify our value in the presence of peers. You might say to self-justify our social value... and it all boils down to the motives of the heart in the simplest things like topping or name-dropping. Maybe for you it is being fun, looking good, sounding smart, always winning, "being" spiritual... but the root is the same. Idolatry.

So on to the good news. You can stop trying. The paradox is... you win when you quit. Your value is not left up to the degree that you can improve your relative social worth. God sees behind your act... right to your imperfection and he says... I'll accept that. Jesus gave up his high position and stooped so low... that he identifies with the most broken... and his life-death-resurrection was to redeem your broken-ness so that you don't have to... if you'll quit trying and let that be your story.

So you can stop the effort... and allow your imperfection to be made perfect through the perfect one. You might not always have the best story. You might just enjoy and affirm the other. You might not be the coolest or most connected in the group. But you can rest, knowing that your redemption is secured by means of another savior... not through your own self-saving acts.

Superheroes

I think the neighborhood is going to be a bit safer in 2008... now that a couple of Superboys are on the job.



Now let's see your superhero pose.

I'm All In

Today I had a great excuse to get dressed, extra early and hop in the cars with my boys.... All Pro Dads. Aaron Conrad did a great job of gathering a crowd and calling all dads to a higher level of fatherhood.

Aaron... I'm all in. Great work. Good challenge. My kids are the largest part of my legacy and I want to give them my all. They are worth it. Some of the highlights of my days are my conversations with them and Candyland games and building lego's and working on Fighter verses.

But sometimes you need to get together with some other dads and hear the message that... even when all else seems to be going wrong (1) loving your wife and (2) loving your kids are two of the most important ways to invest your life.

Toppers & Name-Droppers

2008 Resolution #1: I resolve not to be a topper or a name-dropper.
*excuse me while I humor myself*

I've spent my fair share of time around toppers & name-droppers... and at times I've even tried to beat them at their own game. But I've finally decided that these types are quite annoying and so I will resolve to abstain from such behavior for the next 365 days.

I'm sure you've seen them. Toppers are the type of people who always have to "top" your story by their own... which of course is always superior and leaves you basking in their glory. They would say something like... "Oh... nice job on finishing your first marathon... I finished my first in 2002, my second in 2003 and my third in 2004."

Name-droppers are pretty self explanatory. They love to build their reputation by claiming to be close personal friends with a very well-known celebrity... and reminding you of that regularly at the weirdest times. They might respond to the comment "Dude gas prices are up to $3.03"... with a response like this... "yah the last time gas prices were this high, was the summer when I was up in Long Island spending time with Calvin Klein at his summer house."

Not that these people are evil or dangerous to society... but I do find such behavior unbecoming. My take is that toppers... like themselves too much and name-droppers... don't like themselves enough.

Toppers can't just enjoy your story because they believe that theirs is better and thus they are in some way better. Name-droppers feel so insignificant that they have to prop up their self-worth within someone else's reputation. Like I said... they aren't evil... just a bit needy.

To my topping and name-dropping friends... I STILL LOVE YOU... and wish you a happy 2008. This post is targeted at no one in particular... just the generically nasty habits mentioned here. PS - Do not lump my good friend Ted into the name-dropping category... It has been confirmed that he IS a personal friend of Randy Alcorn.

Heartbreakers...

December 23, 2007 was a special day for our family. On the near Eve of Christmas... our beautiful daughter, Arley Christine, was dedicated along with her new friend Eliana Homoelle. I would say that we've got a few heart-breakers on our hands. Both dads have guns loaded and chastity belts ready.

We were surrounded by members of our house church for the special night. These were the people that prayed with us while I looked for a job. These were the people that fed us when we returned from the hospital. And now they are committed to walking through life with us as we "romance Arley to the gospel" (nice phrase Chris H.). They have loved us like Christ loves the church... it is beautiful and quite humbling.

Talk about a Merry Christmas! Thanks for the special night Denny!