Gearing up

The Drive '06 conference geared up today and boy are we having fun. Why would a bunch of pastors at a pretty successful church spend their time and money to come to a conference like this? Great question. We want to do what we do ed. Ibetter. We really believe that the local church has the most important story to tell and it is a matter of life and death. So we while we don't take ourselves too seriously, we take what we do very seriously. We want to be challenged to improve and excel. And Drive has not disappointt is quite a challenging place to be. Here are some highlights...

What I did today
I went to a session by Lane Jones called Communicating for a Change. It challenged us as pastors not be information disseminators by life-changing communicators. In the Q&A Lane talked about how Andy Stanley spends a typical week...quite insightful. Then I caught Getting Singles Engaged by the Singles pastor Joel Thompson. It wasn't so much about engagement it was more about ministry (sorry to disappoint) but Joel candidly shared the successes and struggles of their very successful ministry. Tonight in the general session Andy Stanley challenged all churches to consider how we might be making it difficult for people to connect with God. How we as the church in the way we do things might actually be an obstacle in the way of non-Christians coming to Christ. It is a humbling but healthy set of questions to ask.

Favorite Quotes
"Relevance is not giving people information they don't need." Lane Jones
"Be more committed to reaching some than keeping others." Andy Stanley

Here are a few shots to show you that we aren't working too hard

Holy Roadtrip

What happens when you load 6 pastors into a van and drive for 8 hours to a leadership conference. Well not much... really. 6 Guys on our staff are heading to DRIVE Conference at North Point Community Church this week. The funny thing is that I bet dozens of people at our church would die to be a fly on the wall in our van, and here I am in the van. It's not that I'm smarter or better but just that I am here. It is quite fun.

We did watch a message by Andy Stanley from last years Drive Conference on the principle of Momentum and how it affects ministry in the local church. You know the idea that sometimes its like you are swimming with the current, you don't have to work that hard and lots gets done. But other times you swim with all your might, but the current is against and it seems that you are losing ground. That is the concept of momentum. It sparked a great conversation between me and Matt (our children's pastor) about how much momentum or lack there of we felt in our ministries. The conference has already started folks...if you know what I mean.

Oh... I would like to on record that I did drive the last hour of the trip... that was the 11:00-12:00 shift. (Sorry for the self-promotion, but my wife thinks I'm the worst late night driver and she is pretty much right). But last night I ponied up and I did it!! I'm glad I got that off my chest.

Training Day

As Christian parents Christine and I feel burdened to press into our boys the two greatest commandments from Jesus.

You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Luke 10:27

What might be simply and somewhat correctly viewed by some as participating in Trick-or-Treat we see as part of a larger core value of our family: Involvement with Neighbors. We think that for us to truly love our neighbors we must have some relationship with them, so we seek to be involved in our neighborhood as long as it does not cause us to compromise our commitment to the two great commandments.

We want our boys to grow into a love for Jesus Christ and taste of the life that he alone can offer, at the same time we want them to love and serve and know their neighbors. So when we dressed up the cutest Cowboy Woody and the coolest Buzz Light Year I know and literally ran house to house in our neighborhood, we were doing more than collecting Mars Bars...we were showing our boys that to Love Your Neighbors you must first be involved with them.

Click

Last week my wife and I finally watched the recent Adam Sandler movie Click. Any Happy Madison production is going to include its fair share of toilet humor, sexual inuendos and adolescent jokes and Click did not stray far from the formula. But I got more than I bargained for, I emotionally connected with the story.

I’m no film critic, but I know when I find a story that I can identify with and characters with whom I empathize. In the story Sandler’s character is busy climbing the corporate ladder, for the purpose of providing a “better life for his family”. He finds himself regularly having to choose between family and work. It’s funny the very family he is leaving to work to provide a better life for, just wants more of him not of this “life” he wants to provide.

The conflict in the story is that he finds a way to fast forward through the fights and the boring dinners…basically through life. And then he is laying on his deathbed realizing that he has lost his dad, his wife and his kids.

It really got me thinking about the most important relationships in my life, the people with whom I am the closest and whom I don’t want to fast forward through…. my wife and my two boys. I believe that my time with them is a gift, but honestly I don’t always treat it that way. Like when I get frustrated with the boys making messes or not going sleep or *gulp* wanting to play with me while I’m watching the game. And I often take my wife for granted and don’t cherish her or the time we have together.

I shed a few tears that night as I contemplated the possibility of not being able to spend time with my favorite people in the world. I don’t want to give my wife and kids the leftovers; they deserve more of me NOW.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. Proverbs 18:22

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Is he that into you?

I couldn’t sleep last night and at 1:30am was flipping through the 6 TV channels that I get on my TV. As I often do late at night I settled on the DayStar Network which is a Christian station and in my opinion is a mix of weirdo tele-evangelists sprinkled with a few normal people. Beth Moore (who is one of the normal ones) happened to be on. She was teaching to a room full of woman and just happened to read a couple of excerpts from the book He’s Just Not That into You.

Have you heard of this book? I can’t stop hearing about it. It is written in part by comedian and former “Sex in the City” writer Greg Behrendt. I’ve even seen him with his own Dr. Phil style show on GTN. The book has been highlighted on the Oprah Show, in the USA Today, and by John Stossel on ABC News.

I haven’t read the book and probably won’t but I did watch the Oprah episode with my wife. In it he advises single woman of the many devices that men use to string them along as “friends with benefits” or “booty calls” while leaving the women hoping for more. On the flip side he challenges woman to step up their own self-respect and not be strung along by such men, by facing the truth that the guy “is just not that into you.”

When I saw that Beth Moore was preaching the same message I just couldn’t hold back comment. To quote her exactly she said “I’m not recommending the book and I’m not not recommending the book.” I guess that’s the way Christians give props to non-Christians who come up with a good well to tell God’s truth.

If his book frees a woman from settling for one bad relationship after another and waiting for a man who will love her and lead her sacrificially…that sounds a lot like what Jesus would be for. The Bible even has some pretty darn good advice about relationships, like here, here and here. But I’m not recommending the book and I’m not not recommending it.

King and Queen

In a singles ministry like 727, some people like to come and take a peek to see how many hotties are at our events... I know how it works. Well at our recent Red Carpet Costume Party they were coming out of the woodwork. I'd put our crowd up against Oscar crowd any day. Since I can't show all the pics, I thought I'd crown a Prom King and Prom Queen. The competition was tight. We had Mary Poppins, Justin Timberlake, Madona, Whoopi Goldberg, Superman, Bikers, Chris Daughtry, Sandra Dee and more. But the crowns go to.....

The King of the party....ladies we have a true stud in our midst.
























And the Queen gets her crown....any takers?



















See the rest of the party here.

UPCLOSE with Peep & Anna

My good friends from Estonia, Peep & Anaa Saar, stopped by our house last night to hang with our 727 crowd and update us on what is going on with them. Back in March about 12 of us from Northwest and 727 went over to help with their English Camp, what they call "The Best Week of the Year." At the bottom of this post I have links to my chronicles of our 2006 English Camp trip. Everytime I hear them share about what God is doing in Estonia it fires me up. Some have asked how they can learn more about their ministry, so here it is. We will probably take anothehr group in March 2007, so you can get in on the fun too!

Going UP is Blowing Up
These outreach events target highschool students called Going UP are as strong as ever. Peep commented that their September event on "Choices" was probably the best one they had ever done. Find out more at goingup.ee.

A New Church
Last Sunday they had their first public service for Ristee (meaing Crossroads) Church which is "A church for others, a home for everyone". They are truly church planting pioneers in Estonia. Find out more at risttee.ee.

Growing Family
Peep & Anna are expecting their first child on March 5, 2007. You can keep an eye on the family at their blog: http://www.tagahoov.ee/peepanna/

2006 English Camp Chronicles
Estonia Here we come...
Stockholm we've arrived....
The Eagle has Landed
Touring Tartu
Dinner at Craig & Reena's
Two very different Church Services
The seeds have been planted
Cory is GOING UP
Meet Small Group #7
Don't judge a book by it's cover...
Day in Tartu provides ministry opportunities
Postmodern Pastor
Feedback

Trading Spaces

If you could be anyone else for a day who would you be? A simple and a fun question to ponder. On different days we might trade skin or bank accounts or houses or jobs or wives with a number of different people. On our really good days we might not wish to trade with anyone. On other days…like when you have a really horrible fight with your wife…or when you get publicly humiliated… we would trade with just about anyone. Maybe that is where Halloween came from.

I tend to think about that a lot... that is... about what other people have and what I don’t have. So when I listened to Rob Bell’s message “What is it to you?” last Thursday, I had to catch my breath afterwards, it hit home that much. In his funny, somewhat sarcastic, narrative style he drove home the problem with the tendency we have to envy our neighbors or covet their lives. He basically unpacked John 21:19-21…

After he said this, Jesus told Peter, "Follow me." 20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them… 21 So when Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"

The title of the message comes from Jesus response in verse 22, where he responds “What is that to you?” It seems that even Peter was at times more worried about God’s plan for someone else than what God had in store for him. I can just imagine when I’m looking at someone’s life and I’m thinking, God what does he have that I don’t….Jesus saying to me “What is it to you?” For me it’s a wake-up call to turn my eyes back on my rabbi, Jesus, to be more like him and in that pursuit I will be more comfortable in my own skin.

We all covet something different. For the single folks its having a spouse. For the kidless folks its having a kid. For the overworked and underpaid its having a better paycheck. For the disenfranchised its power. For the street-smart its book-smarts. It's that tendency to think, boy God what I could do for you if I had what that guy/girl/church had.

If you need to hear Jesus say to you “What is it to you” when you look at others let me introduce you to Rob Bell. To hear this message search Rob Bell on iTunes podcasts and listen to “What is it to you?” (9/3/2006) or download that message here. Rob Bell is downloaded 50,000 times a week and his Nooma films have a cult following.

When Boobie lost his salvation

I love sports movies based on real stories. I’m not always the best at figuring out the line between the “based on” part and the “real” part, but I guess for the entertainment value I’m not especially looking for the boring truth but more the exciting “based on” truth. Well my choice this past Friday night of Friday Night Lights was no let down. It was the story of a 1988 West Texas football team in their quest to be state championships.

The story line that caught my eye was that of star fullback James “Boobie” Miles. He is a cocky loud-mouthed leader who is the heart of his team. His life is football and his future looks bright. But near the end of the first game of the season he severely hurts his knee. And his life will never be the same…some might say his life ended. Football was his savior which would lift him out of the despair of being stuck in Odessa, Texas for the rest of his life. And when he lost the ability to play football, he lost his salvation.

So I wondered is this “based on” or is this “real”. So I clicked through the extra DVD features and found the “The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers”. The clip confirmed that Boobie was cocky, he was good and he did hurt his knee ending his football playing career. The interview with the real Boobie showed that he is a nice fun loving guy, but that he has wondered how his life would have been different if the injury had not happened. It might even eat him up at times, because football was his savior.

In the story Boobie reflected on his injury… “I guess God had something else for me. Maybe I would not have my twins I guess. Maybe I would not be as good of a Dad as I am I guess. I look at it like that. Keeps me from going crazy. You dig what I’m saying.”

Football was Boobies life, it was the way he spoke, the way he expressed himself and one day that life was snatched away from him. That could happen to any of us. In an instant our lives could be forever changed our “saviors” could be ripped from us. Maybe that is why Jesus offers the comfort of security in the life he can provide as a savior. Because he knows that other things won’t really save us. Football is a good way of life but it can be snatched. Jesus is a better way of life, because he can't be lost.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28

“Jesus” on Temptation

I recently came across some tips for novice poker players. I’m not much of a poker player but if I were I would definitely qualify as a novice. The tips were offered by Chris Ferguson a professional poker player whose nickname is “Jesus” because of his trademark long brown hair. He knows a thing or two about poker because as of 2006 he has racked up $5.7 mil in winnings.

But the closer I looked at his poker tips, the more they looked like a Christian’s guide to dealing with temptation.

Respect Your Opponent
…the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8b

Good advice huh?! The devil is prowling; he is against us and desires to trip us up and to turn our hearts away from Christ. He hangs counterfeits in front of us all day long to get us to sell out and settle for a dollar store alternative. He doesn’t take days off and doesn’t go to sleep at 8pm. He is not as powerful as God (1 John 4:4), but is a formidable opponent to the Spirit’s work in our lives (Phil 1:6).

Always Pay Attention
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy… 1 Peter 5:8a

On point again. Can you say A-L-W-A-Y-S.? To quote Charlie Hall, “this world is broken yet beautifully made”. The brokenness is the crack that the Devil uses to divert our eyes off the path of righteousness. The spiritual pilgrimage that we travel until the consummation of our hope (Titus 2:13) is a path littered with dangerous perils. We must Stay Alert.

Never Bet Your Medium-Strength Hands
Okay this one doesn’t really apply to temptation, but I’m sure it is a great poker tip.

Mortality is Relevant

I received my Nov/Dec issue of Relevant Magazine on Tuesday and poured through it that night on the couch. It is very cool (which I am not) and is full of music reviews (most of which I've never heard of) but I love the angle. Generally Relevant attempts to push practical theological issues that will resonate with young single adults. And it appears that this new generation is much more contemplative than I ever was when I was stumbling through college and into real life. I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time these days.

In the FIRST WORD, Cameron Strang, was contemplating the Big M - mortality. And posing the question what if today were your last... what would you do. He says,

"We're here only for a short time. We each need to make a difference and have lives of importance and passion. We need to live today like its' our last - with no regrets - because, after all, none of us is guaranteed tomorrow."

So if I had 24 hours to live here is what I would do:
1. Spend the whole time with my wife and kids.
2. Give all my stuff away to people who needed it.
3. Tell some close neighbors, friends and family members about Jesus, clearly, compassionately and for the last time.

And here are a few things I wouldn't do:
1. Workout (unless it was with my wife & kids)
2. Watch TV

Is God a Delusion?

I've never seen the Comedy Central show the Colbert Report before, maybe because I don't have cable TV. But when I came across this clip where Colbert goes toe-to-toe with militant atheist Richard Dawkins about his recently published The God Delusion, I was intrigued.

After laughing on and off throughut this clip, I must say I appreciated Stephen Colberts counter-points and his humor. I desperately needed a laugh and didn't know a cross-fire discussion with an atheist would do the trick. For a better understanding of Intelligent Design (but sadly less funny) I'd recommend Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box.

Crazy about community

I’ve been studying the first century Jewish practice of discipleship lately, so that… like… when… like… Jesus said… like “go make disciples”, I… like… know what the heck he is talking about! And one of the things that it meant is a radical commitment to community. I came across the idea that to a disciple…the community is more important that the individual. That idea sure ups the ante on Jesus invitation to “Come, follow me”, doesn’t it. And it sure makes a little more sense why he would put commitment to discipleship above love of family (Luke 14:26). Jesus was crazy about community.

Now let’s try to put this into the context local church small groups, probably the churches best parallel to band-of-brothers type of discipleship community. On the spectrum of responses that people give to the suggestion that they should be committed to a small group here are three common ones I have seen:

It’s too unsafe: These folks love independence and distance, that way no one gets into their lives and exposes weaknesses or needs. To these folks church is a spectator sport and spirituality is a private thing. They will come to Christ as long as it doesn’t involve getting too close to his people. They don’t buy into community.

It’s too much: These folks buy into community but mainly when it is convenient. When work gets busy, family comes in town or they just aren’t feeling it they bail. They see value in community but when their personal lives need some attention it is adios to the small group. When push comes to shove the individual is more important than the community.

It’s too critical: This crowd doesn’t just buy community; they fry it up and eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They say, it is too critical to my spiritual health for me not to be committed to my church or small group. They place such a value on their community that they schedule life, pleasure and even work around this commitment. They are absolutely crazy about community.

If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison-- your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-- yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:26

I bounce around between these responses throughout my year. Sometimes I am tired and stressed and don’t want to take the risk of building community with others. These are the days when I just lay around on the weekends watching football. Other times I try it and I just don't click with anybody and it feels fake. Then sometimes I find the sweet spot of Christian community and pass the mash potatoes because I’m gonna feast on this as long as I can.

Another Reason to Join a Small Group

So you don't do as many stupid things.

Did you hear this latest gem of news, Mike Tyson is thinking about fighting women. Not that this would be the first of Mike Tyson's "against-better-judgment" decisions, but you wonder what goes through his mind before uttering such things.

In an article on yahoo sports Tyson reportedly referred to prominent female boxer Ann Wolfe as a possible opponent in recent press conference. He said...

"She's such a prominent, dominant woman in the boxing field."

When asked if he was joking about fighting women, Tyson said, "I'm very serious."

And this is yet another glaring example of why we need a small group. To talk some stinking sense into us. We've all made bonehead decisions, but I bet most of those decisions weren't run by our trusted mentors or faithful accountability partners before we went public. Commit to a small group of people who will speak the truth to you in love and more than likely you will not end up calling women out for a fight.

Does size matter?

Have you ever been bit by the Bigness Bug?
In our minds we often equate BIGness with success . Others equate BIGness with badness, as in God doesn't like big things. I'm not saying either one, in fact that type of thinking drives me crazy. What bites me is when I start comparing my little things to others big things. It would be easy to be a hater on big things... but what really hits home with me is the obsessive desire to be BIG that leaves me frustrated when things are small. When you boil it down it is a desire for bigness.

I'm not sure when it happened in my life. Maybe when I reached full stature at 5' 2". Maybe its when I realized I would not be a millionaire by 30. But there has been a knawing desire to be a part of something big. And part of it is I think that bigger is better... not that I should, but deep down I think I do. But that can have a deviously wicked effect on the soul, especially in the area of contentment. So I regularly need to be reminded that "size doesn't matter" when it comes to God. Because BIGness envy affects more than men looking for greater sexual pleasure.

Here's how the bug bites me. I see how big things are out there and I look at how small they are in my world and I wonder why I am not as successful. In fact, you know what my most unproductive days have been? They are the days where I jump from web-site to web-site and blog to blog, ooohing and aaahhing over how big, slick and successful THEY are in comparison to how small and average my stuff is.

Since that is quite a depressing way to live I regularly need comfort and encouragement from voices which rebuke my tendency to fall into a "size matters" mentality. For example I recently came across this quote from Richard W. Shelley, Jr. ....

"A desire for bigness has hurt many folks... The secret of greatness rather than bigness is to acclimate oneself to one's place of service and be true to one's own convictions. A life of this kind of service will forever remain the measure of oneÂ’s true greatness."

Maybe a switch from bigness to greatness is a needed correction. I also found some solace in Bill Hybels work Courageous Leadership where he reminds leaders of Paul's words in the Bible to "fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim 4:5). He then goes on to say "Fulfill your ministry- nothing more, nothing less."

Those words are like a fresh spring breeze to my soul. It reminds me that greatness in God's eyes is doing my best at the task that he gave to me. For me that means being a leading and loving husband. It means fathering my two boys and launching them into life. It means building my identity upon who I am in Christ. And it means being the best singles pastor that I can be, no matter how big or small my ministry is.

You know I think size matters, but its not the size of your parts or your church or your business, but its the size of your faithfulness to do what God has asked you to do. Sleep well and don't let the BIG bugs bite.

Pride comes before a fall

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6

Kicking the Habit

I was reading through Don Millers “Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious thoughts on Christian Spirituality” when I came across the following statement:

The devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man’s mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God.

I have enjoyed reading Don Miller because of his humor, his humility and his casual tone. And when I first read this quote, I loved it, so I did what I always do with quotes that I love in books, I broke out the highlighter.

Here’s what I love about the statement. I find that habits can distract us…because most of us are so ADD and nearsighted that we tend to focus on the means and not the end. So if Don is saying that Christians can be so focused on quiet times and prayer times and church services and community service (all great things) we can sort of miss the point. As good as these things are they are THE point is they are just a means to an end…a relationship with God. There really is no joy in doing these things, unless we do them out of our engagement with the heart of God... And I’m as guilty as the next guy of falling into the “missing-the-point” mindset of habits for habits sake.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that habits are really the way that we do engage God. So I guess I’m disagreeing with Don. But I don’t so much mean habits in the abstract sense, like these disciplines or activities achieve some merit for us….I mean habits more in the relational sense…and relational habits allow us to engage God. Relationships require habits.

I think about the relational habits that allow me to connect with my wife. We tend to eat dinners together so that we can check up on the day. We like to watch Survivor & Dancing with the Stars together so that we can laugh and relax. We like to vacation together so that we can recharge our batteries. Without these habits and many others (including regular “I’m sorry”s and ‘You were right, I was wrongs”) our relationship breaks down.

In a similar way relational habits are necessary for us to walk in sync with God… relationally. We need to listen to him and talk to him…to understand his values and his view on things so that we can live as he lives…sort of like living in the light as he is in the light (1 John 1:5-7).

Relationships require loyalty: We get the sense from Scripture that God is regularly saying be as I am…not for us to earn his love…but to live in the realm of relationship with him. It is in the area of choices (or habits) that sin (or betrayal) and obedience (or loyalty) duke it out. In my habits I choose to betray or be loyal to my wife…similarly my habits display betrayal or loyalty to God…relationally (1 John 3:9). Now that is a habit worth being religious about.

Look on the Bright Side...

Do the situations and circumstances of life ever get you down? Me too. Sometimes it seems like our situation is pretty gloomy and we get in a real funk. Then we bump into someone who inspires us and lets us know that there are two sides to every story. Such is the story of Dick & Rick Hoyt...

Banner day for clay

Yesterday "Clay's World" got a small face-life with the release of my new banner. It was indeed a banner day for "Clay's World." But I must give a shout out to my good friend, Brendan Ringer, who did the dirty work. Brendan is the graphics guru who has helped me freshen up the look and feel of Clay's World. Without his help, I'd be wood (as we used to say in wrestling room).

And the banner gives a bit of the picture of the good life that God has given to me. The shot is taken at Lido Beach down in Sarasota, Florida...my family's favorite getaway. I am digging a big hole with my two boys and the shot is taken from my wife's viewpoint as she takes a break from sun bathing. When I think of rest and relaxation of time away from stress and time to recharge, this is the place I think of.

You know it reminds me of Psalm 23, where David writes, "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name."

It is not just laying on the beach with my family that refreshes my soul...it is knowing that God has made the beach and invited me to enjoy it and enjoy him through it. The beach and the sun and the sand are my green meadows. The salty air that lifts the seagulls from the ground is his breath that sustains my very life. Many times he has renewed my strenght at Lido Beach as I dig with my boys and smile at my wife.

That's Creepy....

October brings thoughts of Halloween and that brings thoughts of creepy things. That is how The Barna Group (a Christian data collection agency) described the spirituality of 20-somethings....CREEPY. I might be wrong but I don't think they were suggesting that Christians in their 20's have had lobotomies or that they go through life like zombies, but I might be wrong.

I think what they were describing is the other type of creep, you know the type that happens to side of a creek. The dictionary describes this creep as "to slip or gradually shift position ".

Barna says that while teens embrace spirituality, disengagement...or creep... happens in their 20's. His data shows that 20% of twentysomethings remain active in their spirituality and 19% remain inactive in their spirituality. But the rest, 61% are those who were churched as teens but disengage during their twenties. Now that's creepy!

The facts are 20-somethings are leaving the church like its their job. Not all are leaving Christianity or "spirituality" but they are leaving the church. The reasons are piled high: college, jobs, individuality, rebellion, laziness, crappy churches and the list goes on.

But if you look at this Creepy situation from the other side (...it becomes Ypeerc) there is a great opportunity to take Christ to a large population of creeping 20somethings, who are not necessarily turned off to Christ or Church but are gradually slipping away from their teenage spirituality.

How can we stop the creep? The future of the church depends on it.

Reflecting on Fatherlessness

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes - 5x the average.
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from father homes - 20x the avg.
• 80% of rapist with anger problems come from fatherless homes - 14x the avg.
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes - 9x the avg.
• 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers com from fatherless homes - 10x the avg.
• 70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes - 9x the avg.
• 85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes - 20x the avg.

*taken from "To Own A Dragon"

Fathers make a difference...for good. Fatherlessness is a quiet killer wounding the souls of young men day after day. Who better to know than Don Miller, popular bohemian Christian author and himself the product of a fatherless home. Due to his mom's influence, his church and some other great men in his life Don has a good story to tell...and his recent book "To own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing Up Without a Father" is chock full of fatherly wisdom bubbling up from a Son. I have a Dad and I am a Dad...but Don's witty, honest and sagely words taught me a thing or two.

Don writes in a conversational style and tells more stories and asks more questions than you typical self-help or Christian self-help read. The first chapter had me laughing out loud it was so funny! Whether you are wondering how to be father your son or are struggling to deal with issues related to your own imperfect father, this book will frame some questions that are helpful to consider. He's not afraid to open up his soul with statements like "I realized I was operating out of a feeling of inferiority. Deep inside, I believed life was for other people."

I liked his analogy on page 27, as he shared what he needed from a Father: People assume when you are swimming in a river you are supposed to kow which way you are going, and I guess some of the time that is true, but there are certain currents that are very strong, and it's when we are in those currents we need somebody to come along, pull us out, and guide us in a safer direction.

Manhood or what Miller refers to as "the knowing" is something deep within boys that is awakened by fathers. "The knowing" connects the dots for their identity, spirituality, decision making, work ethic, sexuality, integrity, etc. The good news, and Miller concurs, is that what our earthly fathers messed up our heavenly father can set right. Let's work on those statistics and call men to be fathers by being fathers.

Faith of our Fathers

This weekend I somehow found the way to read a delightful little book by Chris Seay called "Faith of our Fathers." The book was a creatively packaged conversation between three generations of pastors. Seay sat down with his grandfather, dad and his two brothers (one brother Robbie is an up and coming indie Christian rocker) to talk about the church, family and being pastors.

The church is definitely a-changin' and this book was a pretty good reflection of the changes in mindset and passion among the younger generation of church planters. This was a family discussion, as in they were actually related, but also in that they reflected how different generations of the church should and could discuss and disagree. You name it, they discussed it: music, depression, inerrancy, essentials of the faith, social justice, abortion, Jim Dobson, segregation, homosexuals, politics and the gospel.

They did not always agree, yet they agreed more than I thought they might. If you have ever disagreed with older Christians on their view of the church and it's role in society this book may help you to see them in a different light and to realize that disagreement and discussion are OK within the church.

Facing the Giants

This Friday, 9/29, a little known film "Facing the Giants" will be released in selected theatres around the country. It is a story about the football coach of a small private school who is known for losing and who finds out his wife is infertile and that some parents want him fired. He finds some way to inspire his team to turn around their ways and they find something within themselves to band together and make a run at the state playoffs. The twist is that the coach is a Christian. So despite the PG rating the film is explicitly Christian in content.

Here are some comments by Jason McLeod, who plays the role of Brock Kelley, the Eagles' defensive leader:

"When I look back on all the things that have come with the movie, whether it be pre-shooting, being on the set while filming, or the process that has taken place after shooting leading up to the premiere, it has just been an incredible journey. I have grown so much spiritually over the past two years and God has used FACING THE GIANTS in a major way."

"From connecting with Brock's character to watching God on and off set do things in His timing and make ends meet when there was no possible way. Going through some tough times and learning to 'Let Go and Let God' have His way in my life and knowing through my experience that He truly IS able to do exceedingly abundantly more that we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)! When this is all said and done, I don't want my face or name remembered, but what God did!"

The film appears to be quite family friendly, so it has that going for it. But how will it be received by film-goers. Will it's explicit Christian characters turn-them away before they hit the doors? Would you want to see this film? Would you take a friend who is not a Christian? Will this present the real struggles of life which give credibility to the struggle to follow Christ or will it be another candy-coated us-versus-them Christian product which becomes another reason people avoid church? I guess we'll find out this weekend. If you see it, I'd love your thoughts and those of your unchurched friends.

Prayer & Desire

"True prayer is only another name for the love of God. Its excellence does not consist in the multitude of our words: for our Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him. The true prayer is that of the heart, and the heart prays only for what it desires. To pray, then, is to desire - but to desire what God would have us desire. He who asks what he does not from the bottom of his heart desire is mistaken in thinking that he prays. Let him spend days in reciting prayers, in mediation or in inciting himself to pious exercises: he prays not once truly if he really desires not the things he pretends to ask. O! How few there are who pray! For how few are they who desire what is truly good!"
Francois Fenelon, (1651-1715)

Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

You do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
James 4:2-3

Confessions

What do you do when you've got 22 hours to waste on a plane flying around the world? I read...so here's a sample from one of my vacation reads. "Confessions" is Driscoll's second book (following up Radical Reformission). Driscoll is the lead pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Mark's books are full of brutal honesty, biting sarcasm, biblical commitment and missional focus, and Confessions is no exception.

This book recounts the story of how Mars Hill Church grew from a rag tag group of 12 to its current 3,000 members over the past 10 years. He's a young guy in his early 30s who is beyond his years in pastoral experience and biblical literacy. I enjoyed the honesty with which he shared the difficulties, temptations and mistakes. I was also challenged by his commitment to prayer, the Bible and the mission of his church. He is an emerging leader worth reading.

Dan Kimball, author of The Emerging Church said...
"After reading a book like this, you can never go back to being an inwardly focused church without a mission. Even if you disagree with Mark about some of the things he says, you cannot help but be convicted to the inner core about what it means to have a heart for those who donÂ’t know Jesus."

Here's an excerpt from the last pages of the book entitled More Pruning
"It is my deepest desire to be fruitful for Jesus. And according to his frequent kingdom parables, fruit comes not simply by growing but by his strategic pruning. Jesus prunes us through hardships, suffering, failure, loss, discipline, and pain. I have found Jesus' pruning of my life, marriage, family, and church to be incredibly painful, but it always results in bigger, sweeter, and greater fruit. Some pruning has been so overwhelming that I did not know if I could endure it and even questioned the goodnessess of God despite my knowledge of Scripture, which led to bouts of despair and anger."

We're Back

Bonjour and Buonjourno. If you couldn't tell from my previous post about our vacation, my wife and I went to the Mediteranean coastline of France and Italy. It was beautiful and sunny and quite tiring, but well worth it. We had time to read, play, reflect on our life and talk about what God is teaching us. And here are a few of my reflections:

People are different: The first thing we noticed was our differences from the French & Italians. They dressed nice, but different. They talk different, almost like another language. They work different hours (only 35 hours a week I hear). They have different priorities (like Italian shops would close down from 11-4 for a siesta). They travel differently. You just realize that life is different and you don't quite fit in.

People are the same: But in spite of our difference, people are the same. They love their families. They like to play. They laugh and joke and have misperceptions in about people in other countries. They hate and love and are friendly. People are people.

People matter: We noticed that after 24 hours in Italy, a time when we really struggled with the language difference we began to feel isolated and alone. Here we were walking around this beautiful beach town and we felt alone. We were longing for someone to talk to, or to hear a conversation that we understood. So Christine's reaction was to listen for English then run up to the people and ask them where they were from. One of my strongest memories from the trip were the people that we met and "befriended" on trains or in restaurants. There was Tom & Hannah the Australian university students. There was Simon & Judy the New Zealanders living in Scotland. There was the 52 year old Seattle doctor traveling Europe for 3 months with is 19 year old son Max. There was Darin and Krysa from Santa Monica celebrating the pregnancy of their first child. These becameour European friends...because people matter.

Some people matter more: But our hearts ached a bit because we left our two young boys behind. Caden, 3 1/2, and Griffin, just 2, were a regular topic of our conversation. We realized how much our lives had changed since they came along and we often wondered how they would react to certain situations in which we found ourselves. It was great to get away, but there is nothing like coming home, especially when you are showered with hugs and kisses from your boys.

How's your Vision

Last night at 727 we did eye exams at our vision night. Some of us will be wearing coke bottle glasses for a while due to excessive TV watching, especially those who TiVo Desperate Housewives and Greys Anatomy. Well not exactly, but we did talk about vision. So how's yours?

You know in the church we often become near-sighted, losing focus from our mission, and become concerned only in US and WE. So last night we stepped back and asked ourselves 3 questions.

Who are we? That is who is 727? What we are clarifying is our IDENTITY. And here is what I suggested. 727 is a place for 20somethings to experience the TRUTH of Christ the MEANING of life and the BEAUTY of community. We are targeting a specific group of people, yet we are open, always welcoming more into our midst.

Why do we exist? That is what are we about? Here we are clarifying our MISSION. This isn't rocket science, it is quite simple. Our mission is to be Christ’s witnesses to young adults in word & deed. This really is the misson of the church (Acts 1:8), yet we focus on doing this among young adults in west Columbus. It is important that 727 is not just a break from the real world or a youth group for 20-somethings. We does exist for us, we actually exist for those not yet in our group. 727 is not about who we need to keep it is about who we need to reach.

How do we do that? We are really trying to figure out what we should do and what should we not do? This helps to clarify our STRATEGY. And here is where I have pointed us to be about creating irresistible environments and strategic steps. We will create two environments: a gathered worship event and home-based small groups. We will utilize two steps to get people into these steps: the Taste of 727 (sunday lunch) and Area Fellowships (social events). Our strategy will always be in flux depending on the degree of success in relation to our mission.

It all looks great on paper but really it boils down to people investing in people. It is about people investing in others and inviting them to receive good news. It is about people getting on board leading worship, leading small groups, running outward friendly social events and then getting their friends involved. It is about missional living...being on mission. Don't sit by and watch, let's get started.

Our Amazing Race

Today I will kiss my two beautiful boys goodbye and place them into their Grandma's arms, then I will wrap my arms around my tearful wife and we will board a plane together to go away. "They'll be ok" I'll say and I'll wipe her crocodile tears away with my sleeve. That's one of the reasons I married her, because of her tender heart... and I think she's beautiful when she cries.

We will board a plane and go far away, just the two of us for about nine days. Where are we going...to that place. A place where they speak a different language, eat different food and cheer about different sports. We've scraped our pennies together over the years and the stars have lined up so that we can go and adventure together.

We've often watched the Amazing Race and wondered how well we would do...actually we wondered how poorly we would do. We love each other, but we both find different ways to drive to the bank...so traveling around the world is a whole other story. But we will go and adventure. We will reconnect, relax and rekindle the joy of just being together.

I might share a picture while we are away, but if things are really going well...you may not hear from me for 10 days. Ciao!

Akeelah's BEE is too much

Christine and I watched the Starbucks Entertainment film “Akeelah and the Bee” over the weekend. And I must say that it is the feel good, family flick of the year. We both held back tears at numerous times. The inspiring story of a young black girl from the rough part of South Central LA who lost her dad to an early death and struggles to spell her way (literally) out of a negative neighborhood and struggling school by entering a world controlled by rich white suburban kids and international homeschoolers… really struck a chord.

I would highly commend the film to all.

But I was left wrestling with a few questions. Are people good or bad? And what must happen to bring out the goodness in people?

My own contention is that people are largely selfish and generally are prone to tear others down. And in general when others are prospering or excelling the natural tendency is to work against them or lash out at them in order to overcome feelings of inferiority. While there is a spark of goodness in people it is not awakened until there is some terrible tragedy like 9/11 for instance. In the wake of this close-to-home but other-focused terror, people are more willing to stoop to help those in need.

But the storyline, of Akeelah swims against this stream. Akeelah is surrounded by negative, destructive, angry people. And as she seeks to rise above her situation and achieve something, these selfish people lose themselves in the task of helping her achieve. Her angry mom, turns into her number one fan. Her depreciating brother helps her do something he can’t. Even the local gangster turns into a nice guy confessing he once wrote a poem and the helps her train for the competition.

But where do these people find the resources to give selflessly with no personal gain to be seen? My question is an anthropological one. Is it possible that people like Akeelah, who simply set out to do something as simple as win a spelling bee, can change a community? I wish I could say yes, but I think a transformed community is a collection of transformed hearts. And I don’t think the story honestly deals with the type of heart transformation necessary for those around her not only to cheer her on but to willingly participate in her success. I think people are generally too selfish, because I know myself and I’m too selfish.

Don’t get me wrong. I was inspired. I even want to pick up a dictionary and learn a new word. I can’t wait for the next spelling bee to be on ESPN. But changed communities require heart transplants. We must die to our selfishness before we can live selflessly.

Birthdays, Chuck E. Cheese & Mentors

Griffin turned 2 this past weekend and we partied it up. As the second boy in our family he tends to play second fiddle to his big brother and as much as we tried to push him to the front, he comfortable slid in behind his brother. So Caden led the way in unwrapping the gifts…and Griffey was fine with it. Caden would pick the toy he wanted to play with…and Griffey was fine with it.

It’s not that Caden doesn’t love Griffey, he’s just used to leading the way. In fact the night before the party we heard Caden singing himself to sleep, and do you know what he was singing? ....“Happy Birthday to Griffey…” Yep he sang it through twice before he faded off to dreamland.

But when we took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese a new Griffin emerged…a riskier…more confident…more daring Griffin. It all happened when the guy in the Chuck E. costume comes out to visit the Birthday kids. Caden at 3 ½ is weirded out by the 6 foot rat and runs the other way…he will not go within 10 feet of the towering rodent.

But Griffin can’t get enough of Chuck E. He stood in front of a crowded room dancing with him… he gave him countless hugs… he high-fived him until his hands were red… and climbed up in his lap like he was Santa Claus. I’m not sure what was running through his 2 year old mind, but his admiration for this larger than life mouse moves my son to action.

I go in to check on my sons every night after they are asleep and I often whisper a prayer or speak a blessing over them. I regularly pray that they will choose good friends and wise counselors. I want to be my boys’ hero, but at some point I know that other men will wear that label for them too. So I pray they choose good heroes.

Some guys are fakes dressed up in costumes and I want them run for the hills…like Caden treats Chuck E. But others wear wisdom like a comfortable bathrobe. Their words are sound and their actions are full of integrity. So I hope my boys will climb up into the lap of those types of heroes like Griffin responds to Chuck E.

When heaven comes down

What’s the deal with heaven? We rarely think of it. We want to go there, or at least not to hell. But we have our whole life ahead of us. We have dreams we want to fulfill. We want a spouse, a house, and some kids. Guys have adventures to tackle, mountains to climb or promotions to earn. Chicklets want spa days to enjoy, romantic dinners to share or to start their own business. With all of these dreams yet unfulfilled, where is the room to long for the after-life? Of course we want heaven, but at a much more convenient time…translation – after I’ve lived a full life.

The Bible speaks of the eternal state as New Heavens and New Earth populated by New People (Rev. 21 & Rom 8). Along with these things which God reforms or restores to perfection there will be the absence of some old and familiar things.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

No tears, no death, no suffering, no pain.

Maybe that is the key. The reason we don’t long for the next life is because this life has not yet come in contact with pain and loss. Maybe that is why the apostles spoke longingly of heaven, they suffered….alot. Maybe that is why old people long for heaven…they’ve lost all their friends and many family members and their bodies are decaying. Maybe that is why the parents who have lost an infant long for heaven, because death and mourning is a reality to them.

If you have suffered, wept, lost or tasted the bitterness of death your longing for rest will be realized. Charlie Hall captures this longing beautifully in a recent song.

Come For Me
Jesus come take me away,
I long to see your face
This world is broken yet beautifully made,
Jesus come take me away,

Jesus today I am tired,
I need your music to come and inspire
I give myself to be refined in this fire,
But Jesus today I’m so tired,

You’ll come again with a shout,
Like a thief in the night you’ll come riding on clouds
Finally the voice I have followed for life
Has a glorious face that is lit up with light
And you’ll come for me,
no more pain, peace,
no more fear, release,
just lost and consumed with my glorious King,

Remember the Hills

This past weekend 12 of us from 727 left town and ventured down to Hocking Hills. We got far enough away that we could see the stars. It was a time to laugh and play and discuss our faith. We stayed at this quirkily designed but sweet little lodge that really fostered a family-style experience. We stayed up late, we ate a bit fat breakfast and we burned some serious carbs on Saturday with both a 2 1/2 mile hike and a 5 mile canoe trip. See more photo's. In addition to fun we challenged each other in 2 areas of faith:



What should I do? We all agreed that we want to please God, but we often wonder exactly what God wants us to do. And sometimes we end up doing nothing and letting moments of opportunity pass us by. The "more spiritual" of us cunningly suggest we are praying about it, but really we are just afraid to act. So we challenged each other to repent from our sin of inactivity with the words JUST DO SOMETHING.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17

What difference can I make? We want our lives to count and as we watch opportunities pass us by we see our moment slipping away. So talked about the needs we each see and the gifts we each have and the passions that are on our hearts. Then we discussed that fact that when you make an impact often times it impacts you. When we mark others we can get marked or scarred or wounded. It is just part of the game.

What would happen if every place we went, every environment we stepped into, we would look around and ask ourselves, 'Is there a way that I can make an impact? Is there a way that I can leave a mark and through my life leave the fingerprints of God all over someone else's life? Erwin McManus

The choice is up to you...

I came across a statement by Erwin McManus, in his recent work "Chasing Daylight" that highlights the importance of choice.

"The most spiritual activity you will engage in today is making choices. All the other activities that we describe as spiritual - worship, prayer, meditation - are there to connect us to God and prepare us to live."

Make a choice.

Do you feel connected?

Do you have relationships with a few other people? Real relationships…more than acquaintances. People who you can turn to in tough times and they’ll care for you. People who know you well enough to see you veering off track and step in to draw you back. People that you can call your people. If not you feel lonely and disconnected.

I ask this because I’m thinking about you, knowing that you need a few real friends. And I also ask because I care about the church, which I believe should be a place where you find a few real friends. If that doesn’t happen, either there is a problem with you or with the church.

I recently read Andy Stanley’s book “Creating Community.” I read it in a day. It tells the story and strategy of North Point Community Church, which states as their goal “to encourage all people to move into a small group.” And they are doing it. They observe that today’s church are filled with "crowded loneliness” and that “isolation breeds selfishness.” Their small group purpose is “To provided a predictable small-group environment where participants experience authentic community and spiritual growth.”

Most people won’t argue against wisdom like “Christian community is the final apologetic” (Francis Shaeffer) or “God creates in us a “human-shaped-void” that God himself will not fill” (John Ortberg). Most completely agree and honestly say, where can I find such a place. I suggest the church.

I agree with Larry Crabb who says, “the center of Christian Community is connecting with a few” (Connecting, xiii). So do you feel connected? Do you have a few people that will be there with you or for you or a few people that you will be there for? Are you connected to people that are journeying through life with you to laugh & celebrate and if necessary cry with you?

Kyle's Film

Kyle Lake, 33, the pastor of University Baptist Church (David Crowder's church) on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, TX died an untimely in 2005 during a baptismal service. He left behind a wife and 3 young kids. This film will memorialize his legacy and has grown into a nationwide phenomenon.

John Maxwell rethinks ministry

I was reading the Sept/Oct 2006 Rev. Magazine today and came across an interview with John Maxwell. He was a pastor for 25 years, then made the jump to corporate leadership training, by spearheading Injoy. His answer to one question in particular sparked my interest...

Q: What would you do differently if you were starting (pastoring) over today?

A: I'd have a lot less church; I'd have less programs; I'd have less services. I'd have a lot less of everything....one of my major mistakes was thinking that life revolved around the local church and what we were doing... If I had it to do over again, I'd have people doing a lot more ministry outside the church, in their workplace or in their community or in their volunteer organizations. I'd find out where they had the greatest influence and make their ministry where their greatest influence was, not confine it to a church.

What if we did that?
What if everyone invested time ("had a ministry") outside their church?
How would ministry outside the church affect the life of the church?

To read the rest of John Maxwell's comments....

What’s on your iPod?

What if God saw your playlist? Some churches are taking this “God on the Pod” business pretty seriously. Read more...

Suffering for Cheeses

Creative highschool kids who are suffering for promoting their love for Jesus are outsmarting their persecutors by wearing “I love Cheeses” shirts which “when spoken, is almost undistinguishable from ‘I love Jesus’. Read more...

When I think of Suffering for being a Christian I have one of two responses. I can laugh or cry. The joke above is my typical response, a nervous attempt at laughter motivated by personal conviction at my extremely comfortable life. The other option is sadness that some suffer and that my life as a Christ-follower does not warrant such suffering. Am I doing something wrong, I often wonder?

If you want to read some Scripture about how to suffer as a Christian, you want to spend some time in 1 Peter. Peter wrote to Christians who are spread abroad in hostile foreign lands and as a result faced some agonizingly tough times. And what I read, shocks and floors me.

It reads in 4:12 “do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you.” Do not be surprised….are you serious! That’s not me. I am completely surprised… stumped… shocked when an ounce of difficulty comes to me. ‘But what about my rights’, I protest. ‘I don’t deserve this’, I retort. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.

In the next verse he says, “rejoice” when we suffer. Again I my hand goes up…you can’t be talking about me. I don’t take joy when my rights are constrained, when my freedom is curtailed or when my happiness is impinged upon by others. Can you see that not only do I not suffer, but I struggle even with the idea. I should rejoice, but I can’t.

My only hope is for God to help me “not be surprised” and “rejoice” in suffering for His name. I can’t, but he can. So if I press into him and identify with him, “working out my salvation” through faith in him. Then he, through me, can accept and rejoice in suffering for Him. God help me.

Big Hairy Monsters

What will happen when Jesus Returns? That was the question we were tackling on Tuesday night. I was personally excited to walk through the biblical-timeline of glorious appearing of our blessed hope. I was sure that a greater understanding of Pre-Tribulation Rapture and Pre-Millenial Return of Christ would be an exciting topic and would foster greater evangelistic zeal within our group.

Then yesterday I spotted it. Someone had left their notes behind from the lecture. I glided over and proudly picked it up to see how well received the topic was. I secretly hoped that they had written their name on the top, so that I could return these valuable notes to them.

And this is what I picked up. I guess I held the attention of this guy (or gal) for the first 10 minutes, then they proceeded to draw big hairy monsters as I waxed eloquent on the finer details of the rapture and millenium. It does look like someone has some artistic promise. I feel it only right to return such fine drawings to their rightful owner and I hope to recruit this individual to our new cartoon drawing ministry. Please come forward to receive your prize and our admiration.

All You Need Is Love?

"….knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." 1 Cor 8:1

Doctrine divides, just love others like Jesus. Theology is cold and impersonal, but my faith is simple. I’ve often heard this verse used to support less focus on teaching and more focus on loving others. Would such an idea really be passed on by a guy who challenged his understudy to “preach the word” (2 Tim 4:2) or who encouraged a fellow church leader with “teach sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1)? I’m not trying to grind the axe that everyone needs a seminary degree, what I’m asking is what is Paul really driving at here?

What is puffed up? The picture is a balloon getting inflated or puffed up by air. Some people because of a certain degree of spiritual insight think themselves bigger or better than they are. They are prideful or arrogant. Is this talking about just any knowledge? NO…it is the realization that meat sacrificed to idols is fair game for eating because idols are nothing but man-made toys (1 Cor 8:4), even if some take them seriously.

The rub in Corinth was not that this knowledge was bad, but that not all possessed this knowledge (8:7). So you are dealing with the haves and the have-nots. The have-nots would see a fellow Christian eating meat to idols and would get wigged out because they used to do the same thing as part of their former idol worshipping days. As a result they would become conflicted about their new life in Christ and might stumble back into idolatry or at least would lose some serious sleep over it. And to cause such a stumble is a sin against that brother and against Christ (8:12).

The knowledgeable Christians had a right to eat meat (8:9). But if they did so in the wrong setting it becomes arrogant and prideful not loving. It then doesn’t build up the church, it tears it down. Paul could have discounted knowledge, but instead he affirmed it (8:4-6). His point is not less knowledge, but knowledge without love is sin.

The point can’t be love without knowledge… that is irresponsible.
It is certainly not knowledge without love… that is arrogance.
It must be knowledge with love… that is enriching.

War, Swords & Spirits

I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
(Rom 7:22-23)

The life of a follower of Jesus is joy… it is peace… it is life… and it is war. War?! We have received a gift of new life, real life you might say. Salvation is the restoration of our total being towards shalom or wholeness of mind, body and spirit. Yet our new life, the Christian life, is the process of feeding the new nature which loves God and simultaneously killing our old nature which loves sin. There is within us all a part which loves sin…so what is your poison? Anger, jealousy, pride, sex, back-stabbing, gossip, lust, gluttony, laziness, self-indulgence, caffeine, alcohol.

We are at war, in ourselves to kill these old desires and awaken new desires. Not to repress or cover over or avoid these desires but to kill, strangle, suffocate, lynch, mortify them. How? By the spirit. So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh… but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live (Rom 8:12-13).

How do we engage the Spirit of God to kill the sin our lives? By feasting on the Word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). Apart from faith in the Word of God we will disconnect the very power that is able to kill sin our lives. We must fight fleshly desires with all our might, but that alone will not kill sin. The dynamic power of the Word of God cuts to the heart and is the instrument the Spirit uses to root out the cancer of our sin. Don’t make peace with sin and cover it up, call a war. Don’t try to tame it, kill it by the Spirit. Embrace the war. Expose the war. Engage the war.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Heb 4:12).

Run the Race

I lay in bed at 7am on Saturday morning and I didn't feel like running. For a bit of context, I've been training to run the Columbus marathon for about 6 weeks now. Saturday morning is the long run day and I was schedule for 13 miles this past Saturday. But as I lay in bed half awake knowing what was before me, I simply had no desire to run. I thought out all of the reasons why I should sleep in and why running that day was not the wisest use of my time. I felt flat, windless, like my batteries needed to be re-charged. I didn't think I had 13 miles in me.

Have you ever laid in bed on Monday morning and said, "I don't feel like being a Christian today"? I sure have. It sometimes happens after I have been doing a lot of church stuff and I'm just tired. Or sometimes when I feel stressed about a situation or people that I've had to deal with. Or other times when I'm starting to lose the passion or the dreams that God has placed in me. I'll wake up and hit the snooze button and say, Not Today, I just don't want to do it. I don't think I have 24 hours of being a Christian in me.

I've heard that in marathoning the most difficult part is the training. It is stretched out over months and covers a few hundred miles. It takes discipline, it takes perseverance and even support from others. It's the same way with being a follower of Christ.

Life is a marathon and the biblical writers pick up this running/athletic theme to teach us how to run the race of life. First, we have a crowd cheering us on so we should "run with endurance the race that is set before us..."(Hebrews 12:1). Second, successful running requires self-discipline which prepares us to "run to win" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, 1 Tim 4:7).

Probably the most encouraging idea to me, when I don't feel like being a Christian is the fact that "God has given us everything we need for living a godly life" (2 Peter 1:3). Nothing is hidden from me. Nothing has been held back. I don't need more I just need to tune in with what has already been given. The power is there. The resources are there. So let's run to win.

John Owen on Sin

Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work;
be always at it while you live; cease ot a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

John Owen
17th Puritan

The Face of Success

How do you define success? Success is a haunting word for some and a fleeting idea for others. And in the world of ministry, where heart transformation is the goal, it can often be difficult to measure. In this picture are the faces of nearly 40 campers and 1 dozen volunteers who made up the Northwest Soccer Camp.

By many standards of measurement this years camp was not a success, but a failure. First, this years attendance was less that 50% of last years attendance (40 down from 90). Second, we lost money running the camp this year. Third, we had no kids respond to the gospel invitation (compared with 7 last year). What I'm saying is that numbers were down. And I honestly struggled with that. I lost sleep over that...because I don't want to be a failure.

And interestingly enough my antidote was draped across my back. That was where this year's camp slogan was placed on our t-shirts, which read: "SUCCESS = ATTITUDE + ABILITY". We used that slogan to challenge the campers with the 3 keys to a successful attitude. Maybe my focus on the camp numbers was the source of my dour attitude. So lets look at the situation from a different angle.

We did have 40 kids who not only learned soccer but were challenged with biblical truths about successful attitudes. I wonder what seeds were planted in their hearts that might have an exponential return in the future. We did have 16 kids who had never been to our church before. I wonder how the hearing of the gospel now will affect them down the road. And don't let me forget the 2 dozen volunteers who spent their free time and vacation time to pull this off. What impact will their selfless investment have on them and the kids into whom they poured themselves.

When I look into the faces of this picture that I see people, not numbers. And it is hard to see failure when you invest in people. Because God cares about people, we must focus on the people whom he allows us to serve, not focusing on those whom we don't.