A Boy and his God

How I Dealt With Love Wins, by Rob Bell

2011-04-01T11:56:00.001-04:00

I originally read this quote on another blog, and knew it was the perfect introduction to a Love Wins post. I laughed, and thought I would use it:

"Just in case you’re an irrelevant Christian who listens to Nickelback instead of Mumford and Sons, has a burden to reach Latin America instead of Africa or Europe, and who has held out on signing up for a Twitter or Facebook account, Christians are in an uproar. Rob Bell released a promotional video last weekend for his upcoming book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived."

To be fair, I met a few Bible college students the other night who did not know of this internet debate. But one thing is certain, Mumford > Nickelback.

I debated writing my own thoughts. Everyone and their mom has an opinion on this book. What's one more blog post? The decision to write was that I have strong feelings about what I read and have observed. Instead of repeating myself over again, one long post will suffice. I read Love Wins in two days and tried my best to remain objective. I thoughtfully worked through his arguments and stories before formulating my own opinions.

Before I begin, let me say that this topic has reminded me why I hate debating, and why I love discussion. I learn more about a topic by discussing things with my good friend and blogger, LJ, than I do in debates with other people.

In discussions, I'm more open to other peoples opinions, I am more willing to change my own view, I'm more willing to say that I am wrong, I offer more respect and feel more respected, and feel I am more patient.

Some people like to debate. Some people can debate healthily. I can't.

Furthermore, I don't hate Rob Bell. I'm not going to call him a wolf or whatever. I don't hate that he wrote this book. He has the right to write and publish whatever he wants. Do I think it was a poorly written book? Yes. Why did I write this post? Because I have strong feelings about the book's content, and some people wanted to hear my opinion. Simple as that.

I believe that Bell has a huge love for people, which I think fuels this book. His anecdotes are powerful. His passion, contagious.

He has been, and probably always will be, a huge influence on my life and communication style.

So now, here are things that I did not like about Love Wins, by Rob Bell.
(followed by additional thoughts)

1. In the opening pages, Bell claims that the story of Jesus has been hijacked.

"There are a growing number of us who have become acutely aware that Jesus's story has been hijacked by a number of other stories, stories Jesus isn't interested in telling. Because they have nothing to do with what he came to do. The plot has been lost, and it's time to reclaim it.

A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It's been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus's message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear." -Bell

That the way every pastor and every Bible scholar has told the story of Jesus, it's a massive corruption from what God intended. As I read it, the first few pages let us know that everything we've ever been told about God's love is corrupted, and that Bell has written this book to set things straight.

I can't help but see this as a slap in the face to everyone who has told the traditional story of Jesus. We hijacked it? Turned it toxic and into an anti-Jesus message?

Hardly.

2. The thesis of Bell's book, as I read it, is that God's love is so great, that after death, people get a second chance of redemption. Hell is a place of temporary correction. To argue this, he looks at Matthew 25:46, arguably the most important verse on this subject matter:

"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Bell argues that the very idea of 'forever' and 'eternal' as we understand it, is not what the Biblical writers intended. Unendingness is not a biblical reality.

"But 'forever' is not really a category the biblical writers used.

One meaning of aion refers to a period of time, as in "The spirit of the age" or "They were gone for ages." When we use the word "age" like this, we are referring less to a precise measurement of time, like an hour or a day or a year, and more to a period or era of time. This is crucial to our understanding of the word aion, because it doesn't mean "forever" as we think of forever. When we say "forever" what we are generally referring to is something that will go on, year after 365-day year, never ceasing in the endless unfolding of segmented, measurable units of time, like a clock that never stops ticking. That's not this word. " -Bell

Eternal, here, is the greek word aiōnios.

Bell argues that the ONLY way to interpret this word is 'a temporary intense moment of time' an 'age' 'a time with a beginning and an end' . But as I read this Greek lexicon, it gives the outline of Biblical usage for aiōnios:

1) without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
2) without beginning
3) without end, never to cease, everlasting

Granted, there are four places where NT translators chose to translate the word aiōnios, or it's derivative as 'an age', or 'period of time': Romans 16:25, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2 and Romans 16:26.

What bothers me is that Bell is arguing that the ONLY way to interpret this word is temporary, not our idea of eternal. His lack of flexibility here bothers me.

But what if he is right?

The word is semantically flexible. If punishment/correction is only a period of time, then what about the rest of the verse? Is the alternative, eternal life, merely a temporary period? What happens when our 'eternal' life is over? Do we cease to exist?

I see this as a huge inconsistency.

"And they will go away into 'temporary punishment/correction', but the righteous into 'temporary life'."

What does that even mean? I think this is the most important argument Bell needs to make, and it falls short.

3. The second book under 'Futher Reading' is fictional classic The Great Divorce*, by C. S. Lewis. The book chronicles the narrator's journey. He starts at a bus station that we later find out is hell. Riding the bus into the clouds, he and the other passengers reach heaven. Residents of hell quickly discover that they hate heaven. They are ghosts, whose feet are stabbed by grass. Heaven is such a greater reality, that it turns the residents of hell into mere shadows.

All of hell's residents are given the opportunity to stay in heaven, but most choose to climb back into the bus to return to hell.

I decided to re-read The Great Divorce after finishing Love Wins. In the preface, Lewis gives this warning:

"I beg readers to remember that this is a fantasy. It has of course-or I intended it to have-a moral. But the transmortal conditions are solely an imaginative supposal: they are not even a guess or a speculation at what may actually await us. The last thing I wish is to arouse factual curiosity about the details of the after-world."

I could be oversimplifying, but in my re-read of The Great Divorce, it seemed that Bell's theology was shaped heavily by this fictional book. Bell's description of hell, the postmortem choice and descriptions of heaven share a lot of characteristics to The Great Divorce.

[*I did find the entire book, The Great Divorce, on a website. A great book worth a read.]

4. I'm not that smart. And I've only read the book once. So I look to our leadership in the Church. To respected pastors and Bible scholars for their opinion on Bell's arugments. As I read the many opinions of pastors and Bible scholars that I respect, I haven't found one that agrees with the Biblical arguments that Bell presents.

Here are the only positive reactions I've found:

Greg Boyd says Bell is not a universalist.

Matthew Paul Turner says not to demonize Bell.

Brian McLaren supports Bell, but most do not consider McLaren a reasonable Biblical voice (just being honest).

Ed Dobson didn't read the book, but supports Bell anyway.

If there are others, feel free to list them. I'd like to hear their thoughts.

5. I'm tired of hearing, "You need to read it for yourself," and other similar comments. Is it good advice? Yeah. Do I have a good reason for being tired of it? No. I just wanted to vent.

6. I hate how it's brought the worst out in Christians. Viral blogs are full of commenters gnashing, biting, and arguing about theology. The real tragedy is when we divide love from theology. What's more, is that more Christian attention was put on Bell than the catastrophe in Japan.

7. Bell asks a LOT of questions. Good questions. We have good, satisfiable answers to these questions. But Bell ignores traditional answers. Intentionally, I assume, writing in a way to lead the reader through a series of emotions, opening them up to his answers. But traditional answers shouldn't be ignored.

Most of Bell's questions build emotion in his readers.

"If there are only a select few who go to heaven, which is more terrifying to fathom: the billions who burn forever or the few who escape this fate? How does a person end up being one of the few?
Chance?
Luck?
Random selection?
Being born in the right place, family, or country?
Having a youth pastor who 'relates better to the kids'?
God choosing you instead of others?

What kind of faith is that?
Or, more important:
What kind of God is that?" -Bell

In order to appeal to the heart of the reader, Bell is asking these frequently asked highly emotional questions. The problem with these questions, and the problem with Love Wins in general, is that it starts at the opinions of man (man's definition of love) to point out the problems of a traditional Biblical God.

Rather, we are to start with Scripture, to see that God is Holy and man is sinful. We find that the phrase Love Wins is true, but differently than his book would have us to believe.

Other thoughts:

1. I don't know what Rob Bell was thinking. I enjoy trying to figure out how people think, and why they say the things they say, write the things they write, talk the way they talk. That's why I love watching movies. I'm not just experiencing a plot or characters. I'm trying to figure out what is going through the directors head, why the screenplay was written like that, etc.

For a while, I followed John Mayer on Twitter. After a few months, I realized I couldn't understand anything that he was tweeting. He thinks differently than everybody else. That's why he writes songs no one else can write. He's an amazing writer, but I have no idea what inspires him, or why he goes in the direction he chooses. He's an artist.

I think the same is true for Bell. He's an artist and a genius. He doesn't think like everybody else. His methods have always been unorthodox. From what I understand, he had struggling grades through communication, speech, and sermon classes in school. Not because he can't communicate, but because he doesn't communicate like everybody else. Because he tries new things. Because he goes into uncharted territory.

Why did he write Love Wins? Because he enjoys controversy? Because he thinks all of Christianity really has been hijacked? Because he wants to create meaningful discussion? Because he's a wolf? Because he enjoys being different? Because he wanted to sell books? Because NOOMA videos don't sell as many as they used to? Because he wants to redefine 'love'?

I don't know.

2. Justin Taylor is responsible for the book's massive publicity. I first heard about Love Wins because I read saw Taylor's blog posted by one of my friends on Facebook. Taylor blogs for thegospelcoalition.org. I read the blog, and posted it on my own Facebook, as I do with a lot of blogs that I read that I find interesting. It eventually went viral because so many people re-posted it. What I didn't know is that Taylor's blog had been revised several times. The original post called Bell a 'servant of Satan' and other off-color remarks.

And then there was John Piper's infamous tweet: "Farwell Rob Bell",

These were both written without actually reading Love Wins. Both jumping the gun, and displaying immaturity.

Greg Boyd put it best in his blog post, Rob Bell is NOT a Universalist (and I actually read “Love Wins”):

"Which is why this is a good conversation worth having…
but not on Twitter…
and not by accusing and labeling and bidding a brother “farewell” before you’ve even read the book!
THAT is madness!"

3. The name 'Rob Bell' and his long time used phrase 'love wins' now carries a great deal of baggage (I know it already did, but more now than ever). I've always liked it when Bell said, "Love wins." It's a powerful phrase. And I still believe it. Just not in the same way he means it. From now on, when I mention Bell, or use a NOOMA video, there will always be an unspoken (or spoken) awkwardness.

In short, he's lost more of his credibility.

4. I'm not sure why people love this book. Some of my friends love this book.

Maybe they agree with Bell's arguments.

Maybe they didn't do the Greek research.

Maybe they don't take the Bible literally. Or take all parts equally inspired by God.

Maybe they love books, speakers, or ideas that make conservative Christians angry. Maybe they get a kick out of making certain people feel uncomfortable.

I don't know. If you love this book, feel free to tell me why. I'm open to listening.

8. I’m not sure what to make of people saying ‘this book is art’ and shouldn’t be judged theologically. If it shouldn’t be judged theologically, then it shouldn’t be taken theologically. Then I better stick it next to my copy of The Great Divorce.

9. I didn't deal with most verses that Bell uses. That would make this post entirely too long. Isn't it already too long? Thank you for sticking with me this far. For an exhaustive discussion on Bell's Scripture usage, see Kevin DeYoung's review God is Still Holy.

10. My good friend wrote this convicting conclusion on his tumblr.

"I love Rob Bell and I love John Piper too for that matter. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what either one says. What matters is the searching of Scriptures within context, within community, with one another and God that what is written there has Authority, Mystery, Love, Grace, Justice, Mercy, Adventure, Creativeness, Uniqueness and Power to change lives."

11. Bell asks a lot of good questions about who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. He brings up the 'age of accountability'.

"Some Christians believe that up to a certain age children aren't held accountable for what they believe or who they believe in,so if they die during those years, they go to be with God. But then when they reach a certain age, they become accountable for their beliefs, and if they die, they go to be with God only if they have said or done or believe the 'right' things." -Bell

Here is what I believe on the issue.We could debate for a lifetime on who goes to heaven, and who goes to hell. In all of these questions, I rest in the fact that God is Judge. The impossible dilemmas we see are split-second decisions to Him. And His decision goes. And who are we to question? A fascinating ending to the book of Job shows us one great man's reaction to a holy God's presence.

"The LORD said to Job:
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”

Then Job answered the LORD:
“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
“Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
“Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"

Job, a wise, patient, holy man, when standing before God, could only reply, "I put my hand over my mouth."

Likewise, I think all of our questions, debates, arguing over what happens in eternity will all fade as quickly as God makes his Judgement.

12. I will always believe that in the end, Love Wins.

What Do Zombie Films and Billy Graham Have In Common?

2011-01-13T08:36:00.000-05:00

I love zombie films.

Well, the entire post-apocalyptic genre, but zombie stories in particular. Zombie movie marathon? Yes, please. And I'll bring the Funyons.

Is it the senseless violence? Sure, that's a part of it. Sometimes it's fun to turn off the realistic part of my brain and enjoy some intense action.

Is it a fascination with the dead? No way. Technically, they're un-dead. But regardless, this has little to do with it. There is nothing spiritual or demonic going on here. Usually just a man made virus, if they even take the time to explain the zombies at all.

Here is why I love zombie stories. Because I can't help but think,

"What would I do?"

Would I be the quiet guy who eventually has a nervous breakdown? Or would I be the unrealistic action seeker and die an early and needless and utterly preventable death? Or would I be the guy who keeps his cool under the worst of situations? The guy with a plan. The guy who inspires hope. The guy who unifies everyone together for the one common goal: to survive.

Post-apocalyptic stories have this way of asking what would life be like if everything had to start from scratch. The world we once knew is gone: laws, order, the American Dream. Now all that is left is chaos, disorder, fear. But there is always a leader who inspires hope to the hopeless. A promise of restoration.

I have been most impressed with the latest zombie story, The Walking Dead. A six episode first season of a well budgeted, high quality written TV show. The season ends with a great dialoge between the main character, Rick and a disgruntled scientist.

"You're lying when you say there's no hope. All we want is a choice. A chance. We need to try for as long as we can." -Rick

What drives Rick is this idea that somewhere, there is refuge from danger. Somewhere there is a safe life for him, his wife, and his son. So he chooses to fight. He chooses to keep going. Is his hope unrealistic? Naive? Immature? Or is his optimism the last best thing to hold on to?

So what does all this have to do with Billy Graham? You probably have already put it together: Hope.

People closest to Billy Graham describe him as a pessimist. His natural outlook on life is that things are probably going to get worse. In order to lead, he has to purposefully and intentionally communicate hope and optimism. Marshall Shelley, who wrote The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, describes him this way in this powerful quote,

"Optimism is not living in a fantasy world where nothing tragic ever happens; vital optimism is a confidence that tragedy isn't the last word, that the best is yet to be. Optimism is being able to acknowledge brutal realities and to the point an even greater reality - that our experiences are not in vain, our responses are not futile, and our efforts are going to be worthwhile.

Christian leaders like Billy Graham most often link this optimism and hope to an abiding trust that history is going somewhere and that God, who specializes in redeeming flawed situations, is powerfully directing it. But hope is the basic psychology and biology.

Sometimes, brining hope to a dispirited group is the most important thing a leader can do."

Sure. I admit. It's no zombie apocalypse out there.

But it isn't great either.

In a lot of ways, things are very terrible for a lot of people. But sometimes the greatest thing we can bring to the world is hope. Hope that we can help change things. Hope that Jesus can still bring healing grace. Hope that tragedy does not have the last word.

And we intentionally bring hope with us.

Who would of thought the two had anything in common?

(Sorry I dont blog much anymore. I love doing it, but finding time is harder with a daughter and a full time job. I'm sure you understand. And thank you everyone for your constant encouragement. More to come soon.)

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And how can we bring hope to hurting people?
Anyone love zombie films as much as me?

I'm sorry. I don't speak Christianese.

2010-12-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Apologies for this not coming out on Tuesday, but I have been enjoying life with my wife and newborn daughter Reagan. So I had more fun holding Reagan than thinking about writing this weekend. So to make up for my absence, here is a picture of her on our drive home from the hospital.

Now, onto the blog.
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Observation and Confession time.

We all have preferences. Mine?

Coffee? Two creams, one sugar.
Hamburgers? All the way.
Style of preaching? Conversational.
Leadership? Relational and influential.

As weird as this sounds, I don't like using jargon. Especially Christian jargon.

"Praise the Lord.
Amen, brother.
God is faithful like that.
Blessed and highly favored.
Saved. Sanctified. And filled with the Holy Ghost.
Bless their heart."

First, there came a point in my life when I realized that everybody doesn't talk this way. But our pastors and preachers have used these phrases from the pulpit for years. And people in the crowd know what they mean, or at least pretend they do.

When I figured out that non-Christians, and Christians who don't go to these types of churches, don't use or even understand these phrases, I made it a point to use terms everyone knows, with the intention to be understood by more people.

Obviously, I'm not the only one who feels this way. You probably feel the same, or at least know people who do. Pointing this out isn't all that significant. I know.

What I want to confess is that now, since it's been so long since I switched, I get agitated when I hear it. Annoyed even. And I've watched friends of mine even make fun of people who speak this 'Christianese'.

So I've come some sort of full circle.

I used jargon.
I noticed the problems with jargon.
I quit speaking jargon.
I get annoyed with people who use jargon.
I was annoyed at myself for getting annoyed at people using jargon.
And now I get annoyed when other people get annoyed for people using jargon.

And I don't really know what to think. Does this even matter? I think so because it negatively affects our attitudes towards other Christians. Do I have a solution? Besides getting over it? Nope. What do you think?

But again, I don't want a secret code that only certain people understand. I don't want people to need a translator to know that I'm giving them advice.

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Does it bother you? Do you think it's a big deal?

God the 'Father'? Why Pick a Name With So Much Baggage?

2010-11-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's weird to think of God as Father. Couldn't He have picked a better metaphor to describe himself? Granted, I was fortunate to have a great father. He took us to Braves games, provided for us on a military budget, and always showed interest in our sports endeavors.

But I know too many people who had bad fathers. Fathers that never cared for their kids. Fathers that never returned calls at Christmas. Fathers who chased younger women. Fathers who found their identity and worth in work, and choosing to neglect their family.

For too many, the title 'father' carries baggage. Bad memories. And hurt.

In the Old Testament, no one ever called God by the name of 'Father'. Ever.

God was called holy.
God was called a warrior.
God was called a rock.
God was called master.

But God was never called Father.

So when the disciples asked, "How should we pray?" you have to understand how unheard of it was for him to begin, "Our FATHER, who is in heaven..."

I'm sure the disciples thought, "Did he just say that?! Father?"

But Jesus invited us to do something intimate. Special. Inviting. Personal.

He called us to join the family of God. To call God, Father.

I began to better understand this when I read this powerful quote by George MacDonald,

"In my own childhood and boyhood my father was the refuge from all the ills of life, even sharp pain itself. Therefore I say to son or daughter who has no pleasure in the name Father, you must interpret the word by all that you have missed in life. All that human tenderness can give or desire in the nearness and readiness of love, all and infinitely more must be true of the perfect Father - of the maker of fatherhood."

This week I will become a father to my daughter, Reagan Arcadia. When she is born, I am told that my entire outlook on life will change. Which, I'm sure is true. But most importantly, my perspective on who my heavenly father is will change. How He cares. How He wants the best.

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If you had a bad father, how do you feel about calling God your Father?

The Danger of Bumper Sticker Ideology

2010-11-14T18:30:00.002-05:00

So I'm reading this book about a guy who dressed up in a bumper sticker suit. After he convinced his wife to let him out of the house with the goofy thing, he headed to Time Square, New York.

His goal? To open up discussion with anybody willing. He asked questions about God, the Church, and their favorite bumper sticker on his suit.

His intent? To facilitate meaningful conversation.

It's not that I think bumper stickers are wrong. Not at all.

Although they do affect the resale of your car. You want bumper stickers? Cover to your heart's content.

But what bumper sticker guy and I are saying is that the ideology of a bumper sticker cheapens communication. This mindset robs us of the art of conversation.

Bumper sticker ideology offer one way communication. I know that I don't want to be the type that only has something to proclaim or to communicate, and doesn't have the time or ability to facilitate honest conversation.

Bumper sticker ideology only offer simple answers. Life is complex. Big questions often have complex answers. I feel cheated when a complex question is answered with a cliche just short enough to fit on the back of my car. Tough questions deserve thought out explanations. Tough questions deserve to be explored.

Bumper sticker ideology devalues opposing opinions. When we use one way communication methods, we communicate a lack of care or interest in rebuttals. We communicate that we don't care about other people's opinions. Sometimes that's not what we are trying to do. Other times, if we're honest, that's exactly how we feel: you're opinion is unimportant in this conversation. It communicates that 'I am right and you are wrong.' And we show that we are unwilling to learn from other people.

I'll admit. It's harder to facilitate conversation over this one way communication.

It takes relationship (relationships can be messy).

It takes longer (credibility has to be established).

It takes more research (tough questions deserve researched answers).

In short, let me ask you this,

"Has a bumper sticker answer ever changed your mind on a tough issue? Or just supported what you believed?"

Book written by bumper sticker guy.

Subconscious Imitation

2010-11-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

I recently read this fascinating story about mentorship and imitation. It is by Dr. Paul Brand, a man who gave up a prestigious medical career to serve lepers in India.

"Curtains screened my group of ten interns and medical students from the rest of the forty-bed ward. Those of us inside the curtains were giving full attention to our young colleague as he made his diagnosis. He was half-kneeling, in the posture I had taught him, with his warm hand slipped under the sheet and resting on the patient's bare abdomen. While his fingers probed gently for telltale signs of distress, he continued a line of questioning that shoed he was weighing the possibility of appendicitis against an ovarian infection.

Suddenly, something caught my eye - a slight twitch of movement on the intern's face. Was it the eyebrow arching upward? A vague memory stirred in my mind, but one I could not fully recall. His questions were leading into a delicate area, especially for demure Hindu society. Had the woman ever been exposed to a venereal infection? The intern's facial muscles contracted into an expression combining sympathy, inquisitiveness, and disarming warmth as he looked straight in the patient's face and asked the questions. His very countenance coaxed the woman to relax, put aside the awkwardness, and tell us the truth.

At that moment my memory snapped into place. Of course! The left eyebrow cocked up with the right one trailing down, the wry, enticing smile, the head tilted to one side, the twinkling eyes - these were unmistakably the features of my old chief surgen in London, Professor Robin Pilcher. I sucked in my breath sharply and exclaimed. The students looked up, startled by my reaction. I could not help it; it seemed as if the intern had studied Professor Pilcher's face for an acting audition and was now drawing from his repertoire to impress me.

Answering their questioning looks, I explained myself, "That is the face of my old chief! What a coincidence - you have exactly the same expression, yet you've never been to England and Pilcher certainly has never visited India."

At frist the students stared at me in confused silence. Finally, two or three of them grinned. "We don't know any Professor Pilcher," one said. "But Dr. Brand, that was your expression he was wearing."

Later that evening, alone in my office, I thought back to my days under Pilcher. I had thought I was learning from him techniques of surgery and diagnostic procedures. But he had also imprinted his instincts, his expression, his very smile so that they,too, would be passed down from generation to generation in an unbroken human chain. It was a kindly smile, perfect for cutting through the fog of embarrassment to encourage a patient's honesty. What textbook or computer program could have charted out the facial expression needed at that exact moment within the curtain?

Now I, Plicher's student, had become a link in the chain, a carrier of his wisdom to students some nine thousand miles away. The Indian doctor, young and brown-skinned, speaking in Tamil, somehow he had conveyed the likeness of my old chief so accurately."*

This story amazes me at how subconsciously powerful mentoring can be. In this case, in the field of bedside manners for the interest of the patient. But the same is true in how we teach, how we conduct meetings, how we sell products, and most importantly, how we strive to be like Christ. As Paul once wisely said,

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)

*This story is the opening illustration of In His Image, by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey.

A Light at the End of the Prayer Tunnel

2010-10-31T20:48:00.004-04:00

I'm not the first to admit that I don't understand prayer. And I won't be the last.

To be honest, life since college has been tough for me. I am one of the many Americans to graduate higher education and get hurt by the job market. Even though I graduated over three years ago, I have not had a full time job that has paid more than $8 an hour. Embarrassing, huh? Even if you don't think so, it's definitely nothing to be excited about.

As an undergrad with a degree in Ministry, I've searched for a long time to find a job.

I feel like I've done it all.

Networked.
Online searches.
Volunteered.
Followed every lead I could find.
Asked mentors for advice.

But more than anything, I prayed.

All the time.

I asked God a lot of questions.

"Why have you given me these gifts and nowhere to use them?"

"Why have you given me a passion and a vision with nowhere to implement them?"

And no answer.

I can't say how many times I said, "I should just give up."

And too many times, I was so close to a hire, but the opportunity crumbled before me.

So last year, in September, I had the idea to implement my desire to teach on a blog. That idea eventually became this site. So I wrote.

And wrote.

And wrote.

Until I found my niche.

Until I found my ministry.

Granted, this doesn't pay anything. But I have received three free books. And typically, books don't pay the bills.

I even wrote a post for people in my situation, exploring the idea of failure, and how to persevere.

But you, my readers, became my focus.

Fast forward to today.

This morning I spoke at the Cleveland Worship Center as the new Student Minister/Associate Pastor.

As I breathe a sigh of relief, I can now put to rest worries of raising a daughter. She will be born in less than a month. And I now have a way to provide for her.

Honestly, it seems unreal. Like a dream I am soon going to wake from. Like a prank about to spring on me.

But as far as I know, I have to be at the office at 8am tomorrow. You better believe I will be there, with french pressed coffee flowing through my veins.

If you are wondering, I will still be faithful to you, my readers. I will continue to write to the best of my ability. You're too good to pass up.

But as it comes to prayer, I often wonder about God's timing. Why did He wait so long?

1. Was He teaching me about patience?

2. Was He protecting me from more bad experiences?

3. Did He want me to arrive at the Cleveland Worship Center in this stage of my life?

4. Did He want me to wait till I hit the end of my rope?

I could list a thousand more reasons, and not be closer to knowing WHY.

I don't understand why God works the way He does.
I don't know.
I don't know why you're prayers are still unanswered.

But I do believe that God is good. Not always safe. Not always fun. But good.

And tomorrow, for the first time in a long time, I will know that I have a purpose, a place to implement my gifts, students to minister to, and an income to provide for my family.

And I couldn't be more excited.

A Light at the End of the Prayer Tunnel

2010-10-31T20:45:00.000-04:00

Networked.
Online searches.
Volunteered.
Followed every lead I could find.
Asked mentors for advice.

But more than anything, I prayed.

All the time.

I asked God a lot of questions.

"Why have you given me these gifts and nowhere to use them?"

"Why have you given me a passion and a vision with nowhere to implement them?"

And no answer.

I can't say how many times I said, "I should just give up."

Last year, in September, I had the idea to implement my desire to teach on a blog. That idea eventually became this site. So I wrote.

And wrote.

And wrote.

Until I found my niche.

Until I found my ministry.

Granted, this doesn't pay anything. But I have received three free books. And typically, books don't pay the bills.

I even wrote a post for people in my situation, exploring the idea of failure, and how to persevere.

But you, my readers, became my focus.

Fast forward to today.

This morning I spoke at the Cleveland Worship Center as the new Student Minister/Associate Pastor.

As I breathe a sigh of relief, I can now put to rest worries of raising a daughter. She will be born in less than a month. And I now have a way to provide for her.

Honestly, it seems unreal. Like a dream I am soon going to wake from. Like a prank about to spring on me.

But as far as I know, I have to be at the office at 8am tomorrow. You better believe I will be there, with french pressed coffee flowing through my veins.

If you are wondering, I will still be faithful to you, my readers. I will continue to write to the best of my ability. You're too good to pass up.

But as it comes to prayer, I often wonder about God's timing. Why did He wait so long?

1. Was He teaching me about patience?

2. Was He protecting me from more bad experiences?

3. Did He want me to arrive at the Cleveland Worship Center in this stage of my life?

4. Did He want me to wait till I hit the end of my rope?

I could list a thousand more reasons, and not be closer to knowing WHY.

I don't understand why God works the way He does.
I don't know.
I don't know why you're prayers are still unanswered.

But I do believe that God is good. Not always safe. Not always fun. But good.

And tomorrow, for the first time in a long time, I will know that I have a purpose, a place to implement my gifts, students to minister to, and an income to provide for my family.

And I couldn't be more excited.

My Stance on Prayer and Politics

2010-10-24T13:00:00.004-04:00

Years ago, I was into music.

And when I say into, I really mean consumed by.

Truth be told, I think I'm losing my hearing. And I think it's because I stood in the front row to see countless bands, screaming every lyric along with them. Now that all of my favorite bands have broken up, I've given away most of my CDs and my wife has to repeat herself because her deaf husband didn't hear her the first time.

Do I regret it? No way! Those days were great.

One summer, three of us drove seven hundred miles to Cornerstone, Illinois. 300 bands were scheduled to play, and I credit most of my hearing loss to those five days of rock.

One particular morning, I woke early to a stump poking out of the ground, through my sleeping bag and into my back. Rising sooner than I wanted to, I began to walk from booth to booth, stage to stage.

I happened upon the Rock for Life stage. Rock for Life was a non-profit music organization that advocated pro-life. My interest piqued, I stepped over to see an organized group in conversation. A session was just ending.

They finished with prayer. And that day, my perspective on prayer made a huge shift.

The guy leading the session ending with this conversation with God,

"God, we pray for the hearts of abortion doctors. So that they would become Your followers and leave their profession. Thus ending abortion."

My head could not fathom the humility that I was hearing.

Jesus' words came to mind, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax collectors doing that?"

Here was a guy who was praying for his enemies. Not that they would fall, but that God would spiritually change their hearts. And on such a controversial topic such as abortion, he chose to love his enemies, wishing the absolute best for them (that they would encounter God).

Sometimes, I feel like we spend too much energy trying to gain political power, rather than praying for spiritual change.

Regardless of your position on politics like abortion, America will not heal by having the right law passed, or the right person in office.

These are spiritual problems. And political solutions cannot fix spiritual problems.

I challenge myself, and you, to have an attitude like this Rock for Life guy, to pray NOT for political, professional, or or social power.

But for hearts to be changed.

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In what ways does your spirituality affect your politics?

The Pain of Unanswered Prayer

2010-10-17T12:11:00.000-04:00

The question isn't, "If I pray, is God going to come through?"

In the spirit of keeping things honest, this is the question that hurts my heart, "Why does God sometimes comes through and answer our prayers, and sometimes He doesn't?"

Good people. Faithful people. Holy people. Offering very serious, honest prayers to a loving God.

Sometimes He answers. Sometimes He doesn't.

One parent loses a child. Another's is miraculously saved.

Cancer will miraculously heal. Other times kill.

Some barren women beat all odds and give birth. Others remain childless.

So what are we to make of the inconsistency.

Of all of the examples of prayer I could give you, both answered and unanswered, I have picked two from Scripture.

The first in Exodus 32.

God's anger for the golden calf idolatry would bring the destruction of Israel. And God told Moses that he would create a new nation through him.

God tells Moses, "I have seen these people (Israelites) and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you (Moses) into a great nation."

But Moses sought the favor of God. He prayed, as if to remind God of his love, patience, and promises for Israel. And God relented his anger.

This is a fantastic story of how a humble man's prayers directly affected an outcome. It's easy to read this passage. Even easier to teach it, as if all you need is humility, a right relationship with God, and a faithful prayer to get what you earnestly want.

But we contrast this story to one we read in 2 Corinthians.

Here, we have Paul, presumably an equal to Moses' humility, relationship to God, and faithfulness to prayer. Paul talks vaguely about a 'thorn' in his flesh, given to torment him. Three times he prayed to God for healing. And God's response shakes my idea of prayer, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness."

Or, more simply put, "No."

So how do we view prayer in light of these two contrasting Biblical narratives?

My attempt:

Do our prayers change the way events will unfold? Yes.

Do they ALWAYS change the way events will unfold? No.

Does this make sense to me? Not really.

Is this something that I can accept? Yes.

In these two biblical accounts, we get to see behind the scenes and hear what God is thinking. But for every other extra-biblical account of prayer, we never truly know why some prayers get answered, and some don't.

Whatever cosmic and mysterious answers there are, we will likely never know.

So I pray earnestly, knowing that my prayer COULD change the course of events.

And when they don't, I rest in the sovereignty of God knowing that He is in control, even if that means a painful circumstance for myself or loved ones.

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How have you come to peace with unanswered prayer?

I Finally Found the Point

2010-10-10T13:30:00.004-04:00

One poet said,

"Prayers like gravel

flung at the sky's window,

hoping to attract the loved one's attention."

And that's a quote I can really relate to. All too often, it feels like I am a child, assuming that my best efforts, like throwing rocks in the air, is the way to get God's attention. Did I lose his interest? Did I do something wrong? How long should I keep this up?

I've always had a hard time with this. And it was a long time before I heard a good answer.

What's the point?

Why pray? When God already knows? And why pray when God is sovereign, anyway?

1. You may already have a satisfactory answer.
2. You may have just quit asking.
3. Or you may have just given up on prayer altogether.

Whatever the case, the story has helped me find peace with the question, what's the point?

"My pastor spent a day of hard labor installing stone steps in his backyard. The individual stones weighed between a hundred and two hundred pounds, and it took all of his strength and a few tools to maneuver them into place. His five-year-old daughter begged to help. When he suggested she just sing, to encourage him in his work, she said no. She wanted to help. Carefully, when it would not endanger her, he let her place her hands on the rocks and push as he moved them.

He admitted later that Becky's assistance actually complicated the task. He could have built the steps in less time without her 'help'. At the end of the day, though, he had not only new steps but a daughter bursting with pride and a sense of accomplishment. "Me and Dad made steps," she announced at dinner that night. And he would be the first to agree."

God could do so much greater without us.

It's as simple as that. He could. But he chooses not to. God could restore the world without us. But he chooses to restore and redeem using our hands, using our prayers. And looking through the eyes of a parent making stone steps, it helps me understand the mystical experience of prayer.

So your heart asks, what is the point of prayer?

To accomplish things WITH God that only he can do.

The Hard Part of Praying

2010-10-03T14:39:00.000-04:00

If you’re anything like me, then prayer doesn’t come easy. I hear about people who pray for three hours every morning, and my head spins. That’s something to admire, but nothing I could emulate.

So I was amazed and relieved when I read what the great poet and philosopher John Donne said about his prayer life.

“I throw myself down in the Chamber, and I call and invite God and his angels. And when they are there, I neglect both God and his angels. For the noise of the fly, the rattling of the coach, and the whining of the door. I remember yesterday’s pleasures, tomorrows fears and dangers, a straw under my knee, a noise in my ear, a light in my eye, and anything, and nothing. All troubles me in my prayer.”

When I quiet myself, open my mind to God, every little detail about the room floods my mind. A straw under my knee, or the discomfort of my chair. Details of my life come to the surface. And the time I set for God soon becomes clogged with the irrelevant, mundane, and trivial. Why is it that when I sit down to pray, prayer becomes so hard?

Teresa of Avila, another saint of prayer, admitted to shaking the sand in her hourglass to make her prayer hour go faster.

More times than I'd care to admit, I sat down for my penciled time on my schedule to pray, only to glance at my watch, making sure it hadn't stopped.

We can quickly assume that the famous saints that were known as great people of prayer, that it came easy to them. But those we so quickly respect struggled in the very things we respect them for.

So that’s the problem, what’s the solution?

1. Know that the barriers you face in your prayer life are not unique. We all experience the same hindrances, even the saints.

2. We need to understand that these barriers are not unbreakable. Persist in discipline. My point is that we shouldn’t glorify the progress of the saints without embracing the difficulty they faced. The same spiritual breakthroughs are possible for us today.

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What other barriers have you faced in your prayer life?

140 Character Overload

2010-09-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

With Netflix DVDs, cheap and addictive iPhone apps, a library of audiobooks, texting and social networking always at my fingertips, I'm finding it harder and harder to slow down. I've been at the point for a few months now where I feel like I always have to be doing something.

Catching up on the TV show everyone is talking about.

Reading that classic book I've always wanted to read.

I even found Mega Man II for the iPhone (only $0.99). My inner child went crazy as I beat Dr. Wiley.

But I'm to the point of information overload.

Even written media is all too accessible. With book printing cheaper and self publishing possible, most people can (and will) write their own book. Some established authors have decided to give away their eBooks and audiobooks. They don't want the money. They want to spread their ideas.

All of this is great. Except that excess runs counter to the spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines: environments we create for God to speak to us.
(Prayer, fasting, silence, study, solitude, worship, simplicity, giving)

We practice these, not legalistically, but to slow ourselves down, orient ourselves unto God, and to be quiet long enough to hear Him speak.

In the South, when we talk about Church Tradition, we think the typical. Hard pews. Choir robes. Hymnals. Pot lucks. But these traditions are a mere hundred years old. Last week, I brought up the fact that Catholic church traditions run thousands of years old. The sacrament. Confession. Creeds.

These traditions have always been with the Church.

The same is true with the spiritual disciplines. The old saints spent their lives pursuing God through disciplines. Practicing and honing it like a craft or a skill. Caring deeply for the disciplines as if taking care of a child.

And to think, I get caught up in Twitter instead.

So this is me, slowing down.

This is me saying that I need God more than whatever shiny distractions present themselves.

So next week? Prayer.

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Have you had similar or different experiences with media and distractions?

Why I Enjoy Attending Catholic Mass

2010-09-19T16:02:00.000-04:00

I know that sounds weird, but I do.

There is an element of reverence during Mass.

As many protestant denomination services that I have attended, there is something sacred and ancient that happens in Mass.

I spend a lot of my thoughts on where the Church is going and why have we shifted in thought. But in Mass, they are practicing traditions that date back over a thousand years.

There is remembrance.

There is reverence.

To me, the most important sacrament is Communion. With Churches getting bigger and doing things faster, someone invented the pre-filled disposable cup with communion wafer on top.

I'm not 'against' this novelty, but it does frustrate me. It seems so processed. Hurried. Individualized.

To me, there is something sacred in slowing down. Remembering. Community in Communion. Stepping to the front. Drinking slowly. Tasting the wine. Listening to the bread break. Broken. Spilled.

As a Protestant, I know not to take part of Catholic Communion. But I always appreciate observing. Every week, the priest eloquently explains the meaning of the broken bread and the poured wine.

When I read the New Testament and read the accounts of the disciples, I all too often read them as inadequate, undertrained, and foolhardy. But when I listen to the Priest talk about them, especially reffering to them as Saints, I remember that God chose them to be the forerunners of the Church! To be the first to carry the gospel to the world. They are saints!

As someone who spends most of their thoughts on where the Church is going, I hardly take time to remember where the Church has been. Keep in mind that denominations are less than 500 years old. But the Catholic Church is close to 2000 years old. So are the traditions. So are the candles. So are the rituals. The prayers. The Creeds.

To be clear, I've never felt awkward or unwanted during mass. I'm sure I stick out. I'm sure it's obvious to regular attenders that I don't actually belong. But I see smiles, not stares.

One Sunday that I attended, the priest taught on birth control. To anyone who doesn't know, birth control is a major dividing issue between Catholics and Protestants. Obviously, I have my stance. I think birth control is OK. But it was a really neat sight to watch him passionately defend the Catholic position. He stated that procreation should not be divorced from intercourse (in matrimony). His controversial stance was not compromised. Not watered down. It was raw. True to the Catholic Church.

Whether or not you decide to go to Mass, remember to slow down. It's easy to get caught up in iPhones, playlists and Netflix que. Take time to remember reverence. Appreciate tradition and history.

When a Church Gets It Right

2010-09-12T14:50:00.001-04:00

Truth be told, sometimes churches get it right. Sometimes they get it wrong. When they get it right, it's an environment of genuine healing. When they get it wrong, it can be equally harmful.

In the opening of one of his books, Tony Compolo tells of a trip to Hawaii. When you travel from the east coast to Honolulu, your biological clock runs wild for a day or so, and the first night there, Tony was both hungry and awake at 3:00 a.m. He went off to find an open restaurant, but the only thing open was a greasy spoon diner run by a guy named Harry. So he sat down and ordered a donut.

As he was beginning to eat, a group of prostitutes entered the diner and sat at the counter, trapping Tony among them. One of the prostitutes mentioned to her friend that the next day was her birthday. Her friend said cynically, “Why are you telling me? Do you want a party and cake; is that what you want?” The first prostitute, named Agnes, said, “Why do you have to be so nasty? I was just telling you. No, I don't expect a cake and a party; I've never have had a birthday cake in my life!”

There was something about this woman that touched Tony. After they left, he asked Harry if these girls came in every night. When he found out that they did, Tony and Harry decided to give Agnes a party. Harry did the cake, Tony did the decorations and Harry's wife got the word out.

The next morning at 3:15 there were crepe-paper decorations, a huge birthday cake and about thirty prostitutes and street people in the diner. When Agnes walked in, everybody yelled “Surprise” and they sang happy birthday. Agnes almost collapsed, and she began to cry uncontrollably. She was at her very first birthday party, and the party was for her! She didn't even want to cut the cake; she took it back to her apartment so she could look at it for a couple of days.

After Agnes left to take her cake home, something just prompted Tony to say, “What do you say; let's have a prayer for Agnes.” It just seemed like the thing to do at the time. After the prayer, Harry said, “Hey, you didn't tell us you were a preacher. Why kind of church do you belong to anyway?” In one of those flashes of inspiration where you to say exactly the right thing at the right time, Tony answered, “I belong to a church that throws parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning!”

But it was Harry who told the punch line to this story; he said, “No you don't. There are no churches like that. If there was, I'd join. I’d want to be a part of a church like that!”

I think it's easy to focus on what the church gets wrong. To tell awkward stories. Carry around baggage and hurts. Bring up the book burnings.

But there are also moments of healing. Moments of giving. Moments of hope.

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What are your moments? Do you have a story?

52 Weeks and Running

2010-09-05T14:22:00.002-04:00

At the beginning of last year, I took a job that had a thousand possibilities for me. One of which was a platform for a blog.

I've always been an early adopter of social networks. Before Facebook, a lot of you had a Myspace. You know what I had before Myspace? I had a FaceTheJury.com account. Before FTJ? I'll admit it, I had a HotorNot.com account.

Like I said, I have always been an early adopter for social networking.

When I was told that I'd have a platform for a blog, a place to write, I jumped on board. A few weeks after I joined the organization, long before our site's launch date, I started writing.

And writing.

And writing.

Looking forward to the day of our launch, ready for my ideas to hit the world wide web.

But that day never came. The site was never launched.

One day, I was sitting in a Starbucks.

Writing. Thinking. Dreaming.

And five words came to my mind.

"A boy and his God."

Then an idea: I don't have to wait until someone gives me a platform. I can just start writing. A quick google check to see if my title was original, or already taken.

Nothing.

So I claimed it.

And started posting.

And that was exactly 1 year ago.

I started writing because I have a lot of thoughts about the Christian life. I started writing because I wanted to encourage. I write because I want to help offer answers to tough questions.

I also write to work out what I believe.

Michael Hyatt has been blogging for about 10 years now. He stated one time, "People ask me what I think about an issue. And sometimes I respond, 'I don't know, I haven't blogged about it yet.' Blogging is how I work through issues and ideas."

I do the same thing. I blog to work through my own opinions.

What I love is that every day I'm seeing more blogs. Everyday normal people writing their extraordinary thoughts.

Starting a Movement. A blog on church planting for emerging leaders.

French Pressed Fridays. On Fridays he brews his own french pressed coffee while brewing thoughts about God.

Huge God Ministries. Keeping the main thing the main thing.

I Revolt. Biblical social justice as a redemptive action.

More blogs. More thoughts. More people thinking for themselves, creating platforms, inspiring discussion.

More tribes being led. More creativity. More niches.

If you want to, just do it. Don't worry about traffic, hits, or typos. Just write.

You'd be surprised as to what you learn about yourself. I know I was.

Where I Got The Idea For Honest August

2010-08-31T22:43:00.002-04:00

As the month of August ends, so does Honest August. I got the theme of honesty from a blogger I regularly read and highly respect. Anne Jackson. I have her listed in my 'Bloggers Who Inspire Me'. On that page I say that I am inspired by her honesty. And amazingly enough, she took the time to comment her appreciation on that page!

But honesty is who she is.

Today is her book release. Permission to Speak Freely hit the shelves in paperback and websites as an audiobook. I managed to get a pre-released copy. It's short. I read it over the course of 2 cigars* (about 3 hours).

And I was deeply moved by her words. She is calling for the church to be honest. I wanted to post my Amazon review of her book here:

"This book hurts. Because it is messy.

Anne Jackson has a one of a kind boldness to publicly confess her deepest and darkest secrets. To show that she is broken. And to show that she is healing.

This book is a gem. One that I want all of my friends to read.

I read the first half of the book in one sitting. Heartbroken, I closed the book to ponder what I read. I left the book closed for a few days. Re-opened and read one chapter (#14, Sanctuary).

In it, she states,

"Churches have been sacrificing the beauty of confession and brokenness for religious trappings and the malady of perfectionism."

Wow. I had to sit the book down again and wonder about this for a day.

This is a short book. I suppose it could be read in one sitting. But for me, I wouldn't be able to digest the massively important ideas she presents in one sitting. It took breaks. It took chewing.

Usually, with a book like this, the author will use a powerful real life example at the end to prove their final point. What did Anne pick to display confession and the power of healing? She chose To Write Love On Her Arms. And believe me. It drove the point home.

Lastly, the art and images she picked to separate the parts of her book are wonderful confessions. They're messy, just like the rest of the book. But expect to be moved by some."

Thank you Anne for being honest.

I really want you guys to buy and read this book. I want us to truly discover the sacredness of confession. In too many ways, I believe the American Church has trapped itself in perfectionism, professionalism, and false impressions. Our only way out of this corner is to be honest. To God, ourselves, and others.

This is the end of Honest August.
But not the end of honesty.
This is a boy and his God.

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Let me know if you decide to read this book. And let me know what you think of it.

*Yes. I smoke cigars. Just being honest. ;)

Addiction (Honest August)

2010-08-29T13:42:00.003-04:00

I read recently that 37% of women and 18% of men check their Facebook before they use the bathroom in the morning. In other words, they are addicted to social networking.

Most of us cannot leave without our phone. We argue that our rationale is safety, saying that our phone is access to help in our time of need. But when I forget my phone, I don't think of safety, I think of how I won't be connected. I am addicted to my phone.

Some are addicted to books, acceptance, coffee, World of Warcraft.

The chains of addiction are too light to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.

Is addiction to social networking or technology or other innocent means wrong? I think so. It absorbs our attention. It complicates, when we should move towards simplicity.

But what I really want to talk about is much more serious.

Porn.

Is there anything more addictive?

Is there a secret we guard more closely?

Other things we talked about during Honest August are much more innocent. I rationalized lying, swearing, and drinking. But there is no rationalizing porn. It's always wrong. It's always destructive.

And this is the hardest topic to be honest about. Especially for women. Yep, porn is not just a guy's problem. When women confess addiction to porn, they talk about how alone they feel, thinking that only men struggle with it. Not women. (Women, click here for a powerful confession)

So what is the solution?

Honesty.

Honesty in the form of accountability. A lifestyle of transparency. Not transparency with everyone, but just with one or two people you really trust.

If you are waiting and praying for the day where you wake up to be delivered or freed from your addiction, it's not going to happen. It takes one on one accountability. Once we admit we are broken, once we shed our image of perfection, honesty becomes much easier.

XXX Church is the first and biggest online Christian Porn Site. Obviously not to show porn, but to help those in addiction. They're greatest product is a free software program that offers honesty in accountability groups: X3 Watch.

I know this is a difficult topic. In the comments section, I'm expecting to hear crickets (get it? because it will be so quiet?). If you want to talk about this, feel free to email me at aboyandhisgod@gmail.com.

I know it's tough. If you want to talk about it, I'm here.

Doubt (Honest August)

2010-08-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

Doubt.

It's hard to talk about doubt.

Uncertainty twists your stomach.

Your misgivings make you shameful.

It's the feeling when you take a step, thinking there is a place for your foot. Expecting to land and find solid ground. But find yourself in a moment of free fall.

This question is all too common. "What if everything I've ever believed in is a mistake?"

And what's more is that we hate to talk about it. Churches are hardly the place to express unbelief. Part of this is due to the fact that we've created a church culture where transparency is difficult and perfection is a false image that we celebrate. It's difficult to be honest. But being that it's Honest August, I want to create a safe environment to ask these questions.

The very idea of doubt feels wrong.

-Does God exist?
-If he exists, does he care?
-Is the Bible true?
-Or does it have contradictions?
-What about evidence for evolution?
-Does prayer really work?

We tend to think of doubt as the opposite of belief.

But I don't think that's true. The opposite of belief is not doubt, but unbelief. When you believe an idea, your attribute it as truth. When you disbelieve an idea, you attribute it as false. The middle ground is where you find doubt. This is when you become uncertain of what you believe. You don't disbelieve, but you don't fully believe either.

Instead, doubt is a time of searching.

And this can be a great place to find both yourself and your faith. And the Christian Faith is worth the time spent searching. This is a great time to solidify your beliefs.

Doubt gives us the opportunity to deconstruct what we've been told and reconstruct a stronger faith.

Do you doubt that God loves you? Now is the time to deconstruct your image of God.

Search.

And question.

And ask.

And research.

And pray.

And find why God loves you.

Deconstructing your misconceptions. Reconstructing something stronger and more beautiful.

Do you doubt that Jesus was and is fully God? Again, allow your presuppositions to fade and rebuild on a solidified foundation.

The hard part (and I would add 'foolish', even 'dangerous') is to try and do this on your own. Rather, this is a time spent asking God and asking mentors.

I believe these questions should be asked because I believe these questions have great and powerful answers about who God is.

What did I doubt? I doubted the historical validity of the Bible. I questioned the method that God's word had been passed into the hands of men.

So I was directed to Josh McDowell. So I read his book The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. God and I created a firm Biblical and historical foundation to rest my relationship. My relationship with God was stronger after I searched my doubts.

Doubt is an awkward, scary, lonely place to be.

But doubt can be an awkward, scary, lonely place to grow!

The trouble is that we've created a church culture where voicing doubts is risky. But far more dangerous is the doubt that is never investigated. Uninvestigated doubt becomes unbelief.

The book of Habakkuk is a powerful short story of how a man doubted God's goodness. He boldly brought his questions to God. And God responded in a powerful way. Not in anger with Habakkuk's doubts. But in a loving, mind blowing, prophetic way.

His bold questions?

"God, how long must I cry for help, and you not listen?"
"God, why do you tolerate wrong doing?"

Read the book for yourself.

So be honest. Ask your questions here.
And we can help connect you with mentors to work through your doubts.

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So it's your turn to be honest.
What do you doubt?
If it was a past doubt, did you grow stronger after you searched?

Lying (Honest August)

2010-08-15T13:45:00.030-04:00

The way my mind is wired, I am always searching for exceptions to the rule. So I have a hard time with absolutes. I think this is why I am attracted to ethical dilemmas, questioning cultural or timeless principles, and dealing with supposed absolutes.

(Pictured above is Corrie ten Boom's home, The Hiding Place)

To be sure, lying is wrong and hurtful.

God hates a lying tongue. Proverbs 16:19

Lying lips are an abomination. Proverbs 12:22

Put away your falsehood. Ephesians 4:25

But is this absolute? Is lying always wrong?

I think of the book of Joshua and the prostitute Rahab. Joshua's spies were scouting Jericho. They found themselves lodged in the prostitute's home, hiding from the authorities. When Rahab was questioned about their presence, she replied,

"True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went."

She lied.

They hadn't escaped. She hid them in her roof. She spoke to them about how the wonders of how God saved Israel at the Red Sea, about how God was with their armies. She confessed that the Lord God is the God of the heavens above and the earth beneath.

Profound words from anyone. More so from a lying prostitute.

James later said of Rahab, "And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (James 2:25)

So to save a life, is it right to lie?

Two contradictory examples come to mind.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an expert in ethics, was also a pastor in Nazi Germany. He was faced his own ethical theories when he lied about the locations of hiding Jews. His truth would be their execution. His lies would be their escape. He chose to lie, eventually bringing Bonhoeffer's own execution.

Corrie and Betsie ten Boom likewise hid Nazi resisters. On one occasion, while hiding refugees under the floor beneath the table, soldiers barged in and demanded to know their location. Without missing a beat, they replied, "They're under the table." The soldiers moved the table clothe, saw nothing, and sent the sisters laughing hysterically at the misunderstanding. Angry and embarrassed, the soldiers stormed off.

Unlike Rahab and Bonhoeffer, the sisters chose not to lie.

The question then becomes, who is right? Are all three examples justified? Or only the sisters?

And to be honest, I think we are far too critical of Rahab and Bonhoeffer, when we ourselves have lied or deceived for our own self gain. Rahab and Bonhoeffer lied to save lives. We lie to save face.

Lastly, Jesus makes the following statement about following the Law word for word leading to acts of evil.

"One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?' But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.

Then he asked them, 'If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out? And they had nothing to say." (Luke 14:1-5)

Does this apply only to the law of the Sabbath? Or does it apply to all laws when a human life is on the line?

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So your turn to be honest.

Are all three examples justified? Or only the sisters?

UPDATE
I found this moving postcard on PostSecret.com that adds to this discussion.

This girl doesn't make a claim to faith, or try to justify herself. This is just a simple, powerful confession of a lie. Is she right or wrong?

Alcohol (Honest August)

2010-08-08T13:53:00.001-04:00

Years ago, I was sitting in my theology class when my professor made this simple statement,

“You know, in Europe, many theologians discuss their views of theology over pints of beer in pubs. Alcohol is viewed very differently over there.”

And his short comment began to deconstruct my idea of drinking. Isn’t the very idea of drinking wrong? Or is this just what I’ve been told. Maybe it’s cultural.

Later, another professor showed us Psalms 104:15.

“You [God] cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the the heart of man.”

I knew about the many of passages that condemn drunkenness. But thankfulness to wine was something very new to me.

Martin Luther once joked,

“Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?”

Last week, we talked about the shift in perspective about our language. Now I want to talk about the shift in the perspective of drinking. What changed?

Are the reasons similar to swearing?

1. The Bible doesn't say anything specifically against drinking. Drunkenness, yes. Consumption, no.

2. It's cultural. Some cultures permit it, others disapprove.

3. In general, Christians are getting tired of being told what they can and cannot do. Is that pride? Or freedom?

One aspect that I have noticed is that there are two types of drinkers.

The Frat Boy. This individual drinks for the sole purpose of getting buzzed or drunk. Sometimes socially. Sometimes alone. As I grew up, I thought this was the only reason or mentality to drink. To get drunk.

The Aficionado. This person appreciates and respects the culture and taste of alcohol. The goal is not to get a buzz or to be drunk. But rather to enjoy community and conversation that is had over a drink or two.

Some churches have adapted and established Pint Nights (evenings to gather, drink, and enjoy conversation). Others have Theology on Tap (theological conversations to take place in bars, where people who don't feel comfortable visiting churches can talk about God).

Years ago, I went to hear Rob Bell speak in Atlanta. Instead of speaking at a church, he spoke at a music venue. I was sitting close to the front, and I heard a guy comment behind me, “The bar is open! I’ve never had a beer while listening to a sermon before.” And sure enough, I looked, and behind me sat the man with his lager. My mind spun as the two worlds collided.

Author Stephen Mansfield, in his book The Search for God and Guinness, said this,

"A brewer once told me that he did not think of himself as brewing beer, but rather as creating conditions in which brewing takes place. He told me he felt closer to God brewing beer than he did in church, because when he is brewing he feels like he is participating in the secret ways of the Creator."

My friend Sam, who brews his own beer, said,

"I began to notice that conversations over beer were much more meaningful than conversations I had over cokes. Instead of talking about videogames, we talked about worldviews, theology, and personal convictions."

To be sure, beer isn't a necessity to have good conversation. But if the culture is changing, if it is permitted by everyone around, then is there a problem with that?

Now, I know too that alcohol can lead to serious problems.

Excess leads to drunkenness.

Drunkenness can lead to destructive decisions.

Irresponsibility can lead to driving under alcohol’s influence.

Abuse can leads to alcoholism.

All terrible consequences. Maybe these reasons good enough to completely abstain.

Lastly, I want to bring up the cost of alcohol. It can be expensive, especially if you drink at bars or restaurants. To those of you who drink, how do you spend the rest of your money? Do you spend more on alcohol than on your giving? I am a huge advocate of International Justice Mission. I think there are more important things in the world than tasty beverages. I don't think money spent on alcohol should exceed what you give to organizations you believe in.

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Your turn to be honest. If you need to, you can leave a comment as Anonymous.
Do you drink? Why or why not?
What do you think has caused this cultural shift?

UPDATE:
I saw this church sign and thought it appropriate to add it to this blog. There are still some who take a strong stance against drinking.

The Search for God and Guinness - A Great Historical Read

2010-08-07T10:17:00.004-04:00

As one who is not a fan of books on history, I found this one fascinating. Most likely it was the subject matter, but i think Mansfield did a great job on organizing his thoughts.

I was first struck on how alcohol, even beer, had such a strong presence in the church. St. Bartholomew was the patron sait of mead drinkers. St. Arnold was the patron of saint of beer. The term ‘bridal’ comes from the two words Bride’s Ale, when the bride would serve her guests with the house ale. Martin Luther was known for joking, “Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?”

The rest of his book does a great job surmising the life and legacy of the Guinness family. I learned, I laughed.

A great read.

Cussing. Swearing. And Dirty Words. (Honest August)

2010-08-01T14:00:00.032-04:00

So, it’s Honest August.

And I wanted to take these 5 Sundays to talk about tough issues.

But I wanted to take it slow. So we are starting out with an easy one: our language.

Mostly I write about my experiences, opinions, and perspectives.

Not this week.

This week I ask you to speak. What's your opinion?

As you have probably recognized, I like to talk about shifts in thought in the Christian community. And one of the shifts that I have recognized is about our language. More and more Christians use language that, just a few years ago, was endowed unspeakable. I think so because of:

1. The Bible doesn't say anything against it. Not specifically, anyway. Ephesians 4:29 and James 3:5-6 speak against destructive language, but they don't give a list. Which brings me to number 2.

2. There isn't a set list. The list would change from liberal to conservative interpretations. "This word isn't that bad. But that one is a doozy."

3. If there was a list, it'd be cultural. Both chronologically and geographically. Meanings of words change over time and vulgarity is culturally bound. True story: one culture in Scotland finds 'crap' as offensive as our vulgar counterpart s***. But they say s*** as everyday as our 'crap'.

4. In general, Christians are getting tired of being told what they can and cannot do. First, dancing. Then, movies. Later, tattoos, drinking, and cussing. For better or for worse, there is a laundry list of do's and don't's that people are tired of following. Is that pride? Or freedom? I'm not sure.

While we're on the subject, two distinct examples come to mind. Both from pastors taking place during their sermons:

“I don’t want people to think God is full of s***!”

Did the pastor really say that? I couldn't believe it. I was flabbergasted. I’ve heard swearing. I’ve heard pastors swear. But had never heard that word fly from a pulpit.

Was he right? Well, truth be told, I agree with him. I don’t want people to think that about God either.

Was he wrong? Being that there is reverence found in sermons, sanctity in a pulpit, are there some four letter words that are forbidden from a church stage? I don't have that answer.

Later, I heard this one.

"While you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Most of you don't give a s***. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said s*** than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." -Tony Campolo

How would I have reacted if I heard that in person?

“He said s***! But 30,000 people died last night. Does that justify him saying s*** on stage? Why do I care so much about him saying s*** if 30,000 people died last night? I can’t believe he said s***!”

An endless cycle. Funny. Sad. True.

I have a lot of questions. Few answers.

Your turn. And let's be honest.

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Do you swear? Why? Why not?
Are these two spiritual leaders justified?
Why are these words considered vulgar?
When is swearing right? Is it ever right?
When is it wrong?

Why I Don’t Study Revelation or Prophecy (anymore)

2010-07-25T11:52:00.001-04:00

Next month I will be writing Honest August. My goal is for not only me to be honest, but you too. The tough questions start next week. They might leave the comment section empty, or create an environment of honest communication. Your choice. But here is this week's post:
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In the past few weeks, I’ve had a few key conversations. Conversations that revolved around the last book of the Bible, and how everything is going to play out in the next few years.

It seems to me that I haven’t had conversations like this in a long time.

I, for one, respect these people and their ambition to study biblical prophecy.

Yet, just the opposite, there are teachers of prophecy that I do not respect.

Perry Stone and Jack Van Impe, to name a few. I am not impressed by their specific dates and deadlines. Van Impe is convinced the Mayan calendar is biblically confirmed as Doomsday. I guess that means John Cusack’s 2012 is right around the corner. I’ve heard Perry Stone go on about God using a global EMP blast to take the world back to the 17th century for the tribulation.

No joke.

But this is nothing new. There are people I respect and don’t in every sort of field.

As for me, when I first began to study the Bible seriously, I started at the end. It was fun, in a science-fiction-Kirk-Cameron-Growing-Pains sort of way.

I read Left Behind. A handful of them, anyway. But wait 6 more months for the next book? I got bored.

Not just with the series. Bored with the idea of Prophecy.

So I moved on.

One day, I wondered why Israel would reject the Messiah. I had heard there were hundreds of Messianic prophetic statements in the Old Testament. What did they have to say about Christ? And why are they ignored?

The Messiah would conquer Satan.
“He [Messiah] shall bruise your [Serpent] head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15

The Messiah would be a leader like Moses.
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among the brothers.” Deut. 18:18

The Messiah would have world domination.
“There came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days....and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion.” Daniel 7:13-14

The Jews were expecting a political leader.

And for good reason. The prophecies they focused on described him that way. Jewish scribes poured over their writings. Searching and studying, so that they could know the Messiah when they saw him.

But they missed it. Was he the political leader they envisioned? No. Were the prophecies wrong? No.

God’s plan both matched the Scriptures AND far exceeded the scribes expectations. He was more than some political leader. He is the King of the spiritual kingdom.

I think the same thing is true with our future prophecies. All of our experts, scribes, and even our religious nuts, can search and study and say,

“It’s going to be like this. Like this. And like this.”

Some of them go as far as to give us dates (2012). Or explain the things of God in modern scientific terms (EMP blasts).

And some more respectable teachers say,

"The horns represent this. The bowls represent this. Gog and Magog represent this country."

Yeah. Sure. You can say that all you’d like.

But I think when all of our prophecies are revealed, it will show that our best experts got it wrong. Or at best, incomplete.

So this is why I don’t study Revelation or our prophecies anymore.

But I don’t know why the whole topic has faded.

Did the Left Behind series burn us out?

Did Y2K come and go without the rapture?

Or how about the book 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988 (don’t laugh. 4.5 million copies sold!)?

Or is Shane Claiborne closer to the reason?

“Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death.”

I think, maybe we are tired of thinking about tomorrow.

Maybe we need God to meet us today.

Maybe we need less of ‘God, get me outta here!’ mentality.

And more of ‘God, how do you want to use me to heal a broken world?’ mindset.

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These are just my thoughts. Take them or leave them. I don't claim to have prophecy figured out, and would LOVE to hear what you have to say on the topic.
Why has this topic faded from pulpits, small groups, and evangelism styles?

The Hidden Danger of Keeping Silent

2010-07-18T13:30:00.000-04:00

I know this is old news. It happened many months ago. Pat Robertson made the following ill-timed quote about Haiti's earthquake:

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever.

And they got together and swore a pact to the devil.

They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal. Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

For the record, I think Pat was wrong for 3 reasons:

1. There is little to no evidence to support this 'pact'. To take such a tragedy and say it was God who killed, with little to no evidence to support it, is a dangerous thing to do. I do not make light of putting words in God's mouth or putting deeds in His hands.

2. It was ill-timed. Pointing fingers immediately after the the tragedy? A word of hope would have been much more powerful.

3. It offset all of the good Pat and the 700 Club did that day. Nobody talks about the next few minutes of the program where they encouraged their viewers to donate thousands of dollars to the devastated country. People only quote the ill-timed statement above.

For a more eloquent response to Pat's quote, read Don Miller's post here. For any rebuttals to my three points, I direct you to Miller's post. If you still disagree, I welcome your feedback in the comments.

But this post is not about Pat, the 700 Club, or Haiti.

This post is about your voice.

Because moments after Pat's statement, something fascinating happened on Twitter.

Hundreds and Hundreds of people tweeted, "#PatRobertsonDoesn'tSpeakForMe."

Ten years ago, if Pat, or ANY Christian Leader in front of a camera spoke to the world, they spoke for all of us, whether we liked it or not.

But now with Twitter and Facebook, your voice is loud. People listen. With your status update or twitter post, you can say that Pat, or whoever, doesn't speak for you. That they do not represent you.

In fact, every time you don't speak out, you let these people speak for you.

When you refuse to speak up, you let Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church and Godhatesfags.com speak for you! What reason do people have to think that you are different if you remain silent?

So how do you speak out against Christian Leaders you disagree with?

Respectfully.

1. Be careful to not be obnoxious, annoying, or immature.

2. Disagree by being direct and logical.

3. Be open to discussion. Listen to opinions and disagreements of others.

Side note: this applies to Leaders. If this is somebody you personally know, Facebook statuses and Twitter are not the place to do it. Do that interpersonally.

Your voice is important. Your silence is dangerous.

As for me, I refuse to let Fred Phelps speak for me.

The Stars are Old Promises

2010-07-11T13:30:00.009-04:00

Sorry for last week's silence. I was in a time of no inspiration. So I decided not to post anything. But I'm back with more ideas.

Thank you for your patience, and for coming back to read this week's.

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Sometimes we just need reminders. Things to jog our memory.

“Are we going the right way?”

“I don't remember seeing that before.”

“I didn't think I'd ever feel this way.”

Some days, God seems so distant. So silent. Some days religion and spirituality seem silly. A childhood thought. Yesterday's prayers seem trite. Last year’s miracles become rationalized.

So we watch out of signs, old promises. Keeping our eyes open for tomorrows joy.

A smile that reminds you that you are loved.

A child playing reminding you of innocence.

A kiss that reminds you why you are alive.

The stars and their promises. They are tales of beginnings, of infinity, of life.

C. S. Lewis told a powerful story at the end of his book Surprised by Joy. He asked if we, as Christians, should always find joy in salvation. Should we? Even in the monotonous days? Even in the days where our conversion happened so long ago, a distant memory?

He explained, if we were lost in the woods with no map, no direction, we'd have no hope. If we kept searching and we might eventually find a blaze, a marker for the trail, pointing us back to safety. With joy, we celebrate, high five, and continue.

Later on the same trail, we see the same colored blaze. Do we rejoice? Yes, but not as much. We know we are found. We keep moving.

We see another. And another.

And another.

Each is a reminder that we have been found, but after each, thinking we would be more joyful, we aren't.

He suggests that we should not be thankful for the marker, we should be thankful for the man who painted the mark on the tree. The man who pointed us to safety.

We should not celebrate in our salvation, we should celebrate the Savior.

The promises point not to our redemption, but our Redeemer.

Is your life monotonous?

Repetitive?

Joyless?

Maybe you are too focused on the promises.

Some are guilty for celebrating the Bible, celebrating prayer, celebrating worship, rather than God himself.

Celebrate not that you are found, but Who found you.

Remember the stars, not for their promises, but for the one Who promised.

A Part of a Lost Generation

2010-06-27T17:48:00.000-04:00

This is the first of some powerful video's I'd like to share.

What the World Cup Reminds Me About Humanity

2010-06-20T13:37:00.016-04:00

It’s Big.

It’s Loud.

People won’t quit talking about it.

Because it is annoying.

The vuvuzelas.

But you know what? I find them...charming (my wife hates them). The 2010 world cup will be remembered by these African horns. Sure they don’t stop. Sure they hinder communication between players. But hey, maybe that’s what distracted Robert Green during USA’s only goal against England.

Thank you vuvuzelas for that.

Which the vuvuzelas, by the way, have even found themselves in iPhone apps.

If you missed the game, check out the highlights, re-animated with LEGOS, here.

But the World Cup reminds me something central to humanity:

Competition.

Our species is obsessed with the questions “Who is the best? And where do I fall in line?”

Countries from all over the world compete to see who is the best. And who isn’t. This past week, the traffic at Fifa.com passed the usually #1 website Facebook.com. More people in the world want to know the highlights and lowlights of the Cup than checking their notifications.

All in search for, who is the best?

Last Cup, in 2006, I guess you could argue that Italy was. But I can’t, with confidence, say that. A 1-1 game that ended in a penalty shootout? With the head-butt red card holding back France. I still wonder who was the better team.

But this does reveal our humanity. In every walk of life, we compare.

We compare to find our worth.

A line.

We order ourselves in a line.

In our mind.

Some imaginary line, ordered by our own rules.

Some line that determines our self esteem and worth.

Some line that finds itself in every facet of life.

Grade school. The coolest and prettiest at the front, the least of these in the back.

American Idol. Who performs the best? More vote for the next American Idol than the next American President.

Where are they now? The people we competed with in college, how is their marriage, job, life?

Churches? How many people go? How good is the worship? Preaching? Who are they like?

Our career. Our grades. Our relationships. Our income. Our momentum in life. We secretly compare our lives with others.

Shane Claiborne once wrote, “As I read Scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first.”

Jesus said, “So the first will be last, and the last will be the first.” When he said that, Jesus destroyed the line.

In one story, Jesus showed us that you DO NOT find your worth by comparing yourself to others. You find your worth in him.

Paul later stated that,
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

When in Christ, you are one. Not just one person in a line.

So quit worrying about the line. It doesn't even exist.

And enjoy the matches of the LOUDEST World Cup in history.

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In what area of life have you fallen in ‘the line’ and found your worth in comparing yourself?

A Closer Glimpse of God's Heart

2010-06-13T12:19:00.015-04:00

The first weekend of my freshman year of college (seven years ago and counting), I sat in our auditorium to hear a dude named Chuck Quinley. Chuck was a missionary from the Philippines. He specifically focused on church planting and leadership development. Three things I remember about the guy: he was bald, he was introverted, and he opened with the most heart-wrenching story I’ve ever heard.

A few years later, a mentor of mine gave me a copy of Chuck’s book, I Want To Bear Fruit. And, to my luck, the first chapter had that heart-wrenching story. So this is taken directly from chapter 1 of Chuck’s book:

“Imagine that you were the wealthiest and most powerful person on the earth. Fortunately for everyone, you also have the most loving heart. You are determined to use your resources to be a blessing to others. So every morning you leave the comfort of your majestic home and take your place in a chair, accessible to others who need your assistance. Everyday the line stretches to the horizon, with hundreds upon hundreds lining up to speak to you about their needs.

Their needs are rather repetitious. Most have material needs. They need money or more money, a better job or a home of their own. Some want a car. Some have extravagant requests. They want airplanes, boats and second homes. Everyone feels that they really need everything they ask for and are instantly disappointed if they don't get what they came for.

Some have non-material needs. They need an education or an opportunity. They have some great goal and just want the chance to reach it. A few asked to be noticed by the talent scouts or their bosses when promotion time comes. Others ask for marriage partners or for you to fix a relational difficulty. Many have health problems - cancer, vision problems, deafness. They desperately want to be healed. Day by day they come and make petitions. You do everything in your power to help them all. You don't want anyone to be overlooked.

But wealthy as you are, you have a burden of your own. The greatest tragedy imaginable has struck you. Your children are missing. You love them more than life itself. You have rejoiced over every movement of their lives from birth. Now, they are missing and it's all you can think about. If they are only lost you could put out a manhunt, but it's worse than that. Your precious children have been lured away from your bosom and taken captive, kidnapped not just by a group after money, but by your mortal enemy, a person who hates you with every breath. He cannot hurt you directly because of your immense advantage. So, he has crafted a plan to hurt you by hunting those you love and would gladly die for.

Your children's fate is predictable. They will be abused constantly. Their promising lives will become a long ordeal of pain and woe. They will not know kindness. Their every mistake will hold up to them until their little hearts are bruised and filled with conflicting longings and accusations. They will be humiliated alone and in front of others. They will grow to hate their lives They will cry in the night and will ache in the day, longing for something, but not knowing exactly what because they will not remember their loving Father after a while. They will be raised as the children of the enemy. He will form their self-image and twist them to cause as much damage as possible. All this, to demonstrate his contempt for you. You will never see your children again unless someone helps you find them.

The absolutely astonishing thing is that most of the people in line know all about this. They know that your children are lost to you and may even have seen them in their neighborhood, school or in the office where they work. Still, they come with shopping list in hand. Some returning to the line day after day for more, unmoved and unmindful of the heavy weight of grief you are silently carrying. Your sense of duty compels you and so you take your place regardless, trying to forgive them their callous selfishness in the sight of your private pain. You continue to help them with their own lives while yours is in such torment. How would you feel?

I think that's where God is today. We all look to Him as the Big Answer Man. We take to Him our every request, making each one "Urgent!" We ask for things we need and many other things that we'd be better off without. When he doesn't answer the way we think He should, we get discouraged and sometimes pout. "I've been passed over for promotion three time now. Doesn't God care?"

Yes, we know about His children. We see their pain-filled lives daily. The devil has them blinded and chained so tightly that they can never free themselves. We resent having to work beside them or having them move next door. We don't need their problems. We step over them like the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, hurrying to go to church to present our latest list to God. We are so caught up in our own little, passing worlds that we do not often stop to contemplate God's world. He's a person too. He has a heart that feels joy and pain just like we do. Over the lost he has unending pain.

Imagine that one day some young man in the asking line begins to looks at your face and tunes into you. He begins to feel the burden that has caused those creases on your forehead and the bags under your eyes. Taking a farewell look at his shopping list, he crumples it up and puts it in his pocket. Then he breaks out of line and comes to the front, causing quite a stir with the others. He walks up, takes you by the hand, looks you in the eyes and says, "I want to help you find your lost children. I have things I want and need too, but they are nothing compared to what is crushing your heart today. What can I do to help you find them and get them safely back home in your arms?”

Wow. Reading over this story again reminds me how real it was seven years ago (and counting). Astounding!

This is it. The realization that there are people in the darkness, and we can help set them free. Or we could continue living our Christian lives and reading our prayer requests to God.

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Did God just speak? What did he say to you?

The Rise and Fall of Denominations. Sort of. (An Observation)

2010-06-05T23:18:00.016-04:00

Denominations today mean less than they did years ago. It's a label from a different time. Starting from as far back as Luther's Reformation. But if you ask me, to use this classification now is hardly accurate. And I think that's a good thing.

Take for instance:

What does it mean to be Methodist? Not much, because more than any other denomination, Methodist has the widest theological spectrum from conservative to liberal beliefs.
What does it mean to be Baptist? Baptist can have traditional, contemporary or modern worship environments. Some are KJV only. Some women in ministry or not.
What does it mean to be Presbyterian? Depends, are you PCA or PC USA? Those are different from night and day.

Differences don't end in theology, but in practicality, worship styles, ties or no ties, and church building structures. If denomination labels doesn't mean much anymore, then is there an accurate way to classify different beliefs? I think so.

To quickly assess what someone believes, ask what authors they passionately read.

John Piper? You're probably dealing with a 4 or 5 point Calvinist.
Brian McLaren? Probably a liberal theologian.
Ed Young, Jr.? Either a creative or ADD thinker. Could be either. Or both.
John Bevere? Strong charismatic theology.
Charles Swindoll? Prefers a traditional environment.
Francis Chan? Probably frustrated with the status quo of Christianity.
Joel Osteen? *ahem* Leave your opinion about that one in the comments section.

Today, these authors and pastors are a better representation of the distinctly different categories of Christian thought. Chances are pretty good that I listed an author that has had a tremendous impact on you.

And then there are a few authors that are more widely accepted despite theological differences.

Andy Stanley, John Maxwell, Rick Warren, C.S. Lewis, etc.

Lastly, I need to mention that there is one great strength that denominations will always offer: networking. Denominations are fantastic to network with or raise support through. And I commend the network set-up to support members.

For better or for worse (I think for better) denomination titles are unimportant. Which is one reason why church plants choose to leave the denomination titles out of their name. And many older churches edit their current title, removing the denomination, yet keeping their affiliations.

My prayer is that it brings more respect and unity in the body of Christ. Read John 17 here. I'd like to focus less on what makes us different (variation of theology), and more on what makes us the same (submission to Christ).

Denominations have served a great role in the past, and for networking purposes, they are still quite beneficial.

For the record, I passionately read Philip Yancey.

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Who do you read passionately? Did I list the author? Was it accurate about you?

Resting in God's Wrath

2010-05-29T01:06:00.012-04:00

Wrath.

It was a long time before I understood it. Even longer until I could say that I am deeply thankful for it. That sounds weird, doesn't it? That I love and appreciate the wrath of God.

Wrath means different things to the lot of us.

The Wrath of Kahn. Honestly, the ear bud monsters seemed more fearful than the mastermind Kahn. But it is always great to see William Shatner at his best: cocky.

The Grapes of Wrath. I remember reading this in Steinbeck book in high school. Though I don't remember much outside of the dust bowl and the chapter chronicling a turtle crossing the road. Apparently it's an American classic though. And I support America.

Sermons preached/screamed about God's wrath. Why is it than when we think about the wrath of God, we picture ourselves in an old traditional church, seated on a hard wooden pew on the receiving end of warnings of sin, hellfire, wrath and judgement? And brimstone. What is brimstone, anyway?

Whether we like it or not, the word wrath is associated with negative context of scaring the hell out of people. To fill them with a sense of fear of an angry God, so they would either (1) cower before him in fear or (2) reject him for not being loving enough.

So it's easier to just not talk about it. Lay off of the wrath sermons. Take a break from the hellfire and sulfur.

Bet let me be clear in this:

I never understood the angry wrath of God until I connected it with the overwhelming love of God.

God's wrath is intertwined with God's love. They are inseparable. The answer is not to scream about the wrath of God. Not to carry signs in crowded cities reminding people of their pending doom. Nor is it appropriate to neglect to mention his wrath. To sweep it under the proverbial rug. Beauty is found when the two cross.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth...Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die." Romans 1

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10

Why should a God of love be also be known as a God of wrath? It seem so contradictory, so antithetical.

But imagine this. How terrible, how awful and wrong if we served a loving God who never angered, never raised his fist against the truly disgusting of the world?

What if our God never took vengeance for sex enslavers?

What if our God dismissed the sins of Nero who would set Christians on fire to light his garden?

What if our God pardoned those who slaughtered the Jews?

If our God refused to punish the abominations that torture the innocent, then our God would be no God of love. Mark Buchanan explains it better with this childhood story,

"My brother and I and some friends were playing street hockey in the wide curve in front of our house, when the neighborhood bully wandered down the street. This was a kid I'd been having some trouble with. He was three years older than me, and big. He'd often wait for me on a pathway I had to walk on my way to and from school. Then he'd shove me, punch me, push me down.

On this occasion, he grabbed my bike and started horsing around on it. I yelled at him to stop. "Make me," he said. I went over. He threw my bike on the ground and then started to thrash me. I fell under the blows.

And then it stopped.

I looked up and saw my oppressor hovering against the sky, but now his face was terror-stricken. My father, who had been watching the bully's antics from our window, had come to my defense. He grabbed the boy by his coat collar and lifted him straight off the ground, like a man hanging from a noose, and shook him.

"Don't you ever," my father bellowed, "hurt my son again!"

It was enough. Here was a love I could count on to protect me, to defeat my enemies, to make things right. I basked in that for weeks. His wrath had made my father heroic in my eyes. I could sing in the shadow of his wings.

Strange, but true. I learned to rest in my father's love because of his wrath."

God shows his love by his rescuing. If not now, then one day.

One day.

One day, all will be made right.

One day, evil will be punished for sins hidden, consequences escaped, justice perverted.

One day, God will pour his wrath onto a deserving world.

In the pioneer days, out on prairies, sometimes a fire could catch and spread faster than a horse could travel. To survive, a quick thinker would begin to burn the ground and grass around himself, and then cower on the scorched ground. The flames would then burn around the spot, leaving the survivor safe.

In the same way, one day, God will pour out his wrath over all the earth. The wicked will be punished, destroyed. Yet there is a place where his wrath already fell. It fell at the Cross of Jesus and scorched the ground. And there, at that spot, is the only place of safety. Survivors will be found cowering at the spot where the wrath of God had already fallen. There is the only place of safety, where God's love and God's wrath crossed.

I never understood the angry wrath of God until I connected it with the overwhelming love of God.

The End of LOST - And Why It Matters

2010-05-23T00:44:00.008-04:00

Questions. Monsters. Numbers. Polar Bears. Lottery winners. Cons. And constants.

Tonight marks the end of Lost. It has lasted a strong six years. Critically acclaimed. Fanatic approved. It has been an addiction and fascination of mine for four years. I watched seasons 1-4 by myself, and even re-watched them with my wife. It became OUR show. Our pastime. Our conversations. All the way to the end.

The show is my obvious favorite for a number of reasons.

1. Characters. I've often said that the most real people I know are on Lost. Ok, so that may not technically be right, there is some truth to that statement. The characters act irrationally because of the baggage of their past. Daddy issues. Drug addictions. Incompetence. Arrogance. Bitterness. Betrayal. But more fascinating than their baggage is how they eventually develop and overcome their problems. Addict to hero (Charlie). Savior complex to servant (Jack). Coward to protector (Desmond). Overprotective to sacrificial (Michael).

2. Literary illusions and references. My favorite character is Desmond. I realized this when I realized that my favorite episodes were Desmond's episodes. His episodes would always step into the science fiction. Time travel. Precognition. Parallel universe. But there is more. His story reflects Odysseus' story. In Homer's epic, Odysseus travels the world, separated from his lovely Penelope (or Penny), and is stranded on an island for several years. While gone, Penelope's hand is requested for marriage by suitors. Do you remember how many? 108 (the sum of the Lost numbers. 4+8+15+16+23+42=108). The Lost writers are notorious for intertwining literature into their characters, stories and dilemmas. Stephen King. Charles Dickens. Wizard of Oz. Star Wars (and I LOVE the Star Wars references).

3. Those brilliant cliffhangers. Every episode. Almost anyway. Just about every episodes ends with a "Wait, what? WHAT?!" Sometimes cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers (Jack playing football with Tom). And others show masterful storytelling (an entire season built up on getting a hatch open, only to have the last few seconds of the season shot from inside the hatch looking out).

To contrast, I love hearing people talk negative about the show. Those who don't 'get it'.

"I turned it off after I saw the polar bears."

"They don't actually answer any of the questions."

"Jack was my favorite character until season 3. Then he became a jerk."

"The characters are lost? More like the audience that watches the show. They're the ones who are actually lost." Clever. How original.

I've even heard a handful of individuals Christian-ize the show.

The Gospel According to Lost, by Chris Seay.
What Can Be Found In Lost?: Insights on God and the Meaning of Life from the Popular TV Series, by John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs
Finding Christian elements in Lost (Numbers, Exodus, Aaron, Christian Shephard, Communion, Ajira 316, the Jesus Stick)

But to Christian-ize the show is to lose what the writers had intended. The show is not about any one religion or one people group. It is about all of humanity.

Christianity.

Islam.

Grecian mythology.

Games.

Dreams.

Pregnancies.

Death.

Secrets.

Leadership.

Philosophy.

Literature.

Character connections.

But most of all, central to the show, is the question that underlines all of humanity's ideology. The question of fate or free will. Are our steps our own? Or have our destinies been prewritten?

Do I have a soul mate? Or do I choose the most compatible person?
Was it her time to die? Or was she cheated with a short life?

Are some destined for greatness? Or do we make our own luck?

Are we in control? Or are we puppets on strings?

And so this fictitious television program asks the question that hits all too close to home. Is it fate or free will? Even several charcter names originate from philosophers who prominently debated on fate and free will (Jack Shepherd, John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, Desmond David Hume, Edmund Burke, Mikhail Bakunin, and Danielle Rousseau, C.S. Lewis, Anthony Cooper).

So to us, who are followers of Christ, how do we approach this question? Well, we have our own form of debate: Calvinism and Arminianism. And to be honest, I am unspeakably tired of this debate. I know that many people are. Calvinism is the idea that certain people are ordained and predestined to be saved by grace, and others aren't (fate). Arminianism is the response to Calvinism. Everyone freely chooses to accept or reject God's grace (free will).

You may already have a strong opinion on the subject. Or these terms may be new to you. Where do I stand? I'm glad you asked.

In theory, I don't know. I don't know which theological idea is truer or more biblical. But in practicality? In the everyday in's and out's? I fully trust that God is in control (fate). I believe that God has a great plan for my life (fate). Yet at the same time, I believe it is my responsibility to pursue wisdom, applying godly knowledge to make choices (free will). I constantly ask God and myself, 'What is the wisest and smartest thing to do in this situation? What is the wisest and smartest thing that I should pursue?' (free will). I believe that God is sovereign. Nothing that happens catches him off guard or surprised (fate). But I pray as if everything is depending on my prayer to change things (free will). I treat people as if my influence helps them decided if there is Jesus is real or not (free will).

I don't think it is either/or. I believe it is both/and. That may sound like a cop-out or simple answer to a complex question. But I believe otherwise. I think it is more challenging and complex to see the world this way. There is constant tension. A constant dissatisfaction of not knowing which.

It is fascinating to watch Lost characters Jack Shephard and John Locke live out this tension. Jack is rational, scientific and makes his own choices. Locke is driven by faith, superstition, instinct and fate. Fans know their catch phrases by heart:

Jack, "I have to fix this."

Locke, "This is my destiny."

Fate.

Free will.

Choices.

Destiny.

As the series comes to an end, the writers are not going to answer the question for us. "You thought it was fate, but look, it was free will the whole time." or "Gotcha, fate wins again!" Rather, they have put into words the question that so many people spend our lives asking.

Even those of us with the strongest opinions, when truly pressed, admit that we don't know for sure. So that tells me that truly knowing doesn't truly matter.

I can't wait for the finale. Sad to see my favorite show end.

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1. How do you see fate and free will?

2. Did you like the finale?

When Not Being OK Became OK

2010-05-16T14:54:00.005-04:00

It shifted. It changed. And I never noticed. But I am so thankful that it happened.

I was in a small group in Savannah when someone made the simple comment, "This was before counseling was socially acceptable..."

Counseling.

People think it's normal now.

It used to be a shameful or embarrassing thing.

Now. It's encouraged. And that's huge. That was such an important shift in social thinking. Somewhere along the line people went from being ashamed of their problems and refusing help, to embracing the healing environment of counseling.

I remember being a tweenager and having friends who attended counseling. There was this unspoken pity for those troubled few.

Yet in college, I sat in a conversation with friends joking and making light of their counseling experiences. One in particular, a weightlifter with a strong social reputation said, "Oh yeah. I cried. He makes everyone cry. He told me, 'The five year old that lives in your heart, what has he been saying to you all this time?' And I cried like a baby. I couldn't stop!" And we all laughed. And we all felt comfortable.

And this led me to deal with my own brokenness. I thought, 'If these people that I respect are seeking help, laughing and comparing their stories, and if they are healing, then maybe it's time im dealt with the wound in my own heart."

I made counseling sessions. I talked. I listened. He didn't ask me the 5 year old boy question, so I didn't cry. If he did, I know I would have. Or maybe an emotional father-son story. Those always get me.

But I healed. I moved on.

I want you to know that about me. I was broken. And those conversations played a big part in my healing.

I want you to know that it's ok to ask for help. Ask a pastor or mentor.

I want you to know that your brokenness is not unique. There are others like you. I am like you. You are not weird or pitied if you ask for help.

You are human. Broken by a broken world.

Jesus said,

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

Your choice is to either live in brokenness, or to allow God to bring you to conversations that lead to healing.

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Have you too noticed this shift in thinking? Has a counseling conversation helped you move past a hard time in your life? Or do you need to set that appointment up now?

Don't Let Your Passion Become Annoying.

2010-05-08T21:23:00.008-04:00

Yes. Annoying.

There.

I said it.

Now let me back up and explain.

Many of you stand behind great causes. And I think that's fantastic. I really do. You should always fight for what you believe in. In fact, some of you are so passionate, it's all you talk about. Which can be good. And it can be bad, too. Good, if you are communicating it correctly. Bad, if you come across as annoying and repetitive, resulting in few caring about your message. Have you met anybody like this?

Years ago, I met a guy, who was so strongly Calvinist*, that he felt it was his personal duty to Biblically convince every person he crossed paths with that mankind had no free will, and that we all were acting out what God had preordained. I chose not to listen to him very long (get my pun?). Weren't there bigger and more important things he could make a big deal out of?

We all have a platform. Some of us bigger than others. It can be as small as a conversation or as big as a media network. And many of us want to use our platforms for positive change in the world. Whatever your message, if you deem it worthwhile to spend your life communicating, then isn't it also worthwhile to communicate in such a way that it captivates and motivates your listeners? Especially the ones who previously disagreed with you!

If your message, no matter how important or how right you are, is poorly constructed, then only your friends who already agree with you will listen. How then will you inspire change in those who disagree with you?

If your message is for social action, then a bad way to communicate is to say, "Everyone always thinks of themselves in this narcissistic culture." A good way to communicate is to say, "These are very real ways that you personally can make a difference."

If your message is to create a NEW type of church, I wouldn't say, "People who do church the old way are old and stuck in their ways, refusing to change." I'd say, "People worship in different styles and personalities. For a rapidly changing world, for a constantly changing Christianity, how should our church look? Maybe like this."

Here are practical ways that you can strengthen your message.

1. Always communicate in optimism and hope. There is enough bad news. You can put a positive spin on something terrible. Take human trafficking for example. Whenever I talk about trafficking, I always talk about great organizations like Not for Sale and International Justice Mission. Give your audience a reason to believe change is possible and practical.

2. Always give practical solutions to problems you bring up. If you don't know how to fix the problem, or are actively trying to find a solution, then I don't want to spend my time listening to you. Especially not the people that already disagree with you.

3. Always be patient for people to change their views. This is something that my gay Christian friend, Johan taught me. On the issue of homosexuality being a sin or not, he told me, "Chris, I wrestled with this issue for years. It took me a long time for me to come to peace with it. I would expect no less from you. Take your time and pray." I deeply appreciated his patience. So likewise, those of us who are communicating for change, be patient with people who see the world differently than you. It may not happen overnight. But what you want is to get them thinking, re-evaluating, and praying.

This advice is new to me. I read the quote on Anne Jackson's blog. It hurt when I read it. Yes, I want to see change. Yes, I write about what specifically I want to see turned around. But I realized that I was writing in a way that only my friends would agree with. If those who disagreed with my conclusions read my posts, then they would write me off as a know-it-all twentysomething who uses his blog to complain. I don't want to write for the sake of being read. I want to write to inspire change. I want to communicate to inspire hope and optimism.

So what about you? Will you choose optimistic or annoying?

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What is your life's message? How can you communicate it to win people's hearts and opinions, rather than sound annoying?

*He was the only Calvinist that I've ever met who argued this point. That belief does not reflect any other Calvinist I have met.

Overcoming the F Word: Failure

2010-05-01T02:45:00.012-04:00

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Idealism is risky business. Idealism is the perspective that we can and will change things for the better. It's a great attitude and perspective to have. Except when your expectations are unrealistic. Because failure can be just around the corner.

Failure. The things you thought you were going to accomplish. The jobs you thought you were going to get. The problems you thought you had solutions to. When we fall short of these spoken or unspoken expectations, it leaves us feeling inadequate. Empty. Unmotivated.

But let's get something straight. Fail is an event. Failure is an identity. And the difference between the two means the world. Just because you failed once, twice, a thousand times. It doesn't make you are a failure.

A lot of us are very capable people. Passionate, talented, educated people. And a lot of us are jobless or stuck in jobs we are unhappy with. We have ideal jobs and dreamed opportunities, but we are stuck in an economy that is overrun with unemployment and unwilling to take risks.

It hurts me to watch so much talent and passion graduate from higher education only to be thrust into the terrible job market.

I want you to really believe this next statement:

Your lack of progress towards your goals does NOT make you a failure.

You may fail to get a job. You may fail when you start your business. You may fail at being productive this month. You may have failed by making the wrong choices. But these events of failing do not make you a failure.

So what does makes you a failure? Giving up.

Giving up on what God has given you in your heart to do. Giving up on your goals. Giving up is the real failure.

Don't let your past and current fails define you. Instead, use this time to build resilience. A refusal to say 'I give up.' A refusal to say 'I've had enough.'

I was amazed when I read this passage from John Maxwell,

"The terrible truth is that all roads to achievement lead through the land of failing."*

Achievement is approached through failing. Why?

1. Because we learn what not to do next time. We become smarter.

2. Because we learn resilience. We know how to stand against resistance.

3. Because we learn faith. We learn to trust in God for what we cannot do on our own.

Unrealistic idealism says that you will succeed without any problems, without a moment of failing. Realistic idealism says, "Yes, I am going to fail. I am going to fail a lot before I arrive."

I applaude your dedication and your dreams. I encourage you to keep trying. I want you to know that your past and current failed attempts to move forward are only momentary. They will pass.

Finally, remember the advice of James.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

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What were the greatest lessons in your recent failing? Did your faith grow as a result?

*Quote from John Maxwell's Failing Forward. A powerful and encouraging read for anyone who may be misunderstanding failure.

Dealing with the Ugly H word: Hypocrite

2010-04-24T14:51:00.005-04:00

You've heard it. I've heard it. We call other people it. God forbid if anyone calls us one. And it's an ugly word, isn't it?

Hypocrite.

Hypocrisy: Saying an act is morally wrong, yet doing that very act or something much worse, all the while failing to acknowledge this as an inconsistency.

85% of young Americans outside of the church would define the American Church as hypocritical.

My question? What are we going to do about it?

We could start by pointing the finger at Christians we would consider hypocritical. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones on the news. The ones with signs. The ones sitting in pews. We could to turn to Matthew 23, the rebuke of the Pharisees, to strongly make our point.

"For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness. You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean." (Matthew 23)

It would make us feel justified to stand behind Jesus and point the finger at all of the people we think are hypocrites.

But this would be wrong.

I believe that the first temptation after reading Scripture is to think who needs to hear this passage. Using Scripture as our argument, to be our justification. All the while forgetting that we read Scripture first to change our own hearts.

That being said, as we read Matthew 23, we first ask ourselves, "How am I inconsistent in what I say, do, and believe?"

Do I practice what I preach?

Am I willing to lift a finger to help the burden of others, or do I make them feel worse about themselves?

Do I do what I do just to be seen?

Has my life ever shut the kingdom of heaven in someone's face?

Have I neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness for my own personal interests?

Do I clean my appearance only to hide my greed and self-indulgence?

When Jesus examines my heart, does he call me a hypocrite?

And then our inconsistencies begin to become evident.

But let me share something with you that will free you:

The opposite of hypocrisy is NOT perfection, it's transparency.

First, transparency with God. We approach God not as perfect creatures, but creations in progress. Our transparency and honesty with him spurs healing.

Then transparency with others.

No one is expecting you to be perfect. No one is expecting you to follow every Biblical passage flawlessly. What they are starving for is people admitting their mistakes. To show that they are not perfect like Jesus, but strive to be.

If 85% of young Americans outside of the church would define the American Church as hypocritical, then real change starts, not with pointing our fingers at others, but with YOU being transparent. With ME being transparent.

So for starters, to everyone who is reading, I know that I put up a front like I have it all together. But I don't. I struggle with this very idea of pointing my finger at people of my faith who are messing up. I read Scripture so I can have good arguments, not a good relationship with God. And sometimes I write a little blog to show people that I have better ideas that others, as if I knew how to fix the big problems in America and the world. I tend to be hypocritical, not transparent. But God is still working in me. And he is making progress.

There. I feel better with you knowing that.

And again, with most issues I bring up, I believe we need to be intentional about this. We need to initiate these conversations with people who have hypocrisy as a barrier between them and Christ. We need to confess our sins. And we need for God to bring us to transparency.

Be the exception to the rule. Be transparent, rather than hypocritical.

Gandhi said to us,

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

So I say to you,

"Be the change you want to see in Christianity."

(for the record, I have nothing against pews)

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Who do you need to confess to?

What are other ways that we can influence those who have hypocrisy as a barrier between them and Christ?

Evolution: America's Biggest Barrier to Christianity?

2010-04-17T04:11:00.010-04:00

It's not every day that you read an essay that changes the way you see everything. But that's exactly what happened to me this week. And I wanted to present some of it's ideas to you. I'd like to paraphrase some of the ideas that Ken Wilson shared in his essay entitled Science & The Evangelical Mission In America. You can read it here.

Wilson suggests that America is divided into two main groups:

RED SENSIBILITY
• Votes Republican
• Considers Earth 10,000
• Typically a Creationist

BLUE SENSIBILITY

• Votes Democratic

• Considers Earth 4.5 billion years old

• Typically an Evolutionist

Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world today.

I think most of us would agree that this is a fair representation of America. Of course it is not exact, what generalization would be? But let's add one more characteristic to this group division.

RED SENSIBILITY
• Votes Republican
• Considers Earth 10,000
• Typically a Creationist

• High church attendance

BLUE SENSIBILITY

• Votes Democratic

• Considers Earth 4.5 billion years old

• Typically an Evolutionist

• Low church attendance

This is not a political post, so please don't get bogged down in that detail. The number of democrats in or out of church is not a factor of this blog.

Rather, evolution is.

The question that we should be asking is, where is the mission field in America? What massive people group are not being reached? The science community.

Picture the science community as concentric circles.

In the smallest innermost circle are those with advanced degrees, whose education depended heavily on biology, physics and chemistry.

The next, slightly bigger circle includes people who read periodicals like Scientific American, Discover, Nature, and National Geographic without thinking, “I wish they wouldn’t put so much stock in evolution and climate change.”

The next circle, the widest circle, encompassing roughly half the population of the United States, includes those who identify culturally with those in the inner two circles.

We’re not just talking about a small group of science fanatics; we’re talking about half of America, a massive mission field.

The Theory of Evolution is highly influential to this people group.

Evolution has always been a barrier for people to believe in God. How could they believe in a literal Genesis Creation account if their worldview is founded on the evidence of creation's antithesis: Evolution? Everything about their worldview hinges on the Theory of Evolution.

So let me ask this very difficult question:

Is the a Literal Creation account of Genesis, one that calls Evolution a lie, a theological hill that we will die on?

There are some theological beliefs that I would die for:

The Trinity. The deity of Christ. The authority of Scripture. Salvation by grace through faith.

These are foundational and essential parts of the Christian faith.

But there are some theological issues that matter less to me. I have my own opinion, and other Christian friends share different opinions:

Calvanism, Open Theism, Post/Pre/Mid Tribulation, Young Earth, Dispensationalism, Ceasationalism.

So here, I ask, both myself and you, is a Literal Creation account of Genesis, one that calls Evolution a lie, is this a belief that we will refuse to compromise?

What about Theistic Evolution?

Theistic Evolution is the theological idea that God sparked and guides the work of Evolution.

Historically, in the church, the idea of Theistic Evolution has been rejected. It has been seen as a compromise of Biblical beliefs for the sake of scientific evidence.

If the barrier for half of the US population is Evolution, and if a literal creation account is not a theological hill to die on, then can we both allow this idea of Theistic Evolution AND embrace those who want to believe it. Few pastors or biblical scholars in the United States, when pressed, would insist that rejecting evolutionary science is part of the cost of following Christ.

I am NOT asking you to change your view from a literal creation to Theistic Evolution. I am asking you to reconsider the fact that Theistic Evolution is not the compromise that we all thought it was.

Ken Wilson shares this story from his church,

"A year after listening to my sermon series on science and faith, Susan approached me in the church lobby with tears in her eyes and the following story. After wrestling through the material, Susan gathered her adult children together. None of her children were active churchgoers, though they were raised in a strict fundamentalist Baptist setting. In prayer, Susan had discerned that her approach to evolution had unnecessarily alienated her children from the gospel. Susan apologized to her children for insisting that they had to accept her young earth creation views. Susan told them that she didn’t accept evolution herself, but she deeply regretted insisting that they accept her views as the only view a faithful Christian could accept. Susan was never more evangelical than when she engaged in this soul-searching work."

Are we unnecessarily alienating people from the Gospel?

Here is my main point:

Maybe you have strong convictions that Evolution cannot coexist to the Literal Creationist Account. Maybe Theistic Evolution can be the first step of an atheist's beliefs towards a Literal Creationist Account. No Christian doubts the Holy Spirit's power to work on our theology after we become followers of Christ.

This proposal may come as a shock to many of you. I know it was for me. Process this new information for about a week or so. Test it, try it, pray about it. If you feel that my paraphrased presentation was not convincing enough, I ask that you read Wilson's full essay. Wilson also acknowledged that this is an unpopular, even destructive to our reputation.

"In order to be truly evangelical in American culture today, we may have to risk our reputation with some fellow evangelicals. That is the sad but painful truth. Which is more important though, reaching the lost or maintaining our reputation with the found?"

Now the hard part: what do we do next?

Restore credibility.

And that takes initiative. A non-Christian evolutionist is probably not going to approach you to talk about this. In the past, Christians have been intolerant to the idea of evolution. I believe that your approach of Theistic Evolution will be a breath of fresh air.

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What do you think? Is a Literal Creationist account a theological essential to the Christian Faith? Or is openness to Theistic Evolution a valid option for non-believers? What are ways that we can restore credibility among the science-influenced community?

Challenging Conventional Christian Wisdom – Part 3 – Why we have Jesus Action Figures

2010-04-09T19:38:00.011-04:00

So I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but at the right of this blog, you can now subscribe. You get an email with a link every time I post a new blog. This means that I don't have to post (is it annoying?) facebook posts about new blogs. I really want to move AWAY from weekly facebook posts, and I hope this is the answer.

So be so kind and subscribe, just one email a week, promise.

Thanks guys.

Now on to the blog.

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Our world moves fast. Even faster now that we have the Internet. If a business doesn't adapt quickly, then the it fails. If the head of the business is smart, then (s)he makes the right choices to survive (thrive). As for the church, I think that creates a problem. Because the church has no one president. No one leader. Aside from the obvious, of course, God/the trinity. As a result, we have Jesus action figures.

But for this purpose (the reading of the times, the leadership direction for a changing world) we, the Church, do not hear clearly from Jesus, or are directed by the Holy Spirit clear enough to all be on the same page. I know that sounds bad. But, isn't this the reason for so many problems between church today? Because we are all reading the same script, just on different pages.

At one time, trends and fashions would be in for decades. Now the shelf life of a style is a few years. Because now, we overkill. We see it everywhere (facebook, twitter). This is why Chuck Norris jokes aren't funny anymore. They're dated.

Think about youtube.com videos. What was funny last year is cliché this year (Rick Rolling, the Evolution of Dance, William Hung).

That's why we still have Christian T Shirts that look just like something in the business world, except with an evangelist's touch.

That's why we still have Church marque signs that rhyme.

That's why we have Jesus action figures.

And I think that's why we still have "You're going to Hell" signs.

Because we don't have one person saying, "Ok, enough with this. It was good last year, but this year it just looks tacky."

This became most evident while I was having a conversation with an American missionary here in Britain. He told me, "I'd yell on street corners, if it worked here. I'd carry a big cross around, if I knew it would make an impact. But it doesn't. People would just look at me weird. That sort of things works in Africa. If I were in Africa, I'd do that sort of thing. But here, it won't make an impact."

To me, this is smart. Some things don't work everywhere. Times change. So should our methods.

And some people are smart enough to see these, and many other things. And they tell us. In their books, blogs, and seminars.

If we are smart, then we listen, and try to see what they see.

It's harder for us as a church than a business, because we don't have that one person. We have a multitude of these thinkers who tell our pastors. And we have our pastors who tell us.

But maybe that's better.

Sure, it makes us slower to adapt to a constantly and rapidly changing culture.

But it also shows how strong the church is. Businesses go bankrupt without rapidly changing.

But the church is still here. Still passionate. Still learning.

So back to the missionary. What worked in his context, if not cross carrying? Something I'm sure you could guess:

Relationships.

Fancy that.

Storybook Biographies

2010-04-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

Everything about a story is true. Except that its fiction, of course.

Seriously though. We have always made up stories. From cave paintings to Avatar. Not to just escape from our real world problems, but to remind our hearts of what is true, what is right, what is noble. More than just mere stories, the characters that we create, the heroes that we imagine are powerful, yet are also handicapped with their flaws. The page that we read from looks less like paper, and more like a mirror. Yes, they are more spectacular and charismatic than we are, but that is because they symbolize everything we want to be.

When we leave the pages of a great story, we are changed. We begin to see connections between our lives and the fiction we experienced. We see our crisis, finally, as our opportunity. The problems that interrupt our lives seem less desperate, and more as a chance to make life better. For us, for our loved ones, and for those who desperately need us to save them.

Story is an opportunity for you to make yourself into a better person. The person God intended you to be. Your greatest gift to the world is fully becoming the person God intended youto be.

Isaiah's Greatest Prophecy

2010-04-04T15:45:00.004-04:00

I wanted to take a break from my current series just to post something about the Resurrection Sunday.

Today, at an African church in central Amsterdam, I preached my first Easter sermon. I chose to use Isaiah 53, the Messianic Prophecy. Read this powerful passage that speaks about the passion of our Lord.

¹Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
²For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
⁸By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
¹⁰Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53)

The service went really well. It was my first time preaching without notes.

Next week I will resume my series, Challengeing Conventional Christian Wisdom. I have a lot more to say on the subject, but nothing is more important than Resurrection Sunday.

God Bless, and spend quality time with your family.

Oh, and what do you think of the new layout?

Feedback wanted.

Challenging Conventional Christian Wisdom – Part 2 – To love?

2010-03-28T20:40:00.006-04:00

I’m tired of hearing that Christianity is all about love.

Not because I don’t think it’s true. I’m tired of hearing it because I seldom see it. What do I see? I see Christians SAY they love people different from them. But what are Christians DOING to show people they love people different from them?

Answer these simple questions:

How many atheists know that you love them?

How many democrats know that you love them?

How many gays know that you love them?

How many people radically different from you know that you love them?

Some might argue, “I love them when I tell them their sin.” Which, of course, as I stated in my last post, truth is just as important as grace. But I find no good reason for us, as Christians, to let our display of love end at mere words.

If my wife doesn’t believe I love her, is that my fault or hers? It’s mine. I have failed to both communicate and display my love. When people different from us do not believe that we love them, whose fault is that? Ours, or theirs? Ours. Because we have failed to both communicate and display love.

If I only told my wife what she was doing wrong and how she needed to change for the sake of our relationship, then I would be an insensitive (probably unloving) husband. If we, as Christians, only show what they do wrong and how they need to change for the sake of their relationship with God, then we come across as insensitive (even unloving) fanatics.

Relationship is essential to love.

Too many times, when communicating our faith, we as Christians come across as bad salesmen, caring more about the product we sell (convincing people to believe), than trustworthy friends.

I want you to take a long, hard, honest look at yourself. Ask, “Do people different than me believe that I love them?”

Most important of all, Jesus' words on love:

"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:46-47)

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I know I sound pessimistic. I do not think all Christians are like this. In fact, one person who I believe loves everybody different from him is my friend LJ Gay. I watch him love people that are the opposite of him, and he inspires me. Thanks LJ.

Challenging Conventional Christian Wisdom - Part 1 - Grace and Truth

2010-03-21T18:09:00.012-04:00

As Christians, there is a fine line that we have to walk.

And it is not easy.

Impossible if you do not even know the line exists.

That fine line is Grace and Truth.

Allow me to start with a quote by Gabe Lyons.

“Embracing truth without holding grace in tension leads to harsh legalism, just as grace without truth devolves to compromise.” Gabe Lyons

On one side of the line is legalism, on the other, compromise. And I think lack of one is a response to lack of the other.

Legalists exist because of their fear of compromise. They create rules upon rules to avoid sin. Their boundaries are rituals behind rituals. The Christian life is no longer about relationship, but about legality.

Compromise is a response to legalism. Those burned or hurt by legalists live a life without boundaries. Everything falls under grace and forgiveness. But problems arise when there is no truth to convict or correct.

Jesus lived in perfect tension of Grace and Truth.

“We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

In John 8, teachers of the law pointed a finger at an adulterous woman. Citing the law of Moses, they called for her death. Jesus’ simple question disarmed the would-be executioners. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” In this moment of controversy and ill deed, Jesus strips the accusers with a touch of grace.

Yet to leave the woman in her sin would be rob her a life of repentance. He commanded her to leave her life of sin.

To side with the accusers would be to starve grace. To overlook her adultery would condone a life of falsehood and sin.

In this holy moment, God has shown us the power of a life lived in both Grace and Truth. Forgiveness of sin and freedom from sin.

Forgiveness and freedom.

So what am I saying? I’m asking you to take a look at your own life. Are you the type to point out people’s sin, their imperfections, and allowing your observations to prevent you from developing a relationship? Do you cast judgement with grace no where in sight?

Or do you condone, afraid that any sort of attention drawn to the subject will sever the relationship?

Do you exhibit truth yet withhold grace?

Do you compromise your beliefs?

Or, most difficult of all, have you found balance? We are called to be Christ-like, balanced. To be full of Grace and Truth. To offer forgiveness with freedom.

Two RIGHTS Can Make a WRONG

2010-03-13T16:29:00.002-05:00

I’d like to bring up a difficult subject: The NEED to be right.

The NEED to be right is a dangerous thing.

Ever been around someone like that? It can be annoying enough to where you don’t want to be around that person.

Needing to be right ALL THE TIME is wrong. Why? Because you destroy the relationship. Here, John Maxwell talks about his first two years of marriage. It’s a fairly wordy passage, but worth the read.

“Like most people, I thought I was right nearly all the time, and I let my wife [Margaret] know about it. I’ve always been a good talker, and I can be pretty persuasive, so I used my skills to win arguments. We never yelled or screamed at each other. It was always very rational and controlled, but I always made sure I won. The problem was that with my approach, Margaret always had to lose.

We did a lot of things right during those first two years of marriage, but this wasn’t one of them. Unknowingly I was slowly but surely beating Margaret down emotionally. We’d disagree, I’d overreact, and I’d unwittingly lay another brick in the wall that was building between us. I didn’t realize that winning at all costs could eventually jeopardize our marriage. Then one day Margaret sat me down, shared how she felt when we argued, and explained what it was doing to our relationship. It was the first time I understood I was putting winning the arguments ahead of winning the relationship.

From that day I decided to change. Realizing that having the right attitude was more important than having the right answers, I softened my approach, listened more, and stop making a big deal out of little things. In time, the wall that had begun to form came down, and we began building bridges. And since that time, I’ve made a conscious effort to initiate connection anytime I’m in conflict with someone I care about.”

“The problem was that with my approach, Margaret always had to lose.” Thats powerful.

Now allow me to bring this home. And it’s probably going to hurt.

I think we (Christians in general) do this all the time concerning spiritual matters.

We have to be right about homosexuals.

We have Scripture that says so.

We have to be right about abortion.

We believe it is a life inside of the womb.

We have to be right about politics.

Our politics match our religious belief.

We have to be right about the Bible.

It’s the foundation of our religion.

We have to be right about how sinful the world is, so we stand on street corners and yell.

We have to get the message out somehow.

Even if we are right, our need to BE right pushes people away.

Ouch. I know. It hurt me when I figured this out, too.

We believe whole heartedly that we are right. And we are passionate in our need to be right because it’s our religious conviction. I am not saying that we are wrong in our dogmatics. And I don’t for a second want us to compromise our beliefs.

But I think we are wrong in our approach. We push people away.

Think of the last time you talked to someone who disagreed with you on homosexuality or abortion. Did you ask, “Well, what do you think?” and respectfully listened?

We quote this passage a lot concerning sharing our beliefs, but I think we miss some key words.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Here is another,

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

These passages talk about keeping respect while sharing your beliefs. And a powerful way to show respect is to listen. Listen to beliefs that differ from yours.

One of the quickest ways to form a relationship, respect, and credibility is to simply ask, “What do you believe?” Of course, you have to listen too.

Also, just to let you know. Conservative Christian beliefs are widely known. Chances are, they already know what we believe. And they assume we don’t want to hear their opinions. So when we ask, it surprises them.

A few months ago, I was listening to a sermon by Jay Bakker. I’ve quoted Jay a few times. He is a liberal pastor in New York who receives a lot of harsh criticism from conservative Christians because of his liberal stances.

During the sermon, Jay was speaking of his critics. He wondered if those harsh critics really loved him. They were so quick to point out where he was wrong. But then he asked a hard question, “Where were you when my wife left me? You were there to pick apart my theology, but where were you when my life fell apart?”

Do his critics really love him? Or do they just want to focus where they are right and where he is wrong?

Do we really love those we disagree with? Are we willing to pursue a relationship with people whose opinions contradict ours?

Do we believe that our need to be right is wrong?

What I saw at Stonehenge

2010-02-27T15:49:00.006-05:00

It was cold, raining, and windy. But I was excited.

We were winding through hills, passing pastures with sheep and pigs. It seemed like we were lost, but I began to see the pillars through the fog.

Stonehenge.

We arrived.

The monoliths predate history.

Some weigh up to 50 tons.

Some 24 feet tall.

Theories point to the work of aliens. Others think the devil put them there.

Assuming that these supernatural theories are just folklore, the only semi-logical explanation is that the druid worshippers shipped the stones from Wales.

Rolling them on logs.

Hundreds of miles.

Up and down hills.

For hundreds of miles.

This would have taken thousands of people.

And years to do it.

Why?

So they could worship.

I believe that there is such an innate desire to worship that an entire people group would accomplish the semi-impossible and construct Stonehenge.

Because they wanted to worship.

Because they needed to worship.

Mankind was created to worship. What we choose to worship is up to us. Worship like the druids and praise the sun, moon and stars. Worship like the Hindu, a god for every aspect of life. Worship like the entrepreneur and live for money. Worship like the athlete and live for glory. Worship like the atheist, who worships himself.

But we were created to worship our Creator.

We don’t always worship what we say we worship. We may say we worship the one true God. Our songs may point to him. But what does our time point to? To God or to ourselves? What do our conversations point to? To God or to ourselves? What does our wallet point to? To God or to ourselves?

If you follow the trail of your life, you will find what you worship.

Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river,
Righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:23-24)

God's Overlooked Gift.

2010-02-21T17:18:00.004-05:00

Pain is a gift from God.

That sounds weird, doesn’t it.

Jesus said something similar.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now,

For you will be satisfied.”

It is weird for us to think of PAIN as something good. But pain let’s us know not only that we are hurt, but that we need to be fixed.

Sometimes it is something we can fix, as with physical pain.

Other times it is something we can’t fix, as with spiritual pain.

Pain is God’s way of getting our attention.

S. Lewis said,

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

This past sunday, I had the opportunity to share with two churches about pain. To be thankful for pain, because our pain points us back to God.

God doesn’t waste pain. Rather, he uses it to draw us closer to him.

Clowns and Godzilla

2010-02-14T16:15:00.003-05:00

One morning I was reading a book about the Church, and I came across this story. It was one that I had to share!

“My idea was pretty simple at the beginning. I started to volunteer in wards with terminally ill children or burn victims – just go in there to cheer them up a little, spread around some giggles. Gradually, it developed that I was going to come in as a clown.

First, somebody gave me a red rubber nose, and I put that to work. Then I started doing some elementary makeup. Then I got a yellow, red, and green clown suit. Finally, some nifty, tremendous wing-tip shoes, about two and a half feet long, with green tips and heels, white in the middle. They came from a clown who was retiring and wanted his feet to keep walking.

Things were very tough for me at the beginning – very. You see some pretty terrible things in these wards. Seeing children dying or mutilated is nothing most of us ever get prepared for. Nobody teaches us to face suffering in this society. We never talk about it until we get hit in the face….

Some of us were setting up to show Godzilla in the kids’ leukemia ward. I was making up kids as clowns. One kid was totally bald from chemotherapy, and when I finished doing his face, another kid said, “Go on and do the rest of his head.” And when I was done, his sister said, “Hey, we can show the movie on Billy’s head.” And he really loved that idea. So we set up Godzilla and ran it on Billy’s head, and Billy was pleased as punch, and we were all mighty proud of Billy. It was quite a moment. Especially when the doctors arrived….

Burnt skin or bald heads on little children – what do you do? I guess you just face it – when the kids are really hurting so bad, and so afraid, and probably dying, and everybody’s heart is breaking. Face it, and see what happens after that, see what to do next.

I got the idea of traveling with popcorn. When a kid is crying I dab up the tears with the popcorn and pop it into my mouth or into his or hers. We sit around together and eat the tears.” (From How Can I Help? By Ram Dass and Paul Gorman)

I think these clowns got it. There is so much pain in the world. But in the midst of pain, we can laugh. We can spread joy. Keep your eyes peeled for someone you can make laugh. Laughter will be a welcome change to the tears they shed daily.

And who doesn’t love a Godzilla movie every once in a while?

When Jack Black Preaches a Sermon

2010-02-07T20:00:00.003-05:00

I don’t cry much. Hardly at all, actually. Once a year? Twice if I had an emotional year. So when I do cry, you’ll know that my heart was really touched.

One time I cried at Jack Black. As much as I loved Kung Fu Panda, this wasn’t my favorite Jack Black movie. That honor goes to Shallow Hal. I cried! And I know what you’re thinking. Disbelief. I know this because that’s how everyone feels when I tell them in person. If you don’t remember the movie, Hal (portrayed by Jack Black) was hypnotized to see everyone by his or her inner beauty (or lack thereof). He sees selfish people as ugly, and good-hearted people as handsome or beautiful.

In one scene, Hal is volunteering at a hospital, spending time with children. There is one particular girl, Cadence, which he is particularly fond of. He picks her up in his arms and says, “Hey beautiful.”

Later, in the movie, when Hal’s hypnosis wears off, he is back in the hospital and stopped by a disfigured girl. She says, “Hi Hal.”

“Hi, um, how do you know my name?”

“Its me, Cadence.”

Hal’s eyes scan upward, and he sees the sign ‘Pediatric Burn Unit’. Only then did he realize that this affectionate little girl was a burn victim, utterly unrecognizable with her facial scars. He kneels down to her level and says, “Oh hi, Cadence. How are you beautiful?”

Sniff! Even now, just writing this blog, tears well up in my eyes. I remember one time, I told my friend’s wife that I cried during Shallow Hal, and she made fun of me. Then I reminded her of Cadence’s story, and she replied, “Oh yeah, I cried at that part too…!”

Jesus spoke of this.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

Just as God saw us with worth when we were broken, we are to see the least of these like Cadence as beautiful. The burned, the scarred, the ugly and the abused. Beautiful. Are still hypnotized, and do not see the beauty in the broken. Ask God to heal your eyes, so that you may see the broken as beautiful as God sees them.

So yes. I cried at Jack Black.

Unity in the Christian Community

2010-01-31T18:37:00.012-05:00

As most of you remember, the topic of the gay community started when I decided to listen to the opinions of gay Christians. With a motive only to learn and make friends, I wrote an interview and contacted over a hundred self proclaimed Gay Christians.

One of which was Rachel.

Rachel, answered my questions, and asked me a few of her own. After several long winded facebook messages, an internet friendship formed.

Come to find out, Rachel lives with her wife, Sarah, in London, and they wrote a book together.

Living it Out - “A survival guide for lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians and their friends, families and church.”

“London, no way. My wife and I will be in London for the next three months.”

“If you're in London on January 27th you'd be very welcome to come along to an event we're having in a bookshop in London about Living It Out. I'll send you an invite.”

So there Cait and I sat, on the fifth floor of Waterstone Booksellers, second row, far left.

Circumstances like this are too big to be called coincidences. Rachel and I randomly began discussing controversial topics in late December. The first time I traveled away from North America is the same week she releases her book. Her book is the only one of its kind, a survival guide for Gay Christians. The book store that hosts the release launch is a short train ride away from my house.

Sitting there on the second row, it felt too big to be a coincidence.

Maybe it’s a God thing.

For years, I have felt a deep appreciation for the diverse branches of Christianity. And in our diversity, unity. From Catholics to Protestants. From Traditional to Post-Modern. From Calvanist to Open Theology. From Conservative to Liberal. Underneath all of these branches, we are unified in our beliefs of God the Father sending his son Jesus to die for our sins. In Jesus we have restoration of relationship.

The church is big. The church is diverse. The church is unified as one bride.

And now, it seems that a new branch is forming. And to my knowledge, it has no clever name yet. But there are Christians who believe a gay lifestyle is a sin, and those who believe a gay lifestyle is of God.

There will be arguments. There will be tears. But like it or not, they are unified in our faith of Jesus.

Last week I spoke of a lifestyle called ex-Gay. When an individual decides they are gay, there are three ways to respond to the call of Jesus.

1. They can deny him, and remain a non-Christian Gay.

2. They can accept him, and leave the gay lifestyle.   

and there is a third option 

3. They can both accept him and embrace their gay lifestyle.

Those who choose follow Christ and be gay have wrestled with the passages of Scripture. And their conclusion is that a homosexual monogamous marriage is right in the eyes of God. Homosexual infidelity, adultery and fornication are sinful, but a marriage is of God.

I’m sure that you have already made up your mind, but I found it fascinating and challenging to read counter arguments.

In America, there are several Christian leaders who have taken the stance of godly gay marriage (Mel White, Jay Bakker, Brian McLaren).

The American Church has changed a lot in the past 50 years. For decades, if someone in the church were to get a divorce (a biblical sin), many would refuse to talk to the divorcee. Today, painfully enough, divorce is common. Although divorce is not encouraged, we have a much holier response to divorce. We cry with the hurting.

Until recent years, most in the church would consider the consumption of alcohol a sin. Yet, frustrated, we read the Bible closer and realized that Scripture does not say such a thing. Drunkenness, abuse, brokenness and poverty caused by alcohol are sins, yes. But the consumption is not. Rather, consumption of alcohol is celebrated in the Bible.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul...
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate,
brings forth food from the earth,
wine that gladdens the heart of man.”
(Psalms 104)

In my honest opinion, the awkwardness between Christians who think homosexuality is a sin, and those who think gay marriage is godly will dissolve. Though everyone may not agree, it is my prayer that unity will prevail.

My father wisely told me,

“Chris, you will find many people you disagree with. But remember this one thing. Unity begins at the Cross. It is the most important place to agree. As you move further away from the Cross, the disagreements become less and less important.”

Though you disagree with the lifestyle choice, agree in the salvation of Jesus Christ. For it is what makes us all ‘Christian.’

And this is how I choose to finish this series on the gay community. Though you disagree, do not let that prevent fellowship. Be accepting, loving. If you agree on the Cross, let nothing else separate you.

And this may bother you. Accept gays as Christians?

Follow me for a bit.

What if someone struggled with arrogance. He prayed his entire life that God would make him humble. He fasted. He served. He went to counseling. At times he would defeat his arrogance, living in humility. But years later, he would become prideful again.

What if one day he told you, “I think I’m arrogant. And I will always be arrogant. I still love God, but I am not going to change.”

Would you accept him as a Christian? Does he in fact have a relationship with God?

Why is it easier to accept this fictional prideful man than to accept someone who is gay? The Bible has many more passages condemning arrogance than it does homosexuality. The Bible speaks much more strongly against pride than it does homosexuality. Why is a lifestyle of pride accepted more than a lifestyle of homosexuality?

I admit, the example is far fetched. But doesn’t it say the same thing? Gay Christians have spent years in prayer for God to remove their nature. But it seems that God’s hand remains motionless. God, all too often, does not turn gay people straight.

If they, after years of prayer, fasting, and counseling, accept their lifestyle and embrace God, are they not Christians as well. Should we not accept them as Christians?

I believe we should.

She is the Church. She is beautiful. She is to be fought for. She is to die for. Let her be unified.

This blog series has stretched, challenged, and strengthened me. And I pray it did for you too. I have made great friends (gay and straight). Yet it has been draining as well. ‘Is this can of worms worth opening up?’ ‘Will this hurt my chances of getting a job in a church?’ And most of all, ‘Will people receive this?’

Here are the two most common responses I have received.

1. “Chris, I have felt like this for a long time. I just didn’t know how to say it.”

and

2. “Chris, thank you.”

So I say, thank you for being a part of it. Thank you for reading. Hopefully you will come back to read future posts. Though not on the gay community, there are other areas that we need to grow in.

Though I am finished blogging about the gay community. I invite any more questions via email (leadingfromtheheart@gmail.com) or facebook.

God bless,

-Chris

Re-THINKING the Gay Christian Community

2010-01-24T13:30:00.008-05:00

“Seriously, who would choose to be subject to ridicule and inequality?”

“If it was a choice, people wouldn't be killing themselves. Nobody in their right minds would choose to go through the things we do.”

First things first.

Yes. I believe choosing to live a gay lifestyle is a sin.

Romans 1:26-27

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1 Timothy 1:10

But you know what? I think people can be born gay.

With those two statements, I have pushed myself into lonely corner. Hardly anyone shares my opinion. Don’t my two statements contradict? Why would God create somebody gay?

Ever wonder how many people are born as hermaphrodites? A little bit of google research told me that 3 in every 1,000 people are born with both male and female parts. Now tell me, should a hermaphrodite be attracted to men or women?

Hermaphrodites didn’t choose to be born that way. Did God create them that way? God created us all to be PERFECT. True, but sin has corrupted even our physicality.

And even more, sin has corrupted us morally. I was born a liar. I was born selfish.

With that being said, is it possible, is there any way that a person could be born gay? If hermaphrodites are a real scientific example of people born with different sexual organs, why do we find it impossible to say people can be born with different sexual tendencies?

A tendency that is, yes, sinful.

I find it harder to believe that someone could be born with the wrong sex organ than someone to be born with the tendency to prefer the same sex. The former sounds unbelievable. Yet we have documented proof of such.

What bothers me is that the Christian community leaves ABSOLUTELY NO ROOM for conversation on this topic.

“People choose to be gay! There is no other answer.” they proclaim.

“Those chose to be gay. Now they need to choose to be straight.”

I am advocating that maybe we are wrong. As we have just seen, human sexuality is a highly complex concept. I don’t think we should be so quick to rule out the idea that someone can be born gay.

This is a problem, because we can trivialize the very real pain and suffering of being born gay (exclusion, shame, born as an ‘abomination’, teasing, hazing, violence, alienation from the church, labeled as a pedophile, derogatory comments). If the church leaves no room for the idea of people being born gay, we tell them that all of their pain is brought upon themselves, by their own choice. No exceptions.

Can we not empathize with their struggles?

Is it asking too much to try and understand how painful their life has been?

Does it break our hearts to know that gay teens are four times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual teens?

Chad Thompson gives this powerful and creative approach in his book Loving Homosexuals As Jesus Would.

“If we wish to be successful in our attempts to bring God’s message of hope to the homosexual community, we must not go running to the door screaming about the spiritual and physical consequences of homosexual behavior. Rather, we must approach it with a plan to reduce the suffering of LGBT in tangible ways.”

I agree with Chad. We have focused all of our effort communicating spiritual and physical dangers. Trust me. They’ve heard it. Loud and clear.

We yell, “Danger!”

But they hear. “Intolerance!”

Chad suggests that we minister to them the same way we minister to everyone else. “How can we relieve your suffering?”

So I ask you. What are tangible ways that we can relieve the suffering of struggling gays? Here are some of my suggestions.

Tell them, “I cannot imagine how painful it was while growing up.”
Tell them, “I will accept you as a person, and love you no matter how you choose to live.”
Make the first and consistent steps into maintaining a friendship.
And what I stressed last week, simply apologize.

Lastly, if a gay lifestyle is a sin, and people are born gay, then we need to applaud the Christian ex-Gays (people who are born gay, but choose to leave that lifestyle and pursue a life of celibacy or heterosexuality). In a country where the non-Christian culture celebrates gay lifestyle, these people have chosen to leave a life that they inwardly desire for a life of faith, virtue, and purity. Some choose celibacy! They choose to live a life of singlehood so they can grow closer to Christ! They give up romantic love. They give up marriage. They give up sex! For the sake of Christ.

These people know what it means to be tempted.

They know what it means to sacrifice.

Christian ex-Gays have my utmost respect.

Is this what we expect of all gays? To be just as strong, brave and sacrificial as these ex-Gays? If they are to become Christian, that they would have to forsake every natural choice and accept a life of self denial.

We have to understand how much we are asking.

Others, such as my new friends, have embraced both lifestyles (Christian and Gay). But that is a different subject. Something that I may cover next week.

We ourselves don’t know what its like to be gay. What its like to forsake internal feelings of all romantic attractions.

And worst of all, we show impatience and intolerance for those who decide not to be ex-Gay.

I’m not advocating that it is 100% choice. I don’t think we will ever truly know why people are gay. What I am asking is for you to re-think what it means to be gay. To re-think what it means to minister to the gay community. We don't have to be louder, we need to love first.

Connecting the Gay Christian Community

2010-01-16T23:50:00.015-05:00

“I have stopped counting how many times I had to tell my gay friends to forgive people because they spoke out of ignorance. So much damage has been done.”

“Pretty much everyone I know has had experiences of being excluded and made to feel unwelcome by the Church.”

“They asked me never to come back. That's pretty sad. I mean that's really awful. I got over it quick, personally I didn't care much because it was their own ignorance. Things like this cause unstable people in my situation to commit suicide, and the church gets off free by saying "it was their sin, they did not repent, they brought it upon themselves.”

“There are almost too many to be counted. The recent thing that I saw was a reverend that was quoted in a certain newspaper that he hates gay people. What kind of message does that sent out to gay people? Many gay people have turned away from God because they believe that God doesn't love them anymore.”

They believe that God doesn’t love them anymore.

Overwhelmingly, the response is negative. And it should hurt you to hear that. People no longer expect compassion from the church because they have been deeply wounded by Christians.

“Love the sinner. Hate the sin,” we tell them.

They get the ‘hating sin’ part. But where is the ‘love’?

Many Christian spokesman speak out against homosexuality. But I say they’ve gone too far. It is one thing to call the lifestyle a sin, it is quite another to say that homosexuals are child molesters and commit bestiality (intercourse with animals).

Christians like Scott Lively travel the world, preaching and proclaiming that homosexuals influenced the extreme militarism of Nazi Germany. That gays are the reason for the holocaust. His book is entitled The Pink Swastika.

Westboro Baptist Church hosts the website godhatesfags.com.

Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell claimed that gays, lesbians, abortionists and feminists were to blame for the September 11th tragedy.

As a Christian, you should know that Uganda is in the process of passing a bill that will call for the execution of gays, the imprisonment of anyone hiding gays, and the execution of anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. You should also know that Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brudidge and Don Schmierer, three Christian missionaries who speak against gay lifestyles, are seen as major influencers to push the bill through.

So much has been done in the name of Jesus, Christians, and the Church to cripple the credibility of our faith.

Yes, I believe that a homosexual lifestyle is a sin. But let me be clear: it is a sin, it is wrong, unholy and derogatory to label them all pedophiles, connect all homosexuals with bestiality, or describe them with other demeaning language. When these assumptions are voiced as absolutes, relationships are severed and the image of Christ is stained. And when we communicate only their sin, and show no actions that we actually care about them, then they have no good reason to think that God loves them either.

Whether you like it or not, as a Christian, when you begin with a conversation with someone who is gay, lurking behind you is a lifetime of derogatory, anti-gay comments made in the name of Jesus Christ. And all you did was say, “Yes, I am a Christian.”

All I want you to do is understand this one, simple sentence:

There is power in apology.

When meeting someone who is gay, let the first words that you speak sound something like this,

“I am sorry. People of my faith have said many hateful things to you and people like you. They spoke out of sin, ignorance and hate. On behalf of them, my Jesus, and my faith, I apologize for our sins.”

I hope you can see the healing power that an apology like this will begin.

Read this story of a conversation between pastor Shayne Wheeler and his gay friend. Shayne said,

“Tell you what, you don’t assume I am a gay-hating bigot, and I won’t assume you’re a pedophile. Deal? If we buy into stereotypes, we’ll never be able to love one another.”

Tears streamed down his face. He said, “Are you sure you’re a Christian?”

Now there were tears of my own.*

My challenge to you is this: apologize. Apologize to people that you know who are gay. Email strangers randomly on Facebook and write them an apology. Take the first step into creating a friendship.

Love them first.

Because while we were still sinners, God loved us first.

*Conversation from UnChristian

UPDATE:
If you are offended that I suggest we apologize, before commenting below how you feel, read this blog article entitled "I Hugged a Man in His Underwear. And I am Proud." I will gladly read any feedback after you read the article.

Questioning the Gay Christian Community

2010-01-04T13:12:00.013-05:00

For the past few months, I have had a controversial topic on my mind. That being how the church treats the gay community. It started years ago when I read the book I so often quote in this blog, What’s So Amazing About Grace?. In one specific chapter, Yancey talks about his observations on how the church withholds grace from the homosexual community.

With that last line, I am sure that your own opinions rose to the surface. And I guess that is natural. But for the past few weeks, I’ve decided to do the opposite. Rather than make it a point to spread my own opinion, I asked others. Specifically gay Christians. What do they think of the gay community and the church?

I wrote seven questions and contacted a hundred or so on Facebook. Their responses were thorough, thoughtful and always emotional. I had no intention of turning this into a blog. But after my heart was touched by their answers, I understood that I had to talk about this. So this week I share with you only the questions, my reason behind the questions and their answers. This week I withhold my opinion. Next week I will share what I think and what really bothers me.

1. What do you prefer to be known as? Gay? Homosexual? GLBT? Why do you want to be called that?

I asked this question, because I recently read a Christian article that suggested ‘homosexual’ to be an offensive, anti-gay label.

2. Do you think being gay is a choice? Or born that way? Both? Neither?

I asked because I am tired and frustrated with short, easy answers that the Church/Christians give.

3. How would you explain to someone how you can be Gay and Christian without one negating the other?

Those who I interviewed have embraced both the Gay and Christian lifestyle. I found this to be an important and tough question

4. What has been your positive experience with Christians/the Church?

Though hardships, these individuals have decided to embrace Christianity. What positive experiences encouraged this?

5. What has been your negative experience with Christians/the Church?

This is a risky question, because I know that all of these individuals have been hurt in one way or another by the church. But I think it is important to know what these gay christians have experienced, so that we can better understand what non-christian Gays have been through.

6. What are your thoughts on the phrase “Love the sinner, hate the sin,” as a reference Christians use to treat gays?

I know that this phrase is detested in the gay community. It’s another simple, easy answer that we give. But our easy answers don’t always add up.

7. If anything, what would you want to communicate to the Christian community?

Here, especially, we should bend our ear to what they have to say.

So here are some of the responses (abbreviated, obviously).

1. What do you prefer to be known as? Gay? Homosexual? LGBT? Why do you want to be called that?

“I prefer not to be known as anything, a good standby would be ‘gay’. ‘Homosexual’ has become a bit of a derogatory term, most often used condescendingly by Christians.”

“Gay. because that's what i am. that's what my entire struggle has been. accepting myself for what/who i am. if i went by any "politically correct" label, it wouldn't feel as effective. the others you mention seem to tiptoe around the real word in everyone's mind - GAY. i won't tiptoe around what i am. If I'm gonna say it, I'm gonna say it right.”

2. Do you think being gay is a choice? Or born that way? Both? Neither?

“If it was a choice, people wouldn't be killing themselves. Nobody in their right minds would choose to go through the things we do.”

“Seriously, who would choose to be subject to ridicule and inequality? I do believe there is a measure of choice in coming out and living a life of truth, but one's sexuality is not a choice and certainly not a sin, like every other human being I was fearfully and wonderfully made by an almighty and wondrous God.”

“Personally I do believe it is a mix of both (nature and nurture). I do believe that inherently there is something biologically constructed, but I do believe that our environments do shape how we feel, think, and express ourselves.”

3. How would you explain to someone how you can be Gay and Christian without one negating the other?

“Probably by saying I do not believe them to be oil and water, nor do I think that the verses in the Bible used to condemn same sex relationships actually address homosexuality as we know it today. Also, Jesus says nothing about homosexuality, and instead says a number of things about greed and divorce, etc...two things the church seems to ignore. I don't think you can pick and choose what laws from the Bible you are going to use.”

“Being gay is NOT the sin. Promiscuity however is. No where in the bible does it say anything about gay people that life in a committed relationship to one partner. The same rules as for heterosexual people apply, the only thing that changed is that it is a same sex relationship. To me it is important to reconcile these people with God himself and let Him do the changing that needs to take place in their lives.”

“The Bible's verses are taken out of context and used to attack us. Again, it's that simple. If people would stop taking preachers' words for it and do the research themselves, they'd be surprised at what they'd find.”

4. What has been your positive experience with Christians/the Church?

“God does awesome things through the church, but the church often does terrible things and justifies it by twisting the Bible. However, all in all, I’ve spent several awesome years as a part of my church.”

“For every negative story, I come across a positive one too.”

“My current spiritual mom is a heterosexual Christian and counsellor. I have known her for the last 6 years.”

“Coming to the realization that God loves me just as I am, that I am part of the "whosoever" mentioned in John 3:16 and that I can belong and worship in a Christian community (albeit it in a a "gay neo-charismatic" one) without fear or rejection.”

“Learning theology, some good friends.”

“I have actually never had a positive experience with the Church.”

5. What has been your negative experience with Christians/the Church?

“Pretty much everyone I know has had experiences of being excluded and made to feel unwelcome by the Church.”

“There are almost too many to be counted. The recent thing that I saw was a reverend that was quoted in a certain newspaper that he hates gay people. What kind of message does that sent out to gay people? Many gay people have turned away from God because they believe that God doesn't love them anymore.”

“I have stopped counting how many times I had to tell my gay friends to forgive people because they spoke out of ignorance. So much damage have been done.”

“Overwhelmingly, I have had negative experiences with "Christians" even though I enjoy going to actual church. My family is religious and it has made us closer.”

“They asked me never to come back. That's pretty sad. I mean that's really awful. I got over it quick, personally I didn't care much because it was their own ignorance. Things like this cause unstable people in my situation to commit suicide, and the church gets off free by saying "it was their sin, they did not repent, they brought it upon themselves.”

6. What are your thoughts on the phrase “Love the sinner, hate the sin,” as a reference Christians use to treat gays?

“I love that phrase. however, when used to talk about gays, I hate it. It's ridiculous. It's all in their comfort zone. This is how they justify hate with God's blessing. It's that simple and doesn't deserve anymore explanation.”

“A bunch of crap. Everybody has sin in there life known or unknown to others. The word says love covers a multitude of sins. It is only real love (no conditions) that will bridge the gap between straight and gay people.”

“I think it's an over-used phrase that makes Christians feel superior to gays.”

“I despise the phrase, not only is it still placing blame ON the person but biological ideologies come through.”

7. If anything, what would you want to communicate to the Christian community?

“I'd want us all to remember that God calls us to be in relationship, even with people we may not agree with and we may find difficult.”

“Accept the fact that you may not know all the answers to all the questions in life (especially regarding gay people).”

“Life is to short to not act like Christ and show real love to others.”

“That they NEED to sit down, engage, discuss, and have an open communication with VARIOUS (not one type or form of "queer" member).”

These are my questions to you:

1. Are people born gay? Really think about their responses. Would people choose to kill themselves because of their 'choice' to be gay?

2. How do you think gays feel about Christians refusing the idea of being born gay?

3. How do you feel about the negativity concerning 'Love the sinner, hate the sin."?

Crossroad with Greatness

2010-01-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I was with a leadership team as we made our way through Atlanta. We stopped at Ebenezer Baptist Church, to visit the museum of a personal hero of mine. From pastor to civil rights revolutionary, Martin Luther King, Jr. shaped the image of humanity. Sad to say, many white churches stood in his way of racial equality. But he stood strong in what he believed was right, till his dying day.

As we made our way through his museum, I stood speechless in front of a certain display. It read,

Every man must decide whether he will walk
in the light of creative altruism* or the darkness of selfishness.
This is the judgment.
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,
what are you doing for others?

In a moment of poetic justice, I realized that my snapshot photo reflected an image of myself. This forced me to look introspectively. It was almost if I stood at a crossroad with greatness. As if Martin Luther King, Jr. himself was asking me, “Chris, what are you doing for others?”

And so I extend the question to you. Will you walk in the light of altruism or the darkness of selfishness? What are you doing for others? Please comment.

And if you have a favorite MLKJ quote, feel free to share.

*Altruism: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

The End and the New

2009-12-27T17:31:00.003-05:00

I don’t anyone is as excited as I am that this year is coming to an end. Today I write on the last Sunday of 2009. The two great highlights of this year were proposing to Cait, and marrying her. Proposing started off the year, and marrying her ended it. Everything else has been a frustrating stalemate with life and career.

As this year of disappointments end, I am highly optimistic for the next. 2010 will begin with Cait and I leaving the country for a three month internship in Northwest Europe. There we will minister as husband and wife, traveling to a dozen cities, mentoring under missionaries and creating relationships in a multicultural environment.

I have little to say today, except that I celebrate this years end, and embrace whatever the new year brings in. I wish the best for you as well.

So sit with God, sit in silence, and ask what he brings you this new year.

Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

2009-12-20T19:45:00.003-05:00

At our wedding, my dad (who was also my Best Man) read this quote from Don Miller's book Searching for God Knows What. This passage means a lot to me because this is how I feel about Cait.

You probably think I am being mushy and romantic, but the first time Moses breaks into poetry in the Bible is when Adam first meets Eve. The thing about Moses was, he was the first king of understatements. He could pack a million thoughts and emotions into just a few words. Here is what he said about what Adam thought when he met Eve:

“Bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.” (Genesis 2:23)

If you think about these ideas they are quite meaningful, and the bit of poetry Moses came up with truly summarizes the scene because, for the first time in his life, Adam was seeing a person who was like him, only more beautiful, and smarter in the ways of love and encouragement, and more deliberate in the ways of relationships. He must have thought to himself that she was perfect, and after a few days of talking and getting to know each other, they must have fallen deeply in love. After Adam had taken Eve to the distant mountains where they could look down on the four rivers, and after he built for her a home and showed her the waterfalls and taught her the names of all the animals, he could have gone on a long walk with God and thanked Him, and I’ll bet that was a very beautiful conversation. I’ll be Adam felt loved by God, like he was somebody God was always trying to bless and surprise with amazing experiences, and I'll bet they talked together about how beautiful Eve was and how wonderful it was that the two of them could know her, and I would imagine that Eve felt safe, loved, not used or gawked at, but appreciated and admired.

I'm MARRIED!

2009-12-13T08:46:00.007-05:00

No official post today. Just enjoying life with my bride.

See you next week.

A Whisper of Grace

2009-12-06T19:18:00.008-05:00

This is one of the most powerful stories I've ever read. Taken from my favorite book, What's So Amazing About Grace?.

A young girl grows up on a cherry orchard just above Traverse City, Michigan. Her parents, a bit old-fashioned, tend to overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to and the length of her skirts. They ground her a few times, and she seethes inside. “I hate you!” she screams at her father when he knocks on the door of her room after an argument, and that night, she acts on a plan she has rehearsed in her mind a thousand times. She runs away.

She’s visited Detroit only once before, on a bus trip with her church youth group to watch the Tigers play. Because the newspapers in Traverse City report in lurid detail the gangs, the drugs and the violence in downtown Detroit, she figures that’s probably the last place her parents will ever look for her. California, maybe. . .or Florida. . .but, not Detroit.

Her second day there, she meets a man who drives the biggest car she’s ever seen. He offers her a ride, buys her lunch, arranges a place for her to stay. He gives her some pills that make her feel better than she’s ever felt in her life. She was right all along, she thought – her parents were keeping her from all the fun.

The good life continues for a month, two months, a year. The man with the big car teaches her “a few things that men like”. Since she’s underage, men pay a premium for her. She lives in a penthouse, and orders room service whenever she wants. Occasionally, she thinks about her folks back home, but their lives now seem so boring, so provincial, she can hardly believe she grew up there.

She has a brief scare when she sees her picture printed on the back of a milk carton with the headline “Have you seen this child?” But, by now, she has blonde hair and with all the makeup and body-piercing jewelry, nobody would mistake her for a child. Besides, most of her friends are runaways and nobody squeals in Detroit.

After a year, the first sallow signs of illness appear and it amazes her how fast the man turns mean. He growls at her and before she knows it, she’s out on the street without a penny to her name. She still turns a couple of tricks a night, but they don’t pay much and all the money goes to support her habit. When winter blows in, she finds herself sleeping on metal grates outside the big department stores. “Sleeping” is the wrong word, however … a teenage girl at night in downtown Detroit can never really relax her guard. Dark bands circle her eyes. Her cough worsens.

One night, as she lies awake listening for footsteps, all of a sudden, everything about her life looks different. She no longer feels like a woman of the world. She feels like a little girl, lost in a cold and frightening city. She begins to whimper. Her pockets are empty and she’s hungry. She needs a fix. She pulls her legs tight underneath her and shivers under the newspapers she’s piled atop her coat. Something jolts a synapse of memory and a single image fills her mind: of Traverse City in May, when a million cherry trees bloom at once, with her golden retriever dashing through rows of blossoming trees in pursuit of a tennis ball.

God, why did I leave, she says to herself, and pain stabs at her heart. My dog back home eats better now than I do. She’s sobbing and she knows in a flash that more than anything else in the world, she wants to go home.

Three straight phone calls, three straight connections with voice mail. She hangs up without leaving a message the first two times, but the third time she says “Dad, Mom, it’s me … I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, well … I guess I’ll just stay on the bus until it hits Canada.”

It takes about seven hours for a bus to make all the stops between Detroit and Traverse City and during that time, she realizes the flaws in her plan. What if her parents are out of town and miss the message? Shouldn’t she have waited another day until she could talk to them? And, even if they are home, they probably wrote her off as dead a long, long time ago. She should have given them some time to overcome the shock.

Her thoughts bounce back and forth between those worries and the speech she is preparing for her father. “Dad, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. It’s not your fault. It’s all mine. Can you forgive me?” She says the words over and over again, her throat tightening even as she rehearses them. She hasn’t apologized to anyone in years.

The bus has been driving with lights on since Bay City. Tiny snowflakes hit the pavement rubbed worn by thousands of tires and the asphalt steams. She’s forgotten how dark it gets at night out here. A deer darts across the road and the bus swerves. Every so often, a billboard. A sign posting the mileage to Traverse City. Oh, God.

When the bus finally rolls into the station, its air brakes hissing in protest, the driver announces in a crackly voice over the microphone, “Fifteen minutes, folks. That’s all we have here.” Fifteen minutes to decide the rest of her life. She checks herself in a compact mirror, smoothes her hair and licks the lipstick off her teeth. She looks at the tobacco stains on her fingers and wonders if her parents (if they’re even here) will notice.

Walking tentatively into the terminal, not knowing exactly what to expect, other than to be disappointed, not one of the thousand scenes that’d played out in her mind could have prepared her for what she’d see.

There, in the concrete-walls-and-plastic-chairs bus terminal in Traverse City, Michigan, stands a group of forty brothers and sisters and great-aunts and uncles and cousins and a grandmother and great-grandmother, to boot. They’re all wearing party hats and blowing noise-makers … and taped across the wall of the terminal is a banner that reads “Welcome Home”.

Out of the crowd, breaks her dad. She stares out through the tears puddling in her eyes and begins the speech she’s memorized. “Dad, I’m so sorry … I know …”

He interrupts her. “Hush, child. We’ve no time for that. No time for apologies. You’ll be late for the party. There’s a feast waiting for you at home.”

Powerful, huh? Read the original story here.

Remaining Ignorant

2009-11-25T01:38:00.006-05:00

I think it would be easier if I would have just remained ignorant. Life is easier that way.

Its harder to sleep at night knowing that there are 27 million slaves in the world.

Its harder to wake up on Sunday morning and find out that the Kentucky Wildcats pulled ahead and beat the Bulldogs after I went to bed.

Its harder to love after knowing a wound so deep.

It would be easier to remain ignorant. But that would be foolish, wouldn’t it.

And a lot of times, I feel that reading Scripture complicates life, rather than simplifies. Take the book of Job for instance. Life would be simpler had I not read the book of Job.

To surmise, Satan makes a wager with God. Satan claims that Job only worships God for what God has done for Job. God suggests otherwise. God allows Satan to strip Job of all blessings to see where Job’s worship rests.

Job suffered.

Job suffered more than I could ever imagine.

Job suffered because his faith in God mattered to God. For no other reason than it mattered to God.

He didn’t deserve to lose his children.

He had no great sin that ruined his financial enterprise.

Simply put, Job’s misery mattered to God.

It would be easier for me to allow you to remain ignorant. But that would be foolish, wouldn’t it. I want you to know that your suffering, your faith, matters to God.

My suffering matters to God.

In the end, Job is restored. God healed Job. But that wasn’t the point of the wager. God and Satan wanted to see if Job would worship God even if Job was never restored. Would you worship God if your suffering never ended? Would I?

That question hurts, doesn’t it? It hurts like a scalpel. Cutting deep. But this deep cut is for healing purposes.

What would it take to make today’s ‘No’ become tomorrow’s ‘Yes’?

Change Provided: An Afterthought

2009-11-22T14:29:00.004-05:00

This is an afterthought of Meredith Grady's production of Change Provided. Meredith wrote, produced, and starred in her own play. My favorite part? Dr. Ellington took off his Theology Professor hat, slipped into his camo fatigues and played the part of a Vietnam vet with little grasp of reality.

Meredith's play, as I took it, underscored the importance of relationships. We all carry baggage. Although important to deal with our personal baggage, we don't have to have it all together to develop relationships.

We are broken. Insert whatever jargon or Christian-ese you want. Christian or non-Christian. Saved or un-saved. Regenerated or pre-regenerated. Broken. We are all broken.

Just in case you think otherwise, becoming a follower of Christ does not fix all of your problems. Yes, your sins are forgiven, and yes you can now have a relationship with a holy God. But no, your problems will follow you.

And thats what Meredith communicated in her play. Do not allow your brokenness to prevent you from developing relationships. Rather communicate your brokenness and allow for God and others to heal you.

Her play? I laughed, I fought back tears, my soul smiled.

And Meredith, I loved the witty title.