...Love...

Love, it all starts with love. The word used in Galatians 5.22 is agape. Most people who have spent time in the church have probably heard this word explained as unconditional love that God has for us. That's true, but that's only part of it.

God

The word agape, in regards to God, shows three things. First, this word is a declaration of the mode in which God's love is manifested (John 3.16); second, this word shows the attitude of God towards us (John 3.16); third this word expresses the essential nature of God (1 John 4.8).

The word agape is love seen in action. God sent His Son to the world. This is the mode in which God shows us His love, He willingly sacrificed his own Son so that we might have life. The word agape shows the unconditional and self-sacrificial love of God. The attitude of God towards us is that we are worth whatever cost it will take. We are worth saving because He has this unconditional love for us. The word agape shows us the essential characteristic of God, God is love. God is agape. God in His core, in His essential being, His very character, is Love.

God cannot help but love us, He cannot stop loving us. He will not stop loving us, and He has no desire to stop loving us.

The word agape is love expressed through action, it is unconditional and self sacrificial. The word agape is the Love of God.

But the Fruit of the Spirit, is something that is to be produced in us. I, as I strive to become like Christ, must love as He loves.

1 Corinthians 13 talks about love. I hear it read at many weddings, and yes, this is how we are to love each other, but more than that, 1 Corinthians 13 talks about how God loves us. It talks about how I am to love others, but I think it goes one step farther. It tells me how I am to love God.

If I am striving to become more like Christ, then I must love as He loves. This is not just loving people like He loves people, that is part of it for sure, Jesus talks about it in John 15.12, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."

The characteristic here is agape, the love of God. It is the love expressed through action, unconditional, self-sacrificial love. It is the way that God loves me, and has shown me through giving me life both by creation and by salvation.

This is the way that I am to love others. This is the way that I am to love God. Philippians 3 tells us that whatever was gain is loss compared to knowing Christ. Philippians 1 says that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Love expressed through action.

God, help me to love as you love. Help me to love people as you love people, and to love you as you love me.

Peace be with you

But the Fruit of the Spirit is...

Over the last couple months the youth group I work with has studied the Fruit of the Spirit. Now over the next few weeks I plan to blog about each part of it. I took the teens through a study of the original Greek terms used, this way we got to the real meaning of each one. Today I want to begin with an introduction, simple things that may not be thought about.

First we see that this is fruit. Fruit is something that is produced, not done. These characteristics are not a result of acts we do, but they are the result of a life lived well, the results of a changed life. Fruit takes time to ripen, it takes time to mature. Fruit must grow. These characteristics don't just appear over night, they take time to develop, and the more we mature, the more we grow into Christlikeness the more these characteristics become evident.

In the movie Evan Almighty there is a line that I love, "If you pray for patience, do you think God gives you patience or does He give you the opportunity to be patient?" I think that's how the Fruit of the Spirit works. It takes time, we develop them as we grow closer to God, and the closer we get to God the more these characteristics become evident in our lives. God gives us the opportunity to develop and express them.

Fruit Grows

The second thing we see is that this Fruit, this thing that is produced, is of the Spirit. This is not something of us, but of God. As these blogs are written and the Greek words are examined you'll see how much all of this is about God, and how everyone of them comes back to God. These are characteristics we can only have in our lives because of God. This is fruit that God produces in us.

God produces the Fruit

The third thing is the wording. Often I've heard it said "The Fruits of the Spirit" but this is not the case. The text does not read, "But the Fruits of the Spirit are..." but rather, "But the Fruit of the Spirit is..." This is not a list of options. It's not I'll pick this one, that one, and those two because they are easy and I like them. This is an all or none list. These nine characteristics are not a pick and choose, but an all or nothing. Again as these blogs continue you'll see how they all build on each other and depend upon each other.

Fruit is, not Fruits are

The study of these with the teens falls under our curriculum idea of "Know, Feel, Be"; this part is the "Be". I've said it before, the goal of life is to become like Christ. A life immersed in God, a life focused on God, a life striving to be like Christ, is a life that lives out the Fruit of the Spirit. It is a life that has the Fruit of the Spirit being produced continuously in it. Over the next nine weeks I will share what I have found. I pray that it is as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me.

Peace be with you

When it's all been said and done

This weekend I preached, and honestly I really didn't feel like it. The closer Sunday got the more I just wanted it to be over. I used a sermon I had written two years ago, and since writing it I've used it probably half a dozen times. I had no desire to preach it again, and after looking over it and making a few revisions to fit the current congregation, I began to wonder what I had thought was so great about it when I had first written it.

I had been working on the third message in a series I'm working on out of the book of Philippians, a series that I love and am continuously amazed by the deeper things God shows me about Himself and the intention He has for His church and His people in the things I study for these messages. I had been working on message three out of Philippians 4, but realized I didn't have the time to do the message justice and decided to postpone it and use one from Joshua, again.

The sermon I preached is called "Cease Striving and know that I am God" and it takes the text from Joshua 5.13-6.5 and then uses Psalm 46.8-11 as a supporting text. I had a friend read it back in college when I first wrote it and he said it was the best one I had written so far. I preached it in a few churches and had gotten good feedback on it, but honestly didn't feel like doing it again. But the more I read it, I kept feeling this was the one God wanted preached. So I did.

As the service progressed Sunday I began to get excited about the message, and honestly when it was done, I felt it was one of the best sermons I had ever preached. It had nothing to do with me, God took it and made it something worth hearing.

Before the service I had been in my office listening to a song by Robin Mark, "When it's all been said and done" This past week has had many frustrations and the past month has been extremely busy. I've been questioning a lot of things, but this song continues to amaze me, and in times like last week give me encouragement.

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?

When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I've done for love's reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and in heaven after
For you've shown me heaven's my true home
When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone.

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?
Lord I'll live my life for you.

The stuff that goes on, the things people say, the junk that comes up to deal with, overall it doesn't matter. All that matters is did I do my best to live my life for the glory of the King. As long as I do the best I can to live for truth, to become like Christ, to do the work of advancing the Kingdom by showing love and teaching others to become like Christ, and above all Glorify the Father with all I do, that is all that matters when it's all been said and done.

There are times I mess up, and I hate that, it frustrates me when I make the same stupid mistakes over and over again, but all of it shows me that I am nothing without God, I can't even live my life for God without His help.

To start the service Sunday I did something I've never done before, I told the congregation the thing that I wanted them to take from this message, "It's all about God." Throughout the message that theme become clearer and clearer. That is why it was so good, it focused fully on God, it was all about God. None of it was because of me, I'm just a hammer in the hands of a carpenter, but in His hands, things can get built.

It's all about God, and that is why, when it's all been said and done, the only thing that matters is that I did my best to live for the Glory of the Father.

Live in the Spirit, Preach the Gospel of Christ, Glorify the Father!

Peace be with you

Make me that man

I'm reminded of a prayer one of my mentors shared with me two years ago, "God make me into the man who people already see me to be." Hearing him say this deepened my respect for him. Obviously he doesn't feel that he is the man I see him to be, the humility he has is something I strive to live with.

I read last week in Proverbs a verse that reminded me so much of what I strive to be. "Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity -- how blessed are his sons after him." Proverbs 20.6-7.

I want to be a trustworthy man, not a man who simply claims to be loyal, but a man who lives with integrity, who walks in righteousness, who sets an example with his actions.

I was watching Gladiator a few weeks ago and finally realized how much of a man Maximus is. The Emperor of Rome, the most powerful person in the world, has just killed his father in order to secure his position as emperor. Maximus knows that the former emperor was killed, despite the reports that he died of natural causes. In the scene the new emperor says to him, "Your emperor asks for your loyalty Maximus. Take my hand, I only offer it once." Maximus turns, stares him down, and without saying a word walks out.

As I watched that I was like, "God give me the guts to do that, more than that give me an opportunity to do something like that." I think that is the type of man who every man desires to be like, we might not all admit it, but deep down I think that is who we are as men.

I hear people say things about me, and I have the same response as my mentor, "God make me that man, the one they already see."

The Men who built me up

Yesterday a friend asked me who the most influential person in my life was, my answer, I honestly can't pick just one. I mentioned the five women who I wrote about on Mother's Day, and today, Father's Day, I want to honor the men who made me who I am, and am becoming.

Theodore Roosevelt has a quote that I absolutely love, and it's a quote I've read a lot over the last few months.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

People have tried to tear me down, they have been critical, watching for me to stumble, waiting for me to make a mistake, and honestly it happens, more often than I'd like most likely. But the thing that I'm reminded of is that their opinion doesn't matter. The boys who try and tear me down can never succeed because there are nothing compared to the men who built me up.

There are far too many and they have done way too much for me to name the things they have done for me, so this will be a simple list of names, but they are the names of men I hold in very high esteem.

Dad
Gramps

My Mentors:

Jeremy Thompson
Doug Boquist
Brad Taylor
Rick Duncan
Brian Howell

My Professors:

Terrell Sanders
Bruce Petersen
Doug Matthews
Rick Williamson
Alex Varughese
John Nielson
Bruce Oldham

Other Men:

Matt Koons
Terry McConnell
Deke Gunsolley
Scott Peterson
Travis Keller

My Brothers:

Aaron Ballard
Zach Stalnaker
Joe Pittenger
Donny Widney
Jeremy Wachtel
Matt Freeman
Kenny Harris
Tyrome Turner
Mike Rodden
Steb Stott

I wouldn't be who I am without you. You have all taught me, guided me, and stood by me no matter what. I love you all so much. Thank you for building me into who I am.

Random Simplicity at 2:30 am

Whenever I'm tired and talking, either to myself or other people, strange random things come out of my mouth.

Last week I was driving home around 2:30 am, and I was replaying a conversation in my mind. During the conversation I had said something to the effect of "And that's why God made sharpies." Like I said, random things come out of my mouth. From there I just started talking to myself about other random things God had made: Zip lock bags, duct tape, orangutans, purple. And then a profound thought hit me, God made purple!

God made purple, more than that, God made color, He invented it. In His infinitely creative mind God thought up color and made it exist. Then I thought of other things, sounds, God made sound, things make noise, and each thing sounds a little different. God made scents, and each thing has its own unique fragrance. God made flavor, and then He gave texture to things. And all of these weren't things He discovered, He made them.

That thought just amazes me. But something even more incredible than that is this; God did not simply make these incredible things, He also gave us the ability to experience and enjoy them.

He made eyes to see the amazing assortment of colors that fill the world. Each individual hue and shade, the slight variations in blues and reds, greens and yellows, oranges and purples, they are all incredible.

He made ears to hear the incredible sounds of creation. The wind moving through the branches, birds singing, water falling over rocks, laughter, music.

He made a nose to smell. The fragrance of flowers, the scent of rain in the air, food cooking, herbs and spices, fruit, all of it is incredible.

He made a tongue to taste. Thanksgiving is the thing that comes to mind here, and Christmas. Breakfast.

He made skin with the ability to feel. The warmth of the sun on your face, the coolness of water flowing around your feet, grass as you walk barefoot.

These are just a few, the ones that immediately come to mind, and each one of us would have something different, but they are all incredible. I'm amazed by the creativity of God, but also by His love. He didn't create a dull black and white silent movie of a world, He filled it with these incredible sensations. But more than that, He gave us the ability to experience and enjoy them.

I'm grateful for 2:30 am random simplicity, it really makes me appreciate so much.

D-Day

Today is D-Day, 66 years ago today Allied troops stormed the beaches of Northern France, and won the decisive battle of WWII. When the troops took the beach the road to Berlin had been paved, and victory was certain. But the war wasn't over. There were still battles to fight. D-Day was essential, but without V-Day, D-Day was pointless.

In college I had a class, Doctrine of Christian Holiness, and in this class my professor talked about D-Day. How does it tie to Holiness? Just as D-Day was the turning point of the war, the Cross was the turning point of history. The cross was the decisive battle that assured victory. The cross paved the way back to the throne of God. But with out the empty tomb, the cross is pointless. No Easter, then who cares about Good Friday?

I remember just after the class ended for the semester I was in Washington DC at the WWII memorial. There I saw a quote from General Eisenhower, "You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle." That quote made me think a lot.

This man, a general they looked up to and respected, has just expressed his full confidence in there ability not only to take the beach, but also his faith in their courage to do it. God says the same thing to us.

On D-Day we see three types of soldiers. There is the one who gets shot as soon as the gate on the boat drops. Then there is the soldier who fights part way up the beach but during the battle is killed. The final soldier is the one everyone wants to be, this is the one who storms the beach, fights to the cliffs, makes it up, and stands in victory at the end. No one wants to be the guy that dies the moment the firing starts, no one wants to be the first to fall, but because of the sacrifice that this one makes, the one who stands in victory at the end is able to make it.

In the Christian walk we face Normandy throughout life. Sometimes we fall first, other times we stand victorious at the end. But that isn't up to us. We don't control how far we make it. The only choice we have is whether or not we get on the boat. And the thing with it is, that's enough.

John 21.20-22 "Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, 'Lord, who is the one who betrays You?' So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, 'Lord, and what about this man?' Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"

I think about the armed forces, and at times, I find myself wishing I'd have enlisted and tried to become a Navy SEAL, right out of high school I'd have had a chance to do it. But I look, and I know that God didn't intend for me to go down that path. Instead I'm fighting in a different war. A war where the outcome and my achievement in it is not up to me. The choice I need to make is whether or not I'm going to get on the boat. As long as I do that, then I'm in the will of God, and the rest is up to him.

Will you join me on the boat headed to the beach? Can we all let go of our desire to stand victorious and surrender to God's control?

Thank you to those who stormed the beaches of Normandy, your courage and sacrifice are not forgotten.

Out of the Valley

The past few months have been rough. There have been a ton of things going on in ministry, at church, in life, and personally. It's been a struggle, and most days I hadn't had much energy. Motivation was low, passions became apathetic, each day was a struggle, but very few people knew.

Sunday was incredible. This past weekend the youth group I work with did 30 hour famine. It was a great weekend. Sunday I team preached with a teen from the church. We did Luke 8.40-56, The healing of the bleeding woman, and the raising of Jairus' daughter. I told the story through the eyes of Jairus in the past tense, and she did the story of the woman in the present tense. It was amazing.

That who service was incredible, after the sermon I shared about our famine, about the 25,000 children who will die today, but I didn't focus on the despair, because Jesus doesn't. Everything in the service pointed to hope and to life. The sermon we preached started in despair, but moved to hope and then to life. All of the music focused on hope.

Monday came, I sent my weekly text to my brothers, and one asked how he could pray for me. My response, "Pray for the valley I'm probably about to go through." My thinking was that I had just experienced an incredible move of God during church the previous day. But talking to a youth pastor friend that evening I shared that comment with her and she said, "No Bill, you just got out of the valley."

The entire service was filled with hope, but not just a hope I was telling people about, a hope I was trying to bring to 25,000 children, it was a hope that I was supposed to experience. It was about life that I was supposed to live.

Over the last few days life has been good. I have passion and energy again, things are working out, and I see God moving. Sometimes it takes the valleys to help us see where God is using us, and how he is working in our lives. Sometimes it takes the valley to help you move on from something you thought was perfect, sometimes it takes the valley to show you that God really does know what is best.

But the thing is the valley doesn't last forever. And even when everything seems to fall apart, I can remember that I am a little boy in my Daddy's arms. And there is nothing a Daddy loves more than holding his child.

Why don't we?

The past few weeks there has been something on my heart and mind, something that keeps coming up in conversations and something that I just can't escape; prayer for instant divine healing.

A few months ago a friend sent me a link to a youtube video called "Finger of God", and it deals with God doing amazing things through people's prayers. As I watched it I didn't know what to think at certain parts, some of it was stuff I had never heard of, but honestly if I really believe God is who He claims to be and who I proclaim Him to be, why does it surprise me that He does things like that? Recently I was talking to some other youth pastors who actually know people who have received gold teeth from God as the video opens with, it's a real thing that God actually did.

The main thing that has been on my heart is this, If God is doing these things and if I believe He can do these things, why don't I pray for it to happen? Why don't I lay hands on people with injuries and pray that God heals them, not asking him to do it in a few days, or weeks, but immediately and completely?

As I sat with other youth pastor friends last week and we talked one of them brought up the fact that not everyone we pray for healing for will receive it immediately, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for it and believe it will happen. Jesus healed people, and when he did he did it completely and immediately, but Jesus didn't heal everyone. There were people he walked past, people that needed his help, that really would have appreciated it and rejoiced over a healing miracle.

I am convicted to pray in faith for immediate healing in people's lives. I pray for the courage to act, and the faith to believe that the God I serve can and will act.

Song Theology

This past weekend I spent three days at Olivet Nazarene University for Regional Celebrate Life, a four state church youth competition in art, music, and sports. After three days of very little sleep and poor cafeteria food I escaped the weekend with a thought for Monday.

One event they had was Nazarene Idol, as you can probably guess was a singing competition. The second girl to sing, sang "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood. She sang it well, but the longer I listened to it, the more frustrated I became. This goes back to a previous blog, but I just feel I have to talk about it again.

The whole song "Temporary Home" deals with the idea that we simply need to hang on and deal with life. It talks about how it's hard, but it's ok because this is just temporary, we aren't supposed to be here, so let's just endure it while we have to and one day it will be over and we'll get to heaven. But that isn't what I see in scripture. Heaven is not the goal, heaven is not what we were created for.

In the beginning everything was perfect, the Bible says, "God saw that it was Good." My Theology professor said that Genesis was as much creation as it was eschatology, (study of the end times). In Revelation it talks about all things being made new, about a new heaven and a new earth. One of my mentors quoted someone, I can't remember who, but he said, "If we're going up, we'll pass him on the way down." Scripture points to the earth being made new, a new creation where we dwell. We were created for here, not how it is presently, but this is where we were created.

Later in the evening a young man sang "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin, and as he sang I realized that the idea is not that I simply need to hold on, endure the trials, and then rejoice in heaven, but that I WILL rise with Jesus because he has overcome. Jesus has won the victory. He has taken hold of the prize that I am to strive for. The Bible talks about in Romans 8 and Philippians 3, that we are to become like Christ. That is the goal. We strive not to endure life but we strive to live it to the fullest. We strive for the goal, unity with Christ.

One of my professors said this, "The Bible contains everything you need to know to get to heaven, it does not contain the answers to everything you are curious about." While I love that professor dearly, and I believe it's a true statement I want to alter it just slightly, "The Bible contains everything you need to know to become like Christ," unity with Christ is the goal.

Jesus said in John 16.33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." It won't be easy, their will be hardships, but I don't need to just hang on and struggle through life, because Jesus has overcome the world. The one I am striving to be like has overcome the world, and in him, I can overcome the world as well.

St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." So don't live in a temporary home, Rise when he calls your name. Jesus has overcome and won the victory, and he calls us to join him. Philippians 3.7-14,

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Live life to the fullest, live to the glory of God, and Rise!

Peace be with you

Mom

Today is Mother's day, so I want to thank the mothers in my life.

Mom: You did so much, but you always loved, always listened, always taught. I remember trips to the zoo when I was little, playing Batman in the cubby hole in my room, all the school field trips you took work off to be able to go on. In high school when things were tough you always listened. The thing that sticks out most though is the song, "Through it all". Every time it played when we were driving somewhere you would always tell us, "No matter what happens, no matter what you go through, God is there. God will always be there." You started me on the path I'm on, and I wouldn't be where I am today if you hadn't taught me to walk. I never would have gotten here if you hadn't showed me the way. I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't helped along the way. You did so much mom, and I love you so much.

Grandma Sage: You're the most Godly woman I know, and our family owes how close we are to you. You poured time into our lives, you made sure we spent time together, in a way, you almost made us be friends. We probably didn't make it easy all the time, but I know we're so grateful for it now. All the time we spent in your kitchen decorating cookies, all the time we spent "sleeping" in the living room. All the time we spent playing games in the basement and backyard, it all bonded us into the inseparable family we are today. Without you none of that would have happened. You showed us what family is supposed to be, and because of that we can all pass it on.

Grandma Ginger: I have never doubted that you love me. I love when I hear your voice, and how happy it sounds just to hear mine. I love how happy it makes you to see me. It shows me how important I am to you, and I know that even if everyone else didn't care about me, you always will. Thank you for watching me when I was little, for cutting my hair, for being at every sporting even and school activity. Thank you for the love you show me every day.

Jenny McConnell: It's crazy to think that five years ago you came into my life, and I doubt either of us expected it to become like it has. The first Mother's day I couldn't be around my mom you were there. You aren't old enough to be my mother, but you treat me like your son. It has been awesome to watch you grow as a mother to your own kids, as well as feel like your son. You have always been there through the last five years, and I don't know that I could have made it through some of the junk in college without you. You showed me how to love teenagers and young adults, and I look forward to the day when I can do all that you have done for me to someone else.

Linda Russe: It's hard to believe you've been gone for almost three and a half years, but you were mother to me too. I remember the day I met you like it was yesterday. My parents trusted you with two of their kids after knowing you for a few hours. At that point I had no idea the relationship we would have. I wouldn't have made it through that church experience without you. You helped get me through two and a half years of a living hell, and I will never be able to thank you for that. Sitting at your side as you died of cancer, you still gave me something, you showed me what Faith does. You showed me how to live a life as a servant and how to die in total confidence knowing what will happen when you breath your last breath and close your eyes for the last time on earth. It was an honor be learn from you even at the point of death. You affected so many lives, I am just thankful to have been one of them. I pray to leave a legacy like you left. Until we meet again in Glory, I will see you on that beautiful shore.

These are my mothers, the women who made me who I am. To all women, you don't know the lives you will affect, so do what these women did for me, love. Happy Mother's Day.

And we wonder why it is the way it is

This was not the original thought I had for today, it was going to be on the church, but that will be saved for later, maybe it'll fit in to this, we'll see. Every Monday morning I send a text message to 9 of the best friends I've ever had, 9 of my 10 Proverbs 18.24 brothers (the last one doesn't have texting). Each week begins with them getting a text message asking how I can pray for them this week. Today one of them sent me a request for Lebron James' elbow, and that started a discussion between us.

Look at Lebron, or any professional athlete, they have a skill for what they do, a God given ability, to play a sport. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive" and so when an athlete does what he does best that can be a way to glorify God. The issue I have is with what they receive as compensation for this skill.

Lebron makes millions because he can put an orange sphere through a circle consistently. I'm not bashing him, I know he gives millions away each year, as do many people with great wealth, and many without it. The issue is not on the athlete, but on the society that embraces him.

What does a professional athlete, a musician, or actor contribute to society, not based on what they do with their wealth, but with the skills they have? Honestly very little. But society embraces them as if they cured cancer, ended world hunger, or brought peace to the Middle East. But really they contribute nothing to the greater good of society. So why do we embrace them as we do?

I remember back shortly after the death of Michael Jackson, I read something wanting to make the day of his death a national holiday. Really? Is he the person we want to idolize? If so, we wonder why our society is the way it is. We wonder why it's so messed up and why we have so many problems, look at where our focus is. Again, none of this is directed at any of the individual people.

Where is our focus? Who or what do we live for? We wonder why our society is the way it is? Look at what we idolize, and by that what we worship, and that explains a lot.

How strong is it?

This past weekend I was down in Mount Vernon, Ohio, a city I love and miss so much. From where I am in Michigan its a four hour drive. Normally I leave after board meetings and go down for Friday and Saturday, so I leave pretty late. That was the case this past weekend.

When I drive for long hours by myself I tend to talk to myself. I play out conversations I've had recently, pray and start talking about something that I'm working through, and then one tangent leads to another. I also find that I finish a thought, and then repeat the whole thing three or four times, because I really love how it sounded, or its a topic I have a lot of passion for. I've really started to notice that some of my most profound thoughts come during long drives late at night.

As I drove late Thursday night thoughts of the church came to my mind. I thought about things from the last sermon I preached, kicked some thoughts around for the one I'm about to start working on, and then this came out of my mouth. "We lay the foundation for the next generation, how strong is it?"

This made me think about something one of my mentors told me once. "I will fail as a pastor before I ever fail as a husband or a father. Someone else can do the work of the church, but I am the only one that can be a husband to my wife and a father to my kids. If my children are raised right, then they will far surpass anything I could ever accomplish in ministry." I've taken the same mindset, because I think its a crucial mindset to have. If I'm a pastor of a church of thousands, but my own family is neglected, callused towards the church because of neglect from me, I have failed in what is truly important.

Every generation passes on a foundation to the next one. Depending on how strong it is depends on what the next generation can accomplish. If the foundation is strong, they can grow, they can expand, they can build and accomplish so much. But if the foundation is week, the accomplishments will depend on the resolve of the generation.

A weak foundation must be reinforced, must be strengthened, possibly totally rebuilt. If the generation is strong, if they are determined, they will take the time, they will rebuild it, and they will press on to build upon it. What could they have accomplished if the foundation had been strong from the beginning?

So what type of foundation are we laying? What values and morals are we passing on? What things are we teaching and emphasizing? I've said it numerous times, the goal of the Christian is to become like Christ, the purpose of the church is to help each other to become like Christ. If this is the foundation we lay, if this is what we teach and emphasize, if this is what we pass on, then the future is hopeful.

Another mentor of mine once said, "If the church would be the church the world would be flipped upside down." If the church would be the church that was made up of members who are constantly striving to become more like Christ and constantly working to help others become more like Christ then the famous quote of Gandhi would no longer be a true statement, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

I don't want that to be said of me, either one of them. I want to be one of the people that John Wesley sought, "Give me three hundred people who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will set this world on fire." Are you one of them?

The goal: Become like Christ
The Purpose: Help others become like Christ

Peace be with you

Does my life?

The goal of life is to become Christlike. The purpose of the church is to help the members of it to become Christlike. I've been studying Romans 14 for the last two days and I've really been thinking about this a lot. It talks about having our own convictions based on our maturity in faith, but me living by my convictions can only go so far.

If something that I am not convicted of as being sin causes my brother or sister in Christ to stumble, to not become more like Christ because of something I do or say, I have failed in my responsibility, and honestly I feel that it is sin. I can't demand my rights at the expense of the Kingdom. Just because something is not a sin for me doesn't' mean I have the freedom to do it.

Philippians 2.3-4, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." I need to look out for my brother, I need to help him become more like Christ no matter what that means for me. If something I enjoy doing causes someone to not become more like Christ, I will stop.

I want to advance the Kingdom, not me. I want to become more like Christ and help others to become more like Christ as well. My life is meaningless if it doesn't center on those two things. If I live with any other goal and strive towards any other purpose I am demanding my rights over my responsibilities. I have no desire or intention of standing before God one day and having to explain to him why something in my life, something that was not a sin for me caused someone else to end up in hell.

We as the church need this attitude. The goal is not to demand our rights and to advance our lives over the kingdom. Our purpose is to strengthen the body of Christ by becoming and helping other become more like Christ. Are we willing to set ourselves aside and humbly serve? Are we willing to have the attitude that Christ had and set our rights aside and wrap a towel around ourselves and pick up a basin of water and wash the feet of one another?

Who are we living for?

Four words I had never noticed, two endings and two beginings

Her life ended as theirs began. Or maybe they both started to end at the same time. I was reading in Luke this past weekend and I found four words that I had never noticed before.

When I read the Bible I read the section three times, once just to read it, twice to make highlights, and the third time to write notes. The second time I saw these four words in Luke 8.42, "about twelve years old," the age of Jairus' daughter was almost 12. I have no idea how many times I have read this story, but her age has never stood out to me.

The next verse talks about a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. When this happened she was ceremonially unclean in the Jewish world. She was unable to associate with people or take place in worship services. Her life was over, she was a social outcast, and no one could make her well, no doctor.

Jesus comes back to Capernaum from Gergesa and people are waiting for him. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue there, comes to him and says that his daughter is dying and asks Jesus to come and heal her. I have seen one story portrayal which has his daughter being sick her whole life and finally dies here, maybe that is the case, so maybe as soon as she was born they lived dreading the day she would die, the day they would have to let her go. But maybe this was a sudden illness that had grabbed her just as she was starting to enter womanhood. Either way his world is crashing down at this moment.

On the way the hemorrhaging woman works her way through the crowd to get to Jesus, knowing that if she can just touch the edge of his robe she will be healed. She touches him, and the Bible says he stops and asks who touched him, it says that he felt the power leave him. As this man's world is crashing Jesus is wondering who pulled on his sleeve! The woman comes forward and she tells him her story, he says to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." He gives her life back to her. She is no longer a social outcast because of her condition, she can now live her life as a member of the community.

As this happens someone comes from Jairus' house and tells him his daughter has died. His world has just ended. This woman had gotten her life back, but now he feels his is over. His daughter, his princess, is gone. The person who brought the news tells him to leave Jesus alone, but Jesus hears this and says, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well."

They go to the house, Jesus takes three disciples and her parents with him, he tells here to get up and she does. His world has been restored, his life has been given back to him.

Two miracles 12 years in the making, two worlds, two lives, ended, but two lives where restored. For twelve years this woman goes around as a social outcast, and possibly for 12 years this father has been wondering if his little girl will make it. But the whole time God is at work. Then finally he comes to them, and restores their lives.

I look at life, right now things are going well for me, but the last few months were rough. I spent a lot of time wondering, asking a lot of questions. And finally last week I was watching Brave Heart and God gave me my answer, "Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it." Life was restored.

I got two text messages in the last three days from two of my Proverbs 18.24 brothers, both of them going through rough times. But I know that God is working. The whole time that I was struggling God was at work, and I know that as my brothers struggle God is at work.

These miracles were 12 years in the making, but when they occurred two lives were fully restored. There was a song I used to love as a child, "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be, he's still working on me." Even if the answer is 12 years in the making when Jesus restores your life it is totally worth it. For 23 years I've been searching for something, something that I thought I had finally found, but right now it looks like I'm still searching, and that's ok. "Your heart is free." Yes, God has delivered it, God has given it back to me. The question is will I "have the courage to follow it."?

It won't always be the easiest road, but the road is worth it, because the road leads to Jesus and restoration.

Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it!

Flossing and Jesus

Yesterday I preached on Philippians 1.27-2.11 with the main theme is Jesus simply your savior or is he the Lord of your life? It was interesting to watch they congregation, more to listen to the congregation, it was dead silent. Honestly, I didn't know if I would be able to preach this sermon, but I feel that it went really well.

The thing that really seemed to silence the crowd was the question I asked about the biggest threat to the church. It isn't the government. It isn't Islam or any other religion. It isn't Atheism. The biggest threat to the church is disunity. If the church has made Jesus the Lord then we are united around him, but if the individual members of the church haven't submitted to him as Lord, simply accepted the grace from a savior we aren't unified.

A savior is easy to have, because a savior just gives, he doesn't ask for anything but out sin, the stuff we don't want anyway. But the Lord demands all of you, he deserves all of you. This is where it gets hard.

In the sermon I used the illustration of oral hygiene. Hopefully everyone brushes their teeth, but that is not total oral hygiene, that's the basic entry level part of it. There is also mouth wash, and mouthwash is great. It takes 30 seconds and it gives your mouth a nice minty fresh taste, it gets some of the stuff that brushing missed. But brushing and mouthwash aren’t enough. There is one more part of oral hygiene, a part that less than half of Americans do daily, but it is the most important part, flossing. Regular flossing aside from just preventing gum disease and bad breath is also linked to a reduced incidence of heart disease, and can actually increase life expectancy. Flossing can make you live longer. So why don’t more people do it? It’s time consuming, it’s hard, it hurts.

I think the savior and Lord thing is like that. Everyone breathing is alive, that’s like brushing your teeth, you just kind of do it. You have life, but not full life. Then one day someone introduces you to Jesus, they tell you about this awesome guy who wants to take your sin from you and give you eternal life you pray a simple prayer and you're forgiven. That’s like mouthwash, it doesn’t take much time or effort, and it leaves your life feeling minty fresh. But then you go deeper with Jesus, your relationship with him become more intimate, and you realize you need to become less as he becomes more, that you need to give him control of your life, and that you need to become the servant and he needs to be the master. You make Jesus your Lord, that’s adding flossing. Yeah it takes some time and effort, it might hurt a little bit, but studies show that flossing can increase your life expectancy, and the Bible tells us that the life we have with Jesus is better than any life without him. It’s defiantly worth the time, the effort, and the struggles.

Are we willing to floss our lives for Jesus?

The Walk that Saved the World

In January of 2009 and I had the opportunity to travel to Israel and walk where Jesus walked. The trip was part of a class I took that month. One of the assignments was a living document paper, a paper sharing our experience at one of the locations we visited. This past weekend was Easter, and I was reading the paper I had written after getting back from Israel. As I read I felt that this was was I needed to share this week.

So many of these sites stand out to me. I think of Mt. Carmel, the view from the top, it spans the Jezreel Valley to the Mediterranean Sea. The knowledge of the event that took place there in the ninth century BS, it is mind blowing. I think back to the early mornings by the Sea of Galilee, the hazy sunrises, peace and calm before a busy day. I think back to the Jordan Rive, the calm yet freezing water. My mind wanders back to the Mount of Olives and to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus stood here, he prayed in these places, he taught people there. The Garden tomb the place where sin, death, and hell were conquered, communion there, it was an incredible place. All of these sites, and so many more hold amazing stories, but none of them seem to stand out enough to write this paper on.

So which one to pick? What event stands out the most? Which one was the most incredible? The walk to the cross, Via Dolorosa? Yes, that one. The walk that changed the world, that saved the world. It happened on what is now a series of narrow alley ways, and ends at a church that is falling apart, but that walk saved my soul.

In the Gospel of Luke the account is found in chapter 23.1-49. Jesus is brought before Pilate who then sends him to Herod who then sends him back to Pilate. Pilate brings the priests together and announces that neither he nor Herod finds grounds for the charges that have been brought against Jesus. Jesus is not deserving of death in the eyes of Pilate, so he says that he will punish him and then release him, hoping that the people will be satisfied with that. But the people instead cry out for the criminal Barabbas to be freed. Pilate tries to release Jesus to them, but their attitude does not change, and they cry out, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

Again he tries to release Jesus asking, "What crime has he committed?" and again offering to punish Jesus and then let him go. But still the crowd demands the death of Jesus by crucifixion. Pilate, somewhat reluctantly I imagine,, grants their wish. He releases Barabbas and then hands Jesus over to the mob.

Luke does not record the beating that Jesus received, but the Via Dolorosa begins at the Fortress of Antonio, It is here that Jesus is used in "The Game of the King" as the soldiers beat and torture him. It is here on the stone pavement, that Jesus is given the crown of thorns and the cross. Here is where the procession to Golgotha Begins.

Jesus is carrying his own cross; the Greek word is stauros, "an upright pole or stake." Criminals were nailed to them for execution. There were two beams that formed a "T" shape. The word is in the accusative form, which is used as the direct object. The cross is what is being carried, first by Jesus, and the analog the way Simon of Cyrene, is forced to carry the cross for Christ.

The text says that they seized him, they epilabomenoi him. This is a form of the word epilambanomai meaning to lay hold of, to seize. This comes form lambano and is in the aorist case. Simon is taken and is forced to carry the cross for Jesus. He follows Jesus as they march on towards Golgotha.

Following Jesus is a crowd of women, and to them Jesus says, "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23.28-31). Also with him are two other men, two criminals, also going to be crucified.

As I walked through the alleyways along the Via Dolorosa, up hills and through some very narrow parts, it took a while to get to the place where Simon takes the cross from Jesus. I kept thinking about The Passion of the Christ, the beating he took, and then he carried the cross. He was beaten to within an inch of his life, and from research I have done, the cross weighed about three hundred pounds. The road was not the easiest to walk on, and back then it would have been much rougher. Jesus was a total stud. He has been beaten and probably can barely stand, but he still carries a cross weighing probably close to double his weight over rough ground and through crowded allies.

Finally they arrive at Golgotha, the place of the Skull. It could have been a common place of execution as is the case with the location of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or possibly a hill that actually resembles a skull, as is the case with Gordon's Calvary. The location was in a stone quarry along a main high way, and outside of the city walls. Both of these locations match these criteria. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built on the original site thought to be the location of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Once there, Jesus is stripped of his cloths, nailed to the cross, and then hung between the two criminals to die. Soldiers cast lots for his cloths, they mock him, but he prays for their forgiveness, he shows love and mercy even to those who have just mocked, beaten, and killed him. One criminal insults him, while the other seeks mercy and forgiveness. As the day goes on, the sky darkens, and the curtain in the temple tears into two separate pieces. Jesus cries out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands, I commit my Spirit." And with those words Jesus breaths his last and dies.

The word paratithemai is Greek for "I commit." It means to place by the side or near, to set before. Jesus is entrusting his spirit to God, he is surrendering it to him, placing it in his hands. Jesus has come to do the Father's will, now that it is fully accomplished by him giving his spirit into the hands of the Father.

The day we walked the Via Dolorosa was less busy than the next day. Taht day I remember a few children begging for money, and a few vendors trying to sell their merchandise. But I do not remember many smells. There was the faint hint of the sewer, but other than that, nothing. The next day we had a free day in Jerusalem, and for part of that day we retraced some of our steps. Walking along the same roads as the day before, things were different. They were crowded; there was life there that day. I remember the herbs and the spices, the bread baking, and meat cooking. The strong aromas, the sweet smell of baking bread, the strong fragrances of the herbs and spices sold out in front of the shops. There was the faint odor of the sewer again, but today it was more drowned out. There was smoke in the air. The smells of Jerusalem, undoubtedly some are different, some are new, but many, the herbs, the spices, the bread, those would have been things he would have smelled that day.

The markets were loud and crowded. There were people everywhere. Trying to just walk through the streets and not bump into anyone was a challenge at times. Imagine doing it with a three hundred pound cross while being able to barely stand up. The path would have had to be cleared for him. The other thing, I was just surrounded by people wanting me to buy something from them. he had people who were grabbing at his cloths, spitting at him, maybe throwing things at him. He had people who were mourning him and clinging to him. The walk would not have been easy, not even after Simon took the cross from him.

What did I touch? The road beneath my feet, the stone pavement. Underneath my shoes it was hard and slippery. The hills could be a challenge to climb in worn out shoes with no treads on the bottom of them. Did he have sandal on or was he barefoot? Imagine the stones he must have stepped on, the rocks he must have stumbled over, the hills he must have staggered up.

What did I see? The people, the shops, the items being sold. The carvings, the clothing, the spices, the hand worked objects, people just trying to make a living and survive. He would have passed people just like this, people who could not have cared less about this radical from Nazareth being crucified. All they wanted was to sell the things they had grown, carved, weaved, or cooked. All they wanted was to make a living, to feed their families, to live another day, to be able to come back and do the same thing again tomorrow. How much has changed in two thousand years? How many of these people live the same way? The only reason they care about the death of Jesus in Jerusalem is because it brings countless numbers of tourist each year. They only want to sell what they have and go home.

I think that the Via Dolorosa shows many different portraits of Jesus. Linda McKinnish Bridges discusses many different portraits of Jesus seen in the Gospels. It the Gospel of Mark she talks about Jesus' power and pain. Both of these are clearly seen on the road to the cross. Obviously Jesus sis in pain, he is bleeding from cuts and lacerations from all over his body, he is wearing a crown of thorns while carrying a heavy cross. But in all of this we clearly see his power. Jesus walks to Golgotha, part way carrying the cross, he comforts the women along the way, and even on the cross he offers love and forgiveness.

In Matthew she talks about Jesus as the teacher. Even on the way to the cross he still taught. He showed people what love was, what mercy and grace are. He taught people what taking up the cross for the will of the Father really meant. In Luke she talks about Jesus at the table. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. He offered the covenant of life long friendship to Judas just hours before he was betrayed by him. In John there is the image that Jesus saves. He protects, and that is what we see. In the Garden he protects the disciples form harm. He goes to the cross to save the world, to take our place an pay the price for sin. That is the love of the savior.

The thing that I remember the most about the Via Dolorosa is the beginning and the end. I remember kneeling on the stone pavement where the game of the king was carved. I remember touching the ribbed stones on the floor where he was beaten, the place where he was mocked and then given the crown of thorns to wear and the cross to carry. The stones where cool and smooth, I wonder if he had trouble walking, I wonder how much it hurt his knees when he fell under the weight of the cross.

I remember the end just as vividly, kneeling beneath the altar at the top of Golgotha. I wanted to pray there, I wanted to spend a few minutes there, but we were told to hurry. I think I was there on my knees for less than thirty seconds, and in that time I could say nothing. I had no words. But as I touched the spot where they say the cross stood, I managed to say a simple phrase, "Thank you." That was it, that was all I could say, but honestly, that was enough, what else is there to say?

Temporary or Life?

I've heard so many times that happiness and joyfulness are not the same. I agree, happiness is an emotion that comes and goes based on our circumstances and situations. Things make us happy or unhappy. Honestly it's a fickle emotion that is easily swayed by one thing. Joyfulness is different, one of the dictionary defines of joy is, "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation" but I feel that this isn't enough.

1 Thessalonians 5.16 says, "Rejoice always" another translation says, "Be joyful always." To exist in a state of perpetual happiness is not possible, no one is happy all the time, so joy needs to be more than just happiness.

Philippians 4.4-13 talks about this, it begins very similar to the Thessalonians verse. "Rejoice in the Lord always." and the ending verse is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." If you read the verses in between it gives this idea of fully focusing on God, dwelling on him, and in that finding contentment. That is joy, contentment in the moment. Paul says in Philippians 4.11, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." That is joy, contentment with life.

This isn't complacency, it isn't sitting back and just letting life go by complacent with it. I think the way to live life is to be content but restless. To be satisfied with where God has put us, satisfied with what he has given us, but restless to do the best we can in that situation, restless to work with what he has given us as best we can, restless to live life to the fullest no matter where we are. We are called to a life of joy, a life of restless contentment.

I think this idea is true of other things as well. Lets look at fear. The Bible contains the idea of "Fear not" 365 times. It says, in 1 John 4, "There is no fear in love" I think fear is like joy, it is a lifestyle. It's ok to be scared, that is like happiness, a temporary emotion caused by a situation or our circumstances, but being scared is temporary. Fear is being in a constant state of panic of unease. When Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection the first thing he says is "Peace be with you." (John 20.19) It's that idea of fear not.

There will be moments in our lives when we feel scared, things like thunderstorms scare some people, big dogs scare people. Some things are scary, but when that feeling of scared begins to rule your life, when you are controlled by it, that's when it becomes a fear. We weren't made to have our lives ruled by things that scare us, we weren't made to live in a constant state of panic. "There is no fear in love."

Anger is another one. It's ok to be angry, they Bible simply says, "In your anger do not sin." There are things that will make us angry, and there are things that should make us angry. But when that anger consumes us it becomes hate, and that's where it consumes us.

"Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity." (Ephesians 4.26-27) If we hold on to anger it can consume us, it can grow into hate. Anger is like happiness and being scared, it is a temporary emotion, and it needs to remain that way.

Fear and hate, John Wesley said, "Give me 300 people who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will set this world on fire." The fear of God is not a fear of terror, but a fear out of reverence. It is God who has power and God who we are to be ruled by. But that fear is, again, not a fear out of being terrified by him, but a healthy fear out of reverence for his holiness and power. The only thing we are to hate is the thing contrary to God, the thing opposite God. Evil is the only thing that we are to hate. The rest of creation, including the people who make us the angriest, are made by God.

Finally, concern vs. worry. There are things to be concerned about, situations that need us to be careful and plan for them, to spend time and prepare for them, but to be consumed by the planning, the possibility of everything going wrong, that becomes worry. To live in a constant state of anxiety will ruin your life. You won't be able to have joy if you are constantly anxious about what will go wrong tomorrow. The test you have in school, the assignment at work, yes be concerned, study for it, prepare for it, but don't be consumed by the pressure of failing.

So what will be your life, Hatred, Worry, Fear or Joy?

Peace be with you

Dumping my brain

The reason I started this blog was to use as an accountability tool to make sure that I kept thinking and developing thoughts. Sometimes Monday morning comes and I have no idea what to write about, today was one of those days. One of the teens I work with texted me a couple weeks ago about wanting to talk through some stuff she's trying to figure out. Actually she asked for prayer about it and I told her we'd talk about it soon. We still haven't talked, but to prep me for the conversation she sent me a song to listen to, "More like Falling in Love" by Jason Gray.

Last night I was talking with one of my Proverbs 18.24 brothers about a sermon he's writing on James 4.11-12, he talks about something Mark Driscoll said about Joel Osteen and Rob Bell. That started us on a conversation about the sermon and the idea of judging vs. holding someone accountable.

I look at the sermon I'm trying to work on for April 11, the Religious or Relational one I've preached several times, and basically my hope for the church, and it all focuses on that idea of genuine Christianity, not being blinded by the religious rituals and rule, but just captivated by the love of a the King of kings.

So this song, "More like Falling in Love"

Give me rules, I will break them. Show me lines, I will cross them. I need more than a truth to believe, I need a truth that lives, moves, and breaths, to sweep me off my feet. It's gotta be

More like falling in love, than something to believe in.
More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance.
Caught up, called out, come take a look at me now.
It's like I'm falling, oh, it's like I'm falling in love.

Give me words, I'll misuse them, obligations, I'll misplace them. 'Cause all religion ever made of me was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet. It never set me free. It's gotta be

More like falling in love, than something to believe in.
More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance.
Caught up, called out, come take a look at me now.
It's like I'm falling, oh, it's like I'm falling in love, love, love

Deeper and deeper, it was love that made me a believer in more than a name, a faith, a creed. Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me.

More like falling in love, than something to believe in.
More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance.
Caught up, called out, come take a look at me now.
It's like I'm falling, oh, it's like I'm falling in love.

I keep just hitting replay on youtube. I think about that, it's gotta be more like falling in love. It's all about a relationship. I hear people talk about politics, and this doesn't have any thing to do with health care, but the government can't fix anything. Making something legal or illegal doesn't make someone do or not do it, it's the mindset the person has. The song says it, "Give me rules, I will break them" but it also says "falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me."

If the church would be the church it was called to be we would have no need of politics. If Christians would live the life they claim to be a part of the world would be a better place.

I make it sound so simple, and honestly, I think it is that simple. God knew what he was doing, and if we would simply be who he calls us to be things would be so much better. If we stopped focusing on the rules that simply show us how messed up we are and simply fall in love with the best friend any of us could ever ask for, things would be so much better. I'm not saying that we'll have no problems, Jesus tells us we will, but if this idea of genuine Christianity caught on, what would happen in our lives? In our families? In our churches? In our cities? In our nation? In our world?

"It's gotta be more like falling in love, than something to believe in. More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance. Caught up, called out, come take a look at me now. It's like I'm falling, oh, it's like I'm falling in love."

Peace be with you

Prepare, don't wait

James 4.13-14 says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." Recently a friend and I were talking, she was sharing with me how she's trying to make decisions about the future and trying to see what the will of God is for her life. She's had people tell her not to worry about it, and to just let it all happen as God wills.

To a point I agree with that, but at the same time I think that's a horrible idea. God doesn't just want us to sit and wait for Him to work and show us what his plan is, he expects us to be ready.

Luke 12.35-40, "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves."

Jesus is talking about his return here, and I feel this is how we are to live, ready but not sitting idle. I said this to my friend, "Spend today preparing for tomorrow, don't spend today waiting for tomorrow." We spend today working for the future, but if it never comes then what have we lost? If we are preparing, nothing. If we are preparing that means we are working towards something, not sitting idly by wasting the breaths God has given us.

St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." When we live life to the fullest, we glorify God. Billy Graham once said, "Live every day like Jesus will return today, but live every day like we have to plan for the next thousand years.:

I think this is the way Jesus wants us to live, ready for when he comes, but not sitting by terrified that the end of the world might be near. The Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear, so we don't need to be afraid about the end of the world.

I look at my life, there are things I want to do; Bike across America, climb Mt. Everest, spend Holy Week in Israel, that's just a few. So I live preparing for these things, glorifying God as I do them, but if I never get to accomplish any of them, then that's fine too, and I glorify God all the same. We weren't made to be miserable, we were given life to live it, and when we live it fully we are glorifying God.

I don't know if this makes sense, it is all so clear in my mind, and I hope that I've been able to get that idea out.

"The glory of God is man fully alive." Live you're life to the fullest, glorify God in all you do.

Peace be with you.

The Goal for the Christian

What is the ultimate goal that followers of Christ strive to attain? Many would probably say something along the lines of getting to Heaven and spending eternity in the presence of God. This idea is presented heavily in churches that I have attended, not always explicitly, but this is the general idea I pick up from the places I've been.

It's an idea that is presented in many songs. I look at hymns like, Wayfaring Stranger, "I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger traveling through this world of woe, but there's no sickness no toil no danger in that bright world to which I go. I'm going there to see my father, I'm going there no more to roam." The song, When we all get to Heaven, "When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory." There are many others that point to this idea of, "Let's just hold on, one day we will get to Heaven which is the goal."

I don't want to sound like I'm bashing the hymns, that is not my intention at all. I love them, they are full of so much great Theology, and I believe they truly are a treasure we can not afford to lose. But I think we've lost sight of the true goal, of what we are supposed to be striving for.

Heaven is a wonderful place, but I don't believe that Heaven is our goal. When God first created the world it was perfect, there was no sin, no death, and therefore no need for us to have heaven because the world was perfect. The goal was never to leave the earth, and I don't want to get into a discussion about my views of where Heaven is, but the purpose for us was never to die, and therefore Heaven wasn't what we were to strive for. And I honestly don't think anything else has changed.

Romans 8.28-30 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

Here we are told that everything will work for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. It is not that everything works for good because we love God, it works for good because we are following the purpose of God. Next we see that we are called to be conformed to the image of his son. The word predestined, according to William Greathouse, refers to an invitation, not an order, God did not select some to become like Christ and others not to, he makes the offer to everyone, but because of love God does not force it upon anyone. It is a plan, not a script. So we are predestined to become like Christ, only after that does glorification happen, and glorification would be Heaven. So the goal is not heaven, the goal is becoming more like Christ.

Paul says, in Philippians 3, how he has counted everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. He talks about how he will share in Christs suffering, and even his death because he will be raised to a new life in Christ. He says that he is forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to the goal, the prize of the upward call of God. This call is not to make it through life to get to Heaven, the call is to become like Christ.

I really believe that is the true goal, that is the true purpose, to become like Christ. Heaven will be great, and I can't wait to get there. I can't wait to see Jesus, to fall at his feet and say thank you, if I'm even able to speak at all. But I don't want to live my life waiting for Heaven, and I don't think I'm supposed to. I want to be more like Jesus, every day I want to become more like him. That is what this is all about.

Peace be with you

He calls me Friend

Over the last few weeks there as been a verse on my mind, Galatians 4.9a, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God" the more I think about it, the more amazed I get.

I think back to one of my theology classes in college, we talked about the vastness of creation. Look at the universe, not simply our solar system or our galaxy, but the entire universe. The current estimates I found is that there are somewhere between 100 and 200 billion galaxies in the universe, a universe that we don't even know how big it is because we can't even see it all!

Louie Giglio has a DVD called Indescribable, where he talks about the vastness of the universe, he mentions a verse in it, where God measures the universe with his hand. He can hold it in his hand! If we look at our galaxy the world doesn't even show up. Even in our solar system it appears as a pal blue dot. But to that pal blue dot God came as a human, not to live a simple life, but to die a painful, humiliating death.

John 15.13-15

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

He died for us, he calls us his friends! The creator of a universe so big that we can't even comprehend it, loves us so much not just to create us, but to be involved in our existence, to die in order to redeem us, and calls us his friends! It truly is indescribable.

Galatians 4.9 says, "or rather to be known by God." Who cares that we know God? We should know him, he made the universe, he holds it in his hand, so what's the big deal for us to know him? But for him to know us, that's what's so incredible. The fact that while we exist in an incredible universe, amid countless stars which God knows by name (Psalm 147.4) he calls us his friends, truly is indescribable.

Mission Statement

At a church board meeting last week I noticed the church's mission statement, or "Statement of Purpose" as it says. "South Flint Church of the Nazarene exists to exalt the name of our Lord Jesus Christ through worship, evangelism, and obedience to the living Word of God."

Over the last few weeks the idea of vision has been on my mind. I've never really been in a situation where I've needed a vision for more than just my life before now, so I'm in the beginning stages of figuring that out. But I think before you can create a vision you need to know what you're purpose is, in other words, what is your own personal mission statement?

As I sat waiting for this meeting to start I began to think about a mission statement for life, a personal mission statement. I've narrowed it down to three words: LIVE, PREACH, GLORIFY.

LIVE in the Spirit, Galatians 5.22-25

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

PREACH the gospel of Jesus, 2 Timothy 4.1-8

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

GLORIFY the Father, Philippians 2.1-11

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

LIVE, PREACH, GLORIFY

Peace be with you

Worship Wars

Is it really about the music? Does style really matter? Obviously it does because this is an issue, but should it matter? This idea is one that is on the front of my mind this week. The church I am currently serving at is predominately older. Seventy-Five percent of the congregation is over the age of sixty. Several members have been here for seventy plus years. They love the hymns and the traditional style of music, and that's not a bad thing.

I think the hymns are wonderful. Currently I'm working on a book about the beauty and theology found in the hymns. And at the same time I love the new contemporary music. I love the simple truths that I hear in them. But does it really matter what my preference is?

I think back to a class I had in college, Worship in the Christian Tradition. My professor said something the first day of class, and if we learned nothing else in class but this, I think he would be satisfied. "Worship is a trusting obedient response to the word of God." With this definition worship is more than singing, praying, reading the Bible, going to church, tithing; all of these are part of worship but not any one of them individually is worship. Worship is so much bigger than that.

Worship is a life style. The way we live our lives, everything we do and say, is an opportunity to worship God. And the thing with it is this, worship is about God. Look at the definition my professor gave us, "a trusting, obedient response to the word of God." As I read the Bible I find this to be true. If you look up the definition of worship in the dictionary you find this, "Reverence toward a divine or supernatural power; Expression of reverence; Extravagant respect or devotion." The word revere means, "Show honor and devotion to" and devotion is "Loyalty and dedication to." It all points to a life style.

For worship to happen, based on the definition above, God has to speak. Worship begins with God. For it to be worship it has to be directed at God. The only part humans play in all of this is the choice to listen to God speaking and then choosing to respond in trust and obedience.

Worship is not about us, it is not about our preferences or comfort zone. I think back to a previous post, He Alone is Worthy, I mentioned how God HAS to be praised because of who he is. God will receive worship, he HAS to be worshiped, so it will happen. The best part is that he invites us to do it. He invites us, as unworthy as we are, to come and worship him for who he is.

There is a verse in Galatians 4, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God," the verse is talking about how we used to not know God and lived our lives enslaved to things that are not God. Then it talks about how now that we know God, how do we can we go back to being enslaved by things that are not God? How can we go back to worshiping something that is not God? But the best part of this verse is where it says, "or rather to be known by God," think about that. Take a moment and think about the vastness of creation, not just the world, but our galaxy, or even more, the entire universe. Think about how big it is, God made all of that. The song "God of Wonders" comes to my mind. Right now I'm listening to the song "God of this City" it says, "There is no one like our God" and that is so true.

So as we worship, not just in music but in life, we must realize that it isn't about us. It is not about our presences or comforts, but about God.

Romans 12.1-2, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

God speaks, may we have the wisdom to hear his voice and then the courage to respond in trust and obedience. My we live lives that worship God. May our lives be fully about God.

Peace be with you

1 Corinthians 13.11-12

"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."

How does this relate to the rest of chapter? At an initial glace it may seem totally random and out of place. The first ten verses and the last verse are about love. This passage is very often used at weddings but the love Paul refers to here is so much more than a human emotion that a husband and wife show to each other.

The love that we read about is so much more than the love we as people have for one another. This love is the love that we are to have for God, but more importantly it is the love that God has for us! Think about it,

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away" (verses 4-8).

All of those are things God shows to us and it is so awesome that he does, where would we be if he didn't? If he wasn't patient or kind? If he was provoked and took our sins into account? If his love didn't endure when we didn't accept or appreciate it, where would we be? This is the love that God has for us, and it is the model of the love we are to have for him and each other.

But the two verses I mentioned, eleven and twelve, look at them in relation to love, since that is the context they fall in. When I was a child the word love was one that was used so freely, and in some cases it still is. As a little boy, "I love Batman." "I love the Cleveland Indians." "I love ..." Even as I grew older and used the word towards a girl I dated, I never got it. My love was immature. As it says, I spoke, thought, and reasoned as a child would, and my love for God was the same way. But then my life changed, I became a man, and my ability to understand and show love changed.

I understand what it is to love another person, and even though I've never been able to say it to her except on paper in letters I haven't sent, I understand it. My love for, and understanding of, God has increased, and I've come to further understand his heart, due to things I've experienced with this girl.

But even though I have come to this deeper understanding and my love isn't childish and immature, my love is still incomplete, as is my ability to fully comprehend it. I see and know only in part, but one day I will fully know it, I will fully be able to love when I see love face to face. "God is love" (1 John 4.8b).

I will know love as God has loved me, and I will finally be able to love him as he loves me. And this is the most important part, not that I partially love God now, and one day will be able to fully love him, it isn't about my ability to love at all, it isn't that I have chosen to give that love to God. The most important part is that I have been loved by God. God loves me, and that is the only thing that matters at all. And one day I will fully be able to grasp that love when I look Love in the eye, face to face.

Peace be with you.