Bleeding Into Society

The darkness is real. It is still lingering all around you.
Rip the match over that little sandpaper strip and ignite the little stick to life! Flick your thumb in that short quick motion and turn on the flashlight. Melt the wax off the tip of the wick and give your candle the flame it is hungering for. Flip the switch. What good is having a light source & not shredding back the darkness with it? What’s the point of placing 100 lights in one room while the rest of the house remains shrouded in darkness?

Listen believers! Light your torches & plunge into the thickening darkness. Ease into the black corners, the lowly out-of-the-way places. Head underground if you have to. Take the back alleys. Find a patch of the prolific darkness all around you. Then set it ablaze with the light of the good news that God misses those who are far from Him. He wants them back in his sunlit arms.

What good is the salt in the shaker? Shake it out! Fall onto some tasteless meat. Sprinkle yourself into the cracks & crevices of your own personal mission field. You know the one. You call it ‘My Life’. Season the unique culture, relationships, acquaintances, locales & interests you find yourself blessed with. Salt isn’t for church. It’s for the world.

Is God surprised by the people you work alongside, live near, sit next to, play with? Is it by accident that you live where you live, work where you work, sit where you sit in class & play where you play? Are you salting these people & places?

What about a new metaphor? The phrase ‘bleeding into society’ is ringing true in my spirit. It makes me think of the very real, very wet, very precious sacrifice that my Savior poured out for the world. It brings to mind the way a bit of dye soaks in and spreads into the very fiber of a cloth - in it, around it, through it. The cloth drinks in the dye - absorbs and receives it. But the dye must first come in contact with the cloth.

Are we doing all we can to make sure this color-changing grace seeps into the fabric of the lives all around us? As the body of Christ as a whole & as individuals in particular, are we bleeding into society? Or are we shrinking away from it – creating our own safe Christian version of it? The dye must touch the cloth.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” Luke 14:34

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Eph 5:8

Lord, what do you want me to do to make a dent in the lostness right where I live? Help me bleed into society, be salty salt, be shiny light. Show me how I can help you in redeeming this place for yourself.

Random Year-End Thoughts

Random Thought I:
The Lord has been moving in my heart & life these last couple weeks.
As the year comes to a close, there are a few swallowtail questions that keep circling my mind. Where are we heading as a church? Why do we even exist in the first place?
Are we fulfilling that purpose? Am I doing my part?

Random Thought II:
If I were asked to name our greatest need as believers, I believe my answer would be that we need to be utterly broken before God. Then, his strength could be made perfect in our weakness. It wouldn’t hurt for us to catch a vision - like an incurable disease – to genuinely love the lost around us with both our words and our actions. That’s what I’d say if I were asked…

Random Thought III:
I have made some mistakes this year. I guess Solomon was right - there’s nothing new under the sun. (smile) Thankfully, my Jesus has helped me stay faithful and a few things have ended with eternal significance. I can see many beautiful ripples on the sea of 2007. I expect to see their rings grow increasingly larger in the upcoming year.

Random Thought IV:
Patience is a good, hard, slow & painful thing.

Random Thought V:
Sometimes we confuse paralysis with patience.

Random Thought VI:
As believers, we are !!FREE!! in Christ.
Free to dance. Free to love. Free to sing.
Free to serve. Free to breath. Free to laugh.
Why do we sometimes choose to return to bondage?

Where Did All the Genres Go?

I came across something unexpected at the new Wal-Mart in Marshall. The CD section in the store is not broken down into the separate genres of country, rap, rock, Christian & pop. Instead, it is arranged in simple alphabetical order by the artist's name. I'm sure this is a tremendous help to the employees who are stocking merchandise. As long as they know that "M" comes after "L" and then "N" comes after that, then they have it made.

We have a lot of categories that divide up those who squeeze onto the shelf of Christianity. There are little signs snapped into place that divide conservatives from liberals, evangelicals from mainliners, moderns from postmoderns. Further distinctions then subcategorize us by all kinds of topics from preferred musical style to eschatological outlook, baptism method to view on women in leadership, ecclesiology to spiritual gifts. Each local church and individual can peel and stick the labels they deem the most appropriate. There are an infinite number of designations within the broader Christian section.

Heaven is going to be like the CD section at the new Wal-Mart. No subcategories. There won't be an endless list of genres to neatly divide up and categorize followers of Jesus. We will all be one, in the presence of a holy God, worshipping for eternity. We will be there in a state of divine unison. No genres. Not even lined up from "A" to "Z". Just there in one accord, overwhelmed by the great truth that is the Alpha & the Omega, the beginning & the end.

"You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd." Jesus in John 10:16 (TMSG).

Christmas reminds me that each believer is part of a diverse, worldwide family of faith. We share a common Father & are bound together by a common bloodline that flows from our common Savior. Those who believe in Jesus' substitutionary death are members of that global family. Very soon, all of his true followers will be gathered together in one place with no unnecessary distinctions. Imagine Christ's entire body worshipping together in a community without categories. Christmas reminds us that God was born as a baby to make that dream a reality. While it may be harder to find a specific genre at the Marshall Wal-mart, we won't even think to look for any kind of label in Heaven.

Commercial Christmas

You had better hurry! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you want to get a jump on things, you should go ahead and start decorating with hearts & doilies today! I know you’re still munching on Thanksgiving turkey and the Christmas tree just got plugged in for the first time. But, apparently that’s perfectly OK. Now is the time to start thinking ahead and begin buying roses, cards & candy for February.

It seems that every year the marketing starts flying at us earlier & earlier. Nowadays, you can begin stocking up on glitzy ornaments and overpriced wrapping paper in late September at some stores. If you’re a shopoholic or just like maxing out credit cards, then Commercial Christmas has your name written all over it!

Many battles have been fought over the last couple of years about calling this time of the year the ‘Holiday Season’ instead of ‘Christmas’. The reason: to make room for other faiths & winter celebrations and to keep from offending some with the name of Christ. But I wonder, if people are really not going to keep Christ in ‘Christmas’ in the truest sense, would it actually be better to just call it the ‘Holidays’? After all, if this time of the year has been boiled down to songs about Santa, slick marketing ads, flashing outdoor lights and enticing buy-one-get-one-free-sales, would Jesus really want his name associated with it?

We’ll soon begin hearing people talk about ‘the true reason for the season’. You mean it’s not about checking off items from my consumer wishlist as family, friends & coworkers spend more money than they have on things I don’t really need? Hmmmm…. Then what IS the season all about?

It’s about a baby.

But, not just any baby – the God baby. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Deity submitting Himself to wear skin for awhile. Royalty choosing to experience our poverty. Light piercing the darkness. Perfection willingly immersing himself in the stench and decay of a sin-tainted world. Glory veiling itself. Holiness dwelling among filth. The Author of creation wrapped in swaddling clothes, GOD asleep in a manger.

It’s about grace.

It’s about love. It’s about our need. It’s about the Savior invading our world. It’s about Christ. And it doesn’t matter what it’s called if followers of Jesus will set apart God in our hearts this season.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” I Peter 3:15.

Will you keep ‘Christ’ in your Christmas?

A Lesson From Spanky

As a child, I watched “The Little Rascals” as reruns on TV. I can only remember a few scenes from all the episodes I saw. And even the ones I can recall are fuzzy in my memory. I do vaguely remember that in one of the episodes, Spanky was babysitting. And either because the baby was crying or just because he wanted to be free from the responsibility, Spanky spread tar on the baby’s diaper. Then, he stuck the baby inside a kitchen cabinet and closed the door! The baby was stuck in there. And, of course, he kept crying.

I bring this up for a couple of reasons.

(1) While working with a group of teens this past week, it came out that none of the teenagers knew there used to be a show called “The Little Rascals”. They thought the 1994 movie version was a new creation that stood on its own. They were totally unaware of the show that began as “Our Gang” back in 1922.

(2) As believers, leaders, guardians, parents & teachers – we can’t just stuff crying babies under the sink! It is up to us to make sure this generation and the ones coming up after it do not forget the GREAT STORY OF GOD. The evidence is crying out all around us. People are more and more forgetting God and His ways. The memories are becoming fuzzy – like my unsure recollection of an old TV episode.

Our world, our nation, our town is seeing a new generation that doesn’t know [or realize they don't know] the rich history of the Christian faith. They feel like it’s just some independent thing that exists apart from anything relevant to their lives. Instead of a newer movie with roots going back to a much-loved series, they see Christianity as an old black and white film that has no bearing on the lives they’re living today. That’s where we come in…

“…I will teach you hidden lessons from our past- stories we have heard and know, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord. We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.” Psalm 78:2-4

Our children are crying out for hope, for direction, for relevance, for meaning. We know where all these things can be found. But – listen closely – it is not enough to just tell them about Jesus & righteousness & love & faith. We must live it out before their very eyes in vibrant, 3-D, technicolor, action-packed reality. A simple retelling of the old stories simply will not do.

The young ones are crying out. Just shoving the babies under the sink will not stop their heart-felt tears. Let’s do what it takes to meet the spiritual needs of this generation. The way of Spanky won't get it done.

Mistakes & Misunderstandings

MISTAKES.
I have some pretty strong opinions on things & [for better or worse] I'm normally not afraid to voice them. I recently recorded one of these strong opinions on this very BLOG. While it expressed my personal conviction on a particular issue our church was facing, I now understand that as a Pastor, it should not have been shared in the public forum of the internet. I apologize for that. I also apologize if those words hurt anyone. It was intended as merely an emotional release for me. I had a lapse in judgment. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.

MISUNDERSTANDINGS.
Through some insightful conversations with some Godly church members, I have also become aware of some misunderstandings. Unwittingly, my messages and demeanor have apparently been conveying something that I had not intended them to. Some very sincere Christians have shared that they sometimes get the sense that I look down on believers who are affluent, choose to dress their best on Sunday mornings or who prefer traditional music in worship. That idea could not be further from my heart!

My message is that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. I believe we can honor God by wearing our best clothes or by choosing to wear our everyday clothes to church. We can connect with God through contemporary or modern or traditional or blended music. We can be financially blessed or in deepest poverty. The point is that none of these things decides where our relationship with God truly stands. Instead,“…whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Joel 2:32

None who are willing – rich, poor, middle-class, blue-collar, white-collar, no collar, turtleneck, v-neck, t-shirt, no shirt, shirt-and-tie… should be hindered from entering the Kingdom. While we all enter through one door – Jesus Christ – we don’t all take the same route leading up to that door. And once we pass through his blood into saving faith, it’s OK that we celebrate, worship, think & serve God in gloriously diverse kinds of ways.

If it hasn’t come through clearly – that’s what I’ve been trying to say all along. We should respect the diversity of how each of us relates to our loving God. There is no one right way to worship as long as we truly worship in spirit and in truth. Is it possible that our greatest unity can be found in acknowledging our rich diversity?

The Heart

Why is it so easy to look at the outside of a person and never be able to see the 'real' person within?
Why is it so easy to listen to a person's words but hear something totally different than what they actually said?
Why is it so easy to pass judgment on others without getting to know where they're coming from?
Why is it so easy to make accusations about someone you don't really know as a person? as a fellow believer?

What if I chose to get to know others by who they are on the inside?
What if I asked others to clarify what they mean instead of drawing my own conclusions about what I think they meant?
What if I got to know what makes a person tick - instead of trying to put them into a neat little box, all labeled and sealed shut?
What if I invited my fellow believers over for coffee, or asked them out to lunch, or invited them on a walk around the park and got to know their hearts?

United or Untied?

There are many beautiful and challenging metaphors for the ‘kingdom of God’ that stretch our imagination as to what it is really all about। A treasure. A pearl. A mustard seed. Yeast in dough. Some new metaphors that I have heard have included the kingdom as a canvas, a computer network and even an interactive, flowing dance. So I searched my heart and set about imagining my own metaphor for the kingdom…

The kingdom of God is like a woven tapestry. A thick yarn runs from the heart of God to the heart of each believer. And then smaller threads of a slightly different shade continue to connect each believer with one another. So the kingdom is woven together & these connections create the warp & the weft of the kingdom. The strings that make up this tapestry are invisible - but strong. And one-who-is-not-yet-woven-in may, perchance, run into one of its connecting threads. And, even without seeing it, may hold it loosely in the hand and walk along its length until coming to its source – either the Master Weaver himself, or another follower who has the thread woven into his heart.

At any moment, the Woven Ones can tug on the yarn leading to God or one another in order to interact. And at any moment, those wishing to join the tapestry need only to walk to the Master Weaver, unroll a bit of thread from the spool of her own heart and offer it to the Weaver’s skillful hands. In less than a moment, He will intertwine the two threads in such a way that they can never be untied again. If you could see this new connection at all, you would not be able to tell where one heart ends and the other begins.

Now, even though these hidden, invisible threads stretch and cross, weave in & out and bind believers & God together in inseparable bonds, others may pass right through them without even knowing they are there. And the Woven Ones may, at times, forget that there are threads that link them together. But the loosely woven tapestry is still there nonetheless.

The Weaver is a patient one. He knows that one day all the needed threads will be added, woven and knit in just the right pattern. And when that time has come, when all the individual strings of yarn are in place, He will slowly draw all the Woven Ones to Himself. The space between the threads will shrink & disappear. The expanded, loose Woven Ones that have been separated by time & distance will be cinched together into a close-knit tapestry of beauty & grace. And that tapestry will reflect the glory, diversity, unity, beauty, intimacy & design of life as the Master Weaver intended it to be. And together, wrapped around the Master at the center, their perfect interconnectedness will remain throughout eternity.

This metaphor is certainly not perfect। But the metaphors of the kingdom can never catch it’s truest beauty. It is about something bigger – better – other – than the kingdoms of this world. Where would you fall within this metaphor? Are you united to others in the tapestry or are you alone, unwoven, untied?

Q: What metaphor of the kingdom rings truest in your own heart?
Q: Would you dream it, write it down, share it, live it?

No Strings Attached

Kites. Marionettes. Guitars. Good deeds.

What do they all have in common? Well, most of the time, each of these has some strings attached. We understand the need for the string on the kite because we don’t want it flying off without us. And when it comes to the marionette – it would only be a doll if it didn’t have the strings necessary to make it dance. And a guitar – well, I guess that without its strings it could double as a sorry excuse for a drum, but it certainly would lose a lot of its capacity for creating beautiful music. But then there are those ‘good deeds’. I’m pretty sure we would all get along just fine if there were no strings attached to those.

I think about Christ and how he healed people, preached the Good News and even fed 5,000 starving followers. Did He expect anything out of them in return? Well, sure, He wanted his good works to point them towards the Father, but did He expect them to return the favor or pay Him back for the good? No way! He gave those precious gifts out of the overflow of his heart. They were stringless - like free kites, porcelain dolls and rhythmic drums.

When Jesus gave – his gifts were priceless, yet they were absolutely free.

When he gave you a bite to eat, He did not expect an invitation to lunch. When he provided a salmon sandwich, he did not require a hunk of fish & a chunk of bread to be paid back to him at a later date. You had no obligation to follow Him after He touched you with those healing hands. He didn’t guilt you into anything. You could love Him or leave Him. The choice was yours. Even today, Jesus still carries out the same no-strings-attached ministry that He practiced while on this earth.

Do we operate in the same way? Or are our good deeds laced with reciprocal expectations? Do we give & serve for the mere joy of the act? Or do we wait around for a pat on the back, a word of praise, a plaque in our honor? I long to be in that place where my gifts and good deeds are free and clear. I ache for God to do a work in me so that all that I do is truly for Him and for nothing or no one else! I want my acts of kindness to be just that – without any disclaimers or hidden agendas buried within the fine print.

I am asking God for a consuming fire to rage through my heart. What would happen if each of us would minister – like Jesus – with no strings attached?

The Only Antidote

There it is – pulsing with its evil rhythm and staring up at you with those beady, black eyes. Breathing in the beauty of life and exhaling darkness & death. The parasite eats, devours and destroys all that is good. It taints your thoughts. It warps your mind. It slowly consumes every ounce of life in you and then licks its insatiable lips - wanting more.

Sin is an ugly cancer – a wicked destroyer. It permeates all of God’s creation leaving its toxic trail of destruction behind. And try as we might with weapons & medicines, philosophies & technologies – we will never be able to cure its vicious ills. Its parasitic nature drives it ever onward screeching, “More! More! More!”

It bites and chases. It stalks and preys. Its grip is too strong. Its hold is too firm. Sin has infested the sacred cells of each and every soul. It has invaded the secret chambers of each and every heart. There are none immune to its ravening appetite. There are none that will not ultimately succumb to the chronic ravaging of its gnawing, grinding teeth.

No matter how hard you try to resist, the disease will overcome you. You can push it down into remission at times but it always – always – awakes from its dormant state. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6a) We leave the way that the Lord has laid out for us. And when we do, the sickness of sin sets in like a dark wetness in our bones.

We can’t go on like this! Our bodies are wasting away. It is only a matter of time. The consumption has overtaken us and we are very near the point of an infinite, irreversible death. If only there was a cure – an antidote! Our strength is dwindling. Our resolve is breaking. We are in desperate need of a miraculous elixir that can eradicate this dreaded disease that has invaded our bodies and souls. Desperate.

There is one antidote – but only one. It is found in the purest of all blood. And what a potent antidote it is!

“…if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

There is only one cure for the fatal disease of sin. You don’t drink it in by accident. You can’t just sip it in one drop at a time. You’ve either been cured or you’re still wasting away with a slow-moving death. When that precious blood touches your soul, it cleanses it once and for all. The sickness is gone. The healing begins. But, you must accept the cure.

The One Thing

As her mother headed out the door, she gave Evangela one solitary task to perform before she returned – wash the dishes. So Evangela turned on the faucet, squeezed in the dishsoap and placed the glasses and silverware into the water. She dutifully watched until the sink was filled to the top. Then her stomach grumbled.

Feeling a little hungry, she made herself a scrumptious turkey sandwich. Since she couldn’t eat it with wet hands, she decided to sit and watch a little TV while the dishes soaked. Just as she took the last bite, her friend called to make sure their early afternoon shopping trip was still on…

We know how the story ends, don’t we? Mom returns home to find the dishes still soaking in the sink – unwashed. The one task Evangela had been given was left undone. She had started it, but had gotten distracted. The church has been given one solitary task as well. That one thing is to make more and better followers of Jesus. How are we doing?

There is a concept that – if we could just see the great need to engage it – can revitalize our church and help us stay focused on getting that one job done. The term used to describe that concept is “Missional”. What does it mean? Simply put, it means that the local church functions as a missionary to the community in which God has planted it.

As a missionary, the church should do all within its God-given power to make more and better disciples. As a missionary, we should evaluate every task we perform, every dollar we spend, every change we consider and every decision we make based on the Great Commission. If it will help us make more and better disciples, then we should do it. If it will not help us complete this one task, then we should leave it alone!

Are we, as a church, washing the dishes? Or have we just thrown them in the sink and forgotten about them? Are we doing the one thing we have been commanded to do? Or have we gotten off-track with tasty food, entertaining distractions, chatting with our friends and going on shopping sprees? If we’re going to be the church at all, let’s be the real thing! Daddy’s coming home soon… We need to be about the Father’s business and stay focused on that one thing He has told us to do.

The Wild Blue Yonder

My feet had fallen asleep due to the awkward, cramped position. I was 10,000 feet in the air - strapped tightly to a virtual stranger. My adrenaline was pumping. My heart was racing. And that was before the airplane door even flew open. The fear probably would have paralyzed me if I wasn't too frightened to realize that I ought to be scared! And with one simple roll to the right, we were plummeting towards the earth.

The wind rushed by. The clouds swirled around us. We flipped, rolled and spun as we hurtled through the sky. The ice crystals in the clouds ripped away at my face. I could barely hear my instructor above the roar of our descent, "Arch! Arch!"

I thrust my arms and legs out and arched my back just like I had been trained. We stopped flipping end-over-end and leveled out. Our freefall slowed to a mere 120 mph as we broke through the clouds. There was no sense of falling, just a steady rush of wind as the ground moved closer and closer. My instructor yanked the cord and our chute deployed. We suddenly jerked to a slow drift and found ourselves in an immediate, peaceful silence. We floated there in the beautiful stillness between the earth and the clouds.

Some people have called me crazy for jumping out of a perfectly good plane. Others have expressed a deep-seated fear that would hinder them from ever skydiving themselves. Even though I was scared at the time, my determination and desire to go through with the jump were even greater than the fear.

God often calls us to do crazy things that bring us face-to-face with our fears. He may call us to take on a new ministry role. He may nudge us to share His good news with a complete stranger. (Or maybe even scarier - our closest friend...) He may even call us to go against the grain, to fight for a deeper sense of right, irregardless of what all others think. These are definitely scary challenges to take on.

"You're afraid? So what! Everybody's afraid. Fear is the common ground of humanity. The question you must wrestle to the ground is 'Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity.'" Andy Stanley, The Next Generation Leader

We can all look back on times in our lives when we let fear keep us from jumping out of the plane, trying something new or speaking up when we knew we should. Hopefully, we can also remember even more times when we wrestled that fear to the ground and let God use us inspite of our fright.

"...so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." Zechariah 8:13 (NIV)

It may seem a lot safer to sit on the ground and watch the chutes of others flare open above you. But the ground is where the dirty fog of mediocrity settles in. At some point very early in my Christian walk, God moved me to quit watching and start jumping. Has it been scary? You better believe it! At times it has even been almost-pee-in-your-pants scary! Yet still, I have found that it is far better to strive for a trust in God's faithfulness than to suffer the regret of staying on the ground when I knew I should have jumped.

The challenge that God places before us is to strap in, push through the fear and lunge out into the wild blue yonder. And if the chute doesn't open and you hit the ground - oh well! At least you went out with a bang instead of slowly choking to death on that dirty fog of mediocrity. The chances are in your favor that God's faithfulness will flare open like the millions of times before. And when it does, you'll get to experience that beautiful stillness that's only found in the wild blue yonder.

What’s The Difference?

It’s amazing to me that two people can experience the exact same thing and come away with two completely different reactions. My wife loves mushrooms. I would rather chew off my own ear than let a chunk of the nasty fungus anywhere near my lips! Two people can sit down at the same football game and each of them can fervently root against the other one’s favorite team.

A difference of opinion such as these was amplified recently. A trusted friend from an older generation responded to Hillsong’s “From the Inside Out” with an “I didn’t like it at all.”

Did my jaw really drop open and land in my lap or was that just an internal response?

At youth camp last week, the lyrics and desperation in that song left me completely undone. As I worshiped and lifted up the words to my Savior, my heart was as “totaled” as a car flipped end-over-end off a cliff.

In my heart, In my soul
Lord, I give you control
Consume me.
From the inside out.
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring you praise
From the inside out
Lord, my soul cries out.

So the same song that resounded so clearly within my own heart, left my friend’s heart untouched. The same lyrics and driving beat that rippled through me to the point that I was sobbing and could no longer stand, had no effect on him whatsoever.

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him.” – Romans 10:12

I suspect that believers will continue to have preferential differences until Christ returns. Until then, we all must strive to call on Him out of a sincere heart. Just remember: the mushrooms you love may make me sick to my stomach. And I’ll try to remember the team I’m rooting for might be your mortal enemy!

What Really Matters

What Really Matters…
…what his hair looks like or how much he loves the Lord that saved him?
…the kind of clothes she wears or her deep need to be selflessly loved?
…how big an offering he can make or his obedience to God’s will?
…how well she can sing or how earnestly she longs for the Lord?

What Really Matters…
…that everyone has a soft seat to sit on or that all the seats are filled?
…that the music is what I like or my worship connects me to my God?
…that there were visitors this week or that people started following Jesus?
…that the messages are ‘good’ or that lives are forever changed?

It’s so easy for us to get off track, care about nonessentials and forget why we were created. Yet God calls us to focus on those things that really matter. Each of us must ask ourselves, “Are the things that matter to me and the things that matter to God really the same things?” What really matters to God is what I want to be all about.

The Crumbs

Just a crumb.
A little bit.
One tiny morsel.
That’s all she was asking Him for.

Her daughter was in great need and she knew He had the answer.
But she came, knelt before Him, and said, ‘Lord, help me!’
He answered, ‘It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.’
‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!’
Then Jesus replied to her, ‘Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.’
And from that moment her daughter was cured. Matt 15:25-28 (HCSB)

This woman was not allowed to sit at the table. So, she crouched beneath it. She was an outsider. A stranger. A foreigner. Yet in her desperation she cried out to the one she knew could meet her needs. She cried out to Jesus. And, at first, He rejected her begging. He pointed out that she was not one of the children of God – but just an outsider – a dog.

As she looked up at him with those puppy-dog eyes, He realized that her faith was no runt of the litter. It was strong and voracious. It refused to tuck its tail between its legs because of one little kick. She continued to paw at Him. She let out another bark. She didn’t want the whole steak. In fact, she didn’t even have to have the bone. She only wanted a tiny lick, a small taste of what Jesus had to offer. She didn’t need all He had to give. She only wanted a crumb.

We often forget that, with God, crumbs are enough. We don’t have to have a mouthful of His revealed will. We don’t have to have a smorgasbord of delicacies laid out before us. That is what the world teaches us to desire. But, it is not what the Lord would have us chase after. He can bless us with even the scraps.
If faith like a tiny seed is strong enough to move mountains, then surely a few crumbs are enough to satisfy our deep hunger. Let us be content with the crumbs He gives us, knowing that the power doesn’t come from the food – but from the hands that created it. We tend to howl and whine when we don’t get the whole cake, the whole steak, the whole bone. But with the smallest amount of faith in the Master, even the tiniest crumbs are enough.

So 'Well Done' Means Raw

RAW. It's how I like my carrots but far from how I like my steak. It's great when it comes to onions but quite awful when it comes to eggs. Some things are just far better raw than when they're cooked. This principle works not only with food, but also with people.

I am drawn to people that are closer to raw than overcooked. I have never been fond of falsehood or pretense. I would rather spend time with an all-out sinner who knows that's where he's at than with a half-baked believer who pretends he's got it all together. I also love to be around those true believers that are earnestly seeking after more of God. So when it comes to people, I guess the "rawness" for me is not about how close you are or are not to Jesus, but how honest you are about where you're at.

I once worked with a girl named Kimberly. She was a tall black woman with long braids in her hair. She had a commanding presence and spoke her mind. One day I asked her why she had bells dangling from the bottom of her floor-length skirt. "To scare the demons away!" was her reply. And so we were catapulted into that misty land of spiritual things. I boldly and lovingly shared my faith with her. She boldly and not-so-lovingly shared that Jesus was a crock and she wouldn't believe in him even if it cost her very soul!

Kimberly was raw.

I had the ...um... pleasure… to spend a little time with a red-headed guy named Russell. He was a self-proclaimed Christian and an arrogant know-it-all. He thought that he had every answer to every question that could ever be asked. He had a head knowledge of the scriptures and could probably quote half the Bible from memory. He was intelligent and he knew it. He was also cocky, pretentious and 'perfect' in his own eyes. Russell was about as overcooked as they come.

Each of us must choose whether to be as raw as a rare steak or as cooked as a burnt one. But we must not confuse being overcooked with being "well-done". Throughout the scriptures we see that the values of the Kingdom include honesty, transparency, authenticity and purity. This is the kind of rawness I'm talking about. We know that Jesus likes His children "well done". But in the Kingdom, "well done" actually means being closer to raw than being overcooked.

It's The Wind That Moves The Trees

Golden waves rippled over the surface of the winter wheat. It shimmered as it danced in the sunlight. Loose twigs and timid sticks were forced to the ground as the steady winds pushed and shoved at the trees. And nearby, the sweet rhythmic song of the wind chime provided the theme song for the show.

This scene played out before me on that beautiful, blustery day. And in the midst of the swirling air, surrounded by the melodious chimes and swaying trees, I was more than just a spectator. For as the wind blew, the warmth of it didn't just affect the things around me and leave me untouched. The breeze caressed my face. The gale grazed my skin. The gust stroked my hair.

We often like to think that we can be the ones to move God. We stubbornly believe that by our much-speaking or deep wanting, we can force God to move in a way that fits our will. But, the Lord is continually teaching me the truth in this quote from Michael Slaughter: "It is not the trees that move the wind, but the wind that moves the trees."

We may pray: "…your kingdom come, your will be done" (Matthew 6:10) but we usually mean something quite different than what was originally intended. We usually mean something like: "I don't know a lot about your kingdom, God. And when I say 'your will be done', I'm really hoping it's the same as mine..." We, as the trees, like to think that we can move the wind.

But, Jesus has given us an example to follow. And in the midst of a blowing gale, in a hurricane of grief and dread, He demonstrated what it looks like for the trees to yield to the wind. "Then He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 'Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.' " (Luke 22:41-42)

The One who created both the wind and the trees knew that He had to submit to the Father's will. Even when it was going to hurt… Even when the road was riddled with fallen limbs… Even when the wind of God's will was blowing Him straight to a tree shaped like a cross…

We would do well to let the wind of God's Spirit blow through our wills. The sooner we understand that it is God who moves us- and not the other way around- the sooner we can do great things for Him. Let's feel His soft breath on our faces and the touch of His breeze in our hair. Then, let's dance and sway to his will like the winter wheat to the wind.

Renewing My Vows

We fight so hard against "The World" and "The Flesh" - and rightly so. But, I believe that Jesus followers have another mortal enemy hiding right in front of our eyes. This threat is hidden in plain view - mocking us, tempting us, derailing us, smothering us and emasculating us. This enemy is "Church".

Notice that I did not say "The Church". For, I believe that "The Church" - Christ's active, living, loving body on earth - is a God-ordained gift. My issue is with the charlatan replacement that is standing in her place - the false system that is propositioning believers to come away from the real thing.

As believers, we fight so hard to convince the world (and maybe even ourselves...) that Christianity is not a 'religion'. Oh no! What we have is something different. It is a 'relationship'. Is there real truth in this declaration or is it mere self-righteous semantics?

If we are not in a religion, then why is there a dress code? Why are some trivial things demanded while other meaningful things are disallowed? If 'religion' means empty ritual, vain repetition, dead orthodoxy and the absence of true transformation, then how many Christians would seem to be more into a 'religion' than in a loving 'relationship'? Perhaps far more than any of us would care to admit...

But as I sit here tapping out judgment with my digital pencil - I wonder... which do I have? Is there a two-way interaction with the risen Lord at the base of my faith? Or is there a discarded corpse - the leftovers of what I thought was a relationship? Is there an inseparable bond between me and my lover? Or are there only the sad remains of what was once a vital, thriving relationship which has emaciated down to mere dust and ashes?

And when I check in with my Jesus- I feel those sparks, get that tingle in my gut and know this is far more than some dead religion. I refuse to trade my fresh, alive, vibrant relationship with my loving Savior for some one night stand with a set of pompous rules. God forbid that I sell out the love of my life for 30 pieces of church-plated silver!

I want the real thing- the true Lord. I want the long walks, the deep talks, the easy laughter and the heartfelt tears. That sleazy, glitzy religion has never had much appeal to me. Yet, her seduction is slow and subtle and we can find ourselves taking a second glance at a flash of her leg before we even know what has happened!

So, this is a renewing of my vows. Not a commitment to a structure and its organizing, shackling, adulterous, lip-licking - but a pledge to the love of my life.

Jesus, I love you and only you. I'll continue to do all I can to make this relationship work, but when it comes down to it - it's all up to you. I want to keep my heart pure, but you know my eyes stray...You chose to chase after me in the first place and I sure enough played hard-to-get. Now, with all that is in me, I am indeed chasing you back.

But, when I cheat (for I will cheat) forgive me. Love me all the harder. Overlook my lustful heart. Remind me of your great love for me. Please, please invite me back into your loving arms! Let some other 'John' have that trampy kind of religion. An authentic relationship with you is what my soul is longing for.

The Wild Blue Yonder

My feet had fallen asleep due to the awkward, cramped position. I was 10,000 feet in the air - strapped tightly to a virtual stranger. My adrenaline was pumping. My heart was racing. And that was before the airplane door even flew open. The fear probably would have paralyzed me if I wasn't too frightened to realize that I ought to be scared! And with one simple roll to the right, we were plummeting towards the earth.

The wind rushed by. The clouds swirled around us. We flipped, rolled and spun as we hurtled through the sky. The ice crystals in the clouds ripped away at my face. I could barely hear my instructor above the roar of our descent, "Arch! Arch!"

I thrust my arms and legs out and arched my back just like I had been trained. We stopped flipping end-over-end and leveled out. Our freefall slowed to a mere 120 mph as we broke through the clouds. There was no sense of falling, just a steady rush of wind as the ground moved closer and closer. My instructor yanked the cord and our chute deployed. We suddenly jerked to a slow drift and found ourselves in an immediate, peaceful silence. We floated there in the beautiful stillness between the earth and the clouds.

Some people have called me crazy for jumping out of a perfectly good plane. Others have expressed a deep-seated fear that would hinder them from ever skydiving themselves. Even though I was scared at the time, my determination and desire to go through with the jump were even greater than the fear.

God often calls us to do crazy things that bring us face-to-face with our fears. He may call us to take on a new ministry role. He may nudge us to share His good news with a complete stranger. (Or maybe even scarier - our closest friend...) He may even call us to go against the grain, to fight for a deeper sense of right, irregardless of what all others think. These are definitely scary challenges to take on.

"You're afraid? So what! Everybody's afraid. Fear is the common ground of humanity. The question you must wrestle to the ground is 'Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity.'" Andy Stanley, The Next Generation Leader

We can all look back on times in our lives when we let fear keep us from jumping out of the plane, trying something new or speaking up when we knew we should. Hopefully, we can also remember even more times when we wrestled that fear to the ground and let God use us inspite of our fright.

"...so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." Zechariah 8:13 (NIV)

It may seem a lot safer to sit on the ground and watch the chutes of others flare open above you. But the ground is where the dirty fog of mediocrity settles in. At some point very early in my Christian walk, God moved me to quit watching and start jumping. Has it been scary? You better believe it! At times it has even been almost-pee-in-your-pants scary! Yet still, I have found that it is far better to strive for a trust in God's faithfulness than to suffer the regret of staying on the ground when I knew I should have jumped.

The challenge that God places before us is to strap in, push through the fear and lunge out into the wild blue yonder. And if the chute doesn't open and you hit the ground - oh well! At least you went out with a bang instead of slowly choking to death on that dirty fog of mediocrity. The chances are in your favor that God's faithfulness will flare open like the millions of times before. And when it does, you'll get to experience that beautiful stillness that's only found in the wild blue yonder.