Jesus in the midst of instant replay

I want to go ahead and put this out there from the very beginning - Lost is the greatest television show that has ever been broadcast in the history of entertainment. If you ever attempted to watch Lost, then you know that it was a thrill ride of twists and turns that often made little sense unless you were able to go back and reevaluate just exactly what it was that you had just seen - if that was even possible. I’ve watched the series all the way through several times and each time I discover some new wrinkle of information that I never noticed the first couple of times.

In the sports world, instant replay has allowed officials - and all of those armchair officials at home - to reanalyze ad nauseam every angle of a controversial play to find out exactly what did nor did not happen so that the outcome could be properly employed. Every time that an instant replay cycles over and over again on the TV while the officials hash it out, it’s then that we see all sorts of things that we never noticed when the action was being played out in real time. Sometimes I wish that instant replay would be banished since it takes away the purity of the game, but then I instantly change my mind when I realize it sometimes benefits my team.

Rarely do you or I ever fully understand everything that we encounter the first time we see or read it. That doesn’t mean that we are unintelligent or dimwitted, but rather that our minds are capable of processing only so much before they go on overload. Instant replay, whether it is re-watching a show or reading the same book or passage numerous times, helps us to grasp what we have missed.

If you have ever tried to read the Bible, then you know that this applies. I have made it my goal to read the Bible daily and more often than not I encounter something that I either never saw before or suddenly realize that I don’t truly understand its full meaning. That happened to me this morning.

Matthew 21:18-22 is a passage that, until today, I simply read without really thinking about what it meant. In the first couple of verses, we see Jesus cursing a fig tree, which in turn withers. He does so not because He's being petty and mean but rather as an object lesson about Israel - their rejection of Him as the Messiah signals their failure to flourish as God's people. That part I get. The next part is what I struggle to understand:

When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" Jesus answered them and said, "I assure you: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

 Hmmm. Does this mean that I can do cool tricks like killing trees or moving giant obstacles great distances if I only believe that I can in Jesus' name? And if so, what is the point in that? As I sat and scratched my chin at the possible meaning of this, it suddenly hit me right between my eyes. Jesus wasn't trying to tell me about all the things that I can do if I believe, but rather He was showing me - and all of us - how amazing He is if we will simply look.

The Jews of Jesus' day missed it because they were looking for someone different - a Messiah that they wanted to craft into an image that fit their own narrative. That's why they withered like the fig tree in the story. But we - if we seek Jesus in faith with all that we have - won't wither; we'll thrive! Following Jesus taps into His incredible power, greater than anything we can imagine and certainly greater than causing a tree to be unproductive. Think moving mountains and you get the idea.

Here is the point: As you move on in life and seek out what it all means, don't miss Jesus because it's all about Him! Forget what you have heard from skeptics and overzealous Scripture-twisters. Open His book, the Bible, and see for yourself who He truly is. Ask tough questions and then dig for the answers. Ask others for help along the way while allowing Scripture and His truth to be your guide.

Keep on reading and keep on seeking the truth of Jesus. Like instant replay, the more that we dive into God's word, the more we will see all sorts of amazing things that we missed on the first couple of passes. Jesus is someone you don't want to miss.

Share what you got or you might lose it

This past weekend there was a middle school retreat for the student ministry I oversee. Dozens of middle school students brought their glorious chaos to a weekend filled with fun, very little sleep, and lots of junk food. It was all aimed at helping them grow closer to God.

I didn't go to it.

On Wednesday night we will have our regular youth ministry time where we will begin with a teaching time before breaking up into our small groups. Well over 100 middle school and high school students will come for pizza, snacks, fellowship, and intentional time talking about God.

I won't be leading it.

What will I be doing if I am not leading these events? Am I sitting at home watching Sports Center or out on the town eating pizza and wings? No to both.  Instead, I am watching other leaders who have stepped up to the plate and taken the proverbial bull by the horns as they lead and teach our amazing students. These guys and girls aren't leading by accident. They have been placed in key positions to either lead or blend into the background.

Some may call giving responsibility to others delegation, but I prefer to see it as shared leadership. I know for a certain that I can't do everything on my own and I really don't even want to try. In fact, I am keenly aware of my areas of weakness and I do my best to bring people on board who are strong in those areas to make up for my deficiencies.

If you are in a position of leadership you have two choices: Share it or bear it alone. When you share leadership with others, amazing things begin to happen: People take ownership of the organization, they are less likely to complain, morale rises, and results improve. You have a unique vision for what you want to see happen - share that vision by inviting others to walk with you, not follow from behind. If you are hesitant to share leadership with those who serve with you, then they more than likely will not share the passion that you have.

What if you are not a leader, the one making the key decisions? You have two choices as well: Claim opportunities or clam up. Show a willingness to lead and a leader will spot you from a mile away. Don't be afraid to step up and take a chance at more responsibilities. If you choose to clam up, then you have chosen to set the bar as low as you might ever go. And what happens if you serve under someone who refuses to share their leadership? Continue to be available but also accept the fact that it may be time to look for other opportunities to serve elsewhere.

At some point in your life you are going to lead something or someone. If you are a parent, share leadership roles with your kids - allow them to invest their time in preparing meals and doing other jobs around the house. That may not sound very glamorous for your kids but it does take certain things off of your plate as well as equip them for real world challenges later. And if you are the leader of a ministry or other organization, don't even think about shouldering the burden alone.

When you share leadership you equip others to excel in areas they may not otherwise see their gifted-ness. If you aren't willing to share the leadership that you have, you might lose the opportunity to lead altogether.

The pain is real. And so is the solution.

The stories I hear are gut wrenching. A high school student whose parents are MIA in her life. A young man who has never been told that he was good enough or smart enough. Accounts of students who spend days and nights alone at home while their parents are out drinking and getting high. In other cases there are students who live with relatives or neighbors because their families can't or won't support them.

While the individual stories may differ, the results are the same. I see teenagers every day who are hurting because they simply do not know where to turn in their lives. Whether it is their parents who have neglected them, friends who have betrayed them, or relationships that have left them feeling dirty and worthless, there is a generation of young people crying out, and their pain is very real.

Yes, I've seen the drama that occurs in the lives of middle and high school students. Many times the bark is where worse than the actual bite. Feelings get hurt all the time, especially when you are at the age where you are trying to figure out who you are as your life (and your body) goes through immense changes. But often the outer drama reveals an inner hurt that has been left to fester for too long.

It's easy to keyhole this generation as one who feels entitled to things and has no concept of hard work. All they've ever known are iPhones and technology, so aren't they to blame for their lack of relationship and coping skills? Maybe they do share some of the burden, yet when their emptiness is real and the voids are deep, they may have no other option than to sink within themselves.

I sometimes substitute teach at the local middle and high schools in my town. Since I am also a youth pastor, I get to see lots of students on their turf that otherwise I may never get a chance to influence. It wasn't long ago when I subbed for a teacher who had one class that was particularly trying. It seemed as if the school rounded up all of the students with discipline problems and placed them in this one class at the end of the school day. One girl in particular stood out as sort of the ring leader of the chaos. She was little rough around the edges and based on what I had heard from some of the other students, her reputation was not so stellar. So, I called her up to my desk so that we could have a little chat.

She sheepishly approached me, perhaps thinking that I was going to give her a pink slip and send her to the office. But instead I began to ask her questions about herself. What do you want to be when you get older? Tell me about your dreams and your goals. Instantly there was a glimmer in her eye and she shared with me that she wanted to be cardiac surgeon so that she could help people. Honestly, I would have never guessed that in a million years based on her behavior and her grades (which she freely shared with me weren't that good). But instead of telling her to be more realistic, I encouraged her to pursue that dream whatever it took. "I can tell by talking to you that you are very smart and that you might be selling yourself a little bit short. I'll bet that if you buckle down and try your hardest, you can reach that goal. I believe in you."

What happened next was so cool. She paused for a moment with an astonished look on her face and then asked, "Do you really think so?" I told her that I did and that I was excited to see how she progressed the next few years of school. This young lady blushed and said thanks, and then walked back to her desk with her head held a little higher. I can't say that she was an angel for the rest of the class period, but I do know that those positive words that I was able to speak to her made her believe in herself a little bit more.

This world is filled with young people (and many older ones) who feel as if no one believes in them or that they are not good enough. One of my goals is to make sure that these people know that they matter, especially to God. Jesus didn't come to die so that we could feel better about ourselves. No, He died to save us from our sins and a future destined for ruin and to connect us with God. It's great to believe in yourself, but it's even better when you believe what God says about you - that He loves you, cares for you, and has greater plans for your life than you could possibly imagine.

So the next time you encounter students who looks like their future is headed nowhere, take some time to talk to them. You might be surprised what their life goals and dreams are. And, you won't want to miss out on an opportunity to speak truth and encouragement into their lives. But most of all, love them as God loves them. They need to know that their lives and their dreams matter.

Helping when it all seems so helpless

Just in case you just climbed out of a time capsule, I just wanted to let you know that the news lately hasn't been all that good. We can start with the terror attacks in Paris last Friday, where over 100 people were senselessly murdered in a hail of gunfire, bombs, and mayhem. The media has made sure that we know every ounce of information (and disinformation) about this tragedy, and in doing so we have all been made even more aware of the horrific plight that the Syrian refugees are facing in their attempt to escape their homeland in the advance of ISIS plundering and domination.

The conundrums that these issues have raised are numerous. There are many who desperately want to help those in need right now - how can we turn away Syrian refugees who are desperately seeking a safe haven in which to raise their families? Others, however, are exercising caution for fear that another country's conflict might be brought to their own backyard. Passions are inflamed, accusations are hurled, politicians are grandstanding, and social medial is bursting at the seams with ill-informed rhetoric and cyber narcissism.

What are we supposed to do?

There is no simple answer to this question and gaining any semblance of consensus seems next to impossible. As one who has tried unsuccessfully to use online outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to engage in positive dialogue about divisive issues, I want to take a few minutes of your time to offer a few suggestions about what all of us might want to do as we wrestle with these issues and seek some sort of path toward a solution that we will want to take. While these ideas may seem simplistic and certainly aren't exhaustive, I hope that they can serve as a good starting point for many of you.

First, we all need to understand that any humanitarian crisis is a big deal, not just the one(s) that the media draws to our attention. This is no way diminishes the urgency of the situation with the Syrian refugees, but if you did not know any better you would think that outside of Syria and northern Iraq the rest of the world was all unicorns and butterflies. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

• Right now the Ebola virus is still ravaging many areas of West Africa, especially the countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Over 6,000 men, women, and children have died from the disease so far and it's spread is far from contained.
• Over the past few years 2.4 million people have been displaced in South Sudan due to war and as many as 4.6 million people will face food shortages in that region this year.
• 2.5 million people across Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras face food shortages due to severe drought that has prohibited the cultivation of their staple crops.
• Ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic has displaced at least 430,000 people from their homes.

The list goes on - Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Nepal. Most of these crises are not new; they have been ongoing for months and years, yet the media is eerily silent on them. My point is that there is a lot of pain going on in our world right now that needs our collective attention. The tragedy occurring in Syria is despicable and is most certainly urgent, yet at the same time we do not have the right to pick and choose which humanitarian crisis is more worthy of our attention.

This understanding leads to my second suggestion: Respect that others may not share your passion for the same crisis that has gripped your heart and emotions. Why is this important? Because arguing with someone on Facebook or Twitter has never (at least to my knowledge) solved any major world crisis. The man or woman who is not passionate about the Syrian refugees in the same way that you are may not be bigoted or hate-filled - it may be that he or she is invested in other similar worthy causes that have grabbed their heart strings.

Sure, there are idiots out there who want to label everyone a terrorist and attempt to deny them their basic needs, but more often than not the vast majority do not understand the ramifications of the crisis at hand because the information being fed to them comes from multiple one-sided sources. Engaging in verbal sparring matches on social media will not help the greater cause at hand. Sure, you may be right about your position, but there may be nothing more polarizing than turning your passion for a cause into a know-it-all symposium where you shame anyone and everyone who does not share your views.

Finally, be proactive. Do what you know to do right now. This may be raising awareness in a forum that is respected and trusted (contacting your government officials, doing thorough research of the issues, etc.), give financially to those organizations that have the means to help right now, or committing yourself to pray for those affected by senseless tragedies. Whatever you choose to do, do it in the direction that changes things in a positive direction no matter how small or insignificant others may perceive it to be. World Vision, International Justice Mission, and The A21 Campaign are just a few of the organizations out there that are seeking to help those who are in the greatest need. Anything that you give is better than nothing at all. Get out from behind your keyboard and do something.

When it comes to humanitarian issues, most of us can agree that helping is a good thing. While we may not always agree on politics and the solutions to the worlds problems, you don't need permission to care. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). He also warned us to protect those who have been entrusted to our care from those who would bring them harm or lead them astray (John 10:1-13). Yes, there is a tension here, but none of that can keep you or me from doing what we can to seek justice and provide for those who are in desperate need right now.