The Jesus dilemma

“All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Jesus.
And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!’” (Luke 15:1-2)

In those two brief verses, the entire ministry of Jesus can be summed up as well as the legacy of the church that has been tasked to follow after Him. While He was on earth, Jesus loved those who were far from God while the religious leaders of His day hated Him for it. Unfortunately, that pattern still holds true today.

Years ago, someone coined the phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) and from that spawned countless bracelets, t-shirts, and Wednesday messages from youth pastors. The idea was that if it was good enough for Jesus, then it should be good enough for us, too. And what exactly was good enough for Jesus? Luke 15:1 gives us the answer – He loved those who were far from God.

Today’s Christians – myself included – have too often chosen to take this idea of loving those who are far from God by sending the love of Jesus to far away places in the form of missions and charitable giving. This isn’t a bad idea because, after all, those places have lots of people who are far from God and if we take Jesus to them then maybe they will love Him too, right? Besides, we are going to give them and their kids lots of cool trinkets and hard-hitting gospel messages that will warn them of God’s wrath to come. And then, of course, we will pack up our stuff, drive or fly back home, and have an emotional Sunday service where participants wearing matching t-shirts share testimonies and slides illustrating just how much God did through them when they went to these faraway places to share His love to those who desperately needed it. Can I get an amen?!?

Before you send me hate mail for being so incredibly cynical about the short-term mission trips you have participated in, hear me out. The above illustration is only one example of the dilemma that Christians find themselves in when it comes to loving people like Jesus loved people. I don’t know that I have ever been around a group of believers who did NOT want to see people far from God come into a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. I have never heard a fellow Christian pray, “Lord, DON’T save this person and DON’T let them know the love of Jesus.” To say those things would be absolutely ridiculous, right?

Yet...

How easy it is for fellow Christians to act and sound more like the angry old man who demands that those punk kids stay off his lawn:

• “We can’t put more in the church budget for missions or charitable giving – we need to get this building paid off!”
• “I can’t believe that anyone would support an organization like Planned Parenthood! Those people have no value for human life! And while I’m at it, I hope they catch that immigrant who shot that woman. He should hang for his crime – he doesn’t deserve to live!”
•  “Let’s plan another fall festival for October. Maybe all those people from the neighborhood down the road will come this year so that we can finally reach out to them.”
• “I don’t think I have enough to time to volunteer at the homeless shelter. There is this new Bible study on Tuesday nights that I am in – it’s about loving your neighbor. And then I have choir rehearsal for Sunday morning and don’t forget Sunday night Bible study at the Martin’s house. Oh, and Wednesday we will be at the church leading the children in how to write letters of encouragement to missionaries overseas. Maybe I will have more time later to help out.”
• “Did you hear what that other church down the road is doing? They have members that are opening their home to immigrants who are being relocated to our town. How dangerous does that sound! I would never take the chance of putting my family at risk to help those people – Lord only knows what kind of criminal things they want to do in our country.”

If you have heard or experienced these same kinds of statements, then you can understand how we may be in far more danger of sounding and looking like the religious leaders in Luke 15:2 – complaining about others who are striving to live and love like Jesus did – than we are of actually living and loving like Jesus did.

It is not easy to be a follower of Jesus in the 21st Century. Jesus Himself even said that following Him would be difficult. But it is much more difficult to truly follow Him and love those who are far from God when we as His church have created so many boundaries and safe zones for ourselves that we never actually have to be in close contact with those people in the first place. When the life that Jesus lived every single day looks more like an isolated mission project to His followers, then we have indeed found ourselves in a most precarious dilemma.

Underwear is meant to be comfortable. Life, not so much.

I am serving as camp pastor at a placed called Laurel Ridge in the NC moutains this week, so today I decided to go hiking on some trails in an effort to keep from gaining 15 pounds from all the camp food I’m going to be consuming. These trails aren’t new to me - I’ve hiked them countless times over the years as I have been up here as a camper, counselor, and pastor, so when I approached the trail head I was more than ready to get my sweat on and burn some calories.

There are four different trails and they are labeled according to color. Yellow is the longest, red is the steepest, green is not as challenging, and blue takes you to some scenic overlooks. I decided to start at the red/yellow point and then venture down the red trail. I thought about the yellow trail because it’s the one I remember the best from years past, but I wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge since I am such an outdoorsman (cue the sarcasm).

The initial decent on the red trail was pretty steep and I new that when it looped back around I would have to come back up, and I was already dreading the burn that I would experience. After about a quarter of a mile on the red trail, I noticed that the footpath that I was on was no longer clearly defined. It honestly looked like no one had hiked this trail in years. Was I lost? No, because the red markers were clearly visible along the trees at the trail wound along the side of the mountain.

As I continued on this trail, the actual path itself ceased to exist. Instead of hiking, I found myself bush whacking, tramping through patches of ferns, hopping over downed trees, and jumping small creeks. Every step I took felt as if I was pioneer trail blazer, minus the covered wagon and team of mules. Yet every step I took was with a purpose, because the entire time I was following this series of red markers spaced evenly on the trees.

Then things got a bit sketchy. At one point, I completely lost sight of the red ribbons and I was standing in the middle of a patch of brush and downed limbs. I continued to walk forward when suddenly I spotted a red ribbon on a tree in the distance. This happened to me on several occasions. It dawned on me that if I died out there, no one would find me for years. I would be nature’s compost. Then I began to wonder if someone had placed these ribbons on these trees just to see if anyone was a sucker enough to actually follow them. They say there is one born every minute…

Drenched in sweat and realizing that the shoes I had worn were woefully inadequate for such a trek, I finally looped back around to a piece of ground that looked vaguely familiar. The red ribbons had led me into a circuit that ended almost where they began. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to their placement, yet someone had taken the time to put them there knowing that eventually they would lead whoever followed them back to their starting point.

The whole time that I was hiking this oddly marked trail, two thoughts continue to go through my mind. First, I hope I can find my way out of here before I starve to death. And second, walking along a trail like this reminds me of how so many people traverse their spiritual journey through life.

Think about this for a minute. How easy is it for us to take the yellow trail, the one that we know best? Yes it’s long but it’s also safe. The red trail is the one the we often avoid because even though it’s marked for us, we seem to take every step with uncertainty because the path is not always clear.

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you know that God has not called you to safety or comfort but rather to share the good news of Jesus with the rest of the world. Yet doing so seems an awful lot like the red path. You can see the objective ahead of you - the people that you know you need to pull alongside of - but getting to where they are seems awful difficult if not just downright scary.

Underwear is meant to be comfortable. If it’s not, you put on a new pair. Life, however, holds no such guarantees. There are times when you will wonder if you are on the right path and more than once you will be tempted to turn around and call it quits. But that is not what Jesus did and that is not what we are called to do either. Take the red path. Sure it’s hard and it might hurt your feet, but there are people along the way on the red path that otherwise would never understand the meaning of life's journey if you don't meet them on it.

At the beginning and the end

Today I am officiating a wedding and also speaking at a funeral. I love officiating weddings because they are beautiful opportunities to be a part of the beginning of something so special between a man and a woman. Being able to speak God's truth into the lives of a couple as they say "I do" is a powerful thing. Plus, there is the benefit of enjoying all of the food at the reception - definitely a plus.

Funerals, on the other hand, are not so high on my list. It's not that a funeral isn't important - it certainly is - but the reality is that a majority of the time they are somber and incredibly sad events. Even when the one who has passed has lived a great life and is now in eternity with Jesus, those left behind still feel the sting of their lost presence.

But regardless of my feelings towards funerals, I have the honor of speaking at the service today of a woman named Cheryl who passed from this earth on Monday at the young age of 38. Let me tell you about Cheryl. I met her last year at my church and was immediately struck by her warmth and grace towards others. Cheryl was pretty much on her own - not much family in her life - yet she found herself surrounded by a community of friends and faith that loved and supported her and became her true family.

About the time I met Cheryl she informed me one Sunday that she had been diagnosed with cancer of the liver. She told me that she was going to fight it with everything she had. Once the treatments began she shaved her head as an act of defiance against the inevitable effects of chemotherapy and not once did she gripe or complain about the process.

As the months and treatments went by, Cheryl continued to fight but it became apparent that her cancer was fighting just as hard. Over the past several weeks she began to face complications and hospital visits became a part of her weekly routine. Last week, her best friend took her to the hospital one last time.

This past Sunday I received a text from Cheryl's friend asking if I could come see her at the hospital. I arrived at the ICU unit to find her hooked up to a respirator, dialysis, and all sorts of other tubes that were feeding medications into her failing body. She was resting peacefully, as if none of this cancer nonsense was all that big of a deal.

The next day I received another message - Cheryl was ready to go home. The decision had been made to terminate all of the artificial measures that were keeping her alive and I was asked to be there when the time came to turn them off. I'm not going to lie, I was conflicted. Watching as someone passes from this earth is incredibly difficult and is not something that I would naturally choose to do. Nevertheless, I drove to the hospital to be there with Cheryl and her friends when the time came.

As we were waiting in her room for others to arrive, I talked to Cheryl and read passages of Scripture to her - Psalm 19, Psalm 23, I Corinthians 15, and Revelation 21. These passages are beautiful reminders of God's love and purpose for us, not just here on earth but also for all eternity. Throughout the entire time she remained in a deep sleep, but I do believe she heard me. It is widely accepted that hearing is the last sense to leave prior to death and I firmly believe that she could hear and process my every word.

When the time came for the machines to be unplugged and the IV lines to be shut off, there was peace in the room. We all gathered around her bed and prayed over her, telling her that we would miss her but that it was okay to let go and go home to Jesus. As the minutes passed her vitals signs began to slow until she quietly took her last breath and the monitors fell silent. Without realizing I was even saying it, I exclaimed, "She's home!" and her friends gathered around her for one last goodbye.

Over the past sixteen years I have had the privilege of being in the room as all four of my children were born, assisting in the delivery of two of them. I've watched in awe and wonder as new life entered into the world, taking in that first lung-full of breath and crying out with the announcement that they have arrived.

I've also enjoyed the honor of officiating many weddings, celebrating with the bride and groom and their families as two lives merge together on a new and exciting journey. Their shared enthusiasm and giddiness during pre-marital counseling, the look on the groom's face when we first sees his bride, and the exhausted yet deeply in-love look they give to each other at the reception are memories that don't easily fade from the mind.

And then there is the end of life. Contemplating someone's years on this earth as you honor their memory is very sobering, yet it is also a wonderful opportunity to consider just how good and faithful God is. In the New Testament, James wrote that "life is a vapor," just a moment on earth in contrast to the continuum of eternity (James 4:14). During our time here, we live and breath because of a God who desperately loves us and wants us to know Him in a real and personal way through faith in Jesus Christ.

I am so very grateful that my friend Cheryl knew this and placed her faith in Jesus some time ago. As I speak on her behalf today, finding the right words won't be all that difficult. It's easy enough to speak about a life well lived. It's even easier to speak about a life well lived for Jesus.

Location:At the beginning and the end

We aren't starting over, we're just turning down a new road

This past Monday morning June 19, 2017, a couple of trailers and a whole host of people showed up at our town home in Southport, NC, to help us pack our lives up and move us up to Wilmington, NC. For several hours we sweated, laughed, grunted at ridiculously heavy pieces of furniture, and laughed some more.

Our journey to Wilmington began towards the end of last summer with a bit of a nudge. Both my wife and I sensed that God was moving us in that direction, but we weren't exactly sure why. My position at the church I was serving in was going and growing well - I truly enjoyed being both a Teaching Pastor and Connections Pastor there, helping people plug in and take their next step with God. Even though my wife is a nursing professor at UNCW, she was okay driving back and forth a few days a week. Our kids had all of their friends in Southport and we lived in a really cool community. Why move?

God continued to nudge us and we continued to pray for His wisdom and guidance. At the beginning of December, some dear friends of ours from Wilmington told us about a house in their neighborhood that had just gone on the market, for sale by owner. They said it would be perfect for our family and we should check it out. Being familiar with the neighborhood and loving how it was laid out, we said why not, let's take a look. We loved the home the moment we set foot inside of it.

Things began rolling after that. Within a week's time we had come to an agreement with the home owner and on January 31, 2017, we closed on our new home. We decided that we would wait until the end of the school year before we moved in, giving our children the chance to finish at their respective schools and to have that valuable time with their friends. In the meantime, we would venture one or two days a week to change paint colors and put our own touches on the place. Three days ago that house officially became our new home.

As you read this story, you may notice that there is one element missing. What am I going to do as far as ministry is concerned now that I am in Wilmington? That's a great question - I'm glad you asked!

Even though the future for my ministry was unclear, from the very beginning my wife and I had a peace about this move. Let me rephrase that. We had a intermittent peace about the move, interspersed with doubting and second guessing and moments of panic. Are doing the right thing? Maybe we misunderstood what God was trying to show us? Why move now when things are going so good?

As we wrestled with these realities, there was one constant at the forefront of all our planning, dreaming, excitement, and worries - God is faithful. He has a plan and His plan is always better than anything I could possibly scheme. So as far as what I will be doing up here, the moment those trailers pulled up in front of our new home this past Monday, my new ministry began.

I want to be the best neighbor that I can possibly be, loving my new neighbors well and being a godly influence in my new community. But my plan is not to just sit at home and be nice to people - I am actively seeking opportunities where I can serve and work and give of myself, utilizing the gifts that God has given to me. We are also now just a short drive from UNCW, which means that our new home will be open to college students who are looking for a place to "get away." In short, this new home is the beginning of an exciting new ministry for our family.

Moving is hard and unbelievably fatiguing. But moving is also exhilarating when you are following the path that you believe God has set before you. For me and my family, moving to Wilmington doesn't mean that we are starting over, because God's path for our lives hasn't changed. Instead, we are taking a turn along the way to somewhere new. Life is a journey and life is ministry. Y'all come see us!

Dream shots and hitting the mark

My goal in life has never been to be rich and famous and so far that goal is well within my grasp. Compared to the billions of people on this planet, my world is relatively small, but I still long to make an impact for someone greater than myself. But there was this one time when the world around me stopped to take notice. At least the guys in one of the basketball gyms at Wake Forest University did anyway.

I will be the first one to confess that my skills as a basketball player have never been much to brag about. Pick-up ball games at the church gym with the fellas that I grew up with were pretty much my only experience with the game, and every once in while I would chuck up a deep ball and see it tickle the twine, but that was not the norm. Being a short guy who could only dribble with his left hand, my specialty was playing annoying defense and fouling the opposing players, which I became pretty adept at doing. But my church buddies didn't seem to care all that much - I guess all that teaching on grace had begun to sink in by then and they quickly forgave my erratic performance.

Fast forward to my junior year in college and my game had actually improved quite a bit. I still couldn't do much with my right hand, but I was quick and could knock down a jumper or two, although I preferred (and still do to this day) to dish out a dime to a teammate whom I knew could make the shot. Pick-up games at Wake Forest were usually pretty intense, with the first team to eleven remaining on the court until they were jousted by a more talented  - or less fatigued - group of five, and the cycle would repeat itself.

Waiting to play in a game was almost as bad as trying to find a team to get on that would last more than one round of play, but every once in a blue moon I was able to weasel my way onto a pretty decent team. One spring afternoon in 1991 I believed I had finally hit the jackpot.

The games had just begun that afternoon and my team had a Wake Forest basketball player on it, a guy named David Rasmussen who had just transferred in from another college. He was tall and could shoot from anywhere on the court, which meant that all I would need to do was get him the ball and hang back on defense. I at last might be able to stay on the court for a few sessions before languishing on the sidelines awaiting my next opportunity to play.

As David gathered our team together, I noticed that another team was assembling that made my knees shake just a little. There was Chris King, the starting power forward for Wake Forest who would play several years in the NBA, and he was standing alongside Derrick McQueen, the starting point guard for Wake Forest, putting together a unit of their own. My first thought was that those two could beat the five of us on their own, but at the same time I was excited about being on the court with a few Wake Forest players. When was that ever going to happen again?

We took the court and play began. There was nothing formal about pick-up ball in the gyms at Wake Forest. The action was fast-paced and fouls were rarely called unless someone came up bleeding. I was matched up against Derrick McQueen, who didn't seem too impressed with my lack of physical acumen and thus paid little attention to me when my team was on offense.

Early in the game my teammate David Rasmussen found me on the fast break around the free throw line, and I floated up a jumper that went in. Of course, we could do little to stop the other team from scoring but it felt nice to contribute a little. A few possessions later is when the magic kicked in for me, forging memories that my mind can see just as clearly today as if they happened yesterday. You see, I got the hot hand and nailed a few deep baskets.

The first long shot came after the other team had scored. Chris King could routinely pull up from half court on those side courts and hit shots, and today was no different. After a basket by King, one of my teammates inbounded the ball to me and no sooner had I taken a step or two past half court, I launched a deep three point shot. Swish. The next time that we had the ball I did the exact same thing, launching a three point shot that barely moved the net as it passed through. I would never dare compare myself to an elite basketball player, but in that moment I truly believe I was in what athletes call "the zone," even if it only last for a few minutes.

My teammates were looking at me like, "Who is this short guy with the receding hairline hitting these shots like he's Larry Bird?" David Rasmussen gave me a knowing look and confidently said, "Keep getting open and I'll get you the ball." Seriously. Did they know that I could never hit those shots again in a million years? Besides, McQueen wasn't even playing defense on me, so I was open as I could hope to be each time down the court. All that would soon change.

During the stretch of our game, I noticed as a rather large muscular guy strolled into the gym and stood on the sidelines to watch our game. It didn't take me long to realize that this was super freshman Rodney Rogers, a McDonald's All-American - the first one I believe that Wake had ever signed - who was known as the Durham Bull. Rodney was an absolute beast on the court and we had all watched the Wake games in awe earlier in the year as he took over time and again, scoring with monster dunks and unguardable post moves while making opponents look downright silly. And here was Rodney Rogers, watching the pick-up game in which I was nailing shots against his varsity teammates.

It was after my third basket ripped the nets that I heard those words I will never forget. "Yo Derrick, white boy is showing you up!" shouted Rodney, aiming his words at his point guard teammate who up until now had paid little attention to me. In that moment, something came over Derrick McQueen. He had been called out and there was no way he was going to take that, especially from a teammate who, even though he was everybody's All American, was still the new kid on the block. Now it was on.

As we jogged down the court, the sting of Rogers' comment still ringing in his ears, McQueen looked at me and said, "Man, you need to slow down. You're gonna hurt yourself!" I feebly muttered back something to the effect that this was just a fluke and I'm sure it won't happen again, but I'm pretty sure he didn't listen. All I know is that suddenly Derrick McQueen was paying more attention to me than I could ever desire.

Any time I get near the ball, McQueen was in my grill. When he had the ball on offense he went straight at me, daring me to stop him. There were times when he actually tried to post me up in the paint, bullying me with his larger frame in an attempt to show me that he would not be taken lightly. All the while the game is continuing to be played by the other players who were shooting and missing and rebounding in spite of this personal battle that was now being waged.

A few minutes later it was all over. My team had lost by a few baskets and I had not so much as sniffed the leather on the ball once Rodney Rogers had uttered those fateful words. But I did outscore Derrick McQueen in that game three baskets to two, a point of satisfaction that still stays with me to this day.

Walking off the court, I thought that surely my MVP performance had been noticed by my teammates and they would present me with some sort of trophy for attempting to slay the monster of playing against Division One college players, but that was not the case. There were no post game handshakes or good game back slaps, just another round of first-team-to-eleven and waiting again for another chance to play.

Nevertheless I was feeling a bit euphoric and couldn't wait to get out on the court again. That's when I noticed that Rodney Rogers was still standing there on the sidelines and that no one was around him. Did this mean that he was available for the next game? Would I actually be able to play on the same team as Rodney Rogers?

Visions of lobbing ally oop passes for slam dunks and post-game fist bumps with the Durham Bull raced through my head. I had to make sure that no one else had approached him to be on their team. This was MY dream day and I was determined to keep on living it.

I sheepishly made my way over to where Rodney was standing, his giant frame casually dribbling a ball between his legs. With a faux wave of confidence, I asked him if he wanted to call next game with me and to my surprise he looked down at me and simply said, "Yeah." I was so overjoyed that you would have thought that he had just accepted an invitation to be my BFF, but I played it cool, not wanting him to know just how much of a homer I was.

The current game was drawing to a close, King and McQueen's team again ruling the court. "Not for long, suckas!" was all I could think as I eagerly awaited my turn to take the court with who at the time had been the most sought after freshman to ever don a Wake Forest basketball jersey. It was game point, and in the next few minutes my road to greatness was going to widen from a two lane back road to a four lane highway.

And just as quickly as my joy was about to reach its pinnacle, it all came crashing down. "Hey guys, coach wants all of you in a team meeting. Now!" I turned to see an assistant basketball coaching peering through the doors of the gym, the messenger for the Wake Forest head basketball coach who unknowingly was crushing my dreams.

Within seconds all of the varsity players were heading toward the door, Rodney Rogers included. "No! This isn't fair! I was about to play a game with Rodney Rogers. You can't have a team meeting now. I'm about to meet my destiny!"  I'm not sure if I actually said those things out loud or just thought them in my head at a maximum decibel level, but at that moment my heart sank as I realized my glory days as a baller were ending just as quickly as they had begun. The dream was over.

Now obviously my life was not ruined just because I never had the chance to play a pick-up basketball game with Rodney Rogers. Besides, hitting those big baskets against the point guard from a Division One school was exciting enough, even if it was a bit of a fluke. But here is one thing that I do know: Had I not thrown those shots up there, then there was zero chance that they would have gone in.

What is true in basketball is also true in life. Sometimes you just gotta throw it up there. I like to joke with my son whenever he plays recreation league basketball that he has never seen a shot he wouldn't take. And while no one likes a ball hog, there are also many times when you are be open yet will be too afraid to pull the trigger. Sometimes you just gotta take the shot!

How many times have you missed opportunities because you doubted your own abilities or you assumed that someone else was more qualified than you? Did you not take on that leadership role in part because you were scared of letting others down if you failed? Or maybe you are driven more by the fear of failure than you are a desire to success and be a change agent in this world?

Whatever the circumstances, God has not placed you here to simply settle for average. Think about the men and women of the Bible who took the big shot despite the odds that were stacked against them:

• Abraham, an obscure guy who didn't even closely follow God, yet went by faith when he was called by God to go to a land where he had never been before so that he could be the beginning of a great nation (Genesis 12:1-5)
• Rahab was a prostitute, yet she gambled her own life to honor God and as a result found herself in the royal bloodline of King Jesus (Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5)
• David was the youngest of several sons and spent his days watching sheep, yet he stepped up to the line to defeat a giant and subsequently lead a great nation (1 Samuel 17; 2 Samuel 5)
• Then there is Paul, a former Jewish leader who placed his faith in Jesus, risking his life to spread the gospel throughout the known world (The Book of Acts)

If you take that big shot are you guaranteed to make it? No, but you will never make it if you do not even try. We are able to dream big dreams because we have a God who is all about big dreams. As an image bearer of the God who knows no limits or boundaries, the ball is in your hands and it is your turn to take the big shot.

Fix it before it breaks you

Beaver Bottom Church had a problem. Actually, they had lots of problems but this one stood out more than any of the others. It seems that the new pastor, Rev. Donald Doorite, was wanting to nix the canine evangelism program that had been run out of their fellowship hall for the past 17 years.

The distinguished Mr. Harold Winston Higgenbotham, lifelong member and self-proclaimed top tither at Beaver Bottom Church, started and initially funded the canine evangelism program after his daughter came home from a Disney movie convinced that dogs could - and should - go to heaven. Because Mr. Higgenbotham was such a faithful giver and dominant voice in the church, no one really opposed the idea. Besides, maybe dogs do go to heaven, they reasoned.

Now almost two decades later, Mr. Higgenbotham and his immediate family was long gone, having left Beaver Bottom Church in a huff after a disagreement over the color of the new carpet in the sanctuary. Yet the canine evangelism program was still funded in the church budget even though not one pooch had yet to be baptized on a Sunday morning. Something had to give.

When Rev. Doorite looked over the church budget items in his first few weeks on the job, the canine evangelism line item immediately caught his eye. "What in the name of potluck dinners is this?" he half whispered, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing on the spreadsheet before him. His ire was further stoked when he realized that more money went to saving the souls of dogs than it did to seeing that men and women in the community had a chance to hear the gospel. Something had to change!

At the next deacon's meeting, Rev. Doorite waited until the regular church business was discussed before broaching the subject of the canine evangelism program. He began by expressing how much he enjoyed the companionship of his own rescued golden retriever, Goldie Locks, and that the humane treatment of animals was very important to him. "However," said Rev. Doorite, "I do not see how we can continue to fund and staff a ministry with volunteers that simply doesn't work. We are in the business of human souls, not doggie goals."

To the Reverend's surprise, the backlash he received at the suggestion of redirecting all the canine cash was immediate. "We can't cut that program!" hollered Edgar Needlemeyer. "The dogs really like it and we've had at least one family join the church as the result of the program." Marion Twopence chimed in, "We can't end that program! Sure, puppy proselytizing may not be popular in most churches, but what would Mrs. Mary Swanson do without it? She's been volunteering every week since it began. What will SHE do now?"

On and on came the dissent and angry protests. Rev. Doorite could almost feel the mutiny in the room and he knew he had to act quickly before he lost what little control he had. "Gentlemen, please! Let's table this matter for next month's meeting when we can come back together for what I hope will be perhaps a more helpful - and less contentious - discussion. In the meantime, I urge each of you to look over the church budget and see how these doggie dollars can be better served in other ministry areas." While this suggestion calmed the crowd for the moment, the grunts, glares, and mumbles of the deacons as they left the room let Rev. Doorite know that he had more than his work cut out for him.

Okay, so this story didn't really happen. And if your church does have a canine evangelism program in place then, well, I simply have no words. But I think you get my over-exaggerated point. Whether it is in a ministry setting such as today's churches or the business world, there will always be those programs that have either run their course or no longer effectively meet the needs or vision of your organization. When that happens, it takes forethought and courage to realize that it's time to shut it down.

"But we've always done it this way!" "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" "But we can't cancel this program because, well, we just can't!" All of these protests and more will be heard when ministers and other leaders see the value in redirecting the resources that unneeded programs can drain from an organization. When that happens, it can be very difficult to resist the naysayers in favor of maintaining the status quo, but resist you must.

Let me share with you what takes real courage for leaders to say when faced with a deficient pet-program that many in the organization still hold onto with a desperate grasp - "We tried, but it didn't work, so let's move on to something that will work." It is this mentality that is missing in so many churches and business organizations, yet it can be the most freeing and innovating concept that they can grasp.

Vision was never intended to be static. It is meant to grow and flourish as we nourish it with our passion for seeing others benefit from our efforts. If you are in the business world and you refuse to adapt and retool your vision to match the industry, your doors won't stay open much longer. In a ministry context, if our programs are not intentionally either pointing people to faith in Jesus or growing men and women to be more faithful followers of Jesus, then it's time to pull the plug on them, even if they are still popular and draw interest among our people.

Failure isn't the worst thing that can happen to your business or ministry. Being unwilling to admit it just might be. And that's the doggone truth.

What the 1980's are teaching us about our future

What is going on with all this retro stuff that America is going crazy with? Everywhere you look, someone is trying to kick it old school and go back in time. There is the 1980's-ET-sythesizer-inspired Stranger Things show on Netflix (which is awesome, by the way) that pretty much everyone I know who graduated high school in the 1980's is gaga about. The newer Progressive insurance commercials are all now filmed as retro 1970's spots. Then there are movies - how many remakes of older movies are we gonna see? Hello Ghostbusters and Poltergeist, not to mention War Games, Commando, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids which are just a few that are in the process of being remade.

And oh my word, there are the clothing and music styles. The 1980's absolutely haunt me at times, not because it was such a bad decade but because my style was so pitiful. I had hair then, amazing blonde hair with a natural wave to it. But I parted that hair down the middle and heavily hair sprayed it, preserving for decades horrific yearbook images that I still can't escape.

And yes, I owned and often wore a pair of acid washed jeans. I even tight rolled them at the bottom as I paired them with my favorite Stan Smith Adidas shoes. And yes, my musical tastes were often driven by synthesizers, although I did buck the trend by dabbling in some punk rock music and what became known as early alternative rock. Sounds and looks a lot like today, huh?

Why do find ourselves coming to roost in the nostalgia of the past so often? When we get all caught up in reminiscing about how amazing the past was, what we are doing is looking negatively at our NOW while believing that we really had it figured out in our PAST. And there is nothing wrong with reveling in the past, as long as you don't convince yourself that nothing in the future could ever be better. If we can't do that, then we are guilty of violating the golden rule of history: Learn from it or you are doomed to repeat it.

Nostalgia should fuel our desire to do greater things, not keep up mired in mediocrity. I sincerely believe that many of us are paralyzed by the shrines of the past that we so readily build. But what if we could take what the past has taught us and use it to propel us to make our future memories better than what history could ever teach us? Can we even do this?

God's word says that we can. Psalm 119:92-93 tells us, "If Your instruction had not been my delight, I would have died in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for You have given me life through them." The guy who wrote this is happily reminded just how much he has learned from the past and how grateful he is that what God had formulated in eternity had changed the course of his life in the future. The past can be awesome, but only if it causes us to go further and deeper and greater into the future. If not, then all we are left with are just some stale memories and an inability to move beyond the equivalent of high school greatness.

Brush the dust off of your letter jacket and put your cassette player away. Stop waiting for MTV to actually play music videos again. What God has in mind for your future could be amazing if you will only let Him have his way.

Don't sing it, bring it!

Several years ago I became the new youth pastor at a church in Yadkinville, NC. In case you've never heard of Yadkinville or you have no idea how to pronounce it, the "d" is silent and the "i" is more like a hard "u", so it's pronounced "Ya-kun-vull" by those who really know who to speak Yadkin-ese, the local dialect there. Anyhow, the students there were all awesome and a little on the country side, which was cool because it challenged me to be a little less "city" and uptight about certain things.

Early on in my time of service there, I realized that I had a group of guys that were gifted at talking junk. You know, the kind where you playfully goad other people verbally to engage in physical challenges, all the while strutting like a peacock and "bowing up" to them. If you don't understand, then you have to accept that it's a guy thing and it's just what we do at times.

There was one kid in the group who was small for his age, but he made up for it with his vocal abilities. And boy, was he country. When he spoke, you could almost see the syrup dripping from the air. His one liners were classic as well - he would threaten to "Put a knot on the side of your head so big a calf could suck on it!" or "Knock your teeth so far down your throat you've got to drop your breeches to chew your food!" This kid was funny with his junk talking, but also a bit annoying at times because he just never seemed to stop. I loved him anyway. Most of the time.

One of this young man's favorite sayings, however, was in response to junk talk that other people delivered to him. If I ever called his bluff or threatened to hang him out of the window by his toes - not that I ever did threaten to do that, necessarily - he would come back with this line: "Don't sing it, bring it!" In other words, put your money where your mouth is. Funny how he never backed up his bravado but, then again, he was all bark and no bite himself.

Don't sing it, bring it! This is a call to action to stop talking and start doing. It's easy to talk about all sorts of things that you are going to do in your life - do better in school, make necessary lifestyle changes, be a more committed spouse, make more of a difference in this world for Jesus - but when it actually comes down to fulfilling those words, well, that's when it gets hard. It's easy to say it, yet much harder to do it. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Think about politicians. Okay, don't think about them if you can, but that's gonna be hard because that's all we see and hear on the news today. Where was I? Oh yeah, politicians. They are the masters at saying whatever it is that they think you want to hear just so that they can win your vote, and then when they take office they are notorious for not delivering on their promises. They know how to sing it but not bring it.

The same is true of many of us who are followers of Jesus. Have you ever read something in the Bible or been given a challenge in a message that truly stirred your heart and you committed right then and there to live out that truth, only to fizzle out later in the day? I have. Or how many times have you lifted your voice in worship to an amazing God who you had no trouble praising with your lips yet never could seem to glorify with your actions? Been there, done that.

Why is it so hard to back up the words that we say? It might be because we overestimate our own abilities while at the same time underestimating the power and nature of God. You see, our God is a God of action, not merely words. When He proclaimed something in the Bible, it was always because He was about to act. There was no doubt that when He said it, those things would happen.

James knew this about God and he also knew that we were weak in the area of faithfully doing what we said we were going to do. Look at what he so skillfully writes in James 2:14-27

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Do you see what James is saying? If we say it but don't do it, then our faith is essentially useless. It's dead. That puts most of us in a bit of a pickle, because we've said and committed to certain things for God in our faith that in the end we've failed to actually do. And when we "sing it but don't bring it" for God, then it affects not just our relationship with Him, but our relationships with others suffer as well because they miss out on the work that God wants to do through us for their benefit.

Since it's almost election season, I vote that we commit to be people of action and not merely words. If you don't think you can follow through, then don't say that you'll do it. But if you do lift up your voice to the Lord in praise, or have your heart stirred by the Holy Spirit to make changes in your life, or you believe that you are being compelled to live that life on mission that God has called you to, then don't sit on that. Do it.

Acknowledge that a living faith is one that is backed up by action. Change your ways. Repent of the inaction of your past. And do what you know you should do for the glory of God. Bring it, don't just sing it. 

A lesson from the disco ball of life

As I child of the 1970's and an teenager in the 1980's, the fads that were so popular then seem so cheesy when viewed from the lens of 2015. I can vividly remember a time when my brothers and I were convinced that our lives would be woefully incomplete if we didn't have a strobe light that our neighbor had put up for sale. Yes, a strobe light. Think disco skating at the roller rink.

We devised a plan to make seashell jewelry and sell it in the neighborhood until we had raised enough money to buy this most coveted possession. Our entrepreneurial plan worked to perfection and it wasn't long until we joyfully presented a jar full of change to our neighbor in exchange for the amazing strobe light that would send all of our neighborhood pals into fits of jealous.

Excitedly, my brothers set the strobe light up in our garage and we took turns roller skating around on the concrete floor as the intermittent light flashed all around us. What a life-changing experience this was! Except that it really wasn't. As you can probably imagine, it took only a few days until the joy of our strobe light fizzled out and us fickle boys found another cause to pursue that we believed would make our lives better for sure.

Don't laugh, you've been there too although your story and your pursuits are different. For some of you, that prize that you strain for is that job or the success that it will bring that will most certainly give your life the meaning, purpose, and security you have been longing for. Then there are others who believe that the right relationship, the cool car, the meaningful friends, the best grades, etc. ad infinitum, will make your life so much more...better.

But better never comes with those things, does it? In fact, when you finally "arrive" the only thing there to meet you is a new set of expectations and goals that you will have to pursue to make your life even better than it is now. Solomon, perhaps the wisest and wealthiest king to ever roam the planet, sought every worldly pleasure that can be imagined just to see if these pursuits and riches would bring him more purpose and meaning to his life. His states his final conclusion as he pens these first words in the book of Ecclesiates:

"Meaningless! Meaningless!”

says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Here's what this means for you and me. Money, possessions, success, abilities, relationships, accomplishments, and goals are not bad things. BUT, when they become the primary source of your purpose and satisfaction in life then they become evil. Truthfully, they become your idols. 

When we seek to find satisfaction and meaning in anything or anyone other than God, we too will come to the conclusion that all of our pursuits are meaningless. They simply don't deliver on the goods. Sure, we will have a good time for awhile and may be even able to enjoy some of the finer things in life, yet none of these can possibly offer us ultimate or eternal satisfaction. Only God can do that.

When the mystique of our strobe light wore off, I put it in a box on a shelf and forgot all about it. I'm sure at some point it either was given away or thrown in the garbage. For a few days it was pretty awesome, but it has had no lasting impact on my life.

God, on the other hand, has changed me in ways that no pursuit or possession could possibly hope to achieve. When my eyes were opened to my desperate need for God to be my purpose, I saw that my sin - which had kept me from knowing God - was staring me straight in the face. It was then that I realized that Jesus was the only One capable of taking my sin upon Himself and freeing me from the debt that it had placed upon me. Once Jesus saved me, I was able to see clearly for the first time that all of the idols I had lined up in my life in an effort to find ultimate satisfaction were simply lifeless objects that had no power at all. 

Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, all of us have idols to which we attach value. Sometimes our grasp slackens and we let them go, clinging to Jesus with all that we have. But there are times where we clutch these idols so tightly that we truly believe we would die without them. But to this we ultimately realize it is all "Meaningless!" Relationships, success, money, sex, achievement - all of these are God's good gift to us but these creations can never replace the Creator or satisfy like He can.

Excuse me while I vomit my thoughts on your computer screen

Sometimes you just gotta write it all down while it's fresh in your head, kind of like a mind vomit that hits the computer keys. Here it is. My apologies to those who involuntarily retch at the mention or thought of vomit.

Passion 2015
I have had the absolute joy of attending the Passion conferences now for several years. What started out as a chaperoned trip of college kids to Atlanta, GA, in 2007 has now turned into a much anticipated yearly event that I hate to miss. Yes, it's geared toward 18-25 year olds, but someone has to take them so why not me, right?

Do you want to know why I believe Passion to be one of the greatest things going out there for this generation? First, it's not really a conference or even a get together - it's a movement. This is why it makes it so hard to describe to people what you experienced once you return home from a Passion event. Nowhere have I seen so many young adults who intentionally gather for the purpose of exalting Jesus as high as they can. Yes, great music comes from Passion conferences and many inspiring speakers are there, but they are merely the catalysts for what God does in the hearts and lives of those in attendance during those few days together.

Another reason I think Passion is so great is because it comes without a gimmick. I do believe there is a theme for each year they hold the event, but it's not pushed on you like some door-to-door salesman trying to sell you a vacuum. The leaders of Passion don't have as their #1 goal some slick slogan or mantra they want you to adopt for your life. Rather, they strive to push you to fulfill the desire for glorifying God that He has already planted in your heart. You leave an event like Passion already knowing what you need to do, but you are now more inspired than ever to get it done. Looks like I'll be booking more tickets for 2016.

Prayer
I'm someone who does not care much for New Year's resolutions. If you adopt them for yourselves then I think that's awesome and you have my full support, but as for me, it's never been an endeavor that has really born much fruit. Instead, I truly hope that when the need for change confronts me face-to-face, then I will make every effort to move in a different direction from that point forward instead of waiting for some set starting point to begin.

And believe me, I have been faced with a least one area in my life that desperately needs to change, and that is in the arena of prayer. Reading the Bible and other books of personal interest is something that I am pretty good at. I simply love to read. Those of you who know me also know that I love to talk and I'm pretty good at that as well. Probably too good. But when it comes to communicating with God through prayer, I typically suck a lemon on that one.

Maybe it's because I'm slightly ADD (seriously, I do believe that I am), but when it comes to prayer my attention span is about as long as Shaquille O'neal's music career. Lack of focus, a million thoughts assailing my brain, and constant self-imposed distractions are my downfall. So I've decided that some necessary changes are in order and the lengths to which I have gone to enhance my prayer life are radical and outlandish. Do you want to know what I am doing to be more diligent in prayer? I am writing my prayer requests down.

All sarcasm aside, I know that this is not some mind-boggling idea. In fact, many of you have probably had prayer journals where you log all of issues for prayer that God has placed on your heart over the years. Well, I am happy to say that I have now joined your ranks. And do you know what? It's amazing! How cool is it that my attention is now focused more on God now that I have more of a plan of what I desire to bring to Him in prayer? And so far it's working smashingly well.

Prayerlessness is not one of those sins that I want to be found guilty of. How can I neglect this precious time with God, His personal invitation to me (and to you) to commune with Him on an intimate level? Perhaps prayer is like one of those foods like oysters that don't appear appealing on the outside but once you taste it you simply can't get enough. Right now I am signing up for the all-you-can-eat buffet.

When grace isn't quite so graceful

Man, I messed up big time the other day. My words and my actions totally threw my life out of balance and I spent a lot time trying to make amends for my sinfulness. I'm sure you can relate to my dilemma because you've probably recently found yourself in the same spiritual quagmire. You royally blew it and now you feel slightly less worthy than a piece of maggot-infested garbage. Why do we continue to struggle with the same old sins for which Jesus suffered and died?

Maybe your issue isn't what you've just recently done but rather what haunts you from your past. There was that time in your life when you were far from God, living a life that now makes you want to retch. Or perhaps you are the product of abuse, whether it was sexual, physical, or emotional. Your view of yourself is so low that you struggle to move on because of the guilt and feelings of inadequacy that you can't seem to shake.

But then God stepped in and the miraculous happened. Jesus found you and in the arms of His redemption and grace you have found purpose. You have been set free, the weight of sin and shame no longer pinning you down and convincing you that you are unworthy. You have been declared righteous - justified - in the eyes of God and He sees you as His precious child, beautiful in His sight. Do you deserve all of this? No! None of us deserve God's grace and mercy and love and forgiveness yet He gives it to us - He lavishes it on us! (Ephesians 1:7-8) - freely and without hesitation.

Yet in spite of God's love and incredible forgiveness, you can't move past your past. Something inside of you just can't accept His grace and unconditional love. So you hide deeper within yourself and you die a little bit spiritually every day, malnourished from your refusal to dine at the Lord's table.

It is an absolute tragedy when God's grace is not accepted. And this refusal of His grace usually hits us in two ways. First, when you struggle to accept God's grace for your life then your focus becomes YOU and not Him. Jesus bled and died for you - there is nothing that can separate you from God's love in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:31-39) - yet somehow you have managed to wedge yourself away from the reality of His grace. Oh don't get me wrong, you can do nothing to diminish God's grace and salvation, but it is possible to render yourself ineffective by refusing to live in the reality of it.

When we do this, we live selfishly as if grace is not enough. This isn't humility - it's self-flagellation - and it's offensive to God because what Jesus bought us on the cross is ENOUGH. No amount of self-abuse that we might bring upon ourselves will add one micron to the salvation and grace that has been freely given to us in Christ. If this is you, stop acting like you are helping God by punishing yourself. He doesn't need your help and it's laughable that you live as if He does. Instead, swim in the sea of His grace, not because you deserve it but rather because He gives it in spite of our unworthiness.

Now here's where it's about to get real, even more serious if that's possible. There is a second way that the grace of God is refused. In our world and churches there are "Christians" who have set themselves up as the judge and jury for God's grace and have taken it upon themselves to dispense and withhold grace to others at their own bidding. Somehow if your sin is too great in their eyes then they decide that you are anathema and therefore not worthy of their time or God's grace. It doesn't matter that you have been redeemed, you aren't fit to serve. You may be forgiven by God, but that's doesn't mean I have to accept you. You don't deserve God's grace.

I know that may sound harsh. After all, we must be careful whom we allow to hold influence in our churches and ministries. There is no way in the world that a convicted sex offender or habitual drug user is going to serve in my student ministry. Some sins, while forgiven by God, disqualify us from serving in certain leadership areas. But there is no sin no matter how big or small that God's grace cannot cover, so stop treating people as if they have no hope! How dare we view God's grace as more sufficient for some over others!

The Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His grace was sufficient for him in his greatest weakness.

In Ephesians 2:8-9 we are told that we are saved by grace through faith, not by any work we may strive to perform or leave undone.

God's grace is enough. It is all we need. His grace covers our sin and our past, refusing to dredge up our past failures and instead setting us up as more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37). May we see grace as God sees it and not as some measuring rod that we use to sinfully hold those back for whom Jesus bled and died. Let me finish by saying it this way: Get over yourself and stop being a grace-baiter.  

Lead in spite of, because God's got your back

As a leader, don't you wish that people liked you and respected your every move? I mean, how easy would it be for you if every decision that you made was greeted with applause and compliance? That would be awesome and spare you a few gray hairs and stomach ulcers! But if that were the case - if everyone that you led was okay with where you were leading them - then you would be called a tour guide or entertainment specialist, not leader.

The very definition of being a leader implies that you have to navigate people over difficult terrain because, if left up to their own, those under your direction would wander aimlessly. And these people that you lead will sometimes push back against your vision and decisions, which makes it all the more challenging to lead them.

Let's face it, being a leader is hard. You are never going to be the most popular person in the room and your every move will be second guessed by a number of people. As a result, it is up to you how you choose to deal with opposition. You can initially choose to react in a manner that matches how you feel inside. Usually, this will be akin to molten lava spewing down a mountain toward an unsuspecting village. While this may feel the best at the time, we all know that this is pretty much always counterproductive an disastrous. Those that bear your wrath will never truly follow you.

A second and more God-honoring and wise - yet incredibly difficult - response is to lead in spite of. This means that in sticking with your vision and your strategy you continue to lead with grace in spite of naysayers. If you want a practical application of what this looks like, then read up on the lives of Moses, King David, Daniel, Paul, oh and Jesus, too. These men faced much opposition in their life and ministry, yet they led in spite of it. And they did so because God had entrusted them with leadership and their vision and dreams were not simply their own. 

King David actually put his thoughts and hurts into words when it came to leading in the midst of those who wished him nothing but disaster:

"You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not on Your records? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me."  (Psalm 56:8-9)

That last phrase should bring great comfort to all of us: God is for us. He knows all the junk that we go through, He is intimately aware of every struggle that we encounter, and He's tuned in to all the mind-numbing opposition that we face. He has "recorded my wanderings" and "put my tears in (His) bottle", which means that there is nothing that we endure alone. He is with us. He is for us.

So when you struggle and strive and to lead in spite of, and it seems like no one else in the room is on the same page, rest in the fact that God is for you. Mom and dad, God is for you when you have to make difficult decisions regarding your children. Business man and woman, God has your back when your co-workers are taking short-cuts while claiming the glory. Student, God has not forgotten you when other kids at school mock you for your faith and for taking your studies seriously.

And if God is for us, who can be against us?

Not another church blog

Resistance is futile. If you troll social media sites for only 5 minutes a day you will see them. These pithy articles written by well-educated and well-meaning men and women who genuinely are concerned about the church and therefore blog about the church with endless lists of reasons why this generation or that generation is no longer going to church and what the church can do to fix the church. Don't get me wrong - I, too, have a burden for God's church and I see a lot that I find distasteful and counterproductive - but I don't know if I can handle reading another blog post about it. So I guess it's time to write one of my own.

Before I begin, let me preface my remarks this way - I am no expert on the church. My experience in local churches has spanned decades now but in no way am I a guru on all things church. I have not read most of the books written on the church that are out there and I miss out on most of the church growth conference and seminars that come to town. Yet I love the church, the bride of Christ, and I have been called to serve within God's church. And like you, I want to see the church flourish.

Without going into a history lesson on what the church is, I want to begin with a passage of Scripture in the New Testament that I believe serves as the catalyst for beginning the conversation on the church. Acts 2:41-47 describes in great details the actions and attitudes of a group of Christ followers who regularly assembled themselves together in the wake of Jesus' ascension back into heaven. Look at how their gathering was described:

• They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers (vs.42)
• All the believers were together and had everything in common (vs.44)
• They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need (vs.45)
• Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They at their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. (vs.46-47a)
• And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved. (vs.47b)

That's quite a list! These words are more than a template by which we follow to design our churches - they describe the church itself. There is no outline for style preferences or buildings. Here you find no lists of why Millenials no longer are attending church or how to increase attendance/relevancy/space in an ever-changing culture or the newest evangelism program that meets on Sunday afternoons. What you do find is people who love Jesus living out their love for Him in ways that are so intentional that God is messing up everyone who comes into contact with them.

This church is serious about the word of God and prayer. Fellowship with each other is a priority. They not only sought to meet the physical needs of those within their church but they also were compelled to sacrifice their own belonging so that others could flourish (this is much more than passing a plate or taking up a love offering). They possesses a genuine joy that only comes from God and were content with where they were and with what God had given to them. They were changed by the gospel of Jesus and are now living out that gospel in their everyday lives. As a result, God blessed them and greatly multiplied their numbers.

Honestly, I cannot add anything to that list. Yes, cultural contexts are different from nation to nation, but the truth of these words are timeless. I also cannot give definitive answers as to why certain groups are no longer attending church or why one style of worship is more effective for reaching our world than another. But I do know what I see in Scripture - the church being the church. Absent are all these church strategies that seem to dominate so much of our focus these days.

So what would happen if we simply focused on loving God and loving people (Matthew 22:37-38)? I think we all see what God can and will do when we make our love for Him our single greatest focus and delight and satisfaction - And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved. This is not church growth; this is God's people living out their faith and God naturally expanding His kingdom as a result.

I'm feeling pretty good about where we're heading - my brief review of Passion 2014

The thumping I felt in my head was not a headache and it was not isolated to my head. My whole body was reverberating from the music that was blaring out of the speakers in this arena filled with over 20,000 young adults who were dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. And I was right in the mix with them.

Atlanta, GA, January 17-18 2014 will be one of those weekends that I will not soon forget. You see, on that weekend in Philips Arena, Passion came to town and changed everything. What is Passion? Passion is a conference for college students and young adults but it is also much more than that. I took my first group of students to a Passion conference in Atlanta in 2007 and this past conference was the third such one that I had the honor to attend.

Let me give you a brief background. Passion started in the 90's with the vision of a man named Louie Giglio who believed that college students could be the initiators of something big for God. What started as a concert in a field has morphed into movement, gaining steam over the years and expanding its reach to influence  students and young adults across the globe. Here is the nuts and bolts from the Passion website: ROOTED IN THE CONFESSION OF ISAIAH 26:8, PASSION EXISTS TO GLORIFY GOD BY UNITING STUDENTS IN WORSHIP, PRAYER AND JUSTICE FOR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IN THIS GENERATION.

So when you come to a Passion conference you will find more than just music and great speakers, although there are plenty of those. Instead, you will be surrounded by young adults who are passionate about Jesus and making His name famous. Let me tell you a little bit more about the experience from an old guy's perspective.

First, there are the people, the young adults who assemble by the thousands from all over the country and the world. When you find yourself in a room with this many people who truly want to be there, you are surrounded by an electricity that is infectious. The energy, the love, the overall zeal to worship and glorify God is abundantly evident, and not to just to those in the arena.

A group of us were sitting in our hotel's lobby on Saturday evening, taking a brief Chick Fil A break before starting another session, when a woman in business dress approached me and my wife. She asked if we were part of this group of young people that had invaded all of downtown Atlanta, and we immediately assumed that she worked for the hotel and had a complaint to lobby against someone who looked old enough to be a chaperone. We told her that yes, we were with these students, but that also were staying at the hotel, hoping that if someone was wrong our hotel key cards might earn us a little bit of leniency. Her response was not what we expected.

This woman looked at us and said, "I have a t-shirt idea for your conference the next time you have it. Get a group picture on front of the shirt and have the words 'UP TO ALL GOOD' (as opposed to up to NO good) printed across the top of it!" She went on to say how overwhelmed she was about the overall vibe from these college students. No bathrooms were trashed, litter was put in its place, manners were being used, and love was being shown. When we told her that the reason these students appeared different to her was because of their love for Jesus, she smiled, said, "That is something to thank God for," and turned to walk away.

It is these students who are the focus of Passion. Yes, there are thousands of adult volunteers who arrive early and leave late who make the gathering possible, but it is the participants who drive it all. At the end of the last session on Saturday night, a call was issued for those to stand who were called to go to the nations with the gospel. Not to church work, not to serve in their communities, but to the nations where the gospel is all but absent. Hundreds of these young adults stood to their feet, arms outstretched, committing their lives with their tears so that others might know the love of Jesus. I have seen the future, and the future is now.

Then there is the music. Passion is known for its loud, driving, yet sincere songs of praise, and this weekend was no different. Passion City Church - founded by Louie Giglio and staffed by such artists as Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, and Christy Nockels - provides the "house band" for the worship. New songs are introduced amidst the singing of familiar ones that we already know how to sing until our voices are hoarse. Then, just when you think you can't sing anymore, Hillsong United takes the stage in the evening and pretty much melts your face off with more intense worship through song. Add to this David Crowder, Matt Redman, and other gifted worship leaders and you feel as if you are gathered amongst a who's who of Christian artists. However, none of this is pretentious for for show. These men and women have come themselves as worshipers to join us in the exultation of King Jesus.

Finally, there are the speakers. Passion packs back-to-back sessions together that would make any afflicted with ADD go bonkers. Normally, I can't focus long past 30 minutes without needing some kind of a breather, yet at Passion I find myself unable to move after hours of listening to inspired words from men and women who are have come to share the heart of God with us. Whether it's Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, Christine Caine, or John Piper, every word that is shared is relevant to life and ministry and calling. I have never left more challenged and personally filled.

I could write more but I won't. Let me concluded by saying that I am incredibly optimistic about the future of the kingdom of God because I have seen in whose hands it lies. Go next year and experience it for yourself. I you are content with where you are in your life and if moving forward in with God's desire for you is not a desirous notion, then stay away from Passion! Because if you do go, there is a good chance it will wreck you and you will find yourself rejoicing King Jesus from the rubble.

I "force" feed my kids. And I'm okay with it.

As much as I sometimes cringe at social media I am also strangely fascinated by it. Nowhere else can you find people unloading all of their opinions, struggles, and frustrations in one neat and convenient place. The beauty inherent in social media is that you can choose to block all of the rants and bad behavior that see, but then there are always those posts that you just can't help but read.

One rule I have set for myself as social media sites have exploded is to not wander into unnecessary conflict. Sure, I'll see a post that I think is absolutely ridiculous and I'll immediate conjure up a dozen ways to respond, but 999 times out of 1000 I will do nothing and move on to something more meaningful. Yet I find it hard to ignore some of the theological and philosophical landmines that I see planted behind peoples' keyboards. Since I am a blogger, I can use this medium as a way to respond.

Without fail I often run across a post by a young person who is publicly lamenting why parents think it necessary to raise their kids into a religion. Why not let them grow up to decide for themselves? There are usually many comments to these kinds of posts, most of them were voicing the same dissent. The general consent is that parents are brainwashing their kids, pushing them so hard that they not only drive them away from religion but they also aren't letting them think for themselves.

Now I am all about people having their own opinions and being able to express them freely. And, I think it's great when young people want to think for themselves, especially when that means that they are embracing more responsibility in life. But I could not help but shake my head at the absurdity of the mindset that it's wrong for parents to "push" belief systems on their children. That's usually the opinion of those who didn't get their way.

Why do I feel like that? Because every single thing that parents share with their children is based upon the belief system of the parents. Whether it's a mom telling her daughter to eat her vegetables or a dad telling his son how to be a gracious loser in sports, everything that is told to us when we are young is based upon an established set of beliefs. Those who kick against the idea of parents "forcing" religion on their kids will respond that religion is different - you don't NEED religion because it's just a myth based upon fairy tales. But how do you think those who feel that way got that idea? Do you really believe they came up with that because they were thinking for themselves?

Parents can't help but instill their personal values into their children. If you have a pulse, then you too do it everyday. To be bitter and hardened because mom or dad took you to church as a child and didn't let you think for yourself is rather silly. Can't the children of those parents who never took them to church or exposed them to spirituality say the same thing? Unless, of course, this only applies to those who embrace religion.

So here's a solution out there for all the parents who are being so unfair to their children by exposing them to spiritual things: Stop giving them any guidance at all. Hot stove? I'm not gonna tell him not to touch it because I certainly don't want to inhibit my child's ability to think for himself. Go ahead and run out in the street if you want to. I don't want to be the one who infringes on your right to refuse to look both ways before crossing. School? Man, if you don't want to go then I won't wake you up every morning to get ready for it. You can decide if it's important or not for you because, as your parent, I owe it to you to allow you to make your own decisions. As for the consequences of your decisions? I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out how to handle those, too.

If that's what you mean by not being forced into the ideals of your parents, then have at it. But that's probably not what more kids are thinking. As a parent I no more force my religious beliefs on my children than I force my belief in healthy food, safety, and common sense on them.

Let me sum this up. If you are a parent who is physically beating Jesus into your child or are brainwashing your children a la David Koresh, then let me suggest that it's time to stop doing that. However, I seriously doubt this happens much. Rather, what I see are parents who love their children and take them to church and show them just how much God has changed your life. If that's what it means to force religion on your kids then I hate to think what it means if you give your children unlimited and unregulated freedom.

My joy is smarter than your happy

Since the weather yesterday was anything but hospitable to outside activities, our Netflix account got quite a workout. If you have Netflix you understand how wonderful it can be and you also know just how old it can get after awhile. It's not that there aren't enough movies and TV shows to choose from - it's more a matter of quality vs. quantity. So last night as we hunkered down to find something new to watch, I scanned through the listings of documentaries and stumbled across one that I found intriguing.

The movie title was simple enough: Happy. Combining scientific and real-life stories, this movie attempts to chronicle what it is that makes people truly happy. Not surprisingly, money and success were not found to be huge indicators of happiness. As the film progressed, a laundry list of reasons for happiness were articulated from a variety of different perspectives: flow and rhythm of life, quality relationships, being involved in activities that contribute to the common good, and being satisfied with what you have along with a simple lifestyle were the recurrent themes.

Curiously, the role of religion and spirituality was inconclusive when it comes to happiness. In fact, eastern religious traditions such as meditation were credited with leading to happiness while adherence to doctrines and principles, which is common to evangelical Christianity, were purported to have the opposite effect.

As I watched the documentary, I was moved by many of the men and women in the film. Those who appeared the happiest were those who by the world's standards had the least amount of possessions. Despite their lack of wealth, they all held one powerful train in common - a strong sense of community. Whether it was in a tight knit family or close proximity with their neighbors, those who were presented as happiest lived intentional lives with each other. A glaring opponent to happiness was isolation and busyness. Those who shared life together were the happiest.

After the movie came to an end, I noted that much of the emphasis on community and loving your neighbor was nothing new or even novel. It was if the filmmakers had taken many of the teachings of Jesus and woven them into the fabric of this film. Even though the film was nonspiritual in it's approach, the theme of happiness could not be divorced from being content with what you have and loving your neighbor as yourself.

Happy is an emotion and like all emotions it can easily fade. Being happy is typically determined by circumstances in life. If you take away someone's money, family, friends, or comfort, happiness tends to leave with them. This part of the movie was true - those who were happiest had worked to surround themselves with people and circumstances that they hoped would keep them happy. But what happens when those things are gone?

Jesus never told us that He came to make us happy. In John 15:11 He tells us that His goal for us is joy to the full. Joy is different than happiness. While being happy is driven by circumstances, joy reflects a heart contentment that is dependent upon not what we can do for ourselves but rather what God has done for us in Christ. Our joy is in the Lord and because of that we should be happy more than we usually are (Note: I've found Christians to often be the most sour and skeptical bunch in the lot).

Joy remains even in the midst of difficult times. Because true joy is found in the Lord, circumstances such as the loss of a job, a diagnosis of cancer, or a terrible tragedy cannot erase or even limit the contentment and peace that we find in Christ. Sure, happiness will often be fleeting in those situations but our joy remains constant and true. Joy is so crucial to the Christian life that is even listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. And joy is not something that we can manufacture or turn of like a light switch. If you are in Christ then His joy is in you.

While joy is given to us through Christ, we must work to remove from our path obstacles that limit the benefits of joy in our lives. Cultivating relationships with other believers, actually following the teachings of Jesus that lead us to put others first, and seeking the face of Christ at all times will increase our joy in Him. This isn't artificial or step-by-step Christianity. Joy comes when we realize our desperate need for Jesus and then receiving His gift of grace which brings to us pure and perfect joy in Christ.

Finding the real you in all of the tangled mess

She hated the way that she looked and she assumed that everyone else thought she was ugly too. Hair that covered her face, clothes that were baggy to hide what she really looked like, the hat that covered her head. She wasn't a whole lot different that the other girl. That one wore heavy makeup and clothes that fit a little too snug here and a little too little there. Surely, this would make them think she was beautiful.

Another Saturday morning, another headache. He didn't like the taste and hated how it made him feel, but he had convinced himself long ago that if he didn't join in, then he would have no friends. His boys had called the party epic. This morning, he felt tragic. He cried softly to himself as he dreamed of the man he really wanted to be.

She felt dirty and cheap. Again. She loved him, at least that's we she had convinced herself. But here she was again, despising herself for what she was becoming. She didn't know if she could live without him, yet at the same time she could no longer live with herself, at least not this way. Her parents had raised her to believe that love, if it was true, waited for marriage. With him she thought she knew what love was truly about, but was it always going to feel this way?

The language spewing from his mouth would get him grounded at home, but the rules were different when he was with the guys. While it was a little weird at first, he found it easier as time went on - almost natural - to roll the poison of his tongue. Whether he was mocking the smart, nonathletic kids or talking inappropriately to the girls, the more the guys egged him on the more his words dissected. His old friends avoided him and everyday he sat alone in his room feeling empty, convinced he had already gone too far to turn back.

There is perhaps nothing more tragic in this world than one who lives a life that is not really his or her own. You've seen it hundreds of times. In fact, it might just be your story. No one wants to be considered weird or uncool, so on goes the mask and costume of another persona that we feel will gain us the acceptance that we want. Sometimes that can bring success and popularity, but it will always lead to emptiness and regret.

Who are you? Have you let others form so much of who you are that you don't even know the answer to that question? My story is so similar to the ones above and I am not alone. When I look back over my younger years, I so wish I could go back and change some of the decisions that I made.

But then came my rescue and that changed everything.

When I realized that my life was empty, that is was being defined by people and possessions that added no value to who I am as a person, I was face-to-face with just how shallow and hollow my life had become. I knew I couldn't change on my own. I needed help.

Jesus gave His life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. (Galatians 1:4 NLT)

 God knows just how bad things can be. He sees our emptiness and our fruitless striving to make ourselves great and He knows that those things will totally wreck us. From the very beginning, when man chose sin over God, God Himself set a plan of rescue in motion. He sent Jesus - who Himself never sinned - to exchange His life for ours, His perfection for our sinfulness, in order to rescue us from this world - indeed from ourselves. In that beautiful sacrifice we find forgiveness, purpose, hope.

You will only discover who you truly are when in Christ you find who you were created to be.

Strength Part 2: When the news isn't good

My friend Austin Macemore went to see a specialist at Duke University yesterday and the news he received was not good, at least not from man's standards. It appears that cancer has spread into his lungs and, according to the doctor, there is nothing they can do to remove it or stop it. The only option on the table for Austin is a drug that helps to slow down the spread of the cancer. They don't know a definite timetable - they guess 1-2 years - but it could be a whole lot longer.

What did Austin do when he heard the news? He told the doctor, "I'm ready to go ahead and take the medicine you talked about so I can get on with my life." He then pumped his fist and bumped knuckles with his dad, Wayne.

Are you kidding me? He really did that? Yes he did.

You would be mistaken if you thought this kind of news was not devastating on many levels. To be sure, Austin and his family don't want this. There have been tears shed and there will be more in the future. No one knows how fast the cancer will spread or if Austin will live 60 more years. But God knows. And God knows exactly what He desires to accomplish through this.

There probably isn't a person on this earth who hasn't asked God this one question: "Why?" Why do things like cancer and traumatic accidents and stillborn births and broken marriages and job losses happen? Better yet, why do they happen to people who love God and are living lives for His glory?

I don't know the answer to that. But God does.

God has a purpose for everything. Austin believes this and so does his family. The purpose may not be the one that we would choose for our lives but we can rest assured that the version we would choose for the path of our lives is pretty weak compare to the plans that God has. And it is this purpose that is giving Austin strength, that led him to tell the doctor to go ahead and give him the medicine because he has a life to keep living.

If you are reading this and you know Austin, then you too are hurting for him. As you think and pray for Austin, ask yourself what you can learn from his circumstance. Look at Austin's faith and ask yourself if you share the same trust in God that he has. Understand that this isn't what Austin would choose for his life - I'm pretty sure no one would - but he can bear it because above all other things his life is surrendered to Christ. And there is nothing more that would please Austin and his family more than for you to trust your life to Christ.

Austin is committed to living his life well, no matter how many more months or years that may be. His strength is in the Lord, not in a medicine that the doctors say can prolong his life. The next time you see Austin give him a fist bump and take some time to pull up beside him and live a little bit of your life with him.