TO'ed by T.O.

This is a picture from March, 2004. Happy times. Terrell Owens is getting what he wants. A seven-year contract worth almost $49 million.

He helps the Eagles make it to the SuperBowl. He makes a heroic effort to play after recovering from a serious injury. No one can deny his brilliant performance in that game.

Fast forward to August, 2005. Terrell Owens is whining, complaining, and calling it "business" that he is worth more money after a good, but not phenomenal year. He wants a new contract. The Eagles haven't budged and T.O. decides to repeat his antics with the 49'ers. He badmouths his coach and his quarterback....a lot...on national TV. So much for the history lesson.

There aren't enough words to describe the depth of T.O.'s self-centeredness. He is a cancer. T.O. and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, are pathetic examples of everything that's wrong with America's popular culture. T.O. may be a gifted athlete, but he has some serious deficiencies in his character. T.O. is a three year old trapped in a ProBowl body. Unfortunately, Andy Reid and the Eagles have the unfortunate task of raising the boy to be a man.

Good luck, Coach Reid.

Go Falcons!

Partnership in missions...common calling, common goal

Just a little recap...God initiated the idea of partnership in his redemptive plan. Missio dei or God on mission is a great way to describe it. Thanks, Marty. I hadn't thought of that phrase for a few years. God on mission, in the flesh, giving us a living, breathing example of what it means to be incarnational. To the casual reader, there's a lot of Christian subculture words here. They are good words with deep meanings. Investigate them.

The recap continues with the example of individual/individual, individual/church, church/church, church/denomination, and denomination/denomination partnerships. If you're wondering how two churches or two denominations can partner together in missions, the answer comes in points three and four of this article.

3. Common calling in mission partnerships.

The apostle Paul speaks of a Macedonian call to share the Gospel in a specific place to a specific people. That call was shared by Luke and Silas. The Scripture clearly points out that the calling was to share the Gospel with the Macedonians.

One of the mystical components of the work of the Holy Spirit is how he pulls together people of like minds to reach specific people groups. The common calling in mission partnerships takes place through prayer, the study of Scripture, and participation in vision trips to places where one believes God may be calling to join him on mission.

For example, I resonate with two distinct different groups. One group that I have a heart for is the postmodern American culture. God has placed in my path others that have a desire and innate ablity to reach this specific group of people. There are many others that have a desire that all people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ but they do not have the same passion or skill set to reach postmoderns. Another group I have a heart for is a people group in North Africa called the Beja. I cannot tell you specifically why I am drawn to this people group. I can only tell you that there is a distinct call from God to be on mission on their behalf. Not everyone is willing to go to North Africa in a predominately Muslim setting to be on mission. There are, however, those with a common calling that I partner with.


4. Common goal in mission partnerships.

Common calling is accompanied by a common goal in mission partnerships. In mission partnerships, the common calling to a specific people group is the result of a God given unity to believers. The product of that unity are common goals that God gives to the partnership.

I say to potential partners (this gets me in trouble with people from churches with congregational polity), "God doesn't give mixed signals to his people." If God calls you into a partnership, he will not tell you one thing and those that partner with you another. God isn't schizophrenic. He does not author confusion. God authors unity.

These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14, NASB).

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6, NIV).

There will be leaders that rise up and take the initiative in administrative and logistical areas in any partnership. There will be differences in opinion in those areas, to be sure. If a partnership is truly being led by the Spirit, those differences in opinion will quickly fade under the deep sense of God's hand in the common calling and goal.

Apple laptops aren't worth this...

I want an Apple laptop really bad. Fortunately, we're budgeting for one in the Fall sometime for me. As bad as I want an Apple laptop and as bad as I want to be a good steward of God's money I would never do anything like this.

Partnership from a mission perspective

The word used for partnership in the New Testament is koinonia. For those of you that are seasoned veterans of the Scripture, you will recognize this word is also interpreted as "fellowship".

The three instances* in which koinonia is used in conjunction with missions are:

• common gift, contribution (Romans 15:23)
• partnership in the Gospel (Philippians 1:5)
• partnership in the ministry to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:4)

*The root word is also used in 2 Corinthians 13:13 in the sense of communing, partnering, or fellowshiping with the Holy Spirit.

Two of the uses (first and last) deal with partnering in giving to the work of missions and very well may have been the same common fund collected for the church in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, it gives the present day church a precedent of cooperating in giving to missions. The second of the uses deals specifically with partnering with other Christians in the sharing of the Gospel toward the accomplishment of the Great Commission.

The Lord Jesus sent out the disciples in twos. That is clear evidence that partnering with other individuals is an important part of being missional. It is also a prerequisite for empowered prayer...where two or more are gathered, etc. The partnership of Paul with Silas and Barnabas are other instances where individuals partnered with each other for the purpose of sharing the Gospel.

Churches partnering for the purpose of strengthening other churches and sharing the Gospel is evident in Paul's letters to the Romans and the Corinthians. It is a clear example of the Gentiles within the Church giving aid to and partnering with the Jewish contingent within the Church.

While the language of the Scripture is not in imperative form, there is a solid precedent for partnership in missions. That being said, mainline denominational Christian churches and independent churches that currently do not partner with other churches are missing the mark. Empowered mission work takes place when believers partner together. The growth of the Gospel is also more rapid efficient when partnerships take place.

How partnerships can take place between individuals, churches, denominations and even sending agencies will be discussed in the next two sections of the article.

Biblical basis for partnership in missions...on being missional

I am taking a break for the next week from writing the daily devotional. In its place, I will be making good on a commitment I made to write a manuscript for a presentation on missions that I presented this Spring.

Hopefully it will serve a two-fold purpose: 1) I will keep my word to some friends and co-workers. 2) It will begin to generate a mission mindset at The Journey Church and with others who might read the musings herein.

I truly think it will be as challenging for you as any devotional I would write (or not). Prepare to be challenged to look outside your world to a world that is dying without Christ.

My guess is that the manuscript will be read (when completed and if distributed) by church leaders and churches of a more traditional mindset. My prayer is that they will begin to replace the word "missions" with "missional".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The purpose of this article is to revisit the Scriptural call of God for partnership in mission. God's call is for local churches to partner with each other and with individuals to increase their effectiveness in sharing the Good News at the local, regional, national, and international level.

This goal of this article is for church leadership engage in Biblical partnership and influence the people they lead to: 1) challenge people to be missional like Jesus 2) understand the common calling the local Church has to mission partnership 3) find unity in the common goal of the Church in mission partnership 4) embrace the common doctrine in mission partnership 4) adopt an attitude of equality in mission partnership 5) openly communicate within the mission partnership.

1. On being missional...like Jesus

To truly understand partnering with other Christians in the work of mission, one must begin with the ultimate example of mission partnership that is embodied in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, God on mission as human, should be a revelation to us that God fully intended the work of redemption to be a partnership (John 1:1-14). Jesus was and is the embodiment of God on mission. Jesus showed us that to truly be a God-follower, we must follow His example of missional.

God chose to set the example of partnership by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus . In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

That's why it's important that we understand the first biblical example of partnership in mission is God in partnership with humanity in his redemptive plan. The primary example we must embrace in being missional human beings is that of Jesus Christ. Why God would partner with humanity in his work of love and grace will remain a mystery...at least until the Second Coming. Until then, it's not for us to figure out but simply to obey. We must follow the perfect example of being a missional God-follower given to us by the Master in the New Testament. We will fall short of that example, to be sure, but the grace extended to us in our shortcomings is simply one more facet of helping pre-Christians understand the loving nature of the Heavenly Father. I believe that can be summed up in the word "authenticity".

There are a lot of things we can learn from Jesus' example of being missional. We should be willing to understand the cultural aspect of those God puts in our path. We should have an ability to understand the spiritual sickness that underlies the presenting problems of social aberrations. We should have a willingness to approach and socialize with those that are far from embracing the principles of God's revelations of Scripture. We should be willing to share the Gospel and all of God's principles in a way that is relevant to whatever culture God may send us. Jesus modeled a missional relationship with God in each of these ways. Jesus called us to do the same when he said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Understanding the primary model of partnership in missions that Jesus gave us in his incarnational/missional lifestyle is the foundation that all mission work should be built. Embracing that primary example of partnership given to us by God is a secure beginning point explore what the Bible says about local churches partnering with other individuals and churches.

Tomorrow: The meaing of partnership and biblical examples of individual and church partnerships.

a prequel to Partnership in Missions for my emergent friends...

God chose to set the example of partnership in missions by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus. In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

There has been a resurgence of the missional church. But missional people and missional churches operate under the shadow of the institutional Church. The institutional Church, and the denominations within it, have done a disservice to many Christians in creating and teaching a "corporate America" mindset in doing the work of mission.

The denominational stockholders are encouraged to invest in the local church. The local church, in turn, pay a franchise fee to the denominational mission institution or "sending agency". Professional missionaries are screened and hired by the sending agency and are then supported as the sales force of their denomination. They come home regularly to give reports. The sending agency of the denomination publishes their annual report in the hope of increasing their revenue base. The institution feeds the institution. Some mission work takes place, for sure, but effective mission work suffers.

There is need for a wholesale change in denominations to adopt missional thinking. So that missional people don't come off as elitists or whiners, it's important that missional people are an example to the institutional church by modeling partnership in mission work. A wholesale change in thinking by a denomination will take many years of influence, so that means that people that have recaptured the missional thinking of the early Church should work with their respective denomination while partnering with others to accomplish the Great Commission.

So what if you're like me and you just can't do the denominational thing anymore? Keep some of your denominational contacts. Then look for like-minded people to partner with in missions. There are plenty of movements out there, just keep your ears and eyes open. Above all, keep being missional.

Biblical basis for partnerships in missions...on being missional

I am taking a break for the next week from writing the daily devotional. In its place, I will be making good on a commitment I made to write a manuscript for a presentation on missions that I presented this Spring.

Hopefully it will serve a two-fold purpose: 1) I will keep my word to some friends and co-workers. 2) It will begin to generate a mission mindset at The Journey Church and with others who might read the musings herein.

I truly think it will be as challenging for you as any devotional I would write (or not). Prepare to be challenged to look outside your world to a world that is dying without Christ.

My guess is that the manuscript will be read (when completed and if distributed) by church leaders and churches of a more traditional mindset. My prayer is that they will begin to replace the word "missions" with "missional".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The purpose of this article is to revisit the Scriptural call of God for partnership in mission. God's call is for local churches to partner with each other and with individuals to increase their effectiveness in sharing the Good News at the local, regional, national, and international level.

This goal of this article is for church leadership engage in Biblical partnership and influence the people they lead to: 1) challenge people to be missional like Jesus 2) understand the common calling the local Church has to mission partnership 3) find unity in the common goal of the Church in mission partnership 4) embrace the common doctrine in mission partnership 4) adopt an attitude of equality in mission partnership 5) openly communicate within the mission partnership.

1. On being missional...like Jesus

To truly understand partnering with other Christians in the work of mission, one must begin with the ultimate example of mission partnership that is embodied in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, God on mission as human, should be a revelation to us that God fully intended the work of redemption to be a partnership (John 1:1-14). Jesus was and is the embodiment of God on mission. Jesus showed us that to truly be a God-follower, we must follow His example of missional.

God chose to set the example of partnership by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus . In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

That's why it's important that we understand the first biblical example of partnership in mission is God in partnership with humanity in his redemptive plan. The primary example we must embrace in being missional human beings is that of Jesus Christ. Why God would partner with humanity in his work of love and grace will remain a mystery...at least until the Second Coming. Until then, it's not for us to figure out but simply to obey. We must follow the perfect example of being a missional God-follower given to us by the Master in the New Testament. We will fall short of that example, to be sure, but the grace extended to us in our shortcomings is simply one more facet of helping pre-Christians understand the loving nature of the Heavenly Father. I believe that can be summed up in the word "authenticity".

There are a lot of things we can learn from Jesus' example of being missional. We should be willing to understand the cultural aspect of those God puts in our path. We should have an ability to understand the spiritual sickness that underlies the presenting problems of social aberrations. We should have a willingness to approach and socialize with those that are far from embracing the principles of God's revelations of Scripture. We should be willing to share the Gospel and all of God's principles in a way that is relevant to whatever culture God may send us. Jesus modeled a missional relationship with God in each of these ways. Jesus called us to do the same when he said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Understanding the primary model of partnership in missions that Jesus gave us in his incarnational/missional lifestyle is the foundation that all mission work should be built. Embracing that primary example of partnership given to us by God is a secure beginning point explore what the Bible says about local churches partnering with other individuals and churches.

Tomorrow: The meaing of partnership and biblical examples of individual and church partnerships.

On having non-Christian friends and making a difference in the world

A Baptist deacon asked his pastor to go with him to invite a friend/co-worker to an upcoming Easter service. The pastor, of course, accepted the invitation immediately. The pastor met the deacon at the church at the appointed time. They left in the deacon's truck and headed to their appointment.

As they engaged in conversation about their favorite mutual subject of football, the pastor noticed that the deacon was headed down a street that was known primarily for it's night life. No, not night life as in bats or raccoons or even the opera. Night life, as in bars and strip joints. The pastor asked where they were going to meet the invitee. The deacon named the bar. The deacon then asked if the pastor wanted to turn around and go back to the church. The pastor, being the rebel he was and remembering how Jesus mingled with all kinds of people, told the deacon to drive on to the appointment.

The appointment was kept by the invitee/friend/co-worker only because the deacon knew that his friend could always be found at this bar, on this day of the week, having a beer and shooting a game of pool. The deacon pulled into the parking lot of the bar and parked. The pastor looked around to see if any members were driving by and got out knowing this is what Jesus would have done.

The deacon and pastor walked into the bar and made small talk. Being "good" Baptists, they ordered two Pepsi's and got in line on the invitee/friend/co-worker's table. The deacon's friend was, admittedly, taken back by having his Christian friend come into "his world". And when the deacon's friend asked who the friend was he had with him, he was taken back even more. The deacon and the pastor got beat like a drum at the pool table but they made a positive impact on the non-Christians in the bar that night. The invitee/friend/co-worker didn't attend the Easter service, but he was closer to listening to God's message of forgiveness more than ever before.

The pastor never told his church members he went to the bar. He didn't want the deacon to get in trouble.
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Growing up in the Christian subculture, I was taught a form of bigotry. It was a bigotry targeted at non-Christians. Kind of strange, don't you think? In the very same house, I was taught to respect people of other ethnicities and cultures. Even though we were from the South, the "n" word was verboten in our home and rightly so. Being the son of a pastor, I was raised in a home that place a high view on international missions. The result of that was a personal desire on my part to learn and investigate other cultures. The culture of North Africa deeply intrigues me to this day.

The bigotry, of sorts, against non-Christians in my earlier years was a genuine attempt of my parents to keep me from running with the wrong crowd. After all, Socrates did say that "birds of a feather flock together." There is a thread of wisdom to be embraced here, no doubt. But when I began to read the Bible more intensely in my latter 20's, I came across a number of passages that completely blew apart my worldview of non-Christians . No longer could I say, "They just need God." I had to say, "I need to be their friend so they can see Jesus in me." (It also meant I needed live a more authentic Christian life.) Christ hung out with the disciples for sure. He also spent most of his social life in the presence of people that the religious people thought were off limits...white collar criminals, prostitutes, and those with socially unacceptable diseases to name a few.

The following passage of Scripture should challenge every Christian that reads this devotional. Especially if their view is that Christians should only have other Christians as friends.

So buckle up all you Christians, we're going for a ride...this devotional might make you a bit queasy.

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. (1Corinthianss 5:9-10, NIV; emphasis mine).

As Christians, we can't be isolationists. Secluding ourselves from those that are not yet Christians, to paraphrase Paul, would mean that we would have to pack up and move to Mars or something. Over my many years of being in the Christian subculture, I have heard people say in arrogance or ignorance that they had nothing other than Christian friends. The arrogant wear it as a badge of honor. The ignorant probably would have non-Christian friends but they've either been sucked into the legalistic Christian subculture or they simply haven't thought that much about it. The reason for this blog entry/devotional is to jar some and nudge whoever is left.

So how do you have non-Christian friends without being influenced to the point of indulging in the things that cause them and you pain and misery? How do you make a difference in the world without compromising the spirituality that's transformed your life? Do what Jesus did. He had a core of God-followers that he was around the most. When he spent time with those who weren't yet God-followers, it was always after he had spent a lot of time talking to the Heavenly Father in prayer. Talking to God a lot also prepared Jesus for the criticism he would receive from the Pharisees, i.e. religious jerks. (On a very encouraging note to those that attend The Journey Church, you don't have to worry too much about Pharisees in our faith community.)

If you're a follower of Christ and you lack non-Christian friends, get some. It's the only way to make a difference in the world for God. Have Christian friends, but be a friend to those who aren't Christ followers yet. Don't take my word for it. Take Jesus' word for it:

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:9-13, NIV).

It's time we all made some new friends, isn't it?

Have a great day

The big flashlight: a modern day parable

It was a dark and stormy night. (Nice beginning, huh?) The weatherman had warned of thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. The hail woke us up. Then it got still and quiet. Then the wind picked up again. That meant it was time to get in the 'frady hole (Okie phrase for storm cellar). We had to use our hall bathtub as our storm cellar. But that wasn't the real problem. The problem was, the power was out. It was pitch black except for the flashes of lightning that intermittently gave just enough light to get to a spot and be stuck until the next flash of lightning. I didn't have to worry about that because I had the big flashlight in my bedroom. The other flashlights had weak batteries. I knew that because I could hear Dad screaming something to the effect that I had better put fresh batteries in his flashlight after I go frog gigging next time or it would be my hide. I was thinking to myself he should have listened to the weather before he went to bed. After all, the weatherman said it was going to storm...bad. The more I thought, the worse things got all the way around.

It didn't help matters that Dad stubbed his toe on his way to the kitchen to find some matches and a candle. Now he needed the light so he could find me and kick me into next week. All the time I couldn't figure out what the panic was about. I couldn't hear the freight train sound of the tornado yet. Besides, I had the big flashlight with me. In fact, I was just getting out of bed to find it for Dad.

Now there was another problem. I couldn't find the big flashlight. I couldn't find the only flashlight in the house that had a good battery in it. Brilliant. I needed to find the only good flashlight in the house fast because things were quiet in the kitchen. That meant Dad was getting close to having the light necessary to...well, you know.

Found it. It was under my laundry. Not in the laundry basket, just under my laundry. Under the "clean enough to wear again" pile next to my bed. I clicked the button on the big red flashlight with the good battery, and it lit up my room. I turned around to take Dad the flashlight and saw him standing in the doorway. I anticipated the inevitable implementation of Proverbs 23:13. As I handed the light over to my Dad, he greeted me with words that I completely did not expect.

He took the good flashlight from me and said, "Son, you have to keep the big flashlight where anyone can get to it when it storms. It puts everyone at risk when you keep it to yourself. Now take this candle and go get some blankets out of the closet and get in the tub in the hall bathroom. I'll go get your mother.........What in the world were you thinkin' anyway?"

I was thinking I was glad I didn't get kicked into next week. I was thinking I was selfish to keep the only good flashlight for myself. I was thinking Dad knew that feeling guilty about putting others at risk would be worse than his boot in my backside.
.......................................

Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all (Matthew 5:15, NLT).

Even in the most modern of translations, Matthew 5:15 takes some investigation to understand the truth within the passage. Let's put the passage in modern day terms. "Don't turn your flashlight on and stick it in the laundry basket. Instead, keep it out where everyone gets use out of it." In other words, if we keep the light that Jesus Christ has given to us to ourselves, it deprives those who don't have a relationship with him from knowing him at all. Their eternal safety is at risk when we selfishly keep it to ourselves. If you and I are going to make a difference in the world, we have to put the light of Christ in an obvious place. A place where it can benefit everyone.

Heavenly Father, please help us remember that the light of your love is for everyone. May we never keep it to ourselves. In Jesus name we ask this. Amen.

Have a great day.

On being Johnny Storm

In the summer blockbuster movie Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm takes a leap of faith from a skyscraper and then screams, "Flame on!" He takes off in a blaze of glory and defeats the heat seeking missile intended to kill him. He is a changed person. He has embraced the incredible power created within him as the result of an encounter with force far greater than himself. He is able to do things no one, not even Johnny Storm, thought possible. Amazingly, he begins to understand his new found abilities aren't for his personal glory but for the better good of humanity. He moves from self-centeredness to serving others.

If you're a follower of Christ, your story should turn out a lot like the Marvel comic character Johnny Storm. Since you've been reborn and have become a new creation, you've been given capabilites far greater than your own. In order for you to realize all that God has for you, it will take a leap of faith on your part.
The gifts you've been given of eternal life and the power of prayer aren't yours to keep. Instead they've been given to you to benefit others. God has re-created us so we can make a difference in a world that is sick and living in darkness.

You are the light of the world - like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see (Matthew 5:14, NLT).

The leap of faith you and I have to take isn't that difficult. When Jesus speaks about his purpose and plan for us in Matthew 5:14, he's telling us that he will put us in a position where our light can be seen...like a city on a mountain. He's also saying that our light isn't there just for our benefit, it's there for others to find their way to God...through us. We're a light that should draw others into the community of God.

Letting your light shine in the darkness of the world is actually easy. That's because letting your light shine is more about being than doing. Jesus says that his followers are the light of the world, we don't have to manufacture anything. Being in a healthy relationship with him results in being a light. Jesus puts us in a place where we can be seen, in a community of other lights, so others benefit and can see their way out of their personal darkness. That's easy enough. God's grace not only makes us a light but puts us in a place where that light can be seen.

More on letting your light shine tomorrow.

Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all (Matthew 5:15, NLT).

Have a great day.

Big God

Forgiveness is a big word when it refers to God. Especially the word used for forgiveness in the Old Testament. OT for all of you newbies. We're talking the first thirty-nine books of the Bible.

The word that's used in the OT to describe God's forgiveness toward us is literally translated abundant forgiveness. That's not just plain vanilla forgiveness here. Not a "no problem" or a "it's all good" kind of forgiveness. Think about the word abundant. It means plentiful or profusion. In other words, an ample supply of lavish expenditure. It just keeps getting bigger. Amazing. That's a lot of forgiveness. That's a Big God. Let's talk about the last half of that translation. The word forgiveness means to give up resentment. When God forgives, he lets go "a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury."

So what's that say about God and his ability to forgive? Even though God is displeased with our sin he chooses to lavishly expend his love on us. In other words, you can't begin to tap his forgiveness. He is more than willing to give up any feeling of displeasure with us and his ability to forgive is endless.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NIV; emphasis mine)

For those reading this that are followers of Christ: Take some time and thank God for his abundant forgiveness. If you meditate on that passage long enough, you won't be able to do anything but bust out in thankfulness.

For anyone reading this that hasn't started a relationship with God: God's forgiveness is bigger than...well, you name it. His abundant forgiveness is there for the taking. Ask him to forgive you and wait for him to pour his abundant forgiveness into your soul.

He's a Big God. Very Big God.

Have a great day.

Thinking beyond forgiveness

Forgiveness isn't easy for a lot of people. Read the following real life situations and think beyond forgiveness. It will help you forgive the big stuff and the little things.


"I can't believe they call screened me."

Forgive them. Maybe they have something big going on in their life right now. As a matter of fact, you may not be the most important person in their life at this second. Or they could be very busy. There's a possiblitiy you could be getting on their last nerve and they don't want to talk to you right now. On the other hand, maybe there's a relationship issue that needs to be resolved. You may need to ask them to forgive you.


"That jerk just flipped me off!"

You didn't do anything. You're just sitting there minding your own business. The person that used their middle finger to tell you you're Number One has bigger issues than not getting his/her way in traffic. Forgive them. It's clear they're leaning toward their Darth side. Ask God to bring something or someone into their life to make it better. You say, "Yeah, right". I say just try it. You'll be amazed what it will do for your attitude.


"I'll never be able to forgive them for what they did."

A fireman accidentally dropped their overcoat on the road after they finished a run. My Mom swerved to miss it, lost control of her car, and ran head-on into a conversion van. She died immediately. Did the fireman make a mistake? Yes. But would being angry at him for the rest of my life bring back my Mom? No. The circumstances were completely beyond my control. Forgiving the fireman was the only logical solution. I had to forgive the fireman for something he did that was totally out of my control. It wasn't just the right thing to do, it gave me peace in a difficult time.

We can't control how other people react to life. When their adverse reaction to life affects us, we have to forgive them. We can learn about how to forgive when we understand where forgiveness comes from. Forgiveness began with God. God, in his perfect wisdom and knowledge knew that humanity was going to make mistakes...plenty of them. God decided to forgive humanity and give humanity a chance to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is God's gift to us. He forgives us when we use our free will in ways that damage our relationship with him and with others. He could control us. Even though he's God and he has every right to control us, he chooses differently. God shows his love for us by not controlling us. He gave us free will so that we can choose to love him in return. So what do free will, love, and forgiveness have in common?

If God controlled us, that wouldn't be love. If God didn't forgive us when we exercise our free will, that wouldn't be love either. So God forgives. Jesus Christ showed us what it meant to forgive, even from a human perspective. Sure, he was God and he could have simply given the word and rescued himself. But Jesus' mission wasn't to impose himself as God on humanity. His mission as God was to forgive humanity for the wrong done to Himself and to humanity. Another facet of Jesus' mission was to show that humanity had to be a part of God's mission. He showed us we should forgive others for things we don't have control over.

We can't control other people's life situations. We can't control traffic. We can't control other people's oversights. You can't control the fact that I sent this daily devotional out so late.

We can control how we react to life.

Have a great day.

p.s. Please forgive me for the late devotional!

Anything minus one

God can forgive anything we do to him or others. Anything except one thing. Some that read this will inevitiably say, "What's up with that? You've said earlier that God forgives all sins." I did say that. He does forgive all sin...I just forgot to mention the except one thing. It's a sin that I don't think about too much. I don't think about it much maybe because from a very early age I was taught to not even go there. Jesus is the one that let's us know about it. He says:

I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin (Mark 3:28-29, NIV).

The anything minus one is blasphemy. So what exactly is blasphemy? You don't hear about that one much, right? The reason it's not mentioned much is because it's a sin directed at God alone. He's the only one that is directly hurt by this sin. That's the reason it's so grievous. It's the only sin that guarantees the punishment of eternal separation from God. No wonder my parents to me to never go there.

Here's a definition:

blasphemy: 'blas-f&-mE
1 a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

This sin should make us shudder. Doing something that would cost us eternal separation from God? Something that is irreversible? No way. Why would we want to slander, defame, or make fun of the very name of God? Nothing comes to mind for me. How about you?

Jesus got around the "claiming the attributes of deity" part because he was God. Jesus told the Pharisees (the religious jerks of Jesus time) that you could defame him personally or his name. That's because Jesus knew they were thinking of him only as another human being who dared to claim an aspect of deity. It never crossed their minds "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father " (Philippians 2:10-11, NIV).

We jokingly say to pompous and arrogant people, "Who died and made you God?" Plenty of people, especially celebrities for some reason, claim to be God. Some religions like Mormonism claim you can be a god some day. That would mean that an imperfect creation would somehow become perfect and rule their own universe or planet. One thing is for sure: If I ever ended up in a universe like that, I would be pretty ticked that I was worshiping someone who had been human once. Total buzzkill.

All kidding aside, this is serious business. When we commit those inevitable daily sins, we can have the assurance that God will forgive us. His perfection makes up for our perfection. He has the ability to see beyond our flaws and see us for who we can be. He continues to love us while we struggle to move beyond the things currently holding us back.

Most of you that read this don't think much about blasphemy. That's good. The thought of slandering God is something you don't want to think about too much. It's best to keep God's incredible mercy and forgiveness in the front of your mind. About that blasphemy thing... just never ever go there.

Have a great day.

a Christian worldview of eternal life

While there are varying views of heaven and the afterlife among evangelical Christians, most agree on how one gains eternal life.

If you want to read more than my little blurb here, pick up John Eldredge's book, Epic : The Story God Is Telling and the Role That Is Yours to Play.


Disclaimer: This is a rough paraphrase of the story of God's redemption of humanity as recorded in the Bible. It is what it is. The intent of this post is to answer the question of a guy that sounded like he honestly wanted to know. Questions are fine, but if you want a theological debate you probably know where to find them on the Web anyway. With that in mind...

God created Adam and Eve. They lived in a garden called Eden. Life was perfect then. They had total access to God. They walked with talked with God every day. God made things easy to exist. He gave them only one condition to live by. "Don't eat of the tree of good and evil. If you do, you'll die." Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation of human pride and ate the fruit. It immediately caused a separation between them and God. They had to leave the garden of Eden. The result 0f their disobedience was separation from God, pain in birth, hard work, and unpleasant things like thorns and thistles started cropping up...not to mention physical death.

God didn't give up on humanity. He made a covenant (literally "cut a deal") and said that he would never leave or forsake humanity. In fact, he made a way for sin to be forgiven. A sacrificial system was put into place but humanity did a lousy job of following that. He knew the sacrificial system they were using wasn't going to be the solution. The whole time this was going on, God was telling us there was much more to come. Much more of his forgiveness and love that is.

Enter Jesus Christ. He was God in the flesh. 100% God and 100% man. That's a tough one to explain...it just is what it is. He was born of a virgin, impregnated by the Spirit of God. Very mystical, but, why shouldn't it be? This is God stuff we're talking about.

Since Jesus was God in the flesh, he lived a perfect life. No one in history can say that. He showed us what it meant for a human to have a perfect relationship with God in the midst of a world that was infected through and through with sin. Sort of a prequel to a new Eden...a new heaven and new earth. Religious people hated Jesus' guts. They tried to kill him from the get-go. In due time. God had a plan for humanity to be redeemed through Jesus.

The religious freaks had Jesus sentenced to be crucified and he was crucified between two criminals. Then Jesus, doing exactly as the Father asked, took all the sin of humanity on himself. My sin, your sin, everyone's sin was nailed to the cross and forgiven forever.

He was buried. He stayed there for three days. On the third day, he rose from the grave. Can't explain the metaphysics, he just rose from the grave. After he rose from the dead, he spoke to his closest disciples and told them what they need to do...that was to tell everyone possible that their relationship with God could be restored.

When we believe this story, a story only God could pull off, God restores our relationship that was broken in Eden to brand new.

Our reaction to the story can be outlined like this:

- Admit that what we've been trying to obtain peace and forgiveness hasn't worked and that we need God to forgive us of our sin.
- Believe that Jesus died on a cross to forgive us our sin and that he rose from the grave.
- Accept God's free gift of eternal life. God gives you eternal life because you admitted that what you've done hasn't worked and you've been humble enough to admit it.
- Commit to growing your relationship with God.

Another good thing to do is read the book of John in the Bible. It explains things really well. Go to www.biblegateway.com

a Christian worldview of eternal life

While there are varying views of heaven and the afterlife among evangelical Christians, most agree on how one gains eternal life.

If you want to read more than my little blurb here, pick up John Eldredge's book, Epic : The Story God Is Telling and the Role That Is Yours to Play.


Disclaimer: This is a rough paraphrase of the story of God's redemption of humanity as recorded in the Bible. It is what it is. The intent of this post is to answer the question of a guy that sounded like he honestly wanted to know. Questions are fine, but if you want a theological debate you probably know where to find them on the Web anyway. With that in mind...

God created Adam and Eve. They lived in a garden called Eden. Life was perfect then. They had total access to God. They walked with talked with God every day. God made things easy to exist. He gave them only one condition to live by. "Don't eat of the tree of good and evil. If you do, you'll die." Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation of human pride and ate the fruit. It immediately caused a separation between them and God. They had to leave the garden of Eden. The result 0f their disobedience was separation from God, pain in birth, hard work, and unpleasant things like thorns and thistles started cropping up...not to mention physical death.

God didn't give up on humanity. He made a covenant (literally "cut a deal") and said that he would never leave or forsake humanity. In fact, he made a way for sin to be forgiven. A sacrificial system was put into place but humanity did a lousy job of following that. He knew the sacrificial system they were using wasn't going to be the solution. The whole time this was going on, God was telling us there was much more to come. Much more of his forgiveness and love that is.

Enter Jesus Christ. He was God in the flesh. 100% God and 100% man. That's a tough one to explain...it just is what it is. He was born of a virgin, impregnated by the Spirit of God. Very mystical, but, why shouldn't it be? This is God stuff we're talking about.

Since Jesus was God in the flesh, he lived a perfect life. No one in history can say that. He showed us what it meant for a human to have a perfect relationship with God in the midst of a world that was infected through and through with sin. Sort of a prequel to a new Eden...a new heaven and new earth. Religious people hated Jesus' guts. They tried to kill him from the get-go. In due time. God had a plan for humanity to be redeemed through Jesus.

The religious freaks had Jesus sentenced to be crucified and he was crucified between two criminals. Then Jesus, doing exactly as the Father asked, took all the sin of humanity on himself. My sin, your sin, everyone's sin was nailed to the cross and forgiven forever.

He was buried. He stayed there for three days. On the third day, he rose from the grave. Can't explain the metaphysics, he just rose from the grave. After he rose from the dead, he spoke to his closest disciples and told them what they need to do...that was to tell everyone possible that their relationship with God could be restored.

When we believe this story, a story only God could pull off, God restores our relationship that was broken in Eden to brand new.

Our reaction to the story can be outlined like this:

- Admit that what we've been trying to obtain peace and forgiveness hasn't worked and that we need God to forgive us of our sin.
- Believe that Jesus died on a cross to forgive us our sin and that he rose from the grave.
- Accept God's free gift of eternal life. God gives you eternal life because you admitted that what you've done hasn't worked and you've been humble enough to admit it.
- Commit to growing your relationship with God.

Another good thing to do is read the book of John in the Bible. It explains things really well. Go to www.biblegateway.com

Stopping the vicious cycle of religion

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away (Isaiah 64:6, NLT).

I think Karl Marx may have been right when he said "religion is the opiate of the masses." Now before you choke on your bagel or spit out your latte, let me explain.

Religion is addictive. Religion as an institution that realizes humans need to feel better about what they've done wrong. Protestants pay penance by attending church every Sunday, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Catholics go to confession. Presbyterians give lots of money. Episcopalians have the best Christmas parties. No matter what their denomination or faith system, they get their conscience fixed one way or another (or not) and continue to be no different than the rest of the culture. It's addictive. Live like you want, then numb your conscience with religious ritual. You feel good about yourself for a couple of days and then you feel the need for a fix. Do some more religion. Feel bad. Come back for more religion.

Most people have at least been exposed to the vicious cycle of religion. They've either experienced it first hand or they've seen how shallow it is from the outside. People move from religion to religion or church to church looking for the spiritual high that will last them all week. That's why Isaiah 64:6 was written then, and that's why it's so applicable now.

The beginning point to stopping the vicious cycle of religion is to start a relationship with Jesus Christ. He alone can fix the core issue: sin. When we trust in Christ alone to solve our problem of repetitive damaging behavior (sin), the need for a spiritual fix goes away. It's almost overstated in some circles, but knowing God is about a relationship and not religion. Jesus Christ makes us brand new...mind, body, and soul. "We are all infected and impure with sin." Jesus cures our infection of sin. Religion simply numbs the pain of sin for a while.

"When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags." Outside-in religion gets us nowhere spiritually. Doing the right thing, saying the right thing, being in the right place...all the pious things that we think will bury our real problem of sin, end up being worthless. We leave the religious gathering with an emotional high that fades quickly. Or worse, we leave with no sense of encountering God at all.

So we begin again. But this time we realize that the issue isn't the church or religion, it's our sin. We realize that there is no quick fix for our souls. The cure for our sin sick souls is a relationship with Jesus Christ. We realize it will take consistent work on our part. It will be an everyday, every hour, every moment commitment. And God is there, all the time...waiting to show us His love for us. He accepts us unconditionally and challenges us to change without making us feel like dirt.

We can all stop the cycle of repetitive, damaging behavior in our life. The fix is inside-out, adjusting our character as we grow in a relationship with God.

Have a great day.

Ricky Williams and holiness

If you follow the NFL, you know that Ricky Williams has decided to play football for the Miami Dolphins again. He's turned over a new leaf. He's been given a new beginning by head coach Nick Saban. No more weed for Ricky. He contritely asked forgiveness from his teammates for leaving them in a tough spot last season. He's a changed man. He's gone from the narcissistic, tokin' tailback to the total team player. When I read about and saw footage of Ricky's comeback, I gave him credit for trying to make amends. In his own way, Ricky's been on a quest for holiness.

Now there's a word you don't hear much about lately: holiness. I'm not talking about the Pope here. I'm talking about the lifestyle that Christians are supposed to live. This isn't the prudish, Quakerish, what you do on Sundays kind of thing. It's a state of being.

Holiness is hard work. Being holy is a lot harder than looking holy. Lot's of people can fake it for an hour or two on Sunday morning. That's easy. It's also why a lot of people that claim to be Christians fake it. The whole time, we're breaking God's heart because the sincerity of our faith is a fraud.

But I'm not talking about you or me, right? We know that if you're a genuine follower of Christ then you've been made holy by God's forgiveness (Romans 3:24). You've been given the ability to approach God whenever and wherever (Hebrews 10:18-19). The hard work of holiness starts soon after your reorientation to what is good and right (Hebrews 12:1-12). Your conversion was a point in time (you were reborn; John 3) but the process of becoming like Jesus Christ is a continual process (2 Corinthians 2:15).

So what is holiness anyway? If it's not the pomposity of religion or the arrogance of belonging to a moral country club, what does it look like in the everyday life of a Christian? To begin with it means you're different...on the inside. The reorientation of your soul and spirit from self-centeredness to others-centeredness has taken place. Quite literally, you have been set apart from others. Not for pomposity or arrogance, but for serving. Your relationship with God has been sealed, but the process of changing your behavior has just begun. It's a process that happens from the inside out.

The process is one that takes discipline and hard work. The process is initiated by God and then you and I participate in the process of becoming holy. Here are some principles of the holiness process found in Hebrews chapter 12: We have to consciously get rid of anything that slows the progress of becoming more like Jesus Christ (v.1a). We can't give up on ourselves or God (v.1b). We must keep the example of Jesus in the forefront of our minds (v.2). We have to get used to the fact that holiness is hard work. It will take self-discipline and accepting discipline from God to keep us consistent (v.3-12).

Holiness is hard work, so we have to work hard at it. When we're not consistent, God's grace is there to forgive. When we are consistent God is standing on the sidelines cheering us on. Either way, God is on our side. His love endures forever. Keep working at being holy.

Have a nice day.

Beginning again...from the inside out

Things looked okay on the outside. It was a bit worn, but it looked reasonably intact. As you walked around the church their were signs that upkeep was needed but it didn't look that bad. It seemed that way until a Southern Oklahoma thunderstorm opened all of our eyes to the truth.

I walked into the church on the blustery morning before church and heard water running. I thought it was a toilet that was stuck at first, but the sound was different in a way. Following the noise down the hall to a door that led to a storage room, I opened the door and found a four inch waterfall pouring from the ceiling. The deluge had broken through the roof, broken the ceiling tile and poured onto the floor. I immediately grabbed a barrel that was used to collect food for youth camp and put it under the waterfall. It was clear the makeshift solution wasn't going to handle the deluge long.

Then I heard voices over the sound of the church's new waterfall. Three very faithful men had followed the roar of the water and begin to survey the situation. Lucky for us, the church had let me store some extra tools in this room. Luckier still, one of the tools was an axe. One of the men took the axe and cut a hole in the floor straightaway. He poured the barrel, now 2/3 full of water, into the new hole in the floor. Problem solved. Sort of.

A wise old man in the congregation began looking around. He knew it was a symptom of a much larger problem. He found a problem that included six broken rafters, rotted flooring, an outside wall that was three inches out of plumb, and an auditorium roof that would cave in with the next good snow. His investigation resulted in the gutting the auditorium, tearing out a complete section of the church, replacing the entire roof (rafters and all) of the auditorium, and a complete restoration of the interior of the church.

We had to begin again. The process started with people admitting that things had been done wrong. They had let repairs slip. They had added on without thinking about how it would affect the rest of the structure. They realized the there was a need for a total renovation. The essence of the building had to be left intact, but the structure had to be restored and rebuilt. It was a daunting task. It would happen overnight.

Sort of sounds like our lives doesn't it? We find out that our lives need restructuring and we wonder if it's even possible. The great thing about God is that "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26, NAS). When we learn from our mistakes and restructure our lives, the storms of life don't cause nearly as much damage. When we live our lives based on God's ways it leads to a more consistent spiritual and emotional life. Here's a verse I hope will make it more clear to you:

If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth (James 3:13, NLT).

Water came pouring into the church on that Spring morning. Mistakes had been made. We ended up spending a lot of time fixing things in our little world instead of letting the love of God pour out to our community.

Live a life of steady goodness by understanding God's ways so you can help others enjoy and understand God's goodness.

Have a great day.

"I'll never do that again..."

I'll never chew tobacco again. As a right of passage to make the varsity high school baseball team, I took a good chew of Red Man. Thank goodness it was at the end of practice on the way home. I turned three shades of green and then got sick. I promised myself I would never do that again. I didn't do it again...until a year later. A good friend of mine said Copenhagen was smooth and he never got sick. He said I should try some. I did it again. I turned four shades of green this time and got more sick than I did the time before. It was awful. I said to myself...you guessed it...I'll never do that again.

I actually never did use smokeless tobacco after the last time it made me sick. It wasn't will power or a brilliant display of holiness on my part. It was a passage of Scripture from the Bible that taught me a powerful truth about learning from my past mistakes.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly (Proverbs 26:11, NIV).

Poignant, don't you think? Those words graphically spoke to me how ridiculous it was for me to use smokeless tobacco. Others could handle it. I couldn't. To continue trying it was just being stupid. I kept returning to my vomit, so to speak, and I kept playing the fool. Those words kept me from repeating that past mistake. The principle of Proverbs 26:11 kept me from repeating other mistakes as well.

Why is it so hard for us to learn from our past mistakes? Why don't we learn from them? To keep doing something over and over again that causes us physical or emotional pain is foolish. We keep doing "it" because we don't like to admit we're wrong. We try to rationalize our behavior so we can continue the madness. However, the only way to stop the cycle of damaging behavior (sin) is to put wisdom in our mind and soul. To do that you have to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and memorize an appropriate Scripture that will help you refrain from doing "it" again.

My troubles turned out all for the best - they forced me to learn from your textbook (Psalm 119:17, MSG).

Make a point to memorize Proverbs 26:11 (the dog and vomit passage). It's kind of gross, but I promise you it will make you stop and think next time you want to repeat a past mistake. God wants his best for you. He's given us all the wisdom we need for life in the Bible. Put the Scripture into your heart and soul. The repetitive mistakes of the past will fade away and you'll begin to understand the phrase "His love endures forever."

Have a great day.

football...Falcons...hot...fun

Today was the first day of training camp in for NFL teams. Since I live a mere 15 minutes from the Atlanta Falcons training facility and I'm a huge fan, I decided to endure the mid-90 temp and watch some football.

Big dudes. Except for Warrick Dunn. Michael Jenkins is a stick, but he can sure do the do. Then there's Ed Hartwell, our big free agency pick up. He's a beast. Michael Vick even acknowledged a bunch of kids that were screaming his name at the top of their lungs seeking his recognition. He gave it. Nice.

You can't get as close to the players as you could two years ago. That stinks. However, you didn't get to go to training camp two years ago, just passing camp. It's still a great thing to take in. It's FREE. If you want to park close you pay $5 to some Hall County booster clubs or you can follow me to a little known road across the street from the facility and park for free. It's not like watching them play the Eagles, but hey the price is certainly right.

It was stinkin' hot. I think the rest of practices I catch will be the morning ones, especially after school starts. There won't be as many people attending then.

I sure do miss being a high school football chaplain. Freaking ACLU.

Beginning a new week....again.

Everybody dreads Mondays at one point or another. It's back to the grind. You go from the weekend to being five days from the weekend. The traffic, duties, and people you got away from on the weekend are back. It's inevitable.

Maybe you're feeling like there's no way to get past the stuff of life. Maybe you did something over the weekend you regret. You could be overwhelmed with life and don't know how you're going to get past it. Then again, you might not be pressed all that hard but you still could use some reassurance that God actually does care about you. Below is one of those "Wow" kind of passages from the Bible. Read it and then we'll look at it a bit more.

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day (Lamentations 3:23; NLT).

Look at the middle phrase, "By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction". Encouraging stuff. Are you breathing right now? Good. Thank God for His mercy. Been destroyed recently? Credit God's unfailing love and mercy. Have things been difficult in the past but they're looking up now? God's faithfulness is large...huge.

If you're a follower of Christ and God is your Heavenly Father, then his promise to you is His unfailing love. In the first sentence in the passage above God tells us that his love is unfailing (eternally consistent) and it never ends. The passage also says that his faithfulness is great (literally 'huge'). So God's love is eternally consistent, doesn't stop, and his faithfulness is huge. Even on a Monday. Oh yeah, and every other morning too. God's mercies are there on hump day or your worst day. We all have those days we would like to forget, but few of us rarely face destruction. We can thank God for His mercy on that one.

Your boss may fail you. A co-worker may blame you for their mistake. The car may break down or your A/C may go out at your home. You may even get stuck in the dreaded Interstate parking lot. No matter what, you can count on God to be there faithfully loving you fresh and new every day.

Take some time right now or sometime today and draw close to God. Enjoy his presence and unfailing love.

Have a great day.

So how are things?

So we've been on the devotional journey for a couple of weeks now and it's time for the big question. It's a question that may challenge you or frustrate you. It may also be a question that causes your mind to race with all of the things God has been saying to you recently. It's a question that will help you gauge where you are in your spiritual journey. I've written a lot of words the last couple of weeks, but there's no need for a lot of words from me today. It's time for the question.

Are you ready? Here it is.

How are things between you and God?

Talk to him about it. His love endures forever and His mercies are new every morning.

Enjoy your time with the Heavenly Father.

Have a great day.

Be prepared for a visit from God

It's in our nature to want to encounter God. Mankind attempts to encounter God in many ways. They worship nature, animals, geographic locations, other humans, and some even aliens. They build mosques, temples, altars, sheds, shrines and even pile up rocks in order to connect with God. Some people slide on their hands and knees, others pierce their bodies, still others cut themselves and a few even nail themselves to crosses. All of these methods of attempting to meet with God focus on taking something material and enticing God out into the open or proving that one is worthy to be in His presence.

If you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you'll find something of an obsession with some people in building a temple for the presence of God to reside in. It's actually something God ordained and asked to be done. He even gave specific directions and materials to be used in building the Temple.

I encourage you to take the trouble of reading the specifications for the Temple in 2nd Chronicles. Take the time to read the detail and picture it in your mind. It's really quite fascinating. The defining moment of the completion of the Temple was the Israelites experience of God's presence. It personally struck me how nonchalantly we take an encounter with God and, specifically, how we prepare for an encounter with God.

Christianity often does a lot of things to get ready to meet with God. Some dress up in their Sunday finest. Others make sure they've given plenty of money to the decoration of the sanctuary they attend. The more progressive folk put their emphasis on making sure the latest technology comes off without a hitch. A lot of things are done outwardly to prepare to meet with God, the moment arrives, and more people than we would like to admit walk away from the experience unchanged. Now read Hebrews 9:11-14 below.

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (NIV)

It's OK to wear your Sunday best, give money to the church, or have technology in church. But outward preparation is secondary to making sure that our temple, our body and lives (1 Corinthians 3:16), are prepared to meet with God. The book of Hebrews explains the shift of focus from outward preparation for God's presence to the inward preparation for meeting with God. Preparing our hearts and consciences to meet with God should be our primary concern. The Temple of the Old Testament was beautiful, even exquisite. A life that has been cleansed by the confession of sin and prepared by reading the Scripture is just as beautiful to God. In fact, it's essential if we're going to encounter God and be in His presence.

The beauty of moving the Temple from Jerusalem to the center of your soul is that you can access the presence of God anywhere. It is beyond brilliant. No more waiting till that one day a year or one day a week to meet with God. He's given us the ability to be in His presence anywhere at any time. The preparation is simple, direct, and costs nothing...except our willingness to ask forgiveness and clear our conscience.

So what are you waiting for? Don't wait until Sunday to get dressed, get in the car, set up the church, and the band starts playing. Meet with God wherever you are, whenever you can. Just prepare yourself and then thank Him for being so available.

Have a great day.

Content with being discontent

Contentment is a word and concept that is virtually non-existent in our culture. When's the last time that you heard a professional sports figure say, "I'm getting paid what I'm worth. I don't need more money"? Have you heard of any Fortune 100 CEOs turning down their performance bonus because they're content with what they have? What about the regular guy like you and me? We all want more money, a better car, a faster boat, the latest cell phone, the newest power tool, and the list goes on. We really don't know how to be content.

If I listed in this devotion the things that I want to replace the things I already have it might make you nauseous. You and I are a product of the American capitalist and consumer culture. It's difficult for us to be content. I'm personally due to another trip to North Africa. Why? It will knock you down a notch and make you content with what you have for a good long while. Need a toothbrush? Cut a 1/4 inch diameter stick in six inch sections and use it for a toothbrush. Need a snack before bedtime. Roast your own coffee, peanuts, and popcorn and enjoy the good company of other human beings. Need something to wear? Go to the suuq (market) and by clothing that, frankly, looks like everybody else's clothes. Can't find a McDonald's within walking distance? How about going to the local restaurant and getting some meat cooked over hot rocks? It's amazing how good coffee tastes, how well dressed you feel, and satisfied with your meal you are when you only need your basic needs met.

Americans are spoiled. American Christians are spoiled. We go to churches with gorgeous chandeliers and gilded choir lofts. Or we listen to a professional band and watch the speaker on high definition screens that most minor league baseball teams would kill for. We walk away wondering what they'll do to entice us back next week, or we may just leave in awe of the incredible display. We're content with our wealth and our accomplishments. We're content with our spirituality. We do our duty, go to church, and tack on religion like any other hobby in our life. All the while, we may have been busy with a lot of religious activity but there's nothing tangible or intangible to show for it. We're content to be spectators rather than players, content with our spirituality.

Here's a radical thought...What if you and I were to only to find contentment in being discontented with how well we know God? Not information...relationship. And born out of that discontentment that drives us to know God on a deeper level there is a discontentment with what we have done to serve Him. I'm talking going beyond the necessary things like helping out at church. This is a discontentment born out of knowing God that insists that everything we do or think or feel has to do with God. Every person you meet has to do with God and there's no rest until you've at least introduced them to Him (The Message//remix, pg.1716). The name for this state of being is holy discontent.

Holy discontent is where standard issue Christianity won't do. It's when spending 75 minutes a week at church is just part of a life lived for others. It's when we view every encounter with people as an opportunity for something beyond us. It's investing in other people's lives while others are content to play church. It's making known, in one way or another, "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthains 15:3-4, NIV).

Invite someone to church. Host a movie night. Have a small group in your home. Feed a homeless person. Set a lunch appointment to share the Good News with a co-worker. It's doing things like this you'll find contentment.

But godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV).

Have a great day.

Trials and tribulations of the flip flop tribe

I am of the flip flop tribe. I value the air flowing freely over my feet as the flip and flop of my onomatopoeiaic footwear carry me to wherever I am appointed to go.

I do, however, wonder if the girls of Northwestern's championship lacrosse team used proper White House edicate by wearing flip flops when they visited the President. I love my flip flops as much as anyone in my tribe, but there's just something about meeting the President of the United States in flip flops that awkwardly straddles the gap between fashion edge and White House edicate.

I am torn. What would I do? If I were asked to visit the White House and meet the President as part of a delegation of next generation pastors, would I revert to the suit, tie, and dress shoes of another life? Or, would I wear a nice shirt, khakis, and dress flip flops from ALDO? Instead of flip flops I think I might splurge and spring for a nice pair of slip-ons.

Nonetheless, I don't fault the girls for being who they are. Worse fashion and edicate crimes have been committed. The people that are hurt the most are the girls' mothers.

Click here for the AP story on the flip flop flap at the White House.

Super-sizing your spirituality is unhealthy

I watched the movie Super Size Me this week. Twice. I watched it once by myself and another with my family (with a couple of strategically placed fast forwards). After watching it, we all swore that we would cut down on our fast food intake. Well, maybe except for Emily because she loves McDonald's and she's a stick. For most people though, you'll swear off McDonald's too...for a while.

Morgan Spurlock, the director/guinea pig of the movie ate nothing but McDonald's for thirty days. He ate everything on the menu. Over those thirty days he gained 24.5 pounds. His cholesterol doubled. His liver took a beating from all of the sugar in the shakes, ketchup...and believe it or not...salad. He got depressed, fatigued, irritable, and addicted to the food that was literally killing him. We all know that no one in their right mind is going to eat McDonald's everyday. Well, except for Don Gorske who's downed over 19,000 Big Macs in his lifetime. He's an anomaly, in that he eats there constantly and is in good physical condition. I'm thinking there's a spiritual analogy in this story of human overindulgence and addiction....

We all do things that we know aren't good for us. We engage in activities that we know damage our physical well-being. Pick your poison. Many of you that read this know my vice is Little Debbie Devil Squares. It's like crack in a yellow box. I need a fix right now. Must...not....give....in. You have to admit that except for a few of us, we all have a vice or two. What's yours? We also know that taking in certain types of food in excessive amounts isn't good for us. It's the same way with out spiritual lives.

A balanced spiritual diet is essential or you'll end up spiritually bloated and incapacitated. The Bible talks a lot about food. Yes, it talks about famines and gluttony and eating stuff that might offend someone else. There are other ways that the Bible looks at food:

• The river (water) of life. The Spirit of God that should flow from a Christian's life. (John 4:14; 7:37-38) Even though this isn't technically food water is the essential thing we intake to live.
• Spiritual milk. The basic teachings of Christianity. (Hebrews 5:12)
• Solid food. The deeper teachings of Christianity. (Hebrews 5:14)
  

As followers of Christ, we have to be filled with the Spirit (instead of being full of ourselves). As followers of Christ we have to know and practice the basic teachings of Christ. As follwers of Christ we have to know the deeper teachings of Christ for the purpose of stability and mentoring others. When we "super size" one area of our spirituality it's unhealthy. It will result in an inconsistent and bad belief system. It will also result in an inconsistent and bad example of what it means to be a Christian. Supersizing one area of spirituality results in spiritual sickness. Spiritual sickness causes us to have poor attitudes, unhealthy emotions, and engage in damaging behavior. Diagnosis: Sin.

So next time you feel like supersizing your spirituality, just say "No thanks" and eat a balanced diet.

Have a great day.

Politics will get you killed

Everyone deals with politics at one point in their life. I'm not talking blue states or red states or primaries or the electoral college. I'm talking politics at your job, on your kid's sports team, your HOA, or (God forbid) at a local church.

People, by nature, want to push their agenda and get their way. People that aren't inclined to deal with life ethically or for some reason are power hungry tend to use politics to advance their cause. Politics are usually born out of a lack of trust and insecurity. Sometimes it's just pure meanness. No matter what the motivation, principles from the Bible can help you see politics for what they are. Reading the Bible will also confirm that politics have been around for thousands of years. The example I'm going to point you to is from the life of king David, circa 980 BC. Read this passage of Scripture.

Since people that use politics are usually unethical, untrusting, or insecure, each situation has to be dealt with a bit differently. No matter what the motivation is, here are some general principles to look to:

• Expect the unexpected out of people when they feel threatened.

David's honest condolences, sent to Hanun because of his father's death, were completely rejected because Hanun thought David was spying on him.

• People that feel threatened will attempt to humiliate you.

Hanun had David's messenger's humiliated by having their beards shaved and he "cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks".

• When threatened, people seek to form allegiances and contract with mercenaries.

Hanun figured the humiliation would immediately start a fight so he took a defensive position with his people and others he had contracted with.

• When attacked, stand your ground ethically.

When David saw that Hanun was taking a defensive position (it looked more like an offensive), he followed God's directions to stand his ground.

• Rest assured, that if you do the right thing, your name will be cleared and people will learn not to hang around the troublemaker.

Hanun's armies were defeated and the mercenaries gave up when they saw that David had done the right thing. The mercenaries pleged to never align with Hanun again.

Here's a great passage to bookmark when politics come up:

Don't worry about the wicked. Don't envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others-- it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land. (Psalm 37:1-9, NLT)

Don't let politics kill you. Learn and follow God's principles for dealing with people and the fog of complicated situations of life will become clear.

Have a great day.

Quick movie reviews

Batman Begins - 4.75 stars out of 5 stars. It made me feel like a kid again. I'm going to try to watch it on the big screen one more time before it goes to DVD.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 2.5 stars out of 5 stars even though my wife and daughter thought it was a solid 4 stars. OK, Johnny Depp was entertaining as ever, even though he made Willy Wonka a bit too metro for my tastes. I think they could have shortened the movie by 45 minutes and it would have been fine. Waaaaaaay toooooooo slooooooooooow. Since Tim Burton directed it, it was a bit dark as you might imagine. The cinematography (thanks, Britney) was stunning but it didn't make up for the pace. Plenty of sermon illustration fodder nonetheless.

What does your day look like?

Let's see...I have four, fourteen year old girls asleep in my living room right now...remnants of a birthday party.

• I have to make sure three they get home today. Really my wife Michelle does, but I may have to take one of them home.
• Write a devotion.
• The worship folder for Sunday needs to be finished, printed, and folded.
• I'm having lunch with a couple of guys today. One of them could be a potential part of The Journey as a staff guy down the road.
• Start draft work on the Batman Begins message.
• I need to go see either Batman Begins or Fantastic Four to keep up with the whole movie series thing.
• Mowing the lawn would be a good thing but hey, I can blow that off until tomorrow.
  

Since the devotions this week focus on the purpose of life, I thought it would be a good idea to show you what I'm thinking about my day. I'm sitting here thinking, "How I can live the purpose of life in each of these situations today?" Let's see, that means living redemptively. That means acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. How about I just go through each of the tasks individually?

Teenage girls in the house. Let them sleep in. If that isn't loving mercy and showing God's grace, I don't know what is. When I was a kid I had to get up and feed the cows and do chores and blah, blah, blah. Oh yea, I can also invite the two girls that are unchurched to come to The Journey.

Write a devotion. Self explanatory. I hope it adds value to your day.

The worship folder for Sunday. I'll have a an admin someday. It's really not that big of a deal. That might fit into the walking humbly category.

Lunch with a couple of guys. Our worship arts guy and someone he knows to be exact. That 'someone' is a young guy that's taken his fair share of lumps in the ministry. The goal is to eat, listen, pray, dream, and help that 'someone' on his journey of ministry. If nothing else we can let him know that there's life beyond the traditional church. This is definitely a loving mercy and walking humbly with God thing.

Start draft work on the Batman Begins message. Another self explanatory task, with a goal of helping people better understand God and his redemptive purpose for our life.

I need to go see either Batman Begins or Fantastic Four to keep up with the whole movie series thing. If you think this is a veiled attempt at an excuse to see a movie, get over it. This is cutting edge ministry, in the trenches, connecting with culture. Really. OK, it's not exactly work in some respects but it is essential that we Christians interpret culture through the filter of God's redemptive work.

Mowing the lawn would be a good thing but hey, I can blow that off until tomorrow. This is a lesson in redemption. I would not have to mow grass and cut weeds if Adam and Eve would have just kept their pride in check. Having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the assurance of being a part of a new heaven and new earth (with grass that I'm thinking won't need to be cut) is motivation to mow the lawn by tomorrow afternoon.

More stuff will come up. I'll need to be close enough to God to know how to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God when it does. Think through your day right now. Try running what you have to do today through justice, mercy, and humility filter.

Ask yourself the question, "Will the other human beings I come into contact to day be better off for being around me?"

Have a great day.

What do Enron, Custer, and Brad & Jennifer have in common?

Failure. It's never pretty. Enron, Worldcomm, Arthur Andersen, General Custer, and Brad & Jennifer are all examples of failure to some degree or another. If there's one thing in the world we hate to admit as humans, it's failure. No one likes to admit that the plan they developed and implemented failed.

We tend to blame accounting practices, battle plans, and Angelina Jolie for the failures in life. But what about the greed, pride, and self-centeredness that cause most human problems? Why don't we address those issues and admit a need to change our character? Because it's personal, that's why. Admitting that there are character flaws in our life is something that we all find hard to deal with. It's easier to place blame than take responsibility. The plan most people adopt in life is to mess up over and over and blame it on everything but their unwillingness to change.

The plans we make for life end up being more like a Band-aid when what we really need is a pride-oplasty. We listen to Oprah, Geraldo, Rush, Al, Bill, or Montel and hope for the best. We keep making plans and placing blame and come up empty in more ways than one. If that doesn't work we go to church or read the Bible or pray and ask God to give us some sort of cosmic Mapquest with turn-by-turn instruction. Other people try putting a bunch of world religions together and living by relative truth and developing an incredibly complex spiritual system and hope that works. So how well are our human plans working to solve life's problems? Not too well, obviously.

So what about God's plan? If God has a plan, what is it?

God's plan is simple: He wants to redeem humanity. Wait a minute...What about world peace, famine, child abuse, terrorism, abortion, divorce or my kid that needs to go to Brat Camp? What's God's plan for that? The answer is still the redemption of humanity. Don't blame the Democrats, Republicans, Muslims, your parents, your spouse or your kids. Be a part of God's plan of redemption. Remember, God's plan is pretty simple: Redeem humanity. Our part in that plan is to "...act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). Here's another way to look at it: "We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life" (Ephesians 2:10, NJB).

God's plan of redeeming humanity started by becoming like us. He chose to do that by having Jesus be born to a woman named Mary, a virgin. Because Jesus was God and man he showed us what it meant to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God...perfectly. Jesus loved the unlovable, cured the incurable, and railed on the religious. He sacrificed his life for humanity and took all of our sin on himself. He forgave our sins when he didn't have to and explained grace by his actions. After he died on the cross for our sins he rose from the dead. When we believe that and place our trust in a relationship with him, he gives us the power to live redemptively too. Jesus said, "As the Father sent me, so am I sending you" (John 20:21, NJB). So God's plan for us, as Christians, is to be a part of his redemptive plan. We're supposed to live redemptively.

Redemptive living makes dealing with other people's failure much easier. Redemptive living will also prevent a lot of failures from happening. Acting justly, loving mercy, and walking with God...He never said it would be easy. He did say that's what Christians were created for.

Have a great day.

the purpose of life happens in community (part 2)

(culture is looking for a place to connect)

Sometimes it's good to be alone. To focus, recharge, rest, and prepare for the next round of relationship encounters. Jesus did it, for sure. But Jesus spent the most of his time with people. Sometimes with a few, the twelve disciples. Other times it was with huge crowds. All of the time he was mixing with the culture and connecting with other people.

The American culture is no longer one of community. We try to say we're a culture of community because we still know it's valuable. So we give churches the name "community" church and there are online "communities". There are gated "communities" and we have "community" centers. How much community really takes place? How much do people genuinely connect and feel wanted and cared for? Are real relationships being engaged or have we started giving places the name "community" in hope that community might really happen?

So what is community anyway? (I'm starting to sound like the old guy on 60 minutes!) The sitcom Cheers was a good example. Mayberry RFD was another good example. A good movie example would be Cheaper by The Dozen. Community is/was when people knew who you were. They accepted you for how God made you, quirky personality and all. They lived life with you. They laughed, cried, mourned, and enjoyed sharing a meal with you. They even told you when you screwed up and let you know about it. Community is a place to know others and be known by others.

From a Christian perspective, an authentic, functioning Christian community has all of the above but it goes a step further and invites people into the community for the sake of friendship, healing, accountability, fun, worship, and learning. You may not have realized it but within that definition of an authentic Christian community the five purposes of the church...evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and worship.

We were created for community, for relationships (Read Genesis chps 1-3). God created us so we would have a relationship with him. He gave us other humans to have relationships with. We've been created with an innate desire to have meaningful relationships. So how do we connect in urban/suburban culture, where we can be sitting in traffic, at a sporting event, at school, even at a megachurch and never connect with one single human being? Even though we may have been around thousands of people in one day? An authentic, Christian community.

The redeeming, healing, and connecting message of Jesus Christ is designed to bring people together in community. Our purpose as followers of Christ is to share that message and create a community of faith where hurting, disconnected people can be redeemed, healed, and connected...with God and with other people.

So here are two questions to challenge you today: What can I do to connect better with the people of The Journey? Who do I know that needs to be redeemed and healed and connected with God?

People are looking for a place to connect and be part of a community. Let's be there for them.

Have a great day.