I have never liked thorns

I looked at my old coveralls and sighed.
I had this pair of bibs for many years, they were insulated so they had come in very handy when winter came. Like a lot of my clothes they had become tighter.
I think our washing machine shrinks clothes.
Anyway, I noticed how tore up they were. The legs had many ripped spots and along with some holes from welding, they were looking pretty sad.
The rips had come from thorns, nasty sticky things I had stumbled into over several years of chasing rabbits.
I hate thorns because they hurt, they would rip my exposed skin and tear into my clothes. They make a nice place for small animals, but for a big guy like me they aren't nice at all.
In fact I wondered why have them at all? We can't eat them (as far as I know, at least I haven't tried to eat them on purpose).
Why?
As I thought deeper about it, we aren't equipped to handle them. Our skin would have to be a lot tougher to walk through them without getting hurt. Oh we can cut them and burn them but they show up other places.
Now that I think about it, we were never meant to live in a world with them.
As I recall my Genesis (the book in the Bible, not the band Phil Collins was in) God tells Adam this;
"17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
So before the fall, no thorns, after the fall...ouch.
We know something is wrong, we watch TV and see the pain that's out there. People abusing other people, death and destruction, injustice and corruption.
We know this isn't right, life isn't supposed to be this way.
And when the thorns hit home, when we have been wronged, or lose a loved one, or get bad news from the doctor, we hurt. It's not what we signed up for, especially if we are a follower of Christ. God is supposed to block the pain.
And then I remember it was the fall that created this mess, the choice to let God be the god of our lives or we are the boss.
I remember the line in the movie "The Princess Bride" (which I thought was a pretty good movie) the male lead tells the princess "Life is pain princess, anybody who tells you its not is trying to sell you something". Pretty good line and unfortunately it's true.
The fact we live in such a painful place should drive us into the arms of Christ, to know He died that we would one day live in a place where God would wipe the tears of our pain away.
I believe it is a place that is worth waiting for. It makes Christ's sacrifice even more special knowing that He loved me enough to offer such a place to me. I don't deserve it, but His grace and mercy are enough.
I have some great days on this earth, great friends, great family and good times. I have also seen and felt real pain. I have lost loved ones and seen others that I care about experience great pain in their lives. Being a follower of Christ does not exempt us from pain. John the Baptist knew all about that, but the best days are the ones that are coming.
I look forward to a time and place...
without thorns.

Joy to the world and get your hands off my Tickle Me Elmo.

How did we get here?
How did the celebration of the birth of the Messiah of the world, our path to God, the one who has saved us from eternal destruction, into a one day shopping melee?
I had not heard the term "black Friday" before, is this new or am I living in a cave?
Think about it, we sing happy songs at Christmas, Joy is the theme, celebrate God's gift to humanity.
Then we scratch, claw, over spend, and end up hating the very holiday that we are supposed to be overjoyed about.
We lose the true meaning because somehow we always bring it back to us. It's not about God, it's about being at a store hours before you normally get up. That kills me, let's open our store at 3 am and expect people to be in a good mood! I see people get up at 7 am who are crabby.
Now I realize that not everybody goes nuts at Christmas, many get it. I also want to state that if you want to fight the crowds the day after Thanksgiving, go for it.
But...
If you find yourself ready to kill to get the last $199 laptop, that you want to strangle the family in front of the check out line at Wal-Mart, that you want to say or do things that would get you a free nights stay at the local jail, remember this...
It's really about our salvation, our freedom, our savior.
It's not about maxing our credit cards and finding the biggest bargains.
This was brought home to me at the community Thanksgiving service. I was asked to speak at the service and I talked about what we should really be thankful for. As man came up to me after the service, thanked me, and told me how thankful he was, he had been "clean" for 8 years.
You see Jesus had freed him from an addiction. He understands better than most what an amazing gift God has given each one of us.
That's what Christmas is.
Please understand I find nothing wrong with giving and receiving gifts, one of my biggest thrills is giving my family gifts.
I just want each one of you to stop and think about what Christmas really means.
You might find the joy we sing about.

Boundaries.

"Stay away from the road!"
I can still hear my Mom's voice. Warning me to remain within the confines of our yard.
I was probably 8 or 9 at the time and I was pretending to be a football player. I was by myself of course so I had to pretend I was making incredible catches against imaginary opponents. At that time we lived on a corner lot, so their was a road that ran in front of our house and a road on the side. A garage created a wall on the other side, and while I had a huge back yard to play in, I usually played close to the house. Mom was in the house so I knew that if I needed something she was really close.
There was always something cool going on in the shop across the road. Guys would be welding and grinding on things, making cool looking sparks. Also I learned new words that Mom and Dad didn't use.
But I didn't dare cross the road. It would not go well for me if I did.
Now I will openly admit that I haven't always stayed within the boundaries in my life. You probably haven't either.
In fact, human beings have always had trouble living within boundaries.
Just think about Adam and Eve, they had a BIG yard to play in. God said here and no farther. Enjoy this place, but stay away from this tree, it will kill you.
We all know how that worked out.
Want a more modern example?
There are people who are paid to come up with a safe speed for us to travel in our cars. I don't believe they meet in a secret place and say "let's mess with people, let's come up with a speed that people will hate". Speed limits are boundaries that are there to keep us safe.
If you've driven very long at all you know people, for the most part, ignore these boundaries.
By ignoring them however does not mean they don't exist. I might say that I believe there is no speed limit, but that probably would not fly with a police officer.
As our culture evolves, we desire less boundaries. Think about television of the 70's, now think about television today. Are the boundaries different?
We keep pushing the boundaries farther and farther. We see what's across the road, and we want to be able to go across. It looks so good and inviting. Cool looking sparks and new words.
And we want a God that says, "sure, go ahead, I know how cool that must look. Just be careful." There are even those who claim to be God's heralds that tell people that it's okay to ignore the boundaries, God understands. They draw decent crowds because that message is so cool.
But that's not the God I read about in the Bible.
And speaking of God's Word I would be the first to agree that men have sometimes tried to set boundaries on God's behalf. The Pharisees did it, some do it today.
If I read the Word, I begin to see the actual boundaries. I understand that I haven't been good. I need forgiveness for leaving the yard. Jesus took the punishment that I deserved.
And now I'm a child of the King.
It's not that my desire to check out the cool stuff across the street has went away, but I know if I stay close to my heavenly Father, He will keep me and provide for me. He wants the very best for me. He has given me an opportunity to serve Him, to help Him.
I know I need to stay in the yard.
Because boundaries are for my benefit.

Transitions. Part 2

I saw this one coming.
I stumbled across the web site of the Fort Lauderdale based Coral Ridge Presbyterian church once led by the late Dr. James Kennedy.
They were seeking a new pastor.
Before I get into this, I want you to know that I had seen Dr. Kennedy on the TV before. His neatly combed hair and blue robe stand out in my memory. To be honest I'm not sure I ever remember listening to him for very long.
This is NOT a slam on Dr. Kennedy, I have no doubt he was a man of God who led one of the first mega-churches in this country. He must have been a great leader. A far better one than I am.
What caught my attention was the man they hired to replace Dr. Kennedy.
Enter Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, a younger man who happens to be Billie Graham's grandson!
What I read about Pastor Tullian was that he was everything Dr. Kennedy wasn't.
The robe was ditched, Pastor Tullian didn't get involved in politics like Dr. Kennedy had. Tullian spiked his hair once in awhile, and had a little stubble on his face sometimes.
Now to follow a man like Dr. Kennedy would make most men turn down the church, who would want to replace a legend?
And of course there are some who are not happy.
Dr. Kennedy's daughter seems to be leading the opposition, circulating a petition (ah the infamous petition) for the removal of Pastor Tchividjian. From what I can determine the opposition is a very small group who are screaming the loudest.
What does this teach us about transitions?
We are creatures of habit and we are all unique. Coral Ridge will never find another Dr. Kennedy. He was a unique, special man of God.
But so is Tullian, in his own way.
If you read the Old Testament you will find that God would choose the right man for the right time. They were unique men, who had their good points and bad.
Sometimes we never hear the message that God has for us because we are to busy being upset by appearances or styles. We often are to obsessed with the past.
I truly believe God is raising up leaders of all ages that are not interested in style, procedure, politics or formality. They want to add to the Kingdom. They want to be Jesus' hands and feet.
And while you will be hard pressed to find anyone who would disagree with these important points, it seems we have a "not in my backyard" approach. You can do all of those things, but don't change anything at my place of worship.
I read something on Pastor Tullian's blog that rings true. All churches are dying.
Some are literally dying.
Some are exciting and glamorous, the latest of everything. But at their very core their mission is dead.
And some have taken up their cross and died to selfish desires for the sake of the Kingdom. They don't care about anything except for serving Christ and their fellow man.
I modified these, but in essence this is true. Until all of my silly preferences pass away and are removed will I begin to see what the gospel is really all about.
I'm praying for Coral Ridge. I pray for peace and protection from the attacks of the evil one.
I'm also praying for a willingness to change.

Transitions.

I was nervous for them.
I'm usually not very nervous before I preach. God simply wired me weird, it doesn't bother me. This morning however was different.
My young people, two of my own boys and three others whom I have gotten to know and appreciate were going to play their instruments and sing before the church.
I was so nervous that I put the wrong license plate renewal sticker on the wrong car (don't let them tell you that you can't get the sticker off once you put it on, I did) that morning.
The story starts a lot earlier in the year when I opened the church to these guitar and drum playing young people. I didn't have a clue. I couldn't help them because I didn't know what I was doing. I needed help.
I called Brian, his church has a band. Brian could play guitar, and he loves working with young people. Could he come down and listen, perhaps give them some pointers?
Of course Brian came and before long that evening I actually heard music. I knew that Brian couldn't come down every week, so would he be willing to help if I brought the group to Mattoon?
Brian graciously said that he would. Our first trip to Mattoon told me something about Matt, Aaron, Bryce, Caleb and Justin.
They could do it.
I met Jeremy who can play just about everything (and really enjoyed showing the guys stuff) who had the guys attention. Brian and Jer showed them how to play the song. My guys listened.
What I noticed instantly was how well the listened. Aaron struggled at first with what Jer showed him, but it wasn't long before it sounded good. Justin listened as Danelle showed him how to play chords on a keyboard. Brian worked with Matt on the rhythm guitar and vocals. Jer really shined when showing Bryce and Caleb some guitar riffs. I think they both were awestruck.
In fact Bryce sat down on his amp (which he does a lot) and kept practicing. I don't think my guys wanted to leave.
Fast forward, and a few more trips to Mattoon, meeting and practicing at the church, bringing Pastor Kenny in to help with some traditional songs as well as keeping us from blowing people away by being to loud. Katie showed up one night to listen to the guys practice. I put her behind a microphone. It worked.
Finally Pastor Kenny declared they were ready. How far they had come.
And when the day arrived for them to lead the worship, I was nervous. Would they hit the notes and chords? How would the church receive them?
It was great.
It was more than great, the church loved it. I loved it.
All of that to say this. When a church takes a step in a different direction, there is a transition. That scares some church goers because it means change. Sometimes change brings friction. Through this I learned some valuable lessons.
Take small steps.
Stay positive.
Build excitement.
Do it well.
Get help from people who have been there.
Well now the challenge for us is doing it again, because it went so well.
"Brian, have you got a Tuesday night free?"

C4, Connection & Christ

It's on the screen every week.
C4= Christ, Connection, Community, Creativity.
I want to write today about connection, but in a little different light.
We usually talk about connection with each other in the church and also form connections (or relationships) outside the church. All good stuff.
But I think one connection we don't talk about much is our connection with Christ.
I had a thought the other day (granted that doesn't happen often). Do we base our connection with Christ on 1 hour a week on Sunday?
I mean, is the highlight of our Christian walk every week merely 60 minutes on Sunday?
Think about this, for 1 hour out of 168 per week we connect with Christ. And that's if we come to church on Sunday!
Perhaps that why when changes come to some churches, the fur begins to fly. We don't want the pinnacle of our Christian experience messed with.
Sometimes pastors make it worse. We develop programs, gimmicks, light shows, whatever, so that people can connect with the church.
Shouldn't our churches help people connect with Christ? Shouldn't our worship services, classes, small groups, whatever, help people connect with Christ?
And not only connect with Christ for 1 hour a week, but every waking hour we have.
The church isn't a building, it's us. Christ is working outside the walls (believe it or not) of our churches. Are we connecting with Christ out there?
Christ is working in our churches too, but sometimes we demand that it's on our terms. We seem to connect when the church does things we like, because as everyone knows Jesus likes the things we like, and He hates the stuff we hate (that is sarcasm).
Discipleship is more than learning to read our Bible, and learning to pray. Don't get me wrong, that is VERY important. But discipleship is more than that, it is connecting with Christ on the journey. It is rolling up our sleeves, and connecting with Christ in the marketplace. It is our life, not a place and a time every Sunday.
Many people in Jesus' time knew who Jesus was. Many followed Him, for awhile. Some stayed and connected with Him however, and the world has never been the same.
Would our communities be different if we connected with Christ in His work to show His love for people? Would our churches be different if we used that time to worship Christ because of our connection with Him the other hours of our week?
And lastly, would our lives have more purpose and meaning when we connect, not only with the church, but Christ Himself?
Something to think about.

Jon & Kate Make A Mess

It was annoying to say the least.
I was trying to sleep and my wife was watching this latest reality television show.
In the background I heard kids crying for at least 15 minutes. If I wanted to hear that I would have had more of my own kids.
Not to mention the non-stop whining they both did. You wanted kids right?
Now I know the latest craze is having 8 kids all at once(looks like "octo mom" is in line next), and then telling the world how tough it is, get yourself your own show. Stick a camera in your kid's face, complain your spouse isn't doing enough. Let the world come on in. Then travel around the country talking about your new found fame (at the expense of spending time with your 8 little gold mines).
I guess it beats working.
Now I see that both of them are denying affairs. They are both upset at the tabloids.
I thought Jon and Kate liked attention.
I have to admit I'm wondering if the divorce talk is just to pull in ratings.
The tragedy here is that families have enough struggles without adding fame into the mix.
What happens if they do get divorced? Will their greed and desire for fame harm the very children they claim to care about? You know the answer to that.
No I don't walk in their shoes. I don't know their life.
I know this, what they are about to lose isn't worth what they have gained.
So my free advice to Jon and Kate;
Jon, be the family protector and tell TLC to get out of your family's life. Protect your family like a pit bull on a bad day. That's YOUR job.
Kate, stop whining about everything and decide what you want. To be a wife and mom or be a star. It's not working being both. Frankly, without Jon and the kids your star power is a little dim.
I'm praying they keep it together.
But our culture is so "me" anymore, so starved for attention, we so desire to be the victim in everything that doesn't work the way we want it to.
It just easier to throw our hands up and quit.
Who knows maybe that will get them a spot on Dr Phil.
Hmmmm.

Why?

I had waited on George several times.
He worked for a gravel pit and he was a very nice guy.
He never got really worked up, and he had a pleasant personality.
And last week he killed himself.
Of all the people I would have thought might do something like this, George would have been the last on the list.
What was it? Did he have an addiction, a terminal illness? Did he live without hope?
I've had the "why" thought about a lot of things lately.
Kids bringing guns to school, parents killing their own kids, normal looking people who do horrible things to others.
Why?
Has the longing in people souls become such an abyss? Are we as a society coming to a point where we will do anything to satisfy a thirst for something?
The answer is that people sometimes buy false goods. Satan hates God and everything He has created. That means he hates us.
To destroy us he has to tell us that there is no hope, that only extreme measures will bring an end to that hopeless feeling. Killing and harming others or ourselves will put us in control of the situation.
It's a win-win for Satan, he destroys lives and hurts God.
There is always hope. If we have Christ that hope becomes eternal.
How many more "Georges" are out there? How many have lost hope? How many will destroy their lives trying to find life?
We have the answer to the hurt.
Will we share it?

Moral Bearings?

Excuse me?
I'm reading this article, just trying to keep up. Trying to be an informed citizen.
I discovered that President Obama is open to prosecuting those who may have been responsible for coming up with waterboarding and other forms of torture.
That in itself is pretty scary, but what he said next sent a chill up my spine.
That the United States has "lost its moral bearings" with use of the tactics.
I'm sorry did he say "lost its moral bearings"?
So I'm thinking, have we lost our moral bearings by killing unborn children?
Have we lost our moral bearings by filling the airwaves with filth?
Have we lost our moral bearings by spending so much money our great, great grandchildren will have to pay for the stupidity of others?
Have we lost our moral bearings by eliminating God from the public arena?
Have we lost our moral bearings by publishing smut and calling it art?
Have we lost our moral bearings when we reward those who are able to work, but simply decide not to?
Did we lose our moral bearings when Terry Schiavo was unplugged?
You see Mr. President, when you say something like this, it's a slippery slope. What your saying is that your moral bearing is selective. For example, torture bad, but abortion okay. Don't waterboard a terrorist, but please rid us of those pesky Ten Commandments.
I guess a moral bearing is selective, maybe even relative.
It's good to despise evil, as long as it's an evil we aren't doing or enjoying the benefit derived from an evil. I mean doesn't it say something when people care more about a baby seal getting whacked than a human baby being aborted?
Now before I get labeled a right wing potential terrorist by our new head of Homeland Security, I want to state that both political parties have been suffering from a whacked out moral compass for quite some time. The only compass I think our leaders look at is the one that gets them the most attention and the most money. Got to keep ourselves on the cover of Newsweek you know!
I long for the day when the leaders of our nation, our states, and our churches stop trying to make everyone happy and just say it like it is, then live their convictions.
I truly believe, and maybe I'm wrong, that the majority of Americans are good, moral people who simply aren't paid attention to. It seems the attention is being focused on the fringe groups who yell and scream the loudest, the ones breaking the law to make their points.
I have a dream...maybe one day.

Things I don't get...Part 2

Ok, here we go...

1. Where did they come up with the idea of using a little guy pretending to be Scottish whipping people with a metal dipstick and calling everybody "Jimmy"? That's supposed to sell more oil?
2. I saw where our President says he's going to cut the deficit in half at the end of his first term. Wait a minute, didn't he just spend a bunch of money? I know in my checkbook the more I spend the BIGGER my debt becomes. Maybe I missed something in economics class.
3. Gas prices (see my first list..I still don't get it)
4. How they get that kid on the E-trade commercials to do what he does. If I could figure that out I'd have LOTS of fun using our church's projector.
5. What happened to Taylor Hicks? (Since we look so much alike).
6. Why don't the Dodgers just sign Manny and get it over with?
7. McDonalds now offers apple slices as a side. That's like eating a fried chicken with a diet Coke.
8. Women who have little dogs in their purses. Dogs leak ladies, think about it.
9. Why I wasn't born closer to the ocean (okay I really know why, but it doesn't make it easier).
10. Facebook, I'm mean it's great to see different people, but then what do you do?!?
There you go..enjoy!

2009, The Year of the Apology or Can I get a Do Over?

I'm sorry.
Well I'm not sure I did anything, but I'm trying to be relevant in today's society.
As far as I know, I have heard apologies from, baseball players, elected officials, coaches, stock brokers, both honest and dishonest, CEO's, and a certain swimmer, the list just keeps on going.
What does this tell us?
First, we have become more self-focused. It's about us, our money pile, our ego, our legacy, our greed. Get what you can for yourself and who cares about anyone else.
For the most part you can get away with that, but even that isn't enough. People see a blurred line between right and wrong. If it makes me richer, faster, better, one of the guys, and nobody catches me, why not?
I can always say "I'm sorry".
In most of the apologies I've seen, I'm not sure their sorry about what they did, just sorry they got caught.
None of the apologies I've seen were offered before they got caught. Only when their deeds were brought to light, did they want forgiveness.
Second it seems that we weigh the consequences with what we stand to gain and decide it's worth it. To cheat and make more money is worth the risk. To have an affair is worth the risk that the wife will find out. To do drugs is worth the risk that it could become an addiction.
That's what scares me the most, people are willing to give up so much for something that in all likelihood they can't hang on to anyway.
A very good friend of mine once told me how he handles the temptation of cheating on his wife. "I look at her and say, would this relationship be worth me losing my wife, my kids, probably my home, everything I've worked for?" When you look at it that way, you find you can lose far more than you stand to gain. And yet it happens every day, people trade away everything for a moments pleasure, or a little more money, or to be part of the group.
God offers us something eternal, a life that has purpose and real meaning, peace and a network of friends that care about you and love you. And yet many trade this free gift for the slavery of our desires, greed, ego and addictions.
Let me end with this, I've had to say I'm sorry. I have made mistakes, and at times I've taken the easy way. Most of us have, but with God the slate gets rubbed clean, I start over working even harder not to repeat the same mistakes. Jesus loves me even when I fail, and through Him I'm a better man. I've also learned to forgive people, even people that have cheated me, lied to me, hurt me. I can forgive because I know that God has forgiven me.
So when you come to a crossroad in your life, and you will, and you have to decide on a path you will travel, take the one that you know God would want you to take.
It will be worth it.

MISSIONAL vs ATTRACTIONAL...PART TWO

Mission
What comes to your mind when you think of the word mission?
Perhaps you think of a foreign country where missionaries work. Maybe you think about a soup kitchen or half-way house. You might even think of an old church in the old west.
But I think in the context of the church, mission is a task. It is an assignment, like when "M" sends James Bond out to do something. OK maybe the James Bond reference is a bit much, but you get the idea.
To compare attractional and missional is like comparing me to Tom Cruise (I'm really closer to Harrison Ford looking). It's not even close (I'll let the ones who know what I look like to judge who is better looking).
The missional church is focused on what they believe God has called them to do. The worship service on Sunday becomes a celebration of what God has done through the week. They put their faith in action, to serve, not to be served.
I guess that's really what it boils down to. The attractional model seems to say, "what do we do to put people in the pews?" The missional model says, "what do we do to get people out of the pews and into a ministry?"
You might think this is a new thing, but Jesus told us to make disciples, and disciples, as least as far as I can tell, got involved in their churches as well as different communities.
I think the bonus here is that when churches are missional, they do tend to attract people, it's not why we do it, but I've found that as churches step out in faith, God blesses what they do.
Now I know that sometimes that means we move out of our comfort zones, and that makes us feel...well uncomfortable. But we have a choice, take the easy road that might get you some more people, well at least more people for awhile. Or we can join God on a mission, and in so doing grow as Christians, and our churches becomes healthier in the process.
Some would argue that I'm talking about a works based theology, but please understand, if God changes us, he changes every part of us. James tells us that faith without works is dead, C. S. Lewis explains it this way, you can't have one without the other, that it's like a pair of scissors, it takes both blades to cut. One without the other is pretty much useless.
Will your church accept the mission?
Or will it be mission impossible?