Freedom to Love

.: Freedom to Love :.

If you’ve ever met me you know that I like to eat. I am always anxious to spend time with people, and one of the best ways to do that is over a meal. (So if you’re ever wanting to grab a bite with someone you know who to call) With that being said, I end up going to lots of different restaurants and trying lots of new dishes. I love the adventure in this process.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on another eating adventure. I met my friend at a restaurant that neither of us had been to before. I thoroughly looked over the menu, and found what I wanted. Our waiter returned and took my friend’s order, I was up next. After I placed my order the waiter hesitated, looked at me and said, “You really don’t want that”. I was caught off guard by his comment. That had never happened to me before. And a series of thoughts went through my mind:

“Should I trust this guy?”

“Who are you to tell me what I should eat?”

“Maybe, he just saved me from a big mistake.”

“What in the world should I get now?”

“Why shouldn’t I get it?”

So I asked the most practical of my thoughts, “If that’s not good, what IS good?” The waiter responded, “Well, everything else really … just not that.”

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It’s funny to me after growing up in the church, and working in a church for the last 5 years, how many people think being a Christian is about not doing certain things. I see it with people inside the church and outside the church. For some reason we have projected this idea that God is all about us keeping the rules. All God cares about is that we “don’t sin”.

The tragedy in all of this is that through the way that we live our lives as Christians, and through how we project ourselves as a Church to the rest of the world, we have missed out on the very thing that God tells us he is all about. And this isn’t just about what Jesus did, this has been God’s plan since day one.

Take a minute to read Genesis 2:15-17. Most of the time when we hear that passage we focus on that God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But we totally miss out on the fact that God told them they were free to eat from ANY tree in the garden.
God put Adam & Eve in a garden will of choices, and what I love about our God is that there was only one wrong choice. Everything else was good, everything else was in God’s will.

Too often we get caught up in, "well God wouldn’t have us do that", and what happens is we miss out on what God would have us do. Because when we really look at it, there are endless possibilities to what we can do. God has placed us on a planet full of choices, and he has given us the freedom to choose.

Jesus’ life demonstrated this for us as well. In his book, Wide Open Spaces author Jim Palmer focuses in on this life that God has for us, and how Jesus demonstrated it through his life. “Jesus lived and breathed a freedom to love, not a freedom from hate and selfishness. His focus wasn’t on being free from sin. But being alive to love.”

May we live a life freed to love everyone, and to be open to all of the directions the Holy Spirit is moving. May we not be more focused on avoiding sin, but rather let us focus on being empowered to love.

Love at the Core,
Devin

Signs

Two of my biggest pet peeves are being late and being lost. I think the first is pretty straight forward. If I have some place I am supposed to be, then that means someone or many someone’s are waiting on me. I hate to keep people waiting. I feel like it’s a subconscious way of saying “hey, my time is more important than yours” therefore meaning I am more important than you. And I try to avoid anything that makes my head bloated . . . because I have found that what gets in my head lead to my heart. Being lost is also frustrating because it is directly linked with being late. For example if Devin is lost (which has been known to happen from time to time) then Devin is naturally late. These two annoyances in my life always seem to go hand in hand. I think out of the two of these the worst is being lost. I hate the moment when the directions I have written down get thrown on the floor or worse out the window (literally) and at that point I am just winging it. I try to make for myself a mental overhead picture of the streets I pass . . . but inevitably I spend time with my face up against the steering wheel squinting at those itsy bitsy street signs . . . wondering to myself “why in the world are all these street named after trees, when I am looking for one of those ‘presidents’ streets?”

When I am lost I freak out ! My blood pressure rises, I start sweating, I start blocking everything else out in the moment except those reflective green pieces of metal.

But everything changes when it finally happens. When I finally know where I am and I see the street sign for my destination, and I know that I am on the right path. In that moment everything changes. Everything works out and somehow life seems ok again.

There are signs everywhere. I think it’s something we take for granted. If you ever go out of the country you realize how much you appreciate signs. I have some friends who recently spent almost a month outside of the country and it was amazing to see pictures of many of the signs that they saw. As I was looking through the pictures I thought . . . how does that sign help me? I can’t read Arabic. I have no idea what “spiting will be femed” means. Even sign in the most important of places . . . where communication is key were confusing . . . for example bathrooms and airports.

Signs are important. They are informative. They are reassuring. Ultimately they keep us from getting lost. And that is something I am all about. I am a fan of signs; especially when I am in that moment gripping the wheel asking God to please just help me get there on time.
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I think there are times when we are dealing with our lives (that don’t have to do with driving) that we are desperate for a sign. You know what I am talking about. Sometimes it a huge moment, sometimes it’s something little . . . but I think we all know what it is like to desperately want a sign to help us know we are on the right track.

Have you ever asked for one of those formulas signs? You know the ones where you say God please let A happen so that I know B is true. Or how about this one: “God if you want A to happen than please give me a sign . . . any sign will do but just provide a sign. “? Have you ever gotten into that mode when you are so desperate for validation that everything looks like a sign? You find messages from God in your cereal. You open a fortune cookie while you are dealing with a serious issue and the answer is right before your eyes (and as a bonus you learned a new Chinese word). What about asking for God to give you signs in your relationships? For example, God please show me in she is the right one for me. Or God just show me what to do with this friendship because I have no clue. I think the most telling of these scenarios is when we are faced with two decisions, that we know will have very different outcomes and we are just torn. We say God, here is this decision . . . I don’t know what to do . . . please tell me, or show me, please just give me a sign anything.

I know I have probably asked for a sign in each of those scenarios at some point in my life . . . and I don’t know why but I look back on them and those moments seem kind of empty to me; not that God wasn’t there or that he didn’t hear me. But I feel like they lack a certain divine quality and smell more like psychic reading room than something God was a part of.
I think there is something inside of us all that wants to know we are on the right track. Something the pushes us to have someone or something bigger behind the choices we make in life. We look for signs because we are desperate for something bigger than ourselves to validate our lives.

So in the times when we feel lost we cry out to God for a sign . . . any sign.
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If you have ever read anything in the Gospels then you know that often Jesus would get into their religious discussions or debates. Most of the time we find Jesus trying to teach about the kingdom of God and then there is some sort of interruption from some of the religious teachers of the day.

Many times the motives of the religious leaders are suspect at best. They seem to always be trying to “trick” Jesus into contradicting the law. But somehow Jesus would always manage to answer their questions with more questions and then get them so confused they forgot what they were trying to do.

In one case it’s hard to tell what their motives truly were but it is possible that when the encountered Jesus they were lost in their own faith, because he challenged much of what they practiced. And so like us we see them calling out for a sign.

“Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” He (Jesus) answered “a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given to it except the sign of Jonah”

I’m not sure how that strikes you, but I feel some serious push back coming from Jesus. Is it wrong for me to somewhat identify with the Pharisees and religious leaders who may have been lost and just wanted a sign to know they were on the right path?

Was it wrong of them? And is it wrong of me to ask God for a sign?

It would seem that Jesus is saying it is.

Let’s take a step back a moment.

I think to put this in context we need to remember what Jesus’ ministry was like. His ministry involved many different aspects. One of the most significant aspects was the aspect of working miracles. In the same chapter in Matthew we see Jesus healing a man with a shriveled hand (12:10), healed the sick (12:15), and healed a demon-possessed blind mute (12:22). Not to mention all of the other miracles that he performed during his ministry.

It’s not like these religious teachers hadn’t heard about this miraculous works. The reality was that they had heard, and did know about these things and were coming to Jesus instructing him to perform another miracle.

Jesus’ response seems more appropriate now doesn’t it? He essentially tells them “I’m not your trained monkey”. If through his previous signs you didn’t know who he was then the only sign left was his death/burial/resurrection (the sign of Jonah)

The Pharisees just didn’t get it.

They didn’t want to accept Jesus because he wasn’t validating the choices they were making, and the way that they were interpreting the complex mix of faith and life.

They were asking for a sign, so that they could be proved to be on the right path, so that their beliefs would be backed by “Jesus the Rabbi” and would gain more clout.

It wasn’t about what God was really doing through Jesus’ ministry. It was about what they thought God should be all about.

It wasn’t about the gospel, it was about them.
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There is another really interesting encounter with Jesus where someone asks for a sign. In this case it is one of his disciples. The encounter happens after Jesus has appeared to many following his death/burial/resurrection.

The man who needed a sign was named Thomas.

“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)

Thomas wanted a very specific sign from Jesus in order to believe he was on the right track. We call him doubting Thomas, but really he was lost. He didn’t know where he was and what was happening and he just wanted to know he was going in the right direction. So he asked for a sign.
We have all been there . . . we have all asked for a sign.

What is interesting is the contrast between how Jesus responds to the Pharisees and how he responds to Thomas.

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Here Jesus delivers the sign to Thomas, and while he deals gently with him Jesus still reminds him that those who have faith without the signs will be blessed.
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Signs are not bad things. In many situations signs are very helpful. I am just afraid that while we go about our lives, trying to live out our faith we spend a lot of time looking for signs.
We spend so much of our time trying to figure out if we are on the right path, and if God is behind us. Sometimes I think we are like the Pharisees who are essentially asking God to do a dog and pony show for them. And yet sometimes I think we are like Thomas and all we can do is shout that we are lost and we need to see the sign.

I know that both happen, but I think Jesus wants something different FOR us.

Just like most things with Jesus he takes something that is ordinary and everyday and he twists it into something very powerful and very important for the kingdom.

Jesus knows we will deal with this desire or need for signs. It’s part of our being human. And so I think we see his solution through one of his teachings . . .

“a new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

I really think this is key! This is our (huge) chunk of the kingdom. It’s our job to love each other.
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All the time we are looking for signs and guess what we aren’t the only ones. So what Jesus is essentially saying is that when people are feeling lost and they don’t know what to think or believe I want to give them a sign. Here is their sign: how you love the people around you. If you will do that, if you will love the people around you then everyone will get a sign.

It’s like you will become a walking billboard, you will become a sign to the world and a reminder of who Jesus is and what his kingdom is all about.

It’s my prayer that you may find freedom and stop looking for signs from God, and instead live a life of love that becomes a sign to everyone around you, proclaiming the good news of Gods kingdom!

Escalators and other things that "go bump" in the heart

The other day I took one of my good friends to down town Indy for the first time. She had never been there before so naturally I took her to the Circle Center Mall. She was excited for the new experience, but as we parked in the lower level garage and approached the entrance to the mall, something came over her.

She stopped in her tracks, and I could see in her eyes the only thing she wanted to do was head back to the car and get out of there fast. I looked around to see if there was a creepy old man. .. Nope that wasn’t the answer. Then I checked my teeth . . . nothing there. I was stumped but then I saw what she was staring at.

The thing that was striking so much fear in my friend’s heart was a very simple set of escalators. There wasn’t anything new or tricky about them. They were plain old normal escalators . . . but there seemed to be something more going on . . . it seemed like these escalators held a power over my friend rendering her legs inoperable.

But I wasn’t going to let this escalator win . . . I mean it was an inanimate object . . . so I thought I could take it down. I would use my intellect and logic and I would defeat this possessed escalator and free my friend from it’s strangle-hold.

So I gently grabbed the back of my friends arm, told her it would be alright and we both got on the escalator . . . she didn’t breath for the 15 seconds we were on that “hellish” ride . . . but she made it . . . we defeated the evil beast
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When I was a kid I remember being terrified of an escalator. I vividly remember shopping with my mother, and her getting on the escalator, while my feet just wouldn’t move me on with her. I remember seeing her get further and further away; further down and further away. I remember balling and being so very scared.

Another thing I was scared of as a kid was sitting on the toilet. I remember watching one of those “real stories” TV shows, where they tell you unbelievable events that have happened that you should believe. The episode that scared me away from the toilet involved a giant snake coming into a family’s home through the toilet. Every time I had to “go”, I was worried a snake would come up and bite me. This was a tragic experience for me. (I still check the toilet for snakes today)

Indiana Jones has this famous fear of snakes. It seems like in every Indiana Jones movie or story he comes into contact with some huge snake, a ridiculous amount of snakes, or is trapped with snakes in a very small space. I remember the paralyzing fear that would come over him, at each of these encounters.

Fears are normal. Everyone has them. Everyone has some of them. There are even really cool names for very weird fears, like . . .

Aulophobia- Fear of flutes
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth (I suffer from this one)
Trichopathophobia- Fear of hair
Helmintophobia- Fear of being infested with worms (who isn’t afraid of this)
Chronophobia- Fear of time
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words (oh the irony)
Phobophobia- Fear of fear (a little redundant ?)

There is pretty much an “official” sounding name for any fear you can think of. That’s how fear-ridden we are as human beings. Not only do we fear things, but when you put us all together there is at least one person who fears every different thing in life.

Fear has this crippling effect . . . just like my friend and escalators, my childhood & toilets, Indiana Jones & snakes . . . something strange happens when we are afraid. It is as if our fears overtake who we are and start making decisions for us.

Fear stops us in our tracks . . . and keeps us from doing what we want to do, or what we NEED to do.
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I have lots of fears right now in my life. Things that keep me from doing what I want or need to do. At times I really do feel crippled in how I live my life, how I interact with others, and in the way that I handle myself.

This summer it even has gotten to the point of being so overwhelming at times, that I really wonder where my fears hid me, because the real me is hard to find.

I decided a while ago, that I liked the old me better.

Knowing that my fears and insecurities were holding me back; I have been trying to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to the spiritual realities about our fears.

And like with most things in life, before I realized it God started revealing exactly what I needed.
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There is this story of a time when Jesus was teaching a huge crowd. He was trying to communicate to the masses to avoid “the yeast of the Pharisees”, which was knowing what was right but not doing it (hypocrisy). Apparently either there was some uneasiness about this statement or Jesus just knew the hearts of the people in the crowd. Because he follows that statement with this one . . .

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

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When I was younger I always thought this referred to the devil, but let’s not make that mistake here. The “him” is the one who sits in judgment on humanity. That means the one you should fear is God. You should be afraid of God.

I don’t know about you but for some reason that statement doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t seem like the God I know. There has to be some more depth to it. I mean I never saw Jesus and his followers running around being afraid of God or what he was doing. What I do see, is Jesus making simple yet tough statement that were very deep . . . that was just the way he liked to roll.

Fearing God is not a “new” idea. The books of Psalms and Proverbs mention fearing God (and the benefits of it over 70 times.

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live summed up the purpose of life this way:
“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

Now this is just speculation on my part but I think when Jesus was talking to this crowd, he was hinting at why we should fear God. He specifically says fear the one who after killing the body has the power to throw you into hell.

There seems to be an emphasis on God’s ability to judge souls . . . and that power is something we should fear.

This is more speculation on my part, but I believe there is something much bigger going on in our hearts when we fear someone or something.

This may seem like a stretch but take a minute to seriously think about it.

I think the reason we are told to only fear God is because in the end, when we fear something, in a strange way we worship it; and we are only supposed to five God our worship.

Think about it; if our fears paralyze us, and shape our decisions and behavior. If we give our fears priority to mold us and our lives; how is that any different from giving priority to God? The motivator may be different but the end result is the same. We are responding to something (God or our fears) saying through our actions, you are important and significant. You are significant enough to effect the decisions I make every day. In this way our fears become the object of our “worship”.

That is why we should only fear God.
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I have another friend who has recently taken on the challenge of conquering her fears and insecurities head on. I have been really proud of her. You see her wounds are very deep. She has been hurt, abandoned, and crushed by the people she cared most for in life. So when life does it normal routine of mixing things up, it is very hard for her to trust. In the back of her mind she fears those she loves most abandoning her once again.

She made the decision that she was not going to let these fears and insecurities control her life anymore. It has been an amazing thing to watch and be a part of; I truly have been blessed to be part of her healing process. And that is just it. It is a process. Fears don’t disappear overnight. And some insecurities can not be resolved without the help of others. It takes a ton of courage to overcome these fears and it takes a lot of love.

The Apostle John once wrote “There is no fear in love, for perfect love drives out fear”
That is the key to overcoming fear . . . to giving it up and not allowing it to control us any longer. We need “perfect” love to drive out the fears in our lives. I think this love obviously comes from God, but I also see a huge theme of Jesus’ teachings being his followers helping others heal. He calls us to help bring physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.

So thanks to my friend I think I have the courage to beat my fears, and I think I have the right people in my life to show me the perfect kind of love that drive out fear.

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The first step to driving out the fear in your life is to put it out there. It is to bring our fears into the light, instead of letting them linger in the dark. When we keep our fears to ourselves they tend to “go bump” in our hearts and cause us that paralyzing damage we discussed before.
So let me bring some of my fears into the light. Let me expose my insecurities for what they are and with the grace of God and the love of others around me, let the power they hold over me be broken.

*disclaimer - I am writing these things, not to have you refute any of them

(I realize many of my fears are irrational, but they are my fears none the less)

· I am afraid that no one could ever love me again
· I fear never being able to do youth ministry again
· I worry that I am too “outside the box”
· I am afraid that I am not really a “good” person
· I fear living a wasted life
· I am afraid that everything was my fault
· I am afraid that I will let you down
· It’s my fear that everything important to me will fall apart
· I am afraid I am letting God down
· I worry that no one will ever really “get” me
· I fear that I am a failure
· I am afraid I will miss my purpose

These are the things that “go bump” in my heart. And today I choose to not make them the priorities of my life. From here on I will live, breathe, and move in love; perfect love which drives out fear. I will surround myself with others who are seeking and living out God’s love. I refuse to believe the lies that fuel my fears and insecurities.

Today I choose to fear God, knowing that he is so much bigger and larger than anything and everything else in life. And by fear I mean I will let the knowledge of who God is drive me to live a life in response to all that he has done, is doing , and will do in me, through me, around me, and even in spite of me. The only thing I will “fear” is being separated from the One who truly gives me life.
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I hope that you can do the same. I hope that while you are staring your fears in the eyes, and feeling your legs lock, unable to move forward, that something changes.

I pray that God puts the people in your life that can gently grab your arm, whisper softly that everything will be alright, and then join you on the “escalator”. And together (with God and others) you begin the journey to defeating your fears and insecurities.

I also pray that today you can be a “fear” fighter in the lives of the people you care about the most. That you will be that person to show perfect love and drive out the things that paralyze those dear to your heart.

And the end of the day I pray that you can say in your heart, the words to one of my favorite songs . . .

“God above all the world in motion . . .

God above all my hopes and fears . . .

And I don’t care what the world throws at me now . . .

I’m going to be alright”

Don't be "that guy"

Don’t be “that guy”

Now “that guy” can be defined differently based on the situation in question . . . but one thing is sure you really don’t want to be “that guy”

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In college I knew the quintessential “that guy”. Let’s call him Jon. Pretty much in every situation imaginable Jon was “that guy”. He was “that guy” who would ruin the ending to a great movie. He was “that guy” who would make up obnoxious stories and claim they were true. He was “that guy” who would fall in love in a moment, and then practically stalk the girl he just met. Think up any social situation and He was “that guy”!

My favorite part (and I say that with sarcasm) about Jon’s “that guy” personality was when we would play sports. When it came to sports, Jon was “that guy” who always played by his own rules; but never the actual rules. He was “that guy” who would get irate when you claimed that he broke a simple rule of the game.

Playing sports with Jon was always interesting to say the least, because you never knew what rule he would make up, or what actual rule he would ignore entirely.

And at times his “that guy” personality would take over so you wouldn’t really know what game we were playing. For example we would be playing basketball . . . but with “that guy” it seemed more like football.

I don’t know if you have ever played sports with “that guy” . . . but seriously it is annoying.
I’m not a very patient person, and as soon as I could tell that “that guy” was turning our game of hoops into a tackle-fest . . . I knew it was better for me to walk away.

And I would always leave saying to myself, “Why did ‘that guy’ have to ruin everything, we were doing so well until he jumped in.”
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I struggle a lot with Christians. They frustrate me.

I used to say I was a Christian, but now I avoid the term, because I think it brings too much negativity into a conversation with someone who isn’t a Christian.

I like to call myself a believer . . . or a follower of Christ.

Christians do really annoying things . . .

For example the other day I saw on a tail gate of a truck a magnet of the 10 commandments. I half expected there to be an 11th commandment for “thou shall not tailgate”. Seriously, what is the purpose of that? If you are putting that on your vehicle to remind you of what you believe, then put it someplace YOU are going to see it. But really the whole thing is about broadcasting what you believe is right, and essentially forcing onto the drivers behind you . . . I think if I weren’t a believer, I might hit you just for putting it on your tailgate.

A few months back I saw a sign on a church marquee that said “And you think it’s hot here”. I was just taken back . . . if I’m not a believer, I read that sign and I think you are trying to guilt me into coming to church because apparently hell is going to be more miserable then the heat wave we are having, so that should motivate me to become a Christian. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit, when I read that.

Or what about “those Christians” who go to places like rock concerts, abortion clinics, adult bookstores, gay clubs, and political rallies. They make signs and bring bull horns. It seems every word out of their mouths is about how they are right and everyone else is wrong. They scream about sin, evil, and wickedness.

If I were a non-believer . . . I wouldn’t listen either. I would ignore you too.

Do you see what I see?

Many times Christians are the quintessential “that guys” of society.

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I really try to avoid everything “christianese” in the world because of the “that guy” label that gets placed on anything “Christian”

I will be honest, sometimes (especially if I know someone has a negative experience with Christians) I don’t want to tell them that I am a Christian. I am not ashamed of Christ. But I am totally ashamed of the image that people get when they hear Christian.

So I have really tried to focus on Jesus.

Because I think he is the key to understanding God, faith, life and how they all work together.
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There is this story of a time where the Pharisees are trying to test Jesus. They ask him, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replies “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

When Jesus is basically asked “Teacher, can you pick out the most important thing God commands us to do in the Old Testament?” Jesus response is singular . . . but also two-fold.

His response is simply . . . love.

The two fold love is to love God . . . and others.

It is like Jesus links these together . . . as if they are inseparable.

As if one is not complete without the other! That is to say, you can not really love God with all your heart, soul and mind without loving others. And the reverse is also true; you can’t really love others without loving God, because God is love.

Talk about making your head hurt . . . Jesus’ response is so complex; it is probably more complex than the Old Testament

So this is what Jesus says is important . . . so this is what I should do if I am a follower of Christ.
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I think we have a problem as Christians. I think just like “that guy” I knew in college we are playing by our own set of rules.

Somewhere in the past we decided what the rules were . . . we don’t smoke . . . we don’t drink . . . we don’t get divorced . . . we don’t have sex before we are married . . . we don’t _________ (fill in the blank)

Essentially what we have done is set up boundaries that are intended to help us “not sin”. And we have said if you are a Christian than you will naturally abide by these rules. This also has given us a clear picture of who is or who isn’t a Christian.

And while we have been doing this, we have (intentionally or unintentionally) created our own Christian sub-culture

We have our own little world within the world. We have Christian versions of everything we need. We have Christian books, music, t-shirts, bumper stickers, movies, stores, key chains, and food (Chic-fil-a). We have everything we ever need to keep ourselves entirely separate from the rest of society.

We have created our own little world in which we live and breathe and interact. We have made it so that we don’t have to venture out into the “pagan” or “secular” world.

While we think that creating this perfect little subculture has made life easier for us to be better Christians . . . in reality what our isolation has done is communicate to non-believers we don’t want them in our lives unless the look like us and act like us.

Now I’m not saying this is intentional . . . but it doesn’t matter if it is intentional or not.

It is what it is.

More than that . . . by isolating ourselves we have lost the message of what we are about . . . but we have made it very clear what we are against . . .

Think about it . . . do people know you are a Christian by what you do or by what you don’t do?

Do people know that you promote love, hope, and faith . . . or do they know you are against abortion, divorce, and homosexuality?

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I think this might be the greatest tragedy of the generation before us . . . and I desperately long to create a new future . . . centered around the greatest commandment . . . love.

We need to stop being “that guy” creating our own rules.

(I’m not saying that the current rules are bad rules . . . they obviously are helpful in living a good life, otherwise God wouldn’t have given us this life advice)

But our rules are not bringing us together with people . . . so we need to change the rules in which we live life, before they get frustrated and walk away wishing “that guy” wouldn’t have ruined everything.

You see when it comes down to it, for us the only rule that matters is love.

That’s what Jesus said . . . love God & love others.

You see at the end of the day. We are not the referees of life. We aren’t supposed to blow the whistle and tell people where they have screwed up and broken the rules. Let God do that.

We are the players . . . and the only rule we need to focus on is love.

When we play by our own legalistic rules all we do is chain our standards and expectations onto the gospel and try to force them onto unbelievers. The reality of what we are doing . . . is we are hindering the gospel.

Let the Gospel run unhindered in the lives of the people who don’t know God, let’s not strap it down or stop it from doing its life changing work. Honestly someone is not going to change their life because you tell them they should . . . they will change because they have had a supernatural experience with the living God that has left them forever changed!

We need to let God do his part, while we do our part!

Our part is loving others . . . that means caring more about people's hearts than we do the home life.

That means realizing that Jesus IS the only way to God, but YOU and I aren’t the only way to Jesus.

When we play by the rule of love . . . everybody wins.

When we do our part . . . when we stop being “that guy” . . . and just love others

then . . .

Love wins.

good at games

I am good at games. That’s the simplest way to put it. But in all actuality I think one of my spiritual gifts is being good at games. I am so good at games, that it has become a habit of mine to invent my own games. (i.e. apartment ball, pond score, foos-hockey, and unconscious duck, . . . to name a few). I am such a hard-core gamer that I even have what I like to call “competitive pants”

So naturally when I walked into the casa-de-tandy the other evening, I was pumped to see a stack of board games taller than a midget. I was excited . . . I was so excited I wanted to shout “Gaaaame on!”

The first game chosen was Scategories. The concept of Scategories I was familiar with but I had no previous experience. So I used my god given game abilities and after six rounds I only needed to use my scores from the first three to win. It was a solid victory . . . and naturally boosted my confidence in my “spiritual gift”.

So round two was another game I had never played . . . Mad Gab. Feeling the endorphins kicking in, I was confident that another victory lay at my finger tips. We switched things up and put the guys versus the ladies. A change in format would not stop my win streak. The men and I would come through victorious against the ladies.

Like many games . . . sometimes it takes a while to get accustomed to the nuances and strategy of the competition. So I wasn’t worried when we got off to a slow start.

We were getting 2 for every 3 the girls were getting. And while I will admit, it seemed like the girls were naturals, while the guys struggled to score some points, I still wasn’t worried
until IT happened . . . and from that moment forward I knew we were doomed.

SHY

NIECE SHEIK

ANNE’S HAL

AD

It was boggling my mind ! Why was someone’s niece messing with a sheik who had a bi-genderal name and was placing a personal ad ? (never mind that last statement)

If you have never played Mad Gab, the idea is to from some real phrase from these jumbled up words. It’s not an unscrambling of the letters, but it is more of a listening for the message behind the words.

I was so frustrated . . . I just kept repeating over and over again Shy Nice Sheik Anne’s Hal Ad . . . Shy Nice Sheik Anne’s Hal Ad . . . shyneicesheikanne’shalad !

Everyone was laughing and my team wasn’t getting anywhere close to the answer !

No matter how hard I tried the hidden phrase just wouldn’t pop out at me . . . all I could see was the sheik and he was laughing at me too !

So while I had gone into this bout with confidence, at the moment I was lost in the rhymes and riddles of the creative minds at Mattel Inc.
____

I was reading the other day and my mad gab experience came rushing back to me . . .

I was reading Paul’s second letter to the believers at Corinth . . . this is what gave me my flash back . . .

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix out eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2.cor.4.16…18.niv

This passage is loaded with great stuff . . . but the thing that I have been thinking about is “seen vs. unseen”

I think it is really cool that Paul is trying to encourage this group of believers. We all need encouragement sometimes right. Let’s be honest. Just because you follow Jesus, that doesn’t mean life is going to be easy or perfect. (I personally believe that following Jesus, makes life much harder). But maybe that’s a problem in the church. They sell Christianity as a solution to all of life’s problems. But honestly, becoming a Christian doesn’t “solve” problems, it probably creates some problems.

In reality we all know what it is like to have a “terrible-horrible-no good-very bad day” . Many of us know personally what it is like to go through a devastating tragedy. And still many of us know what it is like to live with emotional, spiritual, psychological and or physical pain.
Bottom line . . . life is not easy. And it doesn’t even matter what you believe. Life is hard.
So when Paul is trying to encourage these people . . . really he is connecting with something that all people experience. Paul points out that on the outside everything is wasting away. But what is interesting is that at this point he is already working on this “seen vs. unseen” idea. Because he combats the visible frailty of life with the invisible renewing that God does in the hearts of his people.

Paul communicates to these people, that essentially no matter what you are going through in life, these troubles should be considered “light” and “momentary” when looked at through the eyes of the creator. Because when we look through God’s eyes we see that this life (what we can see) will be gone. But the Kingdom work that God is doing in the hearts of people everywhere . . . that will last forever. And heart work is unseen work.

So do you see this picture ? How the unseen is more valuable than the seen .

___

So back to mad gab . . . the unseen is more valuable than the seen.

Can it get any more clear . . . I was staring at those words and repeating the over and over again . . . but I couldn’t see (or hear) the unseen meaning behind everything.

__

so this passage and playing mad gab got me thinking . . .

I like to have things figured out. I don’t know about you, but I like to “have my finger on the pulse” of how things work, and what is going on. It doesn’t matter what the topic is. I would like to know everything about it.

I don’t like to be uninformed or left out of the loop.

Even when it comes to something simple like board games, I like to know everything I can about them. I like to know the rules, but even more than that I like to know the strategy.

You know like the unsaid rules to the game. I like to know the strategy that gives me the best chance of winning the game.

The same can be said of life. I like to know the strategies that are going to give me the best results in life. I like to know how life works, and then make the necessary adjustments to make sure I have the best life possible.

That makes sense right ? Everyone wants to have a good life. Everyone wants to avoid pain, and to find happiness. No one asks for tragedies and hardships. Everyone is looking for a life strategy that will help them avoid hardships, and encounter as many positives as they possibly can.
__

So one question . . . if everyone is working toward finding happiness and avoiding pain . . .then why isn’t there some full proof strategy that will make that happen. I mean come one, we humans have been around a while, and we are pretty smart. Why isn’t there a formula for avoiding all of the crap in life ?

Why are there things like murder, rape, incest, pornography, alcoholism, disease, famine, natural disasters, divorce, suicide, genocide, and eating disorders?

Why does God allow all of these things to happen ? Why do these things happen to me and the people I know ? What possible good could come from all of these horrible things ?

Why did my friend’s father abandon her ?

Why did my wife leave me ?

Why did he keep going when she said no ?

Why did he die so young?

Why does she cut every night ?

Why does he hit her when he’s drunk ?

There are all of these awful things that we see every day. We are all affected by them in one way or another. They are things that we deal with every day. And honestly we can get lost in them. We can see these things happen over and over, like some vicious cycle. And yet we still don’t understand why.

Why God ?

“we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen”

That was Paul’s response to the hurt, pain and suffering the believers were experiencing.
You see it’s easy to get lost in the junk . . . it’s easy to get your eyes stuck on how bad things are and in the meanwhile miss what God is trying to do. You can miss what is going on behind the scenes . . . in the unseen realms.

So Paul wants us to focus on God’s view, not on the things we see.

Which although he doesn’t say this directly Paul is asserting a central pillar or key to following God. This key is the undercurrent for this entire passage.

Faith.

We are to have faith, first that there is more to life than what we see. Secondly, we are to have faith that what God is doing in our hearts (the story he is writing) is what is most valuable, and that while we may not understand it, it still is more important than what we are dealing with on the outside.
___

So I encourage you today, that no matter how much you think you have figured out on the strategy of life, that you take faith in a few things.

-Have faith that God is passionately pursuing your heart. You may not hear it, feel it, or see it at this moment. But You are in a process of being renewed by God.

-Have faith that whatever hardships or tough situations you deal with today, God will not waste them. He wants to use them to develop you and your character to build his kingdom.

-Have faith that while you may not understand everything, God is in control and you can take comfort in the fact that He is God and you are not.

Live life today looking for the unseen, listen with your heart and just maybe God will reveal to you the mysteries of what he is trying to do in your life.

(oh and by the way . . . the answer was . . . Chinese chicken salad)

YOU

* so today I got off of work and felt the need to spend some time with God . . . i took a shower, then headed for my favorite God spot . . . here is what I wrote

YOU
I'm in that place again.
In this space again.
It's time to turn to YOU.

I thought you set the stage.
I was sure I had it made.
So I ventured on alone ; without YOU.

Everything seemed right.
Everyone was so nice.
Until it happened . . .
Where were YOU ?

I thought you didn't care.
Maybe you were never there.
But really I know . . .
I abandoned YOU !

Thought I could handle it alone.
Wanted to do it on my own.
Acted like I never needed YOU.

So I stumbled and fell.
Created a living hell.
Where I was seperated from YOU.

When I realized the truth.
It seemed too late to do . . .
Anything to reconnect with YOU.

You never gave up.
Although I was stuck . . .
Choosing to run from YOU.

It's all clear now.
I lost control somehow . . .
And gave everything over to YOU.

Here's What I've learned.
As this page is turned.
Today . . . all I need is YOU !

___

I think we have all been in these situations where we question God, when we run away from Him, and when we return to Him.

i pray today is a day where you return to HIM is some way or another.

. . . and they were washed away

I worked as hard as I do every night. It's something I take pride in. I knew there was more to accomplish so I didn't even give a second thought to leaving when I had "put my time in". I was there to finish the job. So that is what I did. When it was over I was sore, filthy, and exhausted. But there was a certain sense of satisfaction as I passed through the motion censored doors. They opened as if I had commanded them to, like in some mysterious way they could tell by my sweat soaked shirt, my calloused hands, and my bloodshot eyes that I deserved a royal exit. I had earned at least that much.

And as I trudged to my truck, leaving all the cares of work and life behind, it hit me.
It was subtle at first. But then it hit me again. And as I looked up into the looming sky I felt a soft drizzle begin to fall on me.

It was in that moment that I became lost.

I spent the next hour in the bed of my truck. Sometimes laying, other times sitting on the tail gate. And as the rain picked up, I could feel it washing away the remnants of the job I have come to despise.

It rained so hard that I could wipe the dirt off my arms . . . and it didn't slow down. It just rained harder.

It rained so hard I couldn't distinguish between the rain and my sweat. I was soaked. And it just rained harder.

It rained so hard I couldn't smell the "pleasant" aroma of a hard nights work, all I could smell was summer rain.

Although it changed my condition . . . I just sat there in the rain.

The wind picked up. At first it wasn't too bad, small gusts here and there, enough to give you goose bumps (or goose pimples as my mother calls them). But then it started to blow, and it was cold. It was the kind of cold that chills you to the bone. It was blowing hard enough to shake the rain droplets that had accumulated in my beard, onto to the ground. But I could still taste the rain on my lips.

And I just sat there . . . taking it all in; enjoying every moment.

I saw people rushing into work as their shift started. It's funny how people avoid the rain. I saw umbrellas, ponchos, and newspapers used as protection. People parked closer and walked faster as if their actions helped them dodge the incoming water missiles.

Most of them looked at me, sitting in the bed of my truck, drenched apparently for no reason and they gave me that "Hey guy, you must be crazy" look.

But I just sat there . . . taking it all in. I didn't care what they thought; no one was going to ruin this for me.

It was like all of my cares and concerns . . . they were all washed away

As I finally got into my truck and peeled off my wet exterior, the only thought going through my head was that I couldn't have asked for a better start to my day.

___

I don't know about you. But sometimes life can seem pretty bleak. I mean I try to put on my "happy face" but if we were real and authentic we would put on our "this sucks" face.
Sometimes life can just seem to be so "not what it's supposed to be", that you wonder if God even cares - or if he exists -

Don't feel weird or bad for that . . . we have all felt that way at one time and it's likely that we will feel it again sometime.

_____

There is this famous passage / quote / saying or whatever found in the book of Jeremiah.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

You can find this passage all over the place . . . on journals, lawn decorations, pictures, at weddings and in gift shops on an assortment of various "unneedable" items.

Don't get me wrong it's nice . . . it's easy to remember and it makes me feel good about me and God. But I think we take this out of context and it loses so much of its significance behind it . . . so let me set the table.

BACKGROUND :
-God's people have rebelled against him and have served, worshipped, and sacrificed to other gods
-God sent Jeremiah to lead his people into repentance
-They didn't listen or follow Jeremiah's instruction
-So as a consequence of their disobedience God allowed the pagan nation of Babylon to invade and take all of Israel's key people (kings, queens, doctors, teachers, religious leaders)
__

So here is where God's people are . . . under the rule of a foreign nation and one which God has allowed to invade their country and take them away.

If I am a good Jew, life looks pretty rotten, and I am saying to myself "things were never supposed to be this way!" "Doesn't God care?" "Where is he in all of this?"

Then in comes our famous passage to the story . . . but this passage is part of a larger letter sent to God's exiled people in Babylon (you can find it in Jeremiah 29) But the General message . . . the overall idea that is communicated to the people is to embrace the new life that have IN EXHILE. God tells them this is a 70 year exile (most of your life), so enjoy it. Don't worry about the promise of restoration . . . I will still keep my word but in the mean time . . . make the most of today.

So that's part of the picture . . . but here is the second part . . . the passage doesn't end with "a future". It goes on . . . "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."

It is in this second part that God gives these people and us (I think) the key to living for today, even when life is at its worst.

First God basically says "so what if life stinks . . . this is your life . . . it's going to be your life . . . so you might as well make the most of it. Oh yeah and here is how you do it . . . you seek me . . . you make your life about pursuing me . . . and if you do this I promise you . . . you will find me and I will deliver you.

_____

So I was thinking about why sitting in the rain this morning was so special . . . so perfect and I think it was because I wasn't worried about anything negative that has happened to me recently. I was just enjoying the moment. I was forgetting the past and just appreciating God right there in the moment.

Rob Bell puts it this way -
"When we are holding on to how things were, our arms aren't free to fully embrace today."

I don't know if you are feeling like I have felt in the past but take comfort today knowing that no matter how awful life can be, that God doesn't want to waste today with you. Make your day about pursuing Him and He promises you'll find Him and He will deliver you.

And maybe he will take all your worries and wash them all away