Tiger, Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger

Let me begin by saying today has been a rough day. Not sure why…But facing a full frontal assault from the Enemy, among other things.

With that being said, oddly enough, this situation with Tiger has sent off a flurry of communications through facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Furthermore, it set something off in me.

In order to give a thoughtful response, I decided to craft it here rather than attempt to make snap, emotional statements via other social media (which I did and then deleted – still working on not crafting EMOTIONAL responses and messages – key word: Working on it).

1. I love Tiger. He’s my favorite sports hero. This is probably problem number one. By making him a hero, I had made him into an otherworldly idol. And Tiger’s regime certainly crafts a perfect image of him. Like Michael Jordan of the 90s, a media conglomerate has carefully and beautifully crafted a Tiger that is articulate, intelligent, thoughtful, diligent, tenacious, and a winner in all aspects of life. He certainly may be many or all of these, but the point is, we don’t know. I don’t personally know Tiger and either do you.

2. This “image” of Tiger was crushed. For those unaware with what has happened, read here.

3. Across the social media networks, people are either condemning him or condemning people for condemning him. Either a person says, “What a sleaze and loser” (like I instantly did on Facebook and wrongly so. I apologize for the initial emotional response) or a person says, “No one is perfect! He’s just human!” One person is saying: “I’ll be God the judge now” and becomes self-righteous (me earlier). The other person doesn’t fully grasp the full Gospel. Furthermore, this person is saying being “human” is doing destructive acts like adultery.

4. Like most things, the answer is in the middle. Neither response is correct or appropriate. More on that in a second…

5. We live in a world that does not possess a universal moral code any longer. In the era of Christendom (1500s to 1950s), much of our morality was defined according to biblical standards. In our post-Christendom and post-Modern era, we can no longer rightly assume that the moral “code” is biblical or Christian.

6. Furthermore, Tiger is not a Christian. Therefore, I live by the intense belief that those who are Christians should not judge and condemn not-yet Christians by our Christian standards. If Jesus can say, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it” then we should say something similar as well. Frankly, it is never our job to JUDGE or CONDEMN – that is God’s alone. Furthermore, how can we JUDGE or CONDEMN a not-yet Christian who doesn’t possess the identity as one in Christ? That will be up to God alone. For more our identity in Christ, read this here.

7. With all that being said, I am going to impose some universal moral code because I believe our CREATOR created us with one. Adultery is wrong. It destroys him and destroys innocent people. It can’t exist with that which is good. Therefore, Tiger did something “wrong.” Period. Just as our universal moral code says: “Killing is wrong” so I (and I’d assume most of the world) say: “Adultery is wrong.” Furthermore, is he truly sorry? He only apologized after he got caught.

8. Please note, I am hesitant to EVER speak for God in absolute terms, but I am basing this on Scripture and my theological understanding (faith SEEKING understanding) of God.

9. God loves him and there is nothing Tiger or anyone else can do to alter that. God’s love is immeasurable and independent of our condition. It is solely based on His goodness. As Brennan Manning wrote, “”For His love is never, never, never based on our performance, never conditioned by our moods…It is reliable. And always tender.” This is the radical nature of God.

10. However, I believe there is a time when we reach an “age of accountability.” Either we embrace the Father’s love – or we don’t. Tiger hasn’t (and not just because he committed adultery – there are definitely people who have committed adultery who know the Father’s love). What I’m saying is, at some point we become accountable to accept God the Loving and Fair Judge or not. At some point, I believe God expects us to become accountable and responsible for our actions.

11. Take our own Fatherly or Motherly instincts: When I’m a Father, my real and fair love will be an attempt to keep my son or daughter from actions that destroy. I will literally HATE it when they commit atrocious sins. But that doesn’t change the essence of love. Love is deeper than simply brushing off horrific acts. Love goes into the realm of keeping a person from doing that which destroys life. I will embrace them and love them, but so much so that I will hate it if they have affairs with three women (like Tiger).

12. God does the same. He loves us so much that he HATES sin. He desires us to find life and life to the full. This is done by responding to the convicting work of the Spirit and PARTNERING to destroy the dark within.

13. What’s awesome about this process is grace. No matter how many times we mess up, God will forgive us! We can’t earn His love or lose it!!!

But you must question the pure intention of a person who shows up week after week and says, “Yup, I cheated on my wife again. I confess.” And then says it again the next week. Where is the battle? Where is the disgust with sin?

I would go as far as to say, if you aren’t convicted by destructive acts, maybe Jesus isn’t in you? Remember, darkness and light can’t co-exist.

To wrap this up, in response to a person that says Tiger is a sleaze and loser is to say that we are now judging someone’s character by their actions. We know a God who does NOT do that. He loves us. Period. Therefore, while his actions are sleazy and disgusting, this does not automatically make him a sleaze and a loser.

In response to someone who says, “Don’t judge. He’s just human!” I would say, committing gross, destructive acts is in fact NOT human. I would argue that becoming a Christian is becoming more fully human (and back to our original creation intent). In terms of judging, you’re right. We shouldn’t judge. There are logs in our own eyes we need to deal with before we can deal with the speck in our neighbors. But I would say, like a loving Father, we should partner in helping to keep people away from sin. When someone sins atrociously as Tiger has, I can put my arms around them, tell them I love them enough to let them know that their acts are destructive and gross and they need to change their ways. Furthermore, I hope people would do the same for me. I need help from God and from others to NOT allow sin to enter my life.

This is the beautiful paradox of the Gospel. We are justified FREELY by faith and by GRACE alone. On the other hand, we are sanctified (becoming more like Jesus, more fully human) through the work of the Spirit and OUR obedience (our actions, our works) in response to the Gospel. We aren’t saved by our actions, but we sure are known by them.

I realize this is a bit long, so here’s how I’ll conclude.

Christians are the WE:

On one hand…

We must leave the judgment work to God.

We must be known for our love.

We must allow people to not be perfect and to not be okay and embrace them when they fail.

We must love people enough to be given freedom to speak into their lives.

On the other hand…

We must hate that which opposes goodness and light.

We must never consider gross acts of adultery as simple “slip ups.” Call it what it is: Gross.

We must embrace the Father’s love and grace and pursue becoming more like Jesus.

This is long. I’m sorry. Maybe I’m the only one who will read this, but I needed to do this to process some of my own feelings regarding this situation.

Furthermore, I don’t claim absolute truth. This is just my understanding of God and this situation.

What do you think?!

Salvation is Hard

After writing my last post, “Salvation is Now,” I’ve read this article in Leadership Journal interviewing Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church. You can read the whole article here.

However, here is the snippet that correlates with my previous post. On one hand, people need to “war against sin” and seek change, transformation, and growth. It is possible — that is clear. But what the following below shows is that it can be difficult as well. Life transformation like Jesus is possible. But it requires discipline and grace.

Interview with Matt Chandler:

How did that change the way you seek growth?

It started making me very frustrated with the church. If you’re struggling with anger or lust and the church’s answer is a four-point sermon on how to get rid of it, and you do those four points and it doesn’t work, it leaves you frustrated. You feel like the church is either lying or is irrelevant, or you are more broken than anyone else.

That quick-fix methodology was so prevalent back then, and it was even evident in the testimonies that people shared. They were always unbelievably victorious. There was always a guy who drank for 30 years, came to Christ, and never wanted to drink again. But I drank for less than a year before being saved, and I still craved a drink once in a while. When stories of miraculous deliverance are presented as normative, it makes the rest of us wonder if we are truly converted.

How has that experience impacted the way you pursue growth at The Village Church?

We acknowledge that most of us do struggle with sin. Most of us wrestle. We work really hard to create an environment that says, “It’s okay to not be okay.” I’ll give you an example. On Sunday morning during the worship set, we’ll show a three or four minute video testimony. A few months ago the video was really powerful. The guy was in a bad spot, frustrated with sin, nowhere near where he wanted to be. In the middle of his story, he just started crying, wiped his tears, and stopped the recording. He couldn’t say anything else.

We used the video because we thought it would help people understand the reality of growth. It’s a process. Sanctification isn’t instantaneous. That’s a healthy message for the congregation.

A lot of churches wouldn’t have shown that video.

There are people I love and respect, good friends, who strongly disagree with my perspective. They believe that if you create an environment where it’s okay to not be okay, you will discourage growth. I disagree. We want to say, “Its okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay there.”

So how have you created an environment of growth that doesn’t make people feel crushed?

We’ve pursued a model we call the Greenhouse. It’s organic but it’s also controlled. I was at a conference with my friend Darren Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis, where two church leaders spoke about different spiritual growth strategies. The first guy was very West Coast—flower shirt and flip flops. His approach was very organic. He wants people connected to the Bible and connected in groups. That’s it. Everything else will take care of itself.

The other presenter was from the Dallas area—pleated pants with multiple phones and beepers on his waist like a Bat-belt. His approach was very linear and mechanical. He showed us a three-volume, one-year classroom curriculum. But at the end of the year only 23 people out of 4,000 at his church completed the program. That is a lot of work for not a lot of return. That night Darren and I listed the pros and cons of both models—the organic and the mechanical. We wanted to develop a strategy that would take the best of both and avoid the pitfalls of each. That’s where the Greenhouse idea came from. We wanted to take the good, relational elements of the organic model and put them into the structure of a system.

Salvation is Now

Jesus is REACHING for YOU!

“Salvation is not a future addition; it’s a present transformation.” Neil Anderson in Victory Over Darkness

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek, coined the term “Holy discontent.” It’s that burning desire within you that enflames every time you think about (it) or encounter (it).

I have a few holy discontents.

One of these is real transformation in the lives of Christians.

It’s common knowledge today that Christians’ lives rarely look different from not-yet Christian lives. Read UnChristian by David Kinnaman or just hang around an assortment of lifelong churchgoers. What’s the difference? Well, most people say not much.

This is a far cry from Jesus saying things like: “”But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you lie, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.” (John 15:7-8).

Or Paul writing about the “fruits of the Spirit” – “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce the kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23).

For too long, in an attempt to reject and rebel against any type of legalism (attempts to follow the rules in order to earn our way to salvation), we’ve discounted the amazing truth that life transformation through Jesus Christ — full, abundant, beautiful, oozing with the fruits of peace, patience, love, joy – is for NOW!

If Christians are going to truly experience the life that Jesus wants for them now, we need to understand that IT IS POSSIBLE. If Christians are going to show that a life in Jesus is truly BETTER, than we need to grasp this possibility. As Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch write in The Shaping of Things to Come, “We are not saved by our actions, but we are known by them.”

How to begin life transformation?

Step 1: Know the Life of Jesus ~ Many Christians understand Jesus is our example. More often than not, people look at Jesus and claim that his life is an ideal way to live, but not possible. It is. Read the truth about who you are in Christ and meditate on these truths.

“One of the revolutionary things about the Christian life is that we can be like Jesus in a way that no other disciples can be like their Master.” Michael Wilkins, In His Image.

Step 2: Open Up to the Work of the Spirit ~ Christians must yield to the Spirit and open the door for this transformation to occur. You must confess to Jesus that you need his help. Ask for the Spirit to help you. Life transformation can’t be done on our own. Trust me.

Step 3: Obey ~ Once you allow the Spirit to move, you must obey. This is the step that many Christians fail to get to. People hear the word “obedience” and think “legalism.” Real discipleship is about obedience. The Bible is clear that great is the reward of those who OBEY my commands! How can you say you believe in something and yet fail to obey what it says?

Transforming your life requires discipline, obedience, and submission. The paradox is found in our yielding and submitting to the Spirit (allowing God to do what God can only do) and disciplining ourselves to obey.

This Advent Season, reflect on your life. Does it look like the “fruits of the Spirit?” Would someone look at you and say: “That man/woman has IT. Their lives are different. They ooze love, joy, patience, goodness, generosity, selflessness.” Ask yourself, how have you changed over the last year? What is keeping you from doing so? Do you believe in the inheritance you can receive through Christ?

Salvation is not just for later. It’s for NOW! Embrace what is YOURS so YOU can bring the salt, light, and deeds to the world Jesus desires!!

May you come to know the beauty of life and life to the Jesus-full this Advent Season!

Disappointed by “Ideals”

 

What Ideals Do You Have About God?

Oftentimes, people fall victim to relativism (the idea that all religions are equal and just are expressions of their own “truth) because of common ideals (ideals are incorrect assumptions of what they believe) about God.

In other words, people either are told or assume things about belief in God that are frankly untrue. (From now on, when I say God, I am referring to only the God of the Christian bible and the Father of Jesus Christ).

These five ideals are adapted from The Red Dragon Cast Down by E. James Wilder

1. Ideal Protection

When we come to believe in God, there is something in us that says, ‘Okay, now you are protected from all pain and harm and will live a life free of problems.’ Wrong. A relationship with God is never promised to be safe, free of pain, or a life of full protection from harm.

Why is this a problem? People generally turn to faith in dark or troubling moments. Thus, the “relief” found in God can be misinterpreted as full protection from all that was. Then, when life gets tough again (which all life is bound to), people stray from God because He wasn’t all He was cracked up to be.

We are a generation of comfort-seekers. We’ll do all we can to seek comfort. We’ll drift. We’ll float. We’ll change allegiances all because we believe comfort equals the good life.

Here’s where we go wrong.

If our motive is to seek comfort, then one should never put their faith in God. God does not promise comfort, but He does promise a fulfilling and full life. Was Mother Theresa comfortable serving for over three decades in Calcutta? Certainly not. Were any of the disciples comfortable or protected? 11 of the 12 are believed to have been crucified

2. Ideal Acceptance

Unconditional acceptance is another incorrect myth about God. We tend to steer away from this idea in mainline Protestant circles, but the God I read about is a God who is a Judge. In fact, He’s the ultimate Judge.

When a person rapes someone, He doesn’t turn a blind eye in the name of tolerance and goodness. No! He judges. He hates what is contaminated. Our ultimate goal is to bring GLORY back upon God. When we sin, we contaminate His glory and what He made good.

Why is this a problem? People want something that won’t get in their way. People want someone who won’t confront or provide boundaries. We buy into the myth that the sweetest freedom is one where we can do anything. Total anarchy. The problem is, God is not an anarchist. God is a Judge who sets rules and boundaries in ORDER to provide the best way of living for us so that we can bring glory to Him.

God does not just accept anything. Like a good washing machine, he take everything that is dirty but only if you are willing to be cleaned during the cycle.

3. Ideal Fairness

God introduces such unfair concepts as “mercy, grace, and forgiveness.” Read the parable of the farm laborers in Matthew 20:1-16. God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness are not fair. He’ll throw a party for the lost Son, leave the righteous behind in order to party hardy for the one who just returned. He’ll leave the 99 sheep so He can find the lost One. This isn’t “fair” from a Capitalist, economic standpoint.

Furthermore, life just isn’t fair. Why did my best friend win the Lottery when he’s a terrible person? Why is my marriage falling apart when those other two don’t even pray? Why did my son die when that family has six sons? Life is not fair. God is not fair.

Why is this a problem? We expect to get what we deserve. We expect to receive what we earned.

With God, we deserve nothing. It is ONLY because of HIS goodness and love that we are able to dwell with God at all. We didn’t do anything nor can ever do anything to deserve that. In Romans 9:13b-15: “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau. What can we cay? Was God being unfair? Of course not! For said said to Moses, ‘I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.’”

God’s fairness is in his sovereignty to choose as He decides; otherwise, fair (getting what you deserve) would not be fair at all. The creation (us) can’t demand from the Creator. We can’t earn from the Creator. God, in His fairness, created us and thus, we are solely dependent on Him alone. Therefore, would it be “fair” to demand life from Him? No. What is fair is that we humble ourselves, put our faith in Jesus Christ, and work out our salvation and life in utter obedience to this very fact. That’s fair – in God’s eyes.

4. Ideal Involvement

In our individualistic, consumerist society, we tend to feel that we deserve to be in constant contact with God. I mean, we can log onto the Internet at any point. We can call anyone at any time. We can text someone immediately. We can communicate instantly. Why when we pray doesn’t God answer immediately? Hmm. I don’t know exactly.

I laugh at books titled things like (and to be fair, I haven’t read it) “Six Prayers God Always Answers.” Have we really reduced God to a formula to ensure His involvement?

Why is this a problem? When people don’t feel that God is instantly involved in their life, they easily fall prey to communicating with whatever can be most involved in their lives. We must come to accept that God is silent sometimes. Many spiritual warriors before us have encountered similar silent experiences. We must trust that God knows better than us when to involve and when not to.

5. Ideal Respect

Let’s be honest: We desire things that bring us power and respect. This is our fallen nature. We want to do those things that give us power and respect.

However, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He washed the dirty feet of his followers. He gave his life to a band of lowlifes to change the world. The Jews expected a King wielding a sword and leading an army against the Roman Empire. Instead, they got a King wielding a towel around his waist.

Jesus did not seek power, nor did he seek respect. Instead, he sought to follow and do what He saw His Father doing.

Why is this a problem? As mentioned earlier, people desire power and respect. If you can save a life and no one would ever know, would you do it? Would you do something to change the world if no one ever knew your name?

That is question everyone must wrestle with.

Conclusion

We must realign ourselves with truth, not ideals. In order to pull people from the hell-bound depths of relativism, we must blow up the “Trojan Horse” ideals and rebuild the God of the Bible piece by piece. This means, we must not expect full protection, complete acceptance, worldly fairness, immediate and all-the-time involvement, and respect and power from God.

What does God promise? That He will never leave nor forsake you. That He is working for the good in all things for those who love Him. That He has provided a place for you who puts your trust, hope, life, and faith in Jesus. That he will “bless” those who picked up their cross to follow Him and who fought to provide life for the “least of these.”

May you come to realign your ‘ideals’ with the true ideals of God.

What “ideals” do you need to blow up?

 

The Problem of Relativism

Philosophically, RELATIVISM is the idea that elements, ideas, and truth claims are relative to or dependent upon other elements or aspects. Thus, statements such as:

“That’s true for you, but not for me.” or “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” or “Why can’t we all just agree and get along?” are commonplace statements for people who adhere and give in to the pressures of relativism.

Within religion, relativism is the idea your claim to truth is no more valid than mine. And according to John Piper, relativism now means “you may not claim to speak the truth.”

Relativism (the idea that all religions are equal or valid as long as it is TRUE to that individual person) has permeated our society in gross amounts. In the name of “tolerance,” we have accepted the idea that tolerance means not taking individual stands on truth.Our idea of tolerance has morphed into a gross relativistic worldview.

Granted, there has been severe injustices done in the name of “TRUTH” (think Crusades, the Iraq War, Witch hunts, the Inquisition, Slavery, etc.). Horrific events such as these undoubtedly cause one to be cautious to make bold truth claims in fear of being like “them.” Furthermore, in the name of tolerance,  people who make truth claims are generally viewed as “close-minded” or “judgmental.”

However, we need to reclaim truth, rewrite the present meaning of tolerance, and re-establish what it means to stand on the “firm foundation” of the Christian Gospel.

Two recent media comments made me cringe. While watching Ellen, she had just given $25,000 to a woman and her family, and made this statement (not exactly a quote, but close enough): ‘You just have to maintain faith. All good things eventually come around.’

Ellen was NOT referring to faith in God. In fact, she didn’t say “faith” in anything. Just faith? Faith in whom? Faith in what? I don’t think Ellen truly knows either, but statements such as these are commonplace in our relativistic worldview. Just have faith…

Second, listening to 106.5 and their assortment of Christmas music, a woman came on recollecting a story about one of her Christmas mornings as a child. Although the details are unimportant, the story was something along the lines of “I left out some cookies for Santa. Santa ate them. I woke up. And I was happy.”

What made me cringe was this (again, not a direct quote, but close enough): “And when I found those cookies gone, I realized that Santa was watching over me and he had been all year. It just felt good to know that Santa was watching over me.”

WHATTTT!!!????

Statements such as these are so commonplace it is sickening. Celebrities promote Scientology, a cult where the founder admitted to starting a religion just to make money. Celebrities promote a “mixed bag” of religions and claim this is their truth. Seminaries exist that teach about “Higher Lights” and tolerance towards each other’s Gods because they are ultimately equal or the same anyways. People honestly believe Santa is watching over them. They believe you just need to “have faith.” It doesn’t matter in what.

It’s wrong.

Relativism is for the weak of mind, the poor in Spirit, and the hell-bound.

Does this sound harsh? Maybe. Maybe not. Frankly, if people are “bold” enough to promote a belief in “positive thinking” or “Higher Lights,” then I’m going to be bold enough to promote Jesus Christ.

In the next few weeks, I’m going to post reasons why I believe in Jesus and how that effects daily ethical choices. Topics will include abortion, war, women in ministry, poverty, healing prayer, the supernatural, Universalism, Spiritual Warfare, Church, worship, mission, divorce, close-handed issues, open-handed issues, discipleship, atonement theories, and cults.

Furthermore, I’m going to post and write about why we can trust the reliability of Scripture and why we can trust the power we experience of Jesus Christ. I’m going to debunk myths about God and reasons why people “fall” to relativism.

May we come to stand firm on the truth that Jesus Christ is God’s son. He came as a human being to bridge the gap between humanity and God. Through his death, our sins were crucified to the cross. Through his resurrection, our sins have been defeated and we can accept, with faith, that belief in Jesus Christ leads us to eternity with him which will one day culminate with a glorious resurrection. We can stand firm that Jesus Christ paved the way and set the bar for the way WE SHOULD LIVE. Today!

May you as well come to find the problem of relativism and stand firm on faith in Jesus Christ.

The Third Way

So much of life is bipolar. Either you’re Republican or Democrat. Either you’re Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. Either you’re anti-gay or Liberal. Either you’re liberal or conservative.

It’s tiring to choose.

In studying and reading, I find that there are so many scholarly and well-defended viewpoints on everything. It’s rather mind-boggling how much well-defended information is at our fingertips.

Now, before we go further, I’m not a relativist. I don’t believe all truth is Truth. In fact, I take pretty firm stands on Truth.

However, Jesus seemed to always offer a third way between two polar opposites. Was Jesus pro-life? Certainly. Does his heart break for young women who abort a child because the systems of injustice they face are too powerful for them to possibly consider bringing a child into the world? Yes. Definitely.

I know I’m walking on fine ground here by quickly putting Jesus into making decisions on controversial issues, but I can’t help but read about a Jesus who simply sought “third way” solutions in direct opposition of choosing one side or the other.

Consider the story of the woman caught in adultery. She is about to be stoned and people want to know what Jesus is going to do. He bends down, draws a line in the sand, and says, “Let he who has not sinned be the first to cast the stone.”

Option 1. Be directly opposed to adultery.

Option 2. Be directly in support of adultery.

The third way: Love despite adultery.

Of course it breaks Jesus’ heart to witness a person live in adultery. It’s a sin. Adultery breaks hearts and destroys families. Adulterers’ and adulteresses will most certainly need to face our righteous and fair God who deems these sins disgusting.

But Jesus first response is to choose a third way between the polar opposites.

He chose to defend the undefendable.

He loved the unlovable.

He stood up for the sick and backed the least of these. When they sinned, he loved them and then pointed them to the third way of living. “Go and sin no more.” But first, let me love you as much as God loves you.

Our worldview, especially in the West, teaches us to see only one option. We think there is a single cause to every problem, and if we just stamp out that cause, we’ll fix the problem. But usually, there is more than one cause. There is more than one reason. And we need to adjust our worldviews to incorporate the complexity of thinking in the Third Way.

Am I a capitalist or a socialist? I’m a mixed economist. I believe everyone should receive equal benefits and health care and yet we should let the market determine fair prices.

Am I for or against abortion? I’m for every life being saved, but also recognize that oftentimes, we are trying to stamp out the growth while failing to address the root. Therefore, we must love and fix the systems that cause abortion in the first place.

Am I for or against universal health care? I’m for everyone receiving adequate care for health. I’m opposed to people cheating the system.

There are plenty of dogmatically rigid individuals who refuse to see the world in colors other than black or white. These individuals will fight vehemently for doctrinal issues as if they and God are the only people who know the ABSOLUTE truth on certain issues regarding, for instance, homosexuality, heaven/hell and what it looks like, the Holy Spirit, and free will v. predestination. On and on and on the scholars will argue, and for what point? We need to hold fast to the truths of Jesus, God’s undeserving love and grace towards our sin, and let everything else be a matter of discussion.

There are just a few issues that don’t require “third way” thinking.

1. Jesus is the ONLY way. There is not a “Third way” in this regard. Jesus is fully God and fully human. What he did on the cross is the only reason we have hope of salvation. He ALONE bridged the gap between ourselves and God.

2. God desires good. Although the world leans towards injustice, God ultimately is a loving and good God who wants the best for humanity.

All in all, the point is: Oftentimes, as my brother says, the truth is found in the middle.

The truth is found in the Third Way.

Community, Motivation, & Accountability

I’m an introvert.

To determine your extrovert/introvert nature, the question is simple: Are your more energized/rejuvenated by being with and around people or by yourself?

For me, I need to charge/power up for several hours to be with people for one hour (ish).

However, I’ve noticed something lately: God’s been changing my heart. The more I grow in an intimate relationship with God, the more I crave authentic, deep relationships with people.

Furthermore, I’ve found that I increase in motivation when I’m around like-impassioned (not just like-minded) people. When I’m around people who possess a passion for life, I’m energized. Preferably, that passion is directed towards Jesus, but frankly, it doesn’t matter.

Trust me, I motivate myself through reading and introspection. But more and more, I’m finding I am motivated more completely through community and relationships.

I’m realizing this is a part of my central DNA. We are called to walk together in life. Being an introvert only fulfills so much.

Last, God has been hammering home the concept of accountability. Accountability is truly a proactive, preemptive approach to remaining strong in faith and action. Honestly, I’m rarely tempted to sin, but I know how incredibly important it is to find someone who holds you accountable to a higher standard of living. As soon as we think we’re invincible, that’s when darkness gains footing.

Today, I’m thankful for my wife who provides so much of this for me. She is my best friend and I love her so much.

I’m thankful for the few authentic relationships we’ve found in Las Vegas. Although we are still praying for more community, I’m thankful for the people we do know.

Last, I’m praying for an accountability circle. Actually, more than that. I’m praying to find a circle of people who walk together in community and life, holding each other to a higher standard of living in love and hope, and sharing the joys and pains of the journey of life.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

By Donald Miller

My review on Amazon:

Live a better story.

Donald Miller has a way of crafting words — fluid yet disconnected; meaningful yet separated. His books read like a river — at times, rushed and hurried like rapids, and other times, you feel the need to paddle in the slow moving stream.

His latest, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, is a superb collection of “whimsy” thoughts and stories, all pointing towards one common theme: Live a better story.

At first, I felt frustrated by his “I don’t knows” and random assortment of meaningless thoughts. In fact, I got to a point where I almost said, he really missed it this time. I grew tired of him saying things like, I don’t know what life means and why does God allow hard things and I don’t know.

But this is the beauty of Donald Miller’s writing — he intentionally moves a reader through frustratingly slow times to build up to a rapids of his story.

After the initial frustration, I found I couldn’t put the book down. He is so raw, real, and authentic, it almost hurts a bit. I read so much stuff by people who have it all figured out, who know all the right answers, and who will write with sterling confidence.

Don Miller is not one of those people.

He is one of us. A human who has deficiencies and is trying to figure out life just like you and I. That’s the beauty. He takes you along in his authentic journey, all the while pointing to something greater, something bigger, something better.

He is a man attempting to live a better story. He knows God is calling each and everyone of us to live for something greater, something bigger. He knows there is a dark force out there attempting to dissuade us from doing so. And he writes this book smack dab in the middle of that warfare.

All in all, don’t enter this book if you are arrogant or looking for right answers. Instead, engage the journey, embrace the authenticity, and be challenged to LIVE A BETTER STORY!

My notes:

• There is a purpose in every scene, in every line of dialogue. A true story is going somewhere. Don’s real life was boring.
• Characters in great stories have to face their greates fears with courage. That’s what makes a good story. Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but are unwilling to embrace potential greatness of the story we are actually in. We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller.
• A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it
• Live a better story
• God writes us into the story: “Enjoy your place in my story. The beauty of it means you matter, and you can create within it even as I have created you.”
• However, we tend to be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants.
• A character has to face his greatest fears
• The point of life is character transformation. The transformation is created in the search.
• The point of the story is the character arc, the CHANGE
• A character is what he does
• “My entire life had been designed to make myself more comfortable, to insulate myself from the interruption of my daydreams.”
• There is a knowing I feel that guides me toward better stories, toward being a better character. There is a writer outside ourselves, plotting a better story for us, interacting with us, even, and whispering a better story into our consciousness.
• God wants us to move from defensive to the intentional. God wanted me to do things.
• “People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But JOY COSTS PAIN!”
• Humans naturally seek comfort and stability. Without an inciting incident that disrupts their comfort, they won’t enter into a story.
• The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is “Do not fear.” It’s in there over two hundred times.
• “No character had a vague ambition. It made me wonder if the reasons our lives seem so muddled is because we keep walking into scenes which we, along with the people around us, have no clear idea what we want.”
• There is a force that doesn’t want us to face our issues, to face our fear and bring something beautiful into the world. It wants us to believe that life isn’t worth living.
• “It is when people do not allow God to show up THROUGH them that the world collapses in on itself.
• There is a force resisting the beautiful thngs in the world and too many of us are giving in. The world needs for us to have courage.
• Advertising causes us to think in wish-fulfillment dynamics. The more painful the journey, the more the traveler would appreciate the city once he got there. Don’t look for an easier ending or journey.
• The more practice stories you live, the more you want an epic to climb inside of and see through till its end. Once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life and you can’t go back to being normal.
• Two elements: Characters pursue something difficult to attain. The more difficult, the better. Second, the ambition had to be sacrificial. Go through pain, risk life, for the sake of somebody else. The main way we learn stories is through each other. We teach our children good and bad stories, what is worth living for and what is worth dying for, what is worth pursuing, and the dignity with which a character engages his own narrative.
• Embrace whimsy: It’s the nagging idea that life could be magical; it could be special if we were only willing to take a few risks.
• Most people give up on their stories when they come out of college with all this ambition and dreams. Then, they get to the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can’t see the distant shore anymore. They start looking for an easier story. We must keep paddling, keep pushing forward. You must go through hell. That’s true story.
• Start looking at the whole forest rather than just your tree. Pain might be a path to experiencing a meaning beyond the false gratification of personal comfort. It’s arrogant of us to believe that the story is about our tree when it’s about the whole forest.
• An enormous amount of damage is created by the myth of utopia. There is an intrinsic feeling in nearly every person that your life could be perfect if you only had such-and-such a car or person. Jesus can make things better, but I don’t think he is going to make things perfect. Jesus offers hope.
• Great stories have memorable scenes. We have to force ourselves to create these scenes. We have to get off the couch and turn the television off. “You can’t build an end scene as beautiful as this by sitting on a couch.”
• It isn’t necessary to win for the story to be great, it is only necessary to sacrifice everything.
• “A good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story too.”
• God: “Write a good story, take somebody with you, and let me help.”
• Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets before each individual.
• “We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn’t mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It’s a good calling, then, to speak a better story.

To Thine Own Self Be True

These words, spoken by Polonius and written by William Shakespeare in Hamlet, have done some significant damage to our world.

This phrase, one of Shakespeare’s most famous, implies that what matters most is to be true to yourself.

First, what is your true self? Is it when you are fervently bashing abortion clinics? Is it when you refuse to attend church because the pastor isn’t giving you enough attention? Is your true self the guy/girl who lashes out at his family in hostility and anger? Is it your true self when you openly divide ministries and attempt to disrupt a church family by displaying your critical and angry heart?

Furthermore, was Hitler his “true self?” How about Stalin? How about the guy who recently shot up Fort Hood in Texas?

This narcissistic and individualist obsession has plagued our world today. More than ever, we are witnessing people simply doing things because they want to be “true to themselves.” When Madonna makes up her own religion, she is doing so in individual truth. When The Bachelor has to follow his heart and break off his engagement, he is being true to himself. When athletes complain about not getting $6 million a year rather than $5 million, they are just “being true.” When leaders are caught in affairs and scandals, they are just being true, they’ll say.

The point is this: We can’t rely on our “true selves.”

Instead, we need a compass, a guide, a master.

Jesus.

We need to embrace his humility. We need to follow his courage. We need to live up to his righteous anger and compassionate love. We need to soak in the life and love of Jesus Christ THROUGH the Spirit he left for us.

Want to know what your true self should like that? Look no further than Galatians 5:22-23. The “fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL.”

That’s the SELF to be TRUE to.

Today, take a moment to breathe in the fruits of the Spirit. If you haven’t looked like any of these lately, repent, embrace forgiveness, and embrace Jesus.

Soaking ~ The Energy Bus ~ A New Kind ~ MI

It’s been too long since I’ve blogged.

For those outside the blogging world, the practice can appear a bit narcissistic. Essentially, person X thinks that persons A, B, C & D want to actually read the random, scattered reflections of his/her mind.

However, this is not why I do so. Why do I blog?

1. To reflect on my own journey individually or communally. Writing is another step in the thought and learning process.

2. To pass along thoughts, advice, messages, or challenges via mass medium.

3. In all I do, I attempt to do in the name and glory of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I would not blog if I deemed it is totally unnecessary or without purpose. The challenge for each waking moment (between me and God) is, does your life matter if it “JUST” affects one person? The answer, without question, from God is YES, YES, and YES!!! Who gets to keep score? Not me. Not the world. Just God. One life matters to God.

Therefore, here are my latest thoughts, readings, and reflections on life, God, and the practice of following Jesus Christ.

Soaking

Soaked

Ryan, my older and much cooler older brother, recently attended a conference led by Paul Yadao. He passed along a few of the CDs and resources he picked up. Yadao heads a powerful healing ministry based out of the Philippines.

Yadao’s words have impacted me the last few weeks. He has coined the term: Soaking.

Soaking is the practice of simply dwelling in the presence of God. It is allowing ourselves to be still, to listen, to SOAK in the affirming love of the Father.

This is not innovative by any means. But the term has had a powerful affect on my life.

When we go to Soak, we aren’t going to ask, to do, or to get. Instead, we are simply THERE. We allow the Father to speak His love to us. We allow the Holy Spirit to soak into our core. We don’t go to absorb power (like a boost or recharge). We simply go to SOAK.

During these times, I might put on some quiet music or turn off the lights. Whatever the scenario, I simply imagine (imagination is key – there are no “accidents” in your imagination) the face of Jesus. Lately, God keeps giving me images of playing catch with Jesus in a wheat field (ala Field of Dreams) or simply taking things from my soul and floating them down a river.

If we don’t allow ourselves to soak in the Father’s love, the work of the Father will not be as powerful in our lives. If we don’t sit still and simply dwell with God, what can we hope to accomplish?

For the “anonymous Christian” (a new term I picked up for those who know the grace of God but don’t have words for it), this practice can be applied by simply sitting still for 15, 20, 30 minutes a day and setting your mind on things above (love, hope, grace, mercy, justice). If we’re always running on half a tank, what can we hope to do? Let yourself be still. Pray that God would speak love to you. It’s incredible.

“Soak in the Presence. Lead the People.”

The Energy Bus

The Energy Bus

The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, was given to me by one of my mentors, John Hogenson at St. Andrew’s. I’ve read a few books similar to this fable-style of writing. However, despite the simplicities of the stories, they always profoundly impact my current life thoughts.

The Energy Bus centers on the story of George and his disastrous work life, family life, and inner turmoil. As he experiences a flat tire and is forced to take the bus, he encounters Joy and she teaches him the 11 rules of The Energy Bus.

I won’t highlight all of them, but here are a few that made me feel good about the past year and the upcoming one.

Rule #1: You Drive Your Own Bus

This is similar to recent conversations I’ve shared with Dr. Kathy Arai. The message is this: We are in control of our bus. Before anyone freaks out, I still believe that God is in control ultimately. He is Creator; I am created. But I am not a puppet. I believe that we partner in this life with God to bring hope, justice, and peace to this world. The credit never goes to us (always to God), but we are still God’s Plan A to bring healing and hope.

How does this apply? It means we don’t have to be passive bystanders as the “bus” of our life moves in directions we don’t want it to go. It means we have a say in our life, our family, and our work. A passive mindset leads to complaining. An authoritative, I’m in control view, leads to an active participation in bringing about change.

Rule #3: Fuel Your Ride w/ Positive Energy

Feed the positive dog! I love this phrase. Each moment, you face a choice: See the bad or see the good? We must teach ourselves to feed the POSITIVE DOG! I love it.

How does this apply? I tend to lean toward a critical spirit. My greatest strength (seeing what needs work) is also my greatest weakness (being too critical and never feeling like I’ve done enough).

Rule #5: Don’t Waste Your Energy On Those Who Don’t Get On the Bus

This was an affirming reminder of the previous year. My first year at CLC faced much difficulty with some who refused to get on the bus. I will NEVER say that I did everything close to perfect when it came to figuring out what the bus was, where it was going, and how to get people on.

However, there will some (actually, there will always be some) who refuse to get on the bus. God has faithfully removed several of those who didn’t want, try, or desire to get on the bus.

At first, I took it personally. But as I’ve learned over the course of the year, you simply can’t waste inordinate amounts of time trying to convince those who will never get on.

There is always a place for second (third, fourth, and fifth) invitations, but after a while, it becomes clear some won’t get on. What are you supposed to do other than wish them well and hope they find another bus to get on!

Rule #6: No Energy Vampires Allowed

How true is it that some people suck life and others give life! Some spark energy and creativity and others spark dread and fear. On the bus, energy vampires are those who are ALWAYS taking energy away! I feel that for the first time there are truly NO ENERGY VAMPIRES in my life. It’s a freeing and incredible feeling! A leader must always give people a chance to change, but if they don’t, what else can you do other than let them go or force them off?

Rule X: YOUR POSITIVE ENERGY and VISION MUST BE GREATER THAN ANYONE and EVERYONE’s NEGATIVITY. Your CERTAINTY MUST BE GREATER THAN EVERYONE’s DOUBT.

Enough said. This is plastered on my wall. I fail at this often, but I’m committed to improving on this today.

All in all, a great fable. A must read for all leaders.

A New Kind of Christian

A New Kind of Christian

I won’t go into much detail, but I was a bit hesitant to read “A New Kind of Christian” by Brian McLaren. McLaren’s reputation is that of extreme left, extreme liberal, and potential universalist. Therefore, like all bad people, I tried to not listen to opposition voices (we should always listen to those who oppose our views!)

However, I found the story refreshing and insightful. Most of all, the story is a conversation between a conservative, traditional pastor who is questioning the powers that be and a more liberal, out of the box thinking teacher who is deconstructing every practice of Christianity.

Despite some theological questions, the book is a GREAT example of the kind of conversation that is occurring in our world today.

Some highlights include the questions of God’s expansive grace, the heaven/hell debate, and church practices.

Master’s Institute

I am attending Fuller Seminary. I love it. However, they are moving out of Las Vegas which I’m super bummed about.

However, God (honestly, GOD) had introduced me to The Master’s Institute a few years back. Based out of St. Paul, I couldn’t start seminary there because I had moved to Las Vegas. After a few prophetic voices had told me I was going to attend an “out of the box” seminary, God again slapped me in the face with this one. As soon as those voices spoke into my life, I received an email about a Southwest extension starting THIS YEAR out of The Master’s Institute.

Essentially, MI is a Lutheran-based, but not solely, seminary started 8 years ago. MI takes a more holistic approach to learning and seminary. Instead of pure academia, they combine relational, experiential, and mentoring with academic training. Instead of focusing on mere knowledge, they understand that knowledge alone does not make Kingdom-minded, Spirit-filled pastors or leaders. They are attempting to train people to lead ministry, not simply teach theological truths.

The downside is it is non-accredited.

However, in typical John style, I managed to ask 10-15 pastors/leaders of different denominations and churches what their opinion was of someone who would graduate from a non-accredited seminary.

All of the people I asked (and I managed to ask some “big names” in ministry world) were concerned very little with seminary education. In a few cases, they actually would prefer someone from a place like MI. The reality is: Traditional seminary (I won’t include Fuller in this, because I love Fuller) isn’t training Kingdom-minded, Spirit-led who can lead a congregation and a staff. Instead, many of these seminaries are operating in the modern way of academia (Prof. X takes knowledge and pours it into Person A and hopes transformation occurs through this knowledge dump).

All in all, I’m pumped. God is bigger than accreditation.