I drive my kids to school. One school is about 3 miles to the west. The other is ¼ of a mile to the East. Many mornings, my daughter is a little slower in getting ready. She’s already becoming quite the diva when it comes to getting ready. Combine that with her inherited disdain for the A.M., and it can take some time! So, I’ll drive my son to school first and then swing back by the house to get her. When we 1st started this routine, she thought it was so cool and funny to go stand at the end of our driveway when I drove back home. As soon as my car came into sight, she’d jump and wave and smile that polar cap melting smile of hers and start waving her thumb. I pulled up and said “need a lift”. She thought it was so funny for me to pick her up this way! She was so excited. We laughed all the way to her school that morning.
Today was no different. As I drove up, there she was at the end of the driveway, all toothless smiles and waves and hitching thumbs’. When I rolled the window down and asked if she “needed a lift”, she threw her little head back and cracked up. Then with full eagerness, she jumped in and kissed me. I can’t think of a better way to start the day!!
What struck me about all of this is the fervor and energy she still puts into this silly routine. She acts it out each day as if it’s the 1st time! She hasn’t lost any passion for it. It hasn’t become old hat. She doesn’t find it boring or the least bit goofy. There is no apathy. In her mind, she is a beautiful hitchhiker being picked up by her daddy! (I imagine though that I look a little more like a Prince and my yellow Aveo looks more like a horse drawn golden carriage ☺) She still loves it! And because of that, I do to! It is truly beautiful when you think about it.
Why don’t we act this same way in our relationship with our savior? Do you remember when it all began? DO you remember your salvation? Do you remember the feeling after being baptized? I do! I was SO excited! I was on fire. I smiled, sang, danced and was full of joy! There was nothing less than 100%.
So what happened? Why is it that now, often times we are dull, passionless, and generally apathetic when we approach the Lord? I have a theory. Want to hear it? Here it is: LIFE HAPPENED. Many things cause us to lose fervor: sickness, death, financial pressures, jobs, relationships etc. At times, it’s not easy to feel that excited any more.
But the truth is this:….we should still be as excited today as we were in the beginning! In all truth, maybe even more excited! NOTHING has changed! Jesus still died for our sins, He still loves us in spite of ourselves, and He still meets us every morning, right where we are with our thumbs up, waiting for Him…never failing to show up!
I think of the verse in Revelation 2:4 that says “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Jesus was reminding the church in Ephesus that they may still have the right motions but they’d lost the right emotions! He was calling them back to the days when their love for Jesus was an all-consuming passion!
May we all be reminded of the same thing today. May we all learn to fall in love with Jesus again!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
fun. Faith
I just returned from leading a group to Mexico during spring break to build homes for the desperately needy. It was a great week. Part of the trip involved hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of driving. To fill that time, much music was played. We had a van full of folks with varying tastes in music (mine being supreme of course), so a virtual jukebox emanated from the van as we cruised through the CA highways. I’ve always had a much more lax policy on tunes than many youth pastors. I allow kids to pretty much listen to whatever music they are into. (There are obvious exceptions, as Slayer may not be youth group appropriate). I think it is easier to get a kid to be real and get to know them by making them relax in their own environments. So for the most part, we rock out, and besides how much Newsboys can one man handle?
Each year, a song rises up from the blend of notes and harmonies of our collective Ipods and becomes our unofficial “theme” of the week. We find ourselves playing and singing it over and over. Past winners of this prestigious title have been Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”, Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. Obviously, it has to be a special little ditty. This year, as the trip began, we had several possibilities start to move to the head of the competition. A Skrillex and Gotye tune made a strong run, but ultimately fell shorter than Adam Levine’s new hairdo to “We Are Young” by the band fun. Before the week’s end we were screaming it at the top of our lungs every time we drove anywhere.
If you haven’t heard it, you need to spotify it right away. It has a grand, epic theatrical feel to it. The general “emotion” of it comes off as moving and inspirational. You’ll definitely not be able to get it out of your head.
The tune begins with a vague, fumbling apology in a bar. The singer is very lazily trying to atone for some past mistake he made against someone, but, when he can’t seem to find the best words, he breaks into a soaring chorus instead, basically urging them to forget the past and just live in the moment. Pianos and drums and bass roar as they boldly sing “Tonight, we are young , so let's set the world on fire' …. Trust me, it rocks
The more I listened to the song, the more fired up I felt. The chorus was all I could focus on. This idea that we are always as young as we want to be, we always have energy if we want it, we always can set this world on fire truly resonated with me.
What if we took on this sort of mindset in our faith? What if we truly believed that we could do whatever we set our minds to? How would our churches look and act differently? What if we adopted some sort of “We are Young” theology? Too many times I hear older Christians say things like “I’ve done that long enough, so it’s time to let someone else step in”. This drives me NUTS! From what I can see, nowhere does God tell us that our faith and actions are under a limited contract!
I urge us all to catch fire. Even when we are weary, remember the promises of God that we can soar on wings of eagles! Remember that we are empowered by a force greater than any! We are as young as we want to be. We can set this world on fire, and we can burn brighter…because we have the only true light.
So all who are weary in faith…I will carry you home tonight, but tomorrow is a new day. Joy comes in the morning and tomorrow….we will set the world on fire!
Each year, a song rises up from the blend of notes and harmonies of our collective Ipods and becomes our unofficial “theme” of the week. We find ourselves playing and singing it over and over. Past winners of this prestigious title have been Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”, Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. Obviously, it has to be a special little ditty. This year, as the trip began, we had several possibilities start to move to the head of the competition. A Skrillex and Gotye tune made a strong run, but ultimately fell shorter than Adam Levine’s new hairdo to “We Are Young” by the band fun. Before the week’s end we were screaming it at the top of our lungs every time we drove anywhere.
If you haven’t heard it, you need to spotify it right away. It has a grand, epic theatrical feel to it. The general “emotion” of it comes off as moving and inspirational. You’ll definitely not be able to get it out of your head.
The tune begins with a vague, fumbling apology in a bar. The singer is very lazily trying to atone for some past mistake he made against someone, but, when he can’t seem to find the best words, he breaks into a soaring chorus instead, basically urging them to forget the past and just live in the moment. Pianos and drums and bass roar as they boldly sing “Tonight, we are young , so let's set the world on fire' …. Trust me, it rocks
The more I listened to the song, the more fired up I felt. The chorus was all I could focus on. This idea that we are always as young as we want to be, we always have energy if we want it, we always can set this world on fire truly resonated with me.
What if we took on this sort of mindset in our faith? What if we truly believed that we could do whatever we set our minds to? How would our churches look and act differently? What if we adopted some sort of “We are Young” theology? Too many times I hear older Christians say things like “I’ve done that long enough, so it’s time to let someone else step in”. This drives me NUTS! From what I can see, nowhere does God tell us that our faith and actions are under a limited contract!
I urge us all to catch fire. Even when we are weary, remember the promises of God that we can soar on wings of eagles! Remember that we are empowered by a force greater than any! We are as young as we want to be. We can set this world on fire, and we can burn brighter…because we have the only true light.
So all who are weary in faith…I will carry you home tonight, but tomorrow is a new day. Joy comes in the morning and tomorrow….we will set the world on fire!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Silent Art? Silent Spirituality?
I love movies. I love all kinds. I can switch from Fight Club to UP and not miss a beat. I could watch Bridesmaids and then switch to Tree of Life and not lose anything. I like all sorts. So, I was fascinated this week when the awards were handed out at the Oscars. You may have noticed that the film called “The Artist” won most of the major awards. I am really dying to see it. I haven’t yet, so I cannot comment on it right now. On the surface, it you knew nothing of the movie, but just saw a trailer or sign, it makes perfect sense for the academy to choose this. It is French…instant artistic integrity! ☺ It looks artsy and elegant. In just about every way, it fits the expected pattern of award winners. They usually pick a certain type of movie and actually they get it right more times than not. (except of course of a few exceptions like Driving Miss Daisy over Born on the 4th of July, Chicago over The Pianist, Shakespeare in Love over ANYTHING…but especially Saving Private Ryan, or CRASH even being nominated…) But what you may NOT have known is this movie is a total silent film. There is NO dialogue. Yup…….NO ONE TALKS.
So, does the fact that this won surprise anyone else but me? That is mind-blowing to me in our modern culture! We live in an era where the prevailing thought is THE BIGGER THE BETTER. How else can you explain atrocious films like The Transformers being box office hits? We want explosions, stunts, robots, effects, and 3D! The last thing we want is silence. So to see a film of no noise and no special effects win such prestigious awards is amazing.
I believe what we are seeing is a whisper of God’s truth being understood, without many people realizing it. Our God loves silence. He is IN the whispers and gentle breezes! Jesus was a man of silent prayer and solitude. We are commanded to BE STILL. Perhaps my favorite verse on this topic is Psalms 62:1, where it says, "For God Alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
If Hollywood can get it…maybe we followers of Jesus can give it a shot too. Find a quiet place this week. Be still. Wait for God there and thank Him for your salvation. Stop adding to the noise today
So, does the fact that this won surprise anyone else but me? That is mind-blowing to me in our modern culture! We live in an era where the prevailing thought is THE BIGGER THE BETTER. How else can you explain atrocious films like The Transformers being box office hits? We want explosions, stunts, robots, effects, and 3D! The last thing we want is silence. So to see a film of no noise and no special effects win such prestigious awards is amazing.
I believe what we are seeing is a whisper of God’s truth being understood, without many people realizing it. Our God loves silence. He is IN the whispers and gentle breezes! Jesus was a man of silent prayer and solitude. We are commanded to BE STILL. Perhaps my favorite verse on this topic is Psalms 62:1, where it says, "For God Alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
If Hollywood can get it…maybe we followers of Jesus can give it a shot too. Find a quiet place this week. Be still. Wait for God there and thank Him for your salvation. Stop adding to the noise today
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
When Faith and Logic Collide
When Faith and Logic Collide
Sometimes it’s hard to understand just what I’m supposed to think
When the knowledge of your water is simply much too deep to drink
When I look at the world, and when I see its’ hurt and pain
There’s a battle that is raging between my heart and brain
Did the earth ever really flood? Are dinosaurs real?
Should the dating of a rock really change the way I feel?
Is the Bible to be taken literal? Or is it all analogy?
Did the death of a Jewish teacher really change eternity?
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Most kids of this world can’t even eat, and in America they all grow fat
I struggle to explain the justice in a God who works like that.
And when I listen to the cries, and the tears flood in like rain
Still a battle’s raging between my heart and my brain
Was this all created in 7 actual days? And did a serpent really speak?
And what I am to learn from the washing of the feet?
Did a virgin give birth? Did her son really die?
And did he truly ascend right from that hill into that cloudy sky?
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Try and try I may, but I’ll never understand
For my vision is so limited and I am just a man
As for me, I choose to serve you God
As for me I’ll choose to trust
And maybe one day it’ll all be clear when my body’s returned to dust
For I could talk myself in circles, I could argue all day long
But still I can’t deny this feeling stirring like a song
That your justice WILL be served
That your grace WILL abound
And for all that makes no sense to me….. no answers may be found
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Sometimes it’s hard to understand just what I’m supposed to think
When the knowledge of your water is simply much too deep to drink
When I look at the world, and when I see its’ hurt and pain
There’s a battle that is raging between my heart and brain
Did the earth ever really flood? Are dinosaurs real?
Should the dating of a rock really change the way I feel?
Is the Bible to be taken literal? Or is it all analogy?
Did the death of a Jewish teacher really change eternity?
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Most kids of this world can’t even eat, and in America they all grow fat
I struggle to explain the justice in a God who works like that.
And when I listen to the cries, and the tears flood in like rain
Still a battle’s raging between my heart and my brain
Was this all created in 7 actual days? And did a serpent really speak?
And what I am to learn from the washing of the feet?
Did a virgin give birth? Did her son really die?
And did he truly ascend right from that hill into that cloudy sky?
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Try and try I may, but I’ll never understand
For my vision is so limited and I am just a man
As for me, I choose to serve you God
As for me I’ll choose to trust
And maybe one day it’ll all be clear when my body’s returned to dust
For I could talk myself in circles, I could argue all day long
But still I can’t deny this feeling stirring like a song
That your justice WILL be served
That your grace WILL abound
And for all that makes no sense to me….. no answers may be found
These are questions that I’ve heard. A few that I’ve considered
But through it all, your love abounds and my belief in you grows bigger
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
GRACE
GRACE
Faith fantastic, forgiven child, Spinning spastic, screaming wild
Waves of sorrow, winds of pain, Washed away by grace’s rain
Dance with me awhile, hold me closer to your heart
Embrace me with your smile , let the healing find its start
Kiss me deep into my soul, tell me you will never leave
Fill up all the empty holes, Give me something to believe
I wore my heart out on my sleeve. Learned to walk, forgot to breathe
This 3-ton monkey on my back, it fails to help pick up the slack
And on and on and on we go, just where we stop is when we’ll know
That all the pleasure of this earth, has nested here and given birth
To all that’s wrong, to all that’s bad. It took the joy and made it sad
And man in search of pure elation
Has muddled up perfect creation
It’s a long way up when you have to crawl
But it’s further down when you deny your fall.
Please……open up my eyes
Shove truth into my face
Please……listen to my cries
Work me over with your grace
I wore my heart out on my sleeve. Learned to walk, forgot to breathe
This 3-ton monkey on my back. It fails to help pick up the slack
And on and on and on we go, just where we stop is when we’ll know
That all the pleasure of this earth, has nested here and given birth
To all that’s wrong to all that’s bad. It took the joy and made it sad
And man in search of pure elation
Has muddled up perfect creation
It’s a long way up when you have to crawl
But it’s further down when you deny your fall.
Please……open up my eyes
Shove truth into my face
Please……listen to my cries
Work me over with your grace
Faith fantastic, forgiven child, Spinning spastic, screaming wild
Waves of sorrow, winds of pain, Washed away by grace’s rain
Dance with me awhile, hold me closer to your heart
Embrace me with your smile , let the healing find its start
Kiss me deep into my soul, tell me you will never leave
Fill up all the empty holes, Give me something to believe
I wore my heart out on my sleeve. Learned to walk, forgot to breathe
This 3-ton monkey on my back, it fails to help pick up the slack
And on and on and on we go, just where we stop is when we’ll know
That all the pleasure of this earth, has nested here and given birth
To all that’s wrong, to all that’s bad. It took the joy and made it sad
And man in search of pure elation
Has muddled up perfect creation
It’s a long way up when you have to crawl
But it’s further down when you deny your fall.
Please……open up my eyes
Shove truth into my face
Please……listen to my cries
Work me over with your grace
I wore my heart out on my sleeve. Learned to walk, forgot to breathe
This 3-ton monkey on my back. It fails to help pick up the slack
And on and on and on we go, just where we stop is when we’ll know
That all the pleasure of this earth, has nested here and given birth
To all that’s wrong to all that’s bad. It took the joy and made it sad
And man in search of pure elation
Has muddled up perfect creation
It’s a long way up when you have to crawl
But it’s further down when you deny your fall.
Please……open up my eyes
Shove truth into my face
Please……listen to my cries
Work me over with your grace
Cold in the Shadows
COLD IN THE SHADOWS
They say that a shadow is the absence of light.
They’re in corners in the day, then consume all the night
But I’m not so sure, that there’s nothing more
For the shadows in my heart have all been here before
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
They say we form shadows because the light it can’t bend
It seems to me they come though when all that’s good will end
But I’m not convinced, that they ever go away
For this shadow in my heart, will live to see another day
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
And I hear that a shadow can be used to tell time
But I lost track of the clock and all reason and rhyme
And I’m still not so sure, that there’s nothing more
For the shadow in my heart and soul has been there before
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
They say that a shadow is the absence of light.
They’re in corners in the day, then consume all the night
But I’m not so sure, that there’s nothing more
For the shadows in my heart have all been here before
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
They say we form shadows because the light it can’t bend
It seems to me they come though when all that’s good will end
But I’m not convinced, that they ever go away
For this shadow in my heart, will live to see another day
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
And I hear that a shadow can be used to tell time
But I lost track of the clock and all reason and rhyme
And I’m still not so sure, that there’s nothing more
For the shadow in my heart and soul has been there before
And its cold in the shadows
When I can’t make things right
Yeah, it’s cold in the shadows
I know it’s warm in the light
Well it seems like a mountain is stuck in the way, and I’ll never see another sunny day
Ohhh no…..yeah it’s cold in this shadow
Monday, February 6, 2012
McFaith
Why is it that we Americans love British things? We like to pride ourselves on our freedom, but then we fall back into loving all things British. Many of us are “Britophiles” and will consume anything from our funny talking brothers. I mean how else can you explain The Spice Girls, or Russell Brand EVER getting a movie contract? ☺ I am pretty confident that I'm not the only fan of all things that come from over the pond. I love Brit Pop…ALL of it. I love English Premier League soccer games. I love Guy Ricthie movies. And as much as I hate to admit it…yes I love Downton Abbey………(that felt good to get that off my chest)
SO not too long ago, I was reading a British article, where Prince Charles hinted at his desire to get rid of fast food in the UK. He said “banning McDonald’s is THE key to a healthy lifestyle”. Good on ‘ya Prince! While I agree with the royalty of England and all the Morgan Spurlock’s of the world, and loathe the ridiculous “stuff” ol' Ronald tries to pass as food, I find this statement just a wee bit ridiculous.
To me it, it is a lazy statement and is indicative of one of our culture's biggest problems today. We like passing the buck, and blaming others! That is how we operate. It is so much easier to always be the victim. Seldom will we own up to our own mistakes and problems. It is always someone else’s fault! Now of course, eliminating such foods from your diet will improve your health, but banning it is not the key! The key to YOUR health is not up to someone else to pass legislation, it is UP TO YOU to make the right choices!! The key is YOU making a choice, and then having the discipline to follow through. We cannot rely on others to make us better, if we aren’t willing to make the changes on our own!
I think this same principle applies to our spiritual lives as well.
How many times do we want other individuals to heal our souls for us? So often we whine about our churches, pastors, ministers and classes. “I’m just not getting fed at church lately” is a term we often hear and often say. Consider this: Maybe we should already be full before we ever step a foot into a sanctuary?!? I understand where this sentiment comes from, and at times there is SOME validity to this….but where does self-responsibility come into play? Aren’t we old enough now to also feed ourselves? How many of us, when complaining, spent ANY time that week studying God’s word for ourselves or praying to him?? We cannot rely on others to push us forward in faith. We need to be putting in the hours ourselves. God tells us there is a time to move away from the milk of babes and start eating meat of an adult. I think one huge way we can take that step is to stop expecting others to make us faithful Christians.
I am not at all trying to negate the need for great preachers and teachers. I think they are vital parts of healthy spirituality. I cannot imagine living without them actually (and plus I really appreciate my job ☺) I just think that we can become TOO dependant on them to do all of our soul’s work for us. Just like the body, we too must exercise our faith! I wish I could get fit simply by watching the SuperBowl…but it simply does not work that way.
Banning McDonalds is NOT going to save us, if we choose to eat garbage at home. And listening to a great sermon is not going to save us if we choose to continue to “eat garbage” at home. Take some time to get to know God YOURSELF……it is vital to your health!
SO not too long ago, I was reading a British article, where Prince Charles hinted at his desire to get rid of fast food in the UK. He said “banning McDonald’s is THE key to a healthy lifestyle”. Good on ‘ya Prince! While I agree with the royalty of England and all the Morgan Spurlock’s of the world, and loathe the ridiculous “stuff” ol' Ronald tries to pass as food, I find this statement just a wee bit ridiculous.
To me it, it is a lazy statement and is indicative of one of our culture's biggest problems today. We like passing the buck, and blaming others! That is how we operate. It is so much easier to always be the victim. Seldom will we own up to our own mistakes and problems. It is always someone else’s fault! Now of course, eliminating such foods from your diet will improve your health, but banning it is not the key! The key to YOUR health is not up to someone else to pass legislation, it is UP TO YOU to make the right choices!! The key is YOU making a choice, and then having the discipline to follow through. We cannot rely on others to make us better, if we aren’t willing to make the changes on our own!
I think this same principle applies to our spiritual lives as well.
How many times do we want other individuals to heal our souls for us? So often we whine about our churches, pastors, ministers and classes. “I’m just not getting fed at church lately” is a term we often hear and often say. Consider this: Maybe we should already be full before we ever step a foot into a sanctuary?!? I understand where this sentiment comes from, and at times there is SOME validity to this….but where does self-responsibility come into play? Aren’t we old enough now to also feed ourselves? How many of us, when complaining, spent ANY time that week studying God’s word for ourselves or praying to him?? We cannot rely on others to push us forward in faith. We need to be putting in the hours ourselves. God tells us there is a time to move away from the milk of babes and start eating meat of an adult. I think one huge way we can take that step is to stop expecting others to make us faithful Christians.
I am not at all trying to negate the need for great preachers and teachers. I think they are vital parts of healthy spirituality. I cannot imagine living without them actually (and plus I really appreciate my job ☺) I just think that we can become TOO dependant on them to do all of our soul’s work for us. Just like the body, we too must exercise our faith! I wish I could get fit simply by watching the SuperBowl…but it simply does not work that way.
Banning McDonalds is NOT going to save us, if we choose to eat garbage at home. And listening to a great sermon is not going to save us if we choose to continue to “eat garbage” at home. Take some time to get to know God YOURSELF……it is vital to your health!
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