Following a convenient God

I find it increasingly interesting how the world wants Christians to act more like God, but they desire God to be more like them.  Furthermore, they deny our humanity by pointing out when we fail.  They expect Christians to be held to the higher standard, but when Christians fail to meet that standard, they are the first ones to say so.  Furthermore, when Christians attempt to live by the standards set, they are ridiculed, and labeled as intolerant.

We know apart from Christ, our desires are for the gratification of the flesh, or sinful nature.  “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:17).  This post is not an excuse for hypocrisy nor is it in opposition to the need for accountability.  But in our ridicule, do we desire to be more godly or more worldly? If our goal is godliness, why do we try to accomplish that through becoming more like the world?  Why do we try to cater our message to the world’s system versus obedience to God?  For the world’s sake have we cheapened the message of Christ that we remain worldly while professing a change through our faith in Christ, yet show no evidences of this professed transformation? It is easy to tell people to come to Jesus without demanding the obedience that accompanies this faith (see Romans 1:5, 16:26).  Do we choose the hard thing of entering the conflict, wanting to beat our flesh into submission under the authority of Christ, or do we take the easy way of excusing our sin by discounting God?

The world wants God on their own terms.  They want a god that will align with their chosen lifestyle and read more through the lens of that lifestyle then through a Biblical worldview.  In other words they want to have their cake, and eat it too.  A god of convenience, rather than necessity, a god of love, and tolerance as defined by acceptance of all things, verses a God who judges, and who is righteous.

So who is God to you?  Do you follow God out of convenience or out of faith?  Do you base it on feelings, or commitment?  Is God just a convenience or is he a necessity? Does your god look more like the world, or is He holy?

If a mirror was placed in front of you that displayed you as you truly are, what would you see?  Would you see a genuine attempt of a life to be more like Christ, or would you see more of the world?

Calm amid Chaos

So it finally happened.  You had a divinely, Holy Spirit inspired talk ready to pontificate over the gathering of hormonally-charged, hyper, sugar-induced students of your youth ministry.  You expect to come in and hand down this truth to the angelic assembly of junior and senior high youth when the chaos ensues.  Papers go flying, wrestling erupts, and it appears you have lost total control.  Nothing you do seems to effect them.  What is usually your calming presence like Jesus control over nature in calming the raging seas, does not work it’s usual magic, you begin to panic.  Then, a voice of reason, the booming voice of what seems to be from God himself hovers over the crowd in the form of one of your volunteers.  After 20 minutes, cutting into your divinely prepared lesson, the kids finally settle in.  Calm finally ensues over the chaos.

Now that you are worn out, have expended all your energy to bring about order, you try to meekly stumble through your talk, hoping they got something that they can apply and hopefully change for the better.  You contemplate quitting on the drive home as Daniel Powter’s “You had a Bad Day” plays over and over like a broken record in your head.  Then you remember the help wanted sign you saw at your local Mcdonald’s, which brings feelings of grandeur as you dream of becoming the new french fry cook.

This experience reminds me of when I was a young, inexperienced volunteer.  I was a fledgling youth worker seeking to earn my “wings” and still wondering if I had really heard God’s call or if it was just bad pizza eaten too close to bed time.  Either way, I was determined to find out.  So I went off to camp after being pestered by the camp director.  The first two days were torturous as I wondered what was wrong with these kids.  After all, had they been hearing the same divine truth I had been challenged with by this great keynote speaker (a job that I have entertained.  What’s not to love, you get paid big bucks to travel around to various venues, all meals and lodging provided, you divulge great spiritual truths and then comes the best part, you get to leave, thus leaving all the hard work to those youth workers in the trenches.  What a life!…If any of the board members from my church read this please rest assured I am just kidding [insert awkward laugh here]).  Obviously they were not getting the message cause they were still being destructive, sticking bugs, chocolate milk, soda, and candy up their noses and seeing what comes out the other side.  I mean really, were they even listening!

Then my pastor pulls me aside and gives me what could possibly be some of the best advice I ever heard.  ”You need to learn to distinguish between kids just being kids and kids not listening.” Sometimes in the chaos of the moments it may seem as though they are incapable of learning.  But we have to learn to recognize when kids are just being themselves.  By the end of that week with camp I was able to pray with three of my campers who rededicated their lives to living lives of obedience to Christ.  As it turns out, they actually were listening.

So before you had in your resignation and take-on that mindless fry cook job, ask yourself if your students were just being themselves?  Sometimes I wonder if we have unrealistic expectations in desiring immediate change to come over our students as a result of our teaching?  Have we set the bar too high that we, let alone our students, will never be able to reach it?  Although we should not put up with consistent and constant disruption or disrespect, we also need to learn to distinguish between kids not listening, and kids just being kids, thus recognizing and being the calm amid chaos.

Christian Pastor Facing Execution in Iran

Christian Pastor Facing Execution in Iran.

Can I get a Do-over?

Did you ever have one of those days where seemingly everything felt out of sorts?  Today was a day where nothing seemed to go right.  I lost points on my man card unable to solve the mystery of the lack of water pressure in our house, the weather outside was dreary, cold and foggy which made me want to just crawl back into bed until tomorrow, I broke a bowl in our kitchen, and I was late to see one of my students in a sporting event. It seemed like everything I did was wrong.  Did you ever have a day like this?  When I was a kid we had an easy solution to this, it was called a “do-over”.  I remember playing baseball with the neighbor kid, one of my good childhood friends. We would make up lineup cards with our favorite players and would head to the back yard for the game of all games.  (Of course it was nice to be able to employ ghost runners since there were only two of us.)  But when one of us didn’t agree with something that usually involved balls and strikes or outs, we would simply have a “do-over”.

Unfortunately in the game of life we don’t get a “do-over” and sometimes we allow those bad days to beat us up and keep us down.  Isn’t it marvelous that we have a heavenly Father who loves us enough to give us a “do-over”.  We know that when we sin, when we make mistakes, we simply turn toward Him with sincere hearts, and he gives us something better than a “do-over”, he gives us forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

So next time you have “one of those days”, simply seek God and receive your form of a “do-over”.

Can I get a Do-over?

Did you ever have one of those days where seemingly everything felt out of sorts?  Today was a day where nothing seemed to go right.  I lost points on my man card unable to solve the mystery of the lack of water pressure in our house, the weather outside was dreary, cold and foggy which made me want to just crawl back into bed until tomorrow, I broke a bowl in our kitchen, and I was late to see one of my students in a sporting event. It seemed like everything I did was wrong.  Did you ever have a day like this?  When I was a kid we had an easy solution to this, it was called a “do-over”.  I remember playing baseball with the neighbor kid, one of my good childhood friends. We would make up lineup cards with our favorite players and would head to the back yard for the game of all games.  (Of course it was nice to be able to employ ghost runners since there were only two of us.)  But when one of us didn’t agree with something that usually involved balls and strikes or outs, we would simply have a “do-over”.   

Unfortunately in the game of life we don’t get a “do-over” and sometimes we allow those bad days to beat us up and keep us down.  Isn’t it marvelous that we have a heavenly Father who loves us enough to give us a “do-over”.  We know that when we sin, when we make mistakes, we simply turn toward Him with sincere hearts, and he gives us something better than a “do-over”, he gives us forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV). 

So next time you have “one of those days”, simply seek God and receive your form of a “do-over”.

Relections on a life lived from a life still living.

Today the world became just a little dimmer as a great man left this temporary station to enter his eternal home.  With the chaotic storm of social media and other venues it may be difficult to understand fact from fiction.  It may be hard to find the truth.  Whether you were a fan or not, it is hard to deny the impact that a man from Brooklyn named Joseph Paterno made on the world at large.  The public testimonies’ of the men who shared the lasting values and character that was passed on to them was powerful to hear.  The many coaching fellows that responded in kind to what Joe Pa has meant to their careers.  But his impact was felt beyond the playing field as he passed on values and character onto those he came in contact with.  He desired to make people achieve their best in the game of life.  The vehicle he chose to accomplish this was coaching.  I suppose there will always be the naysayers, the judges, the self-righteous, walk on water types, but what about those who were greatly impacted by this one man?  Would they have turned out to be the loving husbands, fathers, and great leaders they are without his influence?  One could make a case that no, they probably wouldn’t.  Would there have been as high a percentage to even graduate with their degrees without his encouragement, direction, and determination?  Perhaps, but perhaps not.  Paterno himself once remarked, “They ask me what I’d like written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.”  Putting aside personal feelings, it is difficult to argue against such an endeavor.  How many of us truly strive to live our lives in the service of others, or are we on an endless quest to satisfy our selfish desires?   Whether you agree or disagree with his methods, or ideas, here was a man who chose to stand in the gap, who was not afraid to make a stand for what he thought was true and right and decent.  A man who’s impact was felt by thousands as evidenced by the outpouring of comments and support for his family.  To say the world of sports has suffered a great loss is incomplete, for it is all of humanity who have suffered.  Was Paterno perfect?  Not even close.  But I wonder what this world would be like if we were more like him?  What would happen if we chose to walk in humility by putting others first, to live with integrity, to actually stand for something greater than ourselves?  Can you picture a world like that?  Coack K from Duke cited something to the effect that Paterno has left behind “living championships”.  The things that matter are the lives that he impacted.

An occasion like this not only calls for reflection on the brevity of life, but also begs the question, what are you living for?  Or maybe instead of what, who are you living for?  Do you have anyone who you are following who lives a life worthy of Christ? Paul writes to the Philippians, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).  In order to follow we must find one worth following and in order to be followed we must be worthy of following.  If Christ looked over your life at this present moment, would he be pleased with what he finds?  Paul does not simply request we follow blindly to become like him, but rather that we would follow him in the hope that we would become more like Christ.  As is recorded in Ephesians 5, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:1-4).

Which of the following best describes you.  Eat drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, or how can I show the love of Christ to someone today?  One breeds selfishness and death while the other provides hope and life.  How will you lead those who follow?

Putting Jesus back in the box

When I was a child the anticipation of Christmas was almost too much to handle.  Every year I would create my lengthy list of presents in the hope that “Santa”, in the form of Mom and Dad, would make my every wish come true.  I still remember one Christmas when I asked for a particular transport vehicle for my G.I. Joes for their upcoming campaign against the vile Cobra in a battle of epic proportions, at least that is how it seemed in my head.  The fate of the whole world rested on “Santa” bringing this important gift.  I awoke early that wonderful Christmas morning and in the pre-dawn hours under the Christmas tree there it sat, a fully assembled transport vehicle ready for battle.  In the weeks become the vehicle held up under heavy fire, but too many drops down the staircase cliffs, and falls from the top bunk plateau proved too much.  The novelty soon wore off.  Soon the once gleaming, new transport vehicle became a lackluster bucket of rust doomed to waste away in the scrap heap that is the bottom of the toy chest.

Every year the excitement grows as we approach December 25^th.  We anticipate the arrival of hope, the calm of peace, the innocence that comes with the lowly babe in a manger.  We sing songs, hymns, and spiritual psalms of praise to the new born King, whose birth was foretold; the birth upon which rested the fate of the world.  In the weeks prior to this important day we adorn our houses with lights and tinsel, ornaments and stockings.  What about the days that follow?  After the lights burn out, the ornaments are packed in the boxes and stored back in the attic, does life return to normal?  Do we still await the coming of our Savior with such passion and fervor as weeks before?

Is our faith one that feels new and fresh but after the celebrations, the family gatherings, the presents, does the novelty begin to wear off?  Is our faith a faith that is for everyday; is it strong enough to handle the ebb and flow of life or is it superficial, only showing itself once a year before rewarding ourselves with gifts?  Do we pack Jesus up in a box, to be stored in the attic of our souls until next year or is he an active, growing presence in our lives each and every day?

It was Corrie Ten Boom who once remarked, “If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.” Is Christ living and active in your hearts this Christmas, or is he just an excuse to gain personal gifts that sooner or later are doomed to waste away in the bottom of a dark closet, moldy basement, or dusty attic?  What will you do to answer the call of Christ the other 364 days of the year?

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”. (Philippians 3:12-21)

This Christmas will you be so “I” focused, giving in to consumerism expecting that new iPad, iTunes, iPod, that you will miss the one who came to set you free?  Will you join with the Apostle Paul’s immortal words by pressing on toward the upward call of Christ.  Are you mature enough to allow Christ to live in your heart all year long, or will you give in to childish ways of celebrating the Savior but once a year, doomed to go back in the box until next year?

Ancient Relevance to a contemporary issue: Reflections on the Penn State Scandal

“But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.”

In Joshua 7 we see the effects of disobedience. Israel was told not to touch the devoted things, yet Achan allowed his own greed and selfishness to tempt him to take these things for himself. Of course he thought he would not be found out. Achan’s indiscretion cost hundreds of lives as the Lord would not give Israel the victory at Ai because of their disobedience to his command.

“So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction” (Joshua 7:4-12).

One man’s sin brought destruction upon a whole nation, removed blessing from God, and eventually led to his own’s family’s demise. Today we are faced with dealing with a scandal that has shook us to the core. Allegations of child molestation, indescribable pain, chaos, and uncertainty. One man’s sin and disobedience has left a nation demanding answers to questions, destroyed the reputation of one man who spent a lifetime trying to make a difference in the lives of young men, and has forever stained the “brand” of an internationally known institution. Not to mention the victims, the family members of the predator, the family of the molested children, the years of counseling bills, all because of one man’s atrocious, horrific sin.

In the case of Achan, we see how his disobedience brought down a nation, and in this modern case we see how one man’s immorality brought down a college empire and destroyed the legacy of his friend. The damages of sin are numerous, the cost is extreme. We must never forget the ripple effect of our choices. When we do bad things, our sins not only negatively affect the individual but have lasting damages that extend to the community at large.

The price of obedience is small compared to the cost of poor choices.

Confession: Catharsis for the Soul

I have been challenged lately in the area of confession.  There is an inherent fear built in each one of us to remain at the ready for that judgmental thunderbolt to eradicate us from the face of the earth if we dare divulge our deepest secrets.  It is in these intense moments of emotion that we suffer from amnesia.  We forget that God sees all things.  And what if I have wronged another, particularly one like my wife who is the closest person in my life.  If I think an ill thought or use a wrong, hurtful tone, am I willing to confess to her I was wrong.  My selfish pride says no, and if I do what will she think of me, especially if she is seemingly unaware of my transgression.

James teaches us, “therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”  We do not confess for any other reason then to be healed.  If you suffer from the flu, you do not say to yourself, I wish I could keep this stuffy head, sore throat, stomach ache, fever, and congestion forever.  Before you start weighing the pros and cons of always being sick, keeping in mind I doubt your place of employment would grant endless amounts of sick days, think about how you take medicine to ride yourself of the vile germs that have forced you into this sickly condition.  Confession in this sense is a cathartic pill that releases that guilt and shame built up by poor choices.

Before you deem my description to fast and loose, or condemn me to be a heretic, just pause and reflect.  Of course I know that confession is so much more than a magic pill that covers over the symptoms of guilt and shame for it is so much more than that.  When was the last time you truly confessed your sins and felt totally free.  Confession brings true healing.  If this is true, why don’t we do more of it?  I do not mean to reduce confession to a trite ritual, but rather I simply want to remind us of the value of this practice.

Although I am not Catholic, I think their practice of confession could teach us some great lessons.  The purpose is total restoration. When we make poor choices that lead to sin, we create a rift in our relationship with God, just as speaking against a friend for the purpose of tearing them down would create a chasm in our relationship.  If I wronged a friend, I would seek their forgiveness, confessing my wrongs to them.  It is the same with God.  If I wronged my Father, I would do all I could to restore that relationship.

Let us examine the Biblical example of David for a moment.  Here is a man who was able to do great things for God.  Yet, David committed adultery, and to cover this up, devised a conspiracy that resulted in the death of the woman’s husband.  In spite of all of his transgressions, David was still a man after God’s own heart.  In Psalm 51 we find David broken and desiring to be restored.  He cries out wanting God’s mercy in the opening verses before shifting and confessing how his sin has torn him away from God.  He then desperately seeks God to cleanse him, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean, wash me, and Iwill be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.”  How many of us are too crass, or quick to receive God’s cleansing but not so quick to confess?  Have we gone to the extreme that because God loves us, we do not need confession, after all love covers a multitude of sins?

I believe Paul has settled this argument when he writes in Romans 6, “What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  It is true that God is full of grace and ready to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:8-9) but has this caused us to have a cavalier attitude toward our sin?  Does our heart break over the sin that breaks the heart of our Father?  Do we desire to live a pure life, continually growing in our relationship with Him?

David continues in Psalm 51 crying out to God, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grantme a willing spirit, to sustain me.”   When life seems to be an endless desert and we seem to be on a treadmill of sand that is not allowing us to gain any traction, perhaps it is because we have caused brokeness in our relationship

with the One who sustains us.  Father, may I never be comfortable in my complacency.  Show mercy on me. Help me to see my sin the way you see it.  Help me Father to have a total hatred for the things that will try to separate me from you.  Forgive me Father for my pride, my anger, my lust, my covetousness.  Forgive me for not being satisfied in you and looking outside of you for fulfillment.  Help me to be a model of confession to others so that I will follow Davids example, “then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.  Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness” (Psalm 51:13-14). In Jesus’ Name, AMEN

May we all desire to make confession an integral part of our growing relationship with the Lord and with each other.

It hurts to throw stones!

The other day my dog was barking and growling while looking out the window.  I could not find what in the world had her so worked up.  She kept barking and growling while pawing at the window.  Then it hit me, she was barking at herself.  Isn’t that how it is with us.  We look at others, pointing out their faults, their problems, their inadequacies, and maybe even their sins, but sometimes it is our own reflection we should be barking at.  How many of us treat ourselves with the same contempt we treat others?  How many of us are just projecting our own sins, faults, problems, inadequacies onto others?  When was the last time you took notice of your own “reflection”?  Were you disgusted by what you saw?

Ephesians 4:29 teaches us to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  Why then must we tear down, using our words like stones to hurt the other person?  What benefit is it to others if we constantly put others down?  Later, Paul tells us to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).    My mother-in-law used to tell her children growing up to say only what is true, necessary, or kind.  We have to be careful the way in which we saythings so as not to tear others down for the sake of inflating our ego.

 I recall taunting my bullies with the words of the old rhyme of “sticks and  stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the truth is  words hurt, they cut to the very core and scream at us we are worthless.  Words  have the power to topple governments, incite riots, enrage people, and drive  some to suicide.  Once we throw a stone it is hard to get it back.  Sometimes they leave an indelible mark that can last years.  What stones have you thrown that you wish you could get back?  What stones have been thrown at you that you still feel the scars from?

Growing up I went through a short juvenile deliquent phase of rock throwing.  My very impressionable self who would follow his older brother anywhere (including into the trap he had set for me), found myself throwing stones at a passing motorcyclist one day.  My brother had told me what a cool thing it was to do after recounting the many times he had done it.  So when the unknowing passing motorist cruised past our house, I flung the stone which happen to miss his head by mere inches.  Too make a long story short when my parents made us walk to our neighbors house to apologize for barely missing his head, he asked us if we realize the damage that stone might have done?  My brother yelled at me telling me he never  thought I would actually throw it.  It’s easy to throw stones when someone else has thrown the same one before you. When we gang up on another, it takes the focus off of us, doesn’t it?

Yet another time when I got so mad at my older sister for doing what older sisters do,  
I picked up a rock, and this time I did not miss, but landed a fierce blow on her head which made her cry and again I got yelled at with the words, “do you have any idea how much that hurt?”  After being a target of stones, and even throwing some I wish I could get back, yes, I now know how much that hurts.

Perhaps no one felt that sting more than the woman caught in adultery in John 8.  We find the Pharisees bringing a woman “caught” in adultery to Jesus (Why they only caught the woman  and not the man is interesting but I will save that question for another blog.)  They are demanding she be stoned for her heinous acts.  Jesus, our wonderful counselor, simply and calmly diffuses the situation in one statement, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  It is easy to throw stones until we are faced with the fact we are all human.  We all have sins, struggles, inadequacies so rather than waste precious moments tearing others down or wounding them with our stones, let us focus on only those things that build each other up, rather than us all feeling our bruises.