This breaks my heart

Honestly, this shocks me and I'm not sure how the church can provide avenues of redemption in this but we need to!

Happy New Year!

In case you hadn't heard, Braylon Edwards was invited to replace Ryan Secrest and Dick Clark as host of this year's New Year's Rockin' Eve. After all, who knows more about ball drops than him?

New Years Resolutions

I'm 26. I think since I was about 14, I've made New Years Resolutions and they generally flop, (mostly because its always to shed a few winter pounds and I am opposed to changing my food intake haha.)

Out of the millions of New Years Resolutions that will be made, almost all will fail. Why is that?

Usually, it is because we are creatures of habit. If I am going to resolve to work out a half hour every day, it means nothing unless I physically schedule it into my daily routine. If I don't allocate the time, the change won't take place. Action steps are necessary for change!

I think the idea of a New Start is great. I think we should all examine our lives in five categories:
1)Spiritually- How was my relationship with God in 2008? Did I worship? Did I delight in His word? Am I dependant on him in prayer? What needs eliminated or added to my life in 2009 to connect with God?
2)Relationally- Am I still pursuing my relationship with Shaina? Have I become passive in knowing her more and guarding her heart? Am I connected to authentic community? Are there broken relationships in my life that I need to reconcile? Do I have a mentor to build into me as a man of God? Am I that mentor to someone else?
3) Physically- Am I a fat heiffer? Do I need more consistent exercise? Am I lazy? Do I get enough sleep? Am I in overall good health? How do I honor God with my body?
4)Economically- Do I wonder where my money is going or do I tell my money where to go? Do I need to simplify my life to save money? Am I able to give God the tithe that is rightfully his?
5) Emotionally- Do I have authentic joy in my life? If not, what steals that joy from me each day? Are there people around me that wound more than they heal me emotionally?
_____________________________________________________________________

Well that is a start. My primary Resolution this year is to battle for daily devotional time with the Lord. This is not easy and I have some major changes in my life coming up in the next few months. I have two small devotionals to guide my time though. Blackaby's "Experiencing God Day by Day" and Maxwell's "Leadership Promises for Every Day". I have started them already because I know how defeated I feel if I fall behind. If I can stay on track I am more likely to do it!

So what is your New Year's Resolution?

Please allow for the momentary inflation of my ego...

So, if you have missed it, I am 5'9. When I jump in the air, you may be able to slip a thin piece of cardboard...or at least a dollar bill...under my shoes before gravity brings me back where I belong. I love sports, but athleticism is barely in my repertoire, so what I didn't have in athletic ability, I often made up for with a lack of good decision making skills and a lack of really athletic folks around me.

That being said, I had a buddy of mine come to open gym the other night and inform me that I hold a basketball record at my high school. No, it is not for most turnovers in a game (though I have to be in the top five for that). It was for the most assists in a single game. I had 14 in one game at some point in my senior year. That was pretty exciting to find out, because my dad, who played back in the 60's is in the record books as well, tied for the most points scored in one game.

Please, no autographs, no kneeling in my presence, just treat me as an ordinary guy.

So what insignificant, miniscule accomplishments to you hang your hat on from your past...the good ol days?!

peace on earth...? II

Let me start with some history.

The early church, the people who stemmed from the Jesus movement, were pacifists. In fact for three centuries, the followers of Christ refused to enter violent conflict. Some have suggested that Christians did not engage in the military because they would have had to eat food sacrificed to idols. If I remember correctly, there is evidence that soldiers who accepted Christ were instructed by the church that they could remain in the military, but they could not bear arms.

It was in the early 4th century that Constantine came along and had a 'conversion experience'. I think many historians are suspicious of the authenticity of the conversion and think it was more for political gain than any other reason. Irregardless, Constantine forced his conversion on his military and all who recognized him as king. They were all to become Christians. If you were to look up the origins of the tradition of celebrating Christ's birth (Christmas), I think you will find connections to Constantine who made the decree that the common god of that time's celebration would be changed to a celebration of Jesus' birth.

All that to say, by the 5th century things had changed drastically. The Church was no longer the peacemaking minority but (through force/coercion) had become the violent majority. Augustine, often known as the most influential theologian post-Paul in Christian history, then came along and reintroduced a belief that originated in Aristotle's philosophy, called the Just War Theory. War was acceptable and necessary for the church to engage in if certain circumstances/criteria were met. This has been the normative approach to Peace/Conflict ever since by the Roman Catholic Church and by a majority of Protestants as well (There are some sects in both the RCC and Protestantism that reject violence as an acceptable means to conflict resolution.)

You do not have to search too far in your history books to find wars fought by Christians. Violence, particularly against other religions such as Islam and Judaism, have led to some atrocious acts.

So this is a capsule of what the historic church perspective has been for two milennia. I think this is the necessary starting point for a discussion on peace. Where have we been? Where are we now?

The next overview to explore is what Jesus and Paul have to say about Peace & Violence in the New Testament canon. Can we grasp a common ethical thread throughout the body of the New Testament that should inform us of our perspective on War and Peace?

Other posts that must be forthcoming...
-Ok, NT is covered, what about the OT...seems like a violent God doing violent acts. What is the OT notion of peace?
-What is the just war theory and if it is flawed, how is it flawed?
-What is the alternative to JWT?
-What about historic examples? Hitler? Genocide in Rwanda?...etc.

If you have other areas that you would like touched on, submit your questions and I will do the best I can.

Peace on earth...?

A funny thing happened at our Christmas Eve service...well, funny is not the right word...IRONIC is probably better.

One of the traditions of Advent is to light the four candles leading up to Christmas. Those candles are Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. At the Christmas Eve service, those four candles are all lit, as well as the Christ candle, demonstrating that the one that was waited for, the much needed messiah would come and bring those 4 candles to fruition.

So, two child acolytes go up to the candles to light them during the service. The only problem is that one of the candles will not light. After a couple minutes of failed lighting attempts, and nerves, frustration and embarrassment probably crushing this kid's ego, someone came to help. Finally, after much trial the PEACE candle was lit.

Here's my issue though...God's peace is not very evident in this world. The prince of peace did not really pull off what was promised did he? In fact, through the centuries, war has gotten progressively more common and excessively more catastrophic.

So, we as Christians have a few options. We can say that the peace Christ offers is an inner peace that happens in right relationship with the Most High God.

We can say that ultimate peace comes not in this world but in the next, when Heaven comes and every tear is wiped away and swords are beaten into plowshares.

Or we can say that this peace has not permeated the planet because the people of peace (the church) have not held to the promises of the word of God.

I've sidestepped this issue in my blog for a really long time, but I am going to do a series of blogs on PEACE over the next few days. If you had to answer the problem of peace, which of the above solutions would you lean to as an answer?

rough day at the office

I really think this should be a Cleveland Brown, but the Rams are near equally pathetic.

You can also watch the live action of this big hit from ballhype.

The king is born

Corporate Worship today was meaningful. I don't mean to say that its not typically, but my heart was in a better place than most places and I was able to concentrate on who God is. Here were three things that stuck with me.

1. The music matters.
I have been involved in worship bands/church for about 8 years now. There are songs that I am calloused to. Its probably more of my issue than anyone else's, but I do not want to sing Lord I Lift your Name on High. Frankly, if I never Shout-ed to the Lord again I would be ok. Trading my Sorrows often brings me more sorrow than relief lol...you get the picture.
Today everything we sang was 2000 or later and for an a.d.d. person from an a.d.d. generation, that matters.

2. "Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room"
Our Pastor had some anointed words today. Here were a couple things that stuck out.
"Christmas isn't Deck the Halls. It's Joy to the World"
"Christmas only makes a difference if we prepare room for Christ in our hearts."
"Obama is not the savior. We need to pray for and support him so that he can do his job, but he can not and will not save us"

It struck me...Christmas is not about family, its not about presents, its not about festivities, parties, cookies (although maybe its a little bit about cookies? lol). It is about the ADVENT of the MOST HIGH and ETERNAL King. God has established a beachhead in enemy territory by bringing Christ into the world as a human. If this does not affect our thoughts, our activities or the way we live our lives in general, then, Christmas is another irrelevant Hallmark occasion.

3. I have too many hopeful saviors. I expect government to afford me the things I believe I'm entitled and save me from anarchy. I expect financial advisors and treasury folk to save me from financial chaos. I expect my wife to save me from a fear of loneliness. I expect my friends to save my from my fear that I am not well-liked, cool enough, or popular.

Flat out...these are idols and sabotage my relationships. CHRIST IS SAVIOR. He alone can save and redeem. I need to humbly and repentantly (not a word) come to the savior and more fully enter into my own salvation/redemption story and point others to the story God is working out in their hearts too.

So...what or who do you expect to save you that will fail?

church

there are moments that Shaina and I have detested the Church. I've said before we are the only army that kills each other in our own barracks.

But we have had some glimpses this week of an absolutely AMAZING God and the love and grace of the People of God. The Church that blesses others because they have first been blessed is a place I want to belong to.

What a week!

What is the most radical way that you and/or your family has been ministered to by followers of Christ?

A Christmas Day Miracle

Report Card Time

Greek I A
Homiletics A
Theology II A
Missions A
Doctrine of Holy Spirit A

5 classes 5 A's! You may not think that this is a big deal, but at Ashland Seminary they grade on a weighted system. 97-100 = A 95-96 = A- 91-94 = B+ etc.

This quarter definitely helped the ol' GPA out a bit, but I still hold to my conviction. 'D' is for Degree (or Diploma, or Divinity).

So, I know parents that bribe their kids to get A's. Please feel free to do the same. You can send your check or cash gifts to the B-Smooth Fund 555 Genius Boulevard.

Haha. I am reminded of the Old Testament mega-theme...Pride comes before the fall.

she lives!

After slurping up some Glacier Freeze Gatorade last night, Shadow suddenly realized that she liked things with flavor and she ate the vet prescribed food! An hour later, I mixed some of her food with some more of the prescribed stuff and she ate that...She's been eating ever since which is good. It looks like she is out of the woods. Just in time for my sisters' 4 dogs and 3 kids to come and play this weekend!

There is much to blog about other than my dog, just not right now.

Shadow update

For all of you loyal blog followers, Shadow, Shaina and I's 8 year old dog is still not eating...but she is drinking water now pretty consistently. The funny thing is that if you mix even the slightest bit of chicken or beef broth in the water, she won't touch it. But what will she drink? water with gatorade mix in it! For whatever reason, Glacier Freeze has caused her to come and drink.

The next step is to call the vet tomorrow...We have to decide whether we want to go the route of extensive bloodwork to try to find the problem or just let nature take its course and see where we end up. She still has energy though! Shaina took her to the local park which we do all the time in the summer and just like her normal self, she jumped in the creek and waded around. Of course the creek is probably about 40 degrees and she may end up with pneumonia on top of everything else! haha.

All this for a dog right?

The Problem of Suffering

Perhaps the most commonly asked question among those struggling with the existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God is "Why do Bad things happen to good people?"

Yesterday in the midst of hope and anticipation of Christ's advent into the world, our church talked about the problem of suffering. It seems like an unlikely topic to pick up on during Christmas, but the reality is that for many, depression soars around the holidays, jobs are being lost at an alarming rate and elderly folks often lose their lives in the winter months. So if God is all powerful and all loving, then why on earth would he allow this kind of pain?

Those who hold to atheism based on this argument contend that if God is all powerful and he chooses not to intervene for those in need, then he is not all loving. If He is all loving, then he must not be all powerful because he does not intervene in every instance of suffering. So either we have an impotent God or an evil God...neither of whom are worthy of worship.

The problem with this argument is threefold in my estimation. First, the question is framed incorrectly. It is inadequate to say that bad things happen to good people. Is there truly a 'good' person. There are certainly those who do great things and have a lot of good in them, but if we frame this in an understanding of humanity's sinfulness, then, no one on their own is 'good'. So the proper question then, is "Why is their suffering or evil in the world?" This question is answered through a proper understanding of the repercussions of sin. Sin is death. Why do people in Africa suffer from disease, starvation and death? Because we are all linked together and the West's tendency toward overindulgence and neighbor neglect has left them without resources to survive.

Problem two is in our definition of omnibenevolence. What does it mean for someone to be perfectly loving? Does it mean forming a protective cocoon around others and not allowing anything to happen to them, not allowing them to make any decisions, choose any paths that are hurtful or detrimental to themselves or to others? This seems to be the notion of how people view God's role in humanity. When trouble comes, God better give them a bail out plan. This view of perfect love is nowhere near correct. Our expectations that God always rescue us from our circumstances (often brought about by our own sinful choices and indulgences) is very self-oriented. That we are entitled to rescue is another faulty framework. BUT, that God sent his Son to be our ultimate rescue demonstrated his perfect love.

Problem three has to do with our understanding of omnipotence. If God is all powerful, it does not necessitate that He work based on our expectations of him. God has control, is in control and yet in some ways, has relinquished his control so that humanity can freely choose him. God is indeed sovereign, but not in the 'powerbroker' sense that we often anticipate. God is not simply playing chess with the devil in regards to humanity, where Satan makes a move and God in his power makes a responsive move. Instead, sovereignty is demonstrated by God in his willingness to give people the choice to choose whether to follow Christ or not. The fact that God then woos humanity into romance with him, where they freely choose him as Lord and Savior demonstrates his ultimate sovereignty. We are not mere robots or chesspieces that God controls.

Well, that's my take on the problem of suffering. I'm curious to hear what your response is.

My dog is in rough shape

My puppy dog is struggling. She hasn't eaten in a few days and has barely drank any water. She has some sort of fungal skin issue that has caused her to gnaw her backside till it got infected. She's lost a ton of weight and I'm sorta bracing myself in case she doesn't rebound from the meds she was on.

I know she's just a dog. I get that. It just so happens that she's the coolest dog ever and so if she's dying, that sucks. Shaina and I have been on a roller coaster with life the past few years and Shadow has been the comic relief.

Switchfoot's right, The Shadow Proves the Sunshine. hehe.

Growth Barriers

I think being in seminary has caused me to think about things that are odd. Or maybe that all stems from eating paint when I was a kid or something (anybody else take all their stuffed animals outside and line them up as spectators to watch a grueling football game...played by myself, where I was the qb, running back, widereceiver and defense?)

Anyways, here's something I have been meandering around lately. Church Growth.

Guys who ate more paint than I did spend their whole lives studying and writing about this phenomenon. My mentor gave me some info from a conference he attended so I have highlighted some of the points from that conference as well as some of my own thoughts on the topic below.

The commonly held growth barriers in churches are 75, 200, 400, 1000, 2500. There are reasons for this such as group dynamic, leadership style and congregation mindset. For instance if you are in a church of 75 or 200, you might have high expectations of the pastor to offer care and visitation to all the people in the church. In a larger church, that becomes impossible and the call to pastoral care falls on the congregation (It should fall on the congregation regardless, but that's another post).

So typically a church hits a barrier and they flatline or plateau. They either make the necessary adaptations and grow or they stay stagnant until the other side of the plateau arrives. So how do we break through barriers? I'm glad you asked. Here's 5 keys that I think make this happen.

1. The Church Must WANT to grow
If a church likes the familial structure of a small church, then there is no chance of breaking growth barriers and increasing the size of the church. There is probably a place for familial churches, but generally, conversion is rare in a place like this and eventually the church will fizzle out. If the early church is any indication, numbers should be added to the church. Even if the pastor wants growth, the people have to want it and be willing to abandon the "way we've always done it" to make that happen.

2. The Role of the Pastor MUST Change
Generally speaking, this is how I have heard the role of the pastor differentiated between sizes of churches.
A.Shepherd (takes care of all the people)
B.Rancher (Oversees the work being done on the ranch and steps in where needed. Remains hands on)
C.Executive (I know I know...we've gone from the farm to the city...I don't write the stuff.) The Executive makes sure that the Ministry is happening and the church is functioning well in all areas...steps in where necessary.
D. CEO The CEO makes sure that the Vision is being enacted and coaches the key leaders to make sure they are doing what is necessary to succeed. In general the CEO does very little actual ministry but empowers the masses to do the ministry.
Some growth stunts because pastors are uncomfortable with adapting to a new model.

3. Leadership Training Must Be a Key Initiative
Teachers must be taught to teach effectively.
Ministry leaders must be empowered to empower their teams
Staff must be trained and focused on the vision and mission of the church.
Untrained and Immature leadership is like giving car keys to a 3 year old and expecting good results.

4. Staff must adapt from 'Doers' to 'Builders'
Coaches don't typically play in the game do they? They have to see the big picture and be able to effectively empower the teams to win. This is easier said than done, but a valuable lesson for staff is to let their key players fail. Bailing them out everytime they don't execute is not helpful in their growth as a leader.

5. Effective Small Group Ministry Must be the NORM
If the pastors are to be relieved from their role as primary care givers to the people, then things have to change. The pastor's time needs to be guarded so that they can deliver the Word of God on Sunday Mornings and catalyze leaders to bring about the vision of the church. Where will the care for the people come from then? It comes from small groups. If I am plugged into a small group of 8-12 believers who are intimately involved in my life, then when I have a surgery or a death of a loved one, a loss of a job, etc. I will be cared for. Discipleship takes place in this context more than any other. Too many Christians think that hearing the Word of God on Sunday mornings is sufficient for growth. This is not the case...it happens in intimate, authentic community.

Well there ya have it...5 Keys to Breaking Growth Barriers. I'm curious, if you are in a church, which of these 5 is going well or going...not so well? Are you stuck at a barrier?

Don't look now

The Cavs, somewhat under the radar, are practically running away with the Central Division in the early going of the NBA Season.

Generally speaking, my sports affinities go in this order
1. Browns
2. Indians
3. Cavs

It is pretty easy then to see why I am often pessimistic about life. But lo and behold the Cavs are putting together an impressive season so far.

Here's my take on things. In past years LeBron has carried the load. Even when we've won, he has had to go 35-40 minutes and produce on high levels. This year Cleveland is 18-3 and Lebron has been able to sit out the 4th quarter in 6 out of the last 10 games. That means the team is clicking and LeBron is resting. That can only mean good things at the end of the season. LeBron will have plenty in the tank.

The Cavs are tough at home. They are the only team in the East that is undefeated at home through this point. What this means is that we must get homecourt advantage in the playoffs to have the best chance of returning to the finals.

They are shattering records. In one night LeBron set the all time steal record for the Cavs, Zydrunas Ilgauskas set the all time rebounding record for the Cavs and Cleveland became the first team in league history to defeat 9 straight opponents by 12 or more points. The are not only winning, but they are doing it convincingly and are getting the young guys some playing time.

It already looks like a 2 horse race in the East between the Celtics and the Cavs. All the focus is on the defending champ Celtics, but remember that the Cavs were about 3 plays away from beating them last year.

The key is going to be staying healthy. Key bench contributor Daniel Gibson just came down with an injury and is out for a couple weeks. I heard Z sprained his ankle last night as well. Can someone fill these guys shoes while they are out?

The Cavs are not only winning but they are winning at a near record pace. I have seen an article or two out there about a 70 win season!

So what do you think...Cavs, Indians or Browns the first team to bring a title to Cleveland in the last 50 some years?

The Cuban Pizza Prophet II

I mentioned my friend Luigi a few months ago. He is from Cuba and has just entered the American culture and has some interesting observations and some prophetic admonitions...He hit a couple more home this morning.

"You Americans only talk about prosperity. I found out when I came to America that there was a Christian TV station and I was excited but the preachers on there are bad."

"Do any of your preachers talk about salvation in this country?"

"All you do in church here is procedures. When they raise their hands or dance its because that's what they are supposed to do. Where is the Holy Spirit? You need the Holy Spirit."

This last one is sort've gut wrenching. If church is merely procedures, we have failed as the people of God.

So a question that has been on my mind lately, If the Holy Spirit left your church would there be any noticable difference?

word of the day

mas⋅och⋅ism
noun
gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification.

Someone who watches the Cleveland Browns play against the Tennessee Titans embraces masochism.

I'm about to hang up the Browns Fan cleats. We need to tank so we end up 4-12 and have a top five draft pick. The problem? We have to play cincinnati who doesn't let people just lose.

Romeo needs to go, but guess who is rumored to be on the Browns' radar? I will continue to follow the NFL this year and I think I am rooting for a Colts vs. Cardinals Super Bowl at this point.

I came, I saw, I conquered

Shaina and I took Shadow and took a half hour trip to this cool little Christmas tree farm yesterday to claim our tree for the season. We arrived at noon...found out the place didn't open until three.

We chose spontanaiety over surrender and went to the OARDC up the road and hiked and explored the Secrest Arboretum. Shadow was a lot of fun. After that adventure, we went to Subway for five dollar footlongs and Shaina and I just sat and talked for a good hour.

Finally, destiny's hour arrived and I grabbed my sword, clad in lumberjack armor (aka flannel shirt and boots) we went and saw one we liked with in the first five minutes. We looked around for another 20 and then returned and I entered the battle. After about 10 minutes (I blame it on a dull sword, NOT my battle skills) I defeated the Christmas Tree and we took the conquered foe and placed it in our front room. It looks a TON bigger in our apartment than it did outside, but it is lit, decorated and ready for all to see!

Do you smell that? Ahh the aroma of victory!

I am a machine

Finals week used to kick my butt. I used to dread the papers, the exams, the presentations, the sleepless nights. Now? I own finals week. I'm kidding...but this quarter of finals is perhaps the easiest I've had in 7 years. My missions prof got called to active service in Iraq and shortened the quarter and made all the work due before Thanksgiving. That class is done. My homiletics (preaching) class has everyone preaching during the last three weeks of class. I volunteered to go first and just have to show up and hear the other sermons these last couple weeks. My theology class demands a 5 page paper on Eschatology and a take home final...both which will be done over the next few days. My Greek class has a take home and in class portion to its final both of which are open notes.

Tomorrow Shaina has off and it is typically set aside as my schoolwork day. I may not do anything because I can. muhahaha.

Next quarter I have a ridiculous work load which includes taking the book of Hosea in Hebrew...I will whine then.

Tomorrow? I conquer a Christmas Pine and bring its dead carcas into our home. Ima go lumberjack on it.

World AIDS Day

This picture is of one of the boys from Mongu, Kenya, one of the places we will be working with during our June trip to Kenya.


8000 people will die of AIDS today. It remains the number one killer of people in Africa.

Gut level question...do you care?

funny moments in worship

Here are a couple funny/awkward moments from worship services I have been a part of.

- Yesterday, in the Traditional Service, amidst many (not all...but many) white haired folks, a cell phone went off. Not that big of a deal you say...happens all the time you reply. The catch...the ringtone on the phone was "Let Me See Your Hips Swing". Here's the music video...It is not g rated...which makes the ringtone moment even funnier.


-Pastor prayed "Father,not your will but mine". Actually sort've a teachable moment!

-I was serving communion during Holy Week by method of intinction (each person breaks piece of bread and dips it into the communion chalice (think big cup!) A little elderly lady took her piece of bread and ate it, then got to me holding the cup. She realized her mistake and dipped two fingers into the juice and licked em! I did everything I could to avoid laughing.

SO...FUNNY/AWKWARD MOMENTS FROM YOUR TIMES IN WORSHIP?

Here's an honorable mention...