I laughed...I cried.

Happy Friday

Going for gold

I really hadn't gotten too excited about the Olympics...with the running joke leading in to Vancouver that they wouldn't have snow...and then the apparent torch lighting malfunction...combined with the fact that there isn't one thing in Winter Olympics that I can even remotely participate in...I mean at least in the summer olympics there is basketball and swimming...things I can do. But skating...skiing...snowboarding...I got nothing.

I'll be honest though, I've gotten more intrigued by some of the story lines than I expected. Really curious to see how the Men's Hockey pans out and the Men's Nordic Combined was surprisingly entertaining. Tonight, I'm watching the ladies figure skating...that's right...don't judge me.

The pressure that is on each of these women is immense...and for the most part they knocked it out of the park.

As a gold medalist myself (I have won the last two Back Yard Olympic golds in Croquet), I understand the pressure of laying it all on the line, so I fully understand what they went through.

As the Olympics wind down, what's the one sport or event that has caught your attention?

Puttin' on the Preachin' Hat

I typically preach once every two months. I love preaching and would do it every week if I had the chance...but being able to put a month or two of thought and prep into messages has spoiled me (not that I'm cramming that whole time...but I am thinking it through and preaching it in the car.

That said, I am preaching/teaching at 4 different venues in the next month. First, I preach at my church, Wadsworth UMC, 3 services on March 14. Then, two days later, I am teaching at Baldwin Wallace on the topic of Heaven to the college Campus Crusade movement. Then April 2, I am bringin' the Word on Good Friday to young adults at our RISE service. Finally, I am leading a Leadership Training evening that focuses on effective teaching strategy. I am excited for all of these...but I am curious how easy it will be to prep 4 totally different topics for 4 totally different audiences.

With that in mind, I have taken today as a sermon prep day and have driven an hour to perhaps the quietest place on Earth. The Ashland Theological Seminary Library, where I have commentaries, dictionaries, lexicons and other books all to myself.

It has been a good morning and now I am preparing to meet up with a good friend for lunch and then it will be back to the grind...hoping to have two of these talks completed by day's end...Then its home to see my lovely wife and maybe watch some Cavs vs. Celtics.

Feel free to pray for God's revelation in my day today..."Without Revelation, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18

When Helping Hurts

I am also tackling a book called, "When Helping Hurts". It is a book about how best to approach ministering to the poor and oppressed. I have a feeling that it is going to be one of the more insightful books I've ever read and will soften my heart to our time in Kenya with AIDS stricken, poverty and disease riddled people who are made in the Image of God.

One powerful section of the book so far is on understanding poverty. If you were asked how you would define poverty, chances are it would differe greatly from how a grandmother in Africa, suffering with HIV and living on less than $1 a day.

Americans, because we have an abundance of basic and extravagant things, define poverty as lacking basic material things, but for the majority world, poverty is more about shame, about low self worth, about hopelessness than it is about lacking materials.

So if we go in and lavish things upon people without things and do nothing to care for them, love them, encourage them, we have not represented Christ. In fact, we may end up doing more harm than good, to them and to us.

help!

I turned on my laptop and am getting a ton of warnings all from a program called Security Tool. It is telling me that a worm virus is attempting to retrieve my credit card info. I follow the options to solve problems and it takes me to a place that wants me to pay $60 to install protection software.

Is this a virus or hoax? I keep having "Security Tool Warning" show up from my bottom taskbar. Even when I opt to 'ignore and continue unprotected' it repeatedly pops up with new warnings. Help me. I don't know what I need to do to get them to stop popping up. If you see this, I will be up until 11:00, let me know if you have any idea of what is going on.

Life Together IV

Bonhoeffer states today that followers of Jesus pray together...specifically they pray the psalms together.

Pretty basic...but why is it that our prayer meeting is likely to be the least attended meeting of our church week?

The Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York sees more people come to their prayer meeting on Tuesday nights than they see in their church on Sundays.

Very simply, authentic prayer is an indication of our need, a resignment to the fact that we yield to an Almighty God. The opposite is true as well. Prayerlessness lets God know where He stands in the big scheme of things. And the interesting thing about God is He doesn't always go the way of relentless pursuit. Sometimes when we indicate we don't need Him, He simply says, 'have it your way.'

Corporate prayer time is all the more powerful because it is a bunch of people gathering and saying collectively, "o God, we need thee!" That desperation is where revival starts.

So how close are you to a new awakening...in your own journey?...in your church?...on your campus?

My take on the Cavs trade

Well, it looks like the hillariously funny LeBron and Kobe puppet commercial featuring the Large Lithuanian puppet (a.k.a. Zydrunas Ilgauskas) will have to be shelved, at least momentarily.

The Cavs have dealt Z, their 2nd round pick from last year and their first round pick next year for Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair.

Here's my take on this trade.

The pros...
Jamison is a proven pro. He is a nice complement to the rim rattlers like Shaq and Hickson. He can hit the mid range J...baseline offense doesn't get any better than the way Jamison does it. He's also not a poison like so many NBA stars and he's not a diva like Stoudemire, which may prove to be a better fit because the Diva role is pretty nicely filled by the Bron and the Shaqtus.

The cons...

Jamison did not come to the cavs because of his defense, which could prove difficult if he gets matched up against some of the other 4 men in the league (Garnett/Sheed in Boston, Rashard Lewis in Orlando or Gasol/Odom in LA.)

Telfair is an odd throw in who doesn't seem to fit. Not entirely sure you'll see him on the roster by season's end.

There's nothing quite like tossing a guy a year before he's supposed to get his retirement package benefits. That's the feeling I get when I think of the hand dealt to Z in this trade. The guy has been a Cavalier since 1977. His entire career was played in Cleveland. He went through the darkest days of Cavalier History (b.l.) before lebron...and just as it appears that Cleveland has a legitimate shot at a title run, they toss the guy to the curb. Now I know that there's a chance after 30 days, that Washington can waive him and Cleveland can pick him up, which would be great, but even if that happens, I am not sure Z would see the surface of Quicken Loans Arena the rest of the year. With Shaq, Hickson, Powe, Jamison and Varejao all vying for time...I'm not sure how another big could fit into the mix.

Overall grade. C+

I know that this is supposed to persuade the Bron to stay in CLE, but the adage goes that if it ain't broke...don't fix it. And don't fix it by dealing away the most loyal guy to the Cavalier organization in the last 20 years.

Life Together III

Those who dream about what authentic Christian community could be or should be are often the biggest sabboteurs of what Christian community is or would be.

When I become so insistent that our community of faith is inadequate, it is as though I mark God's gift of community with a "Return to Sender" label and reject the grace he offers.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer...I hate you. (a.k.a. conviction)

So have you chosen to enter into God's gift of community or are you rejecting grace and blessing?

Slavery

Our church has been going through the Sermon on the Mount and one of the upcoming messages will be on storing treasures up in Heaven. Here's a couple tidbits I'm chewing on.

1. I've always assumed that storing up treasures in heaven meant something futuristic...but when you look at the context of the Sermon on the Mount...Jesus is talking about a kingdom that is happening right now..."Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." It doesn't say...theirs will be the kingdom of heaven when this life passes away. With this being said...its really important that we note that following Christ is not so much about being saved FROM something (future damnation...though this is definitely a reality) but it is about being saved FOR something...namely to serve God.

2. Treasure by God's standard is not monetary wealth...though this can be part of it...It is primarily about being rich towards God and towards others. Read 1 Timothy 6 and see what a good definition of being rich is.

3. When Jesus delivers the knockout blow of this passage and says "No one can serve two masters...you cannot serve both God and Money," the word choice makes all the difference. In the Greek NT there are two options that get translated 'serve'...The first is choosing to serve...Like if I get invited to preach at a church...If I say yes, it is because I am choosing to serve...The second is the Greek word doulos which is better understood as 'slave' than as 'servant'. This type of 'serving' is not optional...it is demanded of us by our master. DOULOS IS THE WORD JESUS USES HERE. So, in essence, your master will indicate where you spend your time serving.

To put this all in perspective then...if I follow Jesus, I must be rich towards God...This isn't always easy...We had a SuperBowl party with some friends and one of the guys said jokingly that our living room made my TV look small...And there was something in me that got me thinking that I should get something bigger. something better. And in the same span of time...a friend of ours sent a letter saying that she was going to have to stop ministry on college campuses for a few months because her financial support had dwindled too low...and I immediately tried to justify reasons why not to give to her...

You're either rich towards God or rich towards yourself...Its not hard to figure out...Just look at your last month's spending and you'll get a pretty good idea.

Slave to God or Slave to your pocketbook?

Light a candle ya'll

This is at least endurable. The All Star Rap collaboration is hilarious.

Fat theology

I heard a great illustration today. Imagine you told your child to go and clean her room. If she came back two hours later and told you that she had memorized what you told her...that probably wouldn't please you too much. But then imagine she told you that she even learned what you said in Greek and that later her friends were going to come over and get together to talk about what it would look like to clean her room.

Why is it that our churches think that this approach is what Jesus had in mind? Not to actually go and be church to a world that is hurting, but instead, to believe what Jesus says within our hearts? ABSURD.


The biggest problem with the Christian faith is that our education far outweighs our obedience. We are saturated with information, yet altogether lacking transformation.

So how you going to burn the theological shape and get fitted for the gospel?

Cavs

I'm gonna weigh in on the Cavs real quick.

Lots of rumors about trading for Amare Stoudemire, Andre Igoudala, Troy Murphy or Antawn Jamison. Here's my take. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I said the same thing last year, as the Cavs were in first place and winning with authority, but the difference between last year and this year is that we are 12 deep this year, as opposed to 6 or 7 deep last year.

The big guys are deep...Hickson and Shaq starting, then the best 6th man in the league, Anderson Varejao and the Large Lithuanian coming off the bench. Add in Leon Powe after the all star break and you are in great shape with the mixture of size, energy and mid range shooting in the league.

Come out to the perimeter and there is no drop off. Last year, Mo Williams was the achilles heel. He didn't produce in the playofffs and we collapsed. This year, with the additions of length and defense in Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, there is no fall off if Mo doesn't produce (They're on an 11 game win streak without him. Add in Delonte West, Daniel Gibson and the surprise of the year, Jawad Williams, and you have every complementary piece you need to bring the ring to the king and to Cleveland this year.

That's my prediction, as long as LeBron is healthy, they are far more talented and deep than any team in the East and have defeated the Lakers twice this year. I just not the Cavs to try to win the title in the third week of June so that we will be back from Kenya to party in the streets of CLE.

So, Cavs fans...trade or no trade? Ring or no ring?

Ahh, the Golden Calf

We had Boy Scout Sunday yesterday at our church. Can I just say that I have some mixed feelings about this?

The service began the way it typically does, then after singing a song or two, the boy scouts procession took place. The scouts and scout masters and (den mothers?...I don't know the lingo) entered following the leader who carried the U.S. flag.

That bothered me...but probably not many others.

Then they led us in the Pledge of Allegiance...and that did more than bother me. I am not anti-boyscout...many of the teachings that they instill are about virtue, character, other-centeredness and I affirm these things. But worship has one aim and that is to pledge allegiance to the MOST HIGH AND SOVEREIGN GOD.

I've gone here with posts before...that there is something in me that is extremely uneasy about having the flag anywhere near the cross, unless we're crucifying it to follow Christ.

I don't pledge allegiance. I don't sing the star spangled banner. And if I had more courage than cowardice I would not stand or remove my cap for these things either.

There is only one who is deserving of my reverence, my standing in honor of, my singing to exalt, my freedom to thank for and that is Christ. God forgive me that I am not yet bold enough to decrease myself that you might increase.

And I know that some would say I'm anti-Boyscout (which I already defended...though it is a para-military organization that lends itself to future soldiers...)and others will say I am ungrateful to live in this country...which is not true at all. But just because I am fortunate to live in a land of opportunity doesn't mean I have to worship that land or forsake the world who needs blessing paid forward to them.

On the plus side, Pastor Jim brought it yesterday. Stop the theatrics...This isn't a show merely to perform outwardly for others...This is about our hearts being transformed from the inside out.

So...convince me I'm wrong...Did we try to cram the worship of more than one god into our Sunday yesterday?

Weighing in on Tim Tebow and the SuperBowl Ad.

I've had some friends and church folks weighing in on the importance of advocating for CBS to air the Tim Tebow prolife ad during the Super Bowl. From what I understand, Tim Tebow's mother was advised to have an abortion, which would've left the world without one of the most well known, well liked college football players is NCAA history.

I wonder if this is worth it.

I get that the message is a vitally important one. I get that having it aired with such a captive audience who is guaranteed to stay tuned for the commercials is a great chance to make a statement.

I am a big fan of Tim Tebow the man (not really the football player). He is a man who has integrity, faith in Christ and his actions align with his message, which is refreshing in an era when so many talk the talk and avoid the walk.

But here's where I am struggling and I hope Christ-followers can think on this as well: We can't legislate Christianity. Moreover...we shouldn't want to legislate Christianity. It takes us to a dangerous places that isn't what Jesus had in mind when he spoke of Kingdom. I'm not downplaying the injustice of killing unborn children, but I think the best way to move away from that in culture is to bring the message of redemption and hope to the culture.

Jesus said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad for a tree is recognized by its fruit." What the Church has done has pointed at a bad tree and said, "stop bearing bad fruit". This does not work. It hasn't worked for the decades that abortion has permeated culture. It hasn't worked throughout history in any number of ways. The only way to see good fruit is to have the tree be good.

In Hebrew, there is a word called barah. It is used in Genesis 1:1 to say "In the beginning God barah-ed the heavens and the earth. All throughout the Hebrew Scriptures the word is used and it is only used with God as the barah-er. In Psalm 51, David's prayer "Create in me a new heart O God" uses barah.

So if you want someone's heart made new...if you want their tree to be good, it's God who must do the barah-ing, so we simply need to be attentive to where God is at work making good trees and join him in the process.

Love to hear your feedback on this. I know some of you are Catholics who are passionate about this issue, so keep the dialogue going.

Life Together II

God is hitting me upside the head with Bonhoeffer. It is neccessarily the slowest pace I think I've ever taken with a book. Reading a section of a chapter (4 or 5 pages) then rereading it and highlighting, meditating, reflecting.

Love how he defines a Christian..."The Christian is the one who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone"

The one that crushed me today is this:

"When we received forgiveness instead of judgment, we, too, were made ready to forgive our brethren. What God did to us, we then owed to others. The more we received, the more we were able to give' and the more meager our brotherly love, the less were we living by God's mercy and love."

The first part is pretty well known. We are blessed to be a blessing. Freely we've received now freely to give...but the second half of this (the converse of the first) leaves me wrecked. The weaker or more pitiful our authentic connection with others in the faith, the less God's mercy and love are flowing through us.

Isolation from others doesn't just hurt our communion with the saints, it hurts our communion with God.

If you aren't seeking to know and be known by others, you will not know or be known by God.

Can I make a plug for why 1) Church is vitally important and 2) Small Group connection to other Christians is vitally important!


So, what prevents us from entering into this type of community?

Life Together

I started Dietrich Bonhoeffer's LIFE TOGETHER this morning. I have picked this book up twice before and been crushed by the first few pages...just not ready to take in what he was saying...but I'm going to tackle it this time.

"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed. Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren."

This may seem insignificant or pessimistic...but when you take it in the context that Bonhoeffer wrote in, as a pastor in Germany of an underground seminary...who would eventually be executed in a German camp, the words gain an eternal echo.

So, gut check...some of us have the fellowship and take it for granted...forsaking God's grace.

Some of us have access to the fellowship...but choose to not connect with a church...rejecting God's grace.

Some of us want to trade in the fellowship that is present in our current context for a 'better model', denying God's grace.

Do you thank God on your knees for the privilege of Christian community?

ExtravaMANza

We had our first Men's Ministry (Manistry?) event last night. It was really as low threatening of an event as could be imagined. Ate some wings, played some cards and cornhole, had some football bloopers playing and just hung out.

Here's five reasons I think the Manistry is a huge deal at our church.

1. Guys need to connect. There's just something about redeemed testosterone piled up in a room livin' life together

2. The Church Needs Godly Men. It has often been stated that women outnumber men in Church by about a 60/40 percentage. Men are often absent. Absent from the pews. Absent from their families (sometimes physically, often times emotionally and spiritually).

3. Men need to get rid of the Adam Plague From the very beginning men have been passive. Adam stood by while Eve took the fruit. Many men have let go of dreaming, let go of taking the initiative and just simply let life happen to them. I am tired of seeing men who work 8 or 9 hour days and then come home and veg in front of the tv until bed.

4. Men need to reclaim adventure as Christ-followers. Church is seen as boring. Jesus is seen as wimpy. And so men surrender their chance to live for a story bigger than themselves, and exchange it for a story that is full of misguided, unhealthy adventures, like alcoholism, sex addiction-either through porn, prostitution or affairs, or vicarious living through the television.

5. The next generation of men need to see the way modeled by Men of God.. Let's face it. You can't put much stock in international superstars as role models. But if men don't step up and take active roles in their kids lives and in boys' lives in general, then they will have as their point of reference, people like Tiger Woods, John Edwards, etc.

I've posted this before...but if you want to encourage your man in his manquest...this is your best bet:

Its February 1...

And our Christmas tree is still up. Don't judge me...I can sense it. You're judging me. Apparently January was a pretty hectic month.

The kicker? It's a real tree. We got it before Thanksgiving...and haven't watered it since like January 6...and its still green (though its finally losing some needles.)

I was holding out for it to last us through next December...back to the drawing board.

Your Christmas stuff put away yet?