Roll Tribe!

Shaina and I got to go to the Indians vs. Tigers game Friday night. It was actually a rough game for 6 innings. We were down 3-0 and only mustered 2 hits, but then the Magic happened!

2 runs made it 3-2...Then we gave 2 runs back. Down 5-2, Shaina went to the rest room. Indians came to bat and scored three runs on two homers.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Santana went yard for a game winning grand slam to win in 9-5.

Tonight, the Indians won again in dramatic fashion, this time in the bottom of the 13th inning.

Indians are off to their best April start in team history, with 18 wins. They've also won 12 in a row at home.

So, you drinking the kool aid yet or is this simply an early season fluke?

My opinion...there are way too many things going way too well to believe it will last for an entire season. Starts are getting quality starts almost every night, with Masterson dealing on a Cy Young clip. Bull Pen is pretty much lights out from the 7th inning on. And it seems that the timely hitting is there every night. And it is a different guy every night as well. It's a perfect storm that can't possibly last into September.

But,Hafner and Sizemore look like they are back to 2007 form and Santana and Choo are not in stride yet. That lineup makes me think that this could go deeper than an early season fluke.

How ironic would it be if October's story was Cleveland in the playoffs, beating C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees and then Cliff Lee and the Phillies in the Series?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though...Lets try to keep it going through May!

True or False?

Got this from my buddy Mike who is going to be ordained May 21 as a Catholic Priest.

It's funny, but it's also a jab from more liturgical worship styles. I imagine a jab could be made from more 'contemprevant' styles regarding the rigidity and roteness of some high-church liturgical settings.

Nevertheless, is there more truth or falsehood in what is being conveyed in the video and are you worried?

What are you called to?

Workin' through this in my quiet time this week. Found Peter saying 'to this you have been called' a lot in his first epistle. So here is some study on the five uses of calling in 1 Peter.

TO WHAT ARE WE ‘CALLED’?
1. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE HOLY
Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct (1:15)

-God has called us to be set apart. So we need to live as those set apart. Distinctness matters. Uniqueness is necessary. Set apart means that the status quo is not our status quo.

2. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE UNIQUE
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (2:9)

-God’s people are called from a former way of life to a new way of life. This starts with new birth. If anyone should get this, its Peter. Peter talks about new birth (1:3, 2:2) as one who has experienced it himself. Darkness is the previous
way. Light is the new way. And the light proclaims the new way.

3. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE HUMBLE
If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. (2:20-21)

-Peter is speaking to slaves here, but there is a universality to his message as well. Self-motivated, self-actualized justice or retribution is not your concern. Honor is. It is much like MLK’s philosophy in the Civil Rights Movement. Let them hit you, beat you, strike you, but do not respond in kind. Instead let their revelation come from your peculiar retaliation. Humility. Grace. Love. Jesus modeled it. Now ‘Go and do likewise.’

4. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE A BLESSING TO THOSE YOU DON’T LIKE

Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. (3:9)

-Retributive Blessing. Dude cuts you off in the express 10 items or less grocery check out line with 40 items to your 3? Get over yourself and buy his groceries. Again, self-demanded, self-realized justice is not your concern. Being Christ is. Church hurt your feelings or wound you? Boss slight you or belittle you? Normal response? Wound back! Quit! Jab and belittle them behind their back! Christ response? Bless the hell out of ‘em. I don’t mean fake good when they are around. I mean do something irrationally sacrificial for them. Even if it leads to you suffering and not getting justice for yourself…bless the hell out of ‘em.

5. YOU ARE CALLED TO GOD’S GLORY

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. (5:10)

-There is a lot in 1 Peter about suffering being the Christ-follower’s path. And likewise, that suffering being linked irrefutably to the glory of God. You are called to His glory. And when you live a life that is called to holiness, called to humility, called to blessing others and called to God’s glory, listen to what Jesus promises to do: Restore you. Support you. Strengthen you. Establish you.
He did it in the life of Peter and he wants to do it in you too. Friend, It is time to answer the call.

How's It?

Crazy week of meetings this week. Here are some life updates.

-Bought a crib and a mattress yesterday. I guess it is official. We're having a baby. I'm excited. She is pretty stinkin' active in mama's belly...either that or Shaina's got some massive gas issues (which has not been ruled out!)

-Congrats to Peyton Hillis, the cover boy for the Best Selling Sports Video Game of all time, Madden. Hillis won the 2012 cover in a landslide against Mike Vick, who appropriately enough got beaten up by the Dawg Pound :-). They will have to shrink Hillis' biceps from actual size to fit him on the cover.

-The Number One seeded SUM Guys fell in their loser bracket game last night to the three seed by 3 points. We played well but came up short. Special shout out to the two officials for our game from St. Mary's School for the Blind. You did well, considering.

-I got to be part of my cousin Terri's wedding over Easter weekend. It was a lot of fun and I am really excited for her and her new husband Rod! God and I don't tie loose knots, so they are in it for good!

-Today I've got an important luncheon with some area churches to cast vision for City Love, an opportunity for the area churches of Wadsworth to join forces and love and serve the community on Labor Day Sunday. It is always fun to see churches lay aside their egos for the Church of Christ. And it is amazing what God can do when we only care that He gets the credit!

-Good Friday last week was a blast. There were more people there that I didn't know than that I did which is awesome. My hope is everybody thinks about the Rooster in a new light. The band that came together for that event was incredible. But the message and the music didn't compare at all to the READINESS of the people who came to worship. It is amazing when the people WANT God to meet with them. That environment, whether 2 strong or 200,000 strong is the best environment on Earth.

-Finish this sentence. With the 6th pick of the NFL Draft tonight, the Cleveland Browns ____________________________.

(I say, "The Cleveland Browns draft Patrick Peterson"...if he's available!)

Man's Game

In the last month of Shaina's pregnancy, my Man-o-meter is off the charts.

A couple weeks ago, I took apart the bathroom sink and unclogged the drain. Man's Game.

Then, just today, I patched a tire on my cavalier and put it back on the car. Man's Game.

I play basketball every week and golf in the summer. I grow hair at a clip that Best Cuts would drool over...only its not on my head.

If I get much more manly, this blog will be renamed the Testosterone Revolution.

But the manliest thing I can ever do, is honor my wife more than myself. To not belittle her in public or private. To root for her when she takes risks in her faith. To guard her heart when the storms are fierce. To love her as Christ loves the church.

And sometimes, that brings my man-o-meter measurements down a bit.

God help me to be a man after your own heart.

The Older Brother In Me

Easter brings out something weird in me.

I love Easter. It is the single most important day in human history. I love to sing the classics like 'Up From the Grave' and also sing newer songs like Phil Wickham's 'True Love'.

But something creeps up in me when I see the place packed with people. Something in me sees the droves of people who weren't there the week before...weren't there to go to the depths of darkness on Good Friday...and that won't likely be there next Sunday...or any other until December.

Its OBS...Older Brother Syndrome. If you read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, it is easy to see how OBS comes about. I go to church every week. I sit in multiple services every week. I tithe every week. I serve in the church every week. And Easter comes, the crescendo of the faith, the climax of Christianity, the moment of all moments, and I have to share it with them? The ones who I presume are not really following Jesus? The ones who don't give of their gifts or their time or their wallets to enhance the Kingdom of God? Seriously what kind of deal is that? I labor all year and when I finally get to the moment I've been waiting for, I have to share it with the notorious C & E'ers? They squander the inheritance that God has given them and yet they are welcomed to the party?

OBS is not of God...and the words I need whispered in my ear in this self-righteous, self-absorbed moment, are "Everything I have is yours."

When I see that God is not holding out on me, my eyes change and I see pews of people, just like me, desperate (knowingly or unknowingly) for God to lavish more of his grace and love in our lives.

We are all works in progress...it's just that those with OBS have a lot further to go than they might think.

Christ is Risen. And that changes everything.

CHRIST THE VICTOR

"Resurrection tells us that the worst thing, is never the last thing." -Fredrick Buechner.

Happy Easter. May the reality of the resurrection bring conflicts to your self-interests, discomfort where comfort reigns supreme, and stress where superfical peace rules the day.

And may you celebrate the truth that God is not dead, He is surely alive!



And that this truth changes everything.

I like this

Though the Earth Cried out for blood
Satisfied her hunger was
Her billows calmed on raging seas
for the souls on men she craved

Sun and moon from balcony
Turned their head in disbelief
Their precious Love would taste the sting
disfigured and disdained

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave

So three days in darkness slept
The Morning Sun of righteousness
But rose to shame the throes of death
And over turn his rule

Now daughters and the sons of men
Would pay not their dues again
The debt of blood they owed was rent
When the day rolled a new

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke holding keys
To Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave

He has cheated
Hell and seated
Us above the fall
In desperate places
He paid our wages
One time once and for all

RISE!

Can't tell you how excited I am about RISE this coming Friday! There is just something powerful about people gathering in the evening and focusing solely on the cross and resurrection that amps me up.

Two people I like a lot are going to help lead in worship, one is my buddy Jake and one is my buddy Shaina.

So, come. 9 p.m. this Friday. I am pumped about the message. Pumped about the band that has come together. Pumped about Jesus.

You should be too. Hope to see you there!

Madden 2012

Well, the Browns have just done what the Steelers couldn't...beat Aaron Rodgers.

Albeit in the meaningless realm of video games. Peyton Hillis defeated (and by defeated I mean demolished)Aaron Rodgers in the semifinals of the Madden game.

Yes there is the alleged Madden Curse, where the majority of guys featured on the Madden game cover end up having something disastrous happen to them and their team the following season...but my thinking is that the curse has always happened to a good player on a good team. Does it still happen if the player is a good player from a bad team? Really, the curse could have the opposite impact...where it catapults them to glory. If Hillis wins the Madden Cover, the Browns are SuperBowl bound and I will buy tickets to go.

Peyton Hillis vs. Mike Vick in the finals...vote here if you're a dork.

Holy Week or Wholly Weak?

It is interesting to me that the week that is known as Holy Week can often be such a frantic, hectic week for church leadership that it becomes anything but holy.

Gotta get the messages for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easer Services all lined up.

Gotta hit a home run for Easter (at least that's the pressure we often put on ourselves or get from leaders in the church.)

Gotta do the slides for the messages, gotta have the bulletin ready to go.

The week that is meant to be Holy often finds us wholly weak, manufacturing something of deep connectedness to Jesus, when in reality connection with the Holy One of God has been on the backburners at best.

And this chicken with its head cut off, frantic, uncentered way takes its toll. Just found myself trying to instigate a spat with Shaina. Over nothing.

This way of life is ugly and my hope and prayer for us this week is that this ugliness will invite us to the foot of the cross, where His grace is sufficient, His healing is complete, and his love is like an avalanche.

The neat thing about this journey to the last moments of Jesus' life is that it reminds us that we are indeed Wholly Weak and invites us to cry out to God, "Lord Help Me!" And the God of the Nations, The God of Power, in this Holy Week reminds us "I already have."



Let this be your week to draw near to Christ

If you are looking for a place to draw close to God through Holy Weak, check out Wadsworth United Methodist Church
195 Broad Street
Wadsworth OH

Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday

Good Friday Services 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (I'm preachin' it at 9!)

Easter Sunday 8:15, 9:30, 11:00.

Bump Him

I was talking with someone who shared a story about a pastor of a large church who had a time each week for the staff members to play basketball. It was sort've an unrequired required ritual.

Any time a new staff person would come in, this pastor would instruct other staff members to 'bump him'. In other words, foul him, agitate him, foul him again. The point was that the pastor wanted to see what spilled out when he got bumped. Was it Grace? Retalliation? Quit? The idea was that what was on the inside, would only come out noticably under pressure.

From time to time, this pastor would take it upon himself that if he knew a staff member was stressed or struggling or out of balance, he would bump him, himself to see what poured out.

It's no coincidence that Jesus tends to have a Bump Him strategy as well. Jesus indicted pharisees about cleaning the outside of their cup while the inside festered with mold and filth from neglect.

It's not about polishing your image. It's about redeeming your heart.

So maybe God's been bumping you lately so that what is on the inside will become known on the outside, so that the cross of Christ can do its magnificent work.

The terrifying thing is that the further down inside we bury the secrets, the shame, the despised things, the wicked things...the harder the bumps will be.

And the One that is doing the bumping is the one who is showing me that the Foul is on (and in) me.

24 Hours, Chazown, Sun Stand Still and 1 Peter

I'm reading a bunch of different books right now: Adam Hamilton's "24 Hours That Changed the World"...Craig Groeschel's "Chazown" (which is the Hebrew word for 'Vision' and 'Revelation'), Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick and 1 Peter...by...well Peter.

I'm convinced that Good Leaders must be Good Readers.

So, I've made a couple of my goals for 2011 to read 11 books and exegete (dig deeply into) 11 books of the Bible.

I'm on a good pace at this point.

Help me out. What book have you read that is a MUST READ?

Antioch Moments

I was referred by a friend to John Piper's most recent message at his church in Minnesota. He preached out of Acts 13:1-3

He used the phrase "Antioch Moments" to reference this moment that had to be absolutely painful for the Church in Antioch. As they were fasting and worshipping, God prompted them to commission their two most influential leaders, Paul and Barnabas.

Antioch had other capable leaders, but this had to be a crisis moment for them. Really God? Two of the most influential Christians of our era (and actually of all time?!)

Antioch Moments are crossroads moments...where obedience is often costly...where decisions are often counterintuitive.

But the church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas out. And it was on that missionary journey that Asia Minor would receive the gospel and later, that Europe would receive the Gospel.

And, lest we think that Antioch had to fall on the sword and die in order for this to happen, it is good to recall that the Antioch Church remained strong for centuries and produced some other Christian juggernauts like Ignatius and Chrysostom.

Listen, you or your church may be at or on the brink of an Antioch Crossroads. Will you have the courage to do what God is laying on your heart? The short term pain...though it is ever so painful, leads to long term gain when it God ordained.

But, if you don't spend the time worshipping, fasting and praying...you will merely resort to logic and sensibility in making any life and leadership decisions. Fortunately for you...you will never be called to do anything of substance in the Kingdom of God if this is how you operate. Rarely does God depend on us deeming Him call logical or sensible.

So kill the tv. Quit the 80 hour work week and SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM!...if you dare.

Fun time in Sports

I find myself checking ESPN online a couple times a day over the last few weeks.

March Madness was its usual incredible self.

The Masters was ridiculous.

Peyton Hillis? Final Four for the Madden Cover!

The Indians? Let's be honest, this has been a beginning nobody predicted.

NFL Draft is coming up...not too excited about this with a looming lockout.

Rittman Rec Center Tourney is under way...we lost to the 2 seed and are going to have to work our way out of the Loser's Bracket.

But the best story is one of redemption. Of a shift from darkness to light. Conversion from evil to good. Of prodigals on their way home.



This is Wood. A regular in the mustard world. And until recently, he was a Pittsburgh Steelers nut. He was covered in blindness. And then he saw a great light. Now he has not fully converted....He's not a Browns Fan yet...but the evidence is pretty clear that he is no longer under the power of the dark side.

There's hope for everyone.

(Or...Wood lost a bet on the Super Bowl and he's finally paying up!)

Hmm

Loved this post by Seth Godin. Thought I'd share it with ya!

Perfect vs. interesting There are two jobs available to most of us:

You can be the person or the organization that's perfect. The one that always ships on time, without typos, that delivers flawlessly and dots every i. You can be the hosting company or the doctor that might be boring, but is always right.
Or you can be the person or the organization that's interesting. The thing about being interesting, making a ruckus, creating remarkable products and being magnetic is that you only have to be that way once in a while. No one is expected to be interesting all the time.

Fedex vs. Playwrights Horizons.

When an interesting person is momentarily not-interesting, I wait patiently. When a perfect organization, the boring one that's constantly using its policies to dumb things down, is imperfect, I get annoyed. Because perfect has to be perfect all the time.
***************************
So...in the context of church...do you expect (or demand) Perfect? Or Interesting? Or Neither?

I know people who get bent out of shape when the words on the screen aren't in the right order or on time or someone spelled it your instead of you're. I know people who get perterbed when the song is too fast or too slow or too loud or too soft. I know people that check out when the preacher uses 'umm' or 'like' more than two times in a message. (I am these people sometimes!)

But maybe my hope is that there can be a combination of some degree of perfection and some degree of intrigue mixed together? I digress.

Preachin' It

This Sunday I am preaching on the torture and the humiliation of the king. We are going to look at the flogging, mocking and humiliation of Christ leading up to the crucifixion.

There won't be any cute stories.

No jokes to laugh at.

Its a dark passage about the darkest time in human history.

And you should come.

8:15, 9:30 and 11:00 this Sunday!

Lesson on Leadership

Chances are, you're not Moses. Forgive me for stating the seemingly obvious, but it needs to be said. No, you're not likely to lead the people out of captivity to the cusp of a New Beginning, but you're also not likely the local leader of a local people (a local Moses). Very few are called to this ministry and it can be at times fulfilling and at times exasperating.

No. You're probably not Moses...but many of you are called to be Aarons and Hurs.

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner.

To be a good Aaron or Hur is to intercede constantly for your leader...To cheer him on when he is going for it and stepping out in faith (while also keeping him grounded that if there is success it's probably in spite of his efforts)...But it is also to step in when the battle is raging fiercest and provide support and encouragement and strength when the leader begins to falter.

If you're called to be an Aaron or a Hur and you don't have a Moses you are advocating for (a.k.a. if you grumble more about going back to Egypt than you trust God and trust/pray for the leadership above you), then you might want to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

And if you're a Moses without an Aaron or a Hur, you will struggle all the more to finish the race well.

A Sign of Things To Come?

Well, there may not be a football season this year, but if there is, I think there is a tell tale sign of how this year could go...It's taking place in the 2012 Madden cover bracket. The makers of the classic football video game decided to let the voters determine which NFL Player was on the front cover of the video game. They picked one NFL player from all 32 teams and set up a seeding and did their own version of March Madness...doing a bracket with winners determined by the fans' votes.

Well, 32 teams went down to 16 (with Browns candidate Peyton Hillis knocking off Baltimore's Ray Rice). Then, it went down to 8 (where Peyton Hillis knocked off Falcons QB Matt Ryan). Hines 'twinkle toes' Ward got knocked out in the round of 16 and that leaves Hillis as the only AFC North rep still alive.

Obviously, the voting for Madden has direct correlations to who wins that year. I haven't found the statistical data to prove that, but it has to be true. Browns fans, go to ESPN.com and vote for Peyton Hillis! Our destiny to be in the playoffs this year is dependent on this!

I have no clue what I'm doing

I was thinking about this yesterday. I can feel the baby kicking in Shaina now...That and the biweekly pilgrimage to Babies R Us this week have made it clear that I have absolutely no idea what i'm doing. No manual is going to prepare me for this. No 5 steps to parenting book is going to unleash my fathering skills. We looked at cloth diapers which is what we plan to use primarily. We're gonna use the 'G Diapers', which are pretty cool, environmentally friendly and more cost effect. However, I've never changed a diaper. i envision something like this taking place.



Then I think about Jesus and the call he has on my life and yours. And we have no idea what we're doing there either. It's the funniest thing...we have huge conferences where we parade speakers who have no idea what they're doing in front of the masses and they tell you the 3 keys to duplicating their movement in your church. They have no idea how they got there. God just happened to bless their ministry and now they're 'experts'. The reality is in ministry and in life, we have no idea what we're doing! And the quicker that drives us to humility and dependence on God and on others, the better it will go for us.

Your competence and skillset are not nearly as high as you think they are. And that is the best news ever.

Heaven, Hell and a Free Pass for Everyone Who decides Hell Stinks: A Book Review

There was a good deal of controversy surrounding Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Everyone that Has Ever Lived."

Many decried Bell as a Universalist, a heretic, and others have found comfort and revelation in his book.

First, two disclaimers. ONE: I like Rob Bell. I like the creativity and the depth with which he often takes his readers and his congregation to examine what it means to follow Jesus. I've read 3 of his 4 other books (Velvet Elvis, Sex God and Jesus Wants to Save Christians) and have found them helpful books.

TWO: Just because I like someone doesn't mean that they can't go to the plate and swing and miss sometimes. (Case in point...the Cleveland Indians!) Rob Bell is one of those voices that sees the signs posted on the Frozen Pond, "Caution: Thin Ice Beyond This Point" and he skates up to and beyond that sign and seems to weave back and forth between orthodoxy and thin ice. This can be a good thing, because it makes us think about what is truly orthodox (literally 'right worship').

Rob's primary point is that the traditional understanding in many Christian spheres that you've got this one life time to figure out where your allegiance lies and if you chose to put it with Jesus, you're in (Heaven). If you chose any other allegiance, you're out (Hell) is far too narrow a view of God, the Bible and Jesus' work on the cross.

Helpful in this discussion is that heaven and hell are not merely future locations then and there...but are also current locations here in now. Hell has a grip on this world. And Heaven is breaking into this world. (This reality keeps us from thinking we are merely saved from hell...but shows us that we are saved FOR Heaven...both then and there and here and now.) Helpful also in this book is Bell's unpacking of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. He makes a troubling claim or two, but really does some good stuff with as well.

Not helpful in this discussion is that Bell can't believe in a God who would allow hell to be a permanent eternal fixture, where people who made their bed there would exist forever. He mentions that this view has been held by theologians throughout the centuries and is a very orthodox view. This isn't exactly true. If hell is a temporary fixture and Christians really believed this to be orthodoxy, then why the centuries of seeking to 'convert the infidel'? As misguided as their approaches often were, they saw stakes that were far too high to sit back and let them experience a temporary hell so they could opt out of it for Heaven.

All in all, this book is a disappointment. I agree that Love wins...but Bell's view that Love and Hell are incompatible leads to a small view of God that waters down His Justice and His Holiness.

I will not write Bell off as a heretic that no longer has a voice in the Church as has been done by some other leading voices (the reality is that there is both theologian and heretic in all of us), but I won't be joining him on his book tour either.