The Tongue Ain't Nothin' Compared to the Tweet

Samaritization: Jericho to Metro Detroit

Perhaps Mr. Rogers had it right...sporting the cardigan before Hipster was hip and singing about neighborliness.

A couple of weeks ago while sitting in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport awaiting my return flight to the Motor City (Wadup Detroit!?), I cracked open the gospel of Luke and began reading the story of the Good Samaritan. As I read the words of Jesus, I was struck again, at how relevant his teachings remain after 2000 years.

Jesus launches into his Good Samaritan tale as a response to the question: Who is my neighbor? A never more relevant question. To my left sat an African-American couple. To my right an Eastern Indian family laughed together. A Vietnamese group stood at the ticket counter awaiting some information, and I overheard some people behind me speaking Spanish.  Oh yes, and there was this Caucasian guy reading his Bible (Bible Thumper!). Good question, "Who exactly IS my neighbor?"

Not only was I about to board an eclectic plane ride home, but it was the same week the media broadcasted the George Zimmerman verdict - a trial fueled by an incident that wreaks with the question, Who is my neighbor?

The Good Samaritan is as relevant today as it ever was...Who is my neighbor?

Jesus answers the question in his typical genius style. He lures you into the story, gets you looking to the right and then out of nowhere he comes at you with a hard left: SMACK! In this short story, Jesus lets his audience know that Who is my neighbor? is the wrong question. It draws boundaries, it's exclusive, it seeks to determine who is "In" and who is "Out," and it nurtures discriminatory love. Jesus uses the story to make the point, "Quit wasting your time trying to figure out who is your neighbor and just BE A NEIGHBOR!"

Who is my neighbor spends time drawing boundaries; being a neighbor spends time finding ways over, through, under, or around boundaries. Being a neighbor wakes up everyday and asks, "How can I extend love to everyone I meet today?" Who is my neighbor asks, "Who should I give my love to today?" Who is my neighbor says, "I don't get those people!" Being a neighbor asks, "How can I understand those people?" Who is my neighbor thrives on"Us" and "Them." Being a neighbor only knows "Us."

Okay, so we are clear. Jesus wants his followers to be a neighbor, but how do you be a neighbor? The story of The Good Samaritan not only challenges you to be a neighbor but it provides a practical approach to neighborliness.

In the story, thieves beat a man and leave him to die. A priest passes by and offers no help. A Levite does the same and then the Samaritan comes along and...

When he SAW the man, he FELT SORRY for him.  He WENT to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. (Luke 10:33b-34a)

The actions of the Samaritan provide us with a Neighbor Template: 

1.  "He saw:" Be Aware of Those Around You. The first thing he does is see. You can never offer help or extend loving-kindness if you are not aware of what is going on in people's lives. Many of us fail to stop and help the nearly dead guy on the side of the road, not because we don't care, but because we never see him. We never see him because we are too focused on our destination. We never see him because we walk down the road staring at our iPhone calendar. We never see him because we don't travel by road. Our schedules demand we fly.

If you want to be a neighbor, you must slow down enough to see. Have you slowed down enough to know what is going on in your coworker's life? In your neighbor's? In the Starbuck's barrista who always takes your order? To realize there is a kid in your child's class who has a rough home life? To notice that your child's teacher is struggling? Have you slowed down enough to even be aware of the needs of the person in the church pew next to you?

If you want to be a neighbor, you have to see.

2.  "Felt Sorry:" Resonate with the Pain of Others. Seeing is not enough. Both the priest and Levite saw the man and yet did nothing. The Samaritan acted because he "felt sorry" for the man. He had compassion. Compassion is different than pity. Pity is to feel bad for someone but compassion is pity that drives you to action. If you have ever watched television after midnight you likely have come across the commercial with animals in gutters, under old wooden crates, hiding under boxes, and piercing you with their giant puppy-dog eyes. Inevitably some Willie Nelson song is playing in the background. Likely, you will feel pity as you finish off your bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, but you probably won't go out to the animal shelter the next day and adopt a zoo. The Samaritan felt more than pity. He had compassion. If you want to be a neighbor you need compassion.

3. "He went:" Moving Toward. I think most of us stop with pity. We discover a need; we become aware of situation; we see the dying man on the road and we feel horrible about it, but then we never "move toward." Yes, the Samaritan saw. Yes, he felt sorry for the guy, but it was the fact that he moved toward him that made a difference.

How many problems in our world could be solved with the simple act of moving toward rather than away from? How many marriages could be saved? How many wars would never start? How many friendships rekindled? How many acts of violence never initiated? How much hatred curbed? How much ignorance enlightened? How much woundedness healed? 

The key to making a difference? The key to seeing the dying revived? Move toward...

Maybe Mr. Rogers did not have it all right. Perhaps he should have changed his lyrics..."Let me be your neighbor!"

Lessons from a Prostitute: Don't Be Good

Last December, my family made it from Trenton, MI to Ft. Worth, TX in 18 hours. We might as well have driven in separate cars, because we spent most of the trip deepening our relationships with "Steve Jobs" and "Satoru Iwata" on our iPods, iPhones, and 3DS's. (Warning! Old Man Moment...nostalgia). When I was a child there were no uphill-both-ways-to-school routes, but we did spend long road trips interacting through "car games," which always ended in a family feud.

Password was one of our favorite games. The game consists of two pairs of teams. A member from each team selects a secret word and then provides clues to the other member to help her identify the secret word. The teams alternate giving clues until one of the team members guess the secret word. Here's an example:

Secret word: "Chicken"
Possible clue: "Colonel Sanders"
Possible clue: "Crossed the street"

Got it?

Let's play a game of Password. I'm going to give you a clue and you try and guess the secret word. Here we go. The clue is, "Prostitute!"

I don't know your guess but I bet it wasn't the word "Good," and my online thesaurus would agree with you. It suggests synonyms like "betrayer," "deceiver," and "cheater." And yet, scripture commends a prostitute as a hero of the Christian faith!

Hebrews 11, the Who's Who chapter of the New Testament, lists Rahab the prostitute alongside the all-star characters of the Old Testament. She is listed alongside Abraham, the original B-I-G P-O-P-P-A; alongside Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, the Patriarchs; and alongside Moses, the stud prophet!  In fact, Rahab gets more screen time than David... the boy wonder, the giant-slayer, the KING, the man after God's own heart! The Hebrew writer says this about the Lady of the Night (Heb. 11:31):

 

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

But he is not the only one who holds Rahab up as an example. Jesus' own brother shines the spotlight on Rahab too (James 2:25-26):

Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?  For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

If you have grown up hearing Rahab's story, what I just wrote doesn't shock you. Your familiarity has desensitized you to its messiness. Perhaps I can rekindle the awkwardness of this story by asking you a question, "Have you explained what a prostitute is to your child?"

"Well...they are too young?"

"Oh, not yet. They don't even know about 'sex.'"

"Ummm...not sure how to do that."

Precisely.  It is a grungy story and yet Rahab is held up as a Christian example of...of...pay attention: not GOODNESS but FAITH.  God used her because she had faith and not because she was good. The story of Rahab dispels some false Christian notions about faith and goodness. In upcoming posts, I will explore further what Rahab teaches us on this topic of faith and goodness. But I want to begin with this statement: 

Faith rather than goodness is the foundation of your relationship with God .

Christianity is about faith rather than goodness. It may be easy to nod and say, "Amen," but it seems so many Christians and non-Christians are obsessed, not with being good, but with being seen as being good. We spend vast amounts of energy and time shaping the perception of others. We speak, act, and hint so that "he" or "she" will think I am good. 

A preacher-friend of mine ministers at a congregation where they provide envelopes in which to put your tithe. He says they receive empty envelopes EVERY week. Why would you take the time to put an empty envelope in the offering plate? One reason: the appearance of generosity. You want others to think you are good. 

If we stood you up in front of 300 people who knew you and asked, "By a show of hands, who thinks [insert your name] is a good person?" and only two people raised their hands, you would be devastated! You would probably lose sleep. You might even slip into a depression. 

We want others to think we are good, and as a result we often make Christianity about goodness. "He who looks the most like Jesus in the end wins. He who has the most Fantasy Christian points is the 'goodest!'"  We even use church as a badge of goodness. How many times have you heard or said, when vouching for someone's character, "She goes to church!" as if to say, "She's a good person."

Trying to be good...well...trying to look like you are good is exhausting. Chill! Your relationship with God is about faith, not goodness. So...for today, quit trying to be good.

3 Degrees from a Noose: Remorse to Repentance (Part I)

A little over a week ago I tag-teamed a sermon with a great friend and preacher Luke Norsworthy.  Luke is the Lead Pastor of Venture Community, a dynamic church plant in Denton, TX.  Check them out!! He was preaching a Lenten series using Matthew as his text. As a part of the series he wanted to compare Matthew's narrative of two better known Jesus disciples, the yin and yang of the elect 12, Peter and Judas.  Luke invited me to step into the series and co-preach this particular passage. What follows comes from that sermon.

If you have studied the gospels at all you will recognized the two names Peter and Judas and likely you will have very different reactions to each of them.  You will tend to picture Peter as a hero of the faith, as a pillar of early Christianity, as a model and example of a legit Christ-follower.  Judas, on the other hand...let's just say you are not going to name your child after him.  Both characters ended in very different places. Peter ended, according to Christian tradition, as a martyr for Christ.  Judas? His intestines exploded all over the ground when he hanged himself in shame. Although both apostles wound up at different ends of the spectrum there was a moment when they were in the exact same place.

Jesus chose both Peter and Judas to follow him.  Both accepted.  Jesus predicted that both of them would deny/betray him.  Both swore they would never do such a thing. Both did deny/betray him.  Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, turning him over to the Jewish authorities for a mere 30 pieces of silver. Peter denied Jesus three times in Christ's most desperate hour. Both failed miserably, and HERE IS WHERE WE NEED TO REALLY FOCUS - both were remorseful and sorrowful over their sin and failure.

When Peter realized what he had done the text says, "...he [Peter] went outside and wept bitterly." And when Judas realized that the Sanhedrin actually delivered a guilty verdict against Jesus (It's my opinion Judas did not think Jesus would be convicted. He knew Jesus was innocent and figured there was not enough evidence to convict him) the text reads, "He [Judas] was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 'I have sinned,' he said, 'for I have betrayed innocent blood.'”

Peter and Judas both had the proper response when coming to grips with their sin: remorse and sorrow and yet they ended up in vastly different places.  Peter goes on to be a great leader in the Church while Judas commits suicide. They ended up in different places because Peter demonstrated Godly Sorrow while Judas demonstrated Worldly Sorrow.  Paul defines Godly Sorrow and Worldly Sorrow in II Corinthians 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

In other words, God desires for sorrow to lead you to repentance.  Sorrow is not repentance.  Sorrow is brokenness and remorse over the destruction you have caused.  Repentance is a change in direction, a 180 degree turn. It is the choice to realign yourself with the way of Christ. If your sorrow leads you toward repentance, then repentance will lead you back to salvation and regret-free living.  On the other hand, Satan desires for your sorrow to feed your guilt and grow your shame until you are held captive by your brokenness, ending in despair... or as Judas, in death.  When sorrow leads you in that direction it is Worldly Sorrow.  NT Wright describes it this way, " -“The first goes down the hill of anger, recrimination, self-hatred and ultimately self-destruction, the way that leads to death. The second goes down the route Peter took, of tears, shame & a way back to life.”

I'm going to venture to say that all of us have felt sorrow and/or remorse over our sin. This is the correct first step, but what will you do with it?  Will you let your sorrow lead you to repentance or will you let it shackle you to shame?  Clearly, we want the way of Godly Sorrow, one that leads to repentance. The struggle lies in figuring out how to move from remorse/sorrow to repentance.  I believe the key to Godly sorrow, the bridge from remorse to repentance is the ability to accept God's grace.

In my next post I'll share three things from my personal experience that are necessary when accepting God's grace.  

Knowing the Unknowable

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)  

 

I've known that little verse since I was kid.  I'm sure at some point my Sunday School Teacher gave me a smiley face sticker for memorizing it.  I can still quote it, but in spite of having it etched on my memory it took years to understand it.

I believed faith was "confidence that God would grant my requests and answer my prayers if I believed hard enough and refused to doubt."  But once you receive what you have requested, faith is no longer required.  Now you have proof, evidence, hard data. 

Faith is not believing you will receive your requests, but rather believing that God is who he says he is, that he will keep his promises, that he will keep his promises in spite of the lack of proof, evidence, and hard data. Real faith is not receiving what you ask for but rather when your whole world is caving in, when evil has mounted your head as a trophy on its Wall of Victory, when every voice in every part of your life is screaming, "GOD is DEAD! He is a liar.  He is a human creation to make Hopefuls out of the Hopeless"... you are able, in spite of the evidence against him, in spite of reason, in spite of the overwhelming circumstances...to rise, and to declare, "God is faithful.  He keeps his promises. He is trustworthy."  Faith is, "being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see"...and may never see this side of life.

Hebrews 11 gives examples to support this understanding of faith:

• Noah believed God when he said there would be a flood to the point of building the precursor to the Titanic (Coming soon the release of The Flood in 3D)
• God promised Abraham he would have children like stars in the sky but when Abraham died it was more like "Children like the Brady Bunch."  Although Abraham died not seeing the fulfillment of God's promise, God was still faithful after his death, and Abraham believed him.
• Joseph believed God would lead the people out of Egypt but he died before it ever happened, and yet God kept his promise many years later.
• Moses and Israel painted lamb's blood on their door frames because they believed God would destroy the firstborn of the unpainted homes. And he did!
• Joshuah and the Israelites marched around Jericho because they believed God would do as he promised and bring the walls down on the 7th day!
• They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  (Heb. 11:37-40)

Hebrews 11 argues that faith means believing God will keep his promises even when all circumstances and evidence point to the contrary...even when he fulfills his promises after your death. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we may NEVER see... this side of life." Just because you don't experience the fulfillment of God's promises in your lifetime does not mean he will fail to keep them. Chapter 11 encourages the reader to trust that God keeps his promises no matter what your experiences.

And so Hebrews moves from this chapter on faith to, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..."  Witness of what? Witness of God's faithfulness! Witness like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua... witnesses who testify from the other side of life that God is faithful - ALWAYS!

When your loved one dies, when you lose your job, when your spouse leaves, when your friends betray you, when you are ostracized at work, when you are depressed...and as a result you doubt God's love...when he seems like he won't come through, when it feels he has deceived you, when it appears he has deserted you - listen to all the witnesses!  Listen to...

•  Noah, "The rains DID come.  The water DID rise."
• Abraham, "Although I never saw it with my own eyes God DID make me into a nation!"
• Joseph, "Even though I was long gone, Israel did walk to freedom out of the most powerful nation without having to raise a sword. There was an Exodus."
• Moses, "God's messenger did kill the firstborn of the unpainted houses!"
• Joshua, "The walls did fall!" 
• Mary and Peter, "Jesus did rise from the dead!"

So... can you hear them?  When your faith is shaky, rest on theirs.

Excuse Me (Part II)

In my last post, I harvested a few "calling principles" from Moses's burning bush encounter.  His excuses and God's rebuttal better orient us in understanding our own calling.  In this post I return to Moses's excuses (excuses 3-5) and continue the conversation...

Actions not Words Silence the Doubters (Ex. 4:1-9).  At the beginning of Exodus 4, God has yet to pick-up on the fact that Moses does NOT want to head back to Egypt, so Moses perseveres, "What if they [Israel] do not listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"  God does not prepare Moses for the ensuing doubt and coming inquisition by composing for him a stunning diatribe, "It was a hot day, my skin roasting in the noonday sun, the sheep were particularly restless when a fire spoke to me..."  Instead, God simply says, "Throw down your staff!" BOOM - staff becomes snake...then hand becomes leprous...then water becomes blood.  Moses's call was legitimized by action and not words.

When God calls you to something chances are it will be risky.  You will likely face doubters.  People will question your motives, doubt your ability, argue with you, "Let me tell you why you shouldn't..." The apostle Paul faced doubters.  In Acts 9, After Paul's conversion experience, God calls him preach the message of Jesus to the Gentiles, but Paul was notorious among the Christians. They feared him. He had a hobby of collecting Christians for prison and speaking vehemently against Christ and now, within the span of a few days, he is entering synagogues and preaching that Jesus was the messiah.  Needless to say, there were some skeptics, "Isn't this the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on his name?" (Acts 9:21).  But Paul didn't waste his time trying to argue and persuade the crowd that he was legit.  Instead he spent his time being busy with his calling and eventually the doubters were silenced by his deeds: "Yet Paul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah." (Acts 9:22).  Paul used his energy in fulfilling his calling rather than defending his calling.

As God calls you to a task, a mission, a moment do not waste your time arguing with the doubters.  If your calling is from God it will bear fruit.  The fruit may not always be monumental, or successful by the world's standards. But the Kingdom of God measures "success' on a different scale.  If your calling is from God, it will bear the fruit of redemption, the fruit of the resurrection, and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  Keep silent and let your action do the talking.

Faith is more Important than Ability (Ex. 4:10-12). By this point you can picture Moses talking to himself, "Okay, this guy is God. He should be picking up on this by now. Am I just going to have to come out and say,  'I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!'  Let me give it one more try." And in Exodus 4:10, Moses gives it another attempt, "Pardon your servant, Lord.  I have never been eloquent in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue."  In other words, "You want me to talk to Pharaoh when my sheep think I have a lisp!"

God replies to Moses, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” God challenges Moses to trust him, to have faith that he will equip him with the necessary skills to accomplish the task.  God wants Moses to trust in him more that he trusts in his own ability.

Our society obsesses with ability.  It starts early.  As a young parent, one of your friends says, "Jimmy started walking at 8 months!"  You think to yourself, "Oh no! Timmy is 10 months and he just rolls around!  What's wrong with him?"  We rate people by athletic ability.  In 7th grade I played on the Goddard Jr. High Orange team.  The school colors were red and white.  Where do you think I ranked?  We rate people by intelligence.  "My kid is an Honor Student at Taylor Elementary."  Or, we rate people by strength, "My kid beat up your Honor Student."  We rate people by degrees and salaries.  We are drawn to people with ability; we hone ability, we crave ability.  We are obsessed with ability.

But God cares more about faithfulness.  As he said of David, "Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart."  God wants someone who is loyal to him, who will sacrifice for him, who will trust that He can get the job done.  God wants someone who has a heart for his mission and not just the ability to accomplish it.  Therefore, as you seek God's calling on your life spend more time honing your faithfulness than your ability.  (Aside: I think the same should be said of our children.  We should spend more time developing our children's faithfulness rather than their grades, athletic ability, or social life.)

Community is Key (Ex. 4:13-17).  Finally Moses just has to come out and say it, "Pardon your servant, Lord.  Please send someone else!" (Ex. 4:13)  He begs God to not send him to Pharaoh.  God does not let Moses off the hook but rather offers him a partner in crime:

“What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” (Ex. 4:14-17)

Perhaps Moses was right when he said he was not a good public speaker but that did not disqualify him from answering God's call on his life.  It meant he needed to find the mouthpiece that he was not.  So, God sent Aaron.  Aaron and Moses did together what Moses might not have been able to do on his own.  Moses found strength in numbers.  Once God offers him a partner, Moses quits making excuses (of course he had exhausted his excuses and God was angry at this point too...but still).

In scripture, God is not a big fan of Lone Rangers.  He loves to work through groups, through nations, through communities, through teams.  As you answer God's call on your life chances are that God is moving in the lives of others within your sphere of influence along the same lines.  For example, I have seen local churches explode with several families adopting children around the same time.  This is no coincidence.  This is God stirring many to the same calling.  It provides a network of support and resources for the families entering this journey together.  Just because God calls you to a task does not mean you have to fly solo.  Chances are, God is preparing a slew of people for the same mission.

Excuse Me (Part I)

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.  For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (Deut. 34:10-12)

 Now that is an epitaph, a fitting summation to one of Israel's greatest leaders, and yet Moses never wanted to answer God's call on his life. 

For most of my life I did not believe in the concept of present-day "callings"- God commissioning individuals for certain tasks and/or missions, but my experience over the last three years has shifted my perspective. I have no concrete evidence that God calls people today.  I cannot purchase a Calling Test at the local Walgreen's, open the box and ask, "God, are you calling me to move to Africa and serve orphans and widows?"- spit on the test sensor and if it turns pink, - yes, Africa is a calling.  But, if it turns blue, "No, just last night's tacos talking." In other words, it is a grey issue, where it is difficult to discern between God and bad tacos.  My belief that God calls people to specific tasks is a "gut thing" not a "scientific thing" (as wrong or as right as that might be). It's the Jeremiah syndrome: a fire in my bones burning to come out, a dull ache in my heart relieved only by answering its proddings.   

Perhaps God has called you to a specific task or ministry: from adoption, to recycling, to full-time church work. As you respond or think about responding, Moses's failed excuses in Exodus 3-4 offer valuable insight regarding "callings." In this post we glean some calling principles from Moses's first two excuses.

It's not about being a SOMEBODY but about being with A SOMEBODY (Ex. 3:11-12). Out of a burning (but not burning) bush God invites Moses to stand toe to toe with Pharaoh.  Moses responds, "Who am I?"  In other words, I'm a nobody, especially to go 12 rounds with a heavyweight like Pharaoh.  Moses was right.  He was a nobody.  Wait, let me take that back.  He was a murderer (Ex. 2:11-12).  He was also an experienced shepherd, but God was not calling him to herd sheep through the desert. God was calling him to lead the defining liberation movement in Israel's history.

Moses focused on his inability rather than on God's power.  Within three verses Moses already forgot that the exodus was God's project, "I have come down to rescue them [his people]." God did not need Moses but he strategically chose to collaborate with him.  The exodus was not an opportunity for God to showcase Moses but rather for God to showcase his power and love through Moses.  (God also makes a habit of choosing the least likely with whom to partner.)

So if God is calling you to a task, you are likely to have one of two reactions.  First, "Who me? I can't do this." Second, "Of course he picked me. I have all the credentials."  Both are wrong.  God's calling is not about being a Somebody but being with A Somebody - namely GOD. Take confidence that this is his project and he has chosen to partner with you.  

It is not simply a call to mission but to personal transformation (Ex. 3:13-14).  After God extinguishes Moses's first excuse, Moses lights another match. "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your Fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask, "What's his name?"  In other words, they say, "Who?"  Israel did not yet have a relationship with Yahweh, and for that matter neither did Moses.  Moses had likely heard of God but did not have a relationship with him. He didn't even know God's name, "Oh, and uh, you are...?"

God responds by saying, "Tell them 'I Will Be who I Will Be" sent you (Ex. 3:14)."  The divine name was an invitation to discover God.  God tells Moses, "You don't know me yet and neither does Israel but by the time this journey is over you WILL know who I am."  After the 10 plagues, the crossing of the sea, the manna, the quail, the water, the victories,  and the covenant Israel would no longer ask, "Who?" and it would be said of Moses, "He knew God face to face." Answering God's call not only freed Israel, it transformed Moses.

When God calls you to mission it is not simply about you doing something; it is about God doing something in you.  When you adopt a child so much more happens than completing paperwork and bringing a child home, something changes in you.  When you answer a call to the inner city, it's more than fighting poverty. You develop the eyes of Jesus.  When you answer the call to ministry, it is more than teaching and helping others. It's learning to love the bride as God loves her.  When you answer the call...you not only create change but you are changed.  Do it for others.  Do it for yourself.

Spaghetti Cats and a Man Named "Fool"

Do you remember this commercial?

If you are that guy, what is your first instinct? "Woa, Babe! This isn't what it look likes," or "Honey, umm, I can explain." When people misunderstand our words or actions the dominant tendency is to clarify, to correct...to justify.  We want to justify ourselves before others, to let them know that we are "okay."

The urge to justify does not come simply at the hands of a misunderstanding.  It also comes when someone unfairly attacks or criticizes us.  That's when we dress justification up as defensiveness.  Even when we are wrong, when the accusations are correct and the understandings on target, we want to justify ourselves, "I know I did that horrible thing, but I'm not really that horrible person. Look, I've done this good thing...and this good thing...and I rescued a starving gerbil and bottle-fed it back to health."  We want people to think we are "okay" whether misunderstood, criticized, or guilty!

A few months ago after a breakfast with Randy Harris, The Church of Christ Monk, I sent him an email saying, "I hope I don't sound like I'm telling you, 'I'm okay, Randy!  Really!'  I just 'feel' okay - but may not be!" He replied:


"You are NOT ok.

I am NOT ok.

Thank GOD, Thats ok!"

None of us are okay and that is why we need Jesus, but how much time do we waste, how many words do we use, and how much energy do we expend, whether misunderstood or guilty, attempting to convince people that we are okay? We cannot make ourselves okay.  It is impossible to justify ourselves.  "It is God who justifies" (Romans 8:33b). 

I Samuel 24-25 reminds us, on a grand scale, that "it" is God's to justify.  In chapter 24 King Saul is pursing David with intent to kill.  He arms himself with 1000 soldiers.  During the pursuit, Saul feels the need to tinkle, and Nature's Call waits on no one - not even the king.  Saul enters a cave (I'm sure one clearly marked with a little man figure) to take care of business.  It just so happens David and his men are hiding in stall number two of that same cave.  David's men encourage him to seize the opportunity and to take matters into his own hands, to kill King Saul.  David refuses and moments later explains to Saul why, although easily accomplished, he spared his life:

I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.  May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

Although innocent, David leaves the "making it right" to God. In the very next chapter, David is wronged again, this time by a man called 'Fool'- Nabal. David and his men have been protecting Nabal's land and so when hunger strikes David sends his men to request lamb chops from Nabal.  "Fool-boy" denies the request inciting David to anger.  David draws his sword and leads his angry men (we all know hunger makes men grumpy) to uproot Nabal's family tree.  On his way to the slaughterfest, Abigail, Nabal's wife, meets David and pleads with him to ignore her foolish husband, to take the food she offers, and to let God settle the score:

And now, my lord, as surely as the LORD your God lives and as you live, since the LORD has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.  (v. 26)

David quickly acknowledges her wisdom (V. 32-33):

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 

The David examples are extreme, but they make the point.  In both cases, once through self-initiation and the other through the gentle reminder of sly Abigail, David restrains from doing what is God's to do.  It was God's to make it right.  It was God's to settle the score. It was God's to avenge. It was God's to justify.  And it is STILL God who justifies.  It is God who clears up the misunderstanding.  It is God who defends us. It is God who makes us "okay."

Although it is God's to justify most of us seek self-justification. Self-justification is about just that, SELF.  It focuses on how we appear to others.  It focuses on performance. It plays the comparative game, and it is impossible to accomplish.  So, how do we fight that urge to justify ourselves before others?  How do we live out of the truth "It is God who justifies?" How do we trust in his work? SILENCE!

• When someone misunderstands your actions or words - "Shhh! Don't explain." Silence.
• When someone unfairly criticizes you - "Zip the lip. No need to defend." Silence.
• When you blow it and people question you and you desperately want them to know you are okay-  "Hush! You can't undo no matter what you do." Silence.

Over the last 4.5 months my breath prayer has been Romans 8:33b "It is God who justifies."  At first, I recited it over and over again just to fall asleep and now, although I pray it less frequently, it centers my life.  It is REALLY hard to let God justify.  I want so badly to explain, to clarify, to prove, and to demonstrate but I have found in those moments when I live out of this prayer, when I let God justify, I am free, relaxed, and at peace. 

I guess that is enough said ;-)

Just Dialed 9-1-1!

In 2010 I decided to run an ultra-marathon, which is any distance over 26.2 miles.  I tackled the race hosted by the canyon trails of the Texas Panhandle, a 50-mile venture.  Part of the running appeal is its individual nature - just me,  a pair of shoes (yes, clothes too), and dirt trails.  If completed I knew I would stand - okay sit, or at least lean on a post - and say, "Look what I did!  Just me!"  But I deceived myself!  Although my feet covered the 50 long miles, preparing and running an ultra was far more than an individual effort.  I needed help...

1. I relied on a 16-week training plan to get my non-athlete physique in shape.
2. If it were not for the company of Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, Rick Atchley, Matt Chandler, and Bob Babbit I would not have survived the 4-5 hour training runs.  Thank you iPod and long-winded preachers!
3. I fueled my engine with Gatorade and Cliff bars.
4. My wife gave up Friday-Saturday mornings so I could get up at 4 AM to trot around the dusty roads of the West Texas oilfields for 4-5 hours.
5. A headlamp kept me from dining on dirt.
6. On race day, the race organizers plotted a 12.5 mile loop.  After the 4th go around I knew to stop.
7. Carefully placed aid stations, stocked with PBJ's, chips, Snickers, pretzels, fruit, were beacons in the night.
8. Volunteers filled my water bottle with ice at every station (it was 86 degrees).
9. Encouraging words from fellow runners and spectators propelled me forward when my legs were screaming, "Stop, you idiot!"

So I finished 50 miles in 8 hrs and 55 minutes but I had help!  I needed help!  So do you.  Coiled somewhere in America's DNA is the independence lie - that somehow I can achieve and succeed based on sheer determination, ability, and perseverance.  We admire and "pedistalize" individuals who overcome great odds "on their own."  I stress to my boys, "You need to learn how to do this because one day I won't be here and you'll have to do this by yourself!" As a result, we hesitate to ask for help.  In fact, we tend to look down our noses at those requesting help!  But we all need help!

Take Moses for example.  I want his epitaph: "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deut. 34:10-12).  He was a powerful leader for Israel, the greatest of the prophets.  He stood toe to toe with Pharaoh; he led a whiny-baby group of people through the desert; he fought before God on behalf of the people, but even Moses needed help.

In Exodus 18, Israel has fled Egypt and taken up a nomadic desert life.  Moses' plate was full, so full he needed a salad plate for the extras.  Not only did he serve as God's mouthpiece but also as Israel's judge.  Some days Moses skipped lunch and his cigarette break to meet his dispute-settling quota.  He was on a one way train to "Burnout" when his father-in-law not only pays him a visit but offers some wise advice.  His father-in-law's advice? "Ask for help!"

“What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.  Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.  Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave.  But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.  If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” (Deut. 18:18-23)

Moses took his father-in-law's advice and went on to become the Moses we all know.  Perhaps if he had refused to ask for help he would have wound up popping anti-anxiety medicine and running far away from his calling.

As Americans, we glorify rugged individualism - Lone Ranger, Rambo, John McClane, Malboro Man... We hesitate to ask for help.  Actually, we avoid having to ask for help at all costs.  We see it as weak.  It is.  That's the point, we ARE weak!  We live under the illusion that we are self-sustaining and independent, but we are only one clotted artery away, or one ruptured blood vessel, or one driving text message, or one sinful decision, or one sinful decision by someone close to us, or one in-home spark, or one blown ACL, or one... from getting slapped in the face with reality - YOU ARE DEPENDENT and not just upon God and his Spirit but upon people.  God made us dependent!  God made us to need others.  When we ask for help we embrace the truth that life is greater than my existence, that the universe is large, that I exist by grace alone.


So, do you need emotional help?  Do you need spiritual help?  Do you need financial help?  Do you need mental help? Do you need marital help?  Do you need physical help?  Ask for it!  It is humbling.  It is hard.  It is weak.  But, it is REAL!

God Wears Asics

I think about the prodigal a lot, Luke 15:11-31.  The more I live in and live this story the more I believe it is at the center of the gospel.  I think it should be the preacher's first sermon and the preacher's last.  To rehash... the boy gives his father a death wish by asking for his inheritance early. He journeys far away and burns it all on idiocy.  He ends up finding himself jealous of mud-wallowing pigs and so plots to return home broken and repentant, to beg for a position, not at his father's table but in the bunkhouse.  He makes that fearful journey home and...

 “...while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

You, the reader, knows why the prodigal returns.  You have access to his inner thoughts, "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants."  But the father has no idea! For all the father knows, the boy may be on his way home to demand more money or curse him.  All the father knows is that in the distance a silhouette of his son approaches and so he...

Yells,  "Is that you, you ungrateful brat?  Who said you were welcome here!"
OR
 Says, "Hey Mother! Look who is coming.  Don't you go crying now.  Let's wait and see what he wants."
Or
"Security!  Please escort him off the property.  He is not my son!"
OR
He stood with arms crossed and when his son reached him he looked down and said sternly, "So, are you here because you've repented? Because, if you haven't then you are not welcome here.  If you have, then you are welcome but you have some proving to do."

No! Read it one more time:  “...while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."   The father's love for his child was not based on the son's repentance.  He loved his son even if he were still in sin, for all he knew he was.

God hates sin because it destroys but he loves you!  ALWAYS! ...when you are good, when you repent and come groveling home, when you are blatantly sinning.  That should blow your mind.  It should make you cry! So if you are reading this and are choosing sin, trust me, it will break you and those you love but GOD DOES NOT LOVE YOU ANY LESS NOW THAN HE EVER HAS!  When he sees you, no matter where you are, he runs, throws his arms around you, and kisses you! (Yes! I'm crying!)

There's Blood in the Will

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs..." so begins today's memory work.  I've been spending time in Romans 8, putting it in my head so it will make a home in my heart..."heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ..."  Ooh, I like that. That would be a nice back tattoo, "Co-heir with Christ."  Not that I have a back tattoo.  Mine is on my neck! This is why we follow Jesus, right? For example, if I'm a co-heir with Paris Hilton then I predict cash, lots of cash, designer clothes, caviar for my punt-size dog, parties, and crazy-expensive cars.  And God allotted so much more to his son.  He was glorified, lifted up, and exalted to the right hand of God.  Sign me up for that.  "Heeellooo brother Jesus!"

But the verse knows our tendency, "Oh, you want Jesus's inheritance.  Sure you do. Then you must have it all."  And so Romans 8:17 continues: "...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."   Not only are we co-heirs with Christ in his glorification but co-heirs in his suffering!  We want the glorification, but the suffering... "Glorification" is inheriting your grandmother's yacht and diamond jewelry.  "Suffering" is inheriting your grandmother's dying, balding cat with a drainage tube.  But in the Jesus story, suffering had to precede glorification.  The cross had to come before the resurrection and ascension. 

No one is a "resurrection" fan more than me!  I wake up everyday and taste, smell, see, hear, and touch the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but Romans 8 says there is something to the suffering.  We hate to hear that because in our world we try to hide suffering, to mask it, medicate it, flee from it, feed it, give it a makeover with cars, houses, clothes, and trips.  But if you are a Child of God, you inherit it. 

8:17 just happened to be the verse on the day I was feeling the pain, when I was frustrated with myself, when I was struggling with the future (Where will my family end up?).  I wanted it to stop, but as 8:17 made its way into my head it said, "Don't silence the pain!  Listen to it.  It is trying to make you more like Jesus!"  How is my suffering (self-induced, I haven't forgot) pushing and pulling me into the image of Christ?  I'm learning dependence upon God.  I'm learning I'm expendable, relationships are all that really matter, compassion, the seriousness of sin, to find the Kingdom in the moment (every moment), to see the imago dei in all people, to trust in silence... All of this in the suffering.

Perhaps you are suffering today.  Perhaps your prayer today is like mine was this morning, "When God?  When will you end this?  Take it away!"  That is a prayer of faith, a fair prayer, a prayer echoed throughout the Christian story.  But maybe today you can pray, in honor of 8:17, "Father, I don't like this suffering.  I want it to end, but please!  Today, teach me Jesus in my suffering.  Amen!"

 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  Rom. 8:17

Baptism, Communion, and Shriveled Hands (Practical Redemption 2)

Blue Cheese makes a simple observation: "Too often The Church's conversations are completely irrelevant to the brokenness, needs, hurt, and loneliness of the world."  I think of greater concern is not that our conversations are irrelevant but that we are unaware of their irrelevance. Or, perhaps of greatest concern is when our churches are aware of our irrelevance but fail to care because we are so caught up mastering our religious system.

The Pharisees in the Gospel of Mark play this role well.  They, with good intentions, weighed The Law down with regulations, legalism, and doctrine to the point of irrelevance.  You could roll out a 15 foot scroll with perfectly dotted "i's" and crossed "t's" and yet the man who sits in your pew at Saturday Synagogue still comes and goes with a shriveled hand.  Let me explain:

¹ Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

 ⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

 ⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. (Mark 3:1-6)

Jesus blatantly breaks the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law.  A jury would convict him.  He was guilty, but he was right.  God always intended The Law to be practical to every day life.  It was to redeem, in a tangible way, a broken world.  God didn't give The Law as a set of rules for rules sake, but rather to transform and recreate.

For example, The Creator did not pull the "Keep the Sabbath Holy" command out of thin air to stroke his sovereignty.  The Sabbath command was practical for redeeming every day life. It challenged oppression.  Masters and Lords could not force their slaves or animals to work on Saturday.  Farmers could not tend their fields.  As a result, slaves and oxen could rest while their master was reminded, "These people and these animals do not belong to you.  They belong to God."  It also kept human arrogance in check. On the Sabbath Israel ceased all productivity and yet life carried on - the sun rose and set, the seasons continued as normal, the world refused to spin off its axis into the flaming ball of fire.  Every seventh day Israel tasted again God's sovereignty and their dependence upon Him.

Jesus gets angry not simply because the Pharisees screwed up the Sabbath but because they missed the purpose of the whole Law.  In response, Jesus readjusts their perception by taking them back to the heart of The Law - to the heart of God... PRACTICAL REDEMPTION.  He stands the man up and gives him a new hand!  "There!" Jesus says, "That's the purpose of the the Sabbath.  That's the purpose of the Law.  That's the heart of God! - Practical Redemption."

Practical Redemption was not only the purpose of The Law; it is the mission of The Church!

Upon Shigionoth

Despite being named after the sound of coughing up phlegm, Habakkuk comes across as a pretty transparent character. His first words, straight out of the gate, are cries of lament: How long, Lord, must I call for your help but you do not listen?"  He knew God.  He believed in God.  He had heard the great stories of God, but he longed to experience God's activity in his life.  I can relate, and so today Habakkuk prays for me (3:2):

 LORD, I have heard of your fame;
   I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.
Repeat them in our day,
   in our time make them known;
   in wrath remember mercy.