I don't like altar calls. Does that make me bad?

Get out your sharpened number two pencils, it's time for a short quiz.

1) The customary altar call familiar to evangelical churches first appeared
a.) In the last 200 years
b.) When Noah's ark came to rest on dry ground
c.) When a song leader stroked and kept repeating "we're gonna sing just one more chorus."

The altar call came onto the scene around 1820. Somehow since then it has been elevated to a required God thing. If you don't do it you must certainly be ashamed of the gospel and ashamed of God. As a pastor, other pastors say you've watered down biblical teaching and are a liberal. In Pastor World those are major slams.

Okay, I'll just come out and say it. I don't like altar calls.

Why not? Most of the altar calls I see border more on manipulation than they do a move of the Holy Spirit. I see some different styles.

1) Work 'em up. This one is a favorite in youth camps. The key is to stir the emotions and work the people into a frenzy. Get a few teenage girls crying and you are guaranteed results. Please don't misunderstand me. Spontaneous tears happen but when we set out to trigger the tears, we manipulate. I remember a youth setting where an adult wept while introducing a drama I had seen before. The adult went on at length talking through tears about how emotional the drama was calling it "powerful." Numerous teens in the audience were crying before it even started. As the actors came out one by one with poster boards explaining a painful time on side one and then flipped it to reveal how God blessed brought victory, the weeping became louder and louder. The kids in the performance clung tightly to each other weeping outside the auditorium. It was a mess. The interesting thing to me was that I had seen the same skit performed at other conferences with an entirely different spin. The kids were pumped and excited about sharing God's victory over trials. In the other settings the performers brought the audience to applause. The only difference was the introduction.

2) Make 'em doubt. If you have been around evangelical churches for any length of time you have probably run into this one. The evangelist works hard to precede his call to commitment by getting his audience to question if they are truly saved. "If you were to die right this minute, are you 100% sure you would go to heaven?!?!" he booms. "Do you know the day when you came to Christ? If not, how can you be sure you are saved?" I've followed Jesus for 30 years and these guys can get me wondering.

3) Sneak 'em in. "With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you want to accept Jesus would you just raise your hand right now?" This one always puzzles me. First, I want to know why they have to raise their hands if not to give validation to the speaker? Can't they just pray right where they are without the hand in the air thing? The second thing I can't figure out is why we would call people to hide their decision from anyone else. It just doesn't make sense to me. I can't picture Jesus telling His disciples in a whisper, "Hey, follow me. No one will know. No one's looking."

4) Lie a little. I've heard the rationale for this but it just doesn't add up for me. I remember being trained as a counselor for an evangelist rolling through town. We were to come to the front immediately when he gave the invitation. As others saw us coming they would be more likely to say, "Hey, look at all those people going forward. I'm going to do it too." It seemed deceptive to me. The other one goes along with #3 above. I'm bad. I tend to keep looking around even when a speaker tells me to bow my head and close my eyes. The guys who start counting hands baffle me because I just don't count the same way. They are up to 12 or 15 and I've only seen one. "Yes, I see that hand. Yes, young man, thank you. Yes, there's another." I asked a guy at a coffee house about his count one time and after he cooled down he told me he just does it to encourage other people to put their hands up too. He does it so they don't think they are alone. Hmmm ...

5) Scare them. Skip abundant life with Jesus and go straight to telling them that they are going to die on their way home. Make it clear that they could get hit by a bus, have a heart attack or brain aneurysm or get shot. It's true, they might not make it another day. Without faith in Christ the bible tells us we will spend eternity in hell. But why do we abandon the prospect of a relationship with God right here on earth so quickly? I remember being at an all-night youth event when the speaker scolded some guys who were goofing around and not paying attention. He told them that he spoke at an event just like this one the year before and some kids were laughing like they were. Then he dropped the bomb on them telling them those kids' bus crashed on the way home and several died without knowing Jesus. They sat up and paid attention. Me? I didn't believe him. I had heard nothing of this bus crash and found no trace of it on the Internet. Bus crashes where kids die make the news. Maybe they missed this one.

6) Attract a crowd. The speaker starts off inviting people who don't know Jesus to come forward. Then he expands that to include people who want to recommit their lives to him. Next, he invites people who need prayer about anything. Then it's the "fresh touch." Then he moves to people who want someone to pray with them for someone else. Before you know it, it's down to, "If you're breathing, come forward." Well, at least it seems that way.

I'm curious about the whole "come forward" thing. I know that there are times in church history when it was about logistics and giving people a place to meet for prayer or to talk further. But over the last two hundred years it appears that some sort of power is associated with "coming to the altar."

I know there are lots of evangelists who don't manipulate and I know there are many who decided to trust Christ by going forward at an invitation. I'm among them. I'm also sure that I would have committed to follow Him right where I sat, if that had been the invitation.

The other problem I have with altar calls is that I think they convince the average believer that she can't introduce a friend to Christ. For many, evangelism has become the act of inviting someone to attend a special presentation rather than a process of loving, serving sharing life with epeople who don't know Christ.

For me, the potential value in going to the front is the opportunity to help connect someone who wants to follow Christ with someone who says, "I will be your friend and help you build your relationship with Him."

Evangelism is the act of one hungry beggar showing another where he found bread. (paraphrasing N.T. Niles)

My label is smudged

What am I? Am I "emergent?" A "re-envisionist?" I know that I am not a traditionalist though I do hold to a number of traditions. Where's my T.U.L.I.P. school of thought? Am I Augustinian? Reformed?

As I surf from blog to blog I see so many people in search of labels. Like the label on a soup can, we're looking for labels that will help us decide either to buy in or to put people back on the shelf. Take 'em or toss 'em, that's the goal.

A couple years back I had a parent pull her kids from our youth programs because we were using Rob Bell's Nooma videos to spark discussion. This mom had read about Rob's label on some website and decided he was a heretic endangering the spiritual well-being of her kids. Really? Yeah, really.

We have a group of students in Romania right now. Reading their blog posts I see that they are blown away by a couple of very significant differences from here at home. First, they are amazed at how kind the people are. People welcome them into their homes, smile and bring piles and piles of food to their guests even though they have limited resources. Second, when they walked into a local orphanage children immediately grabbed their hands and wrapped their arms tightly around their necks. No one cares about their labels - they just accept them and love them. When they returned to the orphanage the next night the kids ran to the cars to meet them with outstretched arms. They carried drawings and treasures for their new friends. They called them by name.

Our team is humbled by how much the people value them. The love of the locals is shaking them to the core. There is no care of the labels of Baptist or Orthodox - just acceptance.

From what I can see, the church of Jesus Christ is in a constant state of emergence. It is a living, breathing organism that responds to people. Its heart is rescue in Jesus Christ alone. Its character is Grace. Its conviction is that sin is a poison that destroys life. Its purpose is in loving and building people. It is the body of Christ.

Followers of Jesus entrenched in unchanging, dogmatic, legalistic systems that do not bring freedom find themselves having exchanged an external focus for an internal, self-preservationist one. And still, Jesus loves.

Big-tent followers who have dismissed the deity of Jesus Christ in the name of becoming a great "One," have torn out the heart of the gospel. And still, Jesus loves.

Followers who have dismissed sin and the destruction it brings for more comfortable messages have forgotten the loving purpose of God in defining sin. They have removed the warning labels on the poison bottles and placed them on the shelves next to the soda. And still, Jesus loves.

What am I? Emergent? Traditionalist? Modern? Postmodern? I feel like a pot of stone soup, of late. It seems everyone has something to throw in my pot. Some of it looks great while other things are falling apart and have a rotten stench.

That woman is looking at me with her one eyebrow hiked a bit higher than the other. I can see that she's trying to read my label. It's smudged and she's not getting a good enough look to decide if I am worthy of interaction.

I like it that way.

That's an ugly baby!

We've all been in the same awkward position. Someone hands us a picture of a baby or holds out their little bundle of joy and says, "Isn't she the cutest baby you've ever seen?" It's one of those times when we all lie rather than give our true opinion. Their little bundle of joy looks like a cross between some alien species, an old man and a prune. You're thinking, "when she was born, the doctor most likely slapped her mother."

I always wonder if the parents are deluded or if they truly think their little critter is cute. Maybe they are just playing a joke on us? The best man in my wedding used to carry a picture of an ugly girl in his wallet to pull out whenever people would ask about his girlfriend. He loved to watch their reaction. Is that it?

My three kids were all very cute babies. At least, I think they were. They certainly were adorable to me. But how do I know they weren't "breath-taking" like the baby on Seinfeld? Nah ... they were definitely cute.

It has to be the love that parents have for their kids that make them so beautiful in their eyes. The perspective of the viewer is what brings beauty.

That has to be what's at work when Jesus looks at the church and sees it as a beautiful bride. It's His love that makes the church beautiful to Him. He sees it as precious.

I look at the church, myself, my friends and see all the imperfections. I see the squabbles, the insecurity, the legalism and selfishness and think, "Ick. We're a mess!" But, because of God's Grace, He looks at the same picture and smiles and His heart explodes with fondness.

I see the church fighting about being emergent, conservative, fundamental or liberal and wonder what we're doing. We fight about when Jesus is going to return (even though he told us no one knows when). We fight about speaking in tongues and being "spirit-filled." We fight about music, what version of the bible is acceptable, predestination and how long it took God to make the universe. We fight about politics and appoint certain candidates as God's choice while others, if elected, are the anti-Christ. We gather in tight societies of people who think just like us and then, when something eventually divides us, we start church shopping again for a better group of people where we claim we "can be fed."

And Jesus looks on us as a beautiful bride while the Father calls us the apple of His eye. God's grace is a mystery. It takes the ugly and makes it beautiful.

We're an ugly baby but our Father sees us as truly beautiful.

Smack them with a good dose of God?

My mom used to threaten to spank me with a yardstick. I didn't like the yardstick. When I'd see it come out of its cupboard home I'd change my behavior to avoid its sting.

What did your parents use to punish you? A paddle? Isolation? Losing a priviledge? I bet you didn't like whatever it was. Maybe it was the simple words, "Just wait until your father gets home!" Gee, that sure made us excited to see Daddy!

Getting kids to change their behavior is not an easy task. It would be easier if we could get God on our side. What would they do then?

Picture a five year old little cutie in her pretty church dress spinning around and enjoying the freedom of the big church hallway. There she is dancing and spinning with a smile from ear to ear ... until some other little kid dares to invade her space. The princess is peeved and gives him a shove to make it clear that he should bug off. But mom was watching her do it. Even worse, apparently Jesus was bummed about her behavior too.

"Do you know who saw you do that?" the mom said in frustration. "Jesus saw you do that and that does not make him happy!"

Ouch. Poor kid. Her head dropped and the expression on her face changed to sadness. It was bad enough to make mom mad but Jesus too? He was so disappointed with her.

It's tough being a parent. We all react out of anger sometimes. It's tempting to use God to give us the support we want. If our kids won't listen to us then surely they'll listen to God. Our kids grow up learning of God and discovering that he is apparently a lot like us. His voice even sounds like ours.

I remember the parent who punished her preadolescent son by sending him to his room to read his bible and write a summary of what God told him. By the time he reached the teen years he wanted nothing at all to do with bible study. It was like the yardstick was for me. The bible came to be associated with the negative.

When we use God or his Word to punish our kids we risk robbing them of the fullness of relationship with their Creator. That's not what any of us wants.

No one wants to hang out with instruments of punishment, pain or discomfort. I want my children to grow knowing the boundless love of the Savior. I want them to bathe in his grace and love. I want them to know that he will not turn his back on them or foresake them. And when they know that, they will want to reflect His character.

But first, I have to set my sights on reflecting His character in my own life so that they see Jesus in me. I must be less concerned about punishment and more concerned about discipline.

Punishment seeks payment whereas discipline seeks growth.

I felt like a big ole creeper

I went to a church softball game today. It's a church league actually. The fields are crawling with Christians. It was a bit surreal. Every "church" sat by itself cheering on only its players. There was no mixing.

I decided to try some experiments and wandered into the territory of other "churches." First, I tried just hanging out to see if anyone would talk to me. Nope, not a word. In fact, when I sat on the bleachers with one group of folks I had the very distinct feeling that I was not welcome in their space.

Next, I got a couple of ice-cold bottles of water out of the cooler and headed to mingle with another group. I offered a few people a cold drink. They all politely refused until one little girl told her mom she was thirsty. Her mom tried to put her off but I said, "Here, have some water. I don't want to walk away knowing this little girl told me she was thirsty and I gave her nothing to drink." I smiled at my ability to weave a bit of bible into the conversation but no one else smiled. Strike two! I headed off again leaving the bottle on the end of a row.

In my "church's" second game I decided to give it one more try while the teams were on the field. I walked over with my camera and offered to send the other team the digital shots if they wanted them. He looked at me like I had three eyes, but it was close so I'm going to say I fouled this one off. I would take one more hack at it. I spotted a lady with a boxer dog who was trying to pull her all over the place. I took a stab at some small talk with, "Man, he's pretty strong, huh? What's his name?" She told me he was strong but offered no name. Maybe she hadn't heard me. "What's his name? Is he friendly?" She turned her back on me and talked to some of her friends. Ouch. Strike three!

I again headed back to our "church's" spot where it was safe and people like me - or at least pretend to like me. Feeling like a big ole creeper as the result of my sociological experiment, my ego wounded and my ideals for the church of Jesus Christ dashed, I needed some comfort among my own people.

I think the church is bigger than these little buildings on every other street corner. I wish we felt more confident to be the church when we exit the front doors and leave the parking lot. I wonder what this softball league would look like if it went from churches playing against each other to the church enjoying each other and fellowshipping while playing softball.

I have a feeling it would be pretty attractive.

Church is for girls

"My husband hates going to church," she said with her face buried in her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I wonder why this surprises women. How many men do you see wanting to head out to hang with people they don't know to sing songs they don't know while listening to some guy they don't know lecturing them from behind a desk? Church looks like a pretty feminine institution to me. "Let's all get together to share our hearts." Um, no thanks.

Women, on the whole, not all, love stuff like this. They go out of their way to take walks together or catch up while sipping coffee from giant mugs. They plan "play dates" for their kids and go to "mom's group" meetings mostly to connect with other women. Their notebooks fill up at bible studies while most men look to their watches wondering how long it will be before they are free.

About a year ago I heard of a church with a men's service. They met in the gym for no more than an hour. The pastor promised there would be no singing but lots of humor. When he got up to preach he would ask that 20 minutes be put up on the scoreboard. He crafted his messages to be fast-paced and relevant and done by the time the final buzzer sounded when the board hit zero. After the message ended the guys either watched a game together on large screens or cleared the tables to play floor hockey or shoot hoops. The service was growing each month and guys started developing friendships. Some of those friendships even spilled over into Sunday morning services, golf courses and workplaces.

As you can imagine, the keepers of "sound doctrine" and "deeper teaching" went on the attack with "that's not real church" and "it's compromising the gospel." Blah, blah, blah ... Why does the established church always seem to be compelled to undermine anything new or any attempt to penetrate the culture with something that just might work?

I bet the majority of women would hate that type of service. Maybe a husband would end up it my office asking, "Why does my wife hate going to church?"

Let's dare to do something different.

Michael doesn't want to be a wizard

"Church is all about rules," 14 year old Michael said. His body language and expression told me that, to him, it was a bad thing.

Michael has been going to church since he was born. His mom and dad love him. His church has active children and youth programs. His church is big - nice gym, classrooms with flatscreens and lots of places for him to get involved. The worship band rocks.


After 14 years of sitting in classrooms and pews week after week he's reached a conclusion. Christianity is all about what God wants him to do or not do and that's it. Case closed.


I wonder if Michael is right. Is it really all about rules? Or, is it just that my young friend does not have the cognitive depth to understand what is really going on? Maybe he just can't understand grace so he defaults to the rules. That sounds weak. I think he can understand grace.


Michael gets A's. He's a bright kid and an athlete. Why is he missing the grace piece? I think it's probably because of what he sees around him. He knows he can't go to certain movies because his parents are Christians. He knows he can't read Harry Potter books because they will somehow make him want to be a wizard. He knows he can't listen to Kanye West on his iPOD because Jesus wouldn't like it. In Michael's eyes, church is responsible for making him stick out like a sore thumb at school. Church is the reason his parents lay down rules that his friends don't have to live by.


Michael knows the Sunday school song below and has learned he needs to be careful about everything but he's not sure why. In his mind he needs to be careful because God is watching him. He's not really sure of what happens when he hears, sees, thinks or does something "bad." He's pretty sure what happens to "bad" people.


Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear
For the Father Up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little ears what you hear.

And then it goes on for six more verses...
Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see,
Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say,
Oh, be careful little hands, what you do
Oh, be careful little feet where you go
Oh, be careful little mind what you think
Oh, be careful little heart what you love


I can't blame Michael. I think it's easy to see where he learned that church is all about rules. We churches tend to press on to "deeper" things once we think we've got salvation covered. For us, those deeper things focus on the practical "how to live" teachings. We say, "Now that you are a Christian you will ..."

Michael has not found church to be a freeing place. For him, it is a place of condemnation that continuously points out that he is a screw-up. He is not empowered to live life and doesn't understand the freedom he has in Jesus. He doesn't know that the Father sees him as perfect, holy and spotless. He doesn't know that God is fond of him and loves him regardless of Harry Potter movies or Jamie Foxx playing on his iPOD. He has not discovered the boundless love of Jesus which has compelled millions to shape their lives around Him.


Michael has gone to church for 14 years and has not encountered Jesus.

Conversations, Debates, Walls and Bridges

It takes at least two people to have a conversation. Conversations include giving and receiving; talking and listening.

Debates are different than conversations. The goal of a debate is to verbally beat down the opponent and be crowned the winner. Debate focuses on sound arguments, timing, intonation and careful presentation. The ebb and flow of volume and pitch are carefully orchestrated to bring about the goal of a win.

I like to debate. Some people hate debates. I like conversations. Most everyone enjoys conversation. Why the difference?

In debating I listen to my opponents' arguments while searching for the crack which will allow me a way in to cause their foundation to crumble. But, I'm not really interested in hearing them, identifying with them or considering their words. Debate is not about understanding, it is about winning.

Conversations happen. You say what you think and feel. I hear it and respond. Conversation is connection. It is sharing and valuing. Conversations lead to discoveries and understanding.

I think faith is a conversation that too often gets bumped by debate. My fellow Christians and I get training to become better debaters. We talk about worldview and defending God. (Can the Sovereign be defended? Does the Sovereign need defending?) Don't get me wrong ... it's good training and will come in handy when we find ourselves in the middle of debates.

I'd rather defuse debates and turn them to conversations. I'd rather hear what my Muslim neighbor believes and understand why he believes it. I'd rather talk with my gay friend and hear his heart and try to understand him instead of bringing out my "Three Ways to Convert Gays" pamphlet. I've learned that when I truly work to listen and understand others that they give me the same privilege of sharing what makes me who I am. Conversations lead to understanding. Debates usually just reinforce walls.

As a follower of Christ, I believe it's the Holy Spirit who brings about the result He desires. From what I see in Christ, my job is to love God and love others. In that love I will be ready to give an answer for the Hope that lives within me and will do that with gentleness and respect.

Conversations build relational bridges.

What's the point?

What's the point of checking into Christ? Why look at the way he lived life? Why consider the things he said?

Most people I talk to have no major issues with Jesus. I hear things like, "He was a good man," and "He was revolutionary," and "He did a lot of good things." But the attitude turns negative pretty quickly when I ask what people think of church. I hear complaints of judgmental attitudes, self-righteous superiority and meaningless tradition. It sounds like the church and Christ are not even related in their eyes.

I'm a pastor. People outside our comfy walls make me sad but I'm not sure what is at the root of that sadness. Am I sad that that say bad things or am I sad that the bad things they say are true?

I went to a church once where the pastor became some sort of surrogate for God in the eyes of many of the people. They would seek his input in every decision and were paralyzed when he wasn't around to tell them what to do. He seemed to like the arrangement on people growing more and more dependent on him being God's anointed. He used warfare terminology and set outsiders up as pawns of the enemy. It was us verses them. Cable TV was a channel for demons to enter our homes and the key to keeping demons out was to have him come to our homes and put oil on window sills while praying against Satan. Some people really got into it. Me? I just couldn't find it in the teachings of Jesus.

I flip through the channels on television and see people wearing big gold rings, blowing on people who then fall over and promising blessings for whoever sends in money. They all talk about Jesus. I see news shows with clips of people yelling and holding up big signs with "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" block printed on poster-board. I think, "Wow, so that's the slogan? That's the best you've got." I look for all of these folks' attitudes in the teachings of Jesus and I can't find them.

Maybe we're missing the point. Jesus said the point was to love God about all and then love others. Shouldn't that be what we're known for?

I apologize if a church hurt you. I apologize for the people who, without even knowing you, have gotten into your face to tell you you're going to hell. I apologize that you've not seen the life-changing, course-changing, defining love of Jesus in me. If we are the obstacles that keep you from considering Jesus, that makes me sad.

I encourage you to look past me and all the others who have blown it and go directly to the book of Luke to check out Jesus for yourself (and then flip to John). He really did change the world. It's worth finding out how and why.

Repelling others in the name of Christ

Have you ever heard about the woman who was following the Apostle Paul around and yelling, "Yo, listen up, these guys speak for God and know the way to live forever! Listen up!"

Like the pimped up car with the tinted windows sitting next to me at the light, her "boom, boom, boom" was constant and loud. It turned heads. The cranked sound system starts annoying me after maybe 30 seconds. This girl went on for days.

It sounds to me like she's really into promoting Paul and the cause of Christ. She's definitely not ashamed to draw attention to them. She's vocal and persistent. She's got a sketchy past but now she definitely seems to be pretty motivated by Paul's message.

And then something bizarre happens ... Paul gets tired of the endless noise and turns to her and shuts her up by casting an evil spirit out of her.

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. Acts 16:17-18

The account in Acts 16 really isn't about the girl at all. It's about corrupt people making money off oppression and then making Paul pay for ruining their business by freeing her.

But, I'm drawn to the girl. Why would an evil spirit push her to keep calling attention to Paul and telling everyone to listen? That doesn't make sense to me ... unless she was actually repelling people by her actions. Maybe that was the case. The whole of Scripture shows us that demons were not in the habit of boldly pestering the Lord's agents. Or maybe Paul just felt bad for her because of her condition and decided to heal her.

Have you ever met someone who is incredibly vocal, zealous and looks totally committed to Christ but they repel people like classical music repels teenagers? Let me be clear, I'm not suggesting they are possessed. What I am wondering is if we do more harm than good when we take on the role of the obnoxiously vocal girl.

Most of my Christian brothers and sisters who fit this mold wear their "persecution" like a badge and are actually fueled by resistance and objections. When they get no result or face objection they become even louder and more aggressive. Gentleness and respect are far from view. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness ... nowhere to be seen as loud voices and passionate pleas ring out.

I cringe when my loud brother steps up to the microphone and I think, "Oh man, what's coming now?" When that passionate man scolds and wags his finger against whatever the cause for the day, I ask that the Lord might soften his words. I look around the room and see eyes roll and arms fold across chests in defensive postures.

I remember a young woman in one of the groups I directed who presented herself as super spiritual. She wanted more times to pray, more worship and frequently lectured the others about what it meant to be serious about God. She was vocal and passionate and repelling. Others just felt like they didn't make the grade when she was around. Until a weekend retreat that flipped everything upside down.

As 20 of us spent time away seeking God's direction, she spent most of the weekend dominating our discussions. But then, one of the young women found lice in her own hair. The super spiritual one flipped. She reacted angrily, called the girl "disgusting" and refused to be in the same room or even ride in a car with the embarrassed girl. While she threw her fit, another young woman who was known for having some visible struggles and making some poor choices, stayed up putting lice treatment in the infected girl's hair. She then patiently and lovingly combed out dead lice and eggs until the girl was clean. All the while she assured the young woman that it was okay and could happen to anyone. It was very clear who represented Christ that weekend.

The next weekend the super-spiritual girl shared her testimony and went on at length about what it means to love God and love others. Unfortunately, no one could hear her because her actions were still screaming so loudly in their ears. Several girls confronted her after her message but she would not receive them. She was not about to take any advice from anyone who she saw as being lower on the spiritual maturity ladder. She still saw them as far below her.

Repellent. Missing the point of Jesus. Twisting arms. Judging. Pointing fingers. Comparing. How can we be so blind to think that we are calling people to Christ when we see them running for cover when they see us coming?

Jesus didn't repel. In fact, crowds followed Him. He had to slip away to manage some alone time. He listened to people. He heard them, he called them by name, he ate dinner at their houses. He challenged the status quo religion and invited relationships.

The pharisees were all about lifting themselves up and drawing attention to how holy they were. Jesus didn't even make their cut.

When the pharisees are happy with me it is time for me to re-evaluate my witness.

I got, got, got no time ...

How would your perspective change if you had an unlimited supply of time and resources? Let that sink in for just a minute. I'm thinking that my usual annoyance with the slow teenager working the drive-thru might just evaporate.

We Americans are slaves to the clock. Some cultures operate with little thought of time. When my African friends say we will meet "tonight" I have learned that they might show up anytime after 3 pm and stay for as long as it takes until it just seems appropriate to call it a night. Time is irrelevant.

We like to have our agendas, our planners and schedules. But, we also like to fantasize about time travel and being able to manipulate time.

Enter God. Time is not an issue for God. He's timeless. Can I admit to being baffled by that fact? Timeless. All of time has happened at once. God exists in what has been called the "external present." It is occurring and finished. In fact, God created time and before He created it, there was no human measure. What time is it right now?

I look in Genesis and see a 7 day account. But then I notice that our time pieces don't even get hung in the sky until day four. Were there 7 days or not? I think there were but I also think that God includes time type stuff for our benefit because He's timeless. Our days our numbered, God's days are not.

We move to close the deal, wrap up the loose ends and then move on. But God is willing to take a lifetime or more to accomplish His purposes. In some portions of Scripture He stays silent for hundreds of years. We "drive-thru Christians" get nervous and start laying on the horn when He doesn't quickly greet us with "May I take your order." Or worse, we give up and speed away angrily.

Isaiah 40::31 Those who wait on Him get strength. They go further and higher.

If I had an eternal perspective I bet it would effect my relationships the most. I bet I'd play more games of Monopoly and Risk. Most of us value time more than we value people. We just don't have time to "waste." For most of us, time is money. It's a commodity to be spent.

I believe that God created us, trees, seeds, animals and all. Much of His creation consists of things I can wrap my mind around and, at least superficially, comprehend. They are things I can see and touch. But time? Time is not something I can produce or contain. I can't store it up for future use and cannot give my extra hours to someone else nor borrow from them when I'm in need. I have absolutely no control over time itself.

My time budget is limited. I have a very finite number of minutes to spend. I wonder why I have such a tough time recognizing that the best place to spend those minutes is in relationships? I wonder why my daily calendar shows that I live in a Christian bubble, interacting almost entirely with Christians doing Christian things. If I would just spend my minutes loving others outside the bubble, hearing them and building relationships, surely God would open hearts to eternity with Him.

That is the clear message of the gospel that Jesus preached and lived.

Where can I find a pin to pop this bubble?

From Holy Hal to Cow-killing Kevin

I disagree. You disagree. People have been disagreeing nearly as long as there have been people. People react different ways in the face of disagreements. I've worked with a number of different profiles in ministry.

Holy Hal moves quickly to point out that God Himself has brought him to the point of view he champions. It's tough to disagree with Hal since he sees imself as the mouthpiece of God on the every matter at hand. "God is telling us to ..."

Dicing Debbie chooses to slice and dice those who disagree by bringing their many faults to the forefront. Her attacks can be vicious and bloody.She moves up and gets her way by assassinating others.

Sensitive Sam perceives any disagreement to be a personal attack and is wounded by the person who disagrees. He wonders why the person disagreeing with him doesn't like him.

Politicking Pete hears the disagreement, presents his side and then, if not on the winning end, hits the campaign trail enlisting others to join his cause. He approaches the same disagreement from seemingly limitless directions. It's never over for Pete. No decision is final until it is the decision he endorses.

Fleeing Freddy avoids conflict at all costs. In the face of disagreement he leaves. He doesn't want to fight. He's been bruised too many times.

Defensive Dave perceives disagreements as attacks and immediately sets out to defend his opinion without much effort to consider the opposing viewpoints. He begins working diligently to put together a bulletproof defense.

Grudging Gary carries the weight of past disagreement and adds new weights continuously. He carries a lengthy list of wrongs which he will not give up.

Doormat Doreen won't disagree or offer her thoughts even though her team may need them. She doesn't want to offend anyone. She stays silent and goes along.

No-compromise Nancy routinely disagrees with anything new or different. She elevates her position by spiritualizing and attaching it to something she calls, "the gospel." She proudly stands on her commitment to "never compromise the gospel."

Complaining Cal. You know if his name is on your schedule, you're in for an earful of all the ways you disappoint. Cal always has some issue to discuss and something with which he is unhappy.

Negotiating Ned looks for common ground and works to bring things together for the best interest of the team and the advancement of the cause. His efforts often get people onto the same page.

Peacemaker Patty is concerned with relationships. She is unafraid to disagree or hear disagreements. As far as it is possible for her, she works to be at peace with all. But, if peace cannot be found, she is able to stand her ground.

Straight Stan is honest and direct. He will state his opinion and has a reputation for being a plain talker. He clearly states his disagreements attaching no other incidentals or emotions to them. Sometimes the truth hurts but the team knows Stan's motives are pure. Stan boils it down to the issue at hand.

Cow Killing Kevin isn't afraid to challenge the system or process and ask if it is time to kill a sacred cow. He is unafraid to disagree with man-made traditions or existing policy and ask "why?" He'll just as easily end an existing program as begin a new one. He recognizes his own biases and offers them to the same evaluation.

Captain Carole is charged with steering the team. She's at the helm with steering wheel in hand. She must make the best decision she can taking input from her crew. She has her own ways of dealing with disagreement from the list above.

I'm in Carole's position. I see my own strengths and shortcomings as a leader. I know my natural inclination to become defensive and, when burned out, would rather flee conflict altogether. But I also see negotiating skills, cow killing and straight talk bearing fruit.

I've had numerous crews over the years and have had each of the people above serve at one time or another. Today I work harder to assemble the most balanced team I can.

Holy Hal is passionate but he silences others since he claims to speak for God. Dicing Debbie leaves a pile of hurt people in her wake. Complaining Cal is a bummer draining all who listen. Politicking Pete is exhausting and makes the team feel like it is wasting its time by always revisiting the same issues. Grudging Gary gets angry fast and triggers emotions. No-compromise Nancy works well maintaining existing programs but stalls innovative teams.

I've found Doormat Doreen to be an asset when separate from the personalities above. She brings a new perspective when she feels safe. I've also seen Defensive Dave and Sensitive Sam either grow stronger or worsen depending on the makeup of the team.

My dream teams, and I have had a few, have included a balance of peacemakers, negotiators, straight talkers and cow killers. It's no coincidence that they fit the description of leaders in Titus.

Titus 1:7-9- It's important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God's house, be looked up to - not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

I'm curious ... what personality profiles have you seen on leadership teams? What has been their effect on the vision, mission and ability of the team as a whole? Pushy Pam? Monopolizing Mandy? Bully Brad? Welcoming Will? Fair Frank?

Where can I ride my bike?

Be in the world but not of it. Come out and be separate. Don't be friends with the world. Love others. But, how do I love others when I can't hang out with them? How do I serve others when it looks like I'm not even supposed to ride my bike on their side of the street? Should I ring my bell and let them know I'm coming so they can straighten out?

There's Jesus again, sitting at a well with a promiscuous Samaritan woman. He's talking with her. And there He is having dinner with a short, little tax collector. Woah, that lady is pouring perfume on His feet! What's the deal with that? It looks like He's definitely a friend. He's pretty comfortable! 

Over there, in the corner, I see a group gathering around a table. They look like they are ticked-off about something. They're mumbling under their breath and looking toward Jesus with scowls on their faces. I can hear snippets of their conversations.

"What's He doing with them?"

"Have you heard the way she talks?"

"They don't even go to church. What's he doing hanging around those people?"

Jesus notices their conversations but doesn't change anything. Instead He looks like they've punched him in the heart again. They just don't get it. They still want to focus on religion and are missing the relationship news he is living.

Do you think when He had dinner at Matthew's house (Matthew 9) that all the people who got together changed the way they talked, the things they joked about and their normal courses of life so they wouldn't offend Jesus? I doubt it. Rough crowds aren't known for towing the line.

I know that some people say Jesus didn't miraculously create fermented wine at the wedding feast. They tell me He created grape juice and it's silly to think otherwise because fermentation "takes time." I guess it's an easy way to credit Jesus with a miracle without allowing Him to take any part in people drinking wine. Apparently Jesus is powerful enough to make grape juice from water but He comes up a little short in his ability to affect fermentation. So close ...

The mumbling masses mumble on. Jesus tells them that He came for people like these and that He's going to hang out with them and share life with them. While the holy huddle sits in a corner complaining about how unholy He is, questioning His motives and grumbling about He and His disciples not following the rules, Jesus keeps loving people. He tells His complaining friends that they need a lesson in kindness (Mt 9:13) and that He'd rather have that than all their self-elevating sacrifices.

Jesus was altogether separate. He hung out with people altogether in life-transforming ways. His mindset was entirely different and separate from the secular and Hebrew mindset. He revealed the life and heart of God in the same Scriptures they had. It's possible to study the Scriptures and miss the One. Do you know what I mean?

The grumblers are still off to the side. They meet together to discuss ways to reach out to others but then set boundaries that make honesty and comfort impossible. They create surreal experiences. They list random rules. They schedule spontaneity and chance right out of the picture. The people they attract, if any, are the same systems types that they are. They program programs that they will like.

How many times have I heard a well-meaning brother or sister say the key to reaching others for Christ is to have more worship services? More studies? More prayer times? How many times have we rushed in to serve some soup to the hungry and then rushed out before things got uncomfortable?"Uncomfortable" happens when life occurs. Schedules and programs with tightly-packed agendas help us stay in control and make sure nothing awkward happens. Smokers won't smoke, swearers won't swear and no one will tell an off-color joke if we make sure to eliminate time for joking. It will be perfect if they all just sit and listen and then go right to their cars and leave. We'll feel good. They'll wonder what the heck just happened.

I can see Jesus reclining at the table at Matthew's house. Most houses were a couple rooms with dirt floors. The theme was multi-purpose functionality. Rolled mats for reclining. Finger bowls for dipping. Cheese, wine, vegetables and fruits, and eggs. The main course was most likely fish but may have been red meat if Matthew was pulling out all the stops. The smells of a boiling stew pot - salt, onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, mint, dill, and mustard fill the house. Some sweet honey or date syrup take the bitter edge off. Conversation flows, laughs erupt and life happens.

Belong. Believe. Become. I love you, you love me, you love others. Rinse and repeat.

The mumblers espouse an entirely different approach; become and then belong and then believe. Actually, believing isn't really all that important as long as one becomes (changes behavior) and then finds that he belongs (is accepted based on that change.) You can make the grade without believing anything different at all. Just do the right stuff and say the right things and you belong.

Jesus demonstrates love and extends belonging first. People react to his unconditional love by replacing their belief system with a grace-based paradigm and then desire to become like Him. Remember Zaccheus? Because Jesus loves and accepts me, I will determine to love and accept others. Because He forgives me I will forgive others. 

Being separate is not about going through a cloudy behavioral checklist determining worth, value or status. It's not about a random list of ever-changing cuss words and it's not about making sure your iPOD is filled only with the hippest of Christian worship music and absolutely no U2 .(Bono swore on television, remember?)   Being separate means renewing our minds with a system that allows for people to be welcomed, heard and treated with kindness. Being separate appears to me to be less positional than it is attitudinal.

I refuse to let your can of beer or the fact that you just said a naughty word put distance between us. I refuse to turn you away or discount or devalue you. I refuse to reduce the kingdom of heaven to matters of eating or drinking and the daily trivium of life (Rom. 14). I refuse to look down my nose and pass judgement on you. I refuse to join that table in the corner.

I choose to truly be separate.


Breathe Deep (The Breath of God) 1996

Lost Dogs from the album "Green Room Serenade, Part One"(Terry Taylor)

Politicians, morticians, Philistines, homophobes
Skinheads, Dead heads, tax evaders, street kids
Alcoholics, workaholics, wise guys, dim wits
Blue collars, white collars, war mongers, peace nicks

Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God

Suicidals, rock idols, shut-ins, drop outs
Friendless, homeless, penniless and depressed
Presidents, residents, foreigners and aliens
Dissidents, feminists, xenophobes and chauvinists

Evolutionists, creationists, perverts, slum lords
Dead-beats, athletes, Protestants and Catholics
Housewives, neophytes, pro-choice, pro-life
Misogynists, monogamists, philanthropists, blacks and whites

Police, obese, lawyers, and government
Sex offenders, tax collectors, war vets, rejects
Atheists, Scientists, racists, sadists
Photographers, biographers, artists, pornographers

Gays and lesbians, demagogues and thespians
The disabled, preachers, doctors and teachers
Meat eaters, wife beaters, judges and juries
Long hair, no hair, everybody everywhere!

Good Friday

Silence.

What do you say???

Silence.

Who are you???

Silence.

Don't you understand that I have the power to execute you???

The only power you have is that which has been given to you.

Liars lie. They swear and lie. "Crucify him! Release Barabbas!"

"What crime has he committed? What has he done?"

The politician succumbs and does what politicians so often do. He sacrifices values and morals to give the loudest what they demand. Pilate handed them Jesus.

Soldiers. Purple robe. Mocking insults. Tearing flesh. Blood and pain.

Stumbling. Weak. "You there! You come carry his cross!" they said to Simon.

Golgotha. Lifted high on rough lumber. Gambling for His clothes. Vinegar on a sponge. Laughs.

"Forgive them Father. They don't realize what they are doing." He prays for his enemies even while hanging on the cross.

"Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."

"Today you shall be with me in paradise."

It is finished!

I am reborn, spotless, a new creation ...

Feet are gross...

Maundy Thursday. It sounds like someone got confused. Is it Maunday or is it Thursday? What's it all about?

Here's the scene. Jesus and His disciples are getting together to celebrate Passover with a meal. We refer to it as the "Last Supper" because it was the night before Jesus went to the cross.

The normal custom was for a servant to use a basin to wash the feet of all who came in for the supper. But on this night something was very different. The servant was Jesus! The Jesus the disciples had been traipsing around with over the past few years, the man they had seen heal people, feed thousands and spend His time telling them about His Father's kingdom, knelt before them with towel in hand ready to wash their feet.

It wasn't the first time He did something that baffled them. He was full of surprises. But this one, this one was just too much to handle without someone taking exception. It was Peter. Peter had a history of speaking up.

"You don't plan to wash my feet, Lord? No way," Peter said.

Jesus was patient with him. "You don't get it right now, Peter, but you'll understand this later."

"This is not okay. I won't let you do it, " Peter protests.

"If you don't get into this foot washing thing, Peter, you have missed the entire point of my being with you and you have no part of me," Jesus said.

"Well if that's the case, then wash all of me - my head, my heart, my feet!" Peter said.

When Jesus finished He sat back down at the table and told them that He had set the example for them and that they were now charged to serve one another and love others. He commanded them again to love. Wash feet. Serve. Do the lowly job. Set status and position aside.

John 13:34-35 "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other."

Maundy is from the Latin word to "command." When we gather on Maundy Thursday we remember that Jesus commanded us to love and serve.

Maybe it's just me but it seems like that "command" of Maundy Thursday services has taken a back seat to remembering the Last Supper sadly and reverently. The purpose of this last gathering was to sum it all up again; to explain it all one more time with a powerful display of love. Jesus took the place of the servant and washed feet knowing full well that His Father had given Him charge of everything (v.3). The most powerful man on the planet chose to wash feet to leave one last point of what He had been saying for three years.

Be challenged today, Maundy Thursday, to fulfill the command. Love one another. Wash feet.

Drawing lines while love goes out the window

"Come sit with me, my child, I have something for you." With a beaming grin, my Father reached into his pocket and took out a a shimmering cross. He gently he placed it over my heart. I watched it become part of me.

"You are mine," he said in a reassuring voice that somehow gave me freedom instead of servitude. It instantly removed performance and insecurity weights that had been accumulating for decades. I can still hear them;

"Jesus doesn't like it when you watch bad shows and we'll tell you what they are. God is dissapointed in you when you laugh at things that we tell you are inappropriate. Always leave room for Jesus to walk or sit between you and that girl you like. Be careful little eyes what you see." I got the message that I was a big disappointment to God.

"I did not send my Son to condemn you but to rescue you. It's about love ... love that allows you to be declared innocent even when you know you are guilty. It's my gift to you, my son." (John 3:17)

My Father showed me through His Word that he used to have a system that was based on law. He showed me how people failed time after time to live up to His holiness. He showed me some laws that seemed pretty silly to me and chuckled when he saw the puzzled look on my face. "Do you know anyone who could pass these tests?" He asked knowing that I did not. "It's impossible unless you receive the Gift of Grace I give you." (Eph. 2:8)

"This cross that I have burned on your heart is a reminder of my love for you. Get ready for people to try to add to it." I asked what could they possibily add. A sad look took over His face and betrayed the hurt He felt.

"Some will work to add regulations. Circumsicions are not a big deal in your world now like they were after my son walked the earth. But, there will be different standards added. People will tell you that you have to act a certain way to be truly saved. Some will spiritualize it and tell you have to speak in tongues, others will tell you you can't watch television or movies. Some won't want you to dance or drink wine or eat meat. And all are convinced they speak for me."

I nodded silently.

"My child, be about the majors. Love others. Please don't ever reduce my love to a simple series of do's and don'ts. When you become one who draws lines in the sand, you become judge and jury. Walk over lines to love."

"Sit with me for awhile ..."

Take the Pharisee-Legalist quiz.
1)Do you act as if you essentially have a monopoly on God's word, the knowledge of God's will, sound doctrine, and truth? ("God told me that...")
2) Are you often a "hyper-seperationists" in your attitude toward others? (Good Christians and bad Christians.)
3) Do you smugly denounce and ridicule believers who do not believe or behave exactly as you do? (John 9:34).
4) Do you have an outward show of "humility" and "consecration" while inwardly you are proud and self-righteous?
5) Do you want the praise of men; are you looking for honor as "the spiritual one" in the group?
6) Do you present your man-made traditions or codes as God's irrefutable eternal laws?
7) Do you idolize certain leaders of your group?
8) Do you fail to "practice what you preach?" (one standard for church things and another for "real life.")
9) Do you keep others from having or seeking true godliness by judging them inferior and making them feel inferior?
10) Do you act as if you are "favored" by God more than anyone else?"

(adapted from http://www.biblebelievers.com/ - an interesting variety of readings across the spectrum)

One thing is sure about legalists ... they tend not to attract people with the love of Jesus. Or, if they do attract people to their systems, it is not long before they become weighed down and discouraged.

Good Christians and Bad Christians

I wonder why we, as a people, are just so bad at extending grace when we should be experts at it? As followers of Christ, we've accepted grace and experienced it firsthand. But when it comes to showing grace to our brothers and sisters it sometimes seems like we have no idea what grace even is at all.

I've spent my life in churches. My mom and dad always took me to church when I was a kid. I heard all about Jesus and heaven and peace. I learned the beatitudes and got a shiny plaque. The church people stood up and clapped for me. That was nice.

Somewhere along the way I started learning the difference between "good people" and "bad people." Good people were people who went to church on Sunday. They didn't swear or smoke or go to dances and they never wore bikinis. Bad people had weird hair, dressed funny, smoked and swore. They were bad and we were good. It was our job to make them good. Somehow, somewhere Jesus was involved with the whole equation but I wasn't quite sure how. The most important thing was that people needed to be straightened out.

As I grew and moved from one church to another I learned different definitions for bad people. I met people who told me that other people who I thought were good were really bad because they read the wrong translation of the bible or listened to Christian rock and roll or wore the wrong clothes. That threw me for a loop because I thought that we were all on the same footing because we all believed in Jesus. They told me that some Christians were "being deceived." Apparently there were "good Christians" and "bad Christians." The standards change from place to place.

By time I was in my late teens I had several opportunities to sit on the front lines of some good ole' church brouhahas. Most were in the context of something the adults called "church business meetings." I remember one in particular where a woman did something in the church kitchen that ticked some of the other women off. The fireworks sent sparks everywhere. Man, they were really going at it, calling each other names and using charged words like "corruption", "integrity" and "character." I remember wondering how Jesus fit into the mess.

College hit and, frankly, I was glad to be free of "church." But, by senior year, I decided "church" was probably the right thing to do so my wife and I wandered into a large baptist church near campus. By the next night we had three people in our little living room welcoming us and telling us all about their pastor. I remember one guy telling me, "He's a man's man, He's no pantywaist." That was odd.

We stayed at that church a few weeks and had another visit from some fellas telling Robin and I that we needed to be "re-baptized" in their church and "step up" to membership. I guess we got baptized wrong the first time? It didn't count. We didn't return.

Somehow I knew that Jesus was real in the midst of all the messiness. I had enough brushes with people of grace, people who let things slide and smiled a lot, that I knew I wanted to be like them. They had a peace that comes only through receiving and then giving Grace. They were ambassadors of Jesus. Ambassadors tend not to scream much or forcefully make people submit to their agendas, plans and goals. They represent.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (The Message)
We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

I committed my life to being an ambassador and working in ministry. In these past 25 years I have witnessed some terrible carnage in churches. I've seen people fight about rugs and nurseries, soda machines and guitars, street signs and paint. I watched people leave a church body because of the style selected for new auditorium chairs. I've sat in budget meetings where brothers and sisters have fought for an hour about a $250 mission expense and then voted to pass a $5,000 line item for new choir robes without a word of discussion. I often wonder why we fight about the things we fight about. Why do we bear our fangs about so many things that really don't seem to matter much?

Grace is undeserved favor. Grace is about putting others above ourselves. It is about walking the extra mile, turning the other cheek and stepping back from our agendas to consider others. It is about giving the benefit of the doubt. It is about seeing every part's value and even paying special honor to the "less presentable" parts.

Where grace subsides, conflict abounds. Our tongue betrays the true condition of our hearts with hurtful, self-elevating words directed at our brothers and sisters. That rudder steers our ship on the wrong course when it promotes us as "good Christians" and denounces others as "bad Christians."

Where grace fades pharisaism intensifies and fissures multiply.

Represent.

What to do, What to do? (Part 4 - the end)

First and foremost - love God and love others. Love others with an active, you-before-me love. See a need and meet a need.

Second - do what you do and be what you are. Huh???

Paul puts an awesome word picture together in 1 Corinthians 12. He tells us to look at things like we look at our own bodies. It's pretty funny actually. Can you picture if you were just a giant eyeball? Sure, you could see pretty well but you couldn't hear anything or even communicate what you've seen. Or say you're just a big ole mouth ... blah, blah blah. You could talk a lot and hear no one and see nothing. Picture yourself just a hand. Sure, you could give someone a hand but chances are that you would never know that anyone needed a hand in the first place.

I like how he even gets into the parts we can't see. How's your liver? No one even thinks about their liver until it's not doing its job and then everything shutst down.

Are you a good listener? Find a way to listen! Good at teaching? Teach! Feel compelled to pray for people? Dare to pray! Like to organize and make checklists? Do it! Hate being in front of people and prefer to lend a hand behind the scenes? I love you like I love my liver!

Do you get the gist? See what Paul is saying? Let's stop worrying about what we can't do and instead offer what we can. If you're like me, operating in areas where you are not gifted can burn you out fast.

Third, replace yourself.
As a pastor, I have a challenge in front of me. I am supposed to be equipping and training people to do what they do and help them find places to do it. If I do everything myself I am missing the boat and limiting ministry and maybe even missing the point of ministry altogether.

That makes me ask, "Am I replacing myself?" I should be. If I do not offer the people I am discipling the very real opportunity to lead, I am doing little more than filling their gas tanks. When will I hand over the keys and say, "Here, you drive."

Out of love we go.
In going we disciple.
In discipling we equip.
In equipping we prepare.
In preparing we transfer.
In transferring we set free.
In setting free we multiply.
In multiplying we impact more lives.

Teacher, are you replacing yourself by preparing someone to take over?
Pastor, are you training and trusting God enough to hand over the keys?
Worship leader, are you bringing someone alongside to step in and take the reins?
Servant, are you helping someone else learn to serve and stepping aside to let them?

The best (leader) is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Theodore Roosevelt

A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. John Maxwell

For many of us, releasing control is the toughest part of leadership. When we do not, our young leaders, feeling like they are not really needed, eventually lose interest and move on leaving us with the ironic exhaustion we've created by never letting them lead or serve. We stunt their growth!

Multiplication is an amazing thing. If you don't believe me try giving me a penny tomorrow and then double it every day for a month. 1 cent, 2 cents, 4 cents and so on. It will be a great lesson using only a bunch of pennies, right?

Go ahead. I double dag dare you.

Love that compells (part 3 of being and doing)

You speak of signs and wonders
I need something other
I would believe if I was able
But I'm waiting on the crumbs from your table
- U2

"What does God want us to do? Just sit around and do nothing?"

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love one another. Love the hurting.

Love is more than a greeting card. It's more than a mushy feeling of infatuation. In biblical context love is usually presented as a verb. Even when presented as a noun, love is the result of action. We have a difficult time comprehending biblical love because we tend to restrict it to the emotional dynamic. We give a hug, smile and say, "I love you."

The movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey portrays how our society sees love and it makes us laugh at ourselves. But, did you catch the underlying current in that movie? The "l" word is scary. If you want to push someone away in a relationship talk about love, the future and life together. That will send them running!

Parts of our society tries to lessen love. Grandma rocker Tina Turner even calls it a "second hand emotion" and nothing more than an "old fashioned notion." At the same time, shows like The Bachelor parade dozens of attractive women for an eligible male while steeping romance with food, champagne, limousines and luxury all for voyeuristic television audiences who root for true love.

It's clear that we're confused.

The Greek uses a some distinct words for love. I'm not a Greek scholar by any stretch but I do see eros (romantic), phileo (brotherly) and agape (compelling and doing) love. The New Testament uses agape when discussing God's love and our love for Him. Agape is the love of God that compels us to act. It's a deep, deep love that is more about doing than feeling.

In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament we see ahabah (ahav) as a description of the love of God. When referring to God it's an action-based, community, relationship type of meaning that is bathed in commitment, faithfulness and responsibility. It is an identity-swallowing, consuming love that thrills God and benefits others simultaneously. (I invite my linguist readers to help me out with my understanding.)

When Jesus speaks of love it is not just a second-hand emotion. The whole of scripture paints love as a shaping, defining, faithful, protecting, consuming phenomenon. It colors everything about God and everything about His children. The Hebrew presentation of love connects with agape seamlessly.

Godly love compels us to love others. It compels us to see His concern when we look into the eyes of the hungry, the orphan and the single mom. It is the law of God written on every man's heart and the reason the world outside the church looks in with skeptical eyes. They have a sense of what the people of God should be about. It is the reason the jobless man, down on his luck and facing financial disaster, comes through the front doors humbly seeking help.

If we are immersed in discussions of signs and wonders or too busy running from bible study to bible study or chasing after the next adrenaline-pushing worship experience at the expense of the people Jesus lovingly came to rescue, we must step back and look in the James' mirror.

James said that the person who lets the life-changing message of Jesus go in one ear and out the other without acting on it is like a guy who looks in a mirror and walks away forgetting what he looks like. (James 1:22-27) Can you see it? It's like we smile in the mirror, see a big chunk of spinach in our teeth and walk out doing nothing about it. It just doesn't make sense! We can go through the day smiling big and pretty as though there's nothing there but we're kidding ourselves. We can fill our days with religious activities, we can read all the Christian authors, we can journal our daily study of scripture and fill our iPODs with great Christian music but the measure of our understanding of Jesus is seen in our loving others.

What if I really don't love others? What if, truthfully, I really don't care? Should I go out and start doing good things? Please don't. Instead, clear your schedule and rest with God. (Matthew 11:28-30) Hang out with Jesus and let Him teach you. Let your doing come from your loving and being loved by God.

"We cannot work for God without love. It is the only tree that can produce fruit on this sin-cursed earth, that is acceptable to God. If I have no love for God nor for my fellow man, then I cannot work acceptably." - DL Moody

Being and Doing (part 2)

My last post on the foundational importance of being rather than doing has brought some interesting questions. Thinking is a good thing.

Doers have been offended. As a doer, I understand that. We perfectionists place a lot of value in our commitments to excellence. We like our Daytimers and empty calendars present a challenge to be filled. A full calendar, we believe, shows that we are busy and important people. I confess, I like lists. I like to check tasks off my list. I will even add an already completed task to my list for the joy of drawing a line through it to mark it completed. Being a doer puts me in control. I like measurable goals. It's the way I work.

The trouble comes when I start placing more value in my doing stuff for God than I put on spending time with God. God created me and you to be in relationship with Him. It's His priority. It's His love. It's what we see in the famous Mary verses Martha conflict when Jesus came to visit (Luke 10:40-42).

I can identify with Martha. I can really feel for her. While she's busy doing things to make her guests comfortable, Mary plops down on the floor to hang out with Jesus. I can picture Mary making herself comfortable, smiling and listening to Jesus. Martha is getting more and more steamed by the minute. I can imagine her possible thought process, "What does she think she's doing? She knows there is stuff to do? How can she just be sitting there?"

It's important to understand the historical context of the time period. Women were not welcomed to sit at the feet of a rabbi. In most circles it was forbidden. Women were servants who worked hard. Sadly, they were often seen more as property than people. And here we see Mary sitting at Jesus's feet! Martha knows that her sister is well aware of what is allowable and what is not. This whole situation is just not allowable!

The revolutionary Jesus who routinely upset the religious leaders welcomed women and children and Samaritans and Gentiles is at it again. He touched lepers. He went to tax collectors' houses. He valued people not for status, position, education, wealth or bloodline. He valued all people because, as I said in the last post, they are created in the image of God and He is very, very fond of them. Jesus comes to Mary's defense saying she has chosen better to sit with Jesus. (He is not saying Martha should have dropped everything but that she is more than likely going overboard at the expense of what is truly important.)

Remember the criminals hanging on crosses? One mocked Jesus hanging near him and the other defended Jesus. He told the first criminal to back off (Luke 23:39-43) and admitted that both he and the other deserved to die but insisted that Jesus was innocent. Then, this guy who has absolutely nothing to offer, this guy who will be dead in a matter of hours asks Jesus to remember Him in Heaven. And Jesus says yes!

Why, on earth, would Jesus say yes to this guy? Why would He tell him that he would be in paradise with Him? The truth is, on earth, there is no rationale to explain this. The rationale is supernatural and beyond our earth system. Our earthly system says you are valuable because of what you do and what you contribute. God's system of grace says you are valuable because He created you in His image and has a gift that you cannot earn. You cannot do enough. It is the reason an unworthy criminal hanging on a cross, about to die, is valued the same as the missionary, a worship leader or pastor. Our value is not in our doing, it is in our being.

Does that make you mad? Sometimes it bugs me that the person I determine "scum" is not scum to my Father. Of course, God must see me as better than that scum, right? The Truth is without Jesus, I'm in no better shape.

It's like couterfeit money. If you take a really good counterfeit $100 bill into a shop and an ugly, cheap, counterfeit $100 bill made on a color copier, it will be clear that one bill looks better than the other. Both are worthless. Someone might even admire the better counterfeit. The value of each bill is the same. Zero. The value in currency is the treasury that backs it.

Placing our value in anything other than the unshakeable truth that we are loved by God, having been created in His image and then restored to relationship with Him through the price paid by Jesus, is a mistake. Pointing to all our doings is a mistake.

Does that mean we drop out of everything? Does it mean it is useless to do anything? Yes and no. Yes, if we are overloading ourselves and burning out because we believe that it somehow changes our value in God's eyes. No, if you are operating out of a place of peace and rest where you serve from a place of relationship with your Father. If we are serving at the expense of relationships in our lives or are so busy doing "God things " that we have no time left to love our neighbors, we are missing it. If we are too busy to sit by the lake and enjoy His creation, too busy to laugh with an old friend in an overpriced coffee shop and too busy to paint a sunset, our lives are filled with too much noise to hear His still small voice.

"Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything." (Ps. 46:10 The Message)

If our churches fill our schedules so much that we do not have time to coach a Little League team, serve on the school board or host a cookout for our neighbors, they cut us off from the very people with whom we should be building relationships. Since we have no time to love the people next door we expand the definition of loving our neighbors to all those who are in our church. Are are missing the point? I believe we are.

Our value is our in our being - created in God's image with a desire that we be in relationship with Him. His desire is that we talk with Him, sit with Him and walk with Him and enjoy His company. When we begin here we become more like Him, our hearts and character reflect Him and then ... we find ourselves doing.

We'll discuss the doing in the next entry. I bet you can hardly wait, right?

"Humble yourself and cease to care what men think. A meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather,... he has stopped being fooled about himself. He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring. He has obtained a place of soul rest. The old struggle to defend himself is over. - A. W. Tozer