Homework is boring

Have you every felt like "doing devotions" is more like homework that anything else? 
Yeah me too. 
For most of my life. 
Really until about 3 months ago my "daily devotions" felt mostly like something I had to do because I love Jesus. More like a chore than anything else. While spending time with God should be more like a date with my wife- just spending time with her, it tended to be more like unloading the dishwasher - which I do because I love her... but it's boring... and I don't really like it.

Here's the problem: spiritual development tends to get relegated to a one size fits all remedy for any spiritual trouble. We have a tendency to reduce our time with God to a script that stifles individuality and creativity. As a result many believers find themselves doing homework in order to earn a celestial grade instead of connecting with their creator in a beautiful, relational way. 

The reality of the relationship God seeks with us is that, as any relationship, it is individual and unique. There are basic actions and emotions that define every human relationship. Any two marriages will have varying levels of overlap in the way the man and woman interact. Conversely, any two marriages will have distinct differences that simply will not work if applied directly to another relationship. Unique individuals interact with each other in unique ways. This is true of marriage and it is true of following Christ. Each individual - though there are levels of overlap and foundational actions and emotions - connects with God in unique and personal ways. Rather than being an assembly line of uniformly made creatures we exist as a mosaic in which each distinct line and color adds beauty and interest to the whole. In Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas identifies 9 distinct ways in which humans connect with God (Thomas, 2015). I don't want to recount the book to you. You should just buy or borrow it. What I do want to do is move you. 

I want you to get excited about the fact that God has made you as a unique individual and wants to connect with you as a unique individual. Then I want you to take that excitement and channel it into action. Do something about it. Figure out how God has uniquely made you to connect with him. Take a walk in the woods, hang out with a homeless person, read a theology book full of big words, attend a liturgical service somewhere, get really quiet and meditate on God's goodness. Try it. Figure it out. 
Read the book about it. Then, whatever way God has made you to connect with him, do that. And if it doesn't look like someone else's "daily devotions" who cares?! You shouldn't. As long as you have found a way to spend time with God every day so that you get to know him better, cool. Do that.

God is not a cosmic principle here to make sure you perform well in class. God is a Father-Savior-Comforter-Counselor-Friend who wants you to know him and spend time with him. 

In a Hurry

Modern, westernized people exist in a distinctly hurried culture. Driven by accomplishment and excellence, many spend their lives moving from one meeting, project, or commitment to the other with little thought for the things that do not seem urgent. Everything from school deadlines to time critical work assignments to sales that “end tonight” and “can not be missed” drive us to overlook and undervalue things that do not require attention or provide immediate value. In his book Addicted to Hurry, Kirk Byron Jones argues that this dependance on speed and achievement is more than just a cause of stress and anxiety in our culture. It is a spiritual problem. Jones compares it to idolatry in which something other than God gets our first fruits of time, attention, and energy. He goes on to say “Idolatry, no matter how innocent and unintended, leads to unnecessary losses and sacrifice (Jones, 2003).” This “addiction to hurry” is causing tension in every area of modern life. 

There are a lot of reasons we're driven to continual motion. Success has been equated with accomplishment. Personal value and identity has been equated with success. The ability to be happy and find fulfillment inevitably comes from knowing ones identity and believing in ones own value, therefore we hurry to accomplish and succeed for the sake of identity and value. Perhaps the most prevalent issue driving people to hurry is simply other people. Jim Rohn, author and motivational speaker, once said that a human being is the average of the five people with whom he or she spends the most time (Groth, 2012). According to scripture, people are created as relational beings in the image of a relational God. Humanity needs others for health and identity development. A culture that has grown to center on success by numbers, is a culture that shapes people into its image. If the five closest friends of any given person are those who reflect the culture then the person will do the same. We are driven to hurry by the culture we live in, through the people around us. Many millennials grew up in homes that strove for an idilic picture of success. Achievement has long been associated with more speaking engagements, more projects, more meetings, and more authority. Escaping from a culture of hurry, even for followers of Jesus who feel the dissonance between hurried culture and a God who speaks in the small and still voice, is a difficult and, often, painful process. It requires a community shift in which people, who inevitably shape each other, choose to embrace different values.  

The core premise of the Gospel is that God values people enough to sacrifice himself for them even though people have no value to add to him, no positive accomplishment, and, in fact, stand with red in the ledger because nothing they could accomplish would pay the balance of sin. To accept the Gospel of Jesus as true means to embrace a new set of values that stand counter to the never resting drive of culture. The tension comes in that many followers of Jesus have allowed his truth to transform their “do nots” but have not surrendered their “dos.” In other words, while much has changed in our lives in terms of big visible sin, we have not even considered that Jesus might want to change even the things we do that many consider to be good and healthy. The foundation to a life not enslaved by hurry is a life fully surrendered to Christ. Jones says that “Cultivating new understandings about things such as work, rest, and even your views on what God desires of you is key to breaking hurry addiction (Jones, 2003).” A life that holds nothing back from Christ will resist the urge to be defined by anything, good or bad, that is not from Christ. Living fully surrendered means refusing to allow anything to define our value and identity outside of the cross of Christ. Our worth comes from the value assigned to us on the cross. We do not need to accomplish anything or to succeed at anything to feel valuable. It is because God has decided our value that we can strive for accomplishment without fear of becoming a failure. Even if we fail our value will not be diminished. The identity we receive from Christ is what drives us to accomplish things that He has made us to accomplish. Therefore, unending accomplishment and constant motion will not have a foothold on a surrendered Christian’s identity if that Christian is willing to center every decision in prayer and listening. 

From the initial place of surrender to the new identity given by Christ, believers must then choose to embrace a different set of values. We must orient our lives around the things that fuel us, not the things that burn the fuel. If our identity and value comes from Christ, he must be given the first place in time and energy. Family and close relationships are responsibilities and blessings that must come second in priority. From there we must choose things that give us life and energy. If we are to have the energy and focus to accomplish the things God has purposed for us to accomplish we must take time to rest and energize in the essentials of life. 

      So the question for each of us is simple: what fuels you and how will you refuel every day? How will you connect with Christ to remind yourself of your intimate value? How will you surround yourself with people who shape you in his image? The idea of taking a new set of values is novel and interesting, but until we make a plan and put it into action it will just be an idea. 

Groth, A. (2012, July 24). You're The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With. Retrieved June 09, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-rohn-youre-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-spend-the-most-time-with-2012-7

Jones, K. B. (2003). Addicted to hurry: spiritual strategies for slowing down. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press.

A Few Easy Ways to Choose Gratitude

Tis the season of gratitude... or at least the season with "thanks" in the title.
I usually find myself getting more annoyed and finding more things to complain about when we all get together to say thanks. It's like we as a culture say "here are all of the things you have to do to have a good holiday season! Don't screw it up or we'll all notice and stare. Oh! And try to relax and be happy!"

Yesterday I heard a powerful message about joy in the lives of followers of Jesus. Maybe the greatest example of Christ we can be this week is with genuine thanks and a grateful attitude. Here are a few ways to focus on gratitude this week.

1. Focus on what you have: It is obnoxiously easy to get obsessed with what I want or think I need. The reality is that if we are sitting inside eating turkey this Thursday we have it better than so many people suffering across the world and in our own cities. This week, every day, focus on what you have. Be thankful you have a job, even if it's no fun at all. Be thankful for your family, even if you don't get along very well. Be thankful for your home, even if it feels too small. Be thankful for your food, even if it's not your favorite. Fill your perspective with what you have, not what you lack.
2. Don't Complain: Just don't. Complaining is the worst way to fix a problem. Also, sarcasm is just a more fun way of complaining. Sarcastic posts on the internet are the same thing except it's harder to tell if you're kidding or just being mean.
Instead of "mom, why isn't there any pie?!" try this: "Mom, I know you're busy this week. How can I help you? Maybe we could make a pie together?" Instead of posting something political, even if it's witty and hilarious, try posting something encouraging, even if it encourages someone you don't really like.
Think of it like this. Choosing a bad attitude is like volunteering to swim in a pool of sadness. Complaining is like pushing someone else in and holding them under. Drastic analogy? Yes. But pretty accurate.
3. Choose to be Grateful: We usually cannot choose the way we feel. We can always choose the way we act. Your feelings, circumstances, or struggles are not your identity. Don't let them control you. In a world that is blown around by feelings like a kite in a hurricane, be different. Let your hope in Jesus decide your actions.

As I write this post I realize even more clearly that I need to do all this stuff as much, if not more, than anyone else.
I hope we can all choose gratitude, not just during the "thanks" time of the year. 

3 Things for Followers of Jesus to do Post Election

For the last year social media has been a violent place. Yesterday it got worse. For those of us in the USA who follow Jesus, we have the opportunity to stand for unity, hope, and love in an atmosphere looking for as reason to fight. Here are 3 simple things to do to show the love of Jesus in a hurricane of opinions.

1. Pray.
Pray for our neighbors, no matter who they voted for. Pray for our president, no matter who we voted for. Pray for our nation, no matter how we feel about it right now. Some feel that a victory has been won. Some feel that an enormous battle has been lost. The answer in both circumstances is to humbly pray. It's easy to pray what we want and do very little listening in times like these. Let us pray for God's will, let us repent of our own pride, and let us align ourselves with the heart of God by seeking him above all.

2. Be Positive.
I never thought I would say that I miss the "I can hazzz cookiezz" cat or the "share this or have bad luck for 13 generations" pictures, but I do. Christians have hope. In us breathes the Spirit of the living God. There is a time for mourning, yes. But through everything we should have joy in the Lord, hope in our Savior, and the ability to laugh. Think before you post. Then think again. Then have your wife or husband read it first. Then think again. Then maybe delete it and share a picture of your dog. Let's be the ones who quit cursing the other side for winning or bragging at the other side for losing. Let's bring hope.

3. Serve.
Here's the most controversial thing I will say: no matter how good or bad you feel a policy is, it is not the spiritual responsibility of a government to care for the poor, the outcast, the disenfranchised, the minority, the sick, or the oppressed. It is the spiritual responsibility of followers of Jesus to do this. No matter who you voted for we can see clearly that there are many people in our world who need hope and help. No government ever will fix that. Following Jesus means taking that responsibility on ourselves.

Lastly, In an effort to do my part
Here's a picture of our cat:


And if you don't comment or share this post you'll more than likely spill your coffee today.... or something....

The First Lie Ever

The first lie we were ever told was this:

who you are created to be isn't good enough.

That is the lie the reverberates throughout humanity.

It pushes us to greed, lust, envy, rage, violence, self-harm, identity crisis, divorce, hate, and all kinds of evil. We do anything in our power to become something better and if we can't achieve it we drown the feelings of inadequacy in whatever form of solace we can find - drink, drug, person, or career.

That is the lie that keeps us from accepting grace. It dresses up for different occasions. "You're not good enough to be loved." "You're too strong to ask for help." "Never admit weakness." "Do anything they ask to get their approval."

But the lie is always the same. "who you're created to be isn't good enough."

Satan, always crafty, told Adam and Eve (yeah Adam was there too, being a non-committal, buck-passing bum like so many of his progeny... myself included. Nothing like he was created to be.) "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5)." You don't need to settle for who God made you to be. You could be better. You could be just like him. 

Here's my challenge to you today: Don't believe the lie. 

God created you in his image. The true story of your life is that you have been made as a portrait of God, by God. Sin has gotten in the way. It has lied to you, told you things and told other people things that have hurt you. It has confused your identity. But God made you in his image, and He passionately desires to redeem you. He died for it. He rose again for it. 

God never lets bad things stay bad. 

No matter how many lies you have believed or how many mistakes you have made God can redeem you into the person He created you to be. He sent his Holy Spirit - the third person of the trinity - like a loving mother, to comfort you and guide you, to transform you. 

Don't believe the lies. Proclaim the true story over yourself. 

Who you were made to be is much better than good enough. It is a self-portrait of God being remade by the Holy Spirit in you. 

A Different Story: do not fear the struggle

Over the past few weeks the phrase "blessed are those who mourn" has taken on new life in my mind. Not because I have personally faced any sort of tragedy, but because of the incredible tragedy that has repeatedly besieged our nation and our world.

Fear is the antagonist in a story of despair and hate that repeats its morbidly captivating climax over again until we cannot look any more. Then, in fear, we hide our eyes. We sit in our churches, shop in our malls, watch our romantic comedies, and get out of town for the weekend to convince ourselves that it's really not that bad. We gather together on Sunday to proclaim the hope of Jesus, all while pretending not to notice the very reason we need the hope.

In some cases we.... I ....post sympathetic and pseudo-compassionate updates on social media to appease our conscience. We #prayfororlando and #kalamazoostrong or even #blacklivesmatter for the sake of solidarity. Then we go back to our own lives, continuing to deny the intrinsic connection between "us" and "them."

All because, at the core of every bit of hate, bigotry, racism, injustice, denial, blame-game, and false-compassion is fear.

Fear.

Fear of the "other."
Fear of being wrong.
Fear of being uncomfortable.
Fear of what might happen.
Fear of being part of the problem.
Fear of the long, painful, and intense process of reconciliation.

The author Cheryl Strayed, in her book Wild, wrote that "fear is a set of stories we believe. So I told myself a different story."

Fear wins because we are telling no other story. Fear is the story of the worst case scenario. Fear is the story of everything going wrong. Fear is the story of falling out of the tree that keeps us from climbing any higher. Fear is the story of being rejected that keeps us from striking up a conversation.

But there is another story.

1 John 4:18 introduces a new paradigm. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 

Those who follow Jesus are the prophetic voices proclaiming a story that is more real than any fear, but lies just behind the headlines. It is a story written in the mourning families prayers of peace, in the reconciled lives of dirty cops and wrongly accused criminals, and in the painfully awkward conversations that bridge the gap between "us" and "them."  (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-road-innocent-michigan-man-ends-up-working-alongside-crooked-cop-that-locked-him/)

It is the story that proclaims black lives do matter. They matter because all lives matter and they matter very much right now because of the odds stacked against them. It is the story of of police lives that matter because they defend and protect and serve and do not deserve to be maligned because of a few who chose evil. 

It is the story of believers serving those in need even if they cannot condone their life style and mourning deeply at the loss of life, even when they believe the life is being lived in sin. Because they value all life. They love everyone, without the need to agree with them. 

It is the story of the love of God that is already victorious. The love that is extended to dirty cop, criminal, white-middle class-male pastor, gay couple, black 20-something, and "normal" family in the suburbs. It is the love that offers forgiveness and reconciliation to even the most violent offender. It is the love that looked down from the cross on his murderers to ask for their forgiveness, before they had even finished killing him. 

And it is the love that writes our story. Followers of Jesus do not live in the story of fear. They live in the story of redemption and hope. 

We are not afraid of being part of the problem. I know I am part of the problem, but Jesus is the solution. I am being emptied of myself so that the Holy Spirit can transform me and use me to write the story of perfect love. 

We are not afraid of those who are different than us, because we know the unconditional love of God that is offered to everyone 

We are not afraid of the process of reconciliation because we know that the end of the story is so grand and so beautiful that any amount of tension and pain is nothing in the light of Jesus and what he is bringing. 

We do not fear the struggle. We do not fear the pain. We do not let fear make our decisions for us. We do not let fear define us. We will not let fear write the story.

We tell a different story. The story of hope. 

The story of life.

The story of Jesus. 

What story is your life telling? 

More importantly, what story are those around you reading when they look at you? 

For the Sake of Freedom

It seems like there are two ways most of us - myself included - apply the Christian life. 

Option A: don't sin and then someday you'll die and get a crown. 

Option B: believe in Jesus, but still find security in success, money, government, and/or reputation. 

The problem with one of those options is that if dying is the goal then living seems.... superfluous. The problem with the second is that Jesus then becomes a club and a set of morals that is really secondary in the scheme of things. In both options the real goal is to not go to hell. 

Unfortunately for us, success is subjective and temporary, and hell in the future is not a terrible threat to those desperate for hope in the present. In other words, if you're not a believer in Jesus then neither of those options offer real hope. One is the same as the life you've got now and the other is... just ... sad. 

Fortunately for us Paul, in Galatians 5:1, gives a compelling reason for following Jesus. He says this: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

Freedom, in the truest sense, is not the ability to do whatever we want. Freedom is the ability to become who we are created to be. Paul's terminology implies that freedom is some sort of separate entity that can be experienced and enjoyed. God has freed you from sin for freedom's sake. Because freedom is what you were created for. 

Not freedom in the sense of being able to do anything without repercussion, but freedom in the sense of being able to become your true self. Understanding this mission of Jesus enlivens the application of his teachings. For instance:

He did not teach against materialism because he doesn't want you to have things. He taught against it because he doesn't want your joy to be based on what you have or don't have. He wants you free.  

He teaches forgiveness because forgiveness is a life free of bitterness. 

He teaches peacemaking because it is freedom from conflict. 

He teaches justice because it is freedom for all. 

He teaches to care for the poor because freedom is definitely for those who do not have it, and it is even for those who might not deserve it. 

It's tempting to think that freedom is life with no rules. The early followers of Jesus in the city of Corinth faced the same temptation.  In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul told them "'I have the right to do anything,' you say--but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'--but not everything is constructive." Another way to say it would be "just because you can do it does not mean it's not stupid." When Jesus offers freedom he is basically saying "I designed life. I know how it works best. If you want to make the most of it you'll want to do these things." 

Jesus offers a genuinely better life. Not just an eternal life, a better life. Shane Claiborne says that some people are "so heavenly minded they are no earthly good." The life that Christ has for you is not easy - you were not created for ease - but it is certainly better. He offers a better marriage, better finances, better jobs, better adventures, better purpose. He offers those things by redefining them all together. He says that good finances aren't defined in abundance but in generosity. He says that a good marriage isn't in always getting along; it's in sacrificial love. Adventure isn't an escape; it's an experience you were made to have. Purpose isn't what happens when you retire or die; it's what you live for every day. 

The Christian life stands out as a life of freedom in a world that is enslaved to appeasement. It stands out as a life of joy in a world that is constantly searching for it. It stands out as a life of contentedness in a world that is always one big break away from happiness. The Christian life stands out. It doesn't stand against and it doesn't stand in for anything. It stands out. 

That's freedom. That's why Christ has set you free. 

Double Exposure: Pray for Kalamazoo

I sat alone on a park bench in downtown kalamazoo. It was an unseasonably warm day for late February. There were people everywhere, as if they had come out of hibernation to forage for something they had missed all winter. 

Being in Michigan, that thing was the sun. 

I looked around the park at the trees absorbing the warmth but vacant of any leaves. As I looked I could see the new life that would pour out from the branches in a few short months. The image of spring was like a double exposed picture, filling in the void of one scene with the fullness of another. This must be what God sees when he looks at our world. He sees the world of cold, dark, and emptiness, but, between the hurt and pain, seeping through as if it's been there the whole time... As if it's just as real as anything else but hidden in another dimension...

Is the hope of new life. 

Redemption is the double exposure printed on our world. 

What I didn't realize as I looked across Bronson Park was the devastation that would strike in a few short hours. Six people would senselessly loose their lives in the type of tragedy that you see on television and never imagine it would happen in your city. 

Sometimes the darkness that overwhelms our world is impossible to see through. It feels as though pain is the only authentic reality and there is nothing breaking through the seams. I think that this is what faith means. This is what the author of Hebrews meant when she wrote that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see. 

We might not see its full glory yet, but hope is here. Hope is leaking through the seams like light through a tent at dawn. It's always there. It's always real. Sometimes it's just hard to see. Jesus is hope. Jesus is love. Jesus is here. 

Witnessing Jesus

Jesus' last words to his disciples, as recorded in Acts 1:8, were as follows: "and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In this midst of Jesus' mission statement this is one word that is unsettling. Like the look a friend gives when you're listening to them tell a story while their words and expressions don't line up. Unsettling like the times you heard the words but it doesn't feel like you really caught meaning.
We will be his witnesses.
In a culture where is seems like every Christian is up in arms with defending, proving, protecting, and defeating, Jesus calls for witnesses. What does that mean? 

Simple. 

He called for people who would tell of what they have seen. 

Jesus doesn't need defending. He doesn't need protecting. He is not afraid that the other team might score. He is not powerless. Defense might win championships but it does nothing for the kingdom of God other than tell everyone that we're afraid of losing. People who already have victory don't need defense. What He asks for is witnesses. People who know what he is like and can tell of what He has done. This requires us to ask of the disciples, and ourselves, what exactly did they witness? 

They witnessed a man who spent a lot of time with the poor, the prostitutes, the outcasts, and the sick. A man who was threatened and hated but NEVER ONCE, no matter how many chances he had, responded in violence. A man who only seemed to act in anger against those who were manipulating his Father's law to serve their own purposes. A man full of grace and truth. A man that was hated by those who's power was threatened by him but loved by those that most had hated. 

They witnessed him saying "whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Also "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Even "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

They witnessed Jesus not having many possessions in the world but never worrying. They witnessed him mourning for Jerusalem and weeping over those who are lost. They witnessed him voluntarily give his life. It was not taken from him. He gave it up. They witnessed him wash the feet of someone who would betray him in the worst way. They witnessed him love every person he encountered. They saw him laugh and play with children. They witnessed his life, his death, and his resurrection. Because they saw it, they could testify to the truth. 

The question we each have to ask is simple: have we witnessed the real Jesus? I think that many of us, myself included, have missed the real Jesus for a middle class, American version of him. One that wants to love people in a safe, protected way from a distance. One politician recently made a statement about giving Christians back their power. I wonder if we have really ever witnessed Jesus if we are more concerned with having power than loving people. I think we might have witnessed morals. Maybe even biblical principles. But Jesus isn't either of those things. Jesus is a person.

This morning I had the wonderful privilege of sitting down with Muslim family in their home and simply listened. I was just tagging along with a friend, and all I did was listen and nod. We laughed, joked, and told stories. They didn't pray and cry and repent. We just showed love to them. We blessed them with a small gift to help get through a rough time. There was no reason to be afraid of them. I think maybe they witnessed a little of Jesus. I think maybe I did too.

Repost: Forgettable Generation

The amount of articles one can find either defending or attacking the millennial generation is astounding. Whether it be sarcastic twenty somethings who are tired of being called lazy or abrasive or 50 somethings who are tired of having basement dwellers, there are volatile voices on both sides pointing fingers back and forth.

It's getting old.

When you begin comparing scars between generations what you will find is that you've got a bunch of people who are all human. Each one with social, economic, and religious stressors that push in one direction or another. Each one no better or worse than the one before, and really not that different either. If the millennials were born in the 70's they would probably have experimented with psychedelic drugs, ruined the eco system, and tanked the economy. (because all of those things happen in one generation of course... oh wait...) If the boomers were born in the 90's they would live in their parents basement and work part time at Starbucks.

Why? Because each generation does what normal humans do with the circumstances they are given. You can't blame some one for doing the best with what they have. This finger pointing is just proof that each generation is still very capable of pitching fits and tattling like children.

If there is one great danger the millennial generation is facing it is this: spending more time complaining about our world than  doing something about it. We're in danger of being entirely forgettable.

Myself and my peers love being "aware" of the need in the world. We love buying Toms and shopping at 10,000 Villages. We love knowing that our light roast single origin coffee was purchased sustainably from an environmentally friendly farm that helps orphans. To over simplify it's this: we love supporting other people's efforts to make the world a better place in a way that eases our conscience.

This leads us to use controversial hashtags, wear mildly offensive t-shirts that question the norm, and make a big deal online or at a rally about the problems we see. That is not a bad thing. In fact holy discontent is a good thing. As believers we should look at the world and be unhappy with the injustice that we see. Here's the caveat: We only have the right to complain if we're willing to do something about it.

It's not that we shouldn't spend our money through responsible organizations like Toms. It's that we shouldn't pass the responsibility for change off on other people by purchasing expensive shoes that make us feel like world changers. Buying Toms is great, but the shoemaker is bringing about change by making the shoes, I'm just buying shoes like a always do.

We must each find our place in making a difference instead of simply wearing tshirts that quote Ghandi. We're in danger of being forgettable because we're in danger of not doing anything. It's time to do something. It's time to live our values instead of just buy them. If your passion is the environment, keep buying organic, but do more than buying food. If your passion is ending human trafficking, do more than wear the tshirt. If your passion is helping the hurting, then go physically help someone.

Changing the world is our responsibility, yours and mine. The Holy Spirit doesn't use people who don't do anything. 

Simple Christmas; Simple Jesus.

I love Christmas. I absolutely love it. I love Christmas trees, apple cider, snow, lights, carols, presents, Alabama Christmas on vinyl... I love Christmas.

Christmas is also a time of the year I am forced to face questions that make me uncomfortable.

It's a paradoxical season. At the same time we sing and pray for peace on earth we find ourselves arguing about what greeting to use. We thank God for giving up his very life for us while we make lengthy, expensive Christmas lists. We put up elaborate and costly displays of a simple, even shameful, manger into which a poor family laid Jesus after his birth. We even fill shoe boxes with things like toothbrushes and simple toys for children across the world and then buy our friends and family things that they don't need.

This season, more than any other, draws connections between materialism, prosperity, comfort, and Jesus that He never drew.

Let's take time this year to remember Jesus, who, not considering his "God-ness" something to be used for himself, made himself nothing. He became a servant and surrendered himself to the lowest possible death, that of a cross. Because he was generous to a point that many would call him unwise - even reckless - God raised him to glory. His extreme selflessness was his glory.

This Christmas may we remember the simplicity of the season. It is a season of thankfulness for salvation and generosity to those who do not deserve it. It is a season of the simple joys of life. As we open our presents and finish up our shopping may we each be challenged to look honestly at our lives. May we give radically and selflessly, not only to those who already have more than what they need, but to those who have needs greater than our own. May we not consider our blessings something to be used for our own good, but surrender ourselves for the good of others and the glory of God.

As you shop this year consider companies that choose to do good with their profits.
http://www.toms.com/
https://www.cotopaxi.com/
http://unitedbyblue.com/
http://www.krochetkids.org/
http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
http://www.everythinghappy.com/
and many more

If you're like me, most of these companies look pretty expensive. Here are some other ideas.
Generosity Tip Jar: every time you buy a gift from a company with questionable integrity (basically everywhere) put a dollar (or a percentage) in a jar to donate to a company that does good or a family with greater needs.
Donate Time: There are always people that need help cleaning their house, food that needs to be served, trash that needs to be cleaned up, etc. This year, if money is not something in abundance, choose to be generous with your time. Time is money as they say!
Generous Friendship: One of the greatest needs this time of year is found in people who, for one reason or another, won't be spending time with family this year. Maybe they are elderly and can't get around. Maybe they have been cut off because of bad habits. Maybe they don't have family in the area. Choose to be generous with your friendships and open up your heart and home to someone who needs to experience love this season.

Have a truly blessed holiday season as you choose to be a blessing to those around you.

Actually Different

Jesus is a radical. His lifestyle, while engaging to the culture he was surrounded by, stood in clear distinction to the values of the world around him.
Jesus commonly used a phrase like this:  "You have heard it said... But I say to you..." In this way he challenged the expectations in culture and religion.  Like our world, the majority of people listening to Jesus speak had come to accept their perspective as accurate because little challenged them to do otherwise.

He did not avoid culture. He understood it; he communicated using it. People looked at him and connected with him because we was like them. It was this connection that allowed him to be so radically different from them. It is as if Jesus' life was continually saying "I'm like you but I have a better way."

The life of Jesus stands in as distinct of opposition to culture today as it did 2,000 years ago. Over time many have come to accept that this opposition is defined by what his followers do not do. We do not smoke. We do not drink. We do not sleep around. We're different.

Though these things that we choose to abstain from are part of what makes of different, when they become the primary variation between Christians and all others, they create a legalistic and shallow picture of who Jesus really is. (Besides each thing we choose not to do is not about what we avoid, but what we do instead. It's not that we don't have sex outside of marriage, it's that we seek purity in all things. It's not that we don't cuss, it's that we are respectful with our words. The "don't" always comes from a "do.")

Take the beatitudes. In these profound words from Christ he does not so much challenge the actions of culture as the values. He challenges materialism, selfishness, violence, and comfort.

Maybe the things that make us different should be less about what we don't do and more about what we do. Jesus attracted attention because of the good he did in society. Not the good he participated in with his church, but the good he did. He healed the sick, befriended the friendless, and loved the poor, all the while He was preaching hope, salvation, and freedom from sin.

Maybe by choosing to purchase with integrity - supporting justice instead of enabling slavery and greed- we appear as different. Maybe in being generous with our possessions and finances instead of continually looking for the latest model, newest toy, or most comfortable sweater we stand out. Maybe in the way we treat the sick, poor, widowed, and orphaned we look like Jesus. Maybe it is what we value and then what we do, instead of what we avoid that makes us like Jesus.

If you, like me, are beginning down the road to being truly like Jesus here are 2 simple resources.
This sight provides information on the justice practices of many organizations that we buy from regularly. Choose to spend with integrity. http://www.free2work.org/

This site provides a list of simple actions that might help you find a place to start. Some are radical, some are simple. If I'm honest with you, all are intimidating to me because they challenge my sense of comfort. I think I need to be challenged. Maybe we both do.
http://thesimpleway.org/index.php/resources/details/50-ways-to-become-the-answer-to-our-prayers

Anyone Can Change the World

I recently read an article which contrasted the ideas of ambition and meekness. It questioned how Jesus words to "make disciples of all nations" and to do "greater things" than even he did compared with statements about the meek inheriting the earth and the poor in spirit being blessed.

I believe this thinking stems from a flawed concept of change. The problem we face when we think of changing the world is that, most often, the mental picture that comes to mind is a packed sanctuary or a globally recognized non-profit.

In reality neither of these things necessarily leads to change. Effectively engaging culture, while important, is not change. Just because every millennial listens to the podcast, reads the book, or buys the shoes does not mean anything has really changed.

We have seen evidence that even laws, though an important step, do not necessarily lead to change. Just because people have to follow the rules or they'll get in trouble doesn't mean that they care or sacrifice for the cause. Killing people is illegal in most of the world. This hasn't led most of the advanced world to put much effort into stopping the killing that we do not commit or does not effect us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." Making a rule to stop people from doing something doesn't change hearts anymore that ending slavery stopped racism. 

The fact is that lasting change is not legislation.
Change is not business.
Change is not even leadership.

Each of these can be- and should be- used to bring it about and can be necessary for immediate action and justice. But they are not change in and of themselves.

The only way for change to be a lasting and effective venture is to change people. The one's singing the songs, buying the clothes, walking in the marches, and handing out the food have to experience real heart transformation for it to be more than an event.

Change is person to person. When we think of world changers we think too quickly of celebrity leaders and too slowly of nameless mentors working with inner city kids. Jesus was meek. He sought out the poor and lowly. He hung out with the outcasts. He rarely did something to promote himself. On occasion He actually pleaded with people to not promote his name. It was what he did that attracted attention. Specifically, it was what he did for other people. He accepted them, forgave them, healed them, fed them, and then died for them.

Change is life on life. Change starts and ends with people who genuinely experience hope and are compelled to share it. Poor legislation and bad lighting can foster transformation though humble people and servant's hearts. Beautifully written policies and worship albums can cause serious damage without them.

When Jesus told us to do great things and to reach the world He was reminding us to be meek and to be servants because that is how the world is reached. 

Joining God in Beauty

When God created the world he created it with care. He created it in stages. He created it with words.

As he pieced the world together from nothing, he regularly took a moment to look at what he created. When his eyes crossed the world that began in his imagination, there was only one phrase that flowed from his heart: "It is good."
I like to imagine God nearly giggling with excitement as he creates. Every once in a while he stops, looks back over the world, and mutters "yeah, yeah that's good. Haha! That's good!" Then he keeps going.

God created a world full of wonder and beauty. He created expansive plains where life could grow. He invented mountains so mighty that they inflict the significance and vastness of the world on every beholder. He created seas deep to the point that few can understand what is held beneath them.

He finished his work by creating us. Humans. We were the only ones who got an extra adjective. When God created humanity he looked, once again, over creation, and said "now that is very good." There are many reasons why God would think the addition of humanity really puts the world over the top, but I have to believe that one of those reasons is that we can enjoy his creation.

The infinite being who formed the earth created something that could experience his work, share his joy, and benefit from his creativity.

Beauty is close to the heart of God. He is a wonderful artist.

As participants in God's redemption of the earth, beauty is one of the ways that we join his work. Whether it is picking up trash on trail outside of town, expressing ourselves through art or music, helping a hurting person see the beauty in himself, or simply appreciating a sunset over lake Michigan's shore, when we participate in beauty we participate with God.

Let us, as followers of Jesus, make the world a more beautiful place in whatever way we can reach it.

Relationship- 5 Ways spiritual disciplines are like dating

One of the continual struggles for many believers, or at least for me (and I choose to believe I'm not the weird one), is spiritual disciplines.

If most of us are honest, praying for hours is boring, fasting makes us hungry, and reading God's word can be a bit like high school homework. We suffer through it a few times a week. We read a chapter or two, and we occasionally attend a prayer service and praydream (daydream+pray= praydream) our way into feeling better. We even give up soda or candy for lent.

But it still feels like homework.

Which, let's be honest, sucks.

We need a significant re-orientation when it comes to spiritual disciplines. Even the word "disciplines" sounds like being sent to the corner as a child, so we need to see these acts in a whole new light.

The building block for every part of Christianity is relationship. It's the overwhelming theme in scripture. God made. God walked with. God sent away. But then made a covenant with and became friends. God dwelt among. God became flesh. God indwells. God comes back. It's all about people being in a relationship with God. It's about people knowing him, and introducing him to others because that is what we were made for. God looked at us and said "that's real good" because he made us in his image to know him intimately.

All of this means that when we really understand following Jesus we should see that we are not being "disciplined" we are being pursued.  We are being related to. It's much like a dating relationship.

1. We sacrifice time and things to spend undivided time with the other person in the relationship. Being in a relationship means saying "no" to some things that I want in order to say "yes" to being with that person. Ask any married person. They'll agree. It's fasting.
2. We actually talk to people we are in a relationship. We don't just talk about superficial things like the weather and how we could use fifty bucks. When you get to know someone and let them know you it means opening up about all areas of life. It means letting them know what hurts, what helps, what is hard, what is easy, what is fun, what is beautiful, and what you've never said out loud before. It also means really listening. It's praying.
3. We use what we've been given to know each other. We hang out with each others friends. We listen to people tell stories about each other, and we seek to be taught how to know each other better. We tolerate each others music, and serve each other to build the relationship deeply. It's like church.
4. We submit to one another  because we put each other first.
5. We confess to one another and seek forgiveness.

When we begin to see the "disciplines" in terms of relationship it's much harder to find ourselves uninterested. We see that God is not concerned with proving our dedication to him, instead he is concerned with us knowing him deeply.

This doesn't mean that we'll never get bored and zone out in church ever again. It doesn't mean we'll always spend 2 hours praying or read the book of Job every month. It does mean that we'll see the real purpose for all of it, and, even though it's hard, do it because we love a person who truly loves us.

Don't Miss the Cross

Easter has come and passed but the cross never loses it's significance. No matter what time of year may we never let the cross of Christ get too far from our minds.
http://vimeo.com/92291575

2 Reasons Why You Should Go See Noah

1. Because we cannot give an informed answer to anyone's questions unless we have actually seen the movie.
2. Because it's a good movie, not a Sunday School lesson.

Debbie Downer: 3 Ways to not be One

There is always negative in life.

Always.

Bad things should not be ignored completely (healing cannot come without acknowledging the problem) but when they happen the easiest response is usually to spend a few good hours/days/weeks/years enjoying the attention it gets us. It's easy and comfortable to let the negative overwhelm us because it allows us to be a victim and receive pity. It's also deadly because the longer we dwell in the negative the harder it is to see the positive.

Here are 3 ways to avoid being a Debbie Downer.

1.  Be Thankful First: When we actually do the math in our lives we most often realize that our blessings far out way our complaints. In Philippians 4 Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always. Then he says it again... rejoice. This is an interesting statement when you consider that Paul wrote this letter while in prison. Even then Paul found more reasons to rejoice than to complain. He also mentions in the letter that complaining and grumbling are to be avoided in order to be blameless. When we start with being thankful it's hard to end with being angry because it frames our problems in God's goodness.
2. Look For Yourself in People: If we're honest the most common catalyst for negativity is people. We get disappointed, betrayed, stood up, etc and we throw a pity party. The easy thing to do then is to see the other person as an enemy, as different and dysfunctional. It's much harder to hate on someone when you begin with seeing the things you have in common. It very well could be that this person is acting like that because they feel the same stress to succeed that you do and they are doing their best to bring it about. It could be that this person is no later than I was two days ago.
3. Relax: It's darn near impossible to be happy if you never take care of yourself. Even Jesus stopped for a meal, got alone to pray, and hung out with his best friends a lot. If you're tempted to be negative go get a massage, spend time alone in prayer, spend time with your spouse, play a video game, watch espn, go to a concert, read a book, go snowboarding, or take a nap. When we are at ease everything seems easier.

Being negative, like cocaine, feels good at the time, but eventually traps us in an addictive cycle.

Don't be a Debbie Downer.

Stereotypes and Grace

You never know how much you stereotype people until you try to buy a house and move your new wife to a new neighborhood. It's easy to think that I'm perfectly accepting until I have to leave my wife alone in that house for the two weeks I'm gone to youth camp, then it get's a little harder. All of a sudden everyone becomes a potential intruder, but especially people that fit certain stereotypes that I have fought my whole life to defeat.

It's very convicting.

It's very humbling.

It's very uncomfortable.

It makes me wonder how accepting I actually am.

It makes me wonder how accepting our churches really are.

Carl Lentz said that if you feel comfortable leaving your wallet unattended you're going to the wrong church. 

In my heart I agree. In my head I'm uncomfortable. 

I don't think I'm the only one who struggles through this. I don't think it does us any good to pretend like it's not there either.

It's not that any of us think that grace is only for certain people groups that we're comfortable with. It's just that many of us wish someone else would be called to extend grace to them.

We say amen when people quote Paul.

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. " - 1 Corinthians 9:22b

But we still reach for our wallets and hit the lock button a few extra times when we see certain people. 

I am convinced of one thing- God doesn't call us to be comfortable, he calls us to suck it up. 

The story of the good samaritan is the perfect example. The samaritan was in the wrong place, about to get jumped, and walked up to somebody who doesn't really want his help, but he stopped anyway. There is no way he didn't feel uncomfortable, but grace goes beyond comfort. 

Grace says "We're really different, lets be friends." Grace says "I'm nervous in this neighborhood, let's have a prayer walk." "Grace says they don't look like they belong here. I'll help them belong." 

Grace doesn't always say "I'll walk alone after dark in a sketchy part of town." Dumb says that. 

Grace says "I have been affected by the stereotypes, but I'm fighting my judgmental nature. I love people anyway." 

We don't need to be comfortable in every single place with every single person. We need to love them anyway. 

Fall Off the Log: 4 steps to dealing with controversy

This is not another post about Phil Robertson or A&E.

To be quite frank my opinion is irrelevant. I don't know all of the details, and my blog, twitter and Facebook will do nothing but boost my ego or loose me a friend if I write something controversial about this topic. Same goes for all of us.

What this entire situation does do is force us each to do a bit of self evaluation. This is a situation in which many of us will, as one of my favorite college professors would say, "fall off the log." We'll pick a side and then argue, debate, and likely complain for a good long time.

The issue is less about which side we take and

 more about how we take that side. 

I've said before, human beings are reactionary. We're emotional, and while emotion is wonderful, it get's us into trouble. We get offended and react instead of listening, pondering, accepting criticism, and then acting. We should remember those four things.

1. Listen: A friend in college once said "you only have the right to an opinion if it's educated." This statement has nothing to do with your degree of schooling, it has everything to do with your willingness to listen. Until we know both sides of the issue we shouldn't address it. Truth is not necessarily found in the facts of the situation, sometimes it is found in the perceptions, emotions, attitudes, and preconceived notions. 

2. Ponder: My biggest weakness, we should each think before we speak. A brand new idea is usually a bad one. -not because the idea is necessarily bad, but because the first words out of our mouths are not usually the ones we'll wind up going with. 

3. Accept Criticism: Before we start a campaign we should find a few trusted friends on each side of the issue and run it by them. Accept their criticism and grow from it. Allow them to help us learn how to disagree in a loving manner. 

4. Then Act: *And only if, after all that consideration, the action is still worth taking.* We need to be people who take thought out, calculated, prayed out, action. Emotionally reacting to something is like slamming the door on your mom when you're arguing. Whether you had a good point or not you're not going to win now. Because it was disrespectful. 

**While we're on the topic of disrespect, being disrespected does not give us the right to disrespect others. Yelling matches never solve anything. 

What has made this entire scandal so outrageous is not what Phil Robertson said and not what A&E did, it is how people have reacted. This situation would be much easier, and un-clutter my news feed, if we would listen in love instead of yell. (or thoroughly read and type in all caps since most of this has taken place on the internet.) 

We're going to fall off the log on lots of issues. Let's do it well.