On Target

The overcomplication of the Gospel is one of the greatest sins of the 21st century church.  Don't know if it's because we want to sell more books, teaching cds, or just sound smarter than we really are, but I fear that we are making it more and more difficult for interested people to engage in relationship with God.

I gave one of the simplest teachings of my life last night to a group of young people, Living on Target with God(faith vs fear).  Worried that it would sound too basic,  I juiced it up some by using big words, video, and spray paint.  In other words, I committed the very sin that my message was all about; I call it elusive evangelicalism- alluding to the great character and nature of God while at the same time presenting it more as illusion than reality.

Well the true reality is found in 1 Samuel 15 (The Message Bible) "... Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production." 

Here's my notes...

Living on Target

Exodus 7:10-12

1. Simplistic Linguistics

Exodus 7:8-9, "The Lord said..."

2. Awesome Acquiescence

Exodus 7:10, "... and did just as the Lord commanded."

Missing the Target

Exodus 32:2-4

1. Confusing Linguistics

Exodus 32:1, "... they gathered around Aaron and said..."

2. Nonsense Acquiescence

Exodus 32:22-24, "... I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"

Watch the full service, with worship, at www.ustream.tv/channel/encounter-student-ministries

Hard work in the office

Mighty Mouse, very cool... Huge Spider, not so cool.

But it was the first time that I've used one of my big preacher books... to slay the deadly, venomous spider!!!

Where did the party go?

So little man, isn't so little anymore, he just graduated from preschool. No typo there, the pic proves that 5 year olds do get a full graduation with cap and gown and everything that goes with it.  Thinking now that I should have sent out cards so people would have felt obligated to buy me, I mean him, some gifts.

Oh well, it got me thinking.  When you're young, the people close to you celebrate everything you do.  Birthdays are a big deal, walking, talking, even pooping becomes an act to throw a party over.  People will walk up to us while we're shopping, eating, and doing our thing and say, "Oh, your kids are so cute, they're so well behaved!"  Apparently, sitting in a stroller(by the way, the reason they're so good is that the boys are strapped in) and looking cute is a reason for people to stop by and compliment the boys.  So yeah, I guess preschool graduation is a reason to celebrate.  And I'm cool with my son kicking the ball in the wrong goal, I'm just happy he kicked the ball.

But as you get older reality sets in.  The voices that celebrated each achievement in our lives start to become quiet as new voices that criticize and analyze take over.  Not too many people stop me in the mall to tell me how good looking and well-behaved I am anymore.

So if it's been a while since someone has said, "Good-job sport" and gave you a pat on the head, remember that maybe you're just growing up.  And a part of growing up is to start becoming the one doing the affirming.

So I'm no longer a cynic about preschool graduation or soccer where you don't keep score, let the celebration begin.  There's something right about one generation celebrating the exploits of the next, even when it's the small stuff.

Bubblegum Haze

My oldest son Jace is 5, and he's taught me more about love and life than I ever thought I could hold in a brain most often filled with questions about Lost (there's your link).  Justus is my 8 month year old, so we're still figuring out why we've invaded each other's world, but we're having a good time.  The boys keep me overwhelmed with feelings of fear, joy, happiness, and sleep deprivation.

Not long ago Jace, after our doctor, specialists, and too many tests, was scheduled for surgery to repair a birth defect.  Everything was going well the morning of the surgery.  Ronnin and I let him take as many toys, clothes, and DVD's that he wanted, and our goal was to make the day as least traumatic as possible for our son, and me.  He wasn't too excited about the hospital gown, but the dinosaur bed in his examination room kept him calm.  Things were going smooth, almost too smooth, and as the nurse asked what flavored anesthesia he wanted, I was too busy figuring out all the reasons that seemed wrong to notice that my son wasn't doing well anymore.  He was getting more and more nervous and he could tell that this trip was not going to have a happy ending, well at least not that day.  

The nurses finished their preliminary tests, and it was now time for Jace to part ways with his dinosaur bed and move to surgery.  The nurses let us walk with him down the hall, and when we came to the end, Ronnin and I stood at the waiting room door as the nurses prepared to move him to his meeting with bubblegum haze.  We kissed Jace, held him tight, told him we loved him, and turned to walk away.  At that moment, my heart was crushed in a way I hope never happens again.  He started crying and screaming my name, he ran up to me, and wrapped his arms around me as tight as he could.  He was crying out the same phrase over and over again, "Don't make me do it, daddy.  please don't make me do it!"  I knew he had to go through it, and the nurses peeled him off of me as my wife peeled me off the floor.  

In the waiting room I got a little ticked.  No, not at my five year clinging to me for survival, but at the stupid idea of a God who's more like a genie-in-a-bottle.  Jace's fear, my pain, and the whole process made me hate the Jesus that wig-wearing, toupee toting, 'let me hear you say amen' shouting, three-point thumping, homosexual-hating, and right-wing fundraising, empty headed, zero hearted preachers had represented him as. (Maybe they hit the bubblegum haze one too many times.) 

In other words, I was questioning my faith.  But somehow, my son's tears started healing me from bad church, bad preaching, and bad Christianity.  These words made sense for the first time..."Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Because the truth is life's not simple, and pain can be pretty complex.  So I need a truth that's simple and a God that can teach me the complex, even if it's just in part.   Zero hearted, zero headed Christianity isn't Christianity, it's the blind leading the blind.  We don't need men, method, or material, we need relationship with someone who cares enough to put his name, ego, and deity on the line, offering us a way to transcend fear, pain, and hurt.

Today Jace is okay, and so am I.  But tomorrow could change everything.  It's why I'm struggling at best, but attempting more everyday, to call to God and let Him reveal His mysteries, His key to life a better way.

So I bless you to reject poor representation, your own pain, self(and church)condemnation, and move in to the great and unsearchable gift He has for you.

Sorry Al, we can't solve it

I'm flipping through one of my magazines the other day, anxious to get to my favorite section, yes the cartoons, when I ran across an ad that grabbed my attention. (That's kind of the point in advertising.)  It was a simply black and white ad with a picture of two older men sitting on a couch.  Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Pat Robertson were sitting there, smiling, and gazing at each other like a young couple on their honeymoon.  (By the way, let me save you some time from researching their church affiliation.  Neither one of these guys is actually a "Reverend" of any church, but function more as political puppets for the left and right.)

Al Gore has started a new organization called wecansolveit.org (no I'm not providing the link) and he has teamed up with Rev Al and Rev Pat.  Two superhero religious leaders of our day with polar opposite beliefs, working together to end global warming.  It's kind of like Superman and Spiderman joining forces, Dirty Harry and James Bond, RoboCop and the Terminator, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (wait, that already happened), Kevin Federline and Kato Kaelin, so enemies beware!!!

I love that the dominant political, I mean religious forces of our day are joining the dominant political, I mean documentary-making, eco-cover boy Al Gore.  And you have to love the Bob-the-Builder, "Can we fix it, yes we can!" attitude of these grown men.  I just have one problem... we can't solve it.  For many reasons, but primarily because we are the ones who started the problem in the first place.

I'm enjoying the 21st century, even more so now that I have a MAC.  We are becoming alive and responsive to the realities of poverty, pollution, war, and disease.  We are seeing an explosion of NGO's and non-profits making huge efforts and great results in local, national, and global markets.  Individuals are waking up to the reality that self-consumption can not come at the price of others.  Even churches and large companies are making sacrifices in building structures, energy use, and disposal practices.  It's like the crying Indian, make America beautiful campaign from the 70's, has finally found some ears.  You know, a lot of this social, political consciousness reminds me of the 70's, and that's what has me a little worried.  Not so much the consciousness, that's a good thing, but what comes after self-awareness... remember the 80's?

Some of you don't, you weren't born yet, and me, I was only 2.  The 80's were all about pride, self-indulgement, a bubble economy, greed, and bad clothes.  Seems odd, how can we go from caring about others and our environment right into pride and greed?  Because self-awareness only works when you become aware that yourself can't solve it.  When you look at the problems in our society and mankind, and bypass the problems of self, things get fuzzy and you start thinking that all we need is Oprah and her book club, Al Gore and his gang, Hollywood and its stars, and 'poof'.... we've landed safely on modern-day Utopia.

Truth is it feels more like quicksand, and I'm looking for a way out.  We need someone who doesn't think like us, who doesn't do things the way we do it.  Someone who can honestly say, "My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts."  Someone who does more than care about humanity, the environment, and social justice, they lay their life down for it.

So before you join the 'we can solve it campaign', ask yourself if that really makes sense.  Can we really save us?  I think it's time we look outside of humanity, reach out to divinity, and ask him to solve the messes we've created.

Sorry Al and the Dynamic Duo, we can't solve it.

Who would have thought that the Kingdom of God coming by force really has nothing to do with political protest, bumper stickers, and prayer lines, but instead radical acts of love in our communities... Check out my bro's blog to hear what their church did over the weekend to really "be the church" to a family in need.  

I live for this stuff!!!

before beverage...

after beverage...

Thanks Leandro, for the best coffee mug ever!!!

Crying over spilt...hair?

I made my wife cry this weekend.  No not the, "I'm so happy and awed" kind of tears.  I'm talking about the deeply hurt and offended type.  I gave Jace a hair cut.  And I found out something about my wife that a)I should have known already because she has perfect hair and b)really scared me because I have no hair.  She told me, through tears and sobbing, that hair is the most important physical feature for her.  She was heartbroken to see our son's hair so short.

I laughed and that seemed to make things only worse for me.  To her, it's one thing for me to be bald and beautiful by nature's(or God's) hand, but quite another to force my 5 year old to have the same look.  He loves it, I love it, and here's a pic for you to decide.

Turning off the Mower

Maybe I have commitment issues.  Regardless, I was very hesitant to buy my first house two years ago.  Something about living in an apartment, renting a house, living on the beach (I've done all of those at one time in my life) seems bold, carefree, and exciting.  Buying a house seems boring, restricting, and mature.  

I miss my first apartment in college with the dishwasher that we never used, couch that needed multiple blankets to conceal the holes, dirt, and questionable stains, and carpet designed during someone's LSD trip in the 70's.  We never vacuumed in all our time there, we didn't even own one, we never mopped, no mop either, but we sure had a lot of fun, although we couldn't get our girlfriends to come inside.

So as the family and I packed the UHaul, waved goodbye to maintenance free living, drove 5 miles, and then unpacked for what seemed like 6 months, I was still reluctant to the idea of home ownership.  Today, not much has changed.  My wife has taught me how to clean, and sometimes I even do it, I have a toolbox with actual tools in it, and I even bought a ladder from Home Depot (Although I've never used it).

The one thing I enjoy about home ownership is mowing the lawn.  This my 90 minutes, I have a small lawn but I'm slow, to let my mind wander and nature speak to me (OK, pretty much just the mind wandering thing).  My son, Jace likes to come outside with me and play and pretend that he's mowing as well.  It's a great time to stew over ideas and brainstorm over the hum of the mower.  If Apple would develop an imower, I could type out these ideas as I'm mowing.  PC guys could even use one of those manual mowers with the antiquated 3 blades that spin.  they could even have a complicated booklet that confuses everyone.  But back to the point...

So my mind is active and alert while I'm mowing, kind of like when you were first allowed to use a calculator in math class.  And then, and this happens every time, one word will shatter my meditation.  It's always my 5 year old calling out my first name, which I'm cool with, eager to show me a bug he found, tell me something he forgot to tell me 3 days ago, or ask me an important life question such as, "Why are aliens green?"

It's become habit for me to shut off my mower, get down on one knee, and say, "What do you need Jace?"  Now this normally happens 2-3 times each time I mow.  One day after I finished mowing, he came up to me and said, "Daddy, thanks for shutting off the mower to talk to me, that makes my heart dance."  That made my heart dance.

Makes me think about the other machines in my life.  The hum of busyness, programs, and goal-achieving that causes me to fall into patterns of putting people and relationships a distant second to ideas and strategies.  I think this is the true meaning of anti-Christ:  To put humanity below stuff.  

So I bless you to put stuff back in its place, and return to listening to humanity.

Funny Thing about Politics

I hate politics.  Everybody likes to say that, but press a little and you will find that underneath that false veneer, their colors run true blue or blood red.  A recent article I read (we'll talk about it later) states that 1% of Christians believe you must vote for Democrats, 5% believe Republicans, and 94% say there's no correct choice.  I think 94% are liars who are too afraid to admit they always vote the for the same party, no matter the candidate or the issues.

I don't vote.  Seems contradictory to me to say I hate something and then go out and spend my time participating in the whole process.  My dad used to say, and he probably still does, "If you don't vote, you don't get to criticize."  As if that's the #1 reason to vote; so I can criticize the guy(or lady) who won instead of my candidate.  Or how about this one, "Our forefathers fought and died so that we could have the opportunity to vote".  In all my time learning US history in school, we never covered a war fought over voting rights.  And no, the Revolutionary War was not about voting rights.

The funny thing about politics is that it seems to bring out the worst in people, especially Christians.  A recent article in a magazine I read asked leading "relevant" leaders their views on the major issues today.  The question of politics came up and it focused on whether either party is right.  Instead of sticking with the simple no, these leaders spoke themselves out of any amount of respect as Christians, leaders of the day, or humans with brains.

One of the leaders stated that she had issues with both parties, but went on about why one was great and the other was wrong.  She (ab)used the bible to say that it supported the death penalty and war.  She went on to say that the polarizing issue for Christians is abortion and the fact that 50 million babies have been aborted since 1973.

Many of you are sitting in front of your screen saying amen, but before you sell your soul to the Republican party, let's review.  I'm going to skip the issues of war and the death penalty for now and focus on abortion and what she was afraid to say, homosexuality.  These really are the reasons that so many Christians vote Republican.  They are against gay-rights and abortion.  We'll sign me up for a one-way ticket to Naive City, where everyone believes that all we have to do to stop people from being gay and killing babies is to vote Republican.  Don't mean to derail your train but haven't we had any Republican presidents, Republican congressman and senators, Republican governors, and Republican state leaders in the last 35 years.  Why then, do we still have issues like gay-rights and abortion!

Not to be outdone,  another one of the esteemed panel had this to offer,"A Christian is not supposed to vote on one issue... Christians ought to be political and active, but I don't think we should prescribe for people what that means."  I just put away my history book looking for the imaginary war we fought over voting rights, and now I'm scanning my bible for the verse that says we can't vote on one issue.  Nope, not finding it.  Truth is, she's a Democrat trying to make the Bible say that you can't vote Republican just because of abortion.  Here's a hint, anytime anyone starts a sentence with, "A Christian is not supposed to...", they are probably headed for trouble.

So what do we do.  It's becoming popular to say what another on the panel said, "We need Christians in each party, calling their political party to a higher standard."  The esteemed expert appears to really be an expert at dodgeball, with great ability to throw out a weak statement while not taking a hit from either party.  Maybe they should go into politics.

We're not being fair with politics, and it's time we lower our expectations.  Politics won't and can't stop abortion, deal with gay-rights effectively, bring peace to the world, and end crime.  We need something and someone who transcends hate, fear, insecurity, and manipulation.  We need someone with perfect clarity, who's walked in our shoes, who can bring truth, justice, and pure equality.

Funny thing just happened.  I was looking for that verse that told me I can't vote on one issue, and I got distracted by this one:  Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly.

I vote for that.

Camping with Jace

I've been waiting several months for spring weather to show up. We had a tame winter here in the Midwest, but cold temps have hung on for way too long. The, "one day Al Gore's a nut, the next minute he's an accurate doomsday prophet", kind of spring. Last fall, my oldest son Jace and I went on a couple of camping trips, and he and I have been dying to get our gear out of the garage and put to good use.

Well, it finally happened. We had a beautiful day Sunday and Jace and I loaded down the Honda and headed to the campground. We were one of only 4 campers on the entire grounds and it was great to have the place to ourselves. I set up the tent in record time, 15 minutes, thanks to Jace being distracted by the playground. I like to spoil my sons in creative ways and my goal was to make the entire trip a blast for him. We stayed up too late, ate too much food, watched movies (thanks mom for the portable DVD player), laughed until we cried, stayed in our pajamas most of the next day, went on a hike (Jace picked out a killer walking stick that would have made Moses jeaulous), went to the lake, and had breakfast while most people were making lunch plans.

He begged me to let us stay another night but I was in desperate need of a shower and technology so we headed home. As we pulled into our driveway, Jace jumped out of the car to let Ronnin and Justus know that we were home and had conquered nature's elements. I sat in the car, tired and procrastinating having to unload the car, when Jace came back outside and ran up to me. My window was down, and he leapt up through the window, gave me a big hug, and said, "Thanks Dad, for the best day of my life."

Now my son's only five and I know that any day involving junk food, movies, and getting really dirty constitutes greatness in his mind. But man, what a euphoric experience to feel his little arms around my neck and hear those words come out of his mouth. My mind went back to my own father who continues to go out of his way to "spoil" me. Just to take time to love me.

I'm at a weird place in my life. I am still addicted to my father's attention, embrace, protection, guidance, and approval while at the same time I am now responsible for providing those same things to my sons. I am a son and a father at the same time. I crave the opportunity to be transparent, weak, and confused like a child and I also feel the push to be strong, brave, and responsible like a father.

I see my relationship with God much the same way. I need a pure relationship where I can be brutally honest about my fears and weakness, and yet feel that I am being changed into a whole person at the same time. The Bible says, "we are changed from glory to glory". For some, that may conjure up some warped idea of a mystical experience that morphs you into a better person, but for me, I see it as God revealing to us that we are changed in pieces. Step by step we are growing closer to God, understanding his will for mankind, and grasping our place in his marvelous design.

So I embrace the reality that my son may not have really had the best day of his life, but that we enjoyed each other's company, had a lot of fun, and grew closer together. It's exactly how I feel after spending time with my own dad, and a great way to picture your relationship with your heavenly father.

I bless you to enjoy God, have fun doing it, and to grow continually closer to Him.

Putting the World Right Again

Most of us memorized John 3:16 about the same time we learned our ABC's and that stupid Barney song. Sorry, it's probably stuck in your head now isn't it?

Unfortunately, growing up we never seemed to get to the next verse. It's a shame because John 3:17 perfectly describes divinity's heart towards humanity.

'God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.' -Message Bible

Does that really happen? Does Jesus really put things back together or is He just a good bumper sticker, excuse to vote our own political ideas, or imaginary folk-lore persona that has birthed mass-deception. And do we really need his help? We're educated, sophisticated, experienced, and sympathetic to others, so what's with the condescending, 'I'll put the world right again.' Doesn't every consecutive generation make the world a better place by ending war, poverty, and senseless genocide?

When Nietzsche famously said, "God is dead", he was more accurately saying God is no longer relevant. Several of his works are premised on this presumption and call on mankind to find a new mode of survival. In essence, what is the fuss of religion, God, forgiveness of sin, and grace when we have evolved into an advanced species who are capable of developing our own parameters of nurture and nature.

Funny thing happened after Nietzsche eulogized God: World War I with 18.5 million soldiers and civilians dying, World War II with over 35 million soldiers and civilians dying, 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded releasing one hundred times the radiation dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, violence continues in the Middle East as genocide grows in parts of Africa, and 27 million people are enslaved in modern day slavery and human trafficking.

As I write this, I can't help but think of kids dying of starvation all over the world, people suffering under physical and sexual abuse, and rampant war and disease.

I know Theology is a messy thing because most time it starts and ends with a why. But Jesus didn't come to make sense, he came to make things right, and that's why Nietzsche's not. We need help, from ourselves. God's only irrelevant when he's misrepresented, or his message is perverted for personal gain. And when you've made God into anything but what he is, I agree with Nietzsche, he's dead.

Nietzsche may have been a great author, but he was lousy as a prophet. We need something purer than us, without selfish motivation, to rebirth us. To make the messy things in life right again. Can God really heal pain, sickness, war, fear, prejudice, abuse, and fear? Because the truth is, we can't.

Cyclone Power

“The problem in many of our congregations is not that we’ve chosen a wrong strategy or have an irrelevant style but that we are an unhealthy culture.” - Erwin McManus

I love sports and I love going to sporting events, especially when they’re free. The Big 12 basketball tournament is at the new Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City this weekend and I took my son to the free open practice sessions on Wednesday and yesterday a friend took me to see a couple of the games.

Now I love sports, but I have digressed in my relationship with ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and March Madness ever since marriage and fatherhood became my #1 leisure sport. So as I’m walking into the beautiful, yet out-of-place in dreary downtown stadium yesterday, I wondered if I would still be able to speak coherent sports jargon with my friends during the games. I couldn’t name a single player from any of the teams playing, and I wasn’t even sure what Iowa State’s school mascot was, but more about that later.

I took my seat just a few rows behind Kevin McHale, who was scouting those players I couldn’t name, I ordered food that graciously did not provide the nutritional content on its packaging, and I cheered, booed, and yelled with the eclectic crowd wearing various school colors.

And then something unusual happened…

Iowa State took the court for pregame warm-ups. I knew nothing about the school or the basketball team, and these were my initial reactions:
1. They are called the ‘Cyclones’. Nothing like naming your school after horrific natural disasters.
2. The mascot is a Cardinal. Not sure the connection between the cardinal and the cyclone, but I don’t think the cardinal comes out of that one too well.
3. The school colors are yellow and red. Doesn’t seem bad, right. Except last night looked like a McDonald’s convention at happy hour. Even the mascot, the bird not the cyclone, was dressed like the reincarnation of Ronald McDonald.
4. The band members were wearing hockey jerseys. This was a BASKETBALL tournament.

So by default, I decided to root against Team McDonalds and cheer for Texas A&M. It didn’t last.

Across the stadium, I noticed several guys painted in yellow, wearing red wigs, and chanting wildly. I looked beside me and I noticed I was one of the few fans not wearing the McDonalds two-tone special. The atmosphere in the stadium was changing. These fans weren’t annoying or obnoxious, they were intriguing. They made the game exciting, even though the basketball team wasn’t, they made me laugh, and won me over. It was great to see fans who traveled, from wherever Iowa State is, and physically and emotionally take over the filled-to-capacity stadium. Even the band, although they may not have realized what sport they were playing for, frustrated A&M’s band because they were louder, more passionate, and played until the last possible moment.

I was swept away in a sea of mustard and ketchup, wishing I had attended Iowa State and wondering why I hadn’t been a fan all along. The same team I mocked at first, became the object of my affection for the next 40 minutes.

It’s been said that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. For some reason we’ve become dyslectic with that truth. We think repentance leads us to the goodness of God. ‘Say your sorry enough, have a revelation of how worthless you are, and then you’ll encounter God.’ That gospel is not only ineffective and stupid, it’s wrong.

God says, ‘See me in nature, see me in the arts, see me in people groups all over the world, see my goodness in creation, harmony, and life…and be awed!’ That will lead you to become a community of people who believe in me.

It wasn’t the mascot, team uniforms, conflicted bird, or badly dressed band that determined my belief in Iowa State, it was the passion of their community. The love the fans had for their school, each other, and even their acceptance of converted A&M fans like me was a powerful force. The way they took over a stadium not by bumper stickers, religious rants, or protests but by how they seemed to be loving life, drew us in.

Christianity doesn’t work any differently. The belief that the church will be empowered when we win elections, more powerfully protest sin, and organize effective boycotts of the bad guys, makes our message impotent. Instead we must become vibrant followers of Christ, hunger healthy communities of truth, and desire to produce life and love wherever we go.

So I bless you to live life full, and pursue healthy communities marked with humility, excellence, and passion.

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today...Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace...You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world...You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Imagine by John Lennon 1971

An honest attempt to visualize a place where the things that divide people no longer exist. I love the melody, a soft approach masking a strong political and religious message, although Lennon probably saw these two regimes as one.

Lennon asks the listener to follow him on his journey, his ideological quest for living without the death of heaven, hell, countries, killing, religion, possessions, greed, and hunger. In 2001, under the shadow of a debri-filled New York City, Neil Young performed this song before a televised audience of 60 million; 60 million people still moved by the power of Lennon's prophetic musings.

Lennon was calling for a movement, although he always publicly denied this in interviews, but the third stanza gives his motivation away as he is calling for us to more than imagine, and to join arms with 'us'.

I've been thinking about this, not Lennon but the song, what it means, not to Lennon but to us today and tomorrow. And I've hit a road block.

Doesn't every political and religious force use the same rhetoric as Lennon's? Isn't every war fought to 'end war' or remove suffering? Don't people join a religion to remove 'evil' from their own lives and bring about an end to 'evil' in society? Don't most see heaven as an eternal extradition from things like greed and hunger?

I guess my problem is what Lennon's was, and why his movement has not moved past imagining. He offers no real answers or explanations, only condemning the generation before him for the systems they put in place. That's probably why the song continues to be so popular. Nothing like blaming mom and dad and their politics and religion for all the bad in society.

Lennon struggled to imagine real answers to killing, pride, and poverty because to achieve it requires a purely motivated political uprising demanding equality, a religious movement demonstrating societal justice, and men and woman serving the needs of community over the wants of their souls.

Now Lennon's song will remain on my playlist, and will probably continue as the anarchist anthem for generations to come. But I'm not content to only 'imagine' all the wrongs in government, religion, and society. I want to make a difference, now. I want to do something about poverty in my community, eliminate hatred and fear in my city, and remove divisions of race, gender, and religion.

Maybe politics and religion are not to blame after all, maybe we're the problem. We might be in need of some help from someone who died passionately for what he was(and not just what he believed in), and left a perfect example on how to achieve what Lennon sings of.

So I encourage you to celebrate imagination, let your dreams be unhindered, but be brave enough to move into the fog of living them out.

No Insiders Allowed

As usual, I was waiting several rings to see if someone else was going to answer the phone. Just before the call was directed to the answer machine, I realized that today I was the only person in the office. I reached for the phone and my notepad at the same time, sure that I would just be taking a message for someone else.

The caller never did tell me his name, nor did he ask me mine. He baited me by telling me he was new to our community and was looking for a new church home. He just wanted to talk to a live voice(which is pretty much all you get out of me on the phone) before he decided to visit our church. I’m not a good salesman, and I have never meet a good salesman that I would want to spend any time with away from the sales floor. My wife, in act of defiance and wisdom, will not step foot on a car dealership, real estate office, or electronic superstore until the very last minute, when we have already done our research from the safe confines of our home. So although I love my church, I knew I wasn’t suited to ‘sell’ this guy on the benefits of attending our church.

Well, luck or favor was on my side, because this guy was not interested in ‘buying’. He immediately went off about our church, the church in general, and how society and the world was being harmed by our message and focus. As he tore at everything our church stood for, I must admit, it was good to hear that our church was having such a global impact! Normally when we get calls or emails like this we end the communication as soon as possible, but I was enjoying this guy. Yes, he was off the wall with his exaggerations and hyperbole, comparing teaching to brainwashing, discipline to control, love to manipulation. But, I’ve heard that stuff before, and it sounded like he was reciting from someone else’s skewed view of Christianity. What intrigued me was what the man was trying to say, and I found great truth in the unsaid longing of his heart.

He felt that the church, and because I answered the phone, my church, had made him an outsider and was trying very hard to keep him as one. We have our weekly meetings, our songs and radio stations, even our own television stations all geared to…us, the insiders. He desperately wanted to know why we had turned a message about creator loving creation into sophisticated, orchestrated weekly meetings designed to please insiders and at the same time, even if done without malice, keep the outsiders as…well, outsiders. We dress alike, have our own book sections in Barnes & Nobles, our businesses marked with the fish symbol, our coffee houses, our amusement parks, even our own political representatives!!!

But, what this man, who dropped as many F-bombs on me as my high school football coach, was picking up on, was all we really have been doing with Christian influence, money, and power, was clearly making our churches and bible studies as havens for insiders.

Well I must admit, the man who ended up hanging on me before I could tell him that he was making more sense than most 3-point sermons on a Sunday morning, sure got me thinking, and now I’ve decided to become an outsider. No, I’m not leaving Christ (In case you didn’t notice, the only time he visits the inside is to knock the place around). Instead, I’m on a search to find where he really is, and just as important, where I should be.

So consider this your invitation, come join me outside the walls of plastic Christianity, and let’s live life as Christ lived his…on the outside.

Deadly Pandemic or Authentic Journey

"Do not follow where the path may lead; but go to where there is no path and leave a trail."
- unknown

I have an incurable disease - a deadly pandemic that I was infected with almost nine years ago. It happened innocently enough, by two random events spread apart by several years. The first and least important event happened when the Texas Department of Motor Vehicle issued me a driver's license. The second event was my wedding day nine years ago. These two days were crowning achievements in my life, and I successfully completed both tasks on my first try.

Unfortunately, the combination of these two innocent events has resulted in an inoperable condition I call, "I know where I am going, we don't need directions!" (which will be refered to as NOMAP from now on) My wife, who was originally a nursing student, has labored in vain as an amateur apothecary mixing various medicines such as, "Just read the map stupid!", "Stop at the first gas station!", and "Ask that old lady walking down the street!"

These may seem like items with powerful medicinal powers, but the side effects, plus the pride the druggist would take in 'curing' me, have proven to be too much for me. I have accepted the fact that I will never be cured from NOMAP and I, and my unfortunate passengers, will suffer under its effects for as long as my license is renewed.

The truth is, much of my life is governed the same way. I don't want a map or a program to tell me when to turn, where to go, and what decision to make at every intersection. I want to make those decisions myself...better yet, I want to search out the truth about what decision I should make, instead of listening to someone else telling me what to do. Many times parents, pastors, well meaning friends, and family members protest to those infected with NOMAP. But the truth is, many times we are not acting out of rebellion or youthful ignorance, instead we are driven by a desire for authenticity.

I don't want to be someones religious robot nor evangelical puppet. I don't need to be told how to vote, how to dress, what movies and music to listen to, and whatever else we have confused Jesus with being about. Instead, I need to be shown how to love, how to heal, and how to forgive...the things Jesus was about. And for that, I don't need a map or a religious system. I need a relationship with a revolutionary thinker, a heroic champion of justice, and an architect of a better way to live.

Sometimes we call the bible a road map, but I think we're selling it short. For me, the bible is the greatest romance novel ever written. (And thankfully, Fabio isn't on the cover.) It is a story of a deliberate and intentional God giving humanity life and relationship with their creator, and putting into motion a way for all to experience communion with his presence, forever.

A map has pictures, lines, and symbols. The bible has passion, shed blood, and produces life and liberty. One of the major problems with modern christianity is we have minimized an infinite God to stats, number, and rules.

So those of you infected with NOMAP, I urge to not check into the hospital(or church) for a quick immunization. I challenge you to continue on your difficult journey in your pursuit of an authentic relationship with your living, loving creator.

Life, Motion, and Existence

In 1st century Athens, a city that pioneered philosophy, the arts, and history, a people who introduced a new form of modern government called democracy, and established a legacy in architecture and sculpting, there remained one area that they admittedly remained novice. Surrounded by great achievements, and the ideological hope that they had truly made life better for generations to come, they were haunted by a landscape they had yet to grasp, much less mark with their creative interpretation.

This was not an error of oversight or neglect. Quite contrary, great effort was spent and philosophers from different backgrounds would spend their time talking, listening, and debating on this issue. Foreigners would travel just to witness the open arena, known as Mars Hill, where debate would take place. It was a place where gifted philosopher and common laborer could speak openly, the only qualification being that he must listen openly as well.

The focus, the yet to be learned and conquered ‘art’, was…God. The Athenians were not atheist who disbelieved in God altogether, nor were they deist who believed in a creator who had vanished after creation. They believed in God, they just didn’t know who God was. They even went so far as to build an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God’.

Last week, my son woke up in the middle of the night screaming and crying out. Being the good father that I am, I waited to see if my wife was going to get up and see what was wrong. She did, but after several minutes, he continued to cry uncontrollably. I finally got out of bed, deciding to end this disruption to much coveted rest. When I knelt to my son’s bed, I could tell that this was no ordinary ’night whimper’. Something was wrong. I grabbed my five-year son in my arms, and he grasped me tightly. His whole body was tight, yet shaking, as his tears streamed down his face. My wife and I couldn’t understand anything he was saying, but eventually found out that his stomach hurt.

At one point, as waves of pain overwhelmed him, he tugged on my neck as hard as he could, and he cried out in my ear, ’Daddy, daddy, daddy.’ My sleep had been interrupted by his tears, but my life had been interrupted by his cry. In that moment, nothing mattered except the remedy for his pain. I would have done absolutely anything to relieve his discomfort. His cry had awakened our household(and maybe some of our neighbors), and he had our complete attention and care.

That’s exactly what God did for the Athenians. Truth and freedom from the anguish and painful journey of searching for God, arrived in the form of a Jew, who had had a powerful encounter with the true God.

I’m not sure what your perception of God is, but mine is summed up in 7 words recorded by an ancient king named David. “He parted the heavens and came down.” I not only take comfort in those words, those words describe who I see God as. His desire is to part the divide between heaven and earth, and come down to reveal himself to mankind.

So in your search for meaning, truth, and spiritual sobriety, may you be blessed as the Athenians to realize that, “In him we live, we move and have our being…for we are His offspring.”

Authentic Community

au·then·tic refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.

Andrew Root in Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry
"Relational ministries should avoid the temptation to use relationships to influence people and instead see the mandate of the incarnation as the call to shared solidarity in common humanity."

Several years ago, I was working my near minumum-wage job, when hope appeared to me in a three-piece suit. This man approached me and struck up a conversation beyond the normal, "And, I'll take fries with that." I was immediatly struck with how he genuine and honest he was.

He asked me what my plans were in the future, and what I was doing at the present to get there. I tried to give my best shot at an intelligent response while attempting to figure out the answer to those questions myself. After what I'm sure was the stupidiest response he had ever heard, he handed me a business card and invited me to his house the following week for a meeting.

My excitement got me through the next week and I left for his house believing that my life was going to be radically changed. I showed up at his door nervous but with high expectations. I had my resume with me, and I was ready to sound much more intelligent than I had previously. His wife opened the door with a warm smile and she quickly shook my hand and led me into their large living room.

I was surprised to see that the room was full of young men and women who looked just like me. Not expecting so much competition for this job interview, I sized up the room and felt that I still had a chance.

The man soon made his appearance, trading in his slick suit for a more comfortable sweater. He quickly shook hands with each of us and asked us to find a seat. This time he felt cold and distant, and he seemed more interested in sharing what appeared to be some fancy presentation.

For the next 45 minutes, I listened in horror to a slick marketing scheme on how cheap junk could be sold for big profits, simply by becoming part of his sales team. For startup fees of only $145, I could start my own business, and even get my families members, for $145, to start their own business as well. The "interview" turned out to be a chessy pyramid-marketing scheme.

I left the house as soon as I could feeling ashamed that I'd fallen for this scheme, and embarrassed that I had believed that the man actually cared about me.

I'll never forget that encounter and the only good that came out that night was that today I have a heightened awareness of people like him.

It makes me wonder, if in all of our "win the lost at any cost", and "turn or burn" campaigns to "win our cities for Jesus", if we come across just like that man in a three-piece suit? Do we authentically care about people? And are we trying to develop authentic relationships with people not to win them, sell them, or advertise our churches, but because...we love them.

So it's time to put away the evangelism strategies and retire what Rob Bell describes as the "bullhorn guy". Being an authentic community will cause us to be real, raw, honest, and humble. Although a road less travelled, along the way I believe we'll encounter truth, justice, and life to the full.

Messy Christianity

I enjoy reading and listening to people who don't think like me. I am not a glutton for debates, as these seem to be a terrible waste of time. You know what I'm talking about. Conversations(debates) where you talk loudly and arrogantly about why you're right and smart and the other person is wrong and...well, stupid.

I'm talking about merely listening...what a concept! One the American Church and the American Christian do little of. Not only do we not listen to God, a simply reading and obeying of His word, we don't listen to people in general. We really struggle with allowing other people to speak into our lives. It's as if we really believe that the only people that need to stop and listen are weak, anemic people who don't have any idea what they are doing or where they are headed. Well, this is my confession and my blog is my confessional booth... I don't have a clue. So, you wise sages of all knowledge high and far, fire away. Go to work telling me what following God looks like, what I should like, and what the American church should like. Share and elaborate with me your endless rhetoric and precise commentary.

I remember in high school, I had a part time job at an 'eletronic superstore'. My job was to sell car stereos and my salary was completely based on my ability to sell, sell, sell. The problem was that I knew absolutely nothing about car stereos. Not only that, I could care less about what subs were, why you needed to buy the cleanest amp available, and the importance of circuitry design. I was more interested in friends, money, and fun. (I'm not sure in what order.) But one day, via my department manager, who seemed completely interested in the above mentioned stereo jargon, I had an epiphany. "You don't have to care about car stereos, and you don't even have to know anything about them." he said to me one day. "You just have to fake it. You just have to convince them that you know everything about stereos and convince people that if they take your advice, they will be completely satisfied." I was hooked. That day I traded in my training manuals and my desire for new informaton about fresh, cutting-edge technology, for mass manupulation. And it worked.

So today, a little older, not too much wiser, I stand at the same intersection. I see these ministers on TV who claim to know it all, and they'll even share it with you if you buy their new book, or give that generous monthly pledge. And I have friends who at the smallest, slightest acknowledgement that I'm honestly searching for answers, will jump on me with a three-point teaching about wisdom and faith. It all seems so tempting...but then I am reminded of my goofy department manager with his out of date suit and tie. "Just fake it, Joe", he would say to me with a goofy grin. And every time I am around people with their pyramid scheme, marketing strategies that explain how to know God's will, I'm at first skeptical, then somewhat curious, but finally, a new epiphany arrives. They're all as clueless as I am. But maybe even more so, because they are pretending to actually know truth.

You see, my Christian journey is messy. I seem to be moving in the dark much of the time. My growth and revelation may be slow, and it's definetly laborous, but it's legit. Eric Stark, music director at Word of Life Church in St. Jo, Mo, says, "In the fog of my mind, my soul speaks clearly. And with a clear head, the soul stays silent." That really resonates with. Maybe we are designed to move into the unknown, even mystically drawn there. It's a search and a journey that will only end when our breath does. Not just because some schmo told us to fake it, but because the journey is the point.

So, I enjoy listening to what people think, especially if it's not what I think. I enjoy being around people who have become addicted to the fog. We'll allow those with complete revelations of all knowledge of God and man your due time. We'll nod our heads, and appear to believe your sales pitch. But, to those desperate for truth, hungry for justice, and without a clue on how to bring about either one, I bless you. May our journeys carry on, and our questions always haunt us...it's messy Christianity.