Connection Teams

I can finally come back up for air.  I've been hiding out, working on our fall small group manual and study guides for the past few weeks.  After dozens of meetings, hours of collaboration, and working my mac to the max, we're done.  The manual ended up being about 75 pages long.  We started training our new leaders this week and really expect things to explode. (in a good way)

The biggest problem we ran into was renaming our small group ministry.  We went with "Connection Teams".  It's actually a good alternative to some of our other ideas... "Mix and Mingle", "Band of Brothers, and Sisters", "People Not in a Box" (an ode to Petra), "Like a Good Neighbor", "Homemade Goodness", and "Rapture-Ready Radicals".  Some of you are laughing, some are rolling your eyes, but most of you are probably crying.   

Give me some feedback on what your small group ministry is called or what you wish it was called.

Pro-Life?

Sobriety for my Pro-Life Peps

• 4000 babies are aborted daily
  
• 75% of women have abortions because of financial pressure
• Planned Parenthood is funded mainly through state/federal government
• Your Pastor preaches and your church believes that abortion is homicide, abortion doctors are murderers, and women who get abortions are accomplices
• Your church building/land is worth hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars
• Your church invests thousands of dollars on websites, video projection systems, and TV/radio airtime
• Women pass at least 12 churches on the trip from their house to the abortion clinic
• 99.9% of those churches have never offered financial, spiritual, or counseling services to encourage, educate, or equip pregnant women with a way out of the financial pressure resulting from their pregnancy

75% of abortions could be eliminated if the church would stop building "crystal cathedrals", buying the newest choir robes, remodeling their foyer to "remain relevant", hiring additional staff to "minister" to an already saved age group, etc. and instead invest (not politically) in the lives of women in their community by supporting them in any way necessary to eliminate their "need" for abortion.

But I'm a realist.  These things will never happen.  The truth is the church isn't really pro-life.  Because pro-life only happens at a cost (ask Jesus) and for the most part the American church is not willing to invest in people, we'd rather elect someone else to do it for us.  So we'll continue to criticize Donald Miller for praying at the DNC but have no problem spending more on Christian books and CD's then we invest in people struggling to decide between homelessness and parenthood.  It's the American Gospel Enterprise.

We'd rather go through prayer lines than to minister to people in bread lines.  So keep on voting pro-life, but call it something else.  Oh yeah, and remember...  Jesus beat the crap out of half-baked hallelujah phonies who we're using the Gospel for personal gain, because they were making it difficult for hungry people to enter the synagogue to encounter Him. 

Vote for whoever you want, but don't be so naive as to think that your saviour will come dressed in a tailored suit (or pantsuit) on election day.  Instead remember the words of a true Saviour, who was less interested in voting for life and more interested in dying for life "This is the best way to love, put your life on the line for others."

Success

Self-evaluation is pretty scary if you're sober to reality, and most times success gets replaced by survival.  Recently I've felt drawn to redefine what success really is, and not just because my old definition wasn't working out.

Success is being true to yourself, living a life that is consistent with that truth, and influencing others to pursue truth in their own lives.  

Enough said.

Three Amigos and the Gift of Awe

I rented the Three Amigos from our neighborhood movie rental store (No, not Blockbuster).  Jace loved it and Ronnin hated it, proving that it's the perfect guy movie but probably not a good selection for date night.

The next morning Jace said he wanted to dress up as his favorite amigo, Dusty Bottoms.  Here's the pic.  I love sharing great memories from my childhood with Ronnin and the boys.  Jace is at an age where he appreciates it, maybe too much.  Every time we watch a movie, go out to eat, or do something new, he'll ask me, "Joe, did you do this when you were a kid?"

I have an insatiable desire (okay, maybe that's stretching it a bit) to share new things with people, and I bet you're the same way.  Ever time I meet someone who hasn't seen The Prestige, I invite them over and watch it with them for the hundreth time.  It's great to witness their shock, awe, confusion, and then realization that they may have just seen the best movie ever made. 

And that's the fun for me, their awe;  showing someone the unknown and then see them totally blown away by it.  Ronnin and I intentionally and deliberately create memories like this for our kids, but almost every time we have to overcome one obstacle... fear.

The first time I took Jace off a diving board, he was scared to death.  The first time Justus rode down a slide, you would have thought the Spanish Inquisition was experiencing a revival in our backyard.  But something happens at the bottom of the slide and the surface of the water.  Fear is completely overcome in a beautiful display of laughter and excitement.  Inevitably Jace screams out, "Let's do that again!" and Justus giggles uncontrollably.  That's the gift of awe; the death of fear at the hand of great discovery.

So I bless you to know that whatever you're going through, is not greater than the faith of a child in the presence of its father.  Maybe He's trying to show you something you've never seen before, you know, sharing the gift of awe with one of His kids.

A blog I will probably delete tomorrow

It's been a tough year for the "American Gospel Enterprise".  Richard Roberts and ORU have been rocked by scandal, Randy and Paula White have seen their marriage implode, Juanita Bynum and Thomas Weeks had a very public separation, Ted Haggard's private behavior was exposed, and most recently "healing evangelist" Todd Bentley has confessed to an improper relationship with a female staffer and excessive drinking (that's called alcoholism by the way), and Mike Guglielmucci lied about having cancer to promote his hit song, 'Healer'.  Even as I write this I know I'm leaving out dozens of recent scandals that have exposed serious inconsistencies within the church community and its leaders.

It forces me to ask, "What the hell is wrong with us?"  (Sorry for the language mom.)  I'm getting weary of carrying the shame of being associated with these "men and women of God" who couldn't pass the simplest character test.  We buy their books, support them monthly, watch them on TV, preach their messages, sing their songs, and follow them like Jr High schoolers crying out for Hannah Montana and the Jonas Bro's.  Somebody said, and they were right, "We'd rather follow a man of God, then follow God for ourselves."

The only thing worse than the plastic-personality ministry superhero and us for blindly following them, is the pompous preacher telling us to stop criticizing and critiquing these men and women of God.  We're accused of being Pharisees, faithless sinners, having divisive spirits, or "looking through the eyes of flesh", when after all the hoopla, parade, and charade we find out that maybe we should have been a little more critical.

So I think it's time for some extreme accountability in the church.  It's time for every pastor, church, and ministry to open their doors to outrageous examination and review.  Criticism should be seen as one of our greatest tools, not an evil stumbling block, and critique should be embraced as wisdom from people with greater clarity than ourselves.

Let's stop allowing brainwashing phonies to become stage-dancing celebrities and start  embracing and promoting ministries with solid biblical teaching and discipleship.  It won't be as flashy, it won't help the sales at your neighborhood Christian bookstore, and it won't help fill the airtime on the Christian TV station, but it won't blowup in our face, expose us as shallow and hypocritical, and disgrace the message of the cross.

So I bless you to give up following the mindless mantras of the media hungry Christian celebrities and to embrace following... Christ.  Appreciate the fact that God forgives and his mercy is available to all, but good hair and a charismatic personality do not equal quality leadership in the Kingdom of God.

Nice Wheels

One of the students in our ministry, Kirk, bought his 1st car yesterday.  You should have seen how excited he was to bring it to church last night, it was priceless!!!  A friend was riding with him (who had to get out through the window because the passenger door doesn't open) and they were smiling and laughing as they pulled into the parking lot.  It was so much fun celebrating with those guys last night.  Unfortunately, his truck broke down in the parking lot, and it's in the same place this morning.

Remember the first time you bought something and it was 100% yours?  

First Day

Jace had his first day of school yesterday, but he was most interested in riding the school bus.  Armed with his new Buzz Lightyear bookbag, (which cost more, holds more, and is way cooler than my Eddie Bauer messenger bag), he bravely navigated his first day of kindergarten.  Ronnin and I greeted him as soon as he got off the bus, and I took him out for a celebratory ice cream, which turned into cotton candy and 3 movie rentals as well.  Later that night, we met friends and went out to a Japanese steakhouse.  Jace took a shrimp thrown by our cook to the eye and one landed right on top of Justus's head.  Alas, good times.

Monday, Ronnin and I also took the boys to the zoo for a final fun day before the school year.  The boys rode in their wagon most of the day while I dragged them up and down Everest-like hills as we smelled the elephants, walked alongside kangeroos, got splashed by the sea lions, and scared by the snakes.

Are we taking things way too far?  Are Ronnin and I making a big deal out of nothing?  Maybe trying to relive our childhood through our kids?  

No, it was my parents who taught me how to celebrate the small things in life.  I'll always remember going out to eat with my parents and how they would "oh" and "ah" as the waiter would put our plates in front of us.  My dad would  lead us loudly in celebrating as each member of the family was served their food.  Other tables would stop and turn to see what the commotion was, the waiter would laugh nervously along with us, and we would take turns rolling our eyes as we became the next victim being served our plate.  (Even today, we still perform this ritual, and we're handing it down to our kids as well.)

Growing up, our birthday would include presents, birthday cake and ice cream, and possible a party.  But what would cause us to jump out of bed on the morning of our birthday, rush out of our bedroom, and run throughout the house in excitement, was the birthday chair.  We would run to the dining room to see our chair that mom had decorated the night before.  it would have colored streamers, balloons, a banner with our name on it, and whatever else mom thought of the night before.  It was the highlight of our birthday!  Again, this is a ritual that I'm passing down to my kids.

My parents taught me to celebrate life.  They made me appreciate the importance of creating lasting memories by going out of their way to recognize achievement.  When I received the same trophy ever other kid did in football, they made me feel like I just won the Heisman, when I passed the second grade, they made me feel like Einstein.

So I bless you to go overboard celebrating life.  Recognize, appreciate, and take time to reward the people in your life that you are closest to.  Live life to to its fullest, for it's the best way to respond to God's love for us.

The Call DC

 

Summer's last hurray is here and I have one more trip before the school year starts.  This week I'm headed to D.C. for THECALL, a worship, prayer, and fasting gathering of up to one million people on the National Mall.  Ronnin and I are dropping the boys off at her parents place in St Louis, and then we're flying to DC.  We scored super-cheap tickets at a five-star hotel in DC, thanks Priceline.com, and we plan on hitting the usual tourist hotspots while we're there.

I purposefully booked a flight late on Sunday so that we can visit one of Batterson's churches.  I'm also looking forward to the time alone with Ronnin.  We've had a busy summer and she has been very busy with the boys, so this will be a great time for her to truly 'get away'.

Just read this from the website of THECALL and thought it might interest you.  These are the values and goals of the organization.  I especially like the sentence following the header, a simplistic statement of unity.  It makes me dream of a day when denominations, races, and ethnic groups unite for the demonstration of the Kingdom of God.

THE CALL HAS DEFINITIVE VALUES 

The Call supports and endorses all Christian organizations that espouse its values: 

·    Worship 

·    Unity 

·    Prayer 

·    Fasting 

·    Follow Up 

·    Transformation 

·    Repentance 

·    Reconciliation 

·    Impartation 

·    Equipping 

·    Revival 

·    Revolution 

If you had to write an honest summary up your life, ministry, or focus, what would it look like?

Clueless

You ever walk out of a meeting and feel like, "That person just doesn't get it!"  It could be your boss, spouse, kids, coworkers, or whoever you rub shoulders with that at times you'd prefer to rub away.  You go into the meeting hoping to help, teach, or convince the other person to do things a better way.  You know, your way.

A pastor once told me that the key to leading a meeting is be in constant control.  Talk louder and longer, know more than the other person and let them know that you know more, control the subject matter, identify and manipulate the other person's weaknesses to your advantage, and move the conversation to your predetermined outcome.  Yeah, this guy's a pastor!  

I've been in meetings with him and seen him at work on his unknowing prey.  He has the ability to make you feel guilty for things that aren't your fault, can get you to commit to things you don't have time to do, and force you to give in and compromise against your principles.  This guy gave me a better understanding of why Nehemiah and posse wouldn't leave their work to meet with their enemies.  

Now I'm sitting here at my mac wondering if I ever went into a meeting trying to straighten someone out and it actually worked... I'm coming up with nothing.  People I work for, people who work for me, volunteers, even my two sons, do not respond well to manipulation and control!!!

I'm going to let you in a little secret that my wife Ronnin (and Rob Bell) is (are) teaching me - Love Wins.  The more I listen, understand, serve, give, and love, the more God pulls up my tent pegs and expands my borders. (Ok that sounded weird and a little gross, but you get the point.)   I'm exhausted with conversation competitions, boardroom banter, and heckling hoedowns.  I'd rather be the guy that speaks only when he's spoken to, uses words to exhort and not extort, and learns and not lectures.

So I bless you to remember that Jesus saved the world not by words, but but dying and he commands us walk out the same path in our lives.  

Love, Listen, Liberate

Thanks for the comments to my previous post, several of you told me that you had trouble posting a comment and I've corrected the problem.

A few weeks ago we received a letter from a homosexual in our community looking for a church home.  This person stated that they are an openly gay person, and were looking for a congregation that would accept him, challenge him, and help him grow in his pursuit of God.  He ended the letter by asking if I thought that our church would be able to provide those things for him.

Obviously, we could dissect his letter and bring out a few errors in his theology and motivation.   Kudos (yes, I did just use that word) to my readers who commented on the deeper issue, the man himself, because last time I checked, all of our theology is a little fuzzy at times.

With this email still on my mind, I took our students to a conference last week. The second night featured a youth pastor with one of the largest ministries in the country. (If you didn't know, for some reason we (ministers) judge success by how many people follow us.  So Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and the latest nutjob from American Idol would all be excellent candidates for the protestant pop-bandwagon with book deals, TV spots, and a full conference calendar, if they would just carry around a black book.)

Well this bright-eyed, optimistic messenger of the Gospel and his latest products, got off to a great start.  He took the stage with confidence and lifted his voice with immense bravado and fanfare.  We had our notebooks out, were seated erect, and tuned our ears to receive the latest download from heaven from this man of God.  He went right into his message about catching the next wave of God and he had 4 points to prove it. Apparently God always speaks to us with 3-5 points that most time start with the same letter of the alphabet, and we were halfway through point 2, or d for deliverance, when things got messy.

The speaker referenced point 1, or d for discipleship, and talked about how every teenager in his youth group must be discipled and delivered.  A loud applause and a chorus of amens were quickly interrupted by his next comment when he said,  "And we don't allow limp-wristed boys in our youth ministry."  Nervous laughter was the audiences response but dead silence would soon follow.  Next he explained with Pentecostal-fervor, that faggots and dykes were not welcomed either, they would be delivered or ran off by his ministry-gestapo units.  Not wanting to leave anyone out, he next railed against people with tattoos, tight jeans, long hair, and pretty much everything else Hitler said six decades ago to demonize people who were different than himself.  I was so mad I wanted to scream, but I wimped out and stayed for the entire message. On the way home though, I kept wondering if kids doing drugs, having sex, and skipping church were the problem or if stiff suits horribly representing Jesus and the cross might be to blame.

I have absolutely no problem with homosexuals coming to my church!  I have no problem with people with tattoos, tight jeans, or different ethnic background as well.  In fact, I believe the church should be the most eclectic gathering on the face of the earth.  Every meeting should be a smattering of races, political parties, belief systems, and even religious backgrounds.  We should all gather and worship under the banner of love for Christ.

Does this mean I am tolerant of homosexual behavior?  Have I pulled a Jim Baker Jr and decided to edit the Gospel to please the homosexual community?  Of course not, homosexuality is sin.  But do you know what the bigger problem is?  Church people don't like, and in many times hate homosexual people.  Like a five year old in fear of cooties, we want them out of our church, our political party, coffee house, etc.  I think the entire American Gospel Enterprise (Christian radio, TV, amusement parks, businesses) was started as a way to keep homosexuals out.  

And yet Jesus died on a cross and tore a big veil, to welcome people in.  No gestapo at the door, no Hitler-like suit stirring the crowd to hate, and no utopia free from the people not like us.  You see the man with messy theology who told me he's looking for a church, is a person.  And Jesus told us very clearly that we must focus on two things, loving God and loving people.

So I bless you to leave the dividing dialogue to the political pundits, blowhard radio celebrities, and dead-head theologians.  Take up the greater task to love, listen, and liberate.

Safe Place?

We received the following email at our church last week.  I enthusiastically volunteered to respond to the email, and attempt to connect with the author.  I hope it stirs up something inside of you and makes you ask yourself some tough questions.  Leave a comment and let me know how you would react.  How would your church react?  I'll post what my response was in a few days.

Hey,

I am trying to find an open and affirming congregation in Lees Summit MO. I am an openly gay servant of God and am wanting a place of worship that is open and affirming of me as a person. I am looking for a place that is open and accepting of me as a human being will hopefully respect my differences just like I will respect the other members of the congregation. A place that will challenge me spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and aid me in my journey with the Creator as I know it. 

I was wondering what your views on homosexuality are for this church as specifically. I would also like to know that based off of what I have asked you in this email, if you think this would be a safe place that would be open to me as a person who is gay, and affirm me in my walk with God.  Thank you for reading this.

Go in peace, with lots of love, and harmony   

Dinner on the Riverwalk

A perfect summer evening with the family on the Riverwalk in San Antonio...

Trip to San Antonio

I'm still on vacation, but I wanted to share my favorite pics from our 3 day trip to San Antonio.  We're back in Dallas with family and then heading home on Tuesday.

This is the evening before our trip.  We went to a semi-pro baseball game, the tickets were $1, the hotdogs were $1, but the memories were priceless.  Jace got to go on the field several times betweeen innings to compete for prizes and dance with the mascot.

I'm not sure how we went on long trips when I was a kid.  Now my son has his own DVD player (he calls it is laptop) and personal DVD collection to choose from.  Him and Kaden watched movies, ate, and slept, my kind of vacation.

Here's a pic of our bags.  My brother Tim is somewhere behind this mammoth display of fashion overload by my wife Ronnin.  Remember that this was our bags from a 3 day part of our vacation!!! 

750 feet in the air in Tower of Americas.  As soon as I step off of the elevator, guess what I see... Starbucks.  They really do have one on every corner.

My 10 month year old son Justus showed more bravery than I did.  Look at him lean on to the glass and look over downtown San Antonio from 750 feet in the air!!!  By the way, Ronnin was not around when I held him up and took this photo.  (Before you accuse me of pulling a Michael jackson, there is safety glass all around us.)

You can't go to San Antonio and not visit the Alamo.  This was not Jace's favorite part of the trip.  Notice how Ronnin has to hold him by us for the pic.

Jace riding a bull in the heart of Texas.  Actually it's a coin operated bull and I Ronnin and I didn't have the change to turn it on.  He's just sitting there for the pic.

Sarcastic Confessional

  I'm riding in the car with my family, Ronnin beside me, (who by the way is hotter now than when I first met her 12 years ago) the boys are in the back (Jace 5 years old and Justus 10 months old)  engaged in a hotly contested battle over who can scream the loudest, when something besides screaming boys and a hot momma grabs my attention.

I'm in Dallas, on the way to my parents house after speaking at their church in Dallas.  Sitting at a busy intersection, I notice about 15 people dressed up in their "Sunday best", you know guys in starched white shirts and dark ties, and ladies in colorful, full length dresses.  Some are holding signs, some are holding bibles, but all are chanting verses focusing on God's judgement, anger with sin, and discontent with mankind.  Kids stood proud next to older brothers and sisters, under the shadow of moms and dads, and braved the Texas sun and heat to make their point.

That night, my dad said he wanted to show me something.  He turned his TV to a local broadcast channel, and let the program do the talking.  With out of date decor and bottom-line quality production, a local church was preaching and proclaiming its message to whoever happened to pass on their way from one shopping channel to the next.  The preacher was barely audible (I'm not so sure that was a bad thing) but through my dad's interpretation, he was railing against the local police department, "unsaved" people, and how every church was wrong except for his.  After his sermon, the chairs were moved out of the way, "gimme some of that ole' time religion" style worship was hammered on the piano, and the audience started walking, praying, and worshipping in organized circles, while skilled (I use the word loosely) dancers took up the center aisle dancing freely to music while beating on decorative tamborines.

So to sum up my day, it was a sarcastic bloggers dream and any respectful Christian's biggest nightmare.  As a follower of Christ and a student of His teachings, I couldn't help but feel that these two groups were completely clueless of who Christ really is and that they were desperately in need of someone to "turn their tables over" and bring out the whip.

But then I thought of my church, the way we worship, and my own theology and inability to represent Christ purely.  I'm sure someone thinks the way we worship, follow God, and live out His commandments is wrong as well.  In my instant response to condemn these groups as misguided idiotic ideologist, I started to feel convicted about my own imperialistic ignorance.  It sure is easy for me to fall into the mindset that I'm right and "they're" wrong.

And that's the disease that the church has fought since day one.  Jew vs. Pagan, Jew vs. Gentile, Gentile vs Pagan, white vs. black, Baptist vs. Methodist, Pentecostal vs. Charismatic, hymn vs. modern chorus, suits and ties vs. jeans and untucked shirts, seeker vs. spirit, and on and on and on...

The differences aren't the problem, they accurately represent a beautiful, diverse God.  Instead it's the idea that one expression is right and the others are wrong where we get off track.  I recently heard some simple advice that gave me a new perspective:  "In our journey following God,  for every mile we travel, there are two miles of ditches."  To the right and left of us is the opportunity to get off track and start going our own way.  The key when you swerve off track, is to get back on.  I know it sounds too simple, and wouldn't be enough to satisfy a Sunday morning crowd hungry for 3 points, a slick powerpoint presentation, and a moving altar call, but it works.

So I've decided to force my sarcastic wit to take backseat to my humble pursuit of truth and spiritual sobriety.  It seems like a better way to live, a better way to worship, and a better way to represent a Saviour of people from various races, backgrounds, political parties, and religious expressions.

I bless you to pursue a truth that does not come at the cost of love for mankind, and the humility to understand that our ways aren't a full representation of His.

Okay, it's been way too long since my last blog.  We've (me and the youth group) been selling fireworks, and making a ton of cash, and now I'm on vacation in Texas.  Here's a pic of me and some of the chulios (my nephews and nieces).  We're headed out to pool and I'm going to try out gawker for the 1st time.

Much has been marinating in my mind, so the blogs will be coming rapid fire at you soon.

My steakhouse is better than yours

I take a break from my usual religious ramblings to offer my reaction and review of my recent trip to AMOR DE BRAZIL steakhouse:

You park your car, get out, and the aroma overwhelms you.  Imagine your best 4th of July BBQ on steroids.  Your other 4 senses bow without mercy to the powerful scent of fresh meat being seared on a hot grill.

With what can best be described as a schoolboy skip, you quickly make your way to the front door, but then your eyes are distracted.  There in a glass tomb, or silo of sin, is three of the juiciest skewers of meat you've ever imagined, much less seen before.  It makes you think biblical, and you start to understand why meat was considered such a holy sacrifice.  But today is not just about worship, its a day of indulgence.

You step into the entryway, and you realize that this is also a place to bring the significant other.  The opulent atmosphere would be the envy of Benny Hinn and his TBN colleagues, and even stir Liberace from the grave.  The buffet(which I recommend you stay away from so that you can properly celebrate as a carnivorous creation) is decorated in such a way to tease the eye into thinking that you've stepped into an art museum.  Greens, mixed with reds, oranges, blues, and the rest of the rainbow surround the table to create a beautiful panoramic view.

Your waiter or waitress leads you to your table, and you quickly notice that the plush leather chairs are built for comfort and confidence that you can stay for as long as you'd like.  With a simple flip of a card, you know what the lifestyles of the rich and famous truly are as waiters rush to your table offering various cuts of fresh meat off the hot grill.  They never stop, until you start to beg them for mercy.

As you leave the restaurant fully satisfied and barely coherent, you already begin to imagine the next time your wallet and your waistline are ready for another round.

Significance Found

Here's some notes from a recent message I did on Finding Significance.  The pics make it plain, the application is a little more difficult.  I've also included some bullet points from the video with Chris Hill.  No service tonight. we're having a kids conference at the church all week.  Tomorrow morning at 10am central, we'll be live streaming the youth sessions at the conference on: www.ustream.tv/channel/encounter-student-ministries.

Stop the vicious cycles in your life.  How?  Become consistently intentional and deliberate with attacking the areas of your life that have you stuck in survival mode.  Break unholy alliances with apathy and mediocracy.

Don't be the guy with Vanilla Ice hair, Hammer pants, and Michael Jackson glove.  Move past your successes and jump off the cliff of discovery again.  The past is in the past.  It's time to turn personal achievement into kingdom impact.

Rhythm of Heaven

 I'm not a mystic, but I believe in the spiritual.  Many people think that's a contradiction.  They'd rather group mystical, metaphysical, spiritual, etc. all together; a little Hocus Pocus action, black magic, hearing from the dead, supernatural kind of thing.

By definition a mystic is someone who sees with their eyes closed, they close off the physical so that the mysteries of the supernatural can be revealed.  A mystic is someone who devotes their life to the study of life's mysteries.  Sounds cool, we'd all love to unlock the mystery, hunt for the treasure chest, find the hidden clue.  You know, Indiana Jones meets National Treasure, meets Pirates of the Caribbean, meets Lost. (Yes, I did just shamelessly reference Lost.  By the way, I also want to take this opportunity to recommend Psych.  Rent or buy the 1st season and you'll thank me.) 

Well I'm not a mystic, your church shouldn't be mystical, and Jesus isn't understood in a cloudy quest for divinity.  You see, the spiritual and the mystical split paths at the 'eyes closed' thing.  This has been one of the biggest crutches for the church today: we'd rather be weird than embrace truth.  I'm sure that right now you're in front of your computer shaking your head in disdain, but you also have this nagging suspicion that I'm right.  The moment you, or the church, closes it's eyes to access the 'spiritual realm' all you really do is become a walking blind person.  In our attempt to walk the clouds, we have trodden over a hungry, hurting humanity.  

Here's my problem.  Jesus was more in tune with the supernatural, spiritual realm than anyone else in history.  It's said that He only did what He saw father God doing in heaven.   He was a walking mirror of the plan and purposes of God... He had captured the rhythm of heaven.  So in His life's journey walking out the great plan of God, the exclamation point in God's pursuit of humanity, what kind of footprints did He leave along the way?

He accepted children, people of all races, the sick, the outcasts of His day, prostitutes.  He passionately split the divide between the synagogue and the sinner, while at the same respecting and embracing the governmental leaders of His day.  He angrily took action against those who put up socioeconomic walls and demanded justice for mankind, without prejudice.  All this while walking out the plan of God, the journey to the cross.

Your spiritual journey if legit, should at times be messy, confusing, exhilarating, even painful but at no time do you walk with your eyes shut.  We're not looking for a cloud, a sign, a wonder, or an awe, we're looking for truth.  And you're probably on the right path if on the way you catch the heart of God for mankind, you know, simple humanity.

So I bless you to walk in spiritual sobriety, but to do so with your eyes open, leaving the lava lamps and mindless mantras with meditation to the mystics.  Passionately pursue truth and allow your journey to cause an unhappy alliance with poverty, sickness, and prejudice with eyes wide open, the rhythm of heaven.  

Great Day

Hope you had a great Father's Day!  (Thanks Tiger for making it last an extra day)  I had some mad BBQ this weekend and I wanted to share the details with you.  Now remember I live in Kansas City, the heart of the nation's best BBQ.

• Burnt End Platter
  
• Cole Slaw
  
• Fries
  
• Side of smoked beans
  
• Toast
  
• Sweet Tea (It's hard to find sweet tea in the midwest, so I had to sweeten it myself)

This is my plate after I split my meal with Jace:

Thanks Ronnin, Jace, and Justus for a great weekend!!!

Do Not Pass Me By

Happy Sunday and Father's Day.  Pastor Alan just threw down the best message I've heard him preach, Do Not Pass Me By.  Here's my notes, check out the stream... www.ustream.tv/channel/encounter-student-ministries

Do Not Pass Me By

Mark 10:46-52

What God wants to do is greater than we can think or imagine.

1. Jericho was a city under a curse, vs 46

2. This was Jesus' farewell tour before He was crucified

3. Jesus was traveling into the narrows, between the city gates, a place where beggars hung out, vs 46

4. Blind Bartimaeus was a man known by his curse.

5. To get God's attention we must cry out.

6. Desperation must be followed by changed action, vs 52

See ya, I'm headed to lunch with the fam and Jace just told me that I have a prize at home.  Enjoy God, enjoy your family, and enjoy yourself!!!

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.