Looking Back, But Leaning Forward

The older I get the more I realize how deeply flawed I am and how many mistakes I’ve made in the past.  I am all too human and all too flawed.  An imperfect, broken vessel.  It’s why I need God.  It’s why I need Jesus.  He completes me!

I look back on a young man with very few life experiences who was quick to dispense advice and pronounce judgments he really had no business making.  I see a young father that made sooooooo many mistakes in parenting and upon reflection should’ve defaulted to grace more than he did.  I see a young pastor consumed with perception, unrealistic expectations and blind to reality.   The insecurity of youth was a horrible baseline for decisions.  I see unresolved PK baggage that affected actions and decisions.  A young husband who, for a long time confused work and professional accolades with “being present” and supportive.  No, this isn’t a rant prompted by unresolved conflict, guilt or unconfessed sin.  It’s wisdom.

The wisdom writers noted that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.  Too many years were spent without realizing just how great, glorious and big God is!  Missed opportunities and a “too busy doing God’s work,” attitude rationalized workaholism and an honest self-examination.  Age has brought a different perspective.  And it’s NEVER too late to make corrections and right your ship.  But it has to begin with a response to a very simple invitation:  “Come, follow me.”

When Jesus bids an invitation to follow, it’s either “all in,” or not.  Not one aspect of life can be exempted from total surrender.  If we hold something back, it’s not surrender, it’s control.  And therein lies the crux of the matter.  In the end it is idolatry.  Oh we can dress it up and call it whatever we want, but the bottom-line is that we are prone to hold something back because deep within we reason that we can do a better job (now that’s just funny), or it’s too deep, too dark for God to handle.  Wake up!  He can handle anything you throw His way.  It’s all He’s ever wanted-----our undivided attention and devotion.  And as the years pass (rapidly I might add) you realize that complete and total surrender really is the only way to move forward.  Jesus put it this way:  "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Self-denial is indeed the only way!  It’s how we move from a marked past and find the way of God.  So, I’m not living with an eye on a regretful past.  I’m simply trying to follow Him, today.  One day, one step at a time.  How bout you?  Something you need to let go of so you can really follow?  Come clean, take the first step and give it to God.  Then, and only then, He gets the glory.  It’s all He wants!

Almost There

On a recent trip a family member called and asked, "Where are you?"  I replied, "I'm almost there."  Not really because I was stuck on the loop in Atlanta creeping tin bumper to bumper traffic trying to get to the I-85 ramp.  As I cleared Atlanta I thought about those three words:  I'm almost there.  Isn't that where a lot of us seem to be?

We're never quite there, we have yet to arrive and we say we are almost there.  But the truth is that almost isn't really there.  Kind of like, we almost won the game.  I almost made that putt.  He almost got the job.  We almost got hit by a storm.

The definition of almost includes: very nearly, but not exactly, or entirely.  Almost isn't a bad place to be, but too often we are willing to settle for it and never arrive.  Think about it:  We start a workout routine/diet, but we never quite finish.  We vow to be better about our time with God and His Word, but it gets pushed out by other things.  We say we will spend more time with our family, but we continue to work like a dog.  We promise to get help with emotional problems and even admit that meeting with a counselor would be a good idea, but we never quite make it.  The scenarios are endless for almost there.

In the gospels Jesus and the disciples seem to be in a constant state of almost there.   Undoubtedly His journey with the disciples is more about them and us in terms of lessons to be learned.  However, when we get to the end of the story we find a huge arrival.  He arrives at God's glory through his death, burial and resurrection.  The disciples make the journey with Jesus, but they don't arrive when He does.  Many are still questioning, doubting, searching and struggling with the idea of a kingdom built on poverty, sacrifice and service.  However, their journey is just getting started and they finally arrive, just read the book of Acts.

Jesus' arrival is the beginning of humanity's journey.  He paved the way and showed us that life must be lived through Him if we are going to pursue God (John 14:6).  We shortchange the Gospel when we think we've arrived at our destination at the moment of salvation.  The trip is just beginning.

Remember, He calls us to follow.  The implication is that we are going somewhere great and the journey is about our growth and finding ways to glorify and serve God as we travel.  It's a missional journey with countless stops along the way.  The road is not always smooth, in fact, when we are really following the road is rough, steep, winding, and long.  And we act surprised!  He told us it wouldn't be an easy journey (John 12, John 15, Matthew 10:16ff).

Almost there can be good/bad it depends on the road we are traveling.  If we settle for almost there we can become self-satisfied and delude ourselves into thinking we don't need to continue.  However, almost there can also be: on the way, keeping pace, striving ahead and straining forward.  Paul understood almost there probably more than most.  He wrote:  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

Happy travels and remember every day means we are a little further along on the journey and we are almost there.

So Very Jesus!

Last weekend Pope Francis was addressing a large crowd in St. Peter's Square for the Vatican's Family Day.  During the ceremony a young boy was able to elude security and get on stage to be with the Pope.  Security and some cardinals even tried to lure the boy off with candy, but he wasn't budging.  He remained by the Pope's side and the Pope didn't seem distracted at all.  In fact he embraced it.  At one point the boy is hugging the Pope's leg and the pontiff can be seen affectionately rubbing the boy's head.   At one point, the Pope gave the child his pontiff seat so he could finish his message.

As I watched the video from this event I couldn't help but think how ironic this was taking place on, of all days, Family Day.  If the Pope represents God to Roman Catholics what better place for a little boy to hang around?  How appropriate and how so very Jesus:

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.  (Mark 10:13-16 NIV)

It should make all of us ask:  Is our church a place where a child would feel this comfortable and welcomed?

(Photo by L'Osservatore Romano via AFP)

Hezekiah Walker New Video "Every Praise"

Love this new Hezekiah "Every Praise" Video/flashmob

The Church I Dislike

There are days when I really dislike the church.  Not the church Jesus described when Simon Peter rightly identified Him as the Christ, but the church we’ve created.  The church Andy Stanley masterfully and simply describes evolving from Constantine through the Reformation in his latest book, “Deep and Wide”.  The church I dislike, or struggle with looks different in different places.  It’s not as much about geography and culture as it is about church as a place instead of a people.  

Sometimes it is the extension of a long-winded meeting debating, or setting policies and procedures that does nothing more than attempts to satisfy Robert’s Rules of Order.  Isn’t that funny?  Can we actually read the gospels and admit with a straight face that Jesus would’ve subscribed to parliamentary procedure?  This church is so concerned about what’s right/wrong and the list of do’s/don’ts for members that it has totally forgotten what it means to be caught in sin and smothered in God’s grace despite of our guilt.  It’s the church that is more concerned with hitting all the “right” notes than it is in making a joyful noise.  It is the church that spends far more on itself (facilities, personnel, publicity, etc.) than it does those Jesus told us to reach.  As Andy describes it, it is a church for the churched.   Easy this is not just the established church.

Then there’s the version of the church that looks cool, appears to be hip, but is essentially doing the exact same thing as the former description only with different window dressing, music and structure.  The pastors are cool and spend more on their custom t-shirts and jeans than pastors in the previously described churches spend on their suits.  Its gatherings are more like a concert.  Modern performing arts centers/concert venues have nothing on it in terms of technology, sound and feel.  BIG bucks are spent on the “presentation” and it is really good, even flawless.  But the message is still the same, “If we build it they will come.”  Even with multiple locations the focus is still on drawing people into the venue so they can join.  Nothing is done without thinking about “branding” and getting their name out.   Don’t be fooled, numbers are the banner in both kinds of churches.  Numbers translate to money, and money translates into the expansion of a physical presence. 

With the exception of David Platt’s church and a few others, how many of these churches do you know that send a significant percentage of their financial contributions directly to autonomous ministries/churches in 3^rd world countries trying to reach unreached people groups?  Not their denominational donation percentage, but the amount they are directly investing in “hands-on” global partnerships? 

 

And before you think this is a rant about big, established, or mega-churches hold off!  This applies to

the small “wannabe’s” in both kinds of churches.  This applies to every one of us who smugly claims to follow a Person and not an institution.  For it’s just when we think we “are not like them” that we forget our origins.  So many churches have forgotten that this is supposed to be an organic movement ushered into existence by a man who owned nothing, had no earthly power, influence, or credentials and died in a very violent way despite personal foreknowledge of the event itself!  And it was a very small band of devoted followers that spread His message after His death in the face of great danger and persecution.  

Most of them died violently, or imprisoned.  I shudder to think what Jesus in the flesh would think if He reviewed our church budgets, plans and strategies.  I wonder if our priorities would be His!   And I wonder what those early followers would say if they saw our lavish facilities and resources?  I bet they would say that we aren’t hungry and thirsty, but that we seem to be full and satisfied.  God help us when we are satisfied, or actually think we have arrived.  God help us if we think it can’t get any better than this because that means we have taken an organic movement and created an idol.  Perhaps therein lies the problem.  Whether knowingly, or unknowingly we have created idols expecting loyalty to a place/brand/system (both new and old) instead of calling for self-denial and loyalty to a Person, Jesus Christ. 

And now let me tell you why I am wrong.  If I absolve my personal responsibility to help the church recover her roots and become a movement for ANYONE & EVERYONE built around the words and actions of Jesus Christ by simply comparing my church to the one down the street then I have become that which I despise the most….A competitive fake more interested in earthly competition than heaven’s population.  God help us to rally around the Person and teachings of Jesus Christ.  Now that’s a game changer, no, that’s a life changer!

Timing

I love to play golf in the fall.  The crisp air, falling leaves and soon to be dormant grass are reminders that we aren't

in control of the seasons and weather.   My favorite time to play is later in the day so you can finish just before dark.  However, you can't wait too late, or you will be using a flashlight to finish.  There is a window of opportunity and you have to seize it if you don't want to walk off before your finished on the 15th or 16th hole.  It takes a little timing to make it work and a little luck in regard to those playing in front of you.  If they are slow and things back up you can get caught in the dark.  

Hitting the 18th fairway, or green as the sun is going down is an awesome feeling, especially when you don't get to play that much.  A wind shirt or sweater vest is just enough as the temperatures cool.  If you get caught on the course in the dark because of timing you feel like you were shortchanged because you paid for 18 holes.  

Life can be like fall golf.  Timing is everything.  And sometimes regardless of your timing it's going to take some luck because you have no control over the actions and pace of the people in front, or around you.   They can hold you up, or force you to finish in the dark because of their "slow play".  And it's rarely intentional on their part.  But you still pay the price because of their action, or inaction.  

Surfers talk about timing all the time.  It's called catching the wave.  They know the precise moment when to start paddling their boards and when to mount it so the wave takes them in.  If their timing is off they can miss the wave, or wipe out.  Neither is very fun if you're a surfer.  

In life when your timing is off you can miss opportunities, or even wipe out.  It's really an art to know when to start, mount, paddle, or tee off.  All kinds of factors can contribute to the situation.  How do you know when the timing is right?  Practice.  Playing.  Living.  There's no substitute for experience.  And that means we will have times when we wipe out, or don't get to finish.  We make mistakes.  And it's okay because that's how we learn.  And hopefully the next time our timing is better.    

God's timing is great.  When we're in sync with Him through prayer and His word it all comes together.  Yes, there are still slow players out there that hold us up, but God can even use them to teach us lessons about timing and His will.  This week I finished a long  round before dark and I caught the wave.  Thanks to previous encounters when I missed it I knew what to look for and I was sensitive to what God was saying.  He spoke when I least expected it and though difficult, I jumped on the wave.  I'm glad I caught it because it brought great peace.

Need some peace, worried about your timing, or missing God's?  Stay alert, wait, watch and pray.  Listen, look and be alert.  God's at work, even if slow play is ahead of you.  Like Elisha on the mountain wait for the still small voice and then you will know peace.  

¹¹ And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. ¹³ And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13

And when you hear that still, small voice, jump, tee off, or catch the wave!  You won't regret it, even if it doesn't make sense.  

Where Are They Going?

Have you ever wondered where all the people on a crowded interstate are going?  Every day we pass people, or people pass us headed to many places.  They come from all different backgrounds and races.  They may be:

• Racing to the hospital for a loved one. 
• Heading to a long awaited job interview.  
• Going to close on a new house.
• Coming from the doctor who confirmed the biopsy is "cancer".
• On the way to cheer for their favorite team.
• Taking the kids to soccer, or band practice.
• Returning from a meeting with a divorce lawyer.
• Going home to abuse their spouse.
• Heading to a bar to drown their sorrows.
• Leaving the funeral of a loved one or friend.
• Meeting a friend for lunch.
• Enroute to pick up their newly adopted child.
• Leaving the pediatric neurologist with a sick child.
• Texting their spouse they were just fired and not even thinking about driving.
• On the phone with an estranged child.
• Going to small group.  
• Celebrating the birth of a child.
• Heading to a 12-step meeting.
• Driving a brand new car they saved for a long time.
• Driving a very old car they worked hard to pay off.
• Driving a stolen car.
• Carrying drugs in the trunk (Stats say this happens a lot on I-85)
• Hauling an 8-pt. buck to the processor.
• Riding on new tires, or riding on old tires.

You get the idea.  Every day, every moment the interstate and roads we travel are filled with all kinds of people simply doing life.  Some of it's good and some of it's very bad.  Some are carrying such a heavy load it's hard to believe they can move forward, much less focus on driving.

I've never been a very patient driver, but I have really tried to grow in this area.  I'm talking about patience, not road-rage, or anger.  I'm better, but I still have a lot of room to improve and I'm probably not as far along as my wife would like.  Recently she reminded me that when I get impatient with other drivers I should put myself in their seat.  They could have a lot on their mind, or they could just be having a bad day.  Making an intentional effort to think this way will change the way you drive and interact with people, even difficult ones.

It forces us to empathize, or have compassion toward everyone we encounter.  Compassion is never a bad thing!  I am trying to take this to another level.  In addition to "cutting people slack," I am trying to pray for them when I do.  Not long, laborious prayers, but quick, breath prayers:  Father, help them today.  Or, Lord, whatever that person is facing it must be tough so grant your grace upon them at this moment.

The old saying: Be kind everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle is attributed to Rev. John Watson (aka Ian MacLaren).  Regardless of the quotes origin it's sound advice.  The Apostle Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:12:  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience,. Easy there in the left lane!