I'm Taking My Ball And Going Home :-p

I had an interesting interaction yesterday. I ran into an atheist. It’s not an uncommon occurrence, but this “conversation” will be one that I may never forget. (I know it’s a long read, but it’s worth it)

I use many different social networks. At last count, I had accounts on seventeen different sites that allow interaction between folks. I don’t have all of those accounts because of a false sense of importance or popularity. I don’t have those accounts to carry out some clandestine or secretive interaction with folks- in fact, I try to use the same user ID’s (either my name or the America Ministry name) on all of those accounts. The purpose for all of those accounts is to interact with as many people as possible to spread the Word of God and tell them of the wonderful sacrifice that Jesus made for all us. In other words, I take a “shotgun “ approach with a part of my ministry and then focus on the individual when the questions start being asked.

One of the networks I use is Google+. Many people have heard of it, but very few have tried it. It combines all of the best features of Facebook and Twitter with very cool privacy features. One of the cool features is that you can search for people by an interest (hobby, favorite sports team, etc.). I am just getting real comfortable with it, and yesterday I was looking for some like-minded folks (as in fellow Christians) to strike up a conversation with.

So, there I was, searching through a number of faith related public posts when I found a very negative comment about Christians. I clicked on it and brought up the entire chain. The initial post in that thread was a very bitter diatribe in response to someone posting the odds of a single person fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies as Jesus had. For those of you that don’t know, the odds are in the neighborhood of 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. The numbers were accurate, but the response was one that we are all too familiar with- “who could be stupid enough to think that a supernatural being has ever walked the earth.” I’m not quoting directly- more on that later.

My curiosity always gets the best of me when I see things like that, so I expanded the thread to follow the conversation. The conversation was just what I expected to see- the Christians were defending their faith to the death (including an absolutely wonderful teenager), and the atheists were simply finding different ways to say it was impossible for a being like Jesus to ever exist and that it was all a fabrication and conspiracy. They gave no facts or supporting information to their view, and just proceeded to do the internet version of sticking their tongues out, trying to appear intellectually superior because they knew it was impossible for Jesus to do the things He did. I abhor that superior mentality, and never tire of taking it on. So I decided to throw my two cents in.

Being a public post, anybody could respond. So I did. I responded to one of the atheists (we’ll call him George). George has just posted another version of, “You are stupid to believe.” Our conversation went something like this (again, not direct quotes):

Me: I see you don’t believe in Jesus. How about Aristotle?

George: Huh?

Me: Do you believe that Aristotle existed?

George: What do you mean?

Me: Do you accept the fact that Aristotle lived and died?

George: Yes. Why?

Me: How did you come to the conclusion that he lived?

George: History books

Me: Did those same history books expose you to his teachings?

George: I don’t get it. Where are you trying to go with this?

Me: Here’s exactly where I’m going. You have been bashing folks for believing that a supernatural being ever walked this earth, despite hundreds of existing manuscripts that were written in the first 200 years after the events of the life of Jesus Christ, long before the church became any kind of political or social power in society. Yet you openly admit to believe the existence and teachings of a man whose reputation is built on a small handful of manuscripts that weren’t written until 1,400 years after he died. Based on those facts, who would appear to be the gullible one here?

I never heard from George again. The silence was deafening. I wasn’t getting any thread update notifications, as I was during the back and forth debate. A few hours later, I decided to go back and reread the thread. I couldn’t, because the ENTIRE THREAD HAD BEEN DELETED! I can’t quote from it because it doesn’t exist anymore. The original poster, the one who was bashing someone for their knowledge of the odds of fulfilling the prophecies, had removed the entire conversation from view once an undeniable truth was used to undermine his foolish beliefs.

It would have been so easy to just skip over that thread, thinking that someone else would take care of the problem. It would have been easy to think that I had dealt with that mentality so many times in the past and that I wasn’t in the mood to do it again. We all encounter people like this on a daily basis. When we do, we need to do everything in our power to defend our faith and meet the enemy where they stand. At times, we act like the Bible is the only source of power we can rely on and ignore all of the facts and evidence left in the wake of Jesus. At times, the way to get a person to ask the right questions might be to present them with the real world logic they are trying to use against you. If they dismiss the Word of God as fiction, use the real world evidence that can't be dismissed. Once they consider the truth from their real world perspective, they may start to comprehend the error of their ways (just ask Josh McDowell).

Don’t get me wrong- the Bible is the ultimate written source of power for us. But God does not stop there when it comes to arming us for the battle against enemies. The physical evidence to support the Gospels is overwhelming and can stop the “intellectual” in their tracks. Become familiar with the historical facts. Use them to your advantage. When you take the battle on the terms of the non-believer and use the kind of facts that they can’t dispute, they will disappear in a heartbeat. And sometimes they’ll take their posts with them.

Mr. (Im)perfect

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:21-24

Like many people, I commute to work every day. Unlike most people, my commute is 65 miles one way. I’ve been doing this since June 2002, and by best guess I’ve made the round trip just over 2,000 times. That means that my commute has consisted of over 260,000 miles over the last nine plus years. And my track record is almost perfect- I’ve never had a ticket of any kind and have never even been pulled over by the police. I consider myself to be a very conscientious and safe driver. Almost perfect.

On February 8, 2005, I was involved in a single car accident on my way to work. My driving perfection was no more. And the aftermath was interesting to watch. My family became more apprehensive when I drove to work in bad weather and people at church put me in their prayers (some to this day). I can admit that it changed my approach to driving in bad weather. The focus was on the one instance where I missed the mark. Despite a 99.975% success rate in getting back and forth to work, and the fact that I had driven 99.99992% of the total mileage without incident, people focused on the one time I missed the mark.

The accident was traumatizing. It would have been real easy to never drive again, fearful that the same thing was just around the corner for me. I was out of work for a month, and the medical bills (even with insurance) and cost of replacing the car put us in a bind financially. It created a lot of stress and anxiety for my family and friends, as they saw me in pain and completely vulnerable for the first week or two of my recovery. There are members of my church that continue to pray daily for my safe passage back and forth, almost seven years later. All of this because I missed the mark one time.

Instead of throwing in the towel, I dusted myself off and went about the task of starting a new perfect streak. While everyone else focused on the one negative trip, I recognized it for the blip on the radar that it truly was.

In our spiritual lives, sin is nothing more than missing the mark. We can discuss for days what actions actually constitute sin, but in the end it is anything that makes us fall short of the life Jesus taught us to lead. Any time we stumble in our faith, we miss the mark. If we miss the mark in any way, our perfect streak ends. The reality is that any “perfect streak” we have spiritually is going to be measured in seconds or minutes or hours (at best). I say this because we miss the mark on a very regular basis. To hit the 99.975% mark that I have driving back and forth to work, I would only sin 21.6 seconds of every day. I’m pretty sure I used that allotment before I was fully dressed this morning. So, no matter how hard I try, I’ll never come close to the level of near-perfection that I task myself with. I will spend a lifetime restarting my streak, over and over again.

Just like the reaction of my family and friends had when I rolled my car, each time I miss the mark will have an impact on those I love the most. It does not matter if they are present or not, or if they are directly impacted by whatever sin I commit. In the end, my actions have a direct bearing on the lives of those I love most. I can think that I am hiding it from the world. I can believe that nobody knows my deepest, darkest secrets. I can justify my actions my actions and words by thinking that I don’t care how others perceive me. I would be wrong on every count. Every thought I make, every action I take, every word I speak defines who I am as a person, parent, spouse and friend. People’s ability to trust and love will be based on the opinion they form about me. If I do something serious enough (like rolling a car over on the side of the highway), they are going to worry that I may not be able to fully recover from my transgressions. They will never look at me the same ever again.

This being the case, I always have to put my best foot forward and let people know that while I make mistakes and miss the mark, I am trying to become a better person all the time. I am trying to become a little more like Jesus every day. I vow to avoid missing the mark wherever possible. I make it a point to pick myself up, dust off and move forward. We all miss the mark. It is how we deal with it that determines if we grow closer to God.

Spiritual Health

I had the opportunity over the weekend to lead the service at my home church, Fountain Valley Baptist Church. It was my second time in the pulpit and I had a great time. The Message deals with the things we need to do to improve our spiritual health.

A note about the video- while the audio is not bad, the picture is pretty useless- it was the first time we had tried anything like this and I wasn't familiar with the recording software. As a point of reference (which will make the message a little easier to understand), to the right of center is a table of healthy foods, and to the left a table of junk foods.

A Little Peace and Quiet

"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31

It has been almost a year since the last time I posted here. A lot has gone on, but looking forward is much more rewarding than trying to summarize the past.
Tonight, I start writing this blog from a Homestead Suites in Denver. No, I didn’t get thrown out of the house, and I didn’t run away. For the fourth time in the last six years, I have the honor of attending a Promise Keepers Men’s Conference this weekend. About a thousand men were there tonight and my brain is already on full overload from the messages I heard. I witnessed about 100 men accept Jesus and the worship band was smokin’ hot. All in all, a great night of worship, discipleship and fellowship in the Lord with a thousand of my brothers. I enjoyed the solitude I had with God. Solitude with God in the middle of a huge crowd? Is that even possible? Absolutely!
You see, this year’s conference is much different for me. In years past, a group of men from my church have made the journey together. Our assembled brotherhood would get together for a few hours before the conference, sit together throughout the conference and spend hours debriefing after the conference. We grew closer as a group and the energy we went back to the church with was amazing. However, as the years have passed, that group of men has grown smaller and smaller. What started as a group of about a dozen men six years ago dwindled to just three of us last year. This year, I am the only member of my church attending. My intent is not to dwell on or examine the reasons for the decline in attendance. The purpose of the history lesson is to show that this year I became a group of one.
Attending the conference solo is a new experience for me. I typically require the reinforcement, peer pressure and security of a large group at these types of events. I’ve had the opportunity to attend similar events by myself and have always found an excuse to not go. Excuses don’t play well in a group of men. And yet here I sit, all by myself with nobody to justify my reasons for not coming or leaving early. I am solo for the conference. While I could be discouraged or upset about this, it has turned out to be a true blessing for me. I say this because I have been able to take this time to solidify my personal relationship with my God. I have used previous conferences to seek some aspect of myself that needs improvement. I have attended PK in the past to be a part of strengthening the brotherhood in our church, growing closer to the men that I serve side-by-side with. This year, it’s different.
It’s different, because amidst all of the energy and shouting and laughing and crying that is unavoidable at a conference like this, I have found myself in that “quiet place” that not only allows me to hang on every word of every message I have experienced, I have found myself going to God. I go to God to understand the message that He is putting in our hearts, and how He wants me to apply that message as I go back into the world. This year, it is not about how I will change, but how I will help others to change.
In the passage above, Mark is looking for us to find a “quiet place.” In life, finding true peace and quiet can be almost impossible. We fill our lives with so many activities and responsibilities that “quiet” only seems to happen when we close our eyes at the end of the night. Our goal should be to find that quiet spiritual place in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds us. Much like I have discovered this weekend, “quiet” is a n attitude. Once we surrender ourselves and listen for the Lord, the noise of the world can disappear in an instant and we can find solace in the quiet spiritual place that is created in its place. If we demand that absolute quiet is required to rest, we run the risk of missing some of the best opportunities to embrace the things that are truly important and demand our full attention. “Quiet” should be more a state of mind and less of an environmental requirement. If you can find the quiet, the rest all falls into place.
These conferences can be controlled pandemonium from a planning perspective. I had to make the hotel reservation, pack an overnight bag, make sure that I got out of work on time, get to the hotel, check in, get to the conference, get back to the hotel, set the alarm to make sure I was on time today (and then oversleep by an hour anyway), grab some breakfast and coffee, get back to the church for the start of day two, and shortly will be making the long trip from Denver back home. In short, a lot of steps that have to fall into place in order to enjoy the weekend. Yet, in spite of all the planning and moving around, I feel more rested than I have in a long time. Why? Because I discovered that spiritual quiet place that gives me rest. I have found what Mark wrote about.
My advice to you today is to make sure you find your own way to the quiet place. Don’t make excuses, don’t allow the world around you to dictate when and where you get there. Life is going on all around me today- I have dealt with job and the world a number of times on a Saturday morning. But I have also found my way to the quiet place. And as I leave this place today, I do so with the understanding of how God plans to use me in the lives of others. Watch out world, because the purpose is clear. I never would have discovered it if I had not taken the time to find solitude in the midst of thousands. You can do the same.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

I write to you tonight, still recovering from a great weekend of activity and faith that was long overdue for me. In starting to write about it earlier in the week, I had a very negative attitude. Fortunately, God allowed me to see the blessings instead of focusing on the negatives. I was truly blessed and can't wait to share.

My two pastors (who I consider to be among my best friends) and I spent Friday and Saturday at the Promise Keepers "PK Classic" conference in Denver. I'm too tired to recall if I've mentioned this before in this blog, but my journey to true discipleship started at the 2005 PK conference in Denver. It was my first exposure to a large parachurch ministry like Promise Keepers. It was also an experience that I'll never forget. A group of about a dozen men and boys went from our church that year. Being a complete newbie to the Christian Conference scene, I had no idea what I was in for.

We piled into a couple of vans and trucks and headed from Colorado Springs to Denver on that Friday afternoon in 2005. We check into our hotel, dropped off our clothes, and then went off in search of the nearest McDonalds. I think we ended up at Burger King. Ten males at BK leads to large portions and interesting dinner combinations. We hurried back to get our necessities and then headed up to the Pepsi Center. As we made my way through the crowd, I had my first moment of clarity- "I was not alone!" There were thousands of Christian men filling into the Pepsi Center, and for the first time in my life, my focus expanded beyond the walls of my church and I realized that this was all much bigger than I had ever considered. There was hope for me and in me because I could now see with my own eyes that Jesus had reached the hearts of thousands of men, and that those thousands represented millions of others. My soul was lifted, because I knew we could fight the fight with men like this.

The conference started, and the arena slowly started to fill up. Within fifteen minutes of the start, it was full, containing around 13,000 men, all hungry for the Word. My amazement at the sea of Christian humanity would have been entertaining for anyone who noticed. Little did I know that this was the tip of the iceberg for me. During one of their sets, the Praise Band sang "How Great Thou Art", and then led this building full of men in an a capella singing of it. And for those few minutes as 13,000 men sang from their hearts, we were transformed from many individuals into a brotherhood. The 13,000 voices became a single voice, praising and worshiping God in a way that I yet to experience again. And as those men were singing, you could feel God's magnificence permeate every cubic inch of that building- He had boldly taken up residence and you could tell He had no plans to leave any time soon.

I could on about the rest of the conference, but it suffices to say that men at that gathering came away changed. Two of the men that came with our group recommitted their lives to Jesus that Friday night. We all went back home with the understanding that our lives were going to be different and we had become more than friends; we had become brothers in Christ and we were on fire! The Honeymoon Effect lasted for many months, just long enough to get to the 2006 conference, which was held in Colorado Springs. Our men's ministry had grown legs and was moving forward.

At the end of 2006, Promise Keepers started feeling the effects of the depressed economy that was starting to grip our country. Some of the first church scandals of the 21^st Century were starting to take hold of society's view of the Church as well, and the ministry fell on hard times. Dr. Washington, the current President of Promise Keepers, went as far as saying that PK went into a huge financial hole in the middle of the decade. There was no local conference in 2007, or 2008 or 2009. As men of faith, we started to wander and lose our way. It showed in our home lives as well as our church lives. We struggled to keep all of the pieces together.

Imagine my unbridled glee when I caught wind of this year's conference in Denver. However, instead of being held in a huge arena, the event was going to be conducted at a large church in Denver. The advertising showed that the ministry was rebuilding and taking a grass roots approach. I emailed my usual group of suspects, sharing the joy in my heart and saying that the conference represented a great opportunity for us to repair our now slightly dysfunctional men's ministry at the church. Unlike years passed, the conference itself was free. I was so excited that I got online and ordered twenty two bracelets for the event, convinced that the men in our church would jump at the opportunity to experience God.

I experienced a great deal of sadness the week before the conference when only five of the registrations had been claimed. I had talked to dozens of men, both at church and at work. Everyone had a reason why they wouldn't be able to attend. One of those men who had committed had to back out at the last minute, due to some family issues that needed to be addressed. I struggled through the whole week, because I knew that this could be a life changing event for so many and yet so few would be involved. However, I believe that God had a purpose for sending just the three of us. And He did not disappoint. Unlike years passed, the conference focused on getting back to the basics. My best guess is that about 2000 men attended- a far cry from the 13,000 only five years previous. We heard from some of the best Christian speakers on the planet and I came out of it with ideas and plans and the hope that men in our region would be going home to strengthen their families and their churches. The call to action was undeniable. . I will be writing for months on the seeds these men have planted in my head, and I now have a much clearer vision of how my ministry work should proceed. The lack of bodies had no bearing on the impact this conference is had on the men in attendance.

If that were my entire weekend, it would have been incredible. However, there is more. My wife and two of the boys drove up to Denver on Saturday and we spent another night in the hotel in preparation for the annual Colorado Rockies Faith Day on Sunday. A day of baseball, testimonies and great Christian music. This is something that various members of our church have attended over the last four years. For a variety of reasons, I had never made it to the game prior to this year. In fact, this was my first trip to Coors Field. I was not disappointed.

God gave us an absolutely beautiful (but hot) day for baseball, as proven by the deep shade of red I'm sporting on various parts of my body. The park was a sellout and it was a great game- a come from behind victory for the home team in the bottom of the 9^th inning. It had been at least 25 years since I went to an MLB game and I had a fantastic time. As the game ended, everyone who was staying for the Faith Day portion of the program was directed to the 3^rd base side of the field.

My best guess is that about a third of those in attendance for the game stayed- a total of about 10,000 people. The program started with a video of various members of the Rockies giving their testimony and sharing the importance of God in their lives. A member of the team then led the crowd in prayer, followed by an 80 minute concert by Jeremy Camp. I was in seventh heaven, because Jeremy Camp is one of my favorite Contemporary Christian artists. We had great seats- we were sitting toward the back of the lower section, almost directly in front of the stage.

The music was great, but the crowd was greater. People of all ages were in front of us, and I spent a great portion of the show watching the unbridled passion being exhibited by the crowd. Young and old, short and tall, everyone was involved in a personal worship of God that defies explanation. It was contagious, and even though I may not have expressed it outwardly, that passion gripped me in a way that I had been longing for. I came away from the day with hope.

It's funny to see how easy it is to lose sight of your own spiritual needs. Little did I know just how starved I was. Make sure you are taking appropriate amounts of time every day to worship and praise the Lord. Take every opportunity to feed on the teachings of our Lord and Savior. Don't miss a single blessing that is being created all around you. And above everything else, spread the Word whenever and wherever you can. If nothing else, be one of those Rockies fans and show an obvious passion for the Lord. We can't afford to be shy anymore.

My last lesson of the evening, which I learned at the PK conference- rule your life with love, not fear. Bravery is not the opposite of fear- love is. Love for the Lord can conquer all fear.

You Want Me to Do What??

One of the biggest challenges faced by churches today is the fear of change. Whether it is the hesitation of those being evangelized to take hold of the teaching of Christianity and make changes in the way they think and act, or the fear of an established congregation to affect change within the church to maintain its relevance, this fear of change can have a paralyzing effect on everyone involved. For those contemplating a move towards acceptance of God, the knowledge that their newfound faith will change them on the inside can be daunting. The Bible is very clear that such a change will indeed happen:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

How does a church deal with the challenge of overcoming this huge dilemma? After all, nowhere in the Bible is the new Christian promised that things get easier. In fact, being a Christian is hard work. In a society where needs are met and convenience is king, how do you convince somebody that they need to make their life even more challenging?

Prior to my own salvation, I liked who I was and enjoyed much of the life that I had carved out for myself. I was very comfortable in the real world and enjoying all of the creature comforts I could afford. If I had not fallen to the lowest point in my life, I never would have considered making any changes to my being. I never would have seen the need to alter a thing if life was good. It is only in retrospect that I am able to see the many elements of that life that needed to be altered in order to draw myself closer to God. And yet, everything that I have accomplished as a born again Christian and the successes in my life since my salvation is a direct result of the inner changes I underwent and my belief that God is in charge of it all. The change had to become routine for me and I had make these changes at the pace God laid out for me.     

Today's society is structured in such a way that trying to convince somebody that they need to walk away from it to see the wonders of God is next to impossible. Why would somebody that is totally immersed in cellphones and cable TV and all kinds of night clubs just walk away from their perfect little world? I can wake from a sound sleep at 2am, simply mumble, "Sliderzzzzzzzzzzz" and the adventure is on to find the nearest White Castle. I can do anything 24 hours a day. We want folks to leave this nirvana?

And into this world of perceived perfection walks the Christian friend. We all had at least one growing up. They were the quiet kid that didn't dress in the trendiest clothes. In the early years of our collective childhood, they were typically the "rat" of the bunch, always telling us when we were straying from the rules and pointing out what God would want us to do. The only time we valued their opinion was when we really messed up and needed a voice of reason to help us figure a way out of the jam we found ourselves in. As we grew older, that opinion started making sense. Not enough sense to be cool, but enough to create the early faith conversations of our time. Over a period of time, the seed had been planted and was now waiting to be cared for and harvested.

Many times, that seed lies dormant, unable to grow and blossom because it receives little or no nutrition. As I have mentioned before, I regularly attended church as a child. The seed was planted in me during that time. I wasn't on fire for God at that point in my life, but I was smart enough to realize that He existed and was responsible for everything around me. But it went dormant during my twenties and for much of my thirties, as I drew away from the church and lived my life as a regular member of society (as too many do at that age). I never rejected God; I just didn't make Him anything even close to a priority in my life. I was "easy pickings" when I finally accepted Christ as my Savior at thirty seven, because I was already familiar with the teachings. It was typical for people of my generation that are coming to accept the Lord into our lives, because most of us were exposed to some level of instruction as children. But there are new generations that aren't so easy.

We recently had a nineteen year old visit our church. When approached after the service and asked how she enjoyed her morning with us, she gleefully and enthusiastically responded, "This has been so much fun. I've never been to church before!" When I heard this story, a knot developed in my stomach. How can it be that someone can live so long and never step foot in a church? Of course, I'm not naïve enough to think that everyone has been to church, but the real life experience of this story drove home the point- we are ministering to people that have never given God a second thought. No religion. No Faith. No familiarity.

So how do we minister to those that have no experience with God? It is accomplished by not only sharing The Word with them, but by showing them through your words and actions that life with Christ is indeed better than the selfish "me" culture we live in. Show them that the person on the outside can have fun and live life to its fullest, enjoying every second the Lord provides to us. Show them that you can have a nice home and enjoy the things that God provides for you. Express the outrage for everything you believe is wrong in the world. And as you are doing all of this, start showing them the person on the inside. Show them how God has changed you inner being. Share the inner peace that God has placed in your heart. Share the love that only He can provide.

It sounds easy doesn't it? Well, there is more that needs to be done. In addition to sharing all of the good in our lives, we need to be willing to share the struggles we all face. We have to show them that the outside person still struggles with financial difficulties and relationship issues, that we still get frustrated with some of the decisions our children make, that we still have to fit the oil change in with the son's soccer game and dinner with friends. More importantly, we have to share our inner struggles as well. Tell them how difficult it can be to handle of the difficulties and frustrations that show on the outside. Tell them how difficult it is to avoid parts of an old vocabulary or to avoid old habits that do not glorify God. And as you are telling them all of the difficulties, make sure that you tell that the load is lighter because you place all of your faith in God to provide the answers for you. By giving a very frank and realistic portrayal of the good and the bad in your life, they get to see the full picture. And by showing and sharing your faith in God, you give them the missing piece of the puzzle.

There are some basic requirements for this approach to work that force us to do some pretty serious self-analysis. Is your walk with God strong enough to show on the outside? Do your actions in everyday life reflect the tenets of your faith? Are you willing to share your struggles to show that your life is not perfect? Can you admit to your faults and talk about them honestly? Do you truly give all of your cares and worries to The Lord? If you hesitate in answering any of these questions, it shows that you need to strengthen your faith. If you are silently ashamed of an answer, it means that you need to get right with God. And no matter what your answers are to these questions, you have to be willing to share them as well. If you are strong in your faith, it will show and make your case for God even stronger. If you are struggling, the honest admission of that as a part of your testimony shows that you are indeed human. It is even more powerful if you go to God for the solution to that struggle.

It can be so easy to focus on all of the positives that God places in our lives. After all, by sharing the good, we show folks how God provides for us. However, it is far more effective to paint the complete picture. By doing so, we allow them to see the humanity of our faith. For many, the first approach is going to seem like a scripted sales pitch. If you are strong enough to share the bad with the good, people are going to put a lot more stock in the accuracy of your story. They will also understand that their own struggles are a part of the game as they start exploring the possibilities of a life in obedience to God.

Be honest. Be truthful. Be human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Christian…Except for Next Tuesday. I’ve Already Got Plans.

Being a Christian can be hard work. The bar is raised quite a bit when you commit to live your life for Jesus. The Bible is full of stories of men and women that sacrificed everything to show their undying dedication to God. It should come as no surprise to any us. Jesus warns us of the expectations that come with salvation:

"^{Lk 14:25} Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

³¹ "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

³³ In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. " Luke 14:25-33

It seems pretty obvious to me- give everything to receive even more.

Just last night, a friend of mine posted to Facebook. He is a Christian, and more importantly for this discussion, he is a pastor. The man is on fire for The Lord and out on the front line, working to spread his message and share the Love of God. But last night, my friend Rick was venting his frustration over the very inconsistent application of faith that many demonstrate in their daily lives. He lamented the fact that most would rather fit in than stand out, blend in instead of proclaiming their faith to everyone they meet. But I'd like to focus on one particular statement he made:

"Some of us go to church on Sunday and then it's back to our normal routines during the week….being like everybody else."

When I read his post, I quietly agreed to myself with everything he said. I responded with the verses I posted at the top of this blog. I met his frustration with my own fear- a fear that the Church has been trivialized to the point of being completely ineffective. Little did I know that his words would ring so true.

Over the last week, I have started writing a Bible Study that focuses on the elements of Discipleship. It is intended as an in-depth look at the biblical definition and requirements of true Christian Discipleship. I've been reading and studying and praying all week long for this study, and God had blessed me with a very clear vision of the approach I should take. Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on the first session. I went through it a few times in my office at home yesterday afternoon and a couple of more times after that in my office at the church. Bible verses to explore, discussion questions to go even more in-depth, a nice Powerpoint presentation for folks to follow along with- I spared no effort. And I couldn't wait to start.

I got to church much earlier than normal. As soon as Choir practice was over, I came in and set up the computer and projector. I started up some specially selected music to play in the background as folks arrived. Everything was ready to go. All that was left for me to do was wait for folks to show up. So I waited.

And I waited…

And I waited…

And I waited…

All of the folks that had been there for Choir practice left immediately after practice concluded. At the appointed start time of the study, one of the other church leaders came in and turned my awkward solitude into a duet. We talked for a while and at one point, I considered just packing up and calling it a night. Finally, after about thirty minutes we were joined by four women who had been in the kitchen working on something. I finally had my group for the weekly Sunday Evening Church Bible Study. Five folks. Roughly 7% of the regular worshiping body of the church. How ironic that the study exploring how we become better disciples of Christ was attended by a group the size of my family. I took it all in stride, even asking myself, "If a man goes into the forest and conducts a Bible Study, does anyone hear the message?"

Don't get me wrong, there are great things going on at our church. We are reaching the community in ways that we never would have imagined two years ago. Our outreach ministries are growing exponentially, thanks to the efforts of some very dedicated workers. We have about a 70% attendance rate in our Sunday School Ministry, which is incredibly high for most churches. Most of those folks go right from Sunday School to our Worship Service. However, once the service is over they go home, never to be seen again until the following Sunday morning. The "reasons" for this are plentiful and familiar to anyone who has attended church any time in the last ten years:

• I don't like to drive after dark
  
• I have to get up for work tomorrow
  
• I need to spend time with my family
  
• We made plans for the day
  
• I'm just so tired after such a long week
  

News Alert, folks! I don't mind driving after dark and would be glad to pick you up and take you home if you want me to, as would others in the church. Many of us have to get up for work tomorrow and I am pretty sure that I'm doing it much earlier than you (4:30). If you are waiting until Sunday to spend time with your family, you are in greater need of what the church has to offer than you realize. I make plans for the day as well- I plan to spend Sunday worshiping and studying my Lord and Savior. Last time I checked, anything you can plan to do outside of the church on a Sunday can be done just about any other day of the week. Why is Sunday the only day you can find to do these things? And a long week? I spend at least 60 hours of my week either driving to work or doing my job. I get a few hours in the evening to spend with whoever in my family is looking for some "dad time." And I (like many others) do all of this and still find the time to be involved with the church on Wednesday evenings, Sunday mornings and Sunday Evenings.

The purpose of that rant was not to highlight how "great" a Christian I am (because I have a long way to go to even be a "good" Christian). Rather, it was intended to show how easy the excuses can flow when true discipleship is not important. To many, church has become nothing more than an item to be completed on the weekly checklist of life. The trend is alarming and as a church, we have to react to this in a way that is horribly uncomfortable to most- we must start holding each other accountable for our actions and be willing to call each other out when we are exhibiting behavior that does nothing to glorify God.

I know- much easier said than done. For some, it is a very daunting task. And I'll admit that in dealing with some, it is a daunting task. How do you approach one of the top "givers" to let them know that their absence from many church events is noticed? How do you tell your most dedicated workers that all the service in the world cannot make up for the training they are choosing not to participate in? Who am I to tell a church leader that their lack of commitment could be harming the church body? After all, if I am holding others accountable for their actions, they will do the same to me.

The answer is one of the most brutally honest of the Christian faith. We tell them because the actions of a single person often affect others. We tell them because we are all responsible for national sin. To not say anything is to silently approve of the very behaviors that disconnect them from God, which makes us just as responsible for their wandering as they are. Most importantly, we tell them because one day they will be judged on their actions.

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Matthew 14:12

How are their "reasons" for being a Sunday Morning Christian going to be received by God? How would our own silence be seen as a good thing in the eyes of The Lord? Are you willing to take the chance? Are you willing to admit that you need as much feedback as "they" do? So many questions with one answer- be bold enough and strong enough in the Lord to bring everyone closer to Him, even the most intimidating people in your church.

And to my buddy Rick- I guess I share your frustration after all. Thanks for allowing me to recognize it. Thanks for being a part of the 7%.