Read the sign

As I walked down the sidewalk in Laguna, California a few days ago, I noticed a sign for a restaurant. At first glance it said, "Sushi and Shake". I'm not a big sushi fan, but even if I were, the thought of a plate of sushi and a strawberry milkshake would be disgusting. I walked back that way a few hours, intending to show Carole the gross name of the restaurant. But when I looked at it again I realized it said, Sushi and Sake. One imagined letter made all the difference. It pays to read carefully.

Disclaimer- This is a tongue in cheek post

I've been hearing much lately about the value of fasting. Of course, the whole Lenten season is about fasting. But fasting has always been difficult for me. I really like to eat. I'm good at it. It is an area of gifting for me. So when I try to fast, I feel like have really given up something. But I have found a way to make fasting a part of my everyday routine without experiencing any discomfort. As a result, I figure I am fasting about 90% of the time. Sometime back I began fasting between meals. Since I spend less than 2 1/2 hours a day eating, I figure I am fasting around 90% of the time. It works really well. I don't have to deal with hunger pangs, and I don't have to feel like I am sacrificing anything. But you ought to see the look on people's faces when I tell them how much I fast. Dude, it's totally worth it!.

Fads vs. Trends

It has been said that every style will come back at some time or another. One of the few advantages to getting older is a sense of perspective about fads vs. trends. These fads and trends apply to everything; fashion, foods, politics and church. Fads come and go quickly. They catch our attention in a big way for a few weeks or months and then they are gone. Trends build their momentum more slowly, but can affect the way we do things for years.

For the past year or so I have been reading incessantly and listening to podcasts of pastors and teachers from around the country.There seems to be a common and encouraging trend emerging from the diversity of messengers. It appears that the institution of the church is alive and well, but moving in some new directions. The churches that are growing and effective are reaching people at the point of their need instead of waiting for them to come to church to be preached to. Believers are being discipled at church and the church services are times of rejoicing in what God has done and times of learning how to be more Christ-like in our daily lives. Churches are thinking in innovative ways to reach those who need Christ in their lives. They are "taking down their mirrors and putting up windows" as their focus lies more in outreach and less in saint maintenance. As one book I read recently put it, effective churches are looking beyond the "old" ways of doing things and doing the "ancient" things which the first century church did such as meeting in homes, meeting real needs in the lives of people and boldly sharing the gospel in the marketplace. It all sounds so awesome. I'm committed to doing all I can to make it happen in my area of influence. How about you? This is a positive trend that needs to last for years and years.

The Best Ministry

From time to time I will visit with someone who is passionately involved in an area of ministry. He or she is fully invested in that area of ministry and sees positive outcomes from ivolvement in that ministry. It isn't uncommon for that person to say something along the lines of "I believe that _____ ministry is the most effective ministry in the whole church." I will smile and listen further. It is a wonderful thing when someone is in their "sweet spot" of ministry and feels incredibly effective by being involved in it. Sometimes, however, I sense that the person's agenda is one of, "If funding and recognition of my ministry would increase and if we de-emphasized these other less effective ministries, we would go places." Or, "anyone who really cares about the Kingdom of God is doing this kind of ministry."

We must be careful not to make more of our area of ministry than it deserves. We are ministering to a "body" of believers, and every part of the body needs attention. Rejoice that you have found a fulfilling area of ministry. But remember that the answer to the question, "What is the most effective ministry of the church?" is both "Mine" and "All of them are needed and effective."

The "Healthy Only" Hospital

Suppose you are needing a hospital and you do some research. You find one that touts a perfect record of no one dying and no one leaving who is sick in any way. That sounds pretty good until you try to check in and find out that they only allow totally healthy people to check into their hospital. They are afraid that if they allow someone sick in there that he might infect the healthy people inside. You would not think much of that hospital, would you? It would be a waste of assets and medical training. Even worse, it would be guilty of not fulfilling its purpose of helping to heal sick and hurting people.

In the same way we cannot grade the success of a local church by the quality of its music and preaching or the beauty of its facilities. Churches have to be places were sick and hurting people are not only welcome, but seen as absolutely necessary to accomplish the purpose of the Church. If we are afraid to let unholy people in among us for fear of being contaminated, we are just as guilty as the hospital that refuses to treat the sick for fear of infection.

Grace

Pastor Darren has been talking a lot about grace, lately. I love the study of grace because I have have been the recipient of an inordinate amount of it in my lifetime. Grace is wonderful when it is distributed in my direction, but sometimes it seems reckless or irresponsible when it is administered in the lives of others. Sometimes I wonder, "Don't we have standards anymore?" or "Are we just letting that person off the hook before we (meaning "I") have seen any repentance from that person?" Grace is a scary word when it calls on me to relenquish my right to hold onto an offense. It can seem patently unfair when someone who has done wrong is now welcomed into fellowship. But that is what grace is like. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He looks beyond the things we so often fixate on to see the heart.

I know my heart. I know my thoughts. I know my secret attitudes. I know my outward appearance and my public reputation. I know how I often I fail. I know that I am eternally grateful for God's grace. Without it, I don't have a chance.

Bothered by bad news?

I have many conversations with friends and acquaintances who are dismayed by what they see on the news or hear on talk radio. The leaders of nations such as Iran and Venezuela speak openly of their disdain and hate of America. Other nations seem to be capitulating to the demands of other exremist nations and we see a constant erosion of Western civilization. Many good folk have emotions ranging from rage to utter despair as they see the political and economic situation in the U.S. from the vantage point of their particular worldview.

If my ultimate future rested in any of these forces, I would be freaking out along with them, but I know that as citizens of the Kingdom of God we will ultimately be fine. For true followers of Christ, our citizenship is in heaven. We are merely resident aliens in the place providence allows us to live. If calamity revisits the U.S., my trust is in God. If bad guys take all of the stuff I have, and if the economic structure of the U.S. is completely dismantled and chaos insues, God is my provider. He will supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. If I am tortured, the Holy Spirit will give the peace which surpasses knowledge and will guard my heart and mind. If I am killed, heaven is my new residence. Pretty sweet deal, huh?

Psalm 2 says, Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. "Let us break their chains", they say "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath...

What do I have to worry about?

Twilight Zone Theology

A few years ago I saw a Twilight Zone episode about a small-time gangster who was shot in a robbery attempt. When he awoke he realized that he was in the afterlife, but it was located in a luxury apartment complete with a butler and several good looking girlfriends. As he reveled in his new surroundings he figured that he must have gone to heaven. Every girl wanted him, every horse he bet on won, every poker hand was a winner. But as the episode wore on, he became bored with his constant success. There was no excitment because he knew the outcome would be in his favor every time. He spoke to his butler and remarked that he thought heaven would be better than this. His butler looked at him and said, "Who told you this was heaven?" and then laughed a creepy laugh to end the episode.

We as Christians often fall victim to the kind of thinking that if we like something it is from God and if we don't like it, it is from the devil. James 1:2 tells us to consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. So when things happen to you that you don't like, don't automatically assume that it is an attack of Satan. It may be a trial, allowed by God to make you mature and complete, not lacking anything.

On the other hand, don't automatically assume that just because everything is going just the way you like it that you are in a time of blessing. It may be a temptation to make you comfortable and slow down your progress to becoming the person God wants you to be.

We must be diligent in our relationship with God so that we can tell the difference in what is good for us from what we like. It makes a big difference.

Pulling the dead cat's tail

Once a young boy had a cat that died. The boy took it out behind the house, dug a hole and buried it. However, as he covered up the dead cat, he left the tail sticking up out the ground. Every day he would go out into the back yard and yank on the dead cat's tail. One day his daddy saw him pulling the tail and asked his son what he was doing. The boy replied, "I'm just making sure it is still dead."
Many times we do the same thing with forgiveness issues. We say that we have gotten past some hurt or grievance, but we still go back and tug on it occasionally, "Just to make sure it is still dead". Our lives will be much more fullfilling and joyous when we bury our grievances, tail and all.
An old preacher friend of mine once told me "No one can get your goat if you don't tell people where you keep it tied up."

Create!

God is a creative God. He created everything we see. If we love God, we will treat His creations with respect. He loves us and loves us when we create, even though our skills are pitiful in light of his power. Writing a song, a story, or a poem is creation and God delights in it. Repairing a toilet or cleaning a carpet is a creative act, and God delights in it. Landscaping or simply picking up trash is creative. Never think that what you do is insignificant when you are doing it for the Lord. When you do something small for someone the world might view as insignificant, you are doing it for Christ himself. You aren't released from that responsibility just because you don't have public talents. The vast majority of effective ministry comes from ordinary people doing kind acts of service for other ordinary people.

Love One Another

The more I study the Bible and the deeper I grow in my relationship with Christ, the more I realize there are not many important things to keep track of. Typically, if I monitor how I respond to other people, I can assess the quality and quantity of my study and devotion time. Unless I produce some visible "fruit" in the form of "loving my neighbor as myself", I have really wasted my time. Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love God and the second greatest commandment was equal to the first; and that one is to love our neighbor. In John, Jesus told the disciples to love one another. That would be the identifying mark of the believer. The size or translation of my Bible, or the bumper stickers on my car don't really do it. It is how I respond to others. I've still got a long way to go.

Accountability

I am by nature a very optimistic person. I always look for something positive in every situation. But in the last year I have seen trouble come into the lives of several dear friends, and in each case the trouble was avoidable. Even though the trouble came in many forms, it started the same way- a simple sampling of something that the person knew was wrong. When there were no repercussions immediately after the sampling, the involvement grew in stages until it became a full-blown problem resulting in pain, remorse, humiliation and personal destruction. Each of these friends were from a strong Christian background and had a clear understanding of sin and its consequences. If any of them had been confronted early in the process I am confident that they would have repented and gotten back on the straight path.

Our culture encourages two things that pave the way for moral failure- Rugged individualism and masking our problems. We value our personal space and want to go our way without answering to anyone else. As a result, no one feels free to question the questionable behavior of our friends or family. We want to put up a facade that responds to every question about our well-being by saying, "I'm doing fine" because we believe that is the answer that is expected. As a result, we hide struggles or pain because we really wonder if anyone really gives a rip how we are doing.

We owe it to ourselves not to wait until a failure occurs to come to the aid of a friend. We owe it to ourselves not to wait until a failure occurs to come clean with our struggles We have to overcome our resistance to being accountable to someone else and we have to overcome our reluctance to enter the personal space of a friend and ask tough questions.

Our futures depend on it.

OK, What's gong on? part 4

So, listening is the first step toward telling. Real listening. Not the kind of listening that is the "I'm not talking but I'm getting ready to as soon as you pause" kind of listening. But real listening. Real listening is hard.

Something else that is hard is leaving "closing the deal" to the Holy Spirit. No one has interest in receiving Christ unless the Holy Spirit prepares them. God has chosen to use us in this work, and we have the awesome privilege of sharing the gospel. We are responsible to present it accurately and in love. The Holy Spirit is responsible to cause the truth to take root in a person's heart. When we get the opportunity to lead a person to Christ it is incredible. But there is no technique. There is no 4 point plan. Listening and sharing. Believing and trusting. Knowing and serving. It's messy and rarely happens the same way twice. That way we know it is God, not us, who is doing the converting.

OK, What's gong on? part 3

This coffee house is run by volunteer labor from a local church. It sits between a bar and a strip club. Inside it looks like any other coffee house. No scripture plaques, light, jazzy music playing, art reflecting the local area. I asked the guy who runs it how they steer conversations to spiritual topics. His answer was both simple and profound. He said that they begin by listening. Many who come into their shop have messed up lives. Some of the dancers from the club come in. The bar next door sometimes sends them guys who need to sober up a little. They respond well to someone who will just listen. Sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes an hour is necessary for them to get it all said. The coffee house workers don't respond much except in ways that let the person know they are listening. And here is the key part. The manager said that after listening to someone share their story, you have earned the privilege of telling your story. And after you have listened, the other person feels that you do care about them and they are okay with listening to you. When you share how your relationship with Christ has changed your life, it seems much more pertinent to their situation than if you just started with a boilerplate introduction.
More tomorrow.

OK, What's gong on? part 2

I've been to classes and seminars about soulwinning which sounded a lot like the marketing and sales classes I took in college. Ask probing questions which lead to the conclusion you want the person to arrive at. It seems so logical and easy until you try it on a real person, and they ask you a question you aren't prepared for. You want to say, "Hey, that's not on the script!"
Others make it seem as though unless you have a graduate degree in apologetics you can't possibly lead someone to Christ, so many never try because they can't recite the conclusions of the Council of Nicea.
But then you find the person who consistently leads people to Christ. And it seems so easy, so natural, so spontaneous. You ask them how they do it, and they don't really know. They just talk to people, the topic somehow gets to spiritual matters, and the person accepts Christ. It's really quite unremarkable. If you listen carefully, you will find keys, not instructions in that narrative. I have visited a coffee house on the south side of town that professes to be a coffee house run by Christians rather than being a Christian coffee house.
I'll continue tomorrow.

OK, What's gong on?

Last night I had a conversation with a friend of mine. He is a great guy with a passion to share Christ with as many people as possible. But he was puzzled. He knows that he can't strongarm anyone into making a profession of faith. He said early in his Christian life he tried that without success. He knows that he must show love and not be judgemental. So he has tried to befriend people who practiced life choices obviously in conflict with scripture and keep his mouth shut while he attempted to be their friend. But the last few people he led to Christ were people who he had just blasted with the gospel, not holding back at any level.

We want so desperately to have a procedure to follow to lead someone to Christ, but people refuse to answer the questions the way they are supposed to. Tomorrow I'll talk a little about this and see if we can make some sense of this whole "sharing our faith" thing.

How Do I Know?

How do you know when God is speaking to you and when it is just your own idea? In the past couple of years I have felt "called" to about a dozen different works or ministries at some time or another. For several days my thoughts would be consumed with how I would handle my new titles and responsibilities. I would think through strategies, plans for the first week, the first 90 days and the first year. I would think through staffing issues, budgets and logistical issues. Then, as swiftly as the "call" came to me it would leave.

Luckily, I didn't share my "call" with anyone, including Carole. I know how I am. I know that I need more than a strong impression in my mind before I make any moves. I nearly made a mistake a little more than a year ago. I was in the midst of daydreaming about one of these false "calls" when I was actually contacted by that ministry asking if I was interested in filling the position I was dreaming about. But I know how I am. With a couple of weeks to give a final decision, I was able to bear down in prayer and the night before the decision was due I felt strong leading from God that this was not where he was leading me. I turned down the opportunity and I have never regretted it. The person who filled the position is without doubt the best person for the job. I would have been miscast in that role.

I have been around young people who feel called to many different ministries today, only to be called to something else next week. Many operate under doubt or hop from call to call and never really gain any traction at what they do. I have developed two disciplines that help keep me from making the wrong decision. One, I operate under the principle of continuing to do the last call I am sure of until I am sure of a new call. Two, I will always wait a couple of weeks to see if the feeling passes. So far, nearly all of them pass and I realize that it was just my own idea. Right now, I am working at the last call that didn't pass. I'll continue do that until I know for sure that there is a new call for me.

Slumdog Millionaire

I saw the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" the other night and I enjoyed it immensely. I thought the story was well told and I liked the ending. The storyline that captivated me was that of the two brothers, both of whom had lived a hardscrabble life of tragedy, poverty and abuse. The older brother's response to the cruelty perpetrated on him was to become cruel. He aligned himself with gangsters and lived a life of looking out for himself. The younger brother suffered the same indignities, but became innovative and giving, giving both love and resources to the people in his life. The events that hardened his brother, sharpened him.

In life, we all experience great joys and unfair outcomes. Our response to the unfair and painful things of life is completely in our control. We can be hardened or we can be sharpened. We can to learn to reject or embrace vulnerability; we can choose to love others or only ourselves. The most powerful tool we have at our disposal is forgiveness. If we can learn to truly forgive others, we can experience liberating joy. If we learn to accept the forgiveness of Jesus, we can experience liberating joy for eternity. His forgiveness, available to all, came after he experienced unimaginable unfairness and pain. He still forgives all who will accept it.