Happy New Year!

I’m just wondering...is there anyone reading this blog that is even a little disappointed that there are only a couple of days left in 2011? If you are one such person, I would love to hear from you to find out why. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think 2011 will be recorded in my memory as the Worst Year Ever. Rather, I am optimistically looking forward to 2012. Why, you ask? Because it is a NEW year.

We love and serve a God that is in the business of making all things new and with the arrival of 2012 He will be giving us a whole new block of time. Depending on your preferred measurement that’s either 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, or 31,536,000 seconds.

For me, 2012 is going to bring some rather dramatic changes. First, January 15th will mark the 5 year anniversary of the first Sunday I served Spring of Life as the Worship Music Leader. It is somewhat difficult to believe that I am entering my sixth year in ministry with and for some of the greatest people I have ever known.

February will bring our 10 year wedding anniversary...and what a decade it has been! I’m sure I don’t need to inform anyone of this, but Lenora is clearly the better half. To borrow a song lyric, of all the gifts God’s given there is none as precious to me as the treasure of my wife. (You didn’t know that underneath my gruff exterior lies a hopeless romantic, did you?)

Next will be the arrival of our third child in late April/early May. For those of you that may not have heard, she’s a girl! The minute she is born will be a life-changing moment, a moment that will be forever recorded in my memory.

Finally, 2012 will also represent the beginning of my final year of study at Asbury Theological Seminary. My seminary journey began in June 2009 and will conclude (hopefully) with graduation in May 2013. This means that I will also be seeking approval from the District Committee of Ordained Ministry (DCOM) to appear before the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM), the next step on my path to ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. My time in seminary and candidacy has been by far the most transformative experience of my life. I am deeply grateful to all of you for the love, prayers, and support you have given me and my family.

So, these are just a few of the things I am looking forward to this year. What I am most looking forward to, however, is the common thread shared by these things. These are all God-given opportunities, invitations if you will, to become more fully who God created me to be. They are invitations to a deeper spiritual life. That may seem like a bit of an overstatement but it’s not. You see, these are all opportunities to continue learning how to be in the world without being of the world. In the words of Henri Nouwen, “the spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it.” This means that my life in the world, as a minister of the gospel, as a husband, as a father, as a student, can and should point to Jesus. The roles I play may be separate in certain ways but they all share a common objective. In each, I need to set my heart on the kingdom, always striving to know God and make Him known.

This is what I’ve been contemplating as 2012 quickly approaches. However, “the spiritual life can be lived in as many ways as there are people.” In 2012, what will be your God-given opportunities to enter into a deeper spiritual life, to become more fully who God created you to be? Something worth thinking about...

Keeping Christmas in Perspective

"Hey! I’ll see you on Christmas Eve!" a friend of mine said enthusiastically. You know I’m a “Chreaster,” she said. (That means she definitely attends worship on Christmas and Easter.) I said, “Great! I’ll see you there.”

On another occasion, someone asked me, “Which one is bigger for you? Christmas or Easter?” Well, if he had asked me that when I was growing up I would have said Christmas. A new bike, football, fishing pole and Easy Bake Oven beats hardboiled eggs and chocolate bunnies any day. But Jesus ruined all that for me as I got to know him better.

Turns out, Christmas isn’t the holy epicenter of the Christian faith after all. It’s just that our culture has figured out how to make money off Christmas better than any other Christian holy day.

Think about it. How come there aren’t Epiphany or Pentecost cards?

Epiphany (January 6) is actually an older holiday (“holy day”) than Christmas. This day focused on the “manifestation” or epiphany of God made flesh in Jesus. So it included remembrance of the birth of Jesus, the visit of the three Magi, and all of Jesus' childhood events, up to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The Roman winter celebration called the festival of the unconquered sun (a pagan worship celebration of the sun god Sol Invictus) was established by Emperor Aurelian on December 25 in 274 AD and eventually Christians took this Roman pagan holiday hostage through reinterpretation. Since Christians believed that Jesus was the son of God, God incarnate and the one true “unconquered son,” it made since to celebrate his birth (instead of a pagan god) on December 25. And so, by the 4th century Christmas was officially on the Christian calendar in an attempt to resist Roman enculturation.

Pentecost is also older than Christmas because it has its roots in ancient Israel. It was a Jewish harvest celebration giving thanks for God providing food and more notably the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures called the Pentateuch. It happened to be during the festival of Pentecost just following Jesus’ resurrection that God poured out his spirit upon the church (see Acts 2) to give what otherwise would have been a bunch of clueless cowards the ability to proclaim the resurrected Jesus with power.
Consider this too. The earliest New Testament writings (Mark and the Letters of Paul) do not even mention Jesus’ birth. However, they all proclaim Jesus death and resurrection. That is because without the story of Easter there is no church, there is no hope and no Christmas.

Christmas is a special day for our faith, to be sure. But let’s keep it in perspective. Christmas is not the holy epicenter of the Christian faith (as stated in a recent Orlando Sentinel article). It has arguably become the epicenter of the retail economy in the United States. But if we’re looking for an epicenter of the Christian faith, we need to look at Jesus’ death and resurrection (Easter). Apart from Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, what we have in Christmas is a great story and an excuse to make money – nothing truly transformational.

So, Merry Christmas, but the best is yet to come!

Merry Messy Christmas

Have you ever been over to a friend’s house to eat and the food just ain’t no good? I mean the macaroni’s soggy, the peas are mush and the chicken tastes like wood. (Sugar Hill Gang 1979)

Those words from the first rap song I ever heard still crack me up. It doesn’t matter if you’re the host or the guest, it’s a messy and awkward scene. Clearly things haven’t worked out like you planned.

Some of you are thinking, “That’s the story of my life these days. Things certainly haven’t worked out like I’ve planned.” Family relationships are a mess. My job/joblessness is a source of stress. And every time you turn around something reminds you of an aching loss. Not only is Christmas not going to be the merry that it was, it’s a mess that you’re hoping will be over soon.

Maybe this kind of disruption is just what you need in order to hear the story of Christmas with fresh ears and receive new hope and fresh faith.

We’ve done a good job of making Christmas a lot more glamorous and picture perfect than it actually was. The truth is that the first Christmas came in a context of darkness, uncertainty, fear, and confusion.

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury reminds us, “The story of the first Christmas is the story of a series of completely unplanned, messy events – a surprise pregnancy, an unexpected journey that’s got to be made, a complete muddle over the hotel accommodation when you get there . . . Not exactly a perfect holiday.”

If we spend time asking God for favors that will make our life easier, we’ve missed the point of following Jesus. Sure, no one likes the kind of mess and loss that seems magnified this time of the year. But God’s invitation is for us to enter His story – not a promise that He’ll make our stories less difficult.

It struck me so deeply this past Sunday in worship as we were listening to the story of Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth found in Luke chapter 1. God invited both these women to enter His redemptive story to save the world. Both would be “blessed” by having sons who would die violent deaths because they were willing to say “Yes!” to God’s invitation.

Isn’t that interesting? Mary and Elizabeth didn’t have an easier life because they said yes to God’s proposal. Who knows, they may have suffered less or more if they had ignored God’s angel. But when they said, “Yes,” their mess, their uncertainty, their confusion got wrapped up in God’s great story of salvation for the world. Their mess became a source of hope because it was now co-opted by God! God has this amazing track record for taking messes we make and turning them into something surprisingly good.

Whether you follow Jesus or you follow your own best ideas about how to live, you are going to deal with a mess. I’m so glad God gives us the option and invitation to live in a mess that will one day be seen as good news of great joy.

As Rowan Williams signed off on a recent BBC radio program he said, “I’m never sure whether to wish anyone a peaceful Christmas, because it hardly ever is. But I can wish you joy in the midst of the mess, and every blessing from the God of ordinary, untidy, surprising things.”

Merry Messy Christmas and every blessing from the God of ordinary, untidy and surprising things.

Greek Yogurt and Jesus

It is so good!

While visiting my sister’s house during Thanksgiving I looked in her refrigerator for something to eat for breakfast and I saw several packages of Chobani (Greek yogurt). I had never had that kind before. And when I asked if I could have one, my sister said, “Sure! Those are JD’s (my 3 year old nephew). He loves them.”

Wow, it is so good!

I bought some Chobani when I got home and one morning this week I started singing a song about Chobani. Goes like this, “Chobani, Chobani! Everybody loves Chobani!” I said to my daughter Julia, “You would like this yogurt. It is so delicious.” And I was spontaneously led to post this status on Facebook: “I just want to thank my nephew JD for putting me onto Chobani. What a delicious breakfast treat!”

God pointed something out to me in the middle of all this. It’s not hard to be an evangelist for something you love and is so good. You don’t have to work at telling others about something you love. You just do it. It’s not a chore to break out in song about something you love (even if it might be a little off key). When you love something that is so good, you invite people to try it not because you think they will go to hell if they don’t, but because you think their life would be blessed if they did.

The first time I told Julia about Chobani she looked at me with that “That’s nice dad, glad you like it, but no thanks” look. I didn’t berate her for not trying it. I just kept singing about it. It was a few days later when I was tasting another delicious spoonful and saying, “MMmmm!” that Juila said, “Ok! Can I have a Chobani?” Of course I said, “Yes! God gave Chobani for all people who wish to receive it as a gift!” (No, I didn’t really say that.) I just cracked one open, stirred it up, handed it to her and said, “You’re going to love this.”

It seems weird, but God put this thought in my head, “Don’t you think Jesus is at least as good (if not better) than Chobani?”

Yes. Good in a way that a root canal is good. Good in a way that learning math is good. Good in a way that a belly laugh with friends is good. Good in a way that seeds planted, grow into fruit and vegetables is good. Good in a way that sharing a meal with your enemies is good. Good in a way that saying, “I’m sorry” is good. Good in a way that resurrection from the dead is good.

“Yes, God. Jesus is far more disturbingly, interestingly, surprisingly good than Chobani.”

We’re going to sing, say, "MMmmm," fill the communion cup this Sunday at Spring of Life and have a party because of Jesus. I’ve invited some friends. How about you?

It is so good!

Unwrapping Christmas Hope

It’s hard not to think about Christmas in economic terms.

When extra money is tight or non-existent we think, “I don’t know if Christmas will be the same this year or if we’ll have it at all.” When we work retail and our livelihood depends on sales we think, “Christmas is going to put us in the black!” When we are a kid and we see ads for toys, gadgets and stuff all over the place we think, “I wonder if I’ll get what I want this year?” When we hear about homeless, unemployed or underemployed families we think, “I’d like to help them have a Christmas this year.” When we are the pastor of a church and giving hasn’t recovered from the “summer slump” we think, “Christmas will help us make up some ground financially so we can keep doing ministry at our current levels.”

I pray that God helps us unwrap Christmas from its bondage to money so we might discover its real hope.

God gives an answer to this prayer and it’s called the season of Advent. Advent begins four weeks before Christmas, but should not be confused with a countdown for how many shopping days are left until Christmas.

Instead, Advent is a season to reflect on the mystery of a God who chose to make himself known to the world as a homeless child in an obscure village in the middle east called Nazareth. A season to be “awake and watchful” for the ways God continues to reveal himself today in equally surprising ways. And a season to live in anticipation of a future we have glimpsed in the resurrected Jesus, but is yet unfulfilled until He returns in final victory.

Advent begs for space where we can be quiet and contemplative, giving us eyes to see the presence of God all around us in unexpected places. But it never fails that all the additional clamor of this season makes it easy to ignore Advent's begging for this extra space.

So my question is this: Does the redemptive work of God in this world stop because we’re too wrapped up in other things to notice it? Does our clamor, confusion and idolatry tie God’s hands behind his back, hold Him hostage and render seasons like Advent a slave to the almighty dollar? (Ok, two questions).

No, even our attempt to rid the world of God by hanging him on a cross didn’t work. John’s gospel reminds us that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it (1:5).

But as my friend and colleague Rev. Jan Richardson puts it so eloquently, “This blessing wants our company.” (See Blessing for Waking).

The whole purpose of God’s mission to enter the world through Jesus is about God’s longing for our company. His love for people who are so bent on not only ignoring him, but killing him is baffling.

All this is proof that hope is not dead. It doesn’t depend on us, but it does relentlessly pursue us to share company with us.

This week I read an article about the United Methodist Church that Jerry Sandusky (former Penn State coach accused of child molestation) has been a member and active participant in for the last 30 years. I was struck by the words this church has printed on a card that is given out to all their first time worship guests. “Do you know that God’s love can and does achieve great things, even amid the turmoil of today’s world?”

Advent is the space for unwrapping that kind of Christmas hope. It doesn’t quit if we ignore it, or even try and kill it, but it isn’t satisfied until we join its company and share its surprising joy.

Two recommendations for you during this Advent season:
1. Jan Richardson’s blog www.adventdoor.com and her ebook “Through the Advent Door.”
2. Mike Slaughter’s book, “Christmas is Not Your Birthday.”

Thanks and Wishes

It’s the time of year for Giving Thanks, but also a time of Wishing. This is the first year I have realized how interesting it is that these two seasons (that now seem to land on top of each other) – compliment and also oppose each other.

I think this all became more real for me this week as I taught kids about the 10th commandment; one I admittedly struggle with. Depending on how you want to interpret it – it basically states – be content with what you have and don’t want what your neighbor has. What a lesson for this time of year when we all can come up with a million things to be thankful for and also a million things for our wish list.

It’s easy to start with the things I am thankful for. Most importantly: a wonderful marriage that has survived a few stressful events over the past 10 years, 3 healthy, wonderful children, and dependable friends and family who are always there when I need someone to lean on.

But as I go deeper into my thanks list – my wishes list starts to creep up.

My Thanks and Wishes when I think about my Kelly:

I am SOOO very thankful that she is a healthy little girl who had the fight in her to beat an infection and cancer 4 years ago.
My Wish for her is that she continues to be that healthy girl and will continue to fight against whatever threatens to bring her down.

I am SOOO very thankful that I have a long list of specialists in my phone that are one phone call away, but that we only see once or twice a year at this point.
My Wish is that together those specialists and I can continue to work together to do everything we can to maintain Kelly’s health.

I am SOOOO very thankful that we have jobs and medical insurance that helps us pay for all those specialists and the procedures that make sure we are doing everything we can to keep her healthy.
My Wish for my Kelly is that someone, somewhere (and I don’t do politics) will fix the healthcare system so that medical insurance and medical bills do not dictate Kelly’s choices in life.

I am SOOOO very thankful for St. Jude, Dr. Davidoff, and all the staff there who truly changed the course of Kelly’s (and our) life.
My Wish is that St. Jude will continue to receive the support they need to continue to change children’s lives and find cures for cancer.

I am SOOOO very thankful that Kelly is in Kindergarten, on schedule with her peers, and not receiving special services at this time.
My Wish is for her to feel successful and proud of herself. Life in general is challenging for Kelly and truthfully she struggles just to keep up. I hope that she finds something she enjoys and succeeds at, so she can have the confidence a girl needs to carry her far in life.

Of course my thanks and my wishes for my older two children are unique to each of them, but primarily I am soo very thankful for the unique talents that God has blessed them with and my wishes for them are that they use those gifts to grow into amazing, gracious, and caring individuals.

I guess as we get older people stop asking us for our “wish list” and some adults turn their “wish lists” into “bucket lists.” As some members of my extended family are off around the world, crossing things off their “bucket lists” someone asked me what’s on my “bucket list”. At this point, I have one item on that list.

Chris and I are working on getting 3 kids successfully through school and hopefully college.

Then – maybe 15 years from now – we may just add some things to that list. And you know what – for me – that is a great “bucket list” to have.
Sure, some days I want what my neighbor has, but then I realize and give thanks for what I do have and I am okay with my 1 item “bucket list”.

But when it comes to my 3 children, I will continue to have a million “wishes” for them.

Praying in this season of thanks and wishes that you find more things to be thankful for and that your wishes come true!

Successful Failure

I've decided I need to be more successful at embracing the "F" word. For that matter I encourage you to embrace the "F" word too. Go ahead. You can say it: "Failure." There, don't you feel better already?!

A couple of weeks ago I read an article that suggested the church fails when we fail to teach people how to fail well. It was this line that caught my attention: "Christians need leaders - and institutions - to train us in how to fail."

Train people in how to fail? Admit it. That's liberating! If there's one thing most of us really think we are good at, it is failure.

To be sure, none of us want to be good at the "F" word, but we seem to come by it naturally. We don't even need to practice. And yet, to some extent we are all fearful of failure.

In a recent article on the "F" word, Kathleen Parker observed that our obsession with success and our fear of failure has trickled down to ever-younger humans, our children, at great cost . . . . We're so afraid our kids won't measure up that we drive them crazy with overbooked schedules and expectations, and then create a sense of entitlement by insisting on assigning blame elsewhere when their performance is lackluster.

Why are we so afraid for our kids to fail? Why are we so afraid to fail ourselves?

When the church becomes yet another place where demands are made . . . When we drive people crazy with burdens too heavy to bear and people get the subtle message that they are not good enough, we are no different from the rest of the world.

So how can the church be the church? Train people in how to fail. Teach people to be successful failures.

The church is uniquely equipped to offer ways for people to fail well. Look at Jesus to begin with. He died a miserable failure. He died in poverty, misunderstood, deserted by his closest friends, falsely accused, and mocked. These are hardly qualities that successful leaders aspire to. But what did Jesus do with the reality of his failure? He said, "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit." Our failure too often drives us from God and one another because of guilt or shame. But Jesus teaches us to resist that double failure by drawing near to God.

A reality of failure is a real confusion about what to do next. When we fail we often head back to old habits whether they are good or bad. The dejected and guilt ridden disciples went back to their life of fishing after Jesus' death. The good news is that when we don't have a clue, Jesus pursues us. Remember the Bible says that we didn't choose God, God chose us.

While our failure often scares us off into hiding, our failure doesn't put God off. God comes after us in ways that are shocking - like that father in the prodigal son story. We just as soon let that young man get what he deserves than pull out the party poppers like his father did. But that's what God does with our failure. No finger wagging and shame laced speeches, God comes after us with his embrace.

This brings me to the ultimate "F" word: Forgiveness. The father forgave his successful failure of a son. And Jesus says to all who fail him, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." Embrace forgiveness and you can embrace failure as a reality of our human condition. Embrace forgiveness and you can embrace your limits. Embrace forgiveness and you become a successful failure.

Go ahead and do it! Embrace the "F" word.

Marine Corps Marathon Reflections

Made it through training without significant injury. Have shin splints in left leg and maybe the beginning of stress fracture. But I can still run.

I am at this point because of a community of people who have made it possible to train and run the race. I want to list as many as I can think of here.

Hailey Collins patiently endured the ups and downs of battling rhabdomyosarcoma - beating it once and never stopping the hope for healing. Even when she finished breathing on June 5, all who love her claimed the victory of her belonging to the risen savior. Death has lost its power and sting through Him who keeps us all close to his heart until we rise from the dead like Him in his New Creation. This training and race is to remember Hailey and the resurrection hope with which she lived, died and yet lives in God's New Creation.

My wife Carolyn without whom would not have had the luxury of training. Her support and that of my daughter Julia cannot be measured. What a gift!

Jim and Craig for encouraging me to swim in the lake on Sunday afternoons and hooking me up with Hammer products for recovery. I may never beat you out of the water but I'm faster and stronger for the opportunity to chase you.

Coach Beth with tri team vortex at the YMCA who helped me navigate more than one critical point during training when I may otherwise have lost heart or gotten injured.

Mark for inviting me to suffer through some awesome P90X style workouts with devotions at the YMCA.

Lauren for writing up a great strength training program to keep me going where Mark left off.

Matt for selling me that "cheap" bike, allowing me to do my first triathlon without extreme embarrassment riding my schwinn cruiser.

Paul who agreed to sign up for this thing back in February and run his first marathon with me. We made it through the hard part, now we get to run 26.2 with 30,000 other people through our nation's capitol having raised $2,000 for a great cause. 

In our culture the ordinary is overlooked and long term commitments are undervalued. If we aren't being entertained then we are bored. But some of the most valuable and meaningful things in life could be considered mundane and require strength and commitment to endure. Giving care to someone with with long term illness, staying married through difficult losses, you name it. There are times when we wonder if we are capable of sustaining a life of faithfulness for the long haul. And the truth I've learned in 15 years of ministry and training for endurance events is that no one can do this alone. God clearly loves us personally, but He never intended us to live privately. The truth is that even when you think you are running alone there is a community who has made your running possible and a community who is strengthened by your participation in it. It's a beautiful thing. A glimpse of how God made us.

As Paul and I run this race on sunday, I will be hundreds of miles from the community where I live and worship. Hailey isn't around for us to touch and hug anymore either. But because of the way God made us for community, no matter where I am, I share a connection that transcends physical presence. Thanks be to God for this gift.

This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. (2 Timothy 4:7 MSG)

Beginning to Process Grief

In the face of the death of someone we love, particularly the death of a child, we can expect to feel a range of emotions such as sadness, confusion, anger, disbelief, and numbness. While we all face similar feelings, each person's grief response is as unique as we are. The following are ways that both you and your family can take some positive steps in the face of loss.

• Go to the memorial service. The service we will be having for Hailey on Saturday will be intentionally kid friendly. There will be a special message just for the kids, lots of music and some practical ways to find hope in the face of loss. It will be a great way to remember Hailey, celebrate her life, and receive resources to provide comfort and hope in the face of loss.
  
• Light a candle to remember and share memories and feelings. (Hailey loved lighting the candles at the beginning of worship services at Spring of Life to remind us that God – the Light of the World – is with us now through the presence of the Holy Spirit.)
  
• Sad isn't bad. Being sad is normal. We're sad because we love and have a real loss.
  
• Draw a picture or write a letter to Hailey sharing your feelings and memories. We have a booklet called "Remembering my Someone Special" at Spring of Life that you can drop by and pick up. It is a helpful tool for talking to your kids who are 6-12 years of age. We've got another resource for younger kids as well. We will also be creating a scrapbook of pictures, drawings, letters, etc that we will bind and give to the Collins to keep to remember Hailey. You can bring your contribution to the scrapbook by the church anytime.
  
• Make a memory box that you can put things in that remind you of Hailey.
  
• Write a prayer that includes your feelings – sad, mad, glad, scared. It's ok to tell God exactly how you feel. The writers of the book of Psalms did it all the time.
  
• Participate in raising funds for Hailey's Hopes and Hugs Foundation
  
• Allow yourself to have fun and laugh when the time comes. You don't need to feel guilty because the first person who would have joined in the fun and laughter was Hailey.
  

There are some important life lessons that we can learn through this time. There are some well-meaning things that we might think are helpful but really are not. Here are some of those things:

• Saying, "She's in a better place so we shouldn't be sad." Really, by faith we believe that Hailey is not hurting anymore and that she is with God in a new way that none of us really understand. But our loss is still very real and being sad is a natural feeling God gives us to deal with losing someone we love.
  
• Saying, "God must have needed her more than we did." Or "God must have needed another angel in heaven." Really, God didn't cause Hailey to die. Cancer did. God didn't give Hailey cancer. We aren't sure how she got it. It is just one of those things that happens that we don't understand. Our faith teaches us that one day we will rise from the dead like Jesus when he comes again in final victory. We will have new resurrection bodies that will never die. All this is a gift from God through Jesus. It is God's will that we be healed and well which not only means personally feeling well, but also being in community with one another. This is why God makes such a big deal about forgiveness. That is the way God heals community. God will find ways to take this horrible loss and use it for his purposes, just like God took the horrible death of Jesus on the cross and used it for his purpose to bring new life to the world.
  

If you don't really know what to say then that's ok. In the face of Job's great loss the best thing his friends did was sit with him and weep without saying a word for seven days (See Job 2:11-13). It was when they opened their mouth that things went south. If you are looking for something to say, then say how you feel rather than trying to say something clever. It's always good to say "I love you." Or share about a memory of Hailey that you will always remember. But remember that it is your presence and friendship that will mean the most at this time.

A Lament in the Context of Enduring Faith

Nicolas Wolterstorff's son died when he was 22 and he writes about his grief and loss in the book, "Lament for a Son." Wolterstorff writes this, "I must explore The Lament as a mode for my address to God. Psalm 42 is a lament in the context of a faith that endures. Lament and trust are in tension, like wood and string in a bow."
When a child dies, it is an unspeakable loss for a parent. There are no answers to our questions, "Why them and not me? Why a child when there is so much life unlived? Why would God watch them die and do nothing? Why would God watch us suffer such loss?"
Still more unspeakable a loss is to say, "There must be no God since my questions have no answers." Perhaps the faith we once had will never be the same. But like a tree whose leaves turn in the fall, drop in the winter and bud again in the spring, our faith can be born anew – similar in shape, but altogether new, different, changed by time, age, death and life.
In the midst of our own loss, we might find ourselves drawn to others who have walked this path ahead of us. I want to quiz them like I would someone who is exiting a frightening roller coaster. "You survived?! What was it like? If you made it, do you think I'd make it?"
The Bible is filled with the witness of those exiting the roller coaster and making their way by the Spirit of God onto the next one which carries yet untold adventure. The words are a tension of lament and trust.
I couldn't imagine walking the path of lament in any other context than enduring faith. Maybe it isn't always "my" faith. Sometimes it is the faith of others - others who believe and trust when I can't, like the church and Jesus himself.
A quote from mother Teresa that has helped me pray through the years comes to mind: "When times come when we can't pray, it is very simple: if Jesus is in my heart, let Him pray, let Him talk to His Father in the silence of my heart. Since I cannot speak, He will speak; since I cannot pray, He will pray."
The writer of Psalm 42 says, "My tears have been my food day and night. I remember," he says, "how it was when joy was still my lot, how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Now it's different. I am downcast, disturbed. Yet I find that faith is not dead. So I say to myself, 'Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.' But then my grief returns and again I lament to God my Rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Again faith replies: Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
Wolterstorff reflects on this Psalm: "Back and forth, lament and faith, faith and lament, each fastened to the other."
A lament in the context of faith that endures. Through a veil of tears we can say, "Thanks be to God."

Better Ways to Be a Fool

Last Sunday I preached a sermon on the church's understanding of Jesus' coming again to judge the living and the dead. In many ways it was a response to the group of Christians who have been publicizing that they have pinpointed Jesus return to judge the world this Saturday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m.

As I explain in the sermon last week, the Bible does say Jesus will return, but it also says we don't know when. Everyone who has predicted a day and time of Jesus' return in the past has ended up wrong and looking like a fool. In some ways this reminds me of old wounds from Junior High School. I don't like looking like a fool. And whether I like it or not, I'm guilty by association. If, Jesus hasn't appeared by 6:01 p.m. on Saturday, then once again followers of Jesus come off looking naive, paranoid, manipulative, untrustworthy and well . . . foolish.

Of course it shouldn't take long for followers of Jesus to realize that looking like a fool comes with the territory. The apostle Paul knew as much when he said to the church in Corinth: "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles."

If I'm going to be a fool for Christ, I want to be a fool for better reasons than claiming to know something only God knows. Or for burning someone else's holy book. Or for proclaiming God's hatred for people because of their lifestyle. The world sees all those things as foolish (because they are), but I think there are better reasons for Christians to be a fool.

Why not let's be fools for loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Let's be fools by resisting the "me first," consumer culture by living within our means and giving generously to others. Let's be fools by refusing to participate in gossip at work. Let's be fools for refusing to look at porn. Let's be fools by not having sex before we get married and then when we do only with our spouse. Let's be fools by using vacation time to serve the poor, widowed, orphaned and strangers in our land. Let's be fools by choosing to do the work God calls us to rather than what might make us more money or make a name for ourselves. Let's be fools by speaking the truth in love.

Yes, being a fool goes with the territory, but let's be fools for Jesus sake.

When the Sermon Doesn’t Seem Like it’s for You.

I got to brag about my church this week. I meet with a group of other clergy guys about three times a year for a couple of days. We call it our "covenant group." There are six of us who all serve different United Methodist Churches in Florida. We've been getting together like this for 13 years. My friendship with these guys will be one of the reasons I'll make it to retirement in the ministry (if I should be so blessed to live that long). They inspire me. They make me laugh. They keep me honest. They hold me accountable to be who God called me to be.

This week they listened to me brag about how 60 people in my church made 6 very significant commitments for living in financial peace for a lifetime. Those commitments are:

1. Acknowledge daily that 100% of my resources belong to God.
2. Assign every dollar a name – to spend it on paper and on purpose first (in other words live on a budget).
3. Eliminate debt and live debt-free.
4. Train my children to handle money God's way.
5. Save and Invest.
6. Give a tithe.

SIXTY people made a commitment to God that they would do all six of those things. SIXTY PEOPLE! The average congregation of 180 adults in North America has about 6 people who do all those things.

I also got to brag that 59 people worked for the last 90 days to reduce their consumer debt by nearly $281,000 and saved $92,000. And I got to brag that my church has begun 8 new ministries in our community since the end of last year. And 30 couples renewed their wedding vows in worship a few weeks back. For some of those couples that was the first time they had made marriage vows with God at the center.

I am so proud of the hard work that my church has done to get to this point!

But it also occurred to me that there are several people in my church who probably wondered how any of these recent sermons had anything to do with them. After all, we've got several single people at Spring of Life and we've got a few folks who had been living these 6 commitments to financial peace for a long time.

I honestly wouldn't have blamed them if they took the last three and a half months off from worship. In our culture we are formed to think about "what we're going to get out of it?" Or "what's in it for me?" And if we aren't going to "get anything out of it" then we consider it a waste of time and do something else.

Why on earth would anyone keep coming to worship and sit through three and a half months of sermons that really didn't directly address their issues? I think because they understand that coming to worship is as much about forming a community as it is about inspiring individuals.

The Apostle Paul spoke a lot about the church as "the Body of Christ." He said that we are all like different part of Jesus' body (fingers, toes, eyes, ears, hands, feet, arms, legs). While the hands are working and growing, the body still needs the rest of its parts to function well.

During these past three and a half months some body parts were working harder than others, but all their hard work was, in a significant way, made possible by those who quietly surrounded them with prayer, support and encouraging presence.

I know that there are times when I come to worship where I don't sing. I just listen to the voices of all those who are around me singing the songs of our faith. They don't realize it but their voices are carrying and lifting me higher than I would have been if I had just been there by myself in private devotion.

So I want to brag like Paul bragged about the people in his church when he said, "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:3-5

Whether you realize it or not – whether the sermons touched you or not – God has been using you to form a community that is stronger today than we were 90 days ago! Thanks for coming to worship.

The Barrenness of a Busy Life

A friend of mine started a new job recently. It was a promotion and took him in the direction of things he was passionate about and skilled to handle. And in an economy like this one where any job elicits gratitude, having one you enjoy too is like heaven. But now two months into it, the increased hours and energy are beginning to take their toll. He said, “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up this pace!”


This morning a mother of four told me she was so busy with just one of her sons she was overwhelmed. He’s a talented athlete and is involved in sports at school and works out starting at 6:00 a.m. and gets to bed late every night. She said, “I’m not sure how I can keep up this schedule.”

All of us have 168 hours in a week. And in a culture where we have been used to getting loans or using credit to spend tomorrow’s dollars today, we have imagined that we can also spend next week’s hours this week. Living like this will suck the life out of us.

My third grade daughter recently learned about something called “Opportunity Cost” in her class at school. “Opportunity Cost” is an economic term that means if you spend money on one thing, you won’t be able to spend it on something else. What it comes down to is priorities.

You can’t do everything you want to do with your 168 hours. So what is it that God wants you to do? What is it that you need to say no to in order to say yes to God’s priorities?

If we don’t budget our time like we budget our money, we will go into debt. We will get sick. We will not have the life God intended for us.

What is it that you need to say no to in order to say yes to what God wants you to do?

Patiently Enduring

If you haven’t wanted to give up, you are either dead or haven’t lived long enough.

We aren’t that far from the days when we set hopeful (dare I say) realistic resolutions for the new year. We set goals to be more healthy by eating protein, veggies, fewer carbs and sugar. We set goals to exercise by training for a 5k, joining a friend at the gym once a week or going for a walk around the block 3 times a week. We set goals to change our unhealthy financial management practices by taking Financial Peace University. We set a goal to improve our spiritual health by worshipping every Sunday unless we are sick or out of town. We decide to live more simply and spend more time with our family.

Those are all good goals. And if you live long enough you will want to give up on them all at some point. Any number of things will happen to cause you to want to give up. You will lose your job. A family member will become ill. You will get injured. You will move. You will wonder if there is a God. Your spouse will announce that they want a divorce. You will have a baby. Daylight savings will end. You will lose your driver’s license. You (fill in the blank!).

Disappointment, unexpected circumstances, attacks from the forces of evil, life happening . . . however you put it. These things threaten our patient endurance. These things conspire to make us seasonal Christians – following Jesus when it’s easy or convenient.

But the Bible doesn’t know what a seasonal Christian is. There’s no such thing as a part-time Christian. And if we are full-time, then we must learn how to patiently endure the times when it would be easy for us to give up.

In every marathon, runners go through a bad stretch. Everyone, from the pros to the beginners, experiences it. Kara Goucher, pro marathon runner who ran her first in New York, said she couldn’t believe how painful the last 10k of the marathon was. She said, “I kept looking for a place to bail out, but the crowds were so deep and cheering so loudly that I couldn’t find a place to quit.”

I love that story because it is an image of how God dreams the church to work. During the stretches where we find it painfully difficult to patiently endure any longer, we find that the road is lined with witnesses who are so deep and cheering so loudly that we have a hard time finding a place to quit.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the Corinthian Churches:

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” 2Corinthians 4:16 (The Message)

I pray that you experience the power of God’s unfolding grace to patiently endure today. God is making all things new!

Momentum Killers

What are the threats to living the life God created you for? What is it that threatens to kill any God-given momentum you may have?

How many times have you made a commitment to live a God-honoring life and a few short weeks or even days later you found the fire fading?

You said, "I'm all in." You prayed that prayer that John Wesley covenant prayer: "Lord, make me what you will. I put myself fully into your hands: put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and with a willing heart give it all to your pleasure and disposal. Amen."

And then life happens. You met with crisis, hurt, unmet expectations. The life of faith didn't seem to hold all the adventure that the preacher promised. All your momentum seems headed in the wrong direction.

These moments can be a time to leave or a time to learn.

Perhaps our first defense against momentum killers is to remember that following Jesus is for the long-haul. As Eugene Peterson put it in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, "We are obsessed with the immediate."

We are much more interested in quick fixes than long-term commitments. Rarely do you find someone who works the same job or lives in the same house for 30 or 40 years. More rare these days is to find a couple who has been married for 30 or 40 or more years. It's hard for us to imagine focusing on one thing that long. Too mundane! Too boring! Can't focus for more than 10 seconds on anything!

I think we will be very sad at the end of our days if we say, "I did so many things that I did nothing."

I'm not suggesting that God wants us to live boring , mundane lives. I am suggesting that we'll never know the real joy God has in store for us if we are unwilling to persevere through very difficult, sometimes mundane times in our walk of faith.

A second defense against momentum killers is developed by perseverance in a life of faith. In a word, it's forgiveness. At some point in your relationships you will get hurt and you will have a choice - harbor hatred and bitterness or forgive. Not choosing to forgive will kill any positive momentum in your life.

Forgiveness is not a feeling you get that makes everything alright. Forgiveness is not forgetting about the pain that was caused you. Forgiveness does not mean you trust someone who is not trustworthy. Forgiveness is a choice not to get even. Forgiveness is a choice not to hold the harm caused you against the person. It's a choice not to keep bringing it up in conversations. Forgiveness is a choice to love when love is not deserved or earned. Forgiveness is what God has done for you when you didn't earn it.

Forgiveness will kill momentum killers! It is one of the most powerful weapons God has given His people in the fight against evil, injustice and oppression. It will set you free. It is a primary ingredient to learning to live the "long obedience in the same direction."

Becoming Who God Made You to Be

Building positive momentum takes time. Think of the momentum behind a freight train versus a sports car. The sports car can get going faster, but it doesn’t have the momentum of a freight train going the same speed. Once the train gets going 60 miles per hour, it’s going to take a lot to stop it. That’s how good momentum works. It takes a while to cultivate, and isn’t easily stopped.

The momentum that God began when he re-created the world through the resurrection of Jesus was a long time coming, and it isn’t easily stopped. In fact, the Bible tells us that God’s redemptive momentum through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is unstoppable. (See Romans 8:38-39 for that promise!)

God's out recruiting every human being to join up with His story of unstoppable redemptive momentum. God wants everybody to be a part of his work to set this world right, to restore broken relationships, to disarm evil with self-giving love and find our life by giving it away. God has been pursuing us from the beginning of time and longs for us to share in his redemptive story for the world.

It is a special moment when we wake up to this reality of God’s work in the world and get that text message invitation to follow Jesus. It’s not an invitation for perfect people. It's for all people – even the ones you think don’t deserve it. Yep, you!  Have you gotten that text message from God yet?

Following Jesus and joining God’s story of unstoppable redemptive momentum is an amazing adventure. It is really about living life in the fullest possible way. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

If you are tired of living life afraid, angry, lonely, and only for your own goals, there is another way. God made you for a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (those are the fruit of God's Spirit. See Galatians 5:22)

Can you have this life over-night?  Perhaps. Who are we to limit what God can do.  But ordinarily long held bad habits take a while to become good habits.  Don't let relapse or struggle cause you to lose heart or give up the work of replacing bad habits with good ones.  Put the bad habits behind you and ask God for his power to help you keep becoming who God created you to be.

Keep showing up for worship. Keep reading the Bible. Keep asking God to show you His will. Keep building relationships with others who want to follow Jesus. Keep looking for ways to honor God with your body, your mind, your work and your time with your spouse and kids. Keep sowing the good habits that you know will produce the fruit of God's Spirit in your life.   Keep on becoming who God created you to be!

Don't give up! And know without a doubt, God has not given up on you.

King-Sized Hope

On Monday mornings I meet at Sweet Mama’s restaurant with a group for a Bible study. This morning the Book of Revelation and the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. collieded. It was awesome.


As you study the book of Revelation, the word hope rises over and over again. The book, with all its strange imagery, is really a book of hope. It was written to give hope to Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith during the latter first century Roman Empire. Despite some popular theology, the book is not a coded time-table for the end of the world. While Revelation has its share of symbolism or code, its main concern is giving hope to God’s people today.

This world is created by and for God’s purposes. God created all things and called them good. But evil lies close at hand and seeks to destroy God’s good creation. There is injustice. There is exploitation. Those with power don’t always use it in God-honoring ways. How does a good and almighty God resist this evil and restore creation to its intended purpose?

Answer: The King of Kings becomes the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus confronts and destroys the ultimate power of evil through his suffering, death and resurrection from the dead. The original King-Sized Hope is born!

Because of this King-Sized Hope, all people who hope in Jesus can have this assurance:

“They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16-17

This King-Sized Hope was the foundation of all Martin Luther King’s dreams. He didn’t just think that non-violent love was the most powerful weapon to resist every form of evil. He knew it to be true because Jesus had already revealed it to be so through his death and resurrection.

It is clear that MLK’s King-Sized Hope is deeply rooted in the hope of the King of Kings. Read this last paragraph of Martin Luther King’s last sermon, preached the day before he was killed.

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

Maybe you aren’t facing death for your faith today. But if you’re following Jesus, you probably have some form of evil that you are up against. It might be evil from within or without. But it’s evil nonetheless. You may be tempted to give up. You may be tempted to hate. You may be tempted follow lesser gods. You may think evil has won. And you’d be wrong.

We have a King-Sized Hope – the only truly unstoppable momentum the world has ever known.

Building Momentum: Walking Daily with Jesus

This week Spring of Life United Methodist Church launched an initiative to build momentum in the area of personal finance.  It's not an effort to get people to give more money to the church. Even though I think giving money to the church is a fine idea, that's not what this initiative is about.

I'm convinced that our practices of managing money are a deeply spiritual issue.  I preached on that issue this past Sunday.  I believe that most people really want to give to the people and causes that are important to them. I believe that most people would like to be free to do the work that they love and be generous. I believe that most people would like to have less stress when it comes to finances.  And I believe that all of that is possible to accomplish.

There are some basic money management principles (mostly followed by our grandparents and great grandparents) that we can learn about and follow to help us accomplish this.  Dave Ramsey teaches these things well in the 13-week Financial Peace University Course. And our church is offering that course right now to anyone who would like to attend. The course materials are $80 but don't let that be a reason not to attend. We have schoarship help for those who need it. Check out our course days and times here.

With that said, basic money management principles are not everything you need to build the momentum God wants you to have.  The only true way to financial peace (and any other kind of peace) is to walk daily with the Prince of Peace. Really, having finacial peace is only one aspect of becoming the whole person that God created us to be.

The weekly devotions on this blog will help you to get to know Jesus and build momentum in your relationship with God.

If you’ve never considered putting God first in your marriage, in your work, in your finances, in everything - here is the invitation to give that a try. God doesn’t promise to make our life work out like we want, but he does promise to surprise us with His healing grace. And he promises that over-time our lives will begin to bear the fruit of His Spirit – Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

While initially these devotions will focus more on the area of financial discipleship, you will see that this area affects everything else – our friendships, our job, our marriage, our prayer life, worship life, even our physical health. Perhaps this is one reason why over 800 verses in the Bible reference personal finance. Perhaps it is why Jesus talked more about money and giving than anything else.

God’s guidance, the Financial Peace University course and your willing spirit are an amazing combination for helping you make some changes and build some positive momentum in the area of personal finance.

Take a look at these short stories from people who have begun to feel the momentum. Feel free to share your own experience on this blog.