VBS reminded me

It's VBS week at FBC-Nixa... One of the many great things that our church does is adult VBS. this is the first year that we are attending the event, and it's so good to spend some extra time in God's word, learning about His power. It has been a great reminder that, with our priorities in proper alignment, life is much easier to navigate.

I was reminded of the need for proper priorities while we're reviewing the first lesson from this week. From the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan in Joshua 3-4. Normally we read this as another account of how powerful God is to help us through our troubles. But this time around, as I have been struggling through a process of following God, the story spoke from a different angle.
God told Joshua to first send the Ark of the Covenant into the river. God placed Himself (or at least this representation of Himself) into the river. He told Joshua that if he would put God first, that the raging flow of the flooded Jordan would be stood up like a wall and Joshua's people would cross on dry land!
God promises us over and over again that He will be with us always. He will help us in all our trials, by seeing us through them, and at times, by removing the obstacles. We get angry and doubt His existence when we perceive that He has lied to us, or failed us... but, look again at this story, God gave us a standard and condition... We are to place Him first.

An honest question

Something that has been a recurring theme lately in books I'm reading, sermons I'm listening to, and, most recently, in some VeggieTales I was watching earlier... Sometimes and, it seems apparent to me, most of the time, forgiveness not only requires repentance, but also repayment/replenishment.

We see it in the story of Zacchaeus, when he became a follower of Jesus, he felt he not only needed to repent, but to give back what he took and more! And in the VeggieTales telling of Esther, we see King Xerxes, upon learning that it was Mordecai that saved his life, not only asked forgiveness, he lavished him with royal gifts!

The fact that this principle keeps cropping up makes me wonder what kinds of things we miss in day to day life to say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong, help me make it right." In a sermon from Luke, Mark Driscoll talks about this by describing it if you let a "friend" borrow your Hyundai, and he never returned... Until one day, he apologizes, and then hands over the keys to his new BMW.

So, what I am asking is this, if you read this... How have I wronged you that I have not apologized for, and how can I repay my debt to you?

I will ask that you keep in mind that I am not capable of gifting you a Beamer...

Not a Fan: week 2: "Follow me"

Last night was the second installment of our church-wide study of Kyle Idleman's book, "Not a Fan". We focused mostly on the accounts of the gospels' recording how Matthew became a follower of Christ.

While discussing the verses, we were to look at what it was that stood out to us about Matthew's conversion. Many pointed to how he immediately followed, or how he left everything to follow. For the purpose of our study, those are awesome points. It gives us a great example of how a terrible sinner like Matthew can be accepted, as he is, by Christ. It is also an impressive and inspiring story to see someone as wealthy and powerful leave everything and, immediately, follow.

For me, and where I have been struggling lately, the words that stuck out most to me were the words of Jesus, "Follow me". That's all He said to Matthew. It wasn't a request, Jesus wasn't asking if Matthew wanted to follow. It was a command, "Follow me."

The girl with the tattoo

Talking with a friend this week, she told me of something that she saw recently that broke her heart. It was a young woman she came across, on the back of her leg was tattooed the phrase "this knee will never bow".

I've spent some time the last couple days thinking about it, and I just think I need to get some thoughts out... In case a person stumbles across this blog who has a similar attitude.

1) I don't know this person, and have zero idea about their life or any of the circumstances that led her to get this tattoo. I don't know what her true spiritual condition is, or what she truly believes about God. I would guess, from the evidence, that she calls herself an atheist.
I would argue however, that a person who would get such a tattoo is in no way an atheist. It is more likely that she knows that God exists, but chooses to live her life as though he does not... probably believing that life is easier that way. She doesn't have to be responsible for her behaviors if she can tell herself that there is no God. The worst part of this, to me, is that her lifestyle is eerily similar to many people who profess Christianity. The motivations behind the behavior is different... we tell ourselves that we are covered by the grace of God, or that our sin is less important than others'. We suppose on the love of God, choosing to live as if we are outside of His wrath. The end result of both of these types of people, is a life that is fake, sinful, and wasted. The final product is two lives that, when observed for the outside, look the same. They are both lives that are useless to the Kingdom of God. The hope for both is remembering who God is and truly coming into relationship with Christ. Both would then have a chance if amazing testimonies, and, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, could do amazing things to the Glory of God.

2) As I thought about all of that, I thought, "wouldn't it be great if someone just walked up and (lovingly) explained those things to her." Which reminded me of something Chan wrote about in CrazyLove: saying that those moments when we imagine what the world would look like if we all started living radically for the cause of Christ... in those moments, we need to remember that that behavior is not considered radical to God, it is what Jesus expects out of us, as followers. We are expected to converse with people like this young lady, get to know her story. We are supposed to invest in her and try to understand why she felt it was necessary to tattoo such a bold statement against God on her body. We are supposed to understand the depth of God's love for her, allowing us to recognize how to best display that love to her. We are supposed to open her up and allow the Holy Spirit to bring that deep, eternal heart change that I spoke of earlier... If we fail her by simply brushing past her, and judging her for that tattoo, her life may never change.

One day we will then stand in the presence of God, He will replay our life... I fear the when He stops the film and asks, "What about the girl with the tattoo?" I hate to think of all the times that I have not been obedient in living as Christ commands us to live. I break to think of the potential persons who are now, or someday may be, in the eternal torment of Hell that may have just been waiting for one person to care enough to listen, and allow them to see God's perfect love.

Elementary Truths: easy does not equal right

I have recently, the past month or so, finally realized the sometimes a person can't always do what is easy. I have learned that we have to do what is right, and sometimes, that is really hard. I know, we all think that this is pretty basic, and that everyone knows this truth... But here's the thing, if everyone knows it, why do so few do it?

It's a message that is shoved down our throats from elementary school and to eternity... And yet again, we live as though the concept is foreign.

I have made 2 major decisions in the last month that I consciously was aware were not the easy choice. I struggled mightily, claiming that I was pursuing God's will... But I knew, very clearly, in each case where God stood. I was trying to find a way to blame God for making the easy choice.

You know what happens when you do that? You get nailed by sermons, personal bible study, books, peers, your wife...everything. Resisting such a strong call and direct guidance of our God opens you up for a gauntlet of conviction... I, personally, went into bargaining mode. I knew that my choices, though right, would cost me some things. And not just small things, things that I rank as pretty important in my life. They would probably even hurt some folks who are close to me. So, how could they be the right choice?

Because, the things that I would be sacrificing are all things that I often place at a higher priority in life than God. From that perspective, it becomes a matter of whether my relationship with Christ is truly the most important thing, or if it is one of the many other things I put in its place.

It is this act of melting down my own golden calf, and being able to tangibly feel the personal sacrifice that has given me peace that these decisions, while hard, are right. It is that knowledge that has brought me to the place of finally, truly KNOWING that sometimes, the right choice is not the easy choice.

Not a Fan: week 1: feeling alive

Started a new church-wide study tonight with Kyle Idleman's Not a Fan... During discussion we were asked to imagine a time that we felt truly alive and our focus was not on ourselves. For me, I feel most alive in the first few split seconds of recognizing the rapid deterioration of a patient who is headed to cardiac/respiratory arrest.
In that moment, all of the skill, knowledge, and some instinct culminate deep down, and I am in my element. The utter chaos of a code is like a hurricane; violent, intense, relentless... But at the center of that chaos there has to be those who serve as the "eye"... We feel most at peace within this storm. It feels natural, and we see order and beauty in these moments.

So, that's what makes me feel most alive... I truly believe that God has blessed me in ways that allow me to thrive in such circumstances, and I try to remember that it is only to His glory and greatness that I am able to perform these tasks. But I often struggle with my pride... forgetting that without Him I could do nothing, not the least of which to help a patient in need. When I can keep the focus on my Lord before, during, and after a code... not only do I feel alive, but also, I feel grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to serve in such a great way.

A great start to this study, to this point I feel that the fan/follower designation must be viewed on a continuum. We all fall on the spectrum somewhere between being simply a fan of Jesus, or truly being a committed follower of Christ. We should strive to, every day, decide to move closer to being a follower. I hope I do just that.

Humility/Humiliation

God promises things... He does it quite often. Not only does God make promises, but (like the perfect father He is) God keeps those promises. Over and over again in the Bible we see God promising things to both those who honor Him and those who do not. Then, at some time in the future, we see those promises kept, both for the good, and the destruction of those to whom the promise was made. I ramble through these thoughts to say this... what makes us think that the promises that God has made to us are any different? Perhaps for some it is the lack of a father figure that is to be an example to us of who God is, and how God loves us. If our earthly father has failed and harmed us, then how are we supposed to be excited about a God that is our Heavenly father? For those of us who have amazing earthly fathers, maybe we blow off the present promises of God because, despite our best efforts, we just simply are terrible at faith. We don't trust anything, up to and including God's very existence. If we have trouble firmly placing a belief in His existence, then how can we believe in His promises? The Bible is too old, it was written by crazy zealots, those people are soooo out of touch with the reality of today... this list continues for awhile. Sooner or later, this list boils down to one thing, pride. Pride says that, ultimately, I don't care if God is real or not, and even more so, I don't care about what He promises, cause I am in control, and I know best... But what does God think of that? God says, as the man Jesus, that the proud will be made humble and the humble shall be exalted. He says, basically, "Look, either live with humility, or I will humiliate you." We are warned to either live with reverence and humility in the presence of God, or, at some point, between now and eternity, God will humiliate you as only He can. Far more a warning for those who claim to know God, and be in relationship with Christ, than those who don't... those who live apart from Christ will meet a known and determined humiliation in the reality of Hell. Those who claim a relationship with God, through Christ, humility is demanded in order to serve others, without it, our humiliation could be being deemed unfit to serve God in a meaningful way. Outside of the ongoing, conscious torment of Hell, I can't imagine a pain worse than being deemed useless to God. God makes promises, and He keeps them... both for the good, and the destruction of those to whom promises have been made. He gives us the choice, humility or humiliation- we are free to choose either, the consequence of the choice is clear.