Checking The Scales

As I reflect on the festivities of the past holiday, I couldn’t help thinking about an interesting trivia fact I read last week:

The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy only weighed 126 pounds. The Soviet edition of his works, published over a period of 30 years, came to 90 volumes and weighed in at a beefy 290 pounds. Tolstoy's words out-weighed the man himself!

As a preacher and writer, I struggle with finding the proper balance. When everything is said and done, do my words out-weigh me? I realize there’s no eminent danger that someone might compare me to Tolstoy, but the question remains. And I ask it from this perspective: Regardless of size, is the man equal to the words?

A woman approached Sir Lloyd George, the former prime minister of Britain, after a speech. She remarked, “Before I saw you in person, I thought you were a much taller man.” George carefully replied, “Madam, in Wales, where I come from, we measure a man from the neck up.”

At the end of my life, I hope to leave behind a few good words. I am thankful for the inspiration of previous generations of writers. I hope to inspire future generations of thinkers. But I also hope what I leave behind is more than words. I want to leave behind a legacy of good memories and good deeds. I hope to leave an example to follow, and a spiritual inheritance for future generations.

In Acts 7:22, Stephen had this to say about the great leader and man of God, Moses;

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians
and was powerful in speech and action.

The man, Moses, was equal to the words. He was a man of both speech and action. That is what I wish for others to say about me. . .about us.

Jacked Up

Hang out with college students or teens long enough and you will hear this declaration regarding something they have seen or heard that they don’t approve of: “Man, that’s jacked up!”

My definition: The state of an automobile when changing one's own tire, (usually on the side of the road, in the rain, with traffic screaming past at a high rate of speed).

Urban Dictionary definition: It roughly means "in a state of disarray" and is commonly used to describe feelings of frustration over a situation that is not working properly or as intended.

Redneck Interpretation: “That just ain’t right!”

Many of you know that our family just invested a year of our lives and hearts into the amazing mission work at Mountain States Children’s Home. This remarkable ministry provides shelter and healing for kids whose lives are truly “jacked up”. (And I say that with so much love and respect for them because I can relate… I may know how to make it look like I have it all together, but I admire about these kids the fact that they can be brutally honest about their junk.)

Some of these kids have grown up spending their weekends drunk, smoking weed, missing curfew, getting grounded, going to rehab, getting picked up by their parole officers. They cross physical boundaries to the point they arent even sure where the boundary was to begin with. They are cutters and liars … they’re angry and they’re hurting. And they’ve come to MSCH for help and hope.

Our time there was intense and gave us a glimpse of what too many families are dealing with in the real world. You see, a few have found refuge and hope in places like MSCH, but thousands more live right in your town, on your street, and go to your school, and attend your youth group.

Not long ago, I talked to a junior high student who has to start going to alternative school because she punched her principal in the face and busted her lip. So much is going on in their lives that it overwhelms me at times to think that God has given me the responsibility to share truth & love with them.

When I stop to think about all the issues that students face. . .all the crazy “jacked up” things that happen in their lives that they have no control over - the circumstances they get thrown into and the crazy things that they bring on themselves - my heart breaks for them.

But as I sit here in a few moments of quiet today, the lyrics of Hillsong United are playing over in my head, and they remind me that God truly is bigger than any of the junk we face.

“My Savior, He can move the mountains.
My God is mighty to save.”

Thank You, Jesus for moving mountains & saving us from our junk.

You are so so good.

for the journey. . .

tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
just to take Him at His word
just to rest upon His promise
just to know, thus saith the Lord….

the Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
::psalm 29:11::

may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope.
::romans 15:13::

find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
::psalm 62:5::

Purple Cows

I picked up an interesting new book the other day. (I didn't buy it. . .just picked it up.) Purple Cows by Seth Godin is based on the premise: If you've seen one brown cow you've seen them all…but a purple cow, now that would catch your attention! One thought in the book has profound implications: "If you aren't remarkable you are invisible."

Maybe it’s a stretch, but be patient with me. I think the church needs to paint itself purple. I'm not talking about gimmicks or razzle-dazzle. I'm not talking about being different for different’s sake. I'm talking about having such a remarkable impact in our community that we cannot be ignored. That was the story of the life of Jesus. Many loved Him. A few hated Him. But one thing you could not do was ignore Him.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “If the church closed its doors, how many people in our community would notice?”

Here are a couple of seed thoughts:

1) The Good News ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are engaging and compelling and investing and going. They are making such a difference that people talk about them. (Acts 17:6)

2) People drive by the brown churches - the churches that are invisible - to go to the purple church. The church that loves and cares and serves. Not necessarily the church that is most successful, but the church that is most significant. We have the greatest message in the world, but if no one is listening, what difference are we making. (1 Cor 13:1-3)

So how do we paint ourselves purple? By daring to be different. (Titus 2:11-15) By unleashing our most creative energy into connecting with the world – serving the world – loving the world in such radical, God honoring ways that they can’t ignore us. And as we are led by God’s Spirit and live within God’s story, by our very lives we will tell the story of Jesus. (Acts 2:43-47)

Following the footsteps of Jesus should inspire us to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). We may have to courageously trade in some of our old wineskins for new. We need to sing a new song. We need some Spirit-inspired, visionary ideas that will capture the imagination of the church & the heart of the world.

I Dare You To Watch This Video

Change We Can Count On

What an exciting time to be a child of God! We are sailing in uncharted waters here, aren’t we? The stock market takes random, aimless turns almost every day, bringing fortune to some and misery to others. Our personal debt and national debt is at an all time high. Technology and medicine and science are evolving so fast it numbs the mind. Cures for diseases that plagued our society just a generation ago are being discovered every day. Just as a skirmish begins to quiet down in one part of the world, another one pops up elsewhere. And in the midst of it all, we just participated in an unprecedented election, the outcome of which has sent the first African American to the most powerful office in the world. As Yakov Smirnov would say, “What a country!”

How is it we live in the most wealthy nation on earth, but so many consider themselves living in poverty? These are remarkable times! And....the outlook is so good. How do I know? Do I have some prophetic insight to what the future will be? No. Will the days ahead be brighter than the days past? I don’t know. But one thing I am sure of, God is faithful, and He never called us to approach life positively; he called us to approach it faithfully. There is a difference.

In a time when so many are broken down, distraught, and disconnected, many are hoping in vain for a leader who will get us out of this mess. The church is in a perfect position to point to The One who is truly the Hope of the Nations. Our neighbors, our friends, even our enemies don't just need a little change, we need a rebirth - a shot at starting life over again.

One of the things I love about the church is that it's always new. Life in Christ is new. The Bible says that God's mercies are new every morning, and that we are made new day by day. I love that truth. The Story we tell may be 2000 years old, but it has the power to make all things new. The church is alive. Our faith is alive. Hope is alive. No reruns or repeats. It's alive and we are growing to be less dependent on the shakiness of our circumstances and more dependent on the stability of our Lord.

What an exciting time. Will the days ahead be bright? Maybe. I genuinely hope so. But even if they’re not, the darker the night, the brighter God’s children shine! (Philippians 2:15)