DESPERATION Acrostic - Bullseye or not?

The other night I did something I've never done. I played darts... competitively. A friend had a birthday and invited Kelli and I out... and we played darts. It was way funner (is that a word?) than I thought it would be, and I actually hit the bullseye three separate times! Hitting the bullseye can be a pretty tough thing to do, in any circumstance.

An earlier blog of mine asked the question, "What one word describes our church?" I got some great responses that included, "bold, Jesus, real, weird, humble, different, Biblical, organic, freaky, and even futuristic. Reading these responses, I was reminded of an acrostic we had come up with a couple years ago that we hoped would help us define who we wanted to be as a church. I was surprised how those words are encompassed within this acrostic. I'll share it here if you've not seen it before. Is there any part of this that stands out to you? Is there any part that is or is not being 'hit'? I'd love to hear your opinions.

Different way of doing Church
We're in the radical pursuit of bringing glory to God. He has always been creative and original in His approach to loving and reaching man, why shouldn't we be?

Eyes wide open
Knowing that there is a worldwide need to know God and what He has done, we long to open our eyes and our hearts to practically love those that live all over the planet, not just within the walls of our church.

Stewardship of Resources
The church should be an example in areas of finances and conservation. Our budget, including a listing of all salary amounts, is public information. However, all giving to the church is considered a private matter between that person and God. Only our accounting department (no pastors are part of this department) has knowledge of an individual's contributions. We work hard to use the resources we've been blessed with as wisely and efficiently as possible.

Passionate Worship & Prayer
Prayer, praise and worship should be an intimate time of direct connection with God, preparing a place for Him to dwell with us. Worship and prayer are a big part of what we do each time we meet together. "Passionate", "Intimate", "Intense", and "Loud" are all words used in describing the worship at D.C. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Every Member Ministry
We believe that everyone in our community has unique gifts and abilities that God has given them in order to love and serve Him and others. We encourage everyone to get involved in serving God directly, rather than sitting on the sidelines. We do our best to equip people for their particular ministry.

Restoration
We understand that many today have experienced tremendous heartache in the areas of abuse, neglect and past relationships. Shockingly, we've found that many of these hurts were caused by 'the Church'. We want to be a safe place for people to heal and be revived and renewed in their relationships with God.

Accord with One Another
Desperation Church recognizes diversity among followers of God in nonessential areas. We do not press for uniformity in these areas, but rather encourage people to search the Scriptures, seeking balance, mutual understanding, humility and love. Additionally, we seek to respect one another's differences without a quarrelsome, arrogant or divisive spirit, and to return continually to the great commandment, to love God and one another.

Teaching directly from the Bible
God speaks to us in the Bible. It is our privilege to hear God's message as we seek to understand and apply it responsibly to our lives. The entire Bible is completely true and accurate and it is our standard in all we say and do. God's unchangeable Biblical message ought to be presented in relevant and contemporary ways, free of religious jargon and understandable to the people of our community.

Intimacy in our Relationships
It's our desire to be a community of people who love God and others authentically. Part of the process involves just being 'real' in close personal relationships. Small groups, Focus groups that share common interests, and various Accountability groups all help cultivate this kind of environment.

Outrageous Fun
We approach every ministry, every meeting, every relationship, everything creatively. We believe that if you're not having fun loving, obeying and serving God… then there's a problem!

Needs based Ministry
Our heart is to make a loud noise for the cause of Jesus in our community. We strive to do this by identifying and meeting the needs in our neighborhoods. Recovery groups for addictive behaviors, Outreach Teams and monthly service projects (DC-W.O.W) are just a few of the ways we do this.

Jesus is Alive... apparently in Houston!

It’s EASTER! It’s time to celebrate that Jesus is alive! However, after ABC Primetime aired an extremely interesting and revealing story, I realized that Jesus is apparently living in Houston, Texas. One of their reporters, Jim Avila, sums up what the program was all about:

A few weeks ago, in a tattoo parlor in the hip art deco district of Miami Beach, people were lining up to get "666" tattooed on their bodies, and then smiling through their pain. But these are not devil worshipers. They see themselves as devout followers of Jesus Christ. But the major difference that separates them from other Christians around the world is that the Jesus Christ they worship is alive and well -- and living in the suburbs of Houston.

These people belong to a new movement devoted to a man who calls himself the Second Coming of Jesus, and also claims the title of Antichrist, which to him is the next incarnation of Jesus on earth, not an evil being. To show their devotion, some followers ink themselves with "666." One follower said, "I just want to make sure it's visible, that everyone knows my life belongs to the man." Another said, "I want everyone to know I'm one of the antichrists."

They and others like them are fervently devoted, some say fanatically, to a 60-year-old Puerto Rican whose legal name, to his pleasure, is Jose de Jesus, or "Jose of Jesus." He counts followers in more than 30 countries; some say they total more than a million. But where does this man, who claims to be God, live? Not where you might expect: He resides with his wife in a suburban community just outside Houston.

When asked to explain who he is, de Jesus responds: "Jesus Christ, man, the second manifestation, the Second Coming of Christ." He acknowledges that "it bothers a lot of people" that he calls himself Jesus.

De Jesus' beginning was anything but grand. Born in Puerto Rico, de Jesus grew up poor, living in government housing. He stole for a living to pay for his teenage heroin addiction and admits to eight felony charges that put him behind bars for nine months.

Like many, de Jesus says he was born again in prison. From there he moved to the United States, where he became involved in church youth groups, and eventually a minister in Boston. But it was a vision, de Jesus says, that turned him from man of God to being God.
"The same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth, and the same spirit is in me. He came to me. He [integrated] with my person in 1973." de Jesus says this happened when two angels came to him in a vision, and while he admits there's no real way for him to prove that he's Christ, he says his followers aren't asking for proof.

"So you tell the millions of followers I have that … this guy is a liar. You know what are they going to say? Is that I prefer his lies than what religion gave me. I prefer, see because when they believe in what I teach, they activate angels in their life."

De Jesus has come a long way from Puerto Rico, and those rough times. Today his believers give money freely. And where does all the money go? Joane de Jesus, the daughter of the man called Jesus, is the official accountant for the ministry. She says, "What you see as luxuries are gifts that members have given him. They're just very grateful, and they want to give him gifts."

There are no rules in de Jesus' church. Anything goes when you follow "Jesus of Suburbia." But he is serious about being the Second Coming of Christ. And along with his followers, he also has many detractors. Some who think he's the devil incarnate and others who think he's just a charlatan and a con man. One of the things that makes him so hated, so controversial, is that he preaches the Catholic Church is evil, and his followers burn pictures of the pope and hold protests outside churches.

And what about the children who grow up in his movement believing that Jesus is alive and well? He calls them the "super raza" or the super race, because they are being brought up pure and with no stain of false religion on them.

The de Jesus ministry is growing, with big followings in Venezuela, Columbia, even Cuba, and the man who believes he is the Second Coming of Christ is now turning his attention to America. "Miami is the bridge for all nations," he said. "That's where Hispanics are, and then eventually I'm going to find a lot of beautiful English-speaking people who will want to believe in me and I'm going to have millions of them.”

Did you catch that? ‘Millions’. He wants more, but apparently he already has upwards of a million followers! That’s even more than we’ll see this Easter weekend at Desperation Church! Actually, that’s more than we’ll see attend all the churches north of the river in the Kansas City metro area!

Did you also catch this quote, “So you tell the millions of followers I have that … this guy is a liar. You know what are they going to say? Is that I prefer his lies than what religion gave me”?

Wow. Am I the only one that is blown away by this? I can’t be. Apparently people are so eager to fill a void in their lives that they’ll fill it with just about anything… or anyone. I can’t help but grieve over the loss of all these precious people to the family of God.

And who’s to blame in all this?

It kinda seems like those involved in religion.

Ouch.

Slim Fast, Runny Noses, Midgets, and Jesus

This morning, on my way to church, I stopped at our local Quick Trip. For those reading this that live outside the Kansas City area, Quick Trip is much like a 7-11 convenience store/gas station. I ran in, grabbed a Slim-Fast shake (also called ‘breakfast’), and took my place in line in order to check out. The poor fella working behind the counter was a bit stressed as he was obviously doing the job of two or three employees. Usually there is more than one, but apparently not today. As he rushed about grabbing cigarettes for some and lottery tickets for others, all while consistently welcoming every person that walked in with a “Welcome to Quick Trip”, he began to cough. I watched him and greatly appreciated that he covered his mouth with his arm each time a coughing fit came about.

When all others were helped and I finally had made my way to the counter, I said something observantly clever like, “Wow, you sure are busy”. He grunted something under his breath and then began coughing again. This time, however, when he removed the crevice of his arm from covering his inopportune and unrelenting hacking, he had unknowingly smeared a bit of something on his cheek. The something that I’m talking about was not pretty. It was a greenish-yellow color and seemed to have the consistency of tapioca pudding.

Perhaps you think this is a made up story? I guarantee you it’snot.

I realize now, I was being presented with a test.

You see, if I was the one with a glob of gelatinous sinus scum on my face and I was completely unaware that it was glistening in the gleam of the fluorescent lights and jiggling for all the Sunday morning world to see, I think I’d want to know about it. But would the embarrassment of being told, by a complete and utter stranger, that a slippery secretion produced by mucous membranes had escaped the safety of his nostrils be too much for him? Would it not be best for a friendly co-worker, who would more than likely be coming back from break any moment now, be the one to share the precise details of this unfortunate phenomenon? What was I to do?

Ruthlessly fighting the urge to regurge, I paid for my shake and left. I stared at the counter the whole time. I said nada. I wimped out. I just left the kid in his slimy, unknowing bliss.

Now I’m haunted. Did I do the right thing? I’ve always said that if I was in a similar situation with my zipper down or a nagging piece of spinach between bicuspids I’d desperately want someone to clue me in. But don’t I want that to be somebody that I know? Don’t we earn the right to talk into one another’s lives?

What about the snot of sin?

Is it our place to walk up to complete strangers and tell them that they have a sin problem? Or should we earn the right to talk to them by building relationship with them first? I mean, everywhere I look I’m faced with people who are in blatant sin. Those who call themselves ‘Christian’, and whom I have relationship with because of the mere fact we are brothers/sisters in Christ are ones that I feel I can more openly discuss sinful issues with. However, those not in ‘the family’ per se, those not having made a commitment to follow Jesus, what about them? Is it my job to point out what awful sinners all the sinners are? I’m not so sure.

What did Jesus do?

Some Christians believe that the way of the Master was to point out people’s precise sin problem. But when I read of how Jesus behaved with sinners, I see Him responding differently. I see Him lovingly living out His Message.

For example, remember the midget in the tree? This height-challenged tax collector was a pretty bad guy. A sinner. What did Jesus do? He simply told Zack that He wanted to have lunch with him. The next verses describe this horrible sinner completely turning his life around! Jesus even says, “Salvation has come to this home today” (you can read this cool story for yourself in Luke 19).

Sure, when the religious folks – those supposedly already following Jehovah – were sinning, Jesus was all over them. Telling the truth in love is definitely one of the ways of the Master, but it is important to look at who His audience was at those times.

So yeah, maybe I wimped out. I probably should have done that kid a favour and clued him in on the gloop clinging to his cheek. However, it has reminded me that entering in and building authentic relationships with others is extraordinarily important and desperately needed. It’s needed, if for no other reason than to occasionally have someone who loves me and shares my desire for pleasing the Lord, hold a mirror up to me from time to time.

Sadistic?

It’s been a weird week for me. I’ve had more tiredness (perhaps due to Daylight Savings time?), more burn-out, and I suppose just more need for refreshing than in quite a while. I received three different reports from people that they had heard ‘rumors’ about me (One rumor was that I drink to get drunk and party with folks in the church all the time. The other rumors were basically the same type of thing having to do with being a false Christian, tattoos, drunk, lover of gays, etc. Each time I receive reports like these I struggle with wanting to defend myself in order to have a good reputation with ‘men’ and the enemy beats on me pretty good about it).

I told my wife this morning that I was looking forward to just spending some time alone with God today and reading the Word… for me personally… not to prepare for the weekend’s message. So, as I began the daily reading plan for today, I found myself chuckling. I think God has a sense of humor that’s downright satirical sometimes… if I didn’t know Him and His loving character better I might even say ‘sadistic’.

First, I was sent to the Book of Numbers (the fourth Book of the Old Testament) chapter 28 and began reading through a long list of specific instructions on certain offerings (burnt offerings, grain offerings, Sabbath offerings, nodding off…erings). This is incredibly in-depth material, and although super important to the Israelites at the time, seemingly unpractical for me presently. I was anxiously in anticipation of getting through this stuff and getting to my New Testament reading for the day. So, once I had trudged through Numbers I proceeded, as instructed, to Luke 3:23-38. Praise the Lord… It was a riveting genealogy! You know, one of those passages of the Bible that goes on and on with unending and delightful substance like, “the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of…”.

It was at this moment that I prayed a short and powerfully holy prayer that sounded something like: “Lord, what’s up? Did you not get the part where I’m feeling like I need some refreshing? Do you not get that I could have gone out and ‘fleshed out’ (that’s a made-up term meaning gotten drunk or something even stupider in an attempt to drown away depression and burn-out)? Do you not understand that I could have sought help from Oprah? I mean, c’mon Lord! I actually made the effort to open up the Bible and read it. Couldn’t You at least have it say something significant and maybe just a tiny bit relevant?”

Like I said, it was powerfully holy.

Then I turned to the verse I was supposed to read in Proverbs, which had within it, (“He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life”11:19).

The word “steadfast” jumped out at me. Steadfast means, “firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc”.

“Okay, Lord. I’ll keep going. I’ll be steadfast. But You better start speaking pretty soon Buddy.”

The final portion of Scripture to be read would be a short chapter from the Book of Psalms (62). It starts out: “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

The writer (some guy named David) then goes on to talk about how bad guys are always coming down on him. He even says that "They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse". He then basically repeats that first line again: "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Stronghold; I shall not be shaken."

At this point, I'm starting to get it. Unfortunately, I don't have time to write of all God opened my heart to in this chapter, but for the sake of my point in this blog, allow me to simply say... He spoke to me in a pretty cool way.

Proverbs 62 ends this way: "Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God".
The Message translates that this way: "God said this once and for all; How many times have I heard it repeated? 'Strength comes straight from God'."

I don't know if anyone reads these ponderings of mine. I guess it doesn't really matter. What I do know is this: God wants Michael to be steadfast (firm in purpose), and He longs for my soul to wait on Him. Sometimes I don't hear Him speaking. Sometimes I think He's playing a cruel joke. Sometimes I want to slam shut the Bible and say, "This Book sucks and is not only boring, but totally doesn't apply to where I'm at!" However, when I wait, when I remain steadfast, when I press on, I hear Him say again and again "Strength comes straight from God". I can't explain how that happens or why it is so stinkin' true in my life. But following my devotion time today...

I felt okay... I feel okay.

I feel strengthened.

I feel refreshed.

So, thanks God. Sorry about saying I thought You might be a bit sadistic. You're not... and I know that. I'll end this with a 'shout-out' to You, like David's in this powerful Psalm:
"Love to you, Lord God!" (Psalm 62:12 - The Message).

Hiddur Mitzvah

My wife just called me and gave me some awesome news. She told me that a woman that is new to our church, and brand spanking new to this whole "Jesus-Loving" thing, came to our Christmas Eve worship service. If you remember that night, the weather outside was frightful - sleeting ice and snow had put many folks, brave enough to drive in it, in ditches and worse. However, we were all warm and toasty inside the Worship Center, and we worshipped our guts out to the One Who deserves it most. Afterwards, this new-Believer went out to her car, only to find another D.C. lady scraping her windshield for her. Apparently, this unknown "angel" had done this for every car in the parking lot. Again, it was FREEZING cold and absolutely miserable conditions outside!

My wife asked me if I knew who this was. I do not.

Exodus 15:2 - NLT
The LORD is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise Him - my father’s God, and I will exalt Him!

From this line, rabbinic thinkers saw the words "I will exalt him", and asked the question,
"How can mere mortals hope to exalt God, the Creator of the entire universe?"

In the same way we could ask,
“How can we bring more glory to Someone as infinitely wonderful as God's own Son, Jesus?”

The rabbis had a wonderful answer. They said humans can bring more glory to God,… Who had all the glory in the heavens,… by doing His will on earth in the absolute best and most beautiful way possible. They called this "hiddur mitzvah", meaning to beautify God's commands. In the same way, we can do what Jesus commands in the absolute best way possible.

Christians may be surprised that the word mitzvah, meaning "command" or "commandment", is positive rather than negative in Jewish culture. The word is found in many verses, like the following: >"Keep my commands >(mitzvot, pl.) and follow them. I am the LORD." (Lev. 22:31) We tend to assume it refers to burdensome regulations, but the usual Jewish usage of mitzvah is that it is an opportunity to do something good that God told you to do. People say things like, "I had a chance to do a mitzvah today when the elderly woman asked for my help." The word is always used in a positive way, suggesting that doing what God has asked is a joy and a spiritual opportunity, not a burden.

The idea of hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the command) goes even beyond this - that if God tells us to do something, we shouldn't just do the minimum, but to perform it in the best way possible, sparing no expense or trouble.

Even if it's freezing outside.

We can see Jesus describing this behavior of hiddur mitzvah, going far beyond the minimum, in His story about the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan man obeyed God's command to love his neighbor by personally caring for the wounded traveler, carrying him to the inn on his own donkey, and investing a large sum of his own money to care for him. Because he was a Samaritan in Israel he even risked his own life, because as an enemy of the Jews, he could have been accused of being the attacker (Luke 10:33-35).

There are so many of Jesus’ commands that have to do with physically showing love to someone: Whether it’s giving water (Mark 9:41), giving away your clothes (Matt. 5:40), visiting the sick or imprisoned (Matt. 25:36), or just carrying their bag a bit further than they originally had asked (Matt. 5:41). May you and I be those that scrape windshields and ‘beautify the commands’ of Jesus, by going far beyond the minimum, and thus, may we bring our Lord massive amounts of glory!

And to the unknown, ice-scraping 'angel'... I want to say that you were Jesus to a brand new Believer, her two-week-old-in-Jesus husband, their small children... and their appreciative, humbled, and blown-away pastor.

A big 'thank you' to Lois Tverberg, who's book I'm reading currently. Her insight into the Hebrew Scriptures has been so exciting to me. Most of this information comes from her book, "Sitting At The Feet Of Our Rabbi Jesus".

When It's Not "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

I ran into someone yesterday while eating lunch at a local hamburger joint. He is a brother in the Lord who I've not seen in many months. I thought he'd fallen off the face of the planet... or simply decided to go to another church. What I found out was that he recently had gotten some bad news. Scary news. News that had sent him into a season of depression, isolation, and questioning.

The news: Cancer.

"Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God's Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain!" - Habakkuk 3:17-19 (The Message)

This guy with the funny name, Habakkuk, is saying all this on the eve of his country's destruction. In our context, he is basically saying, "Even though my country is going down the toilet, my stocks are all crashing, my bank account is empty, my house is being taken away - even though everything around me sucks... I'm singing joyful praise to God". The Hebrew word that is used here literally means "to jump up and down". Does that strike you as odd? What's up?

In the New Testament part of the Bible, a God-lover named Paul says, "In everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Notice he doesn't say, "FOR everything", he says "IN everything". You see, I can give thanks in everything because I know that God can change, fix, redeem, totally turn around the situation and can work out the problem whatever it might be if it is His will. However, I don't have to be fake. I don't have to pretend that the problem is a blessing,... or that it is not scaring the you-know-what out of me. I don't have to rejoice in the problem, but I can always rejoice in the Lord. I can always "sing joyful praise to God".

I think that God wants me to seek His face, to hear His voice, to see His vision, to hang out with Him no matter what is happening around me. No matter how bad the news might be, He wants me to rejoice in Him. Why? Because He is my strength and my joy.

Guess what I'm discovering? When I seek the Lord about a problem, by the time I'm finished talking it over with Him, as I worship Him and spend time with Him, I have usually forgotten what I came to Him for in the first place. His friendship is so awesome! His company is so sweet!

No matter what happens, He is our joy. He's the One that makes us actually feel like doing cartwheels. It is in seeking Him, that we find what we longed for all along. It is only when I'm Counting on God's Rule to prevail, that I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain. It's all about hanging with Him,... loving Him,... praising Him in the midst of ANY storm we're currently living through.

A big 'thank you' to Lois Tverberg, who's book I'm reading currently. Her insight into the Hebrew Scriptures has been so exciting to me. Most of this information comes from her book, "Sitting At The Feet Of Our Rabbi Jesus".

For Posterity's Sake

Psalm 37:35-40
"I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.
But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him."


What is life all about? Who are we to look up to as an example? Who are to be our heroes? Our culture exalts the ones with the most wealth, the most power, the ones with the most fame... regardless of how it came to them. Yet, if we are patient and stick around long enough, it seems we become witnesses of these very ones falling from grace, being soon forgotten... and simply being 'no more'. What exactly is the legacy that they leave?


My son, Caleb, has one of those red-laser pointer thingys. He likes to hide in another room (or across the worship center!) and point that thing at my chest while I'm talking to someone. They start snickering and giggling... and pretty soon I realize that I need to introduce my son to the wonders of duct tape once again (that was a joke, please don't call DFS). He's obviously using that laser-pointer for something that it was never intended for. It is meant to be a tool used in lectures to direct an audience's attention to the speaker's main points. It was originally found only on certain types of guns and used for the purpose of targeting something. In both cases, it's purpose is to 'mark' something.


We are admonished to keep an eye on the lives of others in this passage, to literally 'mark' them. The writer speaks of how he watched a bad, violent man who was successful in life, but when he died, he was no more - simply forgotten. However, when we watch the blameless, upright and peaceful man we'll find a very different story. He'll have something called "posterity". "Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have posterity" (Psalm 37:37).

• The dictionary says that "posterity" is a noun meaning: 'Generations or time to come. The body of descendants from an ancestor.'

The idea of 'posterity' is what I'll call a 'legacy'. It is something that a person hands down to the next generation when they die. However, it is really more than that because 'posterity' speaks of more than something, it speaks of the very people themselves!

Let me re-set this: We are to 'mark' those (watch them, look up to them) that are blameless, upright, and peaceful, because THEY are the ones that, rather than just fade away, will leave a lasting legacy, which is the people that carry on their righteous way of living.

We are a culture of hero worshippers. And the heroes we choose to lift up and 'mark' are all too often undeserving. They exemplify greed, materialism, lust, and selfishness. This passage in Psalm 37 ends by stating that those we should be watching are ultimately the ones that "take refuge in God". In other words, they may not be perfect, wealthy, or even have all their 'stuff' together, yet "He is their strength in time of trouble".


Do you know someone like that? Maybe they aren't the perfect picture of 'success', as far as this world might define it. However, they live lives of total dependence upon God. They are peaceful. They are upright. They are simple, but they are blameless. If you are lucky enough to be around someone like that, then point your laser at them. Mark them. Watch them. Do it for posterity's sake. Keep your eye on them... understanding that you too are being watched.

I look down... I see a red dot... I realize that my son has marked me.

What will I pass on?

What will I leave him?

What's important today?

Early Morning Revelation

I couldn't sleep last night. At least, not as much as I wanted to. Thoughts of our Saturday night service at Desperation Church last night, and the two services that we'll have today kept zipping through my noggin. I finally just got up, showered, shaved, and went out riding (my motorcycle). It was about 5am and around 40 degrees out. Yikes, was it cold! I'm dreading the day, which is coming way too soon, when I'll have to pack it away for the winter.

I ended up at Starbucks. One vinti carmel latte-breve' with an extra shot, and five chapters read in Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" later... and I was ready to head to the church.

I realize that I sorta like getting up early.

I like watching the sun rise,

while sipping coffee

and feeding my spirit good stuff.

I'm liking this Francis Chan guy. I agree with so much of what he's writing.
Perhaps the following stuck out to me the most today as I read:

• "I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don't swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That's for the 'radicals' who are 'unbalanced' and who go 'overboard.' Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering."

Wow... there's some light reading for ya. Nice way to start the day, especially when I will be preaching twice today to this "American Church" of which he's speaking, and of which I am a part.

I want to be a man... a pastor of an 'American Church'... that takes the words of Christ seriously. I live in fear that I won't. I live in fear that I'll cave to what 'men' think, rather than live in such a way that all that truly matters is what God thinks... and desires of me.

It can be hard when so many are willing and able to voice their opinions... whether they be approvals or disapprovals.

So,... I just walked into my office... opened up my Bible... and read this:
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).

Now, with warm tears streaming down my still-frozen cheeks, all I can say is:

"Jesus,... thanks for saying that".

Culturally RELEVANT

Philippians 3:12 - "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own."

I love that Paul, this 'hero' of most of us that are followers of the 'Way', stresses that he is not 'already perfect' - he is still involved in the struggles of life in a fallen world and hence he still sins. Obviously he hasn't realized the full embodiment of his future hope, yet he proudly and boldly states, "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own". There is a balance of faith and works, of God's call and the believer's response, here that is really cool.

Today so much is made of being 'culturally relevant'. I'm a huge proponent of this - if we are so far behind what is happening in culture, then we risk losing the ability to speak Truth into any one's life. For example: To me, using a King James Version of the Bible when sharing the Good News of Jesus with someone is the equivalent of visiting Mexico and speaking in Russian! Our culture no longer uses that language, so to make the Gospel Message 'relevant', we've updated the language so that 'Truth' is understood. Another example might be the use of Godly lyrics in updated music styles. I believe that using a culturally relevant style of music to relay the same powerful 'Godly' Message will open up doors to a whole new generation hearing and coming to 'faith' in Christ (remember Romans 10:17?). A final example (and I have many more) would be the way a Christian dresses, or even their hair styles. If all the men have newscaster haircuts, wear ties, and clone themselves in the image of Billy Graham (...or any of the business men you see on Wall street who live for the almighty dollar and constantly cheat on their wives), and if all the women wear long dresses to the ground, skip the make-up, and competitively see how high they can stack their hair - is THAT what God desires? If a Christian man wears jeans and has a 'rock-star' hair-cut, or a Jesus-loving woman wears the latest brand of make-up... are they now in direct disobedience to God's Word, or are they now positioned "in the world" perfectly in order to share a Message that is definitely not "of the world"? I would say the latter.

Yet, there is an inherent danger to this line of thinking. Many Christians will say, "Michael, if you become so much like the world then you will become the opposite of what God has called you to be, namely a 'foreigner', 'pilgrim', 'alien'." This, in fact, is very true. However, we must always remember that the Christian, like Jesus, is both a friend and an enemy of the world. "Anyone who chooses the world for his friend turns himself into God's enemy" (James 4:4). The world returns the favor by hating those who follow in the way of Jesus. Paul (in Ephesians 2:1-3) challenges us not only to turn away from our own sins, but also from following the "course of this world".

But what exactly is the "course of this world"? Isn't that really where the confusion lies?

David F. Wells, in his book Above All Pow'rs (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005 - page 23) would define it as "our embeddedness in culture at the point of its fallen horizons, false belief structures, and misdirected devotions - all of which are kept in place by the powers of darkness." Think about that statement, because it's pretty powerful.

God is not concerned with the way we look, that has always been man's concern. Even in the passages of the Bible where "dress" and "appearance" is spoken about, we see that those were extremely "culturally relevant" statements. In other words, in that culture, at that time, the men and women dressed like that and appeared that certain way. For a Believer to dress differently than "that culture" it would have been so drastically out of place that it would have caused a major distraction. As a matter of fact, an argument could be made that to appear drastically different than the culture would be inappropriate.

So what is right?
What is appropriate?

I think we should take Paul's lead (follow his example like he told us to in Philippians 3:17) and "press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own". We should just be ourselves. We should just be who God made us - unique individuals. I am not talking about copying the world and "embedding ourselves into the false beliefs and misdirected devotions" that others who do not have relationship with Father God are doing. I am saying that God is concerned with what is happening in our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). May we be concerned about that too. If being "culturally relevant" is what is needed, then may we be just that without compromising the fact that we are still "His own".

Lastly, some say that I only paint a picture of God as this Supreme, Loving, Forgiving and Gracious King of fools. To that I would say, you're just not listening. God is the King of Fools. That is true. That is why I love Him so... I'm a fool. He's my King. The Jesus we love and follow reaches down to the alienated and the dispossessed. He goes to the fringe and draws in the rejected. He lays gentle hands on the dirty and the ostracized. But He does not only touch and heal, He also instructs and warns. He tells the woman caught in adultery, "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11). He tells the invalid by the pool, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you" (John 5:14).

Following Jesus is also hard-core, because He is hard core. He came on an invasive, dangerous, and unwelcome mission of mercy to come open and expose what was hidden in men's hearts (Luke 2:34-35), not ask them to read from the King James and abstain from dressing like a rock-star. His coming was not to be marked by peace and tranquility - He came to impose a test of absolute allegiance. He forced people into a divisive crisis of choice (Matthew 10:34-39). The peace He came to bring first triggered a war. He was on a guerrilla mission to infiltrate territory controlled by His enemy, raid his camp, and set the prisoners free (Mark 3:23-27; Luke 4:18).

May you and I, like Paul, realize that we aren't perfect but we are going to press on and make this thing authentically our own, because Christ Jesus made us His own. May we shout with a bold, confident joy at the dizzying delight of being chosen, of being welcomed in by our true Father and invited to sit with Him at the banquet table reserved for His friends.

But, as we celebrate how awesome all that is, may we never forget that the One who called us His own is Friend but also sovereign King - that He who gave everything up for us... calls us to give everything up for Him.