SEE, FEEL, BE

One thing I love about spring is being able to golf.  I am not what you would call an avid golfer.  Like many people I know, at times I show signs of absolute brilliance.  At other times, I play as if I had never picked up a club before.  Usually it's a mix of both when I play a round.

But like most things in life, I can't expect too much if I only hit the range once or twice a year.  Not much will happen if I don't hit buckets of balls before I play.  If I spend little time perfecting my shot, there's a good chance I won't improve.  When I only golf about every two weeks or so, it's hard to perfect my game.

However, last year my lovely wife got me three lessons to help me improve my drives.  I changed my stance, grip, how I addressed the ball (hello there white ball!), my takeaway and follow through.  And it worked!  My drives now go much further and most of the time straighter.

Like a Zen master of golf, I was able to: see the ball, feel the ball, be the ball.  And as a result I am enjoying the game as much as I ever have.

As the church of Christ, too often we don't practice, never seek to improve, are familiar with where we are, and yet wonder why our church is shrinking.  What do I mean?  There are many great books, seminars, and amazing church leaders who understand what it takes to grow a church.  But if we never seek to glean from them what we are able to apply in our own church setting, our game...er, the church we are at will never get better.

Some folks believe that if we just pray harder, seek God, and improve sermons, the church will grow.  Though those are extremely important, I think we need more.

Like the occasional golfer who just keeps tinkering on his own to improve his game, frustration will set in.  And eventually he'll sell the clubs or throw them in the lake and go do something else for fun.  Likewise, we stop being the church when we refuse to seek, grow, learn, and be filled with wisdom from others God has placed in our path.

Therefore, I propose we all adopt a new mantra: SEE the Church, FEEL the Church, BE the church.  Are you ready to tee it up?  Let's be the church!

CROWN OF THORNS, ONE SIZE FITS ALL

I've always been a bit suspicious when I am shopping for clothes and I read the tag, "one size fits all."  It doesn't work with pants, or gloves, or hats, or much of anything I've been able to find.  Inevitably I buy the item, get it home and lo and behold, it doesn't fit!

As a pastor serving a new church I wanted to find a crown of thorns to use as a visual aid for Holy Week and Easter.  I asked around.  No one had an extra crown of thorns they could spare.  Go figure.  So I did what most warm-blooded Americans do, checked the Internet.  I found little replicas that might fit on a gnomes head.  And I found some plastic ones.  Seemed kind of tacky.  And there were the "authentic" crown of thorns from the Holy Land with an certificate of authenticity.  But at $96.00?  No thanks.

I was getting frustrated by my lack of success when I came across something that stopped me in my tracks.  A crown of thorns advertised with my favorite tag, "one size fit all."  I stopped, grimaced, and tried to sort this out in my head.

But the more I thought about it, I think these people are on to something.  Granted, they probably did so unwittingly,  but there is some really good theology here.  After all, the crown of thorns Jesus Christ was forced to wear, was not for a select few.  Not by a long shot.  The crown he wore out of his love for mankind, was for all people.  

I've heard it said that it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross, but it was His love that kept Him there.  And as you look ahead to the coming Easter season, be reminded that you played a role in that tragic event.  That crown and those nails were what we deserve, but by his wounds we a forgiven, healed, and free.

Have a blessed Easter!

LET'S MAKE A DEAL

Some of you may remember Monte Hall, that big-smiling host of the 60's and 70's TV show, "Let's Make a Deal."  There's a new version on today.  New host, new stuff.  Not as good.

The object was to dress up goofy, compete for a prize, then be challenged to trade what we win for what's behind curtain number one, two, or three.  Sometimes it was a good trade.  Who wouldn't trade a pair of oven mitts for a cruise?  But other times contestants traded a Skidoo only to win a belly button lint remover.  Eeks!  Bad move.

Sometimes we come to God like that "Big Game Show Host in the Sky."  We often allow greed or emotion to guide our thoughts.  Yes, we have a pretty good life, but, "God, I want more!"  We've been blessed with a job, house, food on the table and most of our kids haven't been arrested.  We're blessed.  And still, we want more.

Or we come with disobedient lives, full of hypocrisy, and still want to make a deal with God so we can be blessed.  We say, "Sure God, I might have rampant sin going on over in this area of my life, but let's not talk about that.  What I really need is a new job." And then we wonder why God doesn't answer our prayer.

Or we fail to pray, worship, read His Word, serve and love others, and ask why God won't heal us when we are sick.  We forget what Isaiah shares in scripture, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear'' (Isaiah 59:2 NIV) .

Could that mean what I think it means?  Most certainly.  When I continue to defy or ignore the life God has designed for me, that's my choice.   Free will allows me to choose my way or God's way.  But when I do, it's against God's nature to honor my prayers the way I would like or the way that will bring me peace and freedom.

When I call on God, seek His ways, humbly confess my sin, and turn from it, He will indeed hear from heaven, forgive me, and bring me health (2 Chronicles 7:14).  Such gifts will always be better than what's behind any curtain.  Amen?

THE MESSINESS OF CHRISTMAS

This year, more so than others, I have been moved by the idea that what we often seek and what Jesus offers creates a real tension in our lives. 

We tend to prefer a festive, ornate, sanitized, emotionally pleasing, joyful Christmas.  Though we are pretty sure there may be a glitch somewhere, we love to execute a plan and stick to it.  We may calculate a trip to grandma's being exactly 103 miles that should take us no more than 96 minutes.  Or we have a clearly orchestrated method of how we are to open presents (one at a time thanking the giver of the gift and acting like we mean it) for the fruitcake or knitted socks we received.

Have you noticed, pastors and church leaders even get a little wacky this time of year.  They want the service to be moving and often wrestle with how much traditional and outside-the-box new to incorporate.  Musicians, actors, pastors, and ushers better be on their game to make this a flawless Christmas service that will be remembered for the ages.

And yet, as you read the gospel of the conception, pregnancy and birth of the Messiah, it's anything but sanitized and without glitches.  Mary heard from an angel and then tries to figure out a way to inform family and fiance she is "with child."  Then she piles into a mini-van, er, on the back of a donkey to make the long trip to Bethlehem though she is 9 months pregnant.

And the birth.  In a stable?  Really?  Stables are nasty, stinky places.  Animal dung, flies, the smell and crudeness is all around you.  And into that setting comes Jesus.  Though songs try to convince us this was a small, quiet, adorable child, who doesn't cry, if you've ever been present or participated in the birth of a child, it's anything but quiet and clean.

And yet, this is how God chose to become Emmanuel...God with us.  Into a strained, imperfect, unsettled world, He came.  Into unfinished lives with lots of questions, He came.  And into our imperfect, unfinished lives and world...He comes.

So if this Christmas doesn't quite go as planned this year, don't sweat it.  Smile and thank God for the reminder.  And thank Him for His Son...the Savior of the world.  Have a blessed Christmas.

SPIRITUAL SIX-PACKS

You would think at age 57 I would know better.  But after years of not doing so, I allowed my wonderful wife to talk me into an exercise class.  It was a "good deal that we need" she said.  So I bit.

We attended our first class last week.  Here's some shocking news: I was the only guy there!  Nice.  So the class is set up to stretch and tone for 25 minutes and then peddle like you are in the Tour de France for another 25 minutes.  As we climbed hills and sprinted to the "finish line" I began to understand why some of those guys use steroids.

Now, after three sessions, I recognize that atrophy is not a character trait.  Activity can actually do some good. Though my muscles ache and I feel like my legs are stuck in cement when I am finished, I have to admit this is going to help me.  It better.  We are on the hook for another 11 sessions.

I am not the first to connect the dots between staying physically fit to working on our spiritual fitness.  The bottom line is, it takes time and hard work. But it is so worth it.

So I want to encourage you.  Pump up the music.  Here we go!!!  You'll need to start slow with some spiritual stretching.  Now pick up your biblical barbells and start lifting (up God) and turning (the page).  Dive in and and get that holy heart rate pumping.  Then get on your knees and begin those prayer Pilates.  Don't stop, you still have those repentance reps to complete.  And 5, and 4, and 3, and 2, and 1.  I can almost see that sinful sweat rolling off of you.  And stop...

Ephesians 6:11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."  Don't neglect the physical or the spiritual things.  When we do, God isn't glorified and we cannot be used for the workout the world will put us through. 

See you on sundae.  Oops, I meant Sunday.  Stay strong my friends.

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Could it have been a stranger, more wild, quirky, or unusual summers?  For most of the summer months we got blistered with outrageously high temperatures.  And somewhere midsummer we experienced a storm that included something called a micro burst.  We watched as our grill tumbled across the yard, with our lawn furniture trying to play tag with it.  After the storm we went outside the next day to survey the damage.  There were shingles, limbs, and debris everywhere.  It was a mess.

The wind can be a powerful force.  Unharnessed, it can wreak havoc across the land.  It comes quickly and often, just as quick, it's gone, leaving the landscape different.  Recently we received some news here at the church that took some wind out of our sails.  We said goodbye to a longtime member and employee.  It left us flat and listless.  It was a hard time for us all.

But the wind can also be a good thing.  People who catch their "pneuma" (Greek word for breathe) after a particularly difficult time can actually use the event to grow stronger.  Resistance (oncoming wind) is actually what enables planes to rise from the ground.  And a healthy breeze behind us can help us set our sails and take off on a new journey in a new direction.

Churches sometimes are comfortable sitting in the harbor where it is calm and safe.  But the real joy of being a Christian, I believe, is not knowing what's next and still embracing it.  When people in the pews each wait for the wind, and trim their sails, anticipating a movement of the Holy Spirit in their midst, and all set sail together, it can turn into a downright Spiritual Regatta.

I think you'd agree that sleeping giant, the church, is overdue to wake up and set sail.  But that can only happen when each Christ-follower makes that choice as well.  We cannot harness the wind (God), but how we choose to adjust our sails will determine where we God takes us.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

With the Olympics starting this week, I thought you would like to know that I have been asked to carry the torch.  Seriously.  Oh, not by the Olympic Committee, though that would be pretty sweet.  No, I've been asked to carry to torch of faith.  And the invitation comes from God.  He mentions numerous times in scripture to be the light unto the world.

Are you torchbearer material?  Are you able to "represent" the faith well?  Most of the Olympic torchbearers are former participants, or those who have made a difference and inspired someone to nominate them.  I suspect they also select those who can be trusted to keep the light burning.  After all, what happens if the person trips along a river, tumbles into the water, and the torch goes out?  "Oops" really wouldn't suffice."

Likewise, the torch God asks us to carry is a sacred trust.  It's not to be taken lightly.  To look back and consider the people God has entrusted to carry His light into a dark world, we can't help but be awestruck.  And we most likely feel small compared to them. 

Many Olympians in London, no doubt, were told they weren't good enough, strong enough, talented enough.  But did they quit?  No, they persevered.  The took the naysayers' challenge and used it as a motivation to succeed.

As disciples, we can't be stopped by those who say we aren't good enough.  We can smirk at those who say we will fail.  Why?  Because we are arrogant or pompous?  No.  We can continue and succeed as God's torchbearers as we claim for ourselves, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13). 

You see, we do not strive and succeed on our own merits and abilities, but those of the Lord.  He is our Provider, our Sustainer, our reason for going on.

So carry the torch high and let it shine bright my friends.  Live a life worthy of a gold medal. 

IT'S TRASH DAY

As I sit here in my office, I am watching the trash truck come to pick up our trash.  When we moved in six months ago our trash day was Thursday, meaning we had to remember to put it out on Wednesday night.  Then after a holiday it moved to Friday, making me shift to a Thursday "to the curb" mindset.  Another holiday passed and now it is Monday.  Who can remember to put out trash on a Sunday night?  I have never seen things done this way.  It seems to be a moving target, designed to keep me guessing.

Spiritually, every day is trash day.  No need to guess when it is.  I go through the day, sometimes acting saintly and just moments later something triggers ugliness from deep inside of me.  Kind of like the "old man", Mr. Parker, in A Christmas Story when the dogs run through the house devouring Christmas dinner.  Well, maybe not that bad, but ugly nonetheless.

Here's the problem: I actually convince myself that an attitude, prejudice, long-held thought or, well, sin, can be stuffed sufficiently deep enough to never see the light of day.  But sooner or later a trigger comes along and that Mr. Parker moment surges to the surface.

Let's be clear, we can't just hide our garbage.  After a short while it begins to really stink the place.  We need to take out the garbage (confess our sin and repent) never to be seen again.  Though I'll refrain from comparing God to the "Great Trash Collector in Heaven" I will say that only when we surrender our garbage completely every day can we live the kind of life God designed and desires of us.

I'm headed to the curb.  Are you?

Oh, Grow Up!

I just read some sobering statistics...albeit not surprising.  Try these on for size:

1. Only one in five people who call themselves, "born again" have any measurable goals for spiritual growth.
2. Most of our spiritual growth comes within the first two years after conversion.
3. Six out of ten believers have no sense of what they want to achieve or become.
4. Only 44% of professed Christians read the bible at least 1X a week.
5. Though roughly 5% of people say they tithe, statistics show less than 2% really do?  Does that make the other 3% liars too?

How does that make you feel?  Guilty?  Sad?  Embarrassed?  The reality is, in many, if not most churches, people are not growing up in their faith in any measurable way. 

Make no mistake, good, church-going people are in our churches every week.  They worship, lead a small group, fix a meal, give their offering, and live life as a "normal Christian."  Most don't abuse their spouses, cheat on their taxes, steal, or live a life full of blatant sin.  They often contribute good things to society.  They really are nice people.  But many, maybe most, are not growing stronger, deeper, more faithful in their life.

Ask someone (even yourself), "Looking back over the last year, what measurable spiritual growth are you able to point to in your life?"  As Steve DeNeff and David Drury say in their new resource, SoulShift, we are often guilty of measuring input as a measure of what kind of Christian we are.  We input worship, we input bible reading, we input service, and think that is a good measure of our faith.  Instead, they say, we should focus more on output.  What in my life has been transformed because of my commitment to the Savior?

Make no mistake, I am a work in progress.  And I hope you are too.  I pray you never get to that, "I've arrived" place in your faith.   Wouldn't it be wild and wonderful  to do what Steve and David ask?  That is, "Wake up every morning, and your first instinct was to do what is right."

So, what's preventing you from growing up? 

HIDE AND SEEK

Remember when you were a wee, little child and were playing the game of hide and seek? It was fun hiding, but there was some little voice inside that asked, "What if they can't find me? The what happens?" To make sure that could never happen, you might make a peep, meow like a kitten, or giggle. This helped the "seeker" to hone in on your position and "find you."

I thought about that as I read a single line from Henri J.M. Nowen's "A Cry for Mercy." There he said, "Listen to my desire to be with you." A simple line that jumped off the page at me. In an instant I realized how much of my life I have asked God to find me. My prayers, far too often, have been those, "Come and find where I am and join me in it God." And I realized quickly how foolish that is.

For me to consider God as the traveler and me as the destination is as self-centered as it gets. God's voice calls us saying, "Come to me...and I will give you rest." We, not God, are the weary travelers. We are the ones with parched lives in need of the source of Living Water. In our deep desire to "be with Him" it often takes our initiative to find that place where God is already at work, and join him where He is. Make no mistake, there are those times in life when we lie on the side of the road in a heap and need God to rescue us. But day in and day out for us to "invite" God to visit us in our little, personal space seems extremely prideful. And it keeps us stuck in our own world.

O Lord, help me find that wonderful place where you are and join you there. The journey may be long and difficult, but my desire is to be with you. Thank you for calling out to me, "Ollie, Ollie in free."

Ch-ch-ch-changes

OK, call me strange. But I love change. I not only embrace it as a part of life, I go looking for it. I look for it like a hunter on a safari. When I get close to it, my heartbeat increases, I start to perspire, and get really stoked about "the kill", er, I mean change, that is about to happen.

As a lover of change, it probably comes as no surprise that I get anxious and disturbed when I am around people who have no desire to change. Are you serious? You want things to remain the same? How ludicrous. And then I remember my first line, "I am strange."

Several wise people, who are far more renowned than I, have some poignant thoughts on change. For instance...

The famous thinker, Anonymous, once said, "Change or die!" OK, now that was to the point.

Robert C. Gallagher (never heard of him) shares: "Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." Wow, that's original.

Some philosopher named Anatoli France (also unknown before now) reflected: "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." Now that's one to get your head around.

But it was Harry Emerson Fosdick (yep, heard of him) who said: "Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it." Harry, you're the man!

Let's be clear, change for change's sake is usually bad news. In other words, wanting to change just because I am uncomfortable or have grown tired with the old, is probably not a wise approach to life. But having this deep sense of desire and a vision for what can be, when you know it is God-breathed, well...that's something special and exciting.

Some people fear change, not because they are narrow or shallow, but because the present, even though it's not all good, is at least known. The future? Well, who knows what's around that next corner?

As I find myself smack-dab (wondering where that expression came from) in the middle of an organization that is trying to get their head and heart around the change that is ahead of us, I pray that I can be a steady, trusted, and prepared agent of change, knowing that God is the real Director of this wonderful symphony called life.

Thanks Mr. Bowie for reminding us, "Ch-ch-ch-changes, this place is strange (earth)." And maybe so am I.

A New Best-Seller

Some have referred to life as seasons. We pass from one season to another, finally entering the winter of life, where we step over to meet Jesus face to face.

While that idea has some validity and works well at funerals, I actually prefer to look at life as a novel. God is the Author and we are the characters. Some of the chapters are sad, others joyous, some confusing, some scary. There are twists and turns, unexpected sub-plots, and some shocking endings. Some endings are nice, soft, and make us feel good. Others end in tragedies and unexpected endings.

If life is a novel, and we are the characters, what chapter are you on? The warm and fuzzy or the jagged and painful chapters? Are you pleased where the Author has placed you in the story? If you could, would you suggest a new direction to the Author? Instead of the dope, would you rather be the hero? Yea, me too.

The storyline in our novel is changing. We are moving from a wonderful church near some of our family, to another church a little further away. We are moving from the known to the unknown. It is not a plot line that we chose, but one that we have embraced nonetheless. Why? Because we trust the Author. Let's face it, if our story went as we planned, there is no way it would ever be a best-seller. But in the hands of the Master Author, it is edge-of-your-seat, can't put down material. Well, at least it is to us.

I am thankful for this latest chapter. It's been amazing. I am thankful for all the "characters" that God has written into this part of the story. And yet I cannot wait for this next chapter. New twists and turns, new characters. New adventures. And a story I can't wait to see unfold as I trust the Master Author. Amen!

God With Us. Really?

This week my neighbor died of a heart attack at age 49. He left three kids and a wife of less than a year. So sad. Yesterday a Virgina Tech police officer was gunned down and the killer then took his own life. Absolutely senseless. Former Gov. Blago (the guy with wacky hair) was sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption. Ridiculous. Today, hundreds, if not thousands young boys and girls will be sold into slavery within the sex trade, not only in third world countries, but right here in our own country. Deeply disturbing. And oh yea, in just 16 days we celebrate the birth of our Savior, God with us, once again. Merry Christmas.

Sometimes, I feel as if we sometimes treat Christmas like a scene from Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. He, as a weatherman, wakes up each day and relives the very same day over and over again. In similar fashion, we may be guilty of the, "Oh yea, it's time to do that Baby Jesus, Santa Claus thing once more." Just like we've done every other year of our life. People know where the tree goes (same place every year). We know how the lights go up on the house. We can predict what happens at the office party. We go through the rituals of how and where we open presents. And go figure, some of the same family members will do their very best to become drama kings and queens and mess up the whole day for everyone. We also, on cue, drag the family to the Christmas Eve service and have a heart softening hour of carols and a message.

But this Christmas is not going to be the same for those three kids and a wife of my neighbor. Without a doubt the families of the police officer and shooter, now dead, will forever be changed. Blago, though on many levels deserving of what he got, has a family who will be without their husband and father for a long time to come. And those nameless children from all over the world will have their lives torn apart in unspeakable ways.

God With Us? Are you kidding? This year, more than ever, I have been touched by the absolute feelings of disconnect between the coming Christ and the world we live in. Initially, these thoughts trouble me. But as I wrestle with them, I sense God saying, "And that's exactly why I came." God did not become man and come to earth just so we could decorate, open presents, dress up, go to church, and sing carols. Nope. He came so that a hurting, disjointed, often ugly, and even dying world might have Hope. Real Hope in the form of a Savior. And as I ponder this thought, I say to myself, "How dare me treat this like just another Christmas."

Forgive me Lord. Help me in some measure understand who You are and what You are about. Be real to me and to those whose lives have been severely disrupted this year. May we all be blessed and be a blessing this year.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

You're a big, fat liar? I know, I know, you bristled at that comment. You say, "How dare you accuse me of lying (not to mention being fat). I tell the truth!" Really? All the time?

What happens when someone asks you if you liked the song they sang at church when in fact it really wasn't very good at all? "You know Sally, that really stunk." I doubt it. And when someone asks you how you are doing, and you respond by saying, "fine," knowing full well that's not true.

I am just starting an intriguing book called , "Anatomy of a Lie." The author dissects the history and sources of lying and looks at why lying is culturally accepted and even expected. She admits lying when the dog boarding facility asked her, just as she was leaving for a trip, if her dog had his vaccinations up to date. Saying, "no" would have kept her dog from being able to stay there and her from making her flight. So she said, "Yes." No one was harmed, but it got her thinking about how easy it is, at times, to lie.

I just finished an excellent book with a quirky title. "Samson and the Pirate Monks" is aimed at men and why we lie. The author, a former pastor with a porn and alcohol addiction which he hid for years, shares how he finally got relief when he went to a twelve-step group and, for the first time, told the truth. But listen to what he said. "Never, in more than forty years of church attendance, had I experienced the safety, the honesty, the genuine concern and mutual respect that I had seen displayed by this community of recovering drunks."

Wow! Am I willing to admit he's talking to most churches? I am. Churches, though that's exactly what they should be, just aren't the bastion of truth-telling. We often put on personas or masks that hide the real person we are. And as a result we suffer. Our family suffers. Our churches and communities suffer. The world suffers.

But what if we, especially us men, were to get together regularly with one rule: You must tell the truth 100% of the time? (I might call it the Liar's Club) What would happen if we could create a level of trust among us that we would want to dump that dark, ugly garbage we've been dragging around? Would we not get better? Might the truth really set us free? I think it would.

So stay tuned for more of what unfolds in my life and at our church as we start leaning into truth-telling. I believe it will be an awesome experiment. I trust God to show us the way.

What WIll They Say When I Die?

Have you ever thought what people who stand up at your funeral will say when you die? Obviously you won't be around to hear it. I have actually been at funerals where the good preacher shared a list of wonderful virtues of the deceased. In the audience, though, were puzzled looks, smirks, and even some laughing. Those who knew the good old boy who was being talked about him knew him far better than the preacher. And those words he was saying did not fit their friend at all. It was kind of sad.

I once was asked to do a funeral for a guy I did not know. I met with the family and asked for them to share some about their husband and father. Nothing! People looked down, other up at the ceiling, away from me. Finally, after my frustrated prodding, one son spoke up and said, "You want to know about him? He was a horrible father and a horrible husband. All he did was fish and drink. He was a no good %&*#@. Wow, I didn't see that coming.

Think about it. If you were to pick five words that people would use to describe you when you have breathed your last breath, what would they be? Funny? Nice? Good golfer? Creative? Always had nice hair? Had a mind of his own (meaning stubborn)? Would those be words they would use? If you were brutally truthful, might they avoid words like: Humble? Servant? Lover of Jesus? Most caring and loving man I knew? His faith was unshakable?

Many of us older people think about these things. At least I do. And to be frank, there are a few great words that I have to admit might not be on the list at my memorial service. And that disturbs me. But wait. It's not too late. God is in the restoration business. It's never too late to be that person you want to be and God is calling you to be. We still have time. But the clock is ticking. Are you bold enough to ask God to re-invent you? I am.

Let's hope we don't live up to that old funeral joke where the preacher is sharing the virtues of the deceased and one of the attendees interrupts the serve and wanders up to the casket to look inside. When asked by the preacher what he was doing, the guy says, "After hearing you describe him, I had to come up and make sure I was at the right funeral." May it not be so with us.

Add Some Velocity to Your Generosity

I love givers. People who would give you the shirt off their back are good people to have around. To be honest, for some reason I was not greatly gifted with that gene (or spiritual gift). I love to give, and always feel great when I do, but it does not always come naturally to me.

On the other hand, my wife Nancy somehow overdoses on this kind of kindness. Just the other day she got a two for one bread deal at the store and gave the free loaf to an older fella in the parking lot. Recently she was walking the dog in the neighborhood and as a result ended up making a loaf of bread for some neighbors she had just met. I fully expect, in the not-to-distant future, there will be a family of strangers (er, I mean new best friends) at the dinner table when I get home from work.

Some of us grew up having "giving" modeled for us by our families. You know that "better to give than receive" thinking? But for many, that simply meant making sure you gave something to the less fortunate from time to time to make yourself feel good. It may have meant pulling some old clothes out of the closet or dropping a few bucks in the offering plate when it was passed for a special cause. And that's not all bad, in and of itself. But when we add some "velocity to our generosity" amazing things happen.

Instead of dropping a few bucks in the plate or donating clothes, what if we decided to take a day a month to head downtown and help at a homeless shelter? Or what if we loaded tools into our car and drove around the neighborhood and asked people we saw working in their yard if we might join them? Kind of like a "drive-by disciple."

Or what if we agreed within our family that we would set aside a significant amount of money from our budget each month and call it the "Blessing Fund." And then taking the money and searching out everyday people to go and bless with the money? A dinner? An evening away with their family? Paying one of their utility bills? How cool would that be?

I am convinced we can fall into a rut, even with our giving. And when we do our giving becomes stale and routine. But if we think, get creative, look at things with a "generous giving set of eyes" and get bold with our giving, we will add that velocity to our generosity and it will grow stronger and more fulfilling, not only for us, but for those who are on the receiving end of it.

John Wesley got it. He said: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Now that's velocity. Be a blessing and be blessed today.

When God Breaks In

I'll never forget a church I used to attend. There were alot of good things that happened there, but one funny thing stood out. As we were close to the interstate, and being this was the late 70's when CB's were still in vogue, sometimes during services, when the atmospheric conditions were just right, during the pastor's message, we could often catch a "good 'ole boy" trucker cackling over the church's sound system. Right at a reflective moment in the message, you might here, "Hey good buddy, I'm southbound and down." But sometimes we got some saltier versions of trucker lingo. Funny? Embarrassing? Annoying?

Sometimes we get annoyed when we get interrupted. Yet other times it's exciting when we're interrupted with something totally unscripted and out of the ordinary. Just a week or so ago that happened with me. I had attended two conferences, heard good speakers, and caught a challenging video all in the same week and was pondering how these things plugged in to my life. I was out mowing my yard when all at once God decided to break in. It has happened to me just a few times before in this way. It was if God had opened up my hard drive and was engaging me in a data dump.

Thoughts were flying into my mind and headed right to my heart. I felt my adrenaline flowing and my excitement growing. It started to get to be too much too quick. So I stopped mowing and headed into the house to write this stuff down so I wouldn't forget. I realized my memory is fading in my old age.

And in a short 30 minutes I looked at the several sheets of paper and was in awe of what I had written. It was a complete, clearly defined plan for a new ministry idea. Most of the things written there had never even been on my radar screen, and I realized I am not all that smart anyway, so I was convinced God must have spoken.

I now have begun the process of sharing that idea with others who I trust and know will pray about it. Like any idea that we think is God-breathed, we need to seek wise counsel, pray about it, and move forward in faith as the doors open. Failure to do so may cause us to do two things, both with bad results.

First, we may go off half-cocked and pursue the idea on our own without having key people on board. Or, if we keep the idea to ourselves, we may bog down and even quit when we get discouraged when we come upon a detour. I am convinced vision is to be shared for it to come to it's full fruition.

What's ahead? I'm not sure. But the enthusiasm of knowing we are about to embark on a trip we hadn't really planned makes me smile as I thank God for breaking into my world and using me this way. Life is good. And that's a big 10-4!

EASTER: MORE THAN A FEELING

Alright, I admit it. Sometimes days like Christmas and Easter just don't have the sparkle or feeling that I think they should for me. I recognize their significance, their place in history, their meaning in the life of the church and the Christ-follower, but sometimes I am guilty of going through the motions.

I imagine some of that is because I am a pastor. Easter is one of the busiest times in the life of the church. Lots of thinking, planning, doing. The holidays also seem to bring to the surface a wide variety of family and personal issues in the lives of people, so the need for counseling time goes up.

And I would be lying if I said I came through all of these seasons full of hope, excitement, and a renewed sense of energy. But the opposite is usually true. I get through them only to plop down on the other side as a tired, uninspired mess.

All of this leads me to asking some of those questions that begin with "Why?" Why don't I feel better and more fulfilled? Why wasn't I sufficiently moved by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ this year? Why do people complain about trivial things in the midst of the greatest event from history? Why can't I see this stuff coming and plan differently next year?

But then I realize, God's work is not always about feelings and emotions. More often than not ministry is messy, tiring, taxing, and often without many earthly perks. And as I often have found myself on the other side of these occasions in the church, I do detect a small smile. When the palm branches and other decorations are tucked away for another year, I am able to sit back, though tired, and reflect on lives changed, blessings given, and hope promoted.

Though we often get all hyped up about seasons like Easter, we should never confuse that emotional high, glitz and great worship event as the end all. They are nice reminders, however, that Jesus went to the cross and was raised from the dead so that we could be forgiven and free everyday, not just once a year.

May you be blessed each day of the year and reminded that He did it for you.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

For me, there is no better time than when a man comes alive in his faith. Don't get me wrong, anyone coming alive in their faith is a good thing. But when a man, father, or husband really comes alive in their faith, families are changed, churches are changed, and life as we know it is changed.

I've been to Promise Keepers, The Emmaus Walk, men's breakfast meetings, sat around many a campfire with men, watched Band of Brothers dozens of times, subscribe to several e-newsletters for men, and I get excited at what I read.

The talk is often a blend of Gen. George Patton, Rudy, and William Wallace of Braveheart. Men are always challenged to stay strong, fight the good fight, and take up arms to defeat Satan. And I agree we should.

Lately, however, I have had this gnawing feeling something is missing in that rhetoric and approach. And I've pondered and chewed on it for awhile and think I may have figured out what was bugging me.

Is it possible we are calling men to take up arms and fight the good fight and yet aren't equipping them to do so? Think about it, if we did not train troops with the best and most current tactics, armed them with the best equipment, made sure they had the best and brightest leaders that they would follow, and send them into battle, what would happen? They would get slaughtered.

I wonder if sometimes we are guilty of this in our churches. We sound the battle cry and yet haven't done our best to get men prepared. And as a result, we find many men like some who come into my office. They are weary, tired, beaten, defeated, and ready to surrender. Now I could pull a Patton on them and kick them in the behind and tell them to get back into the fight, but is that what they really need?

I think it's time to step back and take a good look at how we do men's ministry in our churches. I believe we need to get serious about building up male disciples starting at a young age. This takes clear, current, measurable training techniques. And we need to put the very best tools in their hands to know how to take on the ugly "stuff" that they will face in their life. And then we need to find the best, brightest, and most respected men to lead them. You know, guys that men love to follow. And when we send them into the fight, we need to make absolutely sure we have a place for them to come to when they are wounded. At our church M.A.S.H. unit we can care for them, encourage them, and bring them back to health.

If our men's ministries aren't making sure these things are intentionally happening, then we are more like another Gen. George. But his last name was Custer. And we know how that turned out.

It's time to make the change. Our men, our churches, and our nation are crying for it to happen. Any volunteers?

STILLNESS

I can’t even imagine the noise, confusion, weeping, yelling and general commotion that must have filled the air leading up to and including the cross event. If you’ve ever seen the Passion of the Christ, the brutality, blood, hysteria, and mayhem are almost too much to bear. Soldiers yelling, faithful crying, hammers pounding, bystanders jeering, Jesus dying. And then…nothing.

There was a moment, I am sure, just after Jesus breathed his last breathe, that there was this slight moment of absolute silence. It may have been a few seconds or minutes, but somewhere along the way I sense there was a quieting of all creation. Calm. Stillness. Deep thought. Reflection. And then the question, “Now what?”

Some took that moment to realize they might also be in danger, and they ran. Some slid away to regroup, seek clarity, and decide if they had what it would take to move forward. Yet others simply chose to get on with their life.

In all of our lives there are those moments of stillness. That absolute silence between the “what just happened” and the “now what?” events. Coming home alone after the funeral of our lifelong partner. Those seconds just after we hang up the phone after being told of a horrible accident. Those seconds after the doctor just told us how severe our sickness really is. We’ve all been there.

We may hate these moments. We might feel like we’ve just gone full speed off a cliff and are waiting for our rapid descent. But it doesn’t have to be that way. My favorite verse in my times of anguish has to be, Psalm 46:10. It says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When life takes us right to the edge and then seemingly pushes us off, we have a great opportunity to surrender completely to Him.

Not that there still won’t be pain, hurt, or uncertainty about what’s ahead. But with those still, quiet moments of surrender, we can be assured God is with us. God can, with such short, quiet moments still quiet our storms. You and I are not alone…ever.