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?
Monday, June 25, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
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?
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?
Monday, March 5, 2012
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."
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."
Monday, February 20, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
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!
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!
Friday, December 9, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, September 16, 2011
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 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.
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