Earth Day - Stopping Short

So, it's Earth Day today. I have never been a big celebrator of Earth Day, but I am intrigued by people who do celebrate this 'holiday.' To me it really just seems like it is stopping short - no, not in the same was as the Seinfeld episode. It reminds me a lot of what Paul writes in Romans 1:25 which says, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

For me, the fact that this day even exists is a reminder to not stop short. To not worship the things that God has created rather than God himself. The Bible affirms that the things God has created are good, but we miss the point when we give those things praise rather than the person who gave those things to us for our use and enjoyment. May we press forward to the giver of all good things. We are too easily satisfied.

I am reminded of a famous C.S. Lewis quote where he said, ""It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." May we not be so satisfied with the gift, that we miss the giver. May our desires grow that we will long for so much more!

The Donkey King

I wonder if we really understand just how ridiculous and counter culture Jesus truly was. I am preparing to teach this weekend and we have decided to spend these next two weeks pointing to Easter and the cross (then we are going to teach through the book of James... so excited!). My focus this week is going to be the triumphal entry. It's one of those stories that we have heard so many times that we might no longer hear it.

Jesus comes into town, being crowned as a king, and he comes in riding on a donkey! That's crazy. No king in their right mind would have ever ridden into town on a donkey,; especially when they are being declared to be the king. You have to wonder if the people who were watching and cheering and laying down their clothes for him to walk into town on were wondering what the heck he was doing. It would be the equivalent of President Obama riding in a Pinto during his inaugural parade. It would never happen.

It seems to me that Easter and all the events that lead up to it declare that God does not do things the way that we think he should. Are we willing to get on board with that kind of God? A God who rides into to town on a donkey?

Jesus the Post-modern Evangelist?

Was Jesus a post-modern evangelist at heart? Let me explain what I mean by that. I have been studying for this weekend's message that I am teaching on John 17. I am so excited because the passage is just absolutely jam packed full of applicable truth for the church today. However, one of the things that Jesus said in this prayer really got my attention.

Jesus says,"May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:23) The "they" in this verse is talking about followers of Christ; the church. So, Jesus' point is that the way that the world is going to know that Jesus is the Son of God (see also v. 21) is through the unity that the church exhibits. It's not through well crafted arguments, its not through diagrams or pamphlets, and its not through evangelistic crusades. Not that any of those are necessarily bad, but they are not the way that Jesus said people would know that he was the Son of God. Simply, he stated, people will know that he is the Son of God by the way that the people who claim to be his followers love each other and the world around them. So, one of the great evangelistic methods that Jesus taught was a unified body!

That sounds very post-modern. It sounds very experiential. It's almost like Jesus was saying that people have to have an experience with the truth before they are going to really, truly believe it. I wonder if the church has more to say to the post-modern mind than we have originally thought. I also have to wonder if we could make a bigger impact if we were more unified.

Thoughts?

Comm.unity

The word community is a loaded word. Have you ever really thought about it? The first part of the word, 'comm,' means together. The second part of the word 'unity' means single-minded or the state of being one. So, the word community really means; together being one. Talk about a loaded word!

I have been thinking a lot about this word a lot today especially. As The Well (the college ministry that I pastor) has grown, its been something that has been a challenge to maintain.

As a pastor there is nothing that I would like to see more than people who are connected with each other and who really care for each other. As I have been spending time thinking about the core attributes of God over the past few weeks, one of the things that stands out to me is that God is a communal God. I think especially to Jesus' prayer in the garden where he prays for the believers who were going to believe in him later (you and me). He prays that we would be one, just as he is one with the Father. There was no competition between Jesus and the Father, there was no division, there was no envy, there was no...

So, as I think about this aspect of God, I would live to get your feedback. What do you think the main detractors for community for the church today? Help me with my message this weekend!

Wright on Colbert

As you know I have been reading N.T Wright's book "Surprised by Hope." Some people have asked who he is, so I thought I would add a link to an interview with him. A friend shared this with me today. The interview actually gives a fairly good summary of N.T. Wright's premise in the book... when he is able to get a word in edge wise with Colbert. Anyway, Colbert... is always good for a laugh! Let me know what you think about his two-stage afterlife existence.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bishop N.T. Wright

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Ash Wednesday

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Lenten season. As a college group we are going to celebrate the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday service. I am well aware that the Evangelical Church has not typically celebrated Ash Wednesday (or even Lent for that matter), but as a staff we wanted to do something to make the Easter season more impacting this year. The past few years I have felt like Easter has just flown by with a one hour long service on a Sunday morning. So, if you are curious about what Ash Wednesday is all about from an Evangelical perspective, I have included a link to Mark Roberts' blog where he wrote about Ash Wednesday. I think he does a good job of giving a summary - and he is a reputable scholar and pastor.

Let me know what you think about the Evangelical church celebrating Ash Wednesday. Have we gone too far in distancing ourselves from some of the "high church" holy days? Not too far in the sense that any of the days/celebrations (like lent and Ash Wed) provide salvation, but that we are missing out on something that could potentially help us tend to our spiritual lives in a greater manner? I'm interested to know what you think.

http://markdroberts.com/

The Power Team

I was studying for this weekend and thinking about the omnipotence of God. How do I adequately describe the power of God. That he is all-powerful, there is nothing that eh is unable to do. I went around and filmed a video over at palomar college asking students what the first thing that came to their mind when they heard the word "powerful." A lot of people said the president... and there were a few other random answers.

But for me, the first thing that I think of is... The Power Team. Do you remember the power team? It was/is a group of guys who go around and rip phone books in half all for the glory of Jesus. What a brilliant idea (?). Here is one press release that cam out about the power team:

THE POWER TEAM is a group of world class athletes who have performed the world’s greatest exhibitions of power, strength, speed, inspiration, and motivation in every state and in over 40 countries for over 30 years. These giant men, many weighing over 300 pounds, can blow up hot water bottles like balloons, snap baseball bats like twigs, lift telephone poles overhead, rip phone books and license plates like pieces of paper, and smash walls of ice and concrete.

I don't think that's the direction that I'm going this weekend, but it sure does bring back some good/funny memories. Check out some of these promotional pics!

On second thought... I might see if they are open this weekend!

Erwin McManus - 2

This is my second post about the one day conference that I went to where Erwin McManus presented. One of the things about Erwin that is pretty impressive is that he is a consultant to people in the business world and media industry - giving advice about how to help people connect more to the "human story" (as he puts it). As he shared, he told us there were three things that every good story has (movie, book, etc.), and three main cravings that the Bible points out that all human beings share:

1. Intimacy - he said that all people, everywhere, want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. That's why we are so big into: nations, cities, communities, teams, etc. When people give up on intimacy, they move towards immortality or isolation – even when people are wounded in LOVE, they still have the desire to be loved and to love.
   
2. Meaning – humans have found endless ways to communicate – we create ways to find meaning. When people give up on meaning and move to a place of doubt and despair – becoming superstitious (we give meaning to meaningless things).
3. Destiny/Progress – we are designed to believe that tomorrow can be better than today. When this is thwarted we move towards apathy or anger – and mental illness.
   

Erwin said that as we communicate to people, the more we can address these issues of the heart, the more effective we will be - both in preaching and in evangelism. Oh, and just a quick side note, the three cravings are the core content of his book Soul Cravings - a great read if you haven't read it yet.

Beautiful day

This just in... it is already summer time in San Diego! I love it. I am sitting on the patio of a coffee shop, studying for this Sunday's message, enjoying the fact that it is 83 degrees in January. I love my life!

Lately I have just been really grateful to God for how good he has been for me. I am enjoying life a ton and can't wait for the next phase... fatherhood! Thank you Lord for your goodness to me.

Retreat

We had a retreat this weekend for The Well. If you missed it, you missed out! It was a great time. I think my favorite part of the weekend was seeing our group really bond together. We did a lot of playing and it was so fun to see groups mingle and people hang out with people that they didn't previously know.

The second highlight was the band. They really did a good job leading us in worship.

After this weekend I am reminded how grateful I am to serve God, to serve him with people that I truly love, and to serve people that I truly love and care about. I'm very tired today, but very grateful for the life God has given me and the calling that he has given me.

Reasons I'm Excited for '09

As I sit here watching the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2009, I am fairly confident that no previous year will bring as much change to my life as this year. I say this knowing that in 2007 Kelly and I moved from our longtime home of Colorado to Southern California. In 2002 I married the love of my life (a great and a drastic life change). But, I'm not sure that any of them will rival 2009. In 2009 we will welcome our first child into the world. From what I hear, my life will never be the same. I can't wait! That's the #1 thing that I am excited about for '09.

Other things seem to pale in comparison, but I'll throw out a few other things that I'm looking forward to:

• Seeing The Well go to the next level. I'm excited to focus my time this year on equipping student leaders and helping students connect with each other. We are going to make an impact on campuses in '09!
• Running a marathon. 2009 is the year that I am going to run a marathon. May 31st baby!
• Finish my MDIV at Seminary. It's going to be a heck of a push, but I'm going to give it my best.

I don't think I have ever been this excited for a New Year. Bring it on 2009. Bring it on!

Life on the Run

Over this vacation I have finally had some time to think and reflect on what series that I want to do next with The Well. I have had some time to read, study and pray, and the next series that I am going to do is going to be on the book of Jonah. I was captured with the way this story so dramatically illustrates the human condition. It shows our propensity to run both from God and from the call that God has on our life. Jonah shows the way that we even run from God in the name of religion.

The series is going to be called, "Life on the Run." I read a quote from an author and he said, "All human beings should learn, before they die, what they are running from, ad to, and why." I think that's true. I think it is a fair statement to say that we are probably all running either from or toward something. Once we figure out what we are running from or toward our life will make a lot sense.

An Open Door?

This week I am teaching on Revelation 3:7-13 and Jesus' letter to the church at Philadelphia. In this passage it says that Jesus holds the keys of David and the door He opens, no one can shut. What a great statement. It displays the power, majesty, and activity in our world. On the surface this statement seems pretty understandable. I mean, it seems logical that the doors that God opens for us have good things behind them. I wonder if God's perspective of an open door is different from ours.

In Acts 16 Luke describes a scene where Paul had really wanted to go to Asia to preach the Word, but the Spirit of God had kept him from doing so. Finally, in a dream God tells Paul that its time to go to Asia and preach... there is an open door! Behind the open door there is a woman who responds to gospel, but there are also a few other things waiting for Paul and Silas. They were: stripped, beaten, severely flogged, and thrown in jail. Sort of makes you wonder if you want to walk through the "open doors" that God provides.

Here is the kicker. They are in jail singing (?), and there is an earthquake that shatters the jail walls and they walk out. One of the things that I think we need to remember about open doors is that God calls us to walk through them, to trust him in the midst o the hard parts of life, trusting that he will be faithful. As followers of Christ we are called to see the beauty breaking through the brokenness. We can only see that if we are willing to walk through the open doors that he provides.

Healer - Hillsong

The song “Healer” appears on the new “Hillsong Live - This is Our God” album (i highly recommend it). The story behind this song is amazing. The song was written by Mike Guglielmucci from Planetshakers (another australian chrisitan band that I also like). He was diagnosed with a blood disease, some kind of cancer, that kept him in a wheelchair for a long time. While suffering he wrote this song:

I BELIEVE that YOU’re my HEALER
I BELIEVE YOU are all I Need
I BELIEVE YOU’re my portion
I BELIEVE YOU’re more than enough for me
JESUS, YOU’re ALL I NEED

You'll see on the video that he is still singing - even while still on oxygen. While we know that God doesn't always heal our physical aliments (anybody who believes that he does must be ignoring the staggering statistics on the % of people who eventually die), at times he does still choose to heal. Better yet, he is constantly healing and softening and drawing the hearts of people... an even greater miracle. Anyway, check out the song and video. They removed the best one (the one about the story), but this still gives you a great idea. It's a great song!