Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

It's the time of year where Judgment House is rolling and the "turn or burn" message gets a lot of attention! Last year it was intense enough that some of my junior high kids cried, but this year I was very pleasantly surprised at more message than scare tactics (no dude with a chainsaw cutting someone in half while telling people to "repent or die!"; never really had that but thought it sounded like the idea some have in mind). The idea that students need to make a choice now or face eternal consequences is absolutely true and important, but the angle they took this year resonated with me. Instead of a basic presentation of how some people think they're good enough (such an incredibly powerful lie of the enemy!), some are bad and don't care, and some are saved this year they hit on a theme that is often missing in many students lives. Yes, their choice today matters, but the choices they make throughout the rest of their lives is just as importan...

There are a lot of things that leave me speechless, but some truly take the cake. One of those was listening to people discuss the potential "Lesbian, Gay, Transexual, and Bigender Heritage Month" in my hometown. While I'll admit, Norman has always pushed the progressive side of things as a college town, this kind of blows the rest out of the water. Why? I also saw some comments from an individual regarding the recent "purple pride" day for LGBT students. The comments were, incendiary to say the least, but refreshingly honest (despite their hate filled content). Both have been reactions to the recent rash of suicides of LGBT students (high school and college) that people link directly to their sexual orientation/preference (the overall high teenage suicide rate would have no correlation at all). If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm not some raging homophobe and that I am a Christian. Here's what I've been thinking ...

Romans 12 talks about becoming a " living sacrifice " but do we really live that way? First let's define terms and figure out what they mean. First off, a sacrifice meant something dying! In Judaism it meant an animal getting killed to atone for someone's sin. In Greek culture the sacrifice was often given to achieve favor. In some pagan cultures the sacrifice was a child or sex given to receive fertility. By any means, the readers of the day knew that this was a permanent idea, generically involving loss (thus the saying, "no pain, no gain" is about as close to the idea as we often get!) of something important to us. Second, the readers would know that a living sacrifice was impossible, because the animal would not sit there and be burned alive! The idea is something very alien, yet very familiar to the readers then. Today, we cannot fathom what it really meant. Especially the fact that Paul is asking US to be that living sacrifice. At its mos...

The New Testament is full of the analogy of "running" or "walking" as a descriptor of faith. Have you noticed that? Just like my stories about football seem to dominate my mental pictures, running and other athletic analogies dominate the writings of Paul. He must have been an athlete or loved the games! As I think about it, it could also just be the fact that it is such an apt descriptor of what faith actually is like! Today I talked with the 46! middle school students who came early to JumpStart about what God asks us to do in terms of faith... Let's see what God had to say to us: Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one...

So the title of this post might have you wondering what I'm going to be talking about, but it's something that springs out of the series we've been running through in Jr and Sr. High. As we look at the low expectations people have of teenagers versus God's expectations (and who He made each of you/them to be!), it's amazing how much it resonates with my students. So many of them have been assigned a lesser role (or had no role assigned to them at all!) because of their age and what most people "think" teenagers ought to be capable of. But, the thing is they can do so much more! However, that's not what we're looking at today... Safety nets are an important part of life in many occupations. Trapeze artist for example, is a job where not having a safety net could mean death. I know working as a lineman and climbing telephone poles and such for a living, as much as I hated them sometimes, my safety harness and belt kept me from a lot of pretty...

Here are some thoughts from by Ed Gungor courtesy Relevant Magazine: " I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! " Mark 9:24 TNIV For many people of faith, the idea of experiencing doubt at all makes them very nervous. They view the questions that rise in their minds as evidence of a lack of faith, which surely disqualifies them from being authentic believers. So they shove their doubts into their subconscious in Pollyanna-ish fashion. But what if it's not true? What if honest doubt is actually the essence of faith? What if real faith has doubt in the mix, as a coin has two sides? That would mean struggling with doubt is not a lack of faith; it would actually be faith! I think it is healthy to be uncertain every now and then. Frederick Buechner wrote, "Every morning you should wake up in your bed and ask yourself: 'Can I believe it all again today?' ... At least five times out of 10, the answer should be 'No' because the 'No' is as im...

After taking a couple days to look at fatherlessness (which is about a lack of community) I wanted to come back to this discussion of community as the church. When we talk about church, we most likely mean the building our congregation worships in. I know when my kids talk about "going to church," it means driving over to the church building proper. However, the conception the early believers had was far different! They didn't have a building, they didn't have paid staff, they didn't have respect or tax exempt status, and yet that was when everything was "on fire" (yes, I did just use that pun, try not to kill me for it!) as the Spirit had just come down and they were " adding to their number daily ." What made the church grow then versus now? Was it better cultural relevancy? Was it their social justice pursuits in aiding those " who had need "? Was it passionate people? Was it great coffee? Or is there something we overloo...

One of the major things that has motivated me in recent years has been the plight of the "at-risk" students, particularly guys. I mean, how many students can I claim come from a two-parent home, much less one where both parents form a functional family? In semi-rural/suburban Kansas it's startling how the numbers play out but across the nation it's much worse. Just look at theses numbers regarding fatherless kids: • 15.3 times more likely to have behavioral disorders • 6.3 times more likely to be in a state-operated institutions • 4.6 times more likely to commit suicide • 6.6 times more likely to become teenaged mothers • 24.3 times more likely to run away • 10.8 times more likely to commit rape • 6.6 times more likely to drop out of school • 15.3 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenage • 73% of adolescent murderers come from mother only homes • Daughters who live in mother only homes are 92% more likely to divorce I've been involved...

So after hitting a bit on some of the critiques of the church (hypocritical and anti-gay in case you missed it, look back at Part 1 ), we're back with three more: too political, irrelevant, and judgmental. We'll start with the easy one, "too political." This comes from many who are fighting the "culture war" and who have been part of either the moral majority or any other Christian political cause. As people who believe in Christ, we do, honestly and with some humility stated here, know the best possible way. I mean that (the honestly and with some humility part too!). The way of Christ is the best of all possible ways and is the fulfillment of creation. I mean, every single thing revolves around the person of Christ (like the sun in our solar system), was made in and for the person of Christ, and receives its fulfillment in the person of Christ. Therefore, we receive our fulfillment (as does the fullness of Scripture) only in the person of Christ: r...

After yesterday's random ramble (I'm not entirely sure where I was planning on going when I started that, but it finished somewhere else entirely!), here are some important thoughts on community... First off, community is one of the basic principles of life, but particularly of the Christ-follower's life. If one follows Jesus, they are in community. In fact, Jesus established a community we like to call "the church." The church is otherwise known as the body of Christ, but is more known today as hypocritical, anti-gay, too political, out of touch/date (code for irrelevant!), judgmental, and more [read Gabe Lyons and Dave Kinnamon's book UnChristian to learn more]. Now, each of those critiques is honest, important, and something we need to deal with. If not, we (meaning all of us) will render God's community as something devoid of power and very much the irrelevant antique some think it is!). Let's start with the first: hypocritical. I know w...

This morning began in an awesome way with around 40 students (standing room only and perhaps then some) at JumpStart. The whole idea is to provide a place with rocking music, food, fun, and a great start to the day with God's word. To see 40 kids come in almost a half hour before school to do that is incredible! Especially when we had around 20 last week. Doubling the numbers (or " adding to their numbers daily " to quote Acts) is a pretty good trend to have... Often, we equate success with size. If God is "blessing" a ministry or church, they should have abundant resources and be seeing tons of people coming in, right? I mean, shouldn't there be tons of Saddleback's and Life Church's and Willow Creek's and Fellowship Church's and North Point Community Church's if God is blessing other churches? Hmmm... This presents a problem. Jesus gave us orders to " go and make disciples " which means if we're not growing we...

This post is stolen from the book I'm reading (and blog that is great too!) Stuff Christians Like . I'll start with the part that isn't mine and then add some color commentary at the bottom, because this SO is what we've been talking about, just a lot funnier... Here's Jonathan Acuff: In Atlanta, my favorite radio station is V103, the “People’s Station.” It’s a hip hop station that plays mostly rap and R&B. The best part of V103 is their morning show. Everyday when I’m driving to work they do what they call an “Inspirational Vitamin.” They read a Bible verse and play a gospel song or a clip by a charismatic minister from Atlanta. I honestly find it to be an uplifting experience overall. The thing I find most interesting however is how they wedge the Inspirational Vitamin into their normal programming. What often happens is that right before they transition to the spiritual segment of the show they play some sort of booty song. Let’s say, “I’m in love wit ...

Most sports teams have years that get labeled "rebuilding." For some, it's an excuse for not playing well or having a bad coach, for others, it's true. It simply means they are growing their team, making players better, and preparing for the next season. It's not a total write off, but it amounts to essentially the same thing. Each game is seen as a "practice" meaning that it's not about winning or losing, but getting better. As I said, it can be a cover, but it can be real. I've seen it happen many ways, but an easy example is this years Kansas City Chiefs. The past several years were "rebuilding" and "reloading" so they could win (but they still canned Herman Edwards because he didn't rebuild soon enough!), and this year under their second year head coach, they are the lone unbeaten in the NFL. Pretty remarkable if you ask me... But, what does all that have to do with anything? A lot actually, just in a round ...

Every winter I find myself in the awkward situation of tripping and falling (blasted ice!). Every time I look around to make sure no one saw me, then get up and go on my way. If someone did see me, I try to play it off and go on about my life. Does that sound familiar? Most of us do that, if we're honest (unless of course there's an actual injury to ourselves in which case decorum and pride goes out the window!). But, more often than not, we do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We screw up, take a second to evaluate whether anyone will know/see, then play it off as if it didn't happen. That's why Hebrews 12 talks about " the sin that so easily trips us up !" I know I have sin issues that crop up and my first response is often what I do when I fall outside: I try to think about whether that sin is visible to anyone (or if anyone might know, like my accountability bros) and how I can best go about covering it up. Sad, huh? The truth is, that...