Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

While on the surface, Washed and Waiting might look like any number of books published regarding homosexuality and the church, making that assumption would be leave one far wrong. Instead of a treatise on the evils of homosexuality or some theological gymnastics to explain away the biblical prohibition, Wesley attempts to simply explain who he is and what he believes. It is an intensely personal journey, as he shares his struggles and heart. The end result is something that speaks into far more situations than simply his. As a straight, married, father of 5 I have little in common with Wes. However, as a man and Christian who has struggled with temptation, I can go beyond relating and almost walk with him. The specifics are different, but the conclusions drawn in the first chapters can apply to any sin issue. Whether it's dealing with same-sex attraction, lust (for any gender), compulsive lying, or anything else for that matter, we can glean much from the experience Wesley...

" But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. " 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) In our resumes and university applications, credit reports and Facebook profiles, political campaigns and music tastes, we are goaded to flaunt our strengths. Intrinsic to our culture is the philosophy of boasting in strength. Submission to this cultural spurring proves to be a great obstacle to the modern Jesus-lover in his relationship with the Divine. For God views the strength of man as wholesale folly and chooses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. Thus, Biblical instruction contradicts our very habit–– as always–– and we're left at a disadvantage by the very things that we thought enabled us. No longer should we fall into the trap of trying to woo God's eye toward our shabby "good" but, instead, ...

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...

Okay, we've covered a ton of ground and hopefully got you thinking, and maybe feeling convicted. There are choices to make regarding what's been said and what will be said today. The question is who you are going to be at its core: Jesus or something else? Now, let's take a breather and be honest with each other for a second. I'm a youth/worship pastor and I'm the one doing the talking here, does that mean it doesn't apply to me? Heck no! I'm guilty of lots of sin. To be brutally honest, I'm not just a pastor, I'm a guy which means I have some serious issues with my road to purity. Guys are generally visually stimulated to the point that our culture tries to sell everything to us with scantily clad women. I have had serious issues with that in my life and had to come up with a way to beat it so I could get to know my God. The answer for me was to "bounce" my eyes. If that college girl out jogging knew what I was thinking when I...

So we had a great discussion last night in the church van about this topic, and the state of many Christians in general, after our See You After the Pole rally. Each of the previous posts will come in here too, but this could almost stand on its own as we finish up this discussion today. When we speak about purity, the important thing to remember is that it encompasses so much more than sex. Leviticus told us that we should (MUST) "be holy, because I, your God, am holy." It's not a bummer of a rule, instead its the best thing that we can imagine. Think about the person you are closest to in this world. Do you tend to think alike and do most of the same things? If not, do you wish you did more where you were of one heart/mind? The simplest way to explain God's requirement that we be holy, comes down to our relationship with Him. Sin creates distance in that relationship and divides us. God, who loves us so incredibly, hates that and so should we. Most time...

Here we go again... I've hit on some of the issues surrounding purity, and touched on some of the Scriptural truths that we would rather live without, but today we're going to get a bit hardcore in our exegesis (reading what Scripture says, versus eisegesis where we make it say what we want it to say) as we go to the heart of the matter. Some would tell you that being pure is part of our duty as Christians, to which I would agree, partly. The truth is, we need to live life with purity for a LOT more reasons than some "duty." The thing is, to call oneself a Christian literally means "someone who is like Christ or "a little Christ" (think Spanish: adding "ita/ito" to the end off a word makes it "little"). But so many of us don't take that name very seriously, which is why we hit on Christian Atheism Monday! The hard-to-swallow fact of the matter is that we may well be the only Jesus someone sees, which can bee quite frightenin...

So, after yesterday's post you might wonder ho much more I could rant... the answer is A LOT more! This is one of those things that has been bubbling over in my brain this week, matching so many thoughts and combining them together, hopefully allowing me to put into words a lot of what God has been telling me lately. Back to the conversation... Yesterday I talked a little about the connection between how we think and our purity level, especially when it comes to the excuses we make! Today we're going to look at several specific standards God sets and how it relates to us. First off, here's a chunk from the New Testament (Ephesians 5:3-7 NIV): But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy pers...

So often when the word purity is thrown out in a church setting, it is only referring to one thing: sex. I mean, the 90's were the era of True Love Waits (and many did!) and that had to be what purity was about, right? Unfortunately, many would say yes. Why do I say unfortunately you might ask? Because purity means SO much more than simply "not having sex." Instead, we've developed a church culture where it's generally okay to get under a girls shirt, have oral sex, mutual masturbation or anything else as long as we stop short of "intercourse." In fact, so many students have this perspective, which is leeched from the True Love Waits campaigns of the past/present mixed with an equal amount of current cultural thought. What it amounts to in sum, is a ton of students (and adults!) who say they believe in God, but live as if He didn't exist. Craig Groeschel (pastor of Life Church in Edmond, OK) called the phenomena "Christian Atheism" a...

I've alluded to W.P. Cambpell's book, Turning Controversy into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality several times, but today you get all my thoughts regarding the book. First, note that Campbell is a pastor in the PC(USA), which means he falls into one of two camps: for or against the repeal of the "fidelity and chastity" clause. I'll admit, when I saw the title of the book, I was afraid he fell into the camp that totally embraced homosexuality because Jesus was "inclusive." At the same time, I imagined it couldn't be too far right (a la Fred "I'm a nut-job" Phelps) and wondered what middle ground he had found. Fortunately, Campbell navigates the roaring rapids of the homosexual issue quite well. He begins with the story that forms his framework from John 8, showcasing Jesus, the Pharisees, and the woman caught in adultery. Of specific note, he highlights Jesus' response to their demands that she be stoned, J...

As I consider all the great things God made, it's left me wondering, "Why?" a lot. I mean, I can find a purpose in most everything, but some of the critters out there really make me wonder. Like fleas: they bite things and survive on blood, leaving the critter to itch. What purpose do they serve? I can't see anything that is furthered by those annoying creatures! Does that mean there isn't one? Nope. However, it makes me wonder. Kind of like a spleen or any of the organs that can be removed without any harm being done... Often we treat the church the same way: some people/parts are dispensable. It might not be a conscious thing, but we act as if some people really don't matter. Maybe it's how we dismiss them because they're annoying, maybe it's how we think of them because of failures in the past, or maybe it's a pride issue within us. No matter how it happens, it is quite often the case. Heck, even inside small groups that are sup...

Do you ever feel like you're stuck in an odd B-movie remake of the body snatchers? It happens to me occasionally, as I'll see myself do something stupid and not stop myself from doing it winding up looking at myself like, "What the heck was that all about?" Better yet, I find myself acting the part when I should really just be me. A pastor used to say it was "Shifting into 'Rev'" and was just part of the job for us as ministers because we couldn't always be the man for the job and sometimes needed to be that man when we couldn't otherwise. However, Casting Crowns hits the nail on the head in their song about churches: we're all too often just perfect plastic people with our perfect plastic steeples when people are hurting and dying without Jesus outside the doors. How can we justify our hypocrisy when we try to hide our brokenness? Why can't we be who Jesus called us to be? Can we effectively minister without our broken, sinful...

After a great weekend of master's classes and the Frequency conference at Indiana Wesleyan University, I am thinking, a lot! I am going to deviate from thinking about what it means to be a Christ follower into what it means to "minister" and what a "ministry" really is. Ministry is a broad term, covering anything someone does in the name of Christ (minister means to give aid not someone who is of the clergy, that's something we associate to it, not the original meaning!). So in theory, feeding someone who is hungry is a ministry (particularly as we fit both contexts, the idea of doing something in Jesus' name and the "professional" idea of someone who does things for the church) especially as it was something Jesus told us to do? However, should there ever be separation between the "professional" idea of ministry and the actual process of giving aid? I think not, but we've made it so. Is there a place for preaching? Yes. Is...

As I make choices and decisions for our student ministry, I am constantly reminded that grace is greater. No matter what we do, we can never make God love us less. Is that amazing? I think so. But, how does a greater grace play out in my life? That's the question that keeps bugging me. How does this incredible knowledge make me different? Or does it? It should, but it doesn't always work that way. However, if the knowledge of God's love for us doesn't cause massive change, did we really get it? The idea that one can be grabbed by the grace and love of Jesus and not change is insane. In fact, it goes counter to everything we have documented or seen! Jesus took regular, plain jane, guys and made them extraordinary. How? Because when they understood the love of God and the grace He extended through His son they responded the only way they knew how, telling everyone! In fact, the same guys who denied Jesus and ran off scared, later stood in front of the same le...

Here's the dilemma: mercy and forgiveness or safety and justice? I'm not entirely sure myself, but it is the question I'm face with... There is a situation where I'm torn because it could well have been an accident, but at the same time it could equally be completely on purpose. That's why I say it's a dilemma. Jesus always seemed to have the answers in situations like this, but I seem to never have an answer just more questions. Perhaps it's His being the Son of God and knowing everything while I'm just a guy who tries to make wise decisions and do the things He would have done... But, can I let mercy and forgiveness stretch to this 6th incident? I don't think so. If one or two, yeah. But this is after a stout talking to and a serious meeting to define hard lines so that we could keep everyone safe and make things run smoothly. Although Jesus was always forgiving people and is always forgiving me, how can I fail to forgive when I have been ...

After my harsh rhetoric yesterday, I'm left thinking about what matters most. I am no better than the worst and the worst is no better than the best. Sound odd? It should, because it goes so counter to what we know, feel, think, and desire. We naturally group people and things into categories and classify. It is human nature to compare people and classify where we stand in relation to them. I look at Hitler and say he's so horrible because of what he did, while I look at Mother Teresa and say she was so great that I can't compare. Yet, the essence of Christianity is the dichotomy/paradox of grace. Grace says that we are forgiven and made something else. Instead of being an Adolf Hitler, I am told that I am a Mother Teresa. How can that be? Simply trusting and believing in the fact that someone perfect took my place... That belief is what defines Christianity! If there is no substitutionary atonement (meaning that someone took my place!) there is no hope for me. ...

It's a funny thing going back "home." After a visit to our old stomping grounds in Hutchinson this weekend, I realize again how temporary things can seem to make enormous change in our lives. Today I experienced the loss of something, an undefinable longing, that made no sense to my mind, but was nonetheless palpable and real. It was the sense of looking for a permanent anchor, the sense that things are not the way the were, combined with the people who still care so deeply for me and my family (although some didn't realize we had even moved! They assumed we were going to one of the other 6 services throughout the weekend...). But, the longing for home (even though Hutch was only home for a few years) was still there. The desire to find what we had thought would/could be permanent, when it was only temporal. To return to the church we thought needed us so deeply, only to realize again that it was we who needed the church. Most interesting of all (and deeply fri...

I know I'd been doing this series of posts on "Problems with God" but, as life has a way of doing, it interrupts our best laid plans. My interruption wasn't pretty, nor has it been fun, but it was something that made me think, a lot. Our lives are filled with interruptions, but it's how we respond that makes us who we are. Some interruptions are good things: marriage, kids, good news, church, etc. Other interruptions are bad things: our screw ups, others screw ups, death, sickness, grief, church, etc. But, each interruption leads us to a place where we must change. When our life is interrupted, the path we were on can be returned to, but we will not be the same because of that momentary (or momentous) interruption. We'll unpack some interruptions and where they lead as well as Jesus' response to life's little interruptions. First, the interruption in my life most recently dealt with someone else's screw up. Yeah, that screw up affected me, b...

Have you ever heard people make the statement, "Well, I just have problems with God..."? That statement is typically followed by a critique of the church or of Christianity in general. Some of the critiques are very real, others are lame, some illogical and some plain mean. But, I'll endeavor to show how some of those critiques play out and explain the how's and why's so you'll be equipped to deal with them in this and the next few posts. First is the biggest complaint against the church and Christianity: hypocrisy. How often have you heard someone say, "I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites."? I hear it regularly and am SO tempted to answer in a very mean-spirited way by saying, "Well come anyways, we could always use one more." But, that's just not nice and is plain mean. However, there are reasons and there are answers. The reason is simple: people look in the doors of the church and see people they know acti...

You know, I'm constantly amazed at God's grace. I'm still reading Titus, but today is so much more encouraging than yesterday. I mean, seriously, reading lists of who I should be (and know I'm not really that person!) versus being reminded of the fact that God's love and grace have absolutely nothing to do with me. It's an awesome realization. Yeah, I know God's grace is a "free gift" and I can spout off platitudes until I'm blue in the face (part of being a pastor type person). But, until I hear the voice of God whispering in my ear as I read His word, it's not real yet. In fact, until I hit today, my reading had sent me into a bit of a funk simply because I had heard God speak and it was some of the same things I was thinking: I need to follow, simply and honestly; I need to obey, simply because He loves me; I need to listen more, simply because I'm so loud; I need to love Him more, simply because I know how much He loves me. ...