Be

Which matters more: to be or to do?

Here lately I've found myself so busy doing that I've had moments where I wondered if it really even matters. It's this internal duplicity of loving the busy-ness of accomplishment, yet waning in dissatisfaction with the overall results. Not that the results aren't good...just not at the level that I ultimately want to achieve.

No doubt, I'm a task-oriented person; I love checking the little box in my planner beside each action item after I've finished it. But I've had to ask myself (again) if I'm more concerned with doing all that I do than I am with being all that God wants me to be...as a husband, a father, a leader, a musician, a worshiper, a man, a child of God.

Sometimes when I do, the rush of accomplishment makes me forget about how broken I am. For a moment, I'm the man, and it feels good. But just like any emotion, it doesn't last forever, and I'm soon looking at the same ol' guy in the mirror who doesn't have it all together.

But something happens when I embrace that brokenness, when I reject the facade and decide to be transparent with myself and with God. I discover that in no way, shape, or form is His love for me dependent on my performance, my accomplishment, or my track record. His love is His love, and it never changes...it's always been amazing, and it will always be! There's nothing I can do to earn it, or to make myself unworthy of it.

Not that I'm gonna cease to do, but I'm gonna make more time to be. To be broken, to be vulnerable, to be brave, to be real, to be loved...because I am, regardless of how much I do or don't do.

When was the last time you took time just to be?

Gifted

In school, it meant "smarter than the rest." I think it means much more, and applies to everyone. God has given every person on the planet a specific gift(s), as unique to them as their appearance and personality.

When I hear someone say, "That guy is gifted," I no longer assume his IQ is higher than the status quo. Instead, I recognize that he has found an outlet to utilize the unique abilities that have been planted in him, and it shows...cuz it always does!

In life, we make countless choices. One of my most recent, and I think most important, is to put my gifts to work like never before. There's much than I can do, but less that I should...cuz I'm not meant to do it all, and I'm most effective where I'm gifted. I'm learning to do less and lead more--inviting others into the game who can do it better than me because they're gifted for it!

Until we're using our gifts, we're only partially alive.

Our Father

I had a moment the other day with my son, who turns two this weekend. He's reached the age where he volunteers kisses and hugs without being prompted, and it's stinkin' cute! If he gives Mommy a kiss, he has to give Daddy one, too...ya know, keep the balance in the force.

Anyhow, he started walking towards me from across the room the other day and said, "Give Daddy tiss?" (all the "k" sounds come out as a "t" right now) Of course, my heart melted, I smiled, and scooped him up so he could lay one on me...and then the thought hit me.

What a picture that is of us with our Father God! Not that we can actually "lay one on Him" (which is kind of a weird thought), but our worship is an expression of love that we choose to give Him...and He chooses to receive it! And--He actually looks forward to it just like I look forward to my son reaching out to me! I think it pulls on His heart strings when we lavish our worship on Him, and He can't resist returning the embrace. After all, He created us to be with Him, so why would He ever turn away?

When my little boy spoke those words, I didn't point out the flaws in his grammar or his approach. I just simply opened my arms and relished the fact that he wanted to love on me. It's that way with God too. We don't have to speak or pray the magic words or sing with perfect pitch. We just come...and find Him waiting there, ready for us to "lay one on Him."

Questions

Father God,

Thank You for the questions that litter my mind. The questions that I'll never be able to answer or explain. Questions that fascinate me, frustrate me, inspire me, and divide me. Thank You for allowing the confusion that sometimes results from my search for truth, because within that confusion, I realize that I'm not meant to know it all. It becomes clear that You, and only You, are the One who has all the answers. And I discover that when I'm with You, I don't have to know it all...because You do, and You love me. Thank You for being as close as I'll allow, and for always being available to me. I know the questions will come and go, but You never will.

Thank You, Lord. Amen.

You Did What?

Yep...we did it. Last Sunday we put together a Letterman-style service called "The Sunday Morning Show." We had the desk, the band, the guests, the monologue, the top 10, and even commercial breaks! We had no idea how it would turn out, but we busted our butts to make it the best we knew how...and it happened! It actually came together impressively well for our first go, and surprisingly enough, touched people's hearts.

I'm sure that there are probably those that think what we did was a waste of a perfectly good Sunday morning, and we should feel guilty for neglecting an opportunity to present Christ. I know I would've not too many years ago. But that's mainly because I had a box that church fit into, where creativity was limited to just a few channels of possibility.

That's what has been so cool about our "show." We've heard a lot of great feedback, not only about how funny it was, but also how meaningful it was. We planned it and prayed that way, but we were nervous as to how clearly the message would come across. Once again, God came through and proved to me again that He does NOT fit, nor belong, in any box.

He's the Creator...why wouldn't He bless creativity?

Looks Matter!

I recently read an article that made us change up our stage setup. I'm a church boy, we're a church, and just like growing up in your parent's house, you do things a certain way until either the light comes on automatically or someone helps flip the switch for you. In this case, it was the latter for me.

Anyhow, here's the question that got me: Where else in the world do you walk into a musical venue and all the singers are lined across the front of the stage with the band either crammed into a corner or serving as the backdrop for the singers...but CHURCH? Not to say that that's the wrong way to do it or anything, but our church is very strategic in reaching un-churced people. So we want to do everything that we can to create a welcoming and normal atmosphere for those who have never been exposed to church before! The goal is to remove any controllable hindrance from the path of those who are seeking truth in order to help them find the One they're looking for.

It's cool when you get that feeling inside of you that goes deeper than the buzz you get from just a good idea, ya know? That's what I felt when I read this...like God was suggesting this. "It's not just a good idea...it's a GOD idea!" Yes, I hear you laughing (mostly staff), but I don't care!

Homeless

A week ago Saturday, Pastor Timmy and I spent 24 hours in the shoes of a homeless person. We were dropped off at 7:00 a.m. down by The Plaza, and we were on foot with only the goods in our backpack until 7:00 a.m. the next morning when we arrived at church unshaved, unshowered, and feeling not so fresh (for real).

I was amazed at how many homeless people we encountered and got the chance to talk to...I guess when you're actually looking, it makes a difference! We heard so many different stories of how these people ended up on the street, and when you really think about it, most of us are not that far removed...say, maybe a paycheck or two?

I'll never forget the people we met, especially this one guy. His name was Richard, and we ran into him in the middle of a park across from one of the nicest hotels in the city. It appeared he was hiding; he was enclosed in a landscaped area of small trees and shrubs, and he was leaning back on his pack smoking a cigarette. But when I approached him and said hello, he was nothing but polite, and immediately started talking like he hadn't had a decent conversation in a while. After about a half hour of chit chat, he looked at me and said, "Thanks for stoppin', man. You see all these people walking by here...they don't give a f---. Thanks for listening. Thanks for lettin' me get that off my chest."

I felt like we did more for Richard by simply acknowledging his existence and lending an ear than we ever could have by giving him money. In fact, he never asked for a dime. Instead, I think he felt that we were actually interested in who he was, where he's been, and where he's going.

As we walked on with sore feet and sunburnt faces, I felt this little glimmer of hope inside of me. What if everyone treated these people like they were valuable, like they mattered, like they had purpose? What if we all treated people--all people--the way Jesus would?

Charity is one thing...love is another.

Why Worship?

I recently started a new book called Experiential Worship and ran across a quote that I think I've heard before, but had forgotten: "Worship is the one thing that we can give to God that He doesn't already have."

Wow! That's stinkin' cool...to think that we can actually give God a gift!

Ever since I read it, it's been bouncin' around in my head, and it feels as though someone has sprayed starter fluid into the carbeurator of my worship engine. I grew up hearing phrases in church like, "If you'll praise God, He'll show up" and, "There's something special that happens when we all come together to worship God." While I don't discredit those statements completely, there were times that I felt as though we were saying that we could somehow manipulate God to "show up" or that we could "stir up" something if everybody would just get into it.

It seems this quote has helped me to see the deeper beauty of worship again. God loves us so much that He has never and will never take away our power of choice. When we make the conscience decision to direct our worship to Him, it is His pleasure to "show up" and be with us. When we take inventory of our lives and recognize that no matter how much we accumulate, there's no real meaning to life without Him, and we choose to reach out to Him, He reaches back!

What an amazing truth it is...God made the sun, moon, and stars. He owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" (Ps. 50:10). "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Ps. 24:1). It's all His, but He doesn't have our worship unless we choose to give it to Him...He's already chosen us (How? Well, for one, He died on the cross for our sin...hello!). Now, He patiently waits for us to choose Him.

We don't, and can't, manipulate God, but He has made some promises to us that we can bank on: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8)..."For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20)..."The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Ps. 145:18). When we choose to truly worship God, He's there because He wants to be, and He responds to us making the first move. As much as He wants to be with us, He won't impose...He's a respectable gentleman, and waits to be invited.

It's crazy cool...when you choose to give Him your worship, you get to be with Him (the all-powerful-massively-huge-God-of-the-universe). Then the more you get to be with Him, the more you wanna worship. What a beautiful upwards spiral it is! It becomes no longer just worshiping Him because it's your unique gift; you wanna do it because you've gotten to know Him, and who He is so incredible!

Guilt

I've been praying for a close friend of mine who is struggling with feelings of shame and guilt, and this Bible verse came to mind that I heard often growing up in church:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

I couldn't count the number of times I've heard that verse or quoted it myself, but as I prayed, it hit me in a new way. It's the word "in" that got me. I think we are all prone to guilt, whether we profess faith in Christ or not, because deep down we know what's right and wrong..."the law written in their hearts." (Rom. 2:15) However, I think this passage offers clear hope to those who do believe that their past is no longer an issue.

So why do so many Christians still struggle with guilt? Granted, there is an enemy of our soul who constantly tries to remind of us of our mistakes to drag us down and hold us back from the future that God intends, and we must take up our shield of faith. But that word "in" really means something.

If you're a Christian, that means you've accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit now lives "inside" you. He helps you lead a better life, and you find fulfillment living and growing "in" Him. At some point, many Christians become stagnant in their growth, and suddenly find themselves fighting a constant battle against the memory of their failures. Read the verse again like this:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

He might be in you, but are you in Him?

Kindness

Who hasn't seen the bumper sticker: "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty?" Seriously, the first time I saw it, I thought it was a joke...but I didn't get it. I was thinking "whoever made that up isn't very funny."

When I realized it was for real, I felt a lil' stupid, and I thought it was kinda cool. It's like another version of the Golden Rule, ya know? I was reminded of it by an older movie I just watched yesterday called "To End All Wars." It's a pretty heavy war movie (definitely not light-hearted), but has a powerful message.

I had heard the story of a WWII prison camp where the Allied prisoners studied philosophy and Bible scripture together at what they called Jungle University. Through the hope and inspiration they discovered in their learning, they were able to complete their forced labor--building the Thailand-Burma railroad--ahead of schedule and won the hearts of their captors. That's the story this movie tells.

One of the biggest God-truths that I've rediscovered since working with Mercy Church comes from Romans 2:4 "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" As I watched this movie, that truth came to mind. As half-starved prisoners truly practiced "random acts of kindness," the very men who oppressed them...many to death...became witnesses of something amazing, transforming, and other-wordly. It transcended culture, language, and even war.

In Psalms, David writes about the "lovingkindness" of God often...I think we could definitely use a lot more of that in our world. The kind that takes the initiative, makes no sense, and expects nothing in return. What power lies therein!

Faith

Cinnamon raisin biscuits from Hardee's...they don't have 'em anymore, but they used to, and they were the bomb! They had this warm, gooey white frosting if they were fresh, and my brother and I would always get 'em on the mornings that Dad woke us up early before school to go to breakfast.

That's what came to mind as I did my devotion the other day in Ephesians 5 & 6. Dad always prayed with us on the drive from Hardee's to the junior high, and part of that prayer was the "Armor of God" from Eph. 6:10-20. When I read it again over the weekend, vs. 16 brought me to a halt. The version I read said, "Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

It's that "above all" part that got me. There are several Godly attributes listed here: truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, prayer...but it's the "shield of faith" that gets the mantra "above all." Why? I thought about it a lot, and I came up with three reasons that resonate with me:

• We can lead a "good" life, doing our best to tell the truth and do the right thing, but if we don't have a real faith in our hearts that believes in a real God, what's it all for anyhow?Heb. 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

• I don't think that most people consider faith as a shield. It seems they treat it more as a banner, waving it around and knocking others who don't believe the same way in the head with the flagpost. What's up with that?! A shield is primarily a defensive weapon... Maybe it would serve us believers well to stop flailing around so much and live out our beliefs meekly, keeping our shield up and our hands free to do some work for God.

• Many people struggle with self-doubt, including me. I read a book that showed me that my greatest strength is BELIEF. That has really changed the way I look at my life. Do I really believe in God? Do I really believe in the big dreams that He's put in my heart? Do I really believe in myself enough to get there? I should...because He does.

Take up your shield...you might be surprised by what doesn't bother you anymore!

Wonder

I've been on vacation with the fam all week down in Gulf Shores. We've been chillin' at the beach or the pool most of the time, but on Wednesday I got to go deep sea fishing--a Father's Day idea my wife had (ain't she sweet!).

So I caught about five fish, all just big enough to swallow my bait and leave nothing for the big guns...but it was still a lot of fun. We went through a couple of rainstorms (I momentarily lapsed into a state of panic from a flashback of "The Perfect Storm") and saw some dolphins on the way back to shore.

As we cruised along through the surf, I was struck again by the sheer magnitude of the world that God has made. Not only the size, but also the incessant activity of it all...the endless swelling of the ocean, the sophisticated ecosystems that function without us even knowing, the weather systems that feed the earth with necessary rain. None of it misses God's watchful eye.

Not only that, but God is incredibly interested in each of us--Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." He places each of us at a strategic point in history, designs us for success in the role He's gifted us to play, and He stands ready and willing to help us achieve the goals that He has planted within our hearts. AND He's personal about it--Matt 10:30 "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." To think that He knows the millions of trillions of hairs on the heads of the billions of people that have ever walked the face of the planet is almost beyond comprehension. He knows us inside and out!

In Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller writes that one of the highest forms of worship is wonder. I think he's right. When I stop trying to verbalize everything in my heart to God and just stand there in speechless reverence, something happens. I feel small...because I am small. I feel humble...because He's so great. I feel loved...because I am loved.

May we never lose our sense of wonder.

Love and Marriage

This weekend my wife and I celebrated our fifth anniversary, and it was awesome! We went out to dinner, then to the movies, got a hotel room, slept in, went to brunch, saw another movie, and just enjoyed the whole day together! It's not often, being parents, that we get to do that, and it got me thinking.

Have I been the husband that I want to be over the last five years? Am I a living reality of the dream that my wife has had in her heart since she was a little girl? Is there ever a day, much less a minute, that my wife doesn't know and feel the love that I have for her? What do I want the next five years of my marriage to look like?

They say with age comes wisdom (though I'm not sure it's true for everyone--ha!). However, one gem that I've learned thus far is that God has entrusted to us all an amazing level of control over our own destiny. He makes the plan, but it's up to us to choose it, embrace it, and pursue it. The same holds true in the married relationship.

Happily ever after doesn't just happen, but I believe it can and it should! What we don't always realize is that it takes a conscious, tenacious determination on our part to choose marriage, embrace it, and pursue our spouse like we're not really married. That means choosing love when you don't "feel" it, giving to your spouse even when your needs aren't being met, and keeping short accounts of fallouts (not letting stuff simmer and sour).

I want the next five years of my married life to be even more amazing than the first five. I want to be a better husband to my wife, father to my son, servant of Christ and the church. I know it won't just happen, but I'm ready and willing to do the work to get there. Are you?

Get Dirty

I've spent the better part of today trying to replace the two feet of PVC pipe that lines the holes for our church banner signposts. I've broken three drain spades, I'm soaked in sweat (it's like 90 today), and I've got mud caked under my fingernails that smells like the elephant cage at the zoo. Ya know that sewer smell that you don't just smell, you feel? Yeah...it's that smell.

Anyhow, when I broke the third shovel, I was not feeling particularly pleasant, nor was I inclined to behave the way a Christian probably should. However, in the back of my mind was a voice whispering little bits of wisdom like, "it's all for Christ" and, "God sees your efforts" and "don't chuck the rest of that shovel out into traffic."

Even though I know it's true that God sees all and takes notice of everything in our lives, those moments of time serve as micro-tests of our faith, as well as what's in our hearts. I gotta be honest--when I heard the wood crackle and break on that third shovel, there was more stuff stirring in my heart than just "God" thoughts! Proverbs 14:23 says, "In ALL labor there is profit," but sometimes it just doesn't feel like it!

Sometimes you do all you can, get diry doin' it, and it still doesn't come together like you hoped or planned. But the simple truth is this: God is much more interested in the motivation of our hearts than he is in the sum of our results.

Good thing...I still didn't get the posts up!

Everything You Want!

I'm a PK...translation=Preacher's Kid. That means I literally cut my teeth on the pew, grew up knowing the "inside scoop" on church life, and was ingrained with the Christianese language (a mode of spoken communication only understood by long-term believers). Wow--I just realized that I am in fact bi-lingual...I've gotta start putting that on my resume!

Anyhow, growing up in church, my favorite Scripture became Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." I figured hey, I'm already in this church thing and I believe in Jesus, so this is telling me that I can just keep being a good little church boy and then God will give me everything I want...SWEET! I started a running list: a Lamborghini Countach (red), the helicopter from Airwolf, the Fall Guy's girlfriend (Heather Thomas, I think).

Needless to say, I don't drive a car that's worth more than my house and I'm not married to the co-star of an '80's mini-series (in fact, I married much better). I figured either God didn't like me much, or there was something wrong with my Biblical interpretation. Knowing God to be pretty incredible in the love department, I decided that I was at fault, and had to relinquish my hopes of being a self-prayed super hero.

That verse is still my favorite, but it means something entirely different to me today. I realize now that if we all got what we asked for, the world would be pretty jacked up (not to mention the fact that there's no way Lamborghini could keep up with demand). I think that our focus needs to be on the first half: "Delight yourself in the Lord." If we find our identity, our purpose, and our fulfillment in God, then the second half will ring true: "and he will give you the desires of your heart." He knows us better than we know ourselves--knows what will hurt us, what will excite us, what will fulfill us. When we choose Him and open our hearts to Him, He's then able to transplant our wrong desires with right ones. We find ourselves wanting different things that we did before (although a Countach would still be sweet to have).

It's pretty amazing how God can change your heart from just wanting for yourself to wanting for others. To go from dreaming only about your own life to being possessed to influence the lives of others. And then to realize that not only has God remade your heart, not only has He given you brand new desires, but now He's going to grant those new desires that He put inside of you...that's stinkin' AWESOME man!! You get to experience the fulfillment of your dreams--the dreams that count for something beyond this life, the dreams that you didn't just come up with on your own, the dreams that bring true joy and meaning to earthly existence.

That's my two-cents for today...and ya know what--my first blog ever! Hope you didn't fall asleep.