Category: Thoughts

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What Christians Can Learn from James Harrison

james-harrison-participation-trophyJames Harrison, Outside Linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, made news this past week when he posted on his Instagram account a photo of two Participation Trophies his sons were given for their involvement in the Next Level Athletics Program. Harrison added a lengthy statement explaining his refusal to allow his sons to be given something they didn’t earn. “While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy,” Harrison said.

I admire James Harrison for teaching his young sons this valuable lesson and truth for their life.

I believe this same principle is missed in the American Christian Church, and I think we too can learn a lesson from Mr. Harrison. I think many times we believe we’ve accomplished something or we’ve earned something because we carry the title of “Christian” around. It’s like our very own club we belong to. I’ve often heard the term, “Country Club” used to describe churches and Christian groups.

Christians Aren’t Give Participation Trophies

When we get to Heaven, God’s not going to reward us for simply being. He’s not going to lavish awards and trophies on us because we participated in simply being a Christian, or because we were a part of the Christian club. We’ve earned nothing extra just by placing our faith in Jesus for salvation. Without merit, we’ve gained life in Jesus and if that wasn’t enough we were gifted an eternity with God in Heaven, but we gain no trophies for just being; we’re entitled to nothing more.

Our Rewards are Earned

trophy

Christianity isn’t about finding a church you love so you can sit and soak in all that’s happening around you. 1 Corinthians 3 tells us Jesus is our foundation; He’s the starting point for the new life we’ve been given and whatever we use this new life for will be tested. Paul said, “….on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward“ (1 Corinthians 3:11-14 NLT). Jesus speaks with a sense of urgency as he boldly proclaims, “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds” (Revelation 22:12 NLT). As Jesus was calling people to take up their cross and follow Him, if they desired to be His disciple, He told them, “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:24-27 HCSB). We don’t earn our salvation, but we do earn our rewards after salvation.

[tweetthis]Christianity isn’t about finding a church you love so you can sit & soak in all that’s happening around you[/tweetthis]

As if Jesus wasn’t enough. As if God’s undeserved grace, mercy, and forgiveness wasn’t enough. As if an eternal home in heaven wasn’t enough. God goes even further and promises to reward us for the deeds we perform in this new life we have in Christ! But, notice, in every instance we are promised rewards there is a condition given; our rewards will be given solely based on the deeds we do within this new life, based on what we build on the foundation of Jesus.

So, what are you building? What are your deeds? What kind of rewards can you expect from Jesus when He returns?

God doesn’t give participation trophies, but He does reward us for what we’ve earned.

Are you connected with a church, but find yourself disconnected and not involved? Find out how you can plug in within the church or the community so you can start building on the foundation you have in Jesus. Are you one of my people from New Passion, but you haven’t plugged in and you’re not building anything on the life you have in Jesus? Don’t delay, register online to start serving right now. God wants to reward you, but you have to earn it!

[tweetthis]God doesn’t give participation trophies, but He does reward us for what we’ve earned.[/tweetthis]

Join the conversation: What are some helpful ways to move people from simply being a Christian to doing good works in the world as a Christian? In what areas do you need to improve yourself?

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CAPTIVE Movie Review

Captive ReviewCaptive is a great movie that shows anyone HOPE is possible, even in their darkest hours. Here are a few spoiler free things I enjoyed about the movie. After reading my thoughts, make plans to go see #Captive on opening night, Friday, September 18, 2015.

  • Captive is NOT God’s Not Dead and that’s Okay: If you’re looking for a movie with an overtly evangelical, “Go get saved now” message, this is not that movie, and that’s okay. The movie is effective as it shows how two people in seemingly hopeless situations discovered hope was possible, even in their darkest hours. The movie is based on a true story & does a good job, in the limited time available, portraying what took place with the Atlanta court escape by Brian Nichols, the murders he committed, along with his eventual kidnapping of Ashley Smith [Robinson], and how Ashley became a hero in the midst of the crisis.
  • A Powerful Conversion Story: Although there’s not a highlighted moment showing someone place their faith in Jesus for Salvation (Ashley was already a Christian), there is a very powerful conversion that takes place when Ashley decides she’s not using drugs again, even under the threat of death. It was one thing to read about this moment in her book, but even more powerful to see it on screen. Kate Mara did a great job reflecting Ashley’s struggle and eventual resolve.
  • Captive is Not What You Think: Captive, what a great, unoriginal title for a movie about a hostage situation! You may think that before watching the movie, but you’ll find Captive is actually a deeper story than that. The underlying story is about two individuals held captive by their own personal demons, constantly haunted and unable to find freedom, until forced to finally decide how they would find their own freedom, would it be through choosing life or death?
  • God has a Purpose for Everyone: Can God use an addict to get a murderer off the street? Can God use a murderer to get an addict clean? Can God use the sacrifice of a hero to bring peace to a city? Although it may not be overt, the message of the gospel and God choosing to use whom He pleases is weaved into the movie. God has a purpose for everyone, but not everyone sees it. Blinded by personal choices, failures and even successes, people will write off God, even though God hasn’t written them off.  Ashley’s boldness to share the Purpose Driven Life with Brian brings God’s redemption to the forefront of the story.
  • Take the Next Steps: Captive provides a great opportunity for churches to take their congregations to see the movie together and then provide follow up discussions to discuss such topics as substance abuse, mental health issues, God’s purpose for each of our lives, the gospel, second chances, and many of the other themes presented by the movie. It doesn’t have to be churches, it could be small groups, or friends; just don’t miss the opportunity to take the next step by following the movie up with quality dialogue.

Helpful Resources:

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Relationship Lessons from Donald Trump

This post is neither for Donald Trump’s candidacy to be President, or against it. This post is simply to highlight important relationship lessons we can learn from Mr. Trump’s campaign; things we can all learn from regardless of political affiliation or who we believe should be the next President.

Mr. Trump has never shied away from speaking his mind and don’t get me wrong, there’s always a place for honesty and definitely a time and place to be brutally honest. I have a feeling any woman Donald Trump has dated and/or married learned quickly it wasn’t a good idea to ask him whether or not an outfit made them look fat.

After the first 2015 Republican primary debate on Fox News, Trump made the following statement to Sean Hannity, “I just want to be treated well and treated with respect.“ Who can argue with that? I think we all have that desire!

  • When it was said Rick Perry, “Put on glasses so people thinks he’s smart”, I imagine Perry desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said Megyn Kelly was a, “Total Loser”, I imagine Kelly desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said Erick Erickson was a, “Sleaze and a Bafoon”, I imagine Erickson desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said, Bette Midler was, “Grotesque”, I imagine Midler desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • I’m sure when all of the people who have been called clowns, zeroes, dumb, and the like, they desired to be treated well and with respect.

Donald Trump KissingDonald Trump (@realDonaldTrump), who only wants to be treated well and with respect, made each of those insults and that’s not even half the people he’s made negative and disparaging comments about since kicking off his presidential campaign. His detractors may say, “Amen, he deserves what he gets,” while his supporters may say each of those people got what they deserved because of the way they treated him, questioned him, or spoke about him. But what is it we can learn from all parties involved in these wars of words? How can Donald Trump influence our relationships so they become absolutely great, healthy, and the best they can be?

  1. No One Wins, Returning Disrespect with More Disrespect – We’ve all done it and that’s why we know it’s true. Maybe you didn’t like your spouse’s tone, so you replied with an ugly tone yourself. Maybe someone shot a mean comment your way, so you returned fire. How did that turn out? It definitely didn’t lead our relationship with the other person forward. When such behavior is put on public display, you have to wonder whether or not Mr. Trump and/or those who are participating in the mud slinging actually have close friends, or if those closest to them are only there because they somehow benefit personally. When their default behavior is to return disrespect with more disrespect, especially to those they barely know, one would have to wonder if that happens in their more private relationships as well. Peter told us in 1 Peter 3:9, “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.…” Healthy relationships are shaped through mercy (not giving someone what they deserve).
  2. You Win, Returning Respect for Disrespect – This is hard to do, but it is doable. Healthy relationships are shaped through grace (giving someone what they don’t deserve). Grace rebuilds their bridge even though you didn’t burn it down. Peter continued his wisdom in 1 Peter 3:9 when he told us, “Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.” As we share life with other people, at some point we will find ourselves struggling with the need to control and that’s where grace gets tough. We may return respect for disrespect, but what will the other person do? We can’t control other people, but we win, personally, because God grants us His blessings when we do so.
    [tweetthis]Grace rebuilds their bridge even though you didn’t burn it down.[/tweetthis]
  3. Both Honesty and Humility – You will not hear me criticize Donald Trump for saying what needs to be said on issues that face our country. I believe being honesty is honorable and I believe we should all use our voices to speak out on the evils that affect our world. Peter instructed us to “turn away from evil and do good”, therefore we have a responsibility to personally turn away from evil, but also to point out evil so others will also recognize it and turn away. However, honesty loses its honor when not accompanied by humility. A humble attitude can be very difficult to maintain, especially when you’re super successful, you don’t feel you need anyone else’s opinion. You start making your own headlines and then start believing them. This is why we were challenged to strive for unity, extend sympathy, to love one another, possess a tender heart, and fight for humility and peace.

[tweetthis]Honesty loses its honor when not accompanied by humility[/tweetthis]

Donald Trump may not be your choice for President, but he can still teach us valuable life lessons.

Join the conversation, what else can we learn from Trump or others to help us have healthier, stronger relationships?

 

 

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I Asked God….

I asked God to see through His eyes, so He made me a pastor.

I asked God to help me understand His grace, so He sent me addicts and alcoholics, and then he let me watch them relapse.

I asked God to help me love like He loves, so He sent me the homosexual who has been made an outcast by society….and even churches

I asked God to help me understand His patience, so He sent me the greedy who are more concerned with themselves than their neighbor

I asked God to help me understand His forgiveness, so He sent me parents of wayward children

I asked God to know His mercy, so He sent me the self-righteous

I asked God to understand His promises, so He sent me couples who are struggling in their marriage

I asked God to show me who I really am; He told me to simply open my eyes and look around me

The greatest pleasure of my life is to pastor New Passion Church and to serve as the manager of a local substance abuse program. Everyday I have the opportunity to share life with people who struggle to make it each day; they are messy, they are broken, and they definitely aren’t big on social graces….they are human. My daily experiences have shown me God in ways I would have never seen Him, doing anything else. The gospel is a beautiful and powerful message. I am grateful God has called me to pastor myself through many different people.

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A Few Thoughts Following the Death of Robin Williams

robin_williams

Just a few of thoughts I wanted to share, following the death of Robin Williams. Take them as you will.

Really, it’s okay to honor a man who we welcomed into our homes for over 30 years to entertain us, make us laugh, and bring a little bit of happiness to what can be a stressful, broken and sometimes sad world. Yes, there are millions of people who suffer from mental illness and who have died by suicide. No, we do not interrupt our regularly scheduled programming with breaking news to alert the world of their death. Why don’t we do this? Because we didn’t pay for matinees, a coke and popcorn to be entertained by their goofiness or to laugh at their jokes and antics. We didn’t rent their VHS’ and eventually their DVDs, or tune in to their TBS all day marathons. Does this make them any less important or valuable as people? Absolutely not! It just makes Robin Williams and others like him, different, and that’s okay. It seems like every time someone famous dies and are celebrated by the fans who enjoyed their art and craft reminisce about their life, the uptight purists start trying to guilt everyone else for honoring them while the millions who have died like them go unmentioned. Robin Williams was famous, worldwide, for more than three decades and though many of his fans never met him or knew him personally, they shared a connection to him through his characters. Do the millions actually go unnoticed though? When anyone receives a call about the death of a family member or friend, it interrupts all planned activities, it brings our world to a halting stop. Do these supposedly ‘unmentioned’ people not have funerals and memorials where their friends, family, churches, and communities remember them and honor their life? I believe it is safe to say that the celebration of life for those ‘unmentioned’ people, who are so often used as pawns for the drivers of guilt, is as big as their life was. As much as anyone is known, loved, and appreciated, they are missed in equal proportions, if not greater. Robin Williams was not perfect, we all know that, but he was known, loved and appreciated by many and therefore the mourning of his death and the celebration of his life is expressed by many.  So, if you need permission, here you go….Celebrate the life of great people who have brought happiness into your life and impacted for the good.