Category: Thoughts

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Crazy and Ridiculous

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For just a short period of time, Jesus was a rock star. The Bible tells us through many stories in the Bible that there were times where Jesus would come to a town and it would be so crowded that the people would press in on him. There was the time that the friends had to lower the crippled man through the roof to get him to Jesus and then there was that other time where the woman that had the issue of blood had to fight her way through the crowd to simply touch Jesus’ garment. Rock Star!

Jesus the Rock Star! Well, at least he was for a short period of time! It was easy to follow Jesus when his message was one of ‘Come and See‘ where he went around turning water into wine, healing the sick and lame, casting out demons and acting like David Copperfield on steroids. Everyone wanted to know Jesus and to be his friend. Everyone wanted to follow him and receive the blessings that he was freely giving. But then Jesus got all crazy and ridiculous. For instance, he started talking strange and teaching encrypted messages. He admitted that he knew people wouldn’t even understand them. He should have just called his audience dummies! As Pastor Rick Warren has pointed out, his message went from ‘Come and See’ to ‘Come and Die’ with crazy messages like:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

See, crazy and ridiculous stuff! Jesus didn’t say if you want to be saved, rather he said if you want to be my follower abandon your selfishness, die to yourself and follow me. I guess that’s the line that Jesus drew in the sand for those who ‘said’ they wanted to be a part of his group. It was a line that many were unwilling to cross and it was a commitment too great for many to make.

This is why the rich man walked away from Jesus sad. He was unwilling to sell all of his possessions and give all of the money to the poor and then leave the life he knew to follow Jesus into the unknown…or into the knowledge of the life following a transient Rabi who didn’t even own a home and often stayed with friends for rest, who had plenty of haters. This is why many of Jesus’ groupies who once saw him as a rock star walked away from Jesus sad. They saw he was about others, not about himself. They saw it wasn’t all about a show, rather it was about a totally new lifestyle that was focused on others and less on self.

This line wasn’t drawn in the sand for just the disciples of that day, it is a line drawn in the sand for all those who ‘say’ they desire to follow Jesus. Being saved and following Jesus are two totally different things and our American culture is quickly slipping into a comfort zone that is more willing to settle for the comfort of a salvation knowledge than they are a lifestyle of following Jesus.

Why? Mostly because people hate, absolutely HATE, abandoning their selfishness (concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure). We can’t be selfish and follow Jesus; he is the definition and reflection of perfect selflessness. We can’t be selfish (focused on self) and take up our cross and die to ourselves. Jesus didn’t walk the earth demanding to have things HIS way, no he did things His Father’s way. He didn’t walk the earth demanding comfort and convenience, no he was often inconvenienced.

If our local churches are unhealthy, I believe it’s for this reason. We have a lot of people who want to be saved, but we have very little who want to follow Jesus. People will come in droves when the message is one of ‘Come and See‘ and they depart quickly as it transitions to ‘Come and Die.’ The church is loved when it’s ‘Come and Watch’ or ‘Come and Experience’ the awesome show, but they disappear when it’s ‘Come and Serve’ or ‘Come and Make it Happen’. People love when the church is there to give and to serve, but when called to give and serve and die, well that’s just crazy and ridiculous. Teach me all that makes me feel good and like a winner and I’m there, but point out my sin and tell me I’m wrong and I’ll be gone. Jesus is a Rock Star, even in our culture and our generation, at least for a little while; but hang around long enough and you’ll discover that there’s a crowd who is unwilling to cross certain lines. It’s too far…too deep…and requires too much. It’s not convenient, it’s not comfortable and it’s not cheap, so count them out. Where do you stand? Are you willing to cross the lines Jesus calls you to, or are some lines just too far?

Join the Conversation….Why do you think so many are unwilling to cross the line Jesus drew in the sand to be his followers? What’s been the most difficult thing to abandon in your own walk?

 

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Complimentary Brains

PrintThe battle of the sexes will probably forever exist. Everyone has a position and an opinion. Some believe that men and women are 100% the same, except for in their reproductive parts and therefore are equal in value and worth, and then others believe that men and women are uniquely designed and intrinsically different, even beyond their reproductive parts, but are still equal in value and worth (different but equal).

The battle of the sexes, as we all know, goes beyond the physical make-up and design of men and women into the role men and women should play in society. Please don’t mistake this post for that kind of statement, this is not a statement on the role men and women should play in everyday life.

This online article by the Independent,  shares new scientific evidence that men and women are different, in fact, based on the study results, we are completely wired differently than one another:

“A pioneering study has shown for the first time that the brains of men and women are wired up differently which could explain some of the stereotypical differences in male and female behavior, scientists have said.”

It continues by pointing out that…

Psychological testing has consistently indicated a significant difference between the sexes in the ability to perform various mental tasks, with men outperforming women in some tests and women outperforming men in others. Now there seems to be a physical explanation, scientists said.

So, does an article like this just add fuel to the fire of the ongoing war between the two sexes? Or, does it confirm a view of different but equal?

For me, it reminds me that God is a relational God and he designed both sexes to thrive in relationships; the first being marriage. In Genesis 2:18 we read, ‘Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him,”’ just before creating Eve out of Adam’s rib to give him a companion and a helper.

We like to get caught up on that word “helper” and I believe it honestly has been used by some as a battering ram to devalue women, to abuse them, and to look on them in a slave type mentality. But this article on the brain helps confirm my view that the word helper here is being used in a complimentary way. Simply put, there are just some things, by design, that women do better than men and there are some things, by design, that men do better than women. I believe that God designed us to NEED each other and to compliment each other. Husband and wife, man and woman, provide a unique bond with each other that makes life easier, together. Separate from each other, men and women can function and survive, but life is more difficult as we, all by ourselves, lack the capacity that God has given the other sex which was designed to compliment us. So, instead of battling against each other trying to determine who is better than the other, let’s be thankful for one another and be humble enough to admit that God did not make us superheroes on our own, we need each other.

In closing, I would like to point out two things:

  1. If you read the entire article, you will see for yourself that men, in fact, by design, do not get lost! We are hardwired not to 🙂
  2. I no longer have to feel guilty when I, by design, lack empathy. God gave that talent to my wife and I am so grateful to have her be who I am not 🙂

Join the Conversation…What are your thoughts?

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Do Hard Things

Nothing-worth-doing-is-easy-full-500x500Last Sunday, at New Passion, we concluded a 6 week message series titled, “All In” which was directed at those in the church that claim to be followers of Jesus.

Today, I was reading through My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and decided to catch up on some of the devotions that I have missed when I came across the July 7 entry, “All Efforts of Worth and Excellence are Difficult“. I think it fits well with the All In series, so please read below:

 

“Enter by the narrow gate…Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…” Matthew 7:13-14

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory?

God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Jesus, and “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But we have to “work out” that salvation in our everyday, practical living (Philippians 2:12). If we will only start on the basis of His redemption to do what He commands, then we will find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not yet put into practice what God has placed within us. But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it into practice. If we will obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has placed within us by His Spirit, then when a crisis does come we will find that our own nature, as well as the grace of God, will stand by us.

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult.

Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10), and God will not shield us from the requirements of son-ship. God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.

God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings.

My Note: We drift towards doing what comes easy and what is comfortable and manageable, but following Jesus is difficult and it requires that we do HARD things with purpose rather than settling for what naturally comes easy. This is why Christianity is a faith journey, we can only do hard things through faith.

Join the Conversation….What do you find most difficult to do as a Christ Follower?

 

 

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Why Does My Child ALWAYS Respond with, “Good”?

We’ve all been there. The kids climb into the car as we pick them up from school and our immediate question for them is, “how was your day at school?” And it seems to never fail, everyday, year-after-year we get the same response, “good.”

In his book, It’s Better to Build Boys than Mend Men, S. Truett Cathy addresses this predicament that all parents face almost daily:

I’ve read surveys that show how little time parents spend with their children, and I wonder how they expect to build relationships in just a few minutes a day. Many parents, including folks who work at Chick-fil-A, have a shortage of time with their families. That’s one reason why we close all of our restaurants on Sunday, so that families can be guaranteed at least one day a week together.

Knowing that time is tight and that you have only a few years to make the strongest positive impact on your children, don’t spend your precious family days on the golf course or watching sports on television all afternoon. Don’t consider watching TV with your children to be “quality time.” You may be in the same room, buy you’re not together. Participate in activities with your children. Play games together. Seek opportunities to be with them on their turf. Volunteer to coach their sports team, lead their Scout troop, or teach their Sunday school class.

Then communicate. But don’t expect them to share their feelings on your schedule. You have to wait patiently. When our children were young and I came home from work, I’d ask. “How are things?” They’d say, “Good.” And that was the end of the conversation.

I learned that when you talk to children, a conversation won’t happen when it’s convenient for you but when it’s convenient for them. You never call a child in and then say, “Well, let’s talk.” The child won’t have anything to say. But if you’re around children long enough, they’ll open up and start to share their problems or opportunities. When they do, you’d better stop whatever you’re doing to listen because the opportunity may not come around again for a while.

One weekend when our daughter, Trudy, was home from college, she told me, “Dad, the thing I remember most about you are the times you sat at my bedside and let me tell you all the things I did that day.” All the possessions we had shared with her-clothes, a car, a nice house to grow up in-were secondary to those times we spent together at bedtime talking.

Join the conversation…what has been your experience with engaging your child into conversation?

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Fatherless

I started reading, “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men” by S. Truett Cathy

Chapter One shares these disturbing facts about fatherlessness in the United States:

The Results of Fatherlessness:

The United States is the world’s leader in fatherless homes. The results of our actions, according to the Father’s Manifesto:

  • 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
  • 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes (I personally see the results of this daily).
  • 80% of rapists motivated with displaced angers come from fatherless homes.
  • 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes
  • 85% of youth in prison grew up in fatherless homes
  • 75% of all adolescent patients in drug treatment centers come from fatherless homes (I personally see this manifest itself in adult males, daily)

Children from Fatherless Homes are:

  • 5 times more likely to commit suicide
  • 32 times more likely to run away
  • 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
  • 14 times more likely to commit rape
  • 9 times more likely to drop out of school
  • 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
  • 9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution
  • 20 times more likely to end up in prison

When we hear or read ‘fatherless’ homes, we tend to assume that there is no father figure in the home, however Truett Cathy points out that many, “children all around us are growing up without strong positive guidance from their parents, who are busy, distracted, absent, or who choose to be buddies instead of parents to their children.” Some fatherless homes are homes with a disengaged father living in them. So, whether the father has left the home or is simply disengaged and still living in the home; a father’s choices and actions make a huge impact on his children.

Truett Cathy makes the following point, “Don’t be too concerned that your children don’t listen to you. But be very concerned that they see everything you do.” Mr. Cathy’s story is one of a disengaged father, but he had a Sunday School teacher that came along and provided a positive, father-like influence in his life that made a huge impact in his life.

In what ways do you as a dad need to engage your children in a positive, Biblical way to impact their future? Do you know of any children that have a disengaged or an absent father in their life that you can influence in a positive, Biblical way as a father-like mentor?

 

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