My Greatest Fear

I'll tell you my biggest fear if you'll tell me yours.

Of course, I have a feeling that the great majority of internet users (billions, I suppose) won't post a response, so as I go ahead and tell you, I think I'll be getting the short end of the stick.

To get straight to the point, I am afraid of failure. This fear easily trumps all the others. It's abstract, which unfortunately means that it will plug neatly into almost every situation.

Golf? Ha ha ha! I'm not even going to comment. Cooking a pork roast? Who could mess that up? My point exactly, so when that's a fail it's one of the worst. Mario Kart? Ugh. The thing is, my fear of failure drives me to do my best, and sometimes (with the exceptions of golf and bowling) I see improvement from the last time.

One of the most major fears of failure -- one that actually has significant consequences as opposed to losing at a video game or something -- comes to mind when I read Jesus' prayer in John 17:11-12: "Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name;now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold."

Now, before you tell me that Jesus was God, I'm well aware of that. Bear in mind that Jesus' words here imply that He could've made the decision not to fulfill His mission; that He could've failed. But He didn't. He lived life in communion with His Father, diligently aware of that relationship moment by moment, and staying and in harmony with God.

Read what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: "For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me." (1 Corinthians 4:15-16, NLT)

We are responsible to teach, encourage, and train those we lead to Jesus Christ. That's not the responsibility of a pastor or a wise old teacher or some other "really religious" person. We're called to be witnesses, to make disciples, and to teach those people who become disciples of Jesus Christ.

While I admit to some fear in this area -- dropping the ball in discipleship and in my own walk with Christ -- it's not the fear of failure that drives me on this one. It's my love for the Lord and my desire to obey Him.

I'm interested in your thoughts. In the interest of space I couldn't cover every point here, so feel free to chime in with whatever strikes you. Of course 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 comes to mind when I'm tempted to beat myself up. I just want to make sure I'm doing what is required of me; that's something at which I must not fail.

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Catching Someone's "Stupid"

The following is a slightly edited repost from October 4, 2008:

In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Squirrel Jokes (see the whole espisode compressed into 5:42 right here on YouTube), our hero SpongeBob has a stand-up comedy routine in which he makes fun of his friend Sandy the Squirrel ("Squirrels are so stupid that..."). After this sentiment has worked its way into the undersea community, we see a mom telling her little fish son in the grocery store regarding Sandy, "Don't get to close to it -- you'll catch its stupid!"

There's our (arguably) culturally-relevant intro. Now the meat of the post...

God, speaking to Israel through his prophet Isaiah, had these words to say to those who were not seeking Him:

Yet they say to each other,
    "Don’t come too close or you will defile me!
I am holier than you!"
    These people are a stench in my nostrils,
    an acrid smell that never goes away.
- Isaiah 65:5 (NLT)

Hey, hey! I think that I may have seen this from time to time in the modern-day church! There's little denying that we feel like we're "set apart" (or "consecrated," if we're feeling very spiritual) but I wonder if we're looking at this the way our Father intends. Are we "strangers and aliens," or are we just jerks?

In your opinion, how far should one go to get "in the world but not of the world"? Waiting for or inviting them to come to a church service (where the preacher can preach to them and they'll get saved)? Handing out tracts?

How far is too far? Going to a nightclub? Eating with unbelievers?

Most responses to questions like these are hypothetical. I'm interested in what you're personally willing to do, or what you do do (heh heh... I said "do do"). And above all, I'd like to know what Scriptures you use to direct you in this.

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hearing-impaired ping pong

Yesterday at a friend's house I played ping pong for the first time in many, many years. I'd forgotten how much I love ping pong!

The ping pong table was in the garage, along with a massive drum set. Three of the four of us in the room were drummers. I am not a drummer. My two friends and my son Nelson are. We all took turns playing the drums (I even played a song or two), and at one point while one of the others was playing (accompanying a CD at moderately high volume), Nelson and I decided to play ping pong.

As we played while music was blaring, I couldn't hear the ball hit either the table or Nelson's paddle, and I noticed how much of a handicap that was. I'd never thought of hearing as an important element in ping pong, but coupled with my eyes telling me where the ball was, my auditory sense apparently played some role in telling my hands what to do. I had no clue until my hearing wasn't available for my brain to use.

Of course, the first thing I thought of was the body of Christ. I'm sure you've heard hundreds of parallels like this.

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

- Romans 12:4-8 (NLT)

One of the reasons we now meet with believers in a setting other than that of the typical modern church (please understand that I'm not casting any stones at fellow believers who meet and serve in that way) is that we've seen in that setting a definite reliance on just a few members of the body of Christ; an expectation that they're to do the work the entire body should be doing. This is not just a regrettable situation caused by a few lazy believers, but it's a very natural, logical product of the structure of most modern church fellowships.

This not only causes atrophy in the rest of the body, but it presents, showcases, and continually reinforces the idea that human leaders are actually the heads of the Church (the head tells the rest of the body what to do) or that a few really good, super-spiritual Christians are supposed to perform the function of the entire body. Neither is true.

When I serve in a leadership capacity as a shepherd, for instance, or when I teach, I am filling a role as one of the members of the body. I am not the head. That place is reserved for Jesus Christ -- not just in some theological concept, but in reality. I alone am not the body of Christ. The community of believers is. The Head tells the body how to function. When you meet with the believers bringing your gift of faith, telling the others of how God truly did supply your need in accordance with His Word (just like you knew He would), or when you come with the gift of encouragement, lifting up the broken-hearted among the body, you are functioning in a role for which you're equipped and intended. Within this framework the body is built up as a result and is able to function as a strong, healthy unit.

When a part of the body is not allowed to perform its function, is stifled, muted, or never given exercise, the result will be that the entire body falls short of what it could/should be doing.

In the case of ping pong, a lost sense -- one that I considered to be unimportant in playing the game -- impaired my ability to adequately play. Yes, I still functioned and was able to hit the ball back most of the time, but I performed far short of what I'd done when all my senses were allowed to function.

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. - 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NASB) (emphasis mine)

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does jesus have a eula?

The EULA... For some, the End User License Agreement included in almost all legal software installations is just a bunch of meaningless hoo-hah, but others are diligent to actually read it before installing a new program. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, a few dialog boxes after you start to install a new piece of software, you'll see some text that begins something like this:

END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR [INSERT PRODUCT NAME] IMPORTANT PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THIS PROGRAM INSTALL: [INSERT COMPANY NAME's ] End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and [INSERT COMPANY NAME]. for the [INSERT COMPANY NAME] software product(s) identified above...

Even those who are determined to adhere to all software piracy laws rarely read all that text. So when time comes to install the same program on a laptop or a new computer, that person will have to 1) make an "educated" guess about whether or not it's legal to install it a second time (some software will be locked from doing this), 2) re-read the EULA to see if they're allowed to do so, or 3) totally not give it a second thought and install the software.

I fall into the second category. I rarely read the EULA before installing a program.

This can actually be dangerous, because I really have no idea about the intricacies of the agreement to which I'm committing.

This means I could be hit with a toolbar installed in Internet Explorer, a third party tracking my keystrokes, etc. (though this sort of thing typically only happens with less than aboveboard software).

Parallel time: do you think that before a person takes the big step to follow Christ, he or she should be made more aware of the EULA -- some of the specific things that are actually being committed to? I don't think that believers are diligent in making most of the EULA known to new converts. Now, if we tried to teach every single spiritual truth or insight to every person before they make this decision, they probably wouldn't get it (the Holy Spirit reveals things in time, and without that I believe we're dealing with a 1 Corinthians 1:18 thing), or we'd mess it up by interjecting our own understanding, or we'd simply never get done.

From all evidence in Scripture, our relationship with Christ is more about the journey (in this life, anyway) than it is about the destination (I'm speaking of our daily goals, things we want to accomplish, etc. rather than heaven). It's during the process of life that God refines us, teaches us, and draws us to Himself. (See Romans 8:28)

But don't you think it would be good to let people know that they're committing everything about themselves to this new life? That they must intentionally lose their identity in order to find it in Christ? "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 517, NLT)

If we look at the way we usually present this commitment, we make people think that it's pretty easy to follow Christ. Honestly, it often isn't. I can't help thinking that this is why so many believers struggle to even take baby steps and wind up staying in the spiritual nursery for most of their lives. If we're actually witnesses -- people who tell others what they've seen, heard, and experienced ourselves -- I believe that the hardships of life will be a natural part of what we'll tell. The problem is, not enough of us are living, vocal witnesses, and when we are we tend to avoid things that might sound messy. The great thing is that each hardship has the result of bringing us closer to our Creator.

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Chopping Down the Whole Tree

Are you waiting on something to happen before getting "really serious" about following Christ? You may find this passage interesting. I don't recall having ever heard it in a sermon, possibly because it would take some 'splaining on doctrine:

About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’

“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
- Luke 13:1-9 (NLT)

This passage makes me think of a couple of others:

(Jesus, speaking to a crowd of people...)
A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
- Matthew 7:18-19 (NLT)

(Jesus speaking to the church at Laodecia...)
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!"
- Revelation 3:15-16 (NLT)

I'm not arguing that one can or can't lose his salvation. The point I'm trying to bring out here is that our relationship with Christ had better be marked by genuine repentance, and it should be making a visible difference in our lives (and by extension, in the lives of other people) -- our love for God should be producing good works.

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Do Good to Those Who... are apathetic?

Funny thing... I've found that I don't seem to have nearly as much trouble relying on God, listening to Him, and obeying Him in times of extreme circumstances as I do when things are middle-of-the-road. Is that just me, or is it something you've noticed in yourself?

Jesus said, "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you." When someone hates me, that's a pretty easy thing to identify, and therefore an immediate red flag pops up with the associated message, "Love this person and do good to them." Following that directive may not always be as easy as identifying it, but it's immediately on my mind.

Likewise, when something extremely good has happened or I'm in a worship service where the Spirit is at work, it's incredibly easy to focus on God and want to talk to Him and thank Him for everything.

But what about the medium things? Situations and people that insult our sense of pride but wouldn't go as deep as letting us put someone in the "enemy" category?

(I'm going to identify a couple of dining establishments here. Is it taboo to name them in writing? Hope not...)

My family went to McDonald's over the weekend and it was obvious when I ordered that I was simply a bother to the crew there. ("Customers? Bah! Who needs 'em?!") We went to the "convenient" drive-through and I had to go inside twice to assist them in getting our order correct. We ate at PF Chang's yesterday after my son had a minor medical procedure (the restaurant was his choice of cuisine as a sort of reward for vigilance) and we had a similar experience. I felt rotten after we left the place for not having asked our waitress if everything was okay and asking to pray with her. Apparently we were there for her convenience, and it showed.

These people weren't my enemies; they were apathetic. That's almost worse. Think about it; when someone is apathetic toward you, it says that you're so low and inconsequential that you don't really even register on their radar screen.

In those sorts of situations I find it oddly difficult to think like a genuine Christ-follower. I can probably act like it, but if it's not coming from a pure and authentic heart, I've got serious unresolved issues.

"You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!" - Jesus, in Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT)

(Special thanks to Jan Owen and a few other great bloggers.)

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Over-Thinking Sneeze Blessings

It's possible that I think too much. It's all part of the goal of being genuine, meaning what I say, etc. And most of you will probably think I'm mental.

A while back I stopped saying, "Bless you," after hearing someone sneeze. I did this because it originated as a pretty stupid idea. I don't think I've ever said, "Ghesundheit!" in that context because it doesn't sound very English and I had no idea what it meant.

StraightDope.com has this note on the origin of "Bless you" (which is what I'd known about the origin, though it seems it verifiably originated during the days of the Black Plague): "According to Man, Myth, and Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown, many cultures, even some in Europe, believe that sneezing expels the soul--the 'breath of life'--from the body."

It's the one I'm most familiar with, and that's why I decided to stop after years and years of dishing out token blessings. It's just dumb.

But I think I may be considered rude when I'm silent post-sneeze, so I've been trying to figure out what to do.

One action would be to go ahead and say "Ghesundheit," but until this morning I'd never bothered to learn what it meant. Random House's Word of the Day site explains it: "'Gesundheit' literally means 'health'. It comes from German--no, not Yiddish--and is formed from gesund 'healthy'."

I think that I may just go with modern English and start saying, "Health!" after someone sneezes so that I can be edgy and relevant. I'm not sure, though. Any suggestions that will help me remain civil and say something encouraging while remaining true to my deep convictions in this area?

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Guest Post - Do You See What I See?

This is a second (rather than a first). Hopefully it won't be the last. Frequent commenter Leroy is today's Guest Blogger; a position previously only held by Bill Fowler. I'd like to hear from you if you're interested in being a contributor. Just send me an e-mail and we'll get the ball rolling.

And now, on to the crunchy goodness of Leroy's post!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
- James 1:22-25, NKJV

One of the requirements over my career has been travel. I've traveled to several parts of the U.S. and the world and I still get the opportunity. As I've grown in my faith, I've become more and more aware of who I am and how I want others to perceive me. I am a Christian, a Christ-follower if you prefer, a Jesus-freak I dare say. It's easy for me to be a Christian when I'm at home because I have my typical routine that involves my immediate family and my Church family (to include some friends at work). Instant accountability wherever I go!

But what about when I'm gone; would people still see me as a Christian? On occasion my trips take me somewhere I've never been and I end up surrounded by people I've never seen. Do these people see the same thing my family sees when I'm home in my comfort zone? I think so. Does it even matter what these strangers see? Absolutely. The Word calls us to live the Christian life accordingly, not just say it. If we don't walk our talk, we deceive the people around us, including ourselves.

You may not travel much, if any, but you still end up in strange places surrounded by strangers. Places like the grocery store, the movie theater, and the restaurant. It could even be a non-strange place surrounded by non-strangers such as our church fellowships. Regardless of your situation or the places you end up, do others recognize you as who you say you are?

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Mountains out of Mushroom 'N' Swiss

Go with me on this one. It's a small situation that I'm absolutely certain you've personally encountered before. However, I'm really picking it apart here, and I want to tell you how I dealt with it, and to get your insights and opinions. I'm taking a small situation and expanding it like crazy. A mountain out of a molehill, maybe.

On my way back from last Friday's out-of-town trip, I stopped in at Hardee's around noon to get a Mushroom 'N' Swiss Thickburger. Those things are phenomenal!

A group of guys who'd apparently just gotten through with the first half of a manual labor day went in just ahead of me and ordered their food. I stood and waited as the girl who took their order went about preparing it, taking drive-through orders on her headset, etc. I noticed a manager-type busily cooking in the back, looking very motivated.

I waited for several minutes as the first girl called the three individual meal numbers for the guys in front of me, gave them their food, didn't acknowledge me, and walked back to the kitchen to keep doing other things. She was busy, for sure. I made eye contact somewhere along in here with a girl who was cooking alongside the manager (who never looked at the cash register counter and therefore never made eye contact with me).

A minute later a gentleman walked up to the counter next to me (rather than in line behind me), leaned on the counter, and began making good-natured small talk with another girl who appeared from around the corner. He was apparently a regular. They exchanged pleasantries for a moment or two, and then she took his order.

Of course I was surprised and initially pretty indignant. Rather than reacting the way that I wanted to react, I decided I would wait to see if this new girl (who had no idea who was in line first) would acknowledge me. She never did. Never looked up.

Now, obviously, this is pretty poor service. However, I wanted to make sure I was reacting internally and externally just exactly the way Jesus would react if He'd gone to order a Hardee's Mushroom 'N' Swiss Thickburger and found Himself in this situation. Here are some things that I thought about (there were more, but these stuck out):

• The crew didn't know me from Adam. Therefore I could assume that there was no reason they would be intentionally ignoring me.
• I wasn't really in a hurry, but what if I had been? They didn't seem to care.
• I wasn't terribly hungry, but I had better things to do than stand there.
• I was upset. Why?
• How should I react based upon the answer to the "Why am I upset?" question?

The last two questions are where I think we as Christ-followers regularly get ourselves into a non-Christlike mode. We skip over that one.

Why was I so upset? Here are my honest answers:

• I felt like I had been personally insulted. This means I feel like I was entitled to be treated fairly but wasn't. The place is a business -- I'm giving them my money in trade for their product, and their stated goal is to treat the customer well.
• I felt like I had been outwardly insulted. This means that the people who'd just gotten their food saw the situation and thought, "They waited on that dude before this guy who's been standing here forever."
• I felt like the guy who came in after me was a jerk. He saw me standing there waiting for someone to appear, yet horned in and started ordering without consideration.
• I felt like the people behind the counter were incompetent. This means that I felt like I would have done a better job than they'd done. I mean, any competent person would have, right?

Which one of those most represents how Jesus Christ would have felt? I decided after just a moment that not one of them was Christ-like. So how should I proceed?

I decided to let the gentleman behind me order his food rather than interrupting the cashier and politely saying, "Excuse me. I was here first." Would this have taught the crew a lesson? Possibly. In the next similar situation they might be more careful about how they treat the customer. But would that have been my motivation -- to just help the staff? Not likely. I was annoyed. And since the manager was there, although he'd just messed up, he'd likely take out frustration on the staff, while he was actually a participant in the problem.

I also decided to swallow my ego about the guys who'd ordered ahead of me, although I imagined they were thinking, "What a wimp. That guy just let the other guy cut in line."

Now, if any of you has made it this far, I fully anticipate that you'll tell me that I contributed to the delinquency of a Hardee's by not saying anything, but for me, in my case, God used it to teach me a bit of patience and to teach me about my thought processes and reactions. Is it really true that I do my best to live as Jesus would have lived? Or do I just modify my Christianity to fit my reactions, casting it off when I feel it's necessary or convenient?

I hate to admit that I eventually left without ordering and instead hit a Pizza Inn further on up the road. However, I didn't leave in disgust. I just wanted to go somewhere I'd get my food promptly.

In your responses, I'm primarily interested in knowing why the things that you'd have done actually have a basis in Scripture, in life representing Christ, and in the daily transformation of your mind to be more like that of Christ. For me it was a would-be mundane experience that wound up being very eye-opening.

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Letting Our Hair Down

Not too long ago, a friend e-mailed me that she'd seen a church's sign that said something like, "A child of the King should bear some family resemblance." She followed with some general questions about what that could and should mean.

If someone doesn't know you at all but sees you in the produce section of the grocery store, for instance, is there anything that should tell them you're a Christ-follower? I think that this concept is what inspires Christian clothing, jewelry, etc. (and can often become a substitute for living out the things that we say we believe).

Of course, there are things that could tell someone at a glance you're not a Christ-follower. Screaming at someone (no matter how justified you feel it is), arguing, swearing, rolling your eyes at an inefficient store employee, and outward things like that. This list can be huge.

But that wasn't the question. Is there anything that can tell someone at a glance that you are a for-real Christ-follower? Or is the showing of our allegiance and devotion to Christ best done in inter-personal relationships? If so (and that's what I'd say is most often the case), how are your inter-personal relationships coming? Are your interactions with friends showing them that you're quite serious about what you believe and that you love God with everything you've got, or are those the relationships where you're able to let your proverbial hair down and vent about things that annoy you?

Isn't it funny like that? If we identify someone as a "fellow Christian," we're more apt to think that they'll understand the things about us that aren't Christ-like... that they'll understand why the pastor annoys us with those silly illustrations, why it's so dumb to sing a repetitive song in church, or why it's unbelievable that the heat isn't working in the Sunday School classroom (I mean, we pay tithes for stuff like this, darn it!).

That kind of thinking and action (the action of sharing it with someone) nourishes and more fully develops a non-Christ-like attitude. Crazy. And not allowed for a Christ-follower.

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples." - Jesus, in John 13:35 (NLT)

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Playing with the Band

One particular genre of music features guitarists who often play ahead of the beat. That is, they jump slightly ahead of the drums and bass. One of the reasons this can happen is that guitarists can be... ah... self-absorbed. It's pretty well-known that hard rock, grunge, metal, (etc.) guitar players obsess about their guitar sound and playing technique. When they participate in a band setting, it's sometimes no different. To them, everything is about their guitar sound and the monster licks they play.

These guys often don't listen to the band as a whole -- just themselves, expecting the band to play around them -- and therefore you'll sometimes hear a guitar part that stays just ahead of the drums, when ideally (according to most), the bass and drums will "drive" things rather than the guitar. It's most pleasing to the ear when the individual instruments play in perfect sync (sometimes even when the guitar is ever so slightly behind the beat).

This is such an obvious illustration that it's almost not worth telling you the upshot. If you don't see how it applies to what we do in concert with other Christ-followers, I can post the moral.

Okay, okay... Here you go:

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose." (Philippians 2:1-2, NLT)

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Treat This Like It's Mine!

You know the old saying, "Treat that [thing that you're borrowing] as if it were your own"? I'm sure some of you have adopted the slightly different version, as I have, when loaning your stuff to someone: "Treat that thing as if it were someone else's." A lot of people just don't take good care of their things, and if I'm loaning, say, an expensive guitar to someone, by golly, I want them to treat it better than they'd treat their own expensive guitar.

That's what I was reminded of as I read through a little more of Francis Chan's book Crazy Love last night.

I've typically approached life with the mindset that I'm essentially being Jesus Christ to people with whom I come in contact (link goes to an older post called "How Do I Look?"). The Bible says we're the body of Christ, and it's upon that that I base this mindset. However, when I read one particular sentence, I raised my eyebrows and thought, "Hmmm," in spite of the fact that Jesus said that when you help the poor or feed the hungry, you're doing that to Him. Not sure why, but I never thought of it quite this way:

My suggestion as you think, make decisions, and discern how God would have you live is to ask yourself, "Is this the most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbor and my God by living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I talk?" I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come in contact with is Christ. [emphasis mine]

If, as the Word says, we're to esteem others more highly than ourselves and to love our neighbor as ourselves, this is a great point. Preston commented yesterday that speaking about hell is probably one of the most loving things we can do for a person, and I agree, so don't necessarily think that I'm recommending we start doing the Precious Moments warm 'n' fuzzy thing with everyone all the time (although that's going to apply sometimes).

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Surrendering to a Sacrificial Life

I think some friends (and maybe relatives) are getting the impression that I'm going off the deep end, but God has really been shaping my thoughts and focus (or foci) lately in a way that's different from what I've ever allowed Him to do. And the deep end, therefore, is a nice place to go off of. Safe-feeling? Not really. But if God's there, that's where I want to be.

A question I've been asking myself lately (and one that I want you to ask yourself if you're a Christ-follower) is this: "What am I personally, actively doing that is evidence that my love for Jesus Christ is more than a passive thought?" I have to be honest with you: I've not been too happy with the answer I had. For all the things that I do from day to day as a Christ-follower, husband, dad, and worship pastor, I don't know if I could totally say that I've actively been living a James 1:22 kind of life and presenting myself to God as a living sacrifice -- laying down comforts to intentionally embrace what is usually discomfort for the sake of Jesus Christ.

1 John 3:17-19 (NLT) says this: "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God."

Your "mission field" is likely to be different from mine, but I guarantee you that it's out there -- today. Could be right in front of you, but it might be way, way out of your comfort zone. And you know what? It could be terrifying.

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Mail Goggles

I saw this at FoxNews.com and had to pass it along, though I'm not sure why. It's likely that most regular readers of this blog will probably not need this creative new feature of Gmail: Mail Goggles.

"When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you're really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you're in the right state of mind?"


I'd love to know what the geniuses at Google can come up with to keep me from sending hurtful or offensive e-mails in the middle of the day. You know... the ones that you read and re-read eleventy-hundred times, are satisfied, and then send them, and realize a few seconds later that you said something that you're pretty sure will be taken as offensive?

Nah, I've never sent one of those...

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Conspiracy!

I think it's funny how your sunglasses can fall neatly and effortlessly in between the front seat and console of your car, but extracting them is a tedious and aggravating process. It usually results in a stem being broken off or a scratch winding up right where your eye most needs a clear line of sight.

This is the kind of thing that makes me believe in the lesser-known properties of quantum physics and the spontaneous transfer of matter. Parts of the sunglasses, I believe, briefly morph into a different shape, allowing them to fall down where they normally couldn't, reassembling themselves when they're sure they're just out of reach of your fingertips, usually near the piece of sharp metal that's installed under your seat.

Which reminds me: car manufacturers routinely install razor blades in the dark areas underneath the seats of every automobile. Not sure why they do that, but I'm sure they do.

And why does my phone always want to make the word "naotiat" when I try to type "Baptist"?

Conspiracy, I tell ya'...

Do you ever think that someone does things just to get on your nerves? that they plan their day out so that they're a problem for everyone? I suppose that may be true sometimes, but we really have to leap to a lot of conclusions to think that in many cases.

I've had slight trouble lately, it seems, putting Philippians 2:3, one of my favorite blogging verses, into action. I wonder if you do, too.

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Catching Someone's "Stupid"?

In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Squirrel Jokes (see the whole espisode compressed into 5:42 right here on YouTube), our hero Spongebob has a stand-up comedy routine in which he makes fun of his friend Sandy the Squirrel ("Squirrels are so stupid that..."). After this sentiment has worked its way into the undersea community, we see a mom telling her little fish son in the grocery store regarding Sandy, "Don't get to close to it -- you'll catch its stupid!"

There's our (arguably) culturally-relevant intro. Now the meat of the post...

God, speaking to Israel through his prophet Isaiah, had these words to say to those who were not seeking Him:

Yet they say to each other,
    "Don’t come too close or you will defile me!
I am holier than you!"
    These people are a stench in my nostrils,
    an acrid smell that never goes away.
- Isaiah 65:5 (NLT)

Hey, hey! I think that I may have seen this from time to time in the modern-day church!

In your opinion, how far should one go to get "in the world but not of the world"? Waiting for them to come to a church service? Handing out tracts?

How far is too far? Going to a nightclub? Eating with unbelievers?

In the New Testament, it isn't the unbelieving sinner with whom we're instructed not to associate. It's the one who claims to be a believer but lives in sin. Paul had this to say to the Church in Corinth:

"When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

"It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, 'You must remove the evil person from among you.'"
- 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NLT)

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Preaching to the Choir

I had an interesting e-mail conversation with a friend yesterday. I'm going to miss some things in this post for the sake of brevity, I'm sure, but here are my thoughts...

I think that it makes us feel pretty good about ourselves when we talk about Jesus to other Christ-followers. After thinking about the comments below, I believe this kind of thing is one area that might make a lukewarm Christian feel like they've got enough God (thanks to Francis Chan for this phrase) for now -- good religious talk. It gives off just enough "heat" to make someone think that they're "on fire." Here's what my friend said in his e-mail (I asked for permission to share it -- no worries that I'll broadcast your personal e-mails):

"I see so many Christians sharing with those who are already Christians, and I think are they trying to convince the other person that they are also a Christian. Most church-going Christians I speak of are afraid to share with others about why they love their church and why God is important to them. Instead they leave God's work up to the few that are willing to share with anyone who is willing to listen."

This isn't just about sharing why we love our Church fellowship as much as it is about telling people why we love Jesus Christ. I'm afraid that most of us are woefully lacking both in directly speaking to people about repentance and salvation, and in showing grace and love to people through our actions.

Why is that? Are we too scared? Do we think we don't know enough to answer the tough questions? Or do we just have enough God right now, thankyouverymuch, and this would make us too uncomfortable?

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Rethinking Ways of Giving and Loving...

Do you ever get the feeling that sitting in a reasonably comfortable seat or pew at a church service and putting money into an offering plate might actually encourage people to be lazy in how they give? The Cooperative Program has been a literal Godsend to missionaries across the world, and there are numerous charitable organizations to which church fellowships of many denominations give liberally. A side-effect or our typical method of giving (impacting the giving individuals), I'm afraid, may be that the average churchgoer doesn't see the need to get "into the trenches," either in personal giving or in physical effort.

Yesterday a group of people, primarily teens but a few adults, went to a nearby gas station and gave away gas to people as long as money was available. It was a nice little chunk of change, but as I understand it, it went quickly, as you might imagine.

The group's purpose? To show that they care about people and that they want to give freely. They didn't specifically invite people to their church fellowship unless the conversation went that way itself, but most of them were wearing shirts that said "Be the Church." This was to discourage the idea that the group might be essentially bribing people to go to their church fellowship.

I can think of several arguments as to why this might appear to be a token gesture or why it's a generally silly thing to do. However, efforts like this are some of the "crazy" things that I believe aren't such wild ideas for Christ-followers. The churched crowd in America, as a whole, is ridiculously well-off financially (pulling from my current read, Francis Chan's "Crazy Love," 53% of the world's population earns $2 or less per day). As Jesus directly said, this makes it as difficult for them -- rich people -- to enter the kingdom of Heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. That's "impossible," but it happened with Zacchaeus -- things that are impossible with man are possible with God.

Got any ideas of tangible ways that we as Christ-followers -- the Church -- can visibly show that we love one another and that we love people around us who are not Christ-followers? Not necessarily just "new" ideas, but ways that you or your church fellowship are actively doing this...?

Bear in mind that first, we have to love people; then we can genuinely show it. Otherwise it's going to be a hollow, gratutious gesture. Jesus didn't say that the world would know that His disciples are, indeed, His disciples by how many people they witness to or how well they propagate disciples (although that was also His command); Jesus said that the world would know this by how much we love one another. We've got to get it straight within the Church before we can get it straight outside.

Addendum: For the sake of clarity, I am not encouraging anyone to begin to give less, or to discontinue giving (either in money or commitment), through their local church. Don't think that I needed to say that, but thought I'd better.

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Take This Job...

Frustrated with your job at the workplace or in the home? Fed up with people who make your best efforts look bad because they drop the ball or do something you consider to be really dumb? Feel like everyone is completely ungrateful for all the things you do behind the scenes? (What can make that worse is that the things you do really aren't "behind the scenes," but apparently no one pays attention even if the things you do are in plain sight.)

Swallowing your pride is a very tough thing to do. In most situations, I've found that pride is the beast that keeps my contention level high. I want to get frustrated and stay that way, and maybe it's perfectionism rearing its head, but I don't want my efforts to result in less than I know they could have.

I don't believe we're ever supposed to be content with second best, but I've found these verses to be a great help in changing my attitude:

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Colossians 3:22-23, NLT)

If this Christ-like attitude applied to slaves, how much more does it apply to those of us who are being reimbursed for our services? Verse 23 has always hit me hard: "Work... as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Ow.

We're likely to think (maybe justifiably so), "But God wouldn't make me go back and have to redo the same spreadsheet I did last week!" or, "God wouldn't dirty up every single towel in the house in just one day!"

What's the solution, then? I think the beginnings can be found only a few short verses earlier: "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17, NLT) Just as we can't expect to snap our fingers and become mature Christ-followers overnight -- we are being transformed daily by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) -- we're not going to be able to correct what we see as the faults of others overnight.

We have two basic choices here: we can represent Jesus Christ to them, or we can not represent Jesus Christ to them.

ADDENDUM: Read Psalm 4 for another perspective on this type of situation:

Answer me when I call to you,
   O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
   Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people ruin my reputation?
   How long will you make groundless accusations?
   How long will you continue your lies?
      Interlude

You can be sure of this:
   The Lord set apart the godly for himself.
   The Lord will answer when I call to him.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
   Think about it overnight and remain silent.
      Interlude

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
   and trust the Lord.

Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”
   Let your face smile on us, Lord.
You have given me greater joy
   than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
   for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

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Why Twitter is Useful

I suppose that there are think-tanks where people just sit around asking themselves, "Okay, what's the latest cultural trend that we can take advantage of?" In one round of these high-level cerebral discussions, someone probably responded, "Social networking! You know, these 'Facebook' and 'MySpace' thingies that all the kids are talking about!" And so was born Twitter.

I guess.

The whole concept of Twitter, the first time you hear it (and maybe a lot of times afterward) seems kind of dumb, honestly. It's based upon the question, "What are you doing?" Twitter allows you (after creating a user name) to go to a website or send a text message and broadcast to the world a sentence or two about what it is that you're doing at the moment. For real. That sounds goofy to me. But watch... I'm about to do it via SMS (text message). Here goes.

There. It said, "Typing what is probably the 4,652,817th blog post about Twitter." And I just saw that Jan Owen is "running a few errands - but [she'd] rather stay on the couch!"

The point of it all? I wasn't really sure until I sat down and made a short list. Here are some of the folks who may find Twitter to be a beneficial addition to their daily list of stuff to do:

• People who are really, really bored
• People who feel the need to establish their reputations as super-pious Christians ("Reading 2 Hezekiah 13:42 right now, and boy, is this good stuff!" or "Praying for [insert anything here]" repeatedly)
• Disaffected college students (hat-tip to Despair.com)
• People who are driven to utilize the latest technological gadgetry whether it's really useful or not

Honestly, I think that it's useful for personal accountability for the Christ-follower who sometimes needs to ask himself the question, "What are you doing?!?!" I mean, would you want everyone to know what you were really doing at any given time? Would your Twitter update ever say anything like "Wishing I could throw something at that guy"? or maybe "Yelling at my daughter out of anger"?

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17, NLT)

"Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." (1 Peter 4:11, NLT)

I've added a little Twitter button on the right side of the page, in case you'd like to follow my updates.

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