"Every day in Tennessee an average of 40 unborn children lose their lives to legal abortion."
Sadly, I believe the church shares in some of the responsibility for these all-too-common murders. We sit by and plead ignorance or knowingly keep it in the realm of out-of-sight-out-of mind. We do nothing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves...to be the voice of those who have no voices...
Last night, around 25 Elevate students headed over to the Crisis Pregnancy Resource Center/Tennessee Right to Life to do whatever we could to engage this battle. We swept, washed windows, cleaned refrigerators, vacuumed carpets, dusted shelves, weeded gardens, and more. We served wherever we could. And it was great! It felt...purposeful. Our group was not just doing church... We were being church.
I could not be more proud of our group. They understand that fighting the battle is not always done in the glory of the spotlight. Many times it is in the humility of cleaning a toilet bowl. But that is reality... that is the fight... that brings the victory... and most importantly, God is glorified.
Praise God for a group of young people who are engaging the battle!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Ancient Future 09 Camp
What words can describe what happened this past week? So instead of writing a 10 page report on it - which still would not do it justice - I will write a few key phrases to summarize:
- WRECKLESS ABANDON
- UNITY
- POWER
- HUNGER
- FREEDOM
- LIFE TRANSFORMATION
We have a group who is HUNGRY for more of God... I look forward to seeing where this hunger leads...
We have been at the gas station... We are full... Now it's time to unleash...
- WRECKLESS ABANDON
- UNITY
- POWER
- HUNGER
- FREEDOM
- LIFE TRANSFORMATION
We have a group who is HUNGRY for more of God... I look forward to seeing where this hunger leads...
We have been at the gas station... We are full... Now it's time to unleash...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Soft Knees
I have often wondered why there seems to be a power void in much of the American church... I hear and read stories from, what I would consider, very reliable sources - stories of crushed bones being restored, miraculous escapes from prison, amazing visions and experiences, supernatural provision that boggles the mind, etc. - and yet I am left with the haunting question..."why don't I see it?"
I guess I could be one of those that just fake it through life - to teach and preach these things but never really see them...but I don't want to do that. In fact, that is not faith. That is a lie and God is not in it. I want the real deal or nothing at all...
I've been spending the last few years thinking about this issue and trying to figure out what the difference is between myself and them. Why is God honoring them and not me? The answer I have come to was/is shocking...at least for me...
Prayer...
That's the one thing that's different. All of these people who are operating on a level unfamiliar to me have that one thing in common. They pray. And I don't just mean they spend 15 minutes in prayer in a day and think they've done something. I'm talking all night prayer vigils... I'm talking hours and hours in direct communion with the Divine... I'm talking sacrifice...giving stuff up...pain...uncomfortableness...selfless intercession for self and others...calloused knees...
Our brothers and sisters in Africa and China are calling the US the "Dark Continent." They are actually sending missionaries over here!!! There thought is that the American church has become too bent on comfort. O how I would love to disagree...and yet I won't spend the time on my knees with Him because I need my 6-7 hours of sleep...or I need my fix of entertainment...
It could not be more true for me. And then I ask why God is not jumping at my every word...
As my dear friend, Austin Cagle, told me: it's not about having the power to move a mountain. It's about being so intimate with Christ...to have such a relationship with Him...that His will has become your will and He honors every word you say. It's relationship.
A prayer by St. John Climacus:
My God, I pretend to nothing upon this earth, except to be so firmly united to You by prayer that to be separated from you may be impossible; let others desire riches and glory; for my part, I desire but one thing, and that is, to be inseparably united to you, and to place in you alone all my hopes of happiness and repose.
I guess I could be one of those that just fake it through life - to teach and preach these things but never really see them...but I don't want to do that. In fact, that is not faith. That is a lie and God is not in it. I want the real deal or nothing at all...
I've been spending the last few years thinking about this issue and trying to figure out what the difference is between myself and them. Why is God honoring them and not me? The answer I have come to was/is shocking...at least for me...
Prayer...
That's the one thing that's different. All of these people who are operating on a level unfamiliar to me have that one thing in common. They pray. And I don't just mean they spend 15 minutes in prayer in a day and think they've done something. I'm talking all night prayer vigils... I'm talking hours and hours in direct communion with the Divine... I'm talking sacrifice...giving stuff up...pain...uncomfortableness...selfless intercession for self and others...calloused knees...
Our brothers and sisters in Africa and China are calling the US the "Dark Continent." They are actually sending missionaries over here!!! There thought is that the American church has become too bent on comfort. O how I would love to disagree...and yet I won't spend the time on my knees with Him because I need my 6-7 hours of sleep...or I need my fix of entertainment...
It could not be more true for me. And then I ask why God is not jumping at my every word...
As my dear friend, Austin Cagle, told me: it's not about having the power to move a mountain. It's about being so intimate with Christ...to have such a relationship with Him...that His will has become your will and He honors every word you say. It's relationship.
A prayer by St. John Climacus:
My God, I pretend to nothing upon this earth, except to be so firmly united to You by prayer that to be separated from you may be impossible; let others desire riches and glory; for my part, I desire but one thing, and that is, to be inseparably united to you, and to place in you alone all my hopes of happiness and repose.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Do the Good People Go To Heaven?
"Does a good & noble person (like Ghandi, Oprah, or Buddha) get damned to hell because he or she isn't a Christian?"
Again, another great and pointed question...
First of all, we have to be careful when we use words like "good" and "noble." We tend to water those down quite a bit. For example, instant jello is "good" but it's not the same "good" as The CheeseCake Factory's classic strawberry cheesecake, is it?! And it's an even bigger distinction when talking about good in an ethical sense. Is someone who lies a good and noble person? What about someone who commits adultery? Or murder? Or steals? Or acts in selfishness? Absolutely not! And if we are honest, we all do those things...and on a relatively frequent basis.
So it is with Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, and everyone else who walks the earth. We cannot be classified as "good" people...
That leaves a big problem for us when trying to relate to a holy and perfect God.
Plus, He is a righteous judge. That means He has to judge fairly. So if a murderer walks before a judge and is found guilty, if the judge is just then the criminal has to be sentenced accordingly. If the judge fails to do this, he/she will probably be removed from their office!
And so it is with God. He is bound to judge us truthfully...as people who are not good because we have, and continue to, defy Him.
So what is our only hope?!
A judge is bound to give out a sentence that is fitting of the crime. And this is where Jesus comes in...! You see, we all deserve a strong punishment for our actions...there is no getting around this. But thankfully, we were condemned but (Jesus) offered to step in and take our place.
What that means is really simple: When the day of judgment comes (and it will), either we will pay our fine or someone else will have paid it for us (Jesus). Only 2 options. And it is the same for Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, you, and me. Those who CHOOSE to pay it themselves will do so...and those who have thrown themselves on the mercy of Christ will go free into eternal life...
How beautiful and easy is that?!!!!
Again, another great and pointed question...
First of all, we have to be careful when we use words like "good" and "noble." We tend to water those down quite a bit. For example, instant jello is "good" but it's not the same "good" as The CheeseCake Factory's classic strawberry cheesecake, is it?! And it's an even bigger distinction when talking about good in an ethical sense. Is someone who lies a good and noble person? What about someone who commits adultery? Or murder? Or steals? Or acts in selfishness? Absolutely not! And if we are honest, we all do those things...and on a relatively frequent basis.
So it is with Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, and everyone else who walks the earth. We cannot be classified as "good" people...
That leaves a big problem for us when trying to relate to a holy and perfect God.
Plus, He is a righteous judge. That means He has to judge fairly. So if a murderer walks before a judge and is found guilty, if the judge is just then the criminal has to be sentenced accordingly. If the judge fails to do this, he/she will probably be removed from their office!
And so it is with God. He is bound to judge us truthfully...as people who are not good because we have, and continue to, defy Him.
So what is our only hope?!
A judge is bound to give out a sentence that is fitting of the crime. And this is where Jesus comes in...! You see, we all deserve a strong punishment for our actions...there is no getting around this. But thankfully, we were condemned but (Jesus) offered to step in and take our place.
What that means is really simple: When the day of judgment comes (and it will), either we will pay our fine or someone else will have paid it for us (Jesus). Only 2 options. And it is the same for Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, you, and me. Those who CHOOSE to pay it themselves will do so...and those who have thrown themselves on the mercy of Christ will go free into eternal life...
How beautiful and easy is that?!!!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I'm Saved...Now What...?
This is a question I really wished more people wrestled with. I think way too many people think that salvation is the end. The goal is to get saved. Well, that's just wrong. Salvation is only the beginning! It is where real life starts. Consider this self-admittedly crass example:
A youth purchases a video game. In the video game his mission is to save the world from the evil aliens trying to take over. He spends many hours playing until finally he faces the final boss - the king of the aliens. He beats him and saves the planet. Order is restored and the credits begin to roll.
Here is the question: What did he really accomplish?
Right, absolutely nothing.
In reality, he did zero of consequence. But when he sets that controller down and walks away from the game system...that is when he gets back to reality. That is when he has the chance to really do something.
In the same way, life before Christ is doing little to nothing of true value because only that which is done in Christ will ultimately last. So life before Christ is like playing the video game. You do a lot of work... you may have a lot of fun... and you may save the world from aliens... but in reality, you will not have done much.
Putting the controller down...that is like bowing your knee to Christ, i.e. salvation. Life begins. You are now in reality...and in reality there is much to do. You begin to see that aliens aren't the problem, it is the forces of darkness that war against the things of God. It is a new battle...and more real...and more lasting than the one that was being fought pre-salvation.
In the Christian faith, we must never forget that we are at war. Not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual principalities and strongholds. This means that we are at all times seeking to dispel darkness. Any place where the lordship of Christ has not been enforced is where we are supposed to be. Again, not through physical force, as many in the Muslim world hold to, but through giving truth.
So, a Christian should never be bored. We have more battles than we have time for. Pornography, gangs, suicide, drugs, pre-marital sex, depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, broken families, homosexuality, and on and on... We have much to do!
When we get lulled into thinking there is no battle, the kingdom of darkness thrives. A false sense of peace is not peace, it is defeat. We are on a mission to extend the kingdom of Christ to all the earth. And it's only a matter of time...
So the real question is this: will you be a part of it or will you just watch it happen from the safety of the sidelines?
A youth purchases a video game. In the video game his mission is to save the world from the evil aliens trying to take over. He spends many hours playing until finally he faces the final boss - the king of the aliens. He beats him and saves the planet. Order is restored and the credits begin to roll.
Here is the question: What did he really accomplish?
Right, absolutely nothing.
In reality, he did zero of consequence. But when he sets that controller down and walks away from the game system...that is when he gets back to reality. That is when he has the chance to really do something.
In the same way, life before Christ is doing little to nothing of true value because only that which is done in Christ will ultimately last. So life before Christ is like playing the video game. You do a lot of work... you may have a lot of fun... and you may save the world from aliens... but in reality, you will not have done much.
Putting the controller down...that is like bowing your knee to Christ, i.e. salvation. Life begins. You are now in reality...and in reality there is much to do. You begin to see that aliens aren't the problem, it is the forces of darkness that war against the things of God. It is a new battle...and more real...and more lasting than the one that was being fought pre-salvation.
In the Christian faith, we must never forget that we are at war. Not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual principalities and strongholds. This means that we are at all times seeking to dispel darkness. Any place where the lordship of Christ has not been enforced is where we are supposed to be. Again, not through physical force, as many in the Muslim world hold to, but through giving truth.
So, a Christian should never be bored. We have more battles than we have time for. Pornography, gangs, suicide, drugs, pre-marital sex, depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, broken families, homosexuality, and on and on... We have much to do!
When we get lulled into thinking there is no battle, the kingdom of darkness thrives. A false sense of peace is not peace, it is defeat. We are on a mission to extend the kingdom of Christ to all the earth. And it's only a matter of time...
So the real question is this: will you be a part of it or will you just watch it happen from the safety of the sidelines?
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