Tension

So many Christians seem obsessed with clearly defining and categorizing every aspect of God as if God were something small enough to fit into our own limited human capacity for understanding. Because of this obsession for explainable categories, we love to divide and define ourselves (Calvinist vs. Arminian, etc.). For me, I don't have a problem living in the tension between seemingly incompatible concepts, because I know that God is much bigger than my need for absolute clarity. Here are just a few of the most obvious "contradictions" in scripture that God doesn't seem to see as contradictions at all...

God is Three distinct beings (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and yet God is unmistakingly and inseparably One.

God is completley Sovereign over all things and yet man is completely responsible for his own actions and the consequences that our free will brings.

The Bible was written entirely by God and the Bible was written entirely by men.

God's gifts of Grace and Salvation are completely free, and yet they may cost you everything that you have.

I'm not trying to oversimplify these huge concepts; I'm simply want to encourage all of us to avoid wasting up all of our energy in the quest to completely understand things that we're incapable of fully comprehending until we get to the other side of eternity. Don't be afraid to live in the Tension. Life's too short to live anyplace else.

Man Boobs

This past Sunday at church, I gave a message about making peace with our past and it was very well received, but not exactly in the way that I had intended. I had planned for the message to be a catalyst to set people free from the sin and shame of their past and to find freedom in Christ, and while there was some of that, the one part of the message that connected with the most people and brought the biggest response is when I spoke openly about "Man Boobs". Apparently, many men in our church finally felt free to flaunt their furry breasts. It just goes to show that you never know what's going to stick with folks.

A Message from God

Today at church I spent a great deal of time talking with a remarkable man named Ron. He has travelled the world and accomplished much over the past six decades, and yet he maintains a quiet humility and a passion for helping others become all God created them to be. At the end of our conversation, he felt strongly that God had given him a short message to pass along to me. He said, “I don’t know what this means, but I feel strongly that God wants me to tell you to sharpen your drafting pencil. I’ll say that one more time, because I believe it’s very important...sharpen your drafting pencil.”

Now, this sort of thing never happens to me. God doesn’t give me specific messages to give to other people and He rarely delivers specific messages to me through other people, but this short, cryptic command was exactly what I needed to hear and I was left dumbfounded. What Ron didn’t know (he couldn’t have known) is that I’ve been fighting off promptings from my wife (and probably from God too) to begin a draft of a book that’s been on my mind for quite awhile. I’ve just lacked the words (and the motivation) to dive into the project. I believe today God used a great man of faith to erase my excuses and push me to take action and begin writing. I’m posting this publicly (in part) to keep me accountable to follow through on what God is prompting me to do. When you see me, feel free to ask me about my progress. I need all the help I can get to stay on track!

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day to give thanks for all God's goodness in our lives, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to record some often-forgotten blessings that I'm guilty of overlooking...

I'm thankful for dirty diapers, because I know that there are many people who would love the opportunity to change their baby's diaper, but for whatever reason, they're unable to have children.

I'm thankful for pain, because I know that there are many people who are physically paralyzed or emotionally numb who would give anything to feel any sensation (even pain) once more.

I'm thankful for financial struggles, because I know there are many poorer than me with more struggles and many richer than me with more complicated struggles.

I'm thankful for traffic, because it reminds me that I'm among the lucky 2% of the world's population who owns a car.

I'm thankful for taxes, because they remind me that I'm honored to be a part of the greatest, most generous nation in the history of the world.

I'm thankful for my love handles, because they remind me that my own physical self-image is so insignificant compared to the hunger endured by millions of people all over the world.

I'm thankful for rude people, because they give me an opportunity to extend the grace that God has constantly shown me.

I'm thankful for interruptions, because they remind me that life is so much bigger than my plans.

I'm thankful for my weakness, because it allows God's strength to shine more brightly through my life.

I'm thankful for Jesus. Because of His love, all other blessings are possible.

Gil's Story

This video from my buddy Gil Allensworth is powerful and true. I greatly admire Gil for his authenticity. Gil, Thanks for sharing your testimony and reminding all of us that in good times and bad times, knowing and loving Jesus is what it's all about. I'm blessed to call you a friend!

Did God pick Obama or did we?

I've been asked quite a bit lately about whether or not God chooses political leaders or if He leaves that up to us. Below is text from an email I sent last week to a friend at church who brought up a question like this...

You bring up a great question about God's control over the political process. When Obama visited Israel a few months ago, he wrote a prayer and put it in the cracks of the Wailing Wall as people have done for many centuries. Somebody actually plucked his prayer out of the wall and gave it to the media (which Rabbis condemned). His prayer was simply, "Lord, make me an instrument of your will." I have no doubt that God will answer that prayer one way or another.

What does the Bible say about all of this? As for specific passages that suggest God's sovereignty over those in political power, Jesus' encounter with Pilate is as good as any, but more than one passage or verse, it seems like the whole of Scripture points to this notion that God is sovereign over the affairs of men (including political powers). For example, God raised up a pagan pharoah and hardened his heart so that God's greatness could be shown. God allowed both righteous and unrighteous kings to rule over Israel. God promised David a royal lineage that would never be broken which showed God's power to choose kings for all generations. We see in Proverbs that "promotion comes from the Lord" and many other examples in both the Old and New Testaments that God has power over placing rulers in their roles.

The mystery in all of this is that there are also many passages which point to our free will and our personal responsibility to make decisions, to act justly, to fight for the oppressed, etc. Ultimately, I'm convinced that the epic debate to clearly define the balance between God's Sovereignty and our personal free will to set the course for our own lives and leaders is a mystery that we will never fully understand until we get to heaven. I am also confident that God is in control of the master plan and I'm certain that he wasn't (nor has He ever been) surprised by the results of the election. Right now, our focus should be on praying for our leaders and doing all we can to point this lost and broken world to Jesus Christ who is the only Savior capable of bringing the "Change" that we all so desperately need.

Healing

Last night at the Creek, we had a service focused on the Healing Power of God and the response was tremendous! I had the opportunity to pray with people who are plagued with guilit, broken-hearted over abuse and molestation that shattered their innocence as children, burdened by the addictions and diseases of family members and exhausted from the trials of day-to-day life.

There is so much pain in the world that it often feels overwhelming, but there is still more hope than pain. We serve a God who not only saves...He Heals! The Bible says that when the sick came to Jesus, "...all who touched him were healed". God, I pray that you would give your healing touch to all who are broken and hurting at our church and around the globe. Thank you that you are still a God who loves and heals.