Control Freak

"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

I can take a hint, God. This week my LIFE Group lesson was on Hebrews 11. If you've never read it, you should check it out. It's what they call the 'Hall of Faith.' It's a list of the great men and women of God who persevered in faith, trusting God even when they didn't know the outcome. Sometimes, it was after their death that the big picture finally came into clarity. This morning, I opened up my devotional reading, and it was Hebrews 11...again. And it was followed up by Hebrews 12:1-2. Again I read about the faith of these great people. Soaking that in, Hebrews 12:1 hit me. It's the only answer. Run the race (of life) with all we've got.

It has occurred to me that very little of my life is actually under my control. And, I've discovered that this bothers me, because I, like most of us, am a little bit of a control freak.  I cannot control my children (though I desperately try). I cannot control whether they grow to make wise decisions or choose trusted friends.  I cannot control if they pursue noble careers.  I'm a pastor, which is primarily about being in the people business, and I cannot control people. I cannot control whether or not people actually show up on Sundays.  I cannot control whether people serve or give.  I cannot control whether people grow in their faith.  I cannot control whether my wife's clothes are still in the closet when I wake up in the morning (they still are after almost 12 years!  But that's her choice).  I'm also a United Methodist pastor, which means I don't even control where I'll be appointed each year.  I cannot control what breaks when in my house or on my car.  In fact, the things I care about most, I can't control. The only thing I can control, it has become evident to me, is to be a person of faith -- to run the race with perseverance. Friend, that's all you control, too. That's what it means to have faith. Others have gone before you and done it. You can to. Run the race the best you can for Christ. It's the one thing you DO control.

People Change

In Spring of 1998 I got the chance to study abroad for a quarter at Oxford University in England.  One of the great things about being at Oxford was that the Oxford Student Union drew incredible guest speakers each week.  The Prime Minister of Israel came one week; Martina Navratilova came another.  One week, Ben Affleck came.  He was fairly new on the Hollywood scene with his buddy, Matt Damon.  He was dating Gwyneth Paltrow at the time, who came with him but didn't speak.  I went to hear Affleck, and from best I could tell, he was an idiot.  He was young and brash.  He spoke about political matters about which he knew very little.  He made over-arching economic and educational claims.  He blasted Hollywood even though it had afforded him his new found riches and fame.  The students there, Britain's elite, ate him alive.  They peppered him with hard hitting questions on his political views and economic claims.  He was flustered and clearly shaken.  I sat back and just watched, thinking that the tomatoes were coming out soon.

I recalled that scene as I listened to a grown Affleck accept the Oscar for Argo, which won best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday.  His acceptance speech was sincere, mature, and heartfelt.  He admitted that 15 years ago, he got up to accept the award for Good Will Hunting as a kid, not really knowing what he was doing.  He is wiser now.  It's clear...he's changed.

We are so tempted to assume about people what we see in them at their worst.  We think that they will never grow up and generally don't give people the benefit of the doubt.  Of course, this is especially true of those in the public eye.  Athletes, musicians and actors make one bad mistake, and it follows them around like a disease for the rest of their careers.  However, we do the same in everyday life. We assume that co-workers, friends, and family who disappoint us won't ever change or grow up.  We allow one mistake to shape our views of people and define who they are in our minds.  But we serve a God who welcomes change.  We are always invited to start over.  In fact, God says that we become a 'New Creation' in Christ.  You can change, and people around you can change, too.  Is it time you give someone a second chance?  Is it time you do some changing yourself.  You don't have to be what you've always been.  You don't have to be what your worst moment or year has tried to tell you that you are.  You can be all that God wants you to be any time you want.  People CAN change.

Godless

So, did you watch the Oscars last night?  I got through about half of it before my eyelids gave up the good fight.  It was interesting.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't really understand Hollywood.  I imagine that many directors and producers don't either.  It would seem the goal would be to create art that people want to see.  However, the biggest box office successes often don't win.  Often, I'm left wondering, "If that movie was so good, then how come nobody went to see it?"  The Academy seems like an arbitrary governing body who decides what quality is.  Indeed, it is very difficult to decide what a 'win' is in that field.  Is it winning an Oscar?  Is it selling movie tickets? 

However, the thing that is striking to me about the Oscars is that it is Godless.  I mean that to say that it is virtually void of faith, which reveals something about Hollywood.  Musicians and Athletes are a lot alike.  After great victories or winning a Grammy, you'll hear athletes and musicians invoke God.  Many believe this is superficial.  I don't.  Musicians have played before tens of thousands and heard an entire stadium sing their songs.  They have played a guitar riff and they're not sure how they made it sound so smooth.  It is spiritual.  Athletes make plays that are unbelievable, even to them.  They understand that they are gifted with a ball, bat, or club, and though they've spent countless hours honing their craft, they know that their talent came from somewhere they can't quite describe.  You saw the same kind of spirituality in the great artists from centuries past.  They painted and were profoundly connected to God.  They knew that the brush in their hands made sense, and they're not quite sure how or why.

This is not the case in Hollywood.  There is no mention of God at the Academy Awards.  In fact, it's almost taboo to mention Him.  It is almost as if there is a 'self made man' belief that permeates that culture.  I can tell you that I don't know the answers, but I know God wants to redeem it.  Nothing shapes culture like modern movie making.  The greatest mission field in America is in Hollywood.  We deeply need talented artist who are devoted followers of Jesus to share their gifts with the world and share their heart with Hollywood.  I'm sure there are some already there, but we need more.  We don't need more Christian movies or Christian movie companies.  We need more Christian actors, Christian directors and Christian producers who make great movies and build relationships in the film industry, displaying a kind of authentic faith that they may have not quite seen.  It is crucial if we are going to make a difference for Christ in our culture.

Real Love

"This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16


A lot of people don't know that Valentine's Day actually has Christian roots. It began as a celebration of St. Valentine, a persecuted priest named Valentinus in ancient Rome who married soldiers to their sweethearts in opposition to orders from the Emperor. He was jailed for his actions and tradition says that he sent a note to his beloved from prison and signed it: from your Valentine. And so, now we wear red and pink and eat lots of chocolate. Not sure, exactly, how we got there.

However, the church has always had a corner on the market when it comes to love, for God IS love. And we know what love is because it was personified in Jesus Christ. Love is laying down your life for others. For Christians, this means that we are called to lay down our lives for the world, because God has commanded us to love our neighbor. That means we are willing to do anything and make any sacrifice that they might know that they are loved and accepted by God. In marriage, this idea is taken to its fullest. This is what Christian marriage is supposed to look like. We are supposed to love our spouses by laying down our lives for them, every day, for a lifetime. That's what marriage is about. It's not about a wedding. It's not about roses on Valentine's Day or dinner on your anniversary. Marriage is about the daily denial of self for the someone you deeply love. Marriage is about emptying self to serve another for a lifetime.  On a day for lovers, I am very grateful for the woman that has poured her life out to love me for nearly 12 years. I don't deserve her, but I'm thankful for my sweet Emily's love. She has been an example of 1 John 3:16 every day. I hope I am to her. I hope that at the end of my days, one of my crowning achievements will be that I gave my life to another, that I made her happy, that I served her, and that I laid down my wants, needs and desires in devotion to hers.  May it be the same with you and yours.

What's that on your forehead?

I gotta be honest with you:  I'm not sure I get Ash Wednesday.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  I've been to some powerful Ash Wednesday services, even administered some.  I understand the purpose.  The ashes remind of us of our mortality.  They are a sign of our sinfulness and brokenness and need for forgiveness.  The day ushers in a season of penance, when we focus on denying self and looking inward as we consider Jesus' sacrifice and how He is calling us to sacrifice.  It's a beautiful thing.  It's just that, well, there's more -- at least there ought to be.

This morning I heard the guys on Atlanta Sports Radio even talking about Ash Wednesday.  It's cool the Church is getting a little secular publicity.  The host who practiced this ritual talked about a season to remember what is really important and what he was giving up for Lent.  I've given things up for Lent before.  It's a good thing to practice denial.  That denial usually leads to gluttony on Easter.  I'm not sure it meant what it was supposed to.

I think this is my biggest fear:  we have used the ritual to replace the reality.  It's 'cool' in church-world to walk around with a smudge on our forehead for a day as an example of our mortality and brokenness.  It's cool to give up something for 40 days.  It's cool to think about denying self until Easter.  Then we're done.  No more brokenness, no more denying, no more sacrifice.  It's routine.  It's ritual.  And I want more.

Following Christ is about constantly being aware of our brokenness and utter dependence on Him.  Christian witness is about our lifestyles setting us apart rather than a cross on our forehead, a cross around our neck or a cross on our T-shirt.  Discipleship is about embracing sacrifice and living a life of self-denial in pursuit of our truest self found at the cross.  And it doesn't last just 40 days.  And it's not a ritual.  It's a lifelong journey that becomes our reality.

And my rub with that is my fear of how our ritual is played out in the Church and to a non-believing world.  We invite Christians to come get the imposition of ashes and we return to our daily lives looking a little weird.  Now, weird is good.  Christians should be weird.  But we should be weird every day.  Our co-workers and teammates and neighbors don't need to see us looking a little odd one day in February as much as they need to see us acting a little odd every day by how we love, speak, respond and behave.  Our closest friends who don't know Jesus don't need to see us give up chocolate for 40 days as much as they need to see modern-day Peters who have given up everything to follow Christ for a lifetime.  The world doesn't need to see us broken for a day.  They need to see us broken and restored because of Him every day.  My concern is that it has become something akin to a Christian check-list instead of a step in faithfulness.  It can be both/and.  We can participate in Ash Wednesday AND follow the ritual of Lent AND live a lifestyle that exemplifies brokenness AND lifelong surrender, self-denial, and sacrifice. 

I just think this is a day when the non-Christians go, "Those Christians sure are different today."  My prayer is that they would say, "Those Christians are always different."  So, if we do the ritual, let's make sure we live the reality.  And if we didn't do the ritual, what's most important is that we live the reality.

Waiting Game

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." Acts 2:1

My devotional reading this morning took me to Acts 2. It's always been one of my favorite chapters. As a Church Planter, I'm fascinated by the stories in Acts, when the Church really took off. Acts 2 has Peter's first sermon, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and a prescription for what Christian communities are supposed to look like. But, as I was reading a little more about the story, something stuck out. Pentecost came 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. The Bible tells us that He walked around for 40 days before ascending into heaven. That means they waited about a week and a half for something big to happen. I'll bet that was a long 10 days.

Now, chances are, you've been waiting longer than 10 days for God to move in a situation in your life. However, what stuck out to me was that the believers were together, they were persevering, they were believing -- together. They kept the faith...and God moved. Waiting is part of faith. If God moved on our timeline, it wouldn't require much faith. Faith requires patience, diligence, and perseverance. The question is not, "Will God move?" The question is "Will we be in the right position when He does move?" Will we be ready? Will He find us gathered up in prayer, patiently and fervently waiting? Or, will we have wondered off to do our own thing? Will we have given up hope and miss out on what He wanted to do? I know you're waiting for something. Keep at it. Keep praying. Dig deep for patience. Trust Him and His timing. He wants to do something good in you and through you.