Now that we’re past the formalities, we can move on. Everyone dies at some point in time. And because everyone dies at some point and time, grief will be experienced by every person on earth at some point or another; many will experience it numerous times in their lifetime. Grief never feels good. We can gather that from the very definition of grief. According to Webster grief is a deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement; a cause of such suffering. I’ve never met anyone just itching to run toward an experience like this. Why? Because it doesn’t feel good, it’s no fun and it’s deeply painful. It’s in the situations that cause us grief that we adopt feelings of helplessness, out of control, hopelessness, confusion, chaos, anger, denial and shock. Again, these aren’t feelings we’re comfortable sitting in for any amount of time. But the loss of a job, divorce, runaway teens, serious health issues, miscarriages, lost friendships and death all cause us to experience grief. Everyone has and/or will experience grief in his/her lifetime. It’s not a matter of “if,” but it’s a matter of “when?”

There is one grief, not a bunch of different kinds of grief. Just one grief. As grief is defined above, that’s exactly what it is and what it brings to your table. So, one grief. And the Bible makes clear that there are basically two ways a person can respond to grief. Now there may be many subcategories, but in it’s simplist  form, there are only two ways to deal with your grief. First you have the bad way. The bad way causes bad results, unhealthy results such as deep depression, hopelessness, inappropriate expressions of anger, isolation and the like. Then you have the good way. The good way causes good results, healthy results such as acceptance, forgiveness, healing, strength, community and hope. Neither process is fun or painless. Although this seems quite simple, many people choose the road of dealing with grief in a bad way, or shall I say an ungodly way.

This post won’t address the good and biblical method of dealing with grief (that’s for another time), but will address the two key mistakes people tend to make as they move through the process of grieving. So how do grieving people get off-track? How do they naturally meet grief and get into a cycle of grief, where they’re continually going through the stages of grief, but never completing the steps? They just go from one stage to the next in what seems like an endless cycle. Their grief becomes their life long after healing should’ve moved them forward. Sure, grief takes time, but we must make sure grieving is done in a healthy manner. Although there’s no time limit on grief, per se, there are clear signs when grieving becomes unhealthy. One of those signs is the person’s grief process becomes a cycle. These cycles are caused by avoidance of feelings. In other words, people avoid feeling the pain of loss. They begin to feel pain and they run to another activity or another relationship or another drink. They refuse to feel the full extent of their grief. They are afraid to move on. They are afraid they’ll feel guilty if they were to begin moving on, as if the person’s value (the person they lost) will decrease if they stop mourning. Remaining in these cycles will render one as helpless as a leaf in a river. You’ll go where grief takes you when what you really need is for God to take you and your grief to a place of closure and healing.

The other mistake is when people begin attempting to prolong their lives in unhealthy ways. They begin going to extremes when it comes to eating healthy, exercise, germs, avoiding social activities, rejecting new relationships/friendships, hoarding items and living poorly when they have the money to live comfortably. They are responding to their hurt with the perception that “No one is going to hurt me like this again. I can’t trust anyone or anything. I must protect myself from others and the world.” What people in essence are doing is they are living life as if this is all there is. They are so focused on preventing future pain and suffering (understandably so, but still unhealthy) that they exert all of their emotional, mental and spiritual energy in their attempt to preserve themselves. I’ve dealt with Christians who without question believe there is more than this world. They know there is an eternity and, in their case, an eternity spent with God. They know eternity is enormous compared to our time on earth. They know all of these things and adamantly deny living as though this is all there is. In fact, they get offended at the notion they perhaps are living this way. Although they know differently, their lifestyle and their actions scream, “this is all there is and I’ve got to preserve it!!!” This person is being controlled by their fear and thus is focusing on the here and now, as opposed to the now and later (eternal). Focusing strictly on the now and the later of earthly things requires a person to live for all he/she can find and receive in the world. Their methods cease being spiritual, but natural and with human logic. Trusting God becomes a faint memory. Trusting yourself becomes the new. Without an eternal perspective, a person can not find healing, comfort, peace, healing and closure in their grief. They will only find more grief, and more grief, and more grief. What this person needs is a trusting relationship with God and an eternal perspective. These produce trust and a peace and comfort only God can give. It also produces an attitude of victory, especially over life’s trials, even death.

If you have found yourself or someone you love in one of these two ruts, please find help from your local church or a Christian counselor. God intends you to heal, not to forget, but to heal, to be strengthened and to be at peace.

* Disclaimer: That was NOT a shot at people who wear hair pieces. I’m just stating the fact that the man who picked up the muffin was wearing one badly enough I noticed it. It was like he just threw it on like a redneck throws on his John Deer trucker hat. Now, moving along.

Why the long wait before the muffin was taken? Why was it left alone? It seemed to have been just wasting away unproductively in the oversized coffee cup before finally being used productively; in the way it was designed for in the first place.

Well, we may never know why the muffin in the oversized coffee cup was there for so long, left alone and spared from the garbage can at the last moment. But what we can know is that the muffin was meant to be eaten. Long before it was baked, the baker had its design in mind. He knew he was making a blueberry muffin. There was no confusion here. And he knew what the muffin was designed for, you know, its purpose; to be bought, eaten and enjoyed by someone. The baker had no idea if the muffin would actually be purchased, eaten and enjoyed, but the baker created the muffin to give someone the opportunity to be satisfied and sustained by its consumption.

You may have no idea why you feel alone right now. You may have no idea why you aren’t being used by God right now; at least not in the way you’d hoped. You may have no idea why you feel as though you’re close to expiring or giving up, you just know that you are. You definitely don’t know the future; no one does. But God, unlike the baker, not only had you in mind before He created you, but also knew you’d be used to satisfy, love and encourage others for His glory and for their benefit. He knew that you’d be purchased by Jesus Christ, Who paid for your sins so that you could have eternal life, beginning right now (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). Be paitent because God has a plan for your life, whether you are young or old. He knows who you are and He knows where you are and how long you’ll be there. Trust Him. You can because you know that you were already purchased and because you have been bought, you can be sure He will use you to His satisfaction, perhaps our greatest honor here on Earth. Be encouraged, be patient in the oversized coffee cup and keep the faith. You won’t expire before use.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”-Ephesians 2:10

I had tossed Holly hundreds of times in the air. I could do it blindfolded, I would joke. Don’t worry, I never did. But one day I tossed her high in the air as usual, but when she was coming down she tucked her arms in instead of spread out. I juggled her with my “sure” hands to no avail. I dropped her. I dropped my princess. She landed on the back of her head and got a concussion. I dropped the princess who saw me as her hero, her Daddy. I was someone she trusted with her life. For a good while she wouldn’t let me toss her. It broke my heart, not because I couldn’t toss her, but because of why I couldn’t toss her. I lost her trust. The man she once trusted with reckless abandonment, now was untrustable. Holly eventually allowed me to toss her again, but it was never the same. 

As humans we make mistakes, sometimes lifechanging mistakes, irrevocable and doing permanent damage. We sin and we sin badly. Is there any other way? I told you the story got ugly, but here’s the beautiful part. Although we fail one another because we are imperfect, God never fails us even though we are imperfect. His love and forgiveness isn’t dependent upon our trustworthiness or capabilities or abilities. His love and forgiveness remain and we must choose to be available to receive it. 

So the next time you fail or sin and the world seems to judge you or condemn you, remember that God is with you. He won’t leave you or fail you like you’ve failed others. He accepts you regardless of your mistakes and regardless of your sin. You can trust God unlike any human because He’s not human, He’s your perfect Father. Won’t you trust in Him now?

“but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 (ESV)

BINGO! It is only natural. What else should I expect from myself, something unnatural? Should I be global-minded in my perceptions? Or should I be more concerned with my immediate surroundings and issues that affect me in my circle of living? What good is it for me to worry about poverty and tragedy globally when I have enough problems of my own here? What good is it for me to be concerned over injustice when my input and concern will accomplish little to nothing? I can’t hardly manage my own life, much less take on a conviction for others in need or constantly being mindful of how other people have it worse. What’s that to me? Life is a life of survival; survival of the fittest. You know, the good die young and if you’re not cheat in’ you aint tryin’.” It’s a cut-throat world and if you aren’t cutting, you’re sporting a toe tag. So if I have to be self-centered and selfish to avoid a toe tag, so be it.

I’ve got to admit, a lot of that makes sense to me. I know, I know…that probably sounds terrible coming from a pastor, but I’m just being honest with you. I’m guessing that some of it made pretty good sense to you as well. Like I said, and this is what I want to focus on in this blog, the part that stuck out to me was the statement, “It is only natural.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s only natural that you and I live a “me” life; a life centered on our own well-being. It’s part of our wiring. It’s, well…it’s natural. The world around us, for the most part, seems to live this way. Get what you can get while you can get it seems to be the battle cry in our society. And again, to me it makes perfect sense if your personal perspective is primarily focused on the here and now, meaning the present and our limited future here on earth. This becomes a natural disaster. But notice what happens when you take your primary concerns of the present (a natural way of thinking) and place them side-by-side with your concerns of not only the present, but the eternal. 

How do I do that?  Easy. Just think about the moment you will close your eyes for the last time. Seriously. Think about it for a minute. Maybe you’re young, maybe you’re older. It doesn’t matter. Death doesn’t discriminate social classes, race or religion. You will face it, some day, some time…guaranteed. And when you do, the only thing that will matter will be whether or not you knew Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. In other words, whether or not you devoted your whole self to Him. Not a dime you earned will matter. A meal given to the homeless won’t help you. What you provided for your children won’t benefit you, nor how many Sundays you attended church or even further, how many mission trips you went on. And get this, no matter how many people you’d pointed to Jesus and prayed with will not matter. Only whether or not you had a personal relationship with Jesus will matter. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says this,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

When you look at life, all you say and all you do, with an eternal perspective, your perspective begins transforming from a natural perspective to a supernatural perspective. I say supernatural because this kind of perspective can not be home grown (or forced by your own will). It is only given and received as a result of a personal surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When one does this, the Holy Spirit of God enters and dwells within him/her and begins molding our mind, soul and spirit. Take a moment and read Romans 12:1-2.

This eternal perspective, this gift of God, is not simply to result in you shaving your head, sporting a robe, staying out of taverns, quitting smoking, spending five of the seven days of the week in church and memorizing the Bible. This eternal perspective is God’s gift to the family you live in, the community you live in and the world you are a part of, yes, globally. Eternal perspective gives you a perspective on life that enriches every area of it. When you begin to think eternally, God begins to reshape the way you think about your world, your country, your community, your church, your family, your home and even yourself. When you begin to think about meeting Jesus, not only the day you die but on a day-by-day basis, you begin to realize what really matters. You begin to realize that spending time with God daily and reading His Word daily matters. You begin to realize that treating others the way you’d like to be treated is what matters. And you begin to realize that what you take with you into eternity is the only thing you can’t afford to lose: your relationship with Jesus. I’ve never seen a UHAUL behind a hearse, but I’ve seen a bunch of people crying and fighting over what you earned and what they feel entitled to receive. When you place strong value on the things of this world, your relatives will too. But if you don’t value the things of this world because they aren’t eternal, but you place paramount importance and value on your relationship with Jesus, others will be eternally impacted your supernatural perspective because your life itself was supernatural, and not natural.

Does your perspective lie in the present and limited future here on earth or does your perspective reflect your eternal hope? How do I know? Good question. Look carefully at your life; look at everything you do on a daily and weekly basis. Across the top of a blank sheet of paper write each day of the week. Then below each day write your typical schedule for that day (the time and activity). Once you’re done take a highlighter and highlight every activity that involves solitude and silence before God.

Perspective. What’s yours?

On the other hand, every one of these people has a beating heart. Each one has a spirit, a brain, lungs that breath the same air I breathe and a rear-end to sit on. I have met many paraplegics, amputees and those who are physically and/or mentally challenged throughout my life, but I’ve never met someone without a rear-end (“butt” for the lay person, lol). Huh? Anyway, we also have pretty much the same basic needs: food, clothing, safety and each other.

Roots

My wife and I have a couple of vehicles in which the brakes went out on both at the same time and were in need of some serious repair. We had no transportation because without brakes the vehicles were rendered unsafe by even a risk-taker’s standards. A friend of ours offered to replace the brakes on both as long as we bought the parts. When he came over, he first took off the wheel. Different vehicles typically have different tires. Then he began disassembling the brake system piece by piece, until he got to the brake pads. He showed me the problem. I couldn’t see the problem when the tire was on the vehicle because it was hidden. It took a mechanic (because I’m no mechanic) to expose the problem. Ron showed me the problem so that I could understand what was happening in the areas I couldn’t visibly see. All I knew was that something was wrong and I had a good idea it was the brakes, but I didn’t know the extent. Suprisingly to me, the damage to the vehicle’s brake system was quite extensive…bad, very bad. I had been driving in danger and didn’t know it. I was unknowingly endangering myself, my children, my wife and others on the road. Of course I allowed Ron to fix the issue.

Every person is unique and different because God created us uniquely and different from anyone else. We behave differently, we think differently, we feel differently, we perceive life differently, we handle stress differently, we celebrate differently, we are interested in different things, we are motivated differently, and the list could go on and on. But you and I are so much the same. For the most part we have the same parts, we share the same communities, we share the same restaurants and grocery stores, we visit the same coffee shops, we have the same need for food, shelter and community with others. Everyone desires to share life with someone else or others. And you and I, we have problems. Every one of us has problems. Not only that, but every one of us has problems we can’t fix on our own. Now it would make no sense if I told you that when I had a brake problem with our vehicles that I went to the local flower shop or the local IRS office to get it fixed. That makes no sense, yet you and I can and do spend many hours and energies seeking an unqualified mechanic to fix or solve our spiritual problems. I say “spiritual” because our problems are rarely behavior problems. Behavior problems and even mental problems all have roots. Addressing the behavior is like taking a piece of bad fruit off a fruit tree and tossing it away without addressing the real problem, which lies in the roots. We must inquire the right mechanic for the right job, yes?

I’ve had lots of serious problems in my life and I’ve sought answers in bars, alcohol, women, sex, pornography, manipulation, money and power. And although these mechanics I sought brought some fun, they also brought great shame, embarrassment and the ultimate result was a disassembled person with parts scattered all over the garage and all over town. I was dangerously driving me, jeopardizing all in my circle and anyone close to it.

One afternoon, while driving this “Uncle Buck” looking vehicle called, “Jamie,” I met a gorgeous blonde on my, then, college campus. My intentions were clear and she agreed we would go to her place, but first she had to go to this church thing for credit. I said no problem. After all, I grew-up in church. BORING! We walked to the church, which was located just off-campus, went in and sat in the very back. Shortly after the music started she got up and went to the bathroom…and never came back. That afternoon, in that church, I met the one mechanic who could fix every problem I ever had. This mechanic would not only work on my wreck that I called a life, but would drive my wreck for me and make sure I was going in the right direction, at the right speed and with the right safety features so everyone could be safe. I’m a skeptic and very critically minded by nature, that’s how I’m wired and so when I say I met a mechanic, asked him to drive my wreck and trusted him with all of it, I will tell you this. What I experienced wasn’t magic or a psychological delusion. What I experienced that night and ever since was and is real. And I have proof that the ultimate mechanic of every person’s life, differences and the sameness alike, is Jesus Christ. The proof is my life. That night I told God that I knew I was wrong and that I needed His help alone because no one could heal and solve my deep-rooted issues that caused so many problems. I wanted to change and needed to change, but had no power. Time didn’t change me, counseling didn’t change me and trying really hard didn’t change me. I have been healed and transformed in ways I never imagined I could be or would be. I attribute it solely to Jesus. Jesus changed me. That night I learned He died on the cross for my sins and the sins of the whole world, including you. I learned that forgiveness and eternal life is one heartfelt invitation away, but can’t be received without that surrender to Jesus alone. It’s a free gift to you and me, but cost Him everything.

If you don’t know the only mechanic you’ll ever need, but want to with all of your heart, just sincerely pray to God right now. Tell God you recognize you’re a sinner and need His help. Tell Him you are ready to turn away from living the way you are and want to live for Him, whatever the cost. Tell Him you believe Jesus was crucified and was raised for you. And ask God to take your life and lead your life from here forward.

Get a Bible and begin reading “John.” Look for a local Bible-believing and teaching church in your area. If you need help with this, message me. Most importantly, spend time daily praying, talking to God sincerely. He will fix your wreck.

Andy Stanley & Mark Driscoll

There are a lot of reasons people I talk to want to go into ministry. Some spend hours and hours following Christian celebrity leaders such as Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll and Craig Groeschel, developing an ideology of what “ministry” looks like, feels like and how it all operates. Make no mistake; this blog post is not a slam on those men in any way, shape or form. God has anointed those ministries and are making incredible impacts on their local communities and the world. But you see, that’s just it. Those are their ministries that God has them leading…not you. You may want to be like them or even be them, but you never will be like them and you definitely won’t be them. So stop trying so hard to be Mark Driscoll. Stop trying so hard to be Andy Stanley. Stop trying to be _________________ (you put your biggest influence in the blank). You won’t ever be them or like them in any significant way. If you become like them, you will not be like the person God wants you to be. He already has a Craig Groeschel.

Why do you want to be in ministry? Why do you want to lead a ministry? Are you looking for the lights, the stage, the awesome music, the awesome kids program, awesome volunteers and giving your awesome message? If this is you, quit now. Quit ministry now because you are coveting and hungering for a ministry you can create so that…so that you can be like another.

Is this really what God’s heart is calling for in your life and ministry?

I made this same mistake. God used LifeChurch.tv to save my life. I began attending the NW OKC campus, led by Scott Williams and ultimately led by Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel. I became heavily involved in youth ministry and served every service available doing whatever was available to do. I needed a model and I watched Craig & Scott, listened to Craig & Scott. Craig has 6-kids and I’ve got 5. I began to dress like Craig, teach like Craig, have the same mannerisms as Craig. It wasn’t at a weird and freaky unhealthy level, but it was bad enough that I was no longer being myself. I even attempted, with their help, to create a LifeChurch.tv Network Church in Portland, Oregon. The ministry flopped. It flopped, not because it was a faulty church admin philosophy or system, but because it was MY ministry.

Then I created “TrueLifeCommunity” (TLC), a ministry of Powell Valley Covenant Church. Again, I created this ministry with my ideas of what it would look like and how it would operate. I spent countless hours on the admin side of things. Finally the grand opening had arrived. I sat on a stool in front of a bunch of people where God proceeded to break me in half spiritually. God said to me in that moment, “Well, go ahead. Tell them all of this is YOUR ministry. Because that’s what it is…YOUR ministry. That’s ALL it is…YOUR ministry.” And so I confessed to them and welcomed them to MY ministry. By God’s grace alone does TLC still exist and is doing well.

Do yourself a favor and God a favor-clean the slate of what you think your ministry should look like; clean the slate of what you think you should look like and how you should perform; and ask God what He wants you to look like. And don’t be surprised when He doesn’t give you the answer, but gives you hurting and desperate and broken people. Love them sacrificially and unconditionally and then look back at it and there you will find what God’s ministry looks like, what God’s ministry feels like and what God’s ministry for your life is purposed to be. It’s really that simple.

I remember looking at these events in my life before, but found little to no joy. So how was I able to change that? How was I able to look at, let’s say, the death of my son and now find joy? Good question because that’s the heaviest situation I have ever faced. So how was I able to find joy in it? I wasn’t. That’s right, I wasn’t able. I couldn’t because I didn’t have the ability. Only God could help me see the joy in that situation and I didn’t see it when I was in the situation. I saw it years later, in God’s time. And I finally saw it through the eyes of Jesus after reading and meditating on a particular passage of Scripture. God’s Word has a way of leading us to a greater peace, comfort and understanding. So join me in this journey. Grab your Bible and turn with me to the Letter of James. It’s located immediately after Hebrews.

In the first chapter of James, beginning with verse two. Let’s read together.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And left steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and completed, lacking nothing.” - James 1:2-3 (ESV)

“Count it all joy”??? Really? Really? The Greek word for “count” can also be translated “consider” or “evaluate.” When I evaluate my life, especially those difficult situations, I can now see joy. When I consider that joy could exist in my current trials, I become confident that it does even though I may not be able to see it now. We are told to look for joy (evaluate) in the trial and expect joy (consider) is present and will later be found because of and through the trial. These “trials” are troubles or anything that breaks the flow of peace, comfort, joy or happiness in your life. We have a tendency to view trials with “the end of the world” kind of drama, when in fact our trials here on earth are temporary.

The Bible says these trials are actually tests of our faith. What are you going through right now? Have you truly understood that it’s temporary? Or have you accepted this as the biggest thing in your life right now? My psychology professor in college, Dr. Richard Brewer, once asked me how big the dime in his hand was in perspective to my hand. I responded that it was small. He then asked me in relation to the room. I said it was even smaller. He proceeded to ask me in relation to the state of Missouri, then the United States, then to the earth and then to the universe. Of course I said it was minute and not big enough to even matter. Dr. Brewer then asked me to close one eye and hold a dime up to the other one.  He asked me what I could see and I responded, “nothing.” I learned that day that my trials are tiny to God, but are enormous to me because I tend to make them the primary focus of my life. Everything seemed to eventually revolve around the issue at hand. Because of this, I couldn’t see God, but only my trials. I learned perspective that day. When you can see God, you can experience joy. There is no other way. Can you see God today? Or are you riddle with haunting fears and concerns with a certain trial? If your trials, difficulties and sufferings were dimes, would they be obstructions to your vision or would they be at the foot of the cross of Christ, at the mercy of His power? Are you carrying the burden alone? Open your hands and let go of your suffering and pain, giving it to God through earnest prayer. And when you open your hands, you can not only let go, but your open hands can receive the blessings, peace, comfort and consolation of Jesus.

I want to encourage you today to lay your trials before God and ask for the strength of faith to face your trials. Friend, God will pull you through. Don’t give up the fight, but get up and fight. He will give you strength. He will give you victory. There is joy in your trial. You may not see it now, but that isn’t important. What’s important is that you believe God’s promise that joy is present and that there will be joy; that He will never leave you and is faithful to pull you through. Let’s pray together.

“Father, thank You for trials. Thank You for Your faithfulness, grace and mercy. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins so that I can be forgiven and spend eternity with You. Thank You for the life You have given me. Give me the faith to put my trials before You, the strength to fight and the eyes to see You so I can have the joy You’ve commanded me to have. I need Your help, Lord. Thank You in advance for answering my prayer. Amen.”

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12 (ESV)

Visit us on Sundays at 10am for solid Bible teaching. Powell Valley Covenant Church, “Where Truth meets life and we learn to live it together.”

Address: 1335 SE 282nd Ave., Gresham, OR 97080

Phone: 503.663.3013

Website: www.PowellValley.org

These are noble resolutions, but I can tell you from experience that there’s something gravely wrong with them. They’re broken! They never last! I’ve made perhaps hundreds of New Year’s resolutions and I can’t think of one that I’ve successfully kept. They keep breaking. I plan and plan and plan and execute and execute and execute and somehow I fail and fail and fail. It’s like buying a new car every year that breaks down about halfway home. I get excited that I’ve finally got my answer (my resolution), I sit down and turn the key, starting the engine. I take-in the new car smell and begin driving. But about halfway home the car begins to smoke, the tires begin to wobble, a hubcap veers off and hits a kid on a skateboard, the “service engine” light comes on, I spill my coffee all over my lap and I turn down a one way street. Before you know it the engine cuts out and I’m stranded. I’m in the same position as I was before I got into the new car. I get into this “new” car and drive it into the ground every single year, every single January.

Unfortunately my example is horribly skewed. I’d love to blame the broken resolution and accept it has failed me time and time again, but I can’t and neither can you. Why do our resolutions fail? Why do our valiant efforts, which seem so brilliant and good-natured, fail so miserably year after year after year? May I suggest the problem is the same problem that many Christians face early in their walk with Jesus? Many new believers are jubilantly excited about their newfound life and freedom in Christ. We would say they are “on fire” for God. They are energetic, zealous and unashamed as they fearlessly launch themselves into society with the intention of living an obedient life for Christ. This is a beautiful thing, but something happens after a while. For some reason they become less energetic, zealous and unashamed and become more like they were before they were saved. They begin to live life in a way that isn’t as glorifying to God. They begin to cut corners, letting things slide. They know God wants them to live one way, but they’ve now decided living this way and this passionately is too hard or too burdensome. It’s almost like cologne wearing off after a short time. You easily smell the rich aroma at first, but then it seems to fade off over time. We become weaker and weaker Christians, like the cologne’s aroma. What happens that weakens us as Christians, that weakens our walk with Christ, that weakens our resolutions? The problem lies somewhere between the making of the resolution and the loss of interest in continuing the resolution. The problem isn’t our plan. The problem isn’t our intention. The problem isn’t our execution of that plan. The problem is this: we don’t equip ourselves with enough accountability and support to succeed.

Our culture promotes individualism in the extreme sense. “I can do this!” “I can be successful!” “I just have to decide to do this!” Now I’m not against individualism, but any successful leader will tell you that they couldn’t have done it alone. Lasting change is not made alone and transformation (total and permanent change) is certainly not made alone. Championships are not won alone, not even in individual sports. Coaches and trainers are necessary. Successful lifestyle changes and goals are not achieved alone. Christians growing in their walk with Jesus Christ do not grow simply being alone with God, but with frequent and regular fellowship with one another and solid Bible teaching. It is the sharing of our lives, with transparency, that promotes growth. And it is the sharing of our lives with others, building relationships, that promotes consistent and long-lasting change. Resolutions that live on, now that’s a revolution! If you want your resolutions to be revolutionary, share them with others and ask them to hold you accountable. Share your resolutions with others who will also make them their resolutions, then do it together. This is the best shot you have at keeping your New Year’s resolutions. You can start a resolution revolution that not only impacts you, but someone else. That, my friend, is transformation! And if your car breaks down again,…you won’t walk home alone and you’ll have someone to blame.  /:-) Better yet, if the resolution is kept, you have someone to celebrate with. Good luck.

You smell!!!

Our tri-weekly noon ball episode (basketball) at the seminary had ended and I was drenched in sweat from guarding Tony the Beat Poet (cf. Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz). Tony and I have quite the battles, most of which I get the short end of the stick. However, that is nether here nor there in regards to this particular blog post. Drenched in sweat I left the court and into the foyer of the gym building and passed by the student working the check-in table near the doors. As I walked by she gave me one of those looks; the kind of look as if she had heard something completely inappropriate while at the same time stepping on a nail. I was a little taken back, but then I realized why the reaction. May I pause here for a moment? You know, no one on the court had said anything at all about my…sweaty and NORMAL work-out-odored Oklahoma T-shirt. In fact, I’m pretty sure everyone that played that day was sweaty. Hey, we all smell like we had been playing basketball…for a reason! What was normal and appropriate for the court was apparently quite the stench to those off the court. I know the girl working the check-in table and we’re on friendly terms, but that did not eliminate the odor.

The Apostle Paul remained engaged with unbelievers throughout his ministry, even though both parties remained differentiated theologically, especially in regards to the person of Jesus. Although they remained engaged, Paul had one odor of being and the unbelieving people had another odor. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church he encourages them to wholeheartedly accept the victory Jesus has already won and to live life through that victory and in light of the victory to be fully realized upon Jesus’ return. Paul teaches them that they smell!  But perhaps not in the way you may be thinking. Let’s read the following Scripture together:

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to  the other a fragrance from life to life.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)

Christians have a different aroma than the rest of the world. Parents will understand this next example. If you have children, you know their smell. Each one has a particular smell. It is unmistakable. My wife has a particular smell. She can walk-up behind me at the grocery story, as long as I’m not in the wonderfully musty coffee aisle, and I know she is behind me or near because of how she smells (compliment!). My mother’s meatloaf has a particular smell unlike any other meatloaf. It too is unmistakable. You and I have an unmistakable aroma, or fragrance to the Father. We smell like His Son, Jesus. It’s an intimate and profoundly meaningful smell soaked in the Trinity’s relationship to One Another. There’s no smell more intimate to the Trinity than that of the Risen Christ, the Son of God. As believers, we are covered with that smell. As wonderful as this aroma we carry is, it carries the aroma or fragrance of death to the unbeliever.

As a former police officer, I have smelled “death.” Maybe you’ve heard that it is unmistakable and unlike any other smell on earth. If you’ve heard this, you heard correctly. The smell is almost unbearable and it is without doubt contagious as it clings to your clothes relentlessly. It is almost impossible to rid and you never, every forget it. The odor of death brings memory as the sense of smell is the most powerful sense in developing new memories as well as recalling old ones. The smell of Jesus for some is like that of death. He loves unbelievers so much that He not only died for the potential forgiveness of their sins (if they surrender to Him), but died so that His aroma would perfectly infect the world of His odor through His chosen people for the sake of providing all an opportunity to simply come, just as they are-sin and all, to Him for forgiveness, mercy, grace, new life now and eternal life in the hereafter.

Although we believers are covered with the aroma of Jesus, how we smell is none of our business; how we love our neighbor is our business. The aroma of Jesus may be offensive to unbelievers, but our actions must not be divisive. Many times we use our status as “believers” as an excuse to withdraw from the world. Jesus, in His “High Priestly Prayer”, found in John 17, asks the Father not to take the disciples out of the world. This makes perfect sense as we are the aroma of Jesus to the world and must be in the world for the world to look at us and say, “You smell!”

Remain engaged with the world, loving your unbelieving and believing neighbor with no other agenda than the agenda of the Father; that they may look to the Son, believe upon Him and have eternal life (John 6:40). So remember, you smell. Represent.

I have led in such a way that caters to the younger generation to some degree and to the older generation to some degree. Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s wrong with that? As a pastor aren’t you supposed to meet the needs of the people?” And the answer is “Yo.” Yes and no. And that’s a discussion for another blog post. But what I’m looking at is the motive and agenda behind making church, as we would say, “relevant” to our culture. First of all, what does a relevant church look like? What kind of music does a relevant church have? What does the relevant church pastor wear when he/she preaches? Are the lights dim or bright? Is the music loud or soft? How is communion taken? Individually dipping the bread in the juice or all-together? Does a relevant church use that hard, dry, and displeasing communion bread that looks like a tic-tac or does it use hot, toasted French bread? And in the quest to be “different,” what we really mean by being “relevant” to the community is that we want to be attractive to the community.

When I read Scripture, I don’t see Jesus, Paul, Peter, Timothy, or anyone else trying to “make” church “attractive” to the lost. They didn’t do that because that doesn’t work, bottom line. I know there are a host of other reasons why it doesn’t work, but for now I just want to stick with “it doesn’t work.” People who go the circus are attracted by the lion shows, the elephant shows, and the twisted people like the clowns (scary clowns!). The are attracted, they pay to get it (tithe), and they watch the show. Sometimes they get to participate in the show. After the show they leave. Can you imagine going to the same show, just with different variations of it each week? That gets really old, really quick.

The difference between a “relevant” church and a “relevant club” is the heart behind the movement that happens, not only on your chosen church day, but throughout the week. Is the culture of your local gathering primarily aimed at giving an attractive show so the people will like it and come back? Or is the culture of your local gathering primarily focused on pointing to the Scriptures, worshipping the Almighty God, and sharing life with one another? Shows may attract a larger gathering, but is that what you really want to aim for in your ministry to others? Do you really want to put your religious product on the shelf next to the Captain Crunch and hope someone will spend their time and money on it? Do you really want to face the moment when those people open the neatly and excitedly wrapped product labeled “Jesus” or “Christianity” and find what’s really inside? How would you feel if you paid money for Captain Crunch, but when you got home and decided to stop looking at the games and cool stuff on the box and opened it and found flavorless oatmeal? Do you really want to sell Jesus? Do you really want to represent Him this way? Do you really want to continue suppressing and monopolizing your gospel corner on your side of town? Or do you want to witness and experience a movement of God, perhaps never seen before in your area? Leaders who lead rightly, justly, and faithfully are rare. They don’t want to disturb their personal boat that contains their pride and sense of false-security they believe keeps them on solid ground. It is an illusion of control that leader simply does not have. How will you lead? Will you share your resources with another denomination or underprivileged church? Will you share your staff with them? How will you lead? Jesus is not our product and I fear we have made Him out to be our product instead of our Savior, their Savior, and the Savior of the entire world. Forgive us Lord.

Stand with Jesus and stand with me in committing to be fully devoted to intentionally loving our enemies, our neighbors, our single moms, our crazy kids, our homeless, our poor, our widows, and anyone else Jesus decides to bring your attention to. Don’t wait for someone to cross your path-don’t be passive. “Go” (familiar word) and cross-into someone else’s path for their sake. And do everyone a favor, be real before God, your local gathering of believers, and the lost. And if you’re selling Jesus as a product, you know that those you’re selling to will treat Him as such. You are an example and an ambassador or representative of Jesus.

Consumerism=Bad
Dying & Sacrificing for Others=Good
Genuineness=Good
Broken=Good
Relationships with the Lost=Good

Father, forgive us for selling your Son, Jesus, like a product. We repent. Help us to know Him intimately so others can see Him and perceive Him as their Savior. Give us the faith and courage to intentionally cross the paths of those who need You. Help us to cross them for Your glory. We invite you to work through us powerfully for Your purposes. Thank You Lord and to You be the glory forever. Amen.