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Check, Check, Check, Check

December 4, 2008 in Bible, Ministry, Personal with 2 Comments

I love my checklists. I live my life mostly attached to my Treo, which runs the Remember the Milk application that links to my Google Calendar account, which displays on my Gmail start page, which is also linked to my Exchange server so that I can see it at work. Is it weird to wake up at 3am, reach for your phone and add something to your to-do list so that in the morning you won’t forget? OK, writing that out makes me realize that yes… it is weird. I also carry around a black leather moleskine, that I use to keep a weekly checklist on. My beautiful moleskine gives me the power to take a red pen and mark out those things that I have beaten throughout my week. And yes, I do not finish projects. I beat them into submission by completing them. They are owned by me.

The problem with being such a checklist-oriented person, is that I have a tendency to put people on my checklist. Like I might go home and be with my family, thinking that I need to hit the checklist of a great Dad. You know, great Dad’s play with their kids, check…eat dinner with family, check…build towers out of Lego’s, check…drink tea with your daughter while wearing a pink hat, check… But these aren’t tasks to be completed. It’s tempting to complete them out of an obligation to being who I “think” I should do. I want them to be done out of an overflow of love that I feel towards them.

I do the same with God. Here’s some honesty that might make you uncomfortable, but sometimes I’m happy on the inside knowing that I read my Bible that day. Not that I learned anything, but I was a good Christian and I read something. “Aren’t I responsible for reading my Bible? I’m such a great Christian…” I’ve been doing a New Testament reading program all through 2008, and I’ve gotten an unhealthy addiction to checking off what chapters I’ve read and counting down how many more I have to go.

It’s a sickness that I am asking myself to overcome, with God’s help. I will do the things that need to be done because of my great love for what God has done for me through his Son Jesus. I will love my family out of an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards God for the gift they are to my life. I will. I will. Thankfully I’m not alone. I will.

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is
written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as
sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mary Ordinary

November 30, 2008 in Bible, Ministry with 0 Comments

Today I did the main teaching portion in the Elementary services. With many volunteers either out of town, or just returning from Thanksgiving vacation it made some sense to put more on myself during this traditional “down time.”

This Sunday we kicked off week 1 of the Stars of Christmas series. It’s a Grammy-style presentation, with DVD media-driven skits; but 100% of the teaching is done by teachers in the large group and in small groups. I’ve torn the curriculum to shreds and put it back together again to get it to fit what we do at Trinity. Other than the DVD player being possessed by evil spirits, the first Sunday went off pretty well. I spoke to the kids about God’s ability to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. When one really takes the time to look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, her ordinariness is quite alarming. She isn’t anyone important as far as scripture tells us. We don’t know her to be a women of much accomplishment, nor is she known far and wide for some great skill. Yet knowing all these things she was still honored by God to do something quite extraordinary, don’t you think?

I love her humble response to her life-changing news,


38 And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.

May I learn to let God use my ordinary self in extraordinary ways (and trust me, I’m as ordinary as they come!)

BONUS: Remember this classic Bizarro from last year?

The Best of My Time

November 11, 2008 in Bible, Ministry with 1 Comment

To everything a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

As a kid time was my slow torturing enemy. The slowness of time kept me from what I really wanted. The time between Christmas mornings seemed like a decade, the time between when school started until when it ended felt like weeks, and being asked to sit still for an hour felt more like sitting still for an entire day! It’s funny looking back now, because sometime in my 20′s time begin to pick up steam. In fact, it moves at such a rapid pace now that I feel I can hardly keep up. I graduated from High School 14 years ago, I graduated from college 10 years ago, I started college 14 years ago, I got married 10 years ago, I’ve been working as a pastor for 6 years, I’ve paid off cars in the past 5 years, and yet it doesn’t feel like it was near that long ago. There are moments when I look at my children and gasp in horror at how old they are getting! Time can be a cruel game.
As I got older I also learned a valuable lesson regarding time. My time suddenly became more valuable to others. More specifically, I learned that I could be compensated for my time in proportion to the importance of the job I was doing for someone. I learned that I was paid more to do important work, than to flip hamburgers. I learned that I was paid more for doing work, than for staying in bed. As I grew older my time really did turn into money. This money helps put a roof over my head, keeps my belly full, and for the most part has allowed me to carve out a comfortable lifestyle for my family. All this has come to me because of the time I’m paid for.
When I’m challenged to give my very best to God, there are many ways I can do that. I can volunteer somewhere and give my time to a great cause, or I can give financially towards something or someone that I support. I’ve aways thought that to give money was the easy way out. I’m rethinking that. If my time is given to an organization and I am compensated for that time in money; then to give my money (hard-earned presumably) then aren’t I giving the best of my time?
When I rethink giving as being an portion of my best time given back to God, it also forces me to rethink how I spend my time when I’m being paid for it. I have challenged myself to honor God in both my giving, and in how I spend my time making the money that will be given.

Advent Conspiracy

October 23, 2008 in Bible, Links with 3 Comments

Last Christmas my family and I particpated in Advent. It was a great time for our family to really get our priorities in order, and we’re looking forward to doing it again. This year I’ve decided that as a family we’re going to do somethings a little different, and the Advent Conspiracy has been an big part of it.

As I shared with some on our pastoral staff about the Advent Conspiracy, it kind of took on an life of it’s own and now over four Wednesday nights in November & December the adult Bible Study group will be going in head-first. It’s still taking some shape, and I’m in the midst of trying to develop some things to help families put walking legs to the idea. I’ll keep you updated on how it all goes.

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, & Love Freely!

Countercultural Giving

October 15, 2008 in Bible, Ministry with 2 Comments

The word Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a group that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day.

I’m not countercultural enough. God has called me in Romans 12:2 to not conform to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed. Literally I have permission from God to rebel against this world. One of the ways I can rebel against my flesh and this world is through my giving. I give a lot of myself to many things. I give my time, I give my talents, I give my opinions (sometimes when there not wanted); but when I give my money I feel that I’m giving the ultimate combination of all these things.

My flesh says that when times are tough that I should save, my flesh says that when times are good I should store up, and ultimately the world around me confirms that I should be looking out for myself alone. But Jesus said that that kind of saving and storing was a waste.

Luke 12:15 “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

In the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12, Jesus tells us the story of a man that had too much grain, and his genius solution was to build bigger barns to put it all into. But when he was finished he died. Jesus points out the irony of this man’s situation when he asks, “Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Jesus was the ultimate counter-cultural revolutionist! He is telling us to NOT be like the world with our money, and with our giving. He is calling us to live a life that goes beyond saving up for that raining day, or giving when it benefits us. I love what he says in summary of this great parable.

Luke 12:21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.” Steep Yourself in God-Reality. (MSG)

The God-Reality that Jesus speaks of says that it is better to give than to receive. That God-Reality says if we give that he will give us blessings that we have not room enough to receive.

I’m not interested in getting into a discussion of whether the TITHE is something legitimate or something to be ignored as New Testament believers. There are some great people on both sides of that fence, but I think we could all agree that Jesus has called us to give. I am making a promise today that I will give out of rebellion towards the world, and out of a desperation to make the God-Reality your reality!

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