It's Time to Grow Up!

He pulled up to the light next to me… inching forward… His engine revving… Without even looking I knew who was there… It was one of those young country boys with an ego bigger than his Wranglers… in his lifted Dodge pickup truck decked out with all the goods, wanting to race off the light through the intersection. How did I know? Because this is a rural, “good ‘ol boy” ranching community and 20 yards after the intersection two lanes will narrow to one.  The race for ego, pride, and ultimately respect in small town livin’ was on!

I gripped the wheel tight… tapped my gas petal, feeling for the response… and waited for the light to change! If I could just get a jump on the light, I could do this… 20 yards, I would be in front, he would be eating my dust and I could slow down before I passed the CHP office up ahead.

He revved his engine again as the crossing light turned yellow, knowing the time was close… I had to take a glance… What I saw made everything within me want to break out in laughter! The “lifted Dodge pickup truck decked out with all the goods” was actually an old, beat up, Chevy work truck… The “young country boy with an ego bigger than his Wranglers” was actually an old roughed up, over the hill, gray hair with a scruffy beard and a Taco Bell burrito in one hand… I did get a couple of things right though… He had an ego bigger than his Wranglers and he wanted to race!

I was caught off guard as the light changed and his engine roared! He got the jump and was halfway through the intersection before I hit the gas on my soccer-mom minivan… trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back the laughter! Had I really just engaged in that nonsense, allowing my mind to descend into the abyss of high school, new driver, stupidity?! I had! And I was so glad that time had long passed!  

But a quick word for the “old roughed up, over the hill, gray hair”… It’s time to grow up brother! You’ve been sitting in that seat too long! The steering wheel cover is showing wear and the dice on the mirror have long since been faded by the sun… It’s time to grow up!

And then conviction sets in… and I see the state of the Church… Sitting in the same seat too long… The wear beginning to show… The dice quickly fading… 

Hebrews 5:11-14 is paraphrased in The Message explaining, “I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.”

Church?! It’s time to grow up!

Red Brows and Rash Decisions

The other day while getting into character for our youth group's murder mystery dinner I thought it would be fun to darken my goatee with my 14 year old daughter's mascara.  You see, it had gone grey from working with teenagers for close to 20 years and now having one of my own. As I dipped the little brush in the black makeup and proceeded to color my beard I noticed that my eyebrows no longer matched so I decided to color them as well… When I was all done I realized I LOOKED GOOD! I went to the party and was a hit! People loved the new color.

I went home, crawled in bed, rolled over to kiss my wife goodnight and was quickly reminded that I had forgotten to remove the black.  I crawled out of bed, got a washcloth wet with hot water and began to scrub… It didn't take long to realize that mascara doesn't come off that easily.  I rewet the cloth and scrubbed some more, looked in the mirror and still saw black… Once more I rewet the cloth and scrubbed… and scrubbed… and scrubbed… by the time I was fairly satisfied, and my eyebrows were a charcoal grey instead of black, I crawled back in bed and fell asleep.

The next morning I awoke and began my day. Not too long later I began to feel my eyebrows hurting. I looked in the mirror and to my horror saw that the area around my brows was all red and puffy and hurt like the dickens! I realized that in doing something that needed to be done… something that was good to do (especially if I ever wanted to kiss my wife again)… I had overdone it caused damage. I was not gentle enough and used the wrong method and pushed too long for too hard and it had caused more pain than it was worth… The pain lasted for several days until a layer of skin actually peeled and my face returned to normal.

I got to thinking about this experience in relationship to that same 14 year old daughter whose mascara I had borrowed… How many times in raising her have I caused the same kind of unnecessary pain while trying to get her to conform to my wishes? There have been many times when I have done something that needed to be done… something that was good to teach her as she was growing up… some form of discipline or even just teaching her a lesson... when I had overdone it and caused damage.  I had not thought it through and in the moment used the wrong method or become angry and pushed too hard for too long causing more harm than good.  A few times the unnecessary pain even lasted several days until it finally peeled away and everything returned to normal.


Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord”. Another version says, "do not provoke your child to anger." I believe that as I raise my daughter "in the instruction of the Lord"… taking time and seeking Him in the decisions that I make, then He will show my how to lead her into truth without losing my cool, making rash decisions and causing unnecessary pain.

Hmmm? Maybe I should've thought about it a little bit before I started scrubbing my eyebrows as well…

What a Ride!

Today I came across a post from Mark Matlock titled Remembering Mike Yaconelli . As I read the post and watched the video (You can check it out HERE) I realized just how much this man who I only met once impacted my life.

It was the fall of 2003. I was attending the Youth Specialties conference just a few months after accepting the youth pastor job at Yreka Church of the Nazarene.  Yreka was the small town where Mike pastored Grace Community Church.  When I ran into Mike in the hallway of YS I had to say “hi” and introduce myself.  We shook hands and exchanged numbers so we could set up lunch meeting when we both got back to town.

Weeks passed and time got the best of us and tragedy struck. Mike was killed driving over the pass from Medford to Yreka the end of October 2003. We never got to sit down for lunch and talk Jesus.  But even without that meeting, God used Mike in my life in ways he will never know.

Mike was a pioneer of organized youth ministry. He paved the way for so many of us youth pastors.  He produced materials to assist us and organized conferences to encourage us. He wrote books about ministry and about grace.  He loved Jesus and loved students. He broke the mold of ministry to teens and brought fun... and grace... into the midst of it.  

I will never forget early November of 2003 when I walked into the gymnasium of Yreka High School, where Mike had served on the school board, for Mike’s funeral.  As I walked in Mike simple pine casket was at the center of the room... with stack of sharpies for people to write their memories of Mike right on his casket.  I sat in the bleachers off to the side and watched people walk in.  I remember seeing Brennan Manning whose books I had read and who I had heard speak on several occasions.  I saw Doug Fields whose ministry at Saddleback Church was admired by so many. Then there was Tony Campolo and Tic Long and ... and ... and ... so many heroes of faith and ministry.

The service started and I remember eulogies from family and from Tony Campolo, but then my heart was touched as Sadie... a young lady from Mike’s church with downs syndrome stood to speak... Through her tears she shared of how Mike had touched her life... Then there was a man who shared about the impact Mike had on his life using a mix of grace language and 4 letter words.  What a contrast from the youth ministry “hall of fame” that was present in the room!  It hit me that these people from Mike’s “private life” had little knowledge of Mike’s “public fame” in the youth ministry world.  They just knew him as a humble man and pastor who had shared the love and grace of Jesus with them.  My heart was challenged and changed that day... to see people through Jesus’ eyes... to love them through their sin... to see past the messiness of their lives (of my own life) and be a vessel of God’s grace... HIS HUGE GRACE.

Mike, in his life and even more in his death, helped me understand Jesus. Jesus abandoned all He was in heaven and became human so that we could understand grace... Do you get it? He created us... We messed things up yet He didn’t abandon us and start over... Out of His love for us He became one of us so that we could reestablish that relationship with Him. What love! What grace! What humility! What sacrifice! And those are the characteristics that Mike lived out every day!

And another thing... today I turn 40. Just a couple years shy of 20 years in full time youth ministry. As I reflect on where I’ve been I see God’s blessing in the lives of former students who are following after Jesus.  As I look ahead I see years more of ministry, leading more to follow Jesus. I really believe the best years of ministry are to come because as I get older, I get to know Jesus better... and some day I want to look back at the good times and the tough times, see the hand of God through it all and be able to say with Mike... “WHAT A RIDE!”

Thank Mike for being that living example of dreaming big, remaining humble, and blazing trails for God into the unknown can look like!  We are better off because of the legacy you left. I’m giving thanks for YOU today.

MOUNTAINS, MOCHAS, AND MINISTRY

And the Boss said, “You are spending too much time in the office!”

What? Too much time in the office?!  How could that be? Right now on my desk are my lessons for the next 3 weeks of Sunday School, the message I am beginning to plan for “big church” in November, the material for the outreach program that is 3 weeks away, my small group stuff, the plans for our new discipleship ministries team, promo material for the webcast I’m hosting on Saturday, new devotional materials to review, and a to-do list that includes activities for young adults, teen leadership, youth outreach, and so much more! If I don’t spend more time in the office ALL THIS MINISTRY WON’T GET DONE!!  And I rush off to an appointment in a small town 30 minutes away.

As I pull into the parking lot of the coffee shop where we are to meet I receive the dreaded text message. “Pastor, sorry I have to cancel. Something came up.” Now, not only do I find myself 30 minutes from the office where I have a stack of work a mile high, but I find myself with 60 minutes of “wasted time” with nothing to do before my next appointment in this same small town.  I could drive back to the office, but by the time I get there it will be time to return... so I grab a cup of coffee and sit down... forced to take some time to... to... to breathe.

Finding a seat in the corner where I can observe the action and see out the window, the first thing I notice is the people... coming and going, doing their business... grabbing a cup of coffee or a quick sandwich before rushing off to their next appointment. After 30 minutes, an everything bagel and a cup of coffee I finally turn my head to look out the window... and I see it. Wow! What a view.  Just past the little motel across the street and through the trees with their fall leaves... is the mountain.  Not just the mountain, but THE MOUNTAIN.  In about a month it will be white with snow, but now at the beginning of fall just small white patches remain. I begin to reflect on just how firm and faithful THE MOUNTAIN is.

You see? Through the years and through the seasons the mountain remains.  The leaves change... the blanket of snow comes and goes... month to month it looks different... but THE MOUNTAIN remains.  Firm, faithful and true. I could never get used to seeing that mountain. And my mind wanders off to the mountain...

Then all of the sudden with the drop of a mug full of coffee behind the counter, my mind comes crashing back to the reality of the moment. The barista scrambles to clean up the mess and my brief daydream flees. My mind returns to the mountain of work that remains just out of my reach in my office a half hour away... but now I’ve been reminded of the mountain.

I realize the mountain in my life is JESUS... the firm, the faithful, the true.  The mountain in my ministry is NOT all the paperwork and plans piled high on my desk, but Christ’s call to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.  What that looks like may change with the seasons... maybe one method now and another method next year, but THE CALL never changes... so in the midst of the changing methods how do I remain faithful to the call? I get out of that office where the piles are high and spend more time in the coffee shop where I can engage others who are making the journey with me... towards THE MOUNTAIN.

My Hope is in the Lord

“I can’t believe the school is teaching evolution! What about creation?!  What has our country come to!?!”

“What do you mean they are not going to display the nativity scene in front of the courthouse this year?!  It’s tradition! They’ve had that nativity scene out there every year since I was a child!”

“It is so sad that our government would pass that into law! I thought we were a Christian nation! Our forefathers would be rolling over in their graves!”

It seems like in the “Christian community” we are hearing more and more statements like these... Christians are getting upset because as a nation we aren’t what we used to be. Things are changing and not for the better. People are seeing the fall of Christianity in America and are beginning to get fired up.  I mean we are part of a nation that needs to step up to the plate morally and take a stand for what’s right! We are citizens of the United States and if we can’t come together as a nation UNDER GOD then we are all going to hell! Right?!?!

Hmmm? Just the other day my 6 year old was looking at a piece of US currency. He read the words “In God We Trust” and asked, “Dad? Why does it say that?”  My heart broke as I tried to explain to a 6 year old the state of our union.... where we once were, ... and where we are today?  Then I began to really mourn in my soul as I began to think about where we will be someday soon if we keep going the same direction.

As I wrestle with this today, the passage from Philippians 3 came to mind... as a believer my citizenship is in heaven. What does that mean? To me that says first and foremost I am a follower of Christ not country... my allegiance is to the Father, not the nation... My hope is in my adoption as HIS child not my elected officials... This is not to say that I don’t feel proud to be an American or I am not patriotic... I feel EXTREMELY blessed to be born in this country and I LOVE what we stand for as a nation. I just struggle with the idea that we have come to believe that God and Country go hand in hand... After all Jesus said, “Render unto Caeser what is Caeser’s and give to God what is God’s.” I respect and love my country and believe that we are the greatest nation in the world, but I cannot expect my country to take the place of God in my life. 

The bride of Christ is not the US of A... The bride of Christ is the church, and that is where my hope must lie!

Matthew 6:21 says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” As a believer I cannot throw my moral investment into a man made government. My investment must wholly be in the Father... because where my investment is, there my heart is... As long as I am trusting in and expecting my government to do (through school curriculum or legislation) what God has called the Church to do, then I will continue to be frustrated and disappointed. 

So what am I supposed to do!?! 

As a follower of Jesus I am supposed to “raise up my child in the way he should go.” I must take up that responsibility! I am must be the chief influencer in my child’s life... and if every Christian parent took up this calling?! Our world would be a different place!

As the Church? You know all that energy we put into getting frustrated at what our government is doing?...  and communicating just how upset we are with our current leadership and how scared we are about where we are headed as a nation? What if we took all that energy and instead of focusing it on how bad things are, we focused it on teaching this next generation the values and morals found in Scripture? What if we taught them how to discern the Truth of the Gospel from the lies of this world?  What if we shared the HOPE found in Jesus Christ and grace we can have through a relationship with Him... 

What if we lived like our citizenship really was in heaven? What if we really were storing up our treasures in the right place? What would our world look like then?

The only way we, as the Church, are going to change the direction of the downward spiral our nation is on is to find our HOPE in the right place?  My HOPE is in the Lord! Where is yours?

Why Fight the Current?

As I sit here this morning my heart is heavy and my mind is wrestling with the Church and the church. The Church, big C, being the universal disciples of Jesus... all of us doing our best to follow after HIM. The church, little c, being the individual churches... the walls of our buildings that divide us for as many different reasons as there are buildings.... different locations, styles, types of people, personalities... different theologies, teachings, interpretations of Scripture. 

Here is the crux of the matter for me... Why? As Rodney King once was quoted saying during the LA riots of 1991, “Why can’t we all just get along?”  I know that was in a different setting and under different circumstances than the topic of this blog, but I think to the outside world, so often what is going on in the Church looks a lot like what’s going on during racial riots... a lot of unorganized chaos brought on by disagreements escalated to the point of fighting and unrest.  Could the world really be looking in from the outside and seeing a state of riot that they know they would be better off avoiding brought on not by disagreements between races, but disagreements between churches (little c)?

Now I am not saying that we all need to jump into one big ship and set off on the journey in some form of faux unity... But I do think that we need to join the same armada riding the current of JESUS deeper into the adventure and journey of God’s overlying story... maybe each ship has a different set of oarsmen, but they’re willing to travel together towards the same destination.  Make sense?!

To be quite honest I am tired of feeling the tension between churches and between pastors who each feel like their way is the right way and if I don’t jump onboard their ship, then I need to just walk the plank. I have no problem supporting and encouraging your ship along on the journey... in fact sometimes I think my ship can tag along with yours, maybe tying a rope to the stern for a season and likewise, I’m willing to throw you a rope through a season as well and then set you free when the right time comes, but I don’t think we all HAVE to be swabbing the same deck... although if you need me to help you swab your deck please don’t hesitate to ask. We need to remember as long as we are all riding the current of JESUS of the Gospels doing our best to follow God of the Bible, the one true God, then those tensions have no place on these seas!

This morning as I gathered over coffee with pastors from 2 other churches reading emails, talking through input and putting together the efforts of pastors from at least 7 other churches to organize an annual community wide youth event I got a picture of what the Church is supposed to look like. The focus was investing in the lives of the students who walk our streets with the HOPE and LOVE of Jesus Christ. Each of us leaders willing to lay down our own pride, sacrifice our own time and budgets, and set aside our own churches for a season in order to lift up the Church so that a student’s life can be changed for eternity. 

And so the wrestling continues... And as it does, the prayer effort intensifies... Why can’t the church see the Church and accept it for what it is? Each church (in their individual, unique vessels) riding the current of Jesus deeper into the story allowing the Author of it all to receive all praise, honor and glory... and because of it the world be changed.

(and so goes my personal contribution to National Talk Like a Pirate Day)

A New Adventure

Today I set out on a new adventure.  For sometime now I've known that I've had a longing in my heart... That uneasy feeling of knowing that you're supposed to be doing something but you're not quite sure what.  The notion that you were meant for something more... something bigger... that God's given you a voice and that voice needs to be heard but you're not exactly sure how to share it.  Well, that's where I find myself today.

I have a sense of uneasiness in my spirit that I've had for sometime. Not long ago someone (I can't remember if it was David Platt or Francis Chan) put a label on that feeling in my soul. They called it a 'holy discontent'.  You see deep in my heart, more than anything else, I want to seek JESUS with everything that I am... but I continually find myself wrestling with this messy world. I find myself wanting to be the best disciple that I can be. I find myself longing to lead others on the journey. Part of my heart struggles with the leading within the established church and its framework... the other part knows that it has been placed in the church and almost feels like its supposed to lead those within this established community back to the Jesus of the Gospel.

So here's the struggle... How does one stir up a passion for Christ in the midst of a world that continually drags people away from His call.  Good people with good intentions... even with hearts for God... being dragged away and enticed, by the evil one.  Boy, that sounds harsh as I write it, but it is reality. I think one of Satan's greatest tools against the Christ follower today is distraction! He's like the creepy guy in the van with the puppy dog and handful of candy trying to lure the young child away from his set path home from school.  He knows our intentions and our destination, but he does everything he can, through the busy-ness of life, to distract us from taking the next step on the journey. And as I look at my personal calendar and the lives of the people in my own church community I see that he is succeeding.  We are a people with all the best intentions in the world, but who struggle to 'take up our cross daily and follow' because we tend to get steered off the course towards JESUS by the candy in Satan's hand... and we don't even realize that it's Satan... "but the things I'm involved in are ALL good things!?!" ... and Satan knows it.

So the adventure begins... not the adventure of following (that started YEARS ago) nor the adventure of leading (been attempting to lead since the mid-90s), but the adventure making my voice heard... sharing the struggles with other like minded followers as we journey together towards Christ! .... through the world of blogging... SEEKING HIS LEAD... together on the journey.