End of the Line(s)

Dear Friends,

This post marks the end of the Life's Mirror blog. On January 2, 2010 I stepped down as Senior Pastor of NewSong Community Church. While I retain my ordination through NewSong and will miss the people terribly, the time has come for a change in pastoral leadership there. I leave the church in extremely capable hands and look forward to all the great things God is going to do through this amazing congregation and its wonderful, gifted people.

I do intend to continue blogging - probably sporadically at first - and I have set up a new blog under my new moniker with gmail: doctorstevej. My new blog is called "All the Good" and is located here: http://allthegooducan.blogspot.com/

God bless you as you continue the journey!

- Doctor Steve

Christmas Movies

Christmas would not be complete at the Jackson manse without a few “Christmas movie nights” where we change into our most comfortable clothes and settle down to watch Christmas movies together. Our three favorites are White Christmas, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone. Like all good movies, these films evoke laughter as well as tears as we watch them. They also do something else – they remind us of deeper truths.

White Christmas was mainly written as a vehicle to accommodate Irving Berlin’s song by the same title. And yet, as we watch the story unfold with its forgotten General, broken dreams, and balmy temperatures in Pine Tree, Vermont at Christmas – we are reminded that while things have been, and currently are rough – better days are coming. It won’t always be like this. One day by the grace of God what has been lost will be restored. In fact, before God is finished, “we will be changed,” the Bible says. What we’re experiencing now is not how it will always be. Alzheimer’s will not have the last word. Cancer cannot win in the end. Brokenness will be restored, and sin defeated. The good guy will get the girl, the old General will be remembered, and the snow will come. In the memorable finale to this movie, General Waverly is again honored by his troops, Bob and Betty declare their love, and the background of the set is removed to show the falling snow. Everyone raises a glass, toasting as they sing, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white."

The star of Christmas Vacation, of course, is none other than Clark W. Griswold. All Griswold wants is to give his family “the most fun-filled old-fashioned family Christmas ever." But everything goes wrong. First Clark can’t get the Christmas lights to come on; then Cousin Eddie shows up. Next the turkey explodes and Uncle Louis burns down the tree. To cap things off, Clark discovers that his Christmas bonus consists of an enrollment into the Jelly of the Month club. The classic line in this movie, for me anyway, is when Clark’s wife Ellen tells her daughter to stop complaining: “It’s Christmas Audrey…we’re all miserable.” In the end the Griswolds survive a holiday season that would try Job's patience, but it’s one that many of us can relate to. And yet Clark's faith never falters through it all. This avowed family man continues to count his blessings and in the end, all is well. This movie reminds us that even though our families often drive us nuts, there are few things in life that are more important than those whom God has put us together with. After all, the first Christmas was about a family too: Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. This Christmas as you gather with your family, lighten up; laugh a little. Be present in the moment.

Home Alone is about an 8 year-old boy named Kevin McCallister who gets accidentally left at home when his family forgets him on a Christmas vacation they take. At first Kevin is thrilled to have full run of the house. He eats forbidden junk food, watches forbidden movies, sleeps wherever he wants for as long as he wants to, and even raids his older brother’s room. But after a conversation with an elderly neighbor who is estranged from his family, Kevin realizes how lonely he really is. Being alone isn’t nearly as wonderful as he thought it would be. This movie reminds us how we often think we’d be happier if we didn’t have to answer to God – if we could do whatever we want to do. For a while we would probably revel in our newfound freedom. But in time we would begin to feel the emptiness and loneliness that comes from being isolated and at odds with God. Like Kevin, we’d eventually get homesick, even though we were still at home. Christmas is about Immanuel – “God with us.” We might think we’d like it better without his watchful eye upon us, but we really wouldn’t. The wonderful news of Christmas is that we haven’t been forgotten. We are not abandoned. We will never be “home alone” because God is with us forever.

Micah's Gift

One of the clearest prophecies of the Messiah’s birth is given to us in Micah, one of the Minor Prophets. Micah’s contribution to the Christmas story is often overlooked in favor of the more familiar New Testament passages we love to hear this time of year. The prophet writes, "But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, although you are small, out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Micah 5:2

It was Micah’s prophecy that the chief priests and teachers of the law turned to when Herod asked them where the Messiah was to be born (Matt. 2:3-8). But aside from being referred to then, and in the beautiful Christmas Carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which is based on this passage, Micah’s words barely come up at Christmas. And yet what he said raises several questions.

For instance, why was Bethlehem chosen to be Jesus’ birthplace? Why not the much larger, significant capital city of Jerusalem, only six miles away? Why did God choose to honor Bethlehem in spite of its insignificant size and lack of importance?

And why did God choose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ parents? They certainly were not chosen because of their great achievements or because of the opportunities they could afford Jesus.

And why were the shepherds chosen to receive the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth? Was it because they were super-spiritual, or men of unquestionable moral fiber? No. Shepherds in Jesus’ day had the reputation of being a little “rough around the edges.”

So why did God choose these insignificant people and places as key players in the Christmas story? One possibility could be that since he was a rural man from a tiny village himself, Micah knew what it was like to be overlooked in favor of more spectacular, significant people and places. Perhaps because of this his prophecies tend to point to a different reality, one that stresses that with God, hope can often be found in unexpected places. Micah reminds us that with God, it is common to encounter the unexpected and the paradoxical – often in unexpected reversals of circumstances. Hope arises from devastation; suffering embodies salvation; life emerges from death. Thus, when it comes to the nativity – the birth of the Messiah – Micah sees a coming ruler who, in keeping with a sense of divine irony, will arise from one of the least of the clans of Judah.

Micah’s contribution to the Christmas story is a reminder with God, hope and salvation will come from places and people that are seen as insignificant in the eyes of the world. Paul agrees in 1 Cor. 1:28 where he writes, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are.” Part of the paradox of God’s action in the world is that what is of no account in the eyes of most people is often held closest to the heart of God.

This Christmas let’s direct our attention to the amazing Christmas star, the majestic angel choirs singing in the skies, and the three kings who came to honor the newborn king. But let's also notice the lowly, the least, and the unexpected and their contribution to the story. Those to whom a Savior born in a cattle trough seems most predisposed to relate to. This year let’s make part of our Christmas preparation be to remind ourselves to look for the divine where we would least expect Him to be. That’s Micah’s gift to us this Christmas.

Failure? Accident?

Each year as Christmas rolls around you start hearing about the “must have” Christmas gift for that year. Best sellers of Christmases past include toys like Tickle Me Elmo, Razor scooters, Pokemon, Furbies, Nintendo Wii, Beanie Babies, X Box 360, Rubik’s Cube and Cabbage Patch dolls. Remember those? This year’s top-sellers are expected to be Zhu Zhu Pets, which are essentially mechanical hamsters, and Mattel’s MindFlex game. Getting one of the season’s most popular toys often becomes a mania bordering on the absurd. It also creates a secondary market for the toys where the elusive, often inexpensive toys can become, well, expensive toys. Zhu Zhu pets cost $8 at Wal-Mart, but can run as high as $60 or more on sites like eBay. Getting these toys also becomes a huge time consumer for parents, grand-parents, aunts and uncles in their single-minded quest which won’t be satisfied until they have one of the coveted toys wrapped and under the tree.

Toys weren’t nearly as complicated or as difficult to find when I was a kid. The most popular toys when I was a kid (back in the dark ages) were toys like the Slinky, Silly Putty and Play-Doh. Like today’s top sellers, many of them have interesting stories behind them.

Back in 1943 a naval engineer was trying to develop springs that could support and stabilize sensitive instruments aboard ships in rough seas. The engineer accidentally knocked one of the springs from a shelf, and watched as it stepped in a series of arcs from the shelf, to a stack of books, to a tabletop, to the floor, where it re-coiled itself and stood upright. He told his wife he thought he could make a toy of it, took out a $500 loan and had 400 Slinky units made by a local machine shop, and in no time the toy became a huge seller. In fact it became so famous that in 1999, the United States Postal Service even issued a Slinky postage stamp.

Silly Putty was also created by accident. Scientists were doing research into potential rubber substitutes for use by the United States in World War II. Rubber was vital for the production of war material and with no artificial substitute, rubber products were rationed in the US. Meanwhile, the government funded research into synthetic rubber compounds to attempt to solve this shortage. One of the many “failures” in this research was Silly Putty, originally called "Nutty Putty," which toy makers recognized would be a hit with kids.

Play-Doh was actually first manufactured as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s. When a classroom of children began using the wallpaper cleaner as a modeling compound, someone got the idea to rework the product and market it to schools and the rest, as they say, is history. Before long the non-toxic, mess-free compound became a best-selling Christmas gift and is currently ranked number 4 on the “Toys of the Century” list for the twentieth century.

As Christmas approaches this year, perhaps someone reading this feels like they are an accident or a failure, but as the story of the best-selling Christmas gifts above show us, it could simply be that your highest and best use may not have been discovered yet. One thing I do know – God never makes a mistake, and so you can be confident he created you for something spectacular – something great. So let me encourage you this Christmas to hang in there; to persevere. Who knows, one day you may topple off a shelf right into the history books – just like a Slinky…

A Great Life

What constitutes a great life? This question has been asked by humankind since the very beginning. Ancient Greek philosophers asked the question and sought to work out the answer. These wise men of old decided a great life is built upon such things as pleasure and freedom from pain, freedom from poverty, education and leading an “examined life,” freedom from fear, the contemplation of God, honorable behavior (virtue), doing things in the right proportion, fulfilling your political and social obligations, friendship and security. Over the years others have tried to enlighten us about what makes a life great. Politicians have offered their two cents worth; poets, artists and musicians have offered up their ideas, and of course prophets and priests have chimed in as well.

The question is an important one. Having been around a few deathbeds in my days as a pastor, I am convinced that whether we admit it or not, one of the greatest fears many of us have, is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the very end that we have wasted our life. No one wants to squander their life; life is too precious. And that begs the question, “How then, shall we live?”

The easy answer for us as Christians, of course, would be to simply say, “Look in the Bible, for there you will see how to live.” But honestly, it’s not that simple because of the unfortunate tendency we have of finding exactly what we’re looking for in the Bible. We read things into it that were never intended. Apartheid in South Africa was supported by the Dutch Boers because their theologians found exactly what they were looking for in the Bible. The same goes for slavery in America – we excused it by calling it “Ham’s curse” and thus made it "biblical." For centuries Jewish people were persecuted, oppressed and even murdered, on the pretext of truth sought and found in the Bible – New Testament texts that were interpreted to blame the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. Everyone finds in the Bible exactly what he/she seeks.

So what can we do? What makes up a great life? I am still working on a more complete answer, but my short answer to the question would be that a great life consists of the accumulation of grace-filled days, one day at a time. It has to do with living our lives in what author Spencer Johnson in his delightful parable calls the “precious present.” We can’t do much about our yesterdays, and worry over tomorrow is a waste of time. Today is what matters. The recovering alcoholic knows this – he or she makes a daily commitment to be sober for the day ahead – one day at a time. The same is true for all of us. The new person we want to be – the life we want to live, the things we want to start doing and the things we want to stop doing can only be accomplished today, and they only be accomplished by God’s grace.

I believe that’s what Joshua meant when he said, “Choose THIS DAY whom you will serve…” in Joshua 24:15. Living a great life is a daily choice, and since we are not God it definitely involves serving someone or something. Joshua says it is literally the choice between life and death.

As we move into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, keep this in mind. Each morning as your feet hit the floor commit your life anew to Christ and ask Him to help you be grace-filled that day and to be a grace-bearer to others. Then, no matter what happens, or where you find yourself, you will be living a great life.

Tanenbaum 2009

This is the 2009 Jackson Family Christmas Tree. We think it is our best tree ever! Of course - we say that every year. - We hope your Thanksgiving went well and you are as excited as we are about Christmas this year. If you are in the Cumming area over the holidays, be sure to join us for a service at NewSong Church.

Surprised By Joy

This Sunday is November 22nd. Ask almost anyone you meet who died on that day and they’ll correctly answer John F. Kennedy (on November 22, 1963). But someone else died that same exact day; someone who I believe was greater in God’s eyes than the “Prince of Camelot.” His name was Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis, or simply “Jack” to his family and closest friends. In a scenario eerily similar to Farah Fawcett’s death earlier this year, which was totally overshadowed Michael Jackson’s passing on the same day, Lewis’ death went virtually unnoticed as the world was stunned by the assassination of our thirty-fifth president.

Even though his death went largely unnoticed by the public, death has been no hindrance to C. S. Lewis' career. His fame continues to grow as new generations of skeptics and believers alike are introduced to his clear and convincing arguments for Christianity (Mere Christianity), his humorous but insightful narratives (Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, A Grief Observed), and, most recently, moviegoers have been introduced to Lewis’ work through the Chronicles of Narnia movies. I recently reread all seven of the short Narnia books and was again thrilled by the ways Lewis reveals deep spiritual truths in engaging stories reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.

The similarities with Tolkien’s work are not coincidental. Lewis was a contemporary of Tolkien and the two were actually close friends. In fact, it was a conversation with Tolkien that helped Lewis move a little further along the way in his journey from atheism to faith.

Lewis was raised an Anglican, but was only nine years old when his mother died of cancer. Shortly after her death, Lewis' father sent him and his brother Warren off to boarding school. It was during this time that Lewis decided he wanted nothing to do with a God who could be so cruel as to take his “mum.” Lewis, an extremely intelligent man, became an atheist and eventually an Oxford Don (professor) teaching English literature.

So how did this philosopher-cum-intellectual, this man who wrote over fifty books, some of which were penned as a youthful atheist, become a Christian? Lewis describes his journey of conversion in his spiritual autobiography Surprised by Joy. Lewis claims that at the time of his conversion he was "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." He describes his passage from atheist to Christian in words and images that are familiar to many of us: The joy of childhood which gave way to the harsh realities of the adult world, followed by a rigorous and intense investigation of competing truth claims, followed by being Surprised by Joy with a child-like faith again.

There’s a lesson for those of us who are too educated or too modern to accept the claims of Christianity. As an atheist, Lewis was unafraid to ask the difficult questions. Lewis’ conversion process was a long road that involved lots of reading and thinking (and eventually praying), meeting and talking with mentors, and gathering data from a variety of sources. Finally, on September 28, 1931, at age thirty-two, Lewis was… “riding to the Whipsnade Zoo in the sidecar of Warren’s motorcycle. When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did." Like John Wesley's heart which was "strangely warmed," something happened on that 40 mile motorcycle ride, and Lewis simply knew he now believed.

Today God is still using this reluctant convert’s legacy to populate the Kingdom of God. Lewis’ faith journey and conversion are certainly unusual, but it also contains echoes that I’m guessing are familiar to some of us. What happened on that motorcycle ride to the Whipsnade Zoo? I’m not sure, but my guess is it has something to do with a conversation Jesus had with another smart man one night when he said, “Just as you can hear the wind and can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit (John 3:8). Where are you on your spiritual journey? Can you feel the gentle winds of the Spirit blowing? Don’t be afraid of the questions. Don’t be afraid of the journey. Just know that the destination is sure; and enjoy the ride…

Hope

There’s a great line in the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” where Clarence the angel is summoned to help a troubled human. “Is he sick?” Clarence asks. “No, it’s worse than being sick,” the head angel replies, “he’s discouraged.” My guess is some of you reading this today are discouraged so I thought I would write about the antidote to discouragement, which is hope.

What is hope? Where does it come from? How do you get it? Turns out the word has quite a storied history. In Greek mythology, hope was personified as Elpis, the spirit (daimona) of hope. She along with the other daimones were trapped in a jar by Zeus and entrusted to the care of Pandora, the first woman. When Pandora opened the jar all of the spirits escaped except for Elpis. Without hope to accompany all their troubles, humanity was soon filled with despair. It was a great relief when Pandora returned to her jar and let out hope as well. Elpis was usually depicted as a young woman carrying flowers in her arms. Her opposite was Moros, spirit of hopelessness and doom (where we get our English word, “morose”).

The nineteenth century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had a more cynical take on this Greek legend, complaining that Zeus “did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he [Zeus] gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man's torment.”

Like the word we’ve been studying so much these “Forty Days,” “love,” the term “hope” has been cheapened by the ways we use it so loosely. We say things like, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” or “I hope my car starts this morning,” or “I hope the Falcons win on Sunday.” “I hope. I hope. I hope.”

The dictionary defines hope several ways, the most common of which is that hope is “the feeling that something good will happen.” The act of hoping is to, “wish for something with the desire that the wish will be fulfilled.” The words “feeling” and “wish” are indefinite and vague words, but this definition of “hope” exemplifies the understanding most people have of hope as “wishful thinking.”

Thankfully, the Bible puts “hope” in a totally different light. Far from being something we “wish for,” biblical hope is a “confident expectation of something good in the future.” Hope, then, is not simply an emotion, attitude, or a feeling. It is a confidence that literally defines us. Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will occur. And that moral certainty leads us to action and, in time, to faith.

Secular hope is often passive in the sense of being a wish; often against rational belief that the thing wished for will actually occur. Biblical hope, on the other hand, is active as a plan or idea, and is usually accompanied by persistent, personal action to execute the plan or prove the idea. Consider a prisoner of war who never gives up hope for escape and, against the odds, plans and accomplishes that very thing. By contrast, consider another prisoner who simply wishes for freedom, but without any genuine hope it will ever occur. Planning and action are useless. In time this prisoner will eventually give up all hope of freedom (if they, in fact, had “hope” to begin with).

The New Testament declares “hope” to be an absolute, a guarantee without a doubt meaning, “to expect or anticipate with pleasure.” For instance in Romans 5:2 Paul writes, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” We rejoice in the glory of God, not with uncertainty but with joyful anticipation — guaranteed. Or consider Colossians 1:5: “For the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth the gospel.” The Hope of Heaven is not a maybe — but an absolute and definite guarantee by the Word of the Truth of the Gospel.

Now that we’ve defined hope, where does it come from? By now you’ve probably figured out that hope like this can only come from God. God is the source and the object of our hope. Without God we have no hope and life is meaningless, a “chasing after the wind” to use the immortal words of Solomon.

How do you get this hope? Perhaps that is not quite as clear. My personal belief is that the answer about how to appropriate the hope God makes available to us is simply this: Focus your thoughts on God, and not on your problems. As has been pointed out several times in our current series, we have a tendency to turn into that which we focus on the most. If we stare at our problems, our disappointments, and our defeats all the time, they will quickly overwhelm us. If, on the other hand, we focus on God, our mountains will soon turn into molehills. Don’t focus on your need. Don’t focus on your lack. Don’t focus on your problem. Focus on God. Where does your hope come from? Hope comes from Him. Be encouraged today. Let hope be reborn in your heart; hope has a name: Jesus Christ. Ask Him to come into your life anew today (or for the first time!) and hope will be born in you!

God-Cam

Last Sunday I watched the Vikings-Packers game and Brett Favre's highly-anticipated return to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. The hoopla surrounding Favre’s ‘homecoming’ to the field where he won so many games was incredible. Recognizing this, FOX television had a special camera dubbed the “Favre-Cam” trained on the 40 year-old quarterback from the second he took the field against his former team until the moment he ran back into the locker room after the game. This constant video feed was available to fans by logging on FOXSports.com. It was actually pretty cool; even during commercials you could look on your PC and there was Brett; Brett looking at press box photos of the Packers defense, Brett chatting with his receivers, Brett on the phone to his coaches upstairs, Brett blowing his nose, Brett ribbing a referee, Brett grinning, Brett frowning, and so on.

While I admit it was pretty cool to watch, it was also just a little creepy. It reminded me of the Truman Show – that movie where Truman’s (“True Man?”) every move was watched over by Christof (‘Christ?”) and caught on camera and televised to the whole world. It was almost that bad; I halfway expected the camera and live feed to never shut off. Imagine that; Favre snapping towels in the locker room, Favre in the shower; Favre stuck in traffic; Favre arriving at home….

I remember when I was a little child I imagined God had a camera trained on me all the time. I guess I got the idea from the old Christmas song, remember? “He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Like Santa Claus, I figured God was watching me 24/7 so I’d better behave. There were times when this thought was comforting; I figured I could always call out to God and he’d rescue me if I got in a really tight spot (perhaps if I was, say, drowning). But as I grew older, more often than not, the thought that God was always watching made me very uncomfortable.

God does see, you know. Job 28:24 says, “God views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.” Yes, he is watching. Yes, he does know. And yes, like Santa, God loves us. He wants to see us happy. He gives us many of the things we ask for. But, also like Santa, God can be very stern, and he doesn’t hesitate to punish (see the Old Testament).

Is it fair to lump God and Santa Claus together like this? Is it fair to perceive of God as a great cosmic Santa watching, or perhaps even worse, 'directing' every move we make? Is God really an adult version of Santa as this might lead us to believe? If not, then how can we move toward a better understanding of God than the one many of us presently have? Speaking for myself, I must admit I have some work to do here. Watching the “Favre-Cam” last Sunday afternoon made me realize that.

Passion

Growing up in the sixties one of my television heroes was Mr. Spock, of Star Trek Fame. Spock rocked my world – a world filled with cowboy shoot-em-up shows (Rawhide, Gunsmoke, etc…) and war shows (Combat! 12 O’clock High, etc…). The Vulcan’s rational detachment and lack of ego seemed to usher in a new era and gave me something different to think about. Of course on the show Spock’s passionless behavior was always juxtaposed against the fiery demeanor and “shoot first, ask questions later” ways of Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy's considerate ways. Spock was dispassionate, Kirk was passionate, and Dr. McCoy rounded out the trinity by being compassionate.

These three are engaging examples of that somewhat mysterious word, ‘passion.’ Passion has multiple meanings and is defined as: a) strong feelings or emotions; b) something that is desired intensely as in, "His passion for fame destroyed him;" c) mania: an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action as in, “It was a crime of passion;” d) feelings of strong sexual desire; and e) the suffering of Jesus at the Crucifixion. Wow, talk about a wide variety of meaning!

Our English word ‘passion’ comes from the Greek word pathos, which, like the English word, has more than one meaning. It can mean something that happens to you that is either good or bad, but it usually means something bad; something that happens to make you suffer. It can also be something that you suffer for, such as a passionate desire. Pathos is where our English word pathology comes from, which is the study of disease; what went wrong. It’s also where we get our word pathetic, which means pitiful. Pathos in literature and art is what arouses feelings of pity or sorrow. Any way you turn it, the word is associated with feelings.

The question remains though; is passion a good thing, or a bad thing? Passion causes us to do stupid things, but it also beckons us onward and upward to our greatest achievements. Perhaps that’s why passion has remained “front and center” in matters of faith. In Christianity there was the Passion of Christ, which was a good thing, then along came the monastic fathers, who urged believers to check their passions, then came the religious awakening in the 18th century where Christians once again proved that passion has its place in Christianity. In Buddhism passion is what leads you astray and is a problem to be overcome through renunciation.

Personally, I believe passion has its place in Christianity and is almost always a good thing. Yes, we need to logically think through our doctrine and beliefs, but eventually a leap of faith is called for – a passionate leap to breathe life into our stale dogmas. Something that causes the heart to beat faster, tears to flow, and a lump to form in the throat. Something you can feel.

To return to my opening words about the Star Trek trinity; perhaps what we need most today is an amalgam of the three: The cool calculating Spock, the heat-bringing zest of Kirk, and the kind and caring doctor, McCoy. Each needs the other to be whole; each is less without the other. So are we; the same could be said for our faith.

I’ve always felt it takes a combination all three of these to make a good sermon too. Hopefully you’ll experience that this week when I preach. If not – if my ears get a little pointy, or if my finger itches to pull the trigger, or if I get too mushy, give me a sign, will you? Meanwhile, live long and prosper.

Windows 7 Released Today

Today is a big day in the computing world as the latest operating system from Windows, Windows 7, is being released. This event will cause nary a ripple in the life of 99% of the world’s population (including, for instance, my wife Donna’s world), but here I am sitting at my laptop typing using the “old” Vista operating system and suddenly I feel totally outdated. Why is that? I wasn’t outdated yesterday. Why do I feel that way today? What kind of hold do technology vendors like software companies, television makers (HD, 3D, 780p, 1080i, etc….) and telephone makers (Iphone I, II, III, etc..) have on me? What kind of power do they have over my mind that they can suddenly make me feel old fashioned with the release of the latest, greatest device or program that will instantly change my life?

The truth is, it’s impossible to stay updated with technology unless you are Warren Buffett, and he doesn’t appear to care about technology. And so I sit and wonder; should I spring for the $119 upgrade to Windows 7? Should I trade in my old-fashioned Blackberry for a sleek new Iphone?

Naah…the best things are the oldest. Give me a good old book – the paper and ink kind, not a Kindle. Give me a telephone that makes calls and doesn’t do everything else in the world. Give me Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Most of all, give me Jesus. He alone can satisfy that emptiness that makes me think I need to update my PC or buy a new television.

It does occur to me that the church has something to learn here however. Imagine if we could create the kind of thirst for God and the things of God that technology companies do for their products. Imagine driving up to your church on Sunday morning and seeing the line to get in going around the block like you see whenever the latest Iphone is released? Wouldn’t that be awesome? What can we learn from them? Food for thought….

And the Winner Is....

This past weekend was one of those rare weekends when all the “good guys” won. On Friday night all four of our county high school teams won their games, Georgia and Georgia Tech won on Saturday, and the Falcons won a thriller on Sunday night to finish the hat trick. That’s pretty amazing; in fact I don’t remember a time when it has ever happened before.

Let’s face it, winning feels good, doesn’t it? For some reason, when “our team” wins, we feel better about life; everyone loves a winner. We especially love those improbable wins; those times when the underdog wins over a highly favored opponent. Thinking about that this weekend it occurred to me that we have a God who specializes in just that kind of victory. We have a “David over Goliath” kind of God; a God who took a weak and defenseless group of slaves and liberated them from Egypt – the most powerful nation in the world at the time. A God who told Gideon to leave all but 300 of his 22,000 soldiers behind before going into battle to defeat a highly favored enemy. Clearly God’s choice is to pick those whom the world sees as “losers” to win. Our God is a God who “chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,” and the “lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27).

I am convinced that our desire to associate with winners is, at least in part, the reason many people are so enamored with mega-churches. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got nothing against mega-churches, but I honestly believe that the reason some people attend them is to associate with a “winner.” That says a couple of things to me. First, it indicates that there is definitely something to be said for at least having the appearance of a winner; people are attracted and the message gets out, which is a good thing. But second, it speaks to our need (in the church) to make sure the world’s definition of success hasn’t become our definition. Our definition of success is not the same as the world’s definition. Full pews, overflowing parking lots, and tons of programs do not necessarily indicate a healthy, successful church. Nor do full bank accounts or even the absence of conflict within a church.

If you turn to Scripture you find a different indicator of success. Success in the church equals one thing: disciples of Jesus Christ are being made. Success is not just great worship or evangelism or social action. All of these are wonderful, but they are not the main thing. The main thing is to help people grow into fully committed Jesus-followers who, in turn, win and disciple others. Everything the church does should point people to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship with him. According to the Bible, a church doing that is successful - it is a winner – in God’s eyes. Doing anything less is not worthy of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us.

That said; ask yourself this: “Is my church successful? Is my church a “winner?” I hope you can answer that question in the affirmative.

A New Bible

I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with Bibles. I love Bibles; all kinds of Bibles – big ones, little ones, leather ones, paperback ones, old ones, new ones, - all different versions and translations – you name it, I’d like to have it, I love Bibles. I probably own over fifty Bibles; I’ve never actually counted but I’m sure it would be close to that.

Truth be told, I love books in general. I am what the dictionary calls a bibliophile. In Greek, “biblio” means book and “philo” means love, so a bibliophile is a book-lover; someone one who loves to read, admire and collect books. Bibliophilia is not to be confused with bibliomania, which is an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving the collecting of books to the point where one’s social relations or health is endangered. I remember loving books even when I was a child. I loved it in elementary school when you got that handout from the Scholastic Book Club and you got to order a few new books. They were cheap paperback versions of books, often abridged classics, but I can still remember the difficulty I had selecting which titles to order and the smell of the ink on the pages when the books finally arrived in the classroom in a big box and the teacher handed them out. I Googled this memory and discovered times have certainly changed. Now you place your Scholastic Book Club orders online through your teacher’s web portal: that makes me feel really old and outdated. But I am digressing badly here – back to Bibles.

My story is I bought another Bible this week. I have decided I want a smaller Bible to use when I am preaching, but it can’t be too small because then I can’t see the print to read it. I needed just the right one. I checked with Barnes & Noble and Amazon, to no avail. Then I went to a couple of Christian bookstore websites (CBD and Cokesbury). Finally on Thursday I made a quick run down to my local Lifeway store (Northpoint Mall) and there, right inside the door to the store was a display with the exact Bible I wanted. Best of all, it was on sale for only ten bucks! It is a Zondervan Compact Thinline Bible. The photo above is the Bible. It has a “simulated leather” cover with an embossed cross on the front. It’s really nice. It is a “trim, go-anywhere pocket Bible that contains the entire Old and New Testaments plus many features usually found only in full-size Bibles” according to the advert for the Bible (read more here).

At any rate, I’m excited to try it out on Sunday. Meanwhile, I don’t understand the obsession I have with Bibles. Maybe it’s because I love Scripture so much. Or maybe it’s because I’m hoping someday I will find the perfect Bible; one where I hear God speaking to me every time I crack it open. I don’t know, we’ll see. Meanwhile, I’ve got my eye on a nice, used, leather-bound Living Bible I saw at Goodwill today… maybe next week!

Influences

Donna recently told me the story of meeting a teacher at her new school. In an attempt to see if they had any friends in common Donna mentioned a good friend of hers who teaches the same subject. When she mentioned the name, the other teacher exclaimed, “She is why I went into teaching! She inspired me to become a teacher.” This young teacher went on to explain that from the time she had this teacher back in middle school she knew she wanted to be a teacher.

That story got me thinking about influence; especially about those who have influenced me the most. Think for a moment; who has influenced your life the most? Who are the top five most influential people in your life right now?

Many of us would list our parents, grandparents, siblings, spouse, or other family members. Others might include a teacher from their school days, a sports coach, college roommate, or perhaps a mentor from their vocation in their top five. Some might include a pastor or best friend.

The people who influenced me most, especially in my early years, were my parents. They gave me a solid foundation and a great start to life. I can also still feel the imprint of high school teachers and coaches, seminary professors, and colleagues in ministry. Many of my influences lived hundreds of years ago, because I have been influenced by their writings. Some of my influences are still alive but I’ve never met them, again because I have read their stories, heard them speak, and read their books. The greatest influence in my life today is my wife; if I could be more like any person – living or dead – it would be her.

Who are your top influences? As you think about this, keep in mind that not all those who influence us do so positively; some people influence us in ways that are to our detriment. With some people we say, “I’d like to be just like him/her.” With others we say, “I hope I am never like that.” Some people draw us higher with their influence; others bring us down.

Now that you are thinking about this; you may want to take it a step further. Ask yourself why that person has been such an influence on your life. Ask yourself if you have lived up to the expectation they set in your life. You might even want to ask yourself if their influence on your life was even warranted.

Finally, if one of your “top five” is still around, you might want to take the time to express your appreciation to them. Call them, write them, email them, or go see them. They may not even know they have been an inspiration to you in your life. Every influencer deserves that.

Catalyst 2009

Last Week I attended the 2009 version of the Catalyst Conference along with some of our staff and Elders. Catalyst is an outstanding Christian leadership conference and this was their tenth anniversary. I have attended three or four of the ten. This year's edition had some great speakers including Andy Stanley, Rob Bell, Chuck Swindol, Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Dungy, Matt Chandler, Priscilla Shirer, Dave Ramsey, Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, and others.

A few people have asked me what my biggest "takeaway" from the conference was. That's tough to say because there were so many excellent speakers and I learned so much. I guess if I had to narrow it all down it would that I heard a clear word to return to my first love: Jesus Christ. At last year's conference it seemed like I heard more about things in our church that need fixing. This year's conference seemed to be more about things in me that need fixing.

We all have things going on in our churches. Some of them are good; and some are bad. In the end, however, we all have the same goal: to stand before Jesus and hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

It was Louie Giglio who pointed out that many of us are standing on our marks, ready to run the race, but we need to ask ourselves where are we headed. We need to settle the destination of our journey. Why is that so important? Because of the ways in which our destination impacts the journey along the way. Giglio shared a quote from Thomas Merton who once said, "Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire."

I left Catalyst wondering, what is it I desire? What is the destination of my journey? How does that destination shape my day-to-day life and ministry? As Giglio pointed out as he concluded his talk, "When the world says, 'I found God on your face,' that is leadership." That's what it is all about.

What am I going to do about this? Simple: In order to reflect Jesus' face I'm going to need to spend a lot more face time with Him myself. That's my biggest takeaway. Lord, help me to do just that... Amen.

Words to Live On

Today's New Testament passage in my dail Bible reading spoke to me in a powerful way. Great words for us all from the Apostle Paul from First Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12-22.


Words to honor your pastor and other spiritual leaders (v. 12-13):
"Now we ask you brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest respect in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

Words to those who are pastors and spiritual leaders (v. 14-15):
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody repays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kinds to each other and to everyone else.

Words to us all (v. 16-22):
Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

Lost in Cyberspace

I just had a weird experience with email. One of my accounts is with AT&T (formerly BellSouth) and apparently AT&T is currently migrating all their mail to Yahoo. Somehow in the process 458 of my emails got temporarily "lost." At least I would call them lost - lost in cyberspace. But AT&T claims they never were really lost; my overly polite and courteous customer service agent told me tonight that AT&T knew where my emails were all the time. They just didn't get them to me.

Long story short...I was sitting at my laptop with Outlook open when suddenly emails started flying into my inbox, one right after another. I knew something was going on. I called and spoke with AT&T and they apologized, but still, I've got a mess to clean up.

It turns out that of the 458 emails only about 20 of them were anything even remotely approaching what you would call "important." Not a single one reached the "crucial" level. Still, it's scary to think people emailed me three weeks ago about something and I didn't get their email until tonight (I have already apologized to everyone who did). I suppose I rely too much on email; the failure to receive one, or worse, to respond to one can cause a lot of unnecessary grief and pain. Who wants a pastor who you can email, but who is apparently choosing to ignore you?

I am sure there is some deep philosophical, theological, or homiletical gem in this snafu somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't think of it tonight. Maybe I should just turn off my laptop and turn in. Yes...that's exactly what I'll do. Good night.

PS - if you ever email me and don't hear back within three weeks, please call.

FORTY DAYS OF LOVE
The time period of forty days appears to be important in Scripture. Over and over again this particular period of time is mentioned. Here are a few examples:

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights when God wanted to cleanse the world and start over (Gen 7:12) and then Noah waited another 40 days after it rained before he opened a window in the Ark (Gen 8:6). Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days – twice (Exodus 24:18, 34:28-29 and Deut. 10:10). It took the spies 40 days to search out the Promised Land (Num. 13:25). For 40 days, twice a day, morning and evening, Goliath the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army and taunted them before he was finally killed by David (1 Sam 17:16). Elijah strengthened by one angelic meal was on the lamb for 40 days ending up on Mount Horeb where the Lord passed by and he heard the still, small voice of God (1 Kings 19:8). Righteous Ezekiel was punished for Judah’s sin for 40 days (Ezek. 4:6). Jonah warned the City of Nineveh they had 40 days until God would overthrow the city. The people repented in those 40 days and God spared the city (Jonah 3:4, 10). Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Mat 3:17) and was seen on the earth 40 days after His crucifixion (Acts 1:3).

Obviously, 40 days is a symbolic time. We believe 40 days are significant at NewSong as well. A few years ago we observed a 40 day season as we went through the Purpose Driven Life book as a congregation, focusing on personal renewal. We believe only changed people can change the world; renewal must start there. The foundation for everything in life begins with getting to know and love God and then to begin growing in him and serving. But we were never meant to live our lives in isolation. We need others, and they need us. There is a second kind of renewal needed – relational renewal. That’s what the 40 day season we are about to begin is all about. We must not only learn to love God with all our heart (personal renewal); we must also learn to love our neighbor as ourselves (relational renewal).

Relational renewal is so important we are going to spend 40 days – six weeks - learning how to add depth and health to our marriages, families, and friendships. We will be studying love and practicing love as we explore and implement the relationship principles the Bible teaches. Our goal in the end is to be more loving and to be better equipped with insights and a practical path for fulfilling God’s intention for all our relationships – even the difficult ones.

What does this mean for you? You have several options depending on how deep you’d like to go. You can come to worship for the next six weeks and listen as I preach on love and how to build stronger relationships (you can also listen to, or read, the sermons online, or request a CD or DVD of each message). A second option would be to hear the sermons and enroll in a small group to meet with others to go deeper. To go even deeper you can listen to the sermons, join a small group and then use the book the series is based on, The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay as your daily devotional guide for the 40 Days. This book is available at Barnes and Noble, on Amazon.com and at most other bookstores.

I’m very excited to see what God is going to do through this campaign as we learn how to build healthier relationships in all aspects of our lives. It will be great to all be all doing this together as well.

Stuck in the Past

I’ve been doing a lot of introspective thinking lately (too much, if the truth be told). Doing so has made it clear to me that I have become stuck in my thinking. Furthermore, my being stuck revolves mostly around the past – nursing and licking old wounds that should have been healed long ago and holding on to old hurts and bad habits that should have been jettisoned before now. Meanwhile, God says in the Bible: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19). God has new things in store for us; he wants to give us new ideas and take us to new places; he wants us to do new things and meet new people. Meanwhile we remain stuck in the old. Why? Mainly because we choose to be stuck. Paul makes that clear when he talks about choosing to press into the future and not be stuck: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12-14).

I realize not everyone is stuck in their thinking right now like I am, but there is a pretty good chance that someone reading this post is. If so, put those bad experiences behind you. Forgive those who have wronged you. Let go of the past – move on! God says he is “making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” In that dry barren place you are in right now God is showing you a path to get on – a new way to proceed and he’s bringing refreshing streams of water to quench your thirst. God has new goals for you, new things for you to do, and you won’t be able to do a single one of them if you remain stuck in the past. What’s written below is found all over the Internet and commonly attributed to T.D. Jakes. I’m not sure if Jakes said it or not, but it is a powerful message – one that bears repeating here.

LET IT GO by T. D. Jakes

There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this. When people can walk away from you, let them walk.

I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. The bible says that, “They came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us." (1 John 2:19)

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. Let them go. And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when a person's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it.

Stop begging people to stay...LET THEM GO!!!

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to...LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains...LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you...LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge...LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction...LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents...LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude...LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him...LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship...LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves...LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed ...LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying, "Take your hands off of it," then you need to...LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing and it's time to release and let go of the old...LET IT GO!!!

Get Right or Get Left...think about it, and then LET IT GO!!!

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

Missed It!

Okay, so last night I decided to watch a little of the Steelers-Titans game after I got home from a meeting. I got all comfy on my sofa and watched the game from half-time on. Near the end of the game I began to feel a little sleepy. The game was great though; it was a tough toe-to-toe battle and the score was knotted at 10-10.

The game goes into overtime. I get sleepier. So sleepy that I get up and go get something to eat (that's my excuse anyway). I get back from the fridge just in time to watch the Steelers win the toss for the sudden-death OT period. I watch the kick-off. Then I wake up and the news is on.

I didn't find out who won until I turned on my computer this morning. What's with that? How could I sit there for two hours and then miss the most important 2 minutes of the game simply because I nodded off?

I suppose that happens to many of us. We are vigilant; we persevere; and then we falter at the crucial moment all because the "spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Perhaps that's what is happening on Sunday mornings when I see folks nodding off while I'm preaching. Maybe next time I should go get something to eat sooner when I'm watching a good game. Maybe I should make sure my parishioners get fed something more spiritually nourishing on Sunday mornings. Perhaps I have put you to sleep reading this. Zzzzzzzzzzz