December Reposts: Part 3

This month, I am going to repost some past blogs.  My hope is that you enjoy re-reading them.  For the rest of you reading these for the first time will gain a little more nderstanding of where I came from.  Maybe learn from a mistake or two of mine.

I always have and always will love football.  It really has over thrown baseball as "America's Pastime" in recent years.  Every year there is one story in the NFL that sticks out among the rest.  This year (2011) is no exception.  This year it's Tebow.

You can't escape it no matter how hard you try.  Every hour on Sportscenter.  Every night on the news.  ESPN.  NFL Network.  ABC.  NBC.  FOX News.  You can't escape Tebow!  Granted, all the guy does is win!  As i am writing this, his team is currently 6-1 with him as a starter.  He leads 4th quarter comebacks and game winning drives.  He does it with his legs, where most quarterbacks win with their arms.  He takes care of the football and rarely make any turnovers.  He's a polarizing figure.  People either love him or hate him.  Why?  The answer: his faith.

Tim Tebow has been very outspoken about his faith.  He has a very popular book out that describes his faith in Christ in detail.  In the off season, he makes his rounds in churches across the country giving motivational speeches and interviews with pastors.  During his games, you see him down on one knee with his head bowed (Tebowing); a common ritual for after he scores touchdowns as well.

But then comes the critics.  Players mock his knee down prayer after a sack.  Other mock his outspoken faith.  Some Christians are up in arms over the deliberate mocking.  Those people are told to "lighten up" by members of the media and that it's "all in good fun."

Here's a question: what if Tebow wasn't a Christian?  What if he was Muslim?  Jewish?  Buddhist?  What would happen if he was mocked then?  I guarantee you, people would be up in arms.  The NFL commissioner would be handing out suspensions like he was handing out candy at Halloween.  No one would be told to "lighten up."  The player that mocked him would be told to go to counseling due to his lack of tolerance.  So why then is it OK to mock Christians?

Jen Floyd Engel from foxsports.com had a great article on this the other day.  In the article she says:

"His religious fervor is an easy target for the vitriol spewed from those who dislike him, but the reasons are much deeper than that. From his advocacy of abstinence to his infamous “You will never see another team play this hard” speech at Florida, it is like he is too good to be true. He is too nice, and thereby we want him to trip up so we can feel better. We want him to be revealed as a hypocrite, and when that fails to happen, we settle for gleefully celebrating his failures on the football field. And why? Because he dares to say thanks?"

-http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211

Do people really want  to see this kid fail?  I guess that is the cynical nature of our being.  Instead of raising our morals to the high standard of those around us, we try to bring those with higher morals down to our level.  Sad.  Tragic even.  

Personally, I admire Tim.  I don't know him personally, but he seems like a pretty genuine guy.  I don't root for him to fail by any means...unless I'm playing against him in fantasy football that is.  He's accomplished a lot in his life, and every time someone tries to knock him down, he keeps fighting.  He could easily respond to his critics negatively, but that's not him.  He knows the eyes of the world are on him.  Maybe that's unfair, but so far, he's doing a pretty good job of carrying that burden.

December Reposts: Part 2

This month, I am going to repost some past blogs.  My hope is that you enjoy re-reading them.  For the rest of you reading these for the first time will gain a little more nderstanding of where I came from.  Maybe learn from a mistake or two of mine.

I spent yesterday afternoon with my wife and some leaders and members of a church at a northwest suburban eatery.  OK, so it looked more like a bar than your typical restaurant.  Alright, it was a bar.  Big screen TVs, and Hollywood memorabilia adorned the walls of the establishment.  But the most interesting part of the afternoon was the conversations that we had.  We talked about ideas for ministry.  We discussed what it would look like to have a worship band play in that bar.  We talked about what it would take to have a men's small group at the bar.  We even talked about having a church service or two there.

Huh?  I was/am confused.  You mean that ministry doesn't happen within the four walls of our church buildings?  

For most churches that have ideas like this, they are only doing "lip service."  So many churches "want" to be apart of the community, but when the time comes, they balk at the idea.  It's "too much work" or "now's not a good time" are their reasons, but the reality is that it's uncomfortable.  It is uncomfortable.  It's supposed to be.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues."  Matthew 10:16-17

When Jesus sent out his disciples, he said that bad things would happen to them.  Why should we expect any less?  It would be hard.  We might see rejection, but doesn't God want us to be lights in our community?

Why do so many churches spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their buildings trying to make them "cool" and "acceptable" to outside observers, when local bars, restaurants, and theaters have already done that?  Think about it: what do our modern churches look like? Coffee houses. Bars. Theaters.  What make those community buildings any different from our church buildings?

Seriously, what WOULD it look like to have church in a bar?  I'm not necessarily saying that you should serve beer during the offering or worship set, but what about just using the facility?  They have the stage, the lighting, the decor, the sound system...they have everything!

Why don't we do it? Fear.  Uncertainty.  Doubt.  These factors always creep in when God calls us to do something radical.

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10: 32-33

God promises to be with us when we step out in faith.  When we go out and spread His name in our community, we are doing what He wants, but it takes faith.  We need to take those radical steps to reach others for Christ.  

So, what would church in a local bar look like?  I hope someday soon to have an answer for you.

December Reposts: Part 1

This month, I am going to repost some past blogs.  My hope is that you enjoy re-reading them.  For the rest of you reading these for the first time will gain a little more nderstanding of where I came from.  Maybe learn from a mistake or two of mine.

The more that I am involved in full-time ministry, the more I understand that Christians have trouble distinguishing between advertising and evangelism.  I witnessed the difference the other day when I was hanging out with a local pastor.

As we went into the local Caribou Coffee, he told me that he requires his staff members to be a part of the community.  Every pastor that I have ever met says the same thing, but this particular pastor lives that.  By the time that we arrived at the front counter to order our coffee, he had already ran into 3 people that he knew by name.  He also knew 2 of the barristers by name and they knew his.  The thing that caught my eye was what he did after we ordered.  He noticed that the cashier was new and introduced himself.  At that moment, this pastor made a new friend, Drew.

We then sat at that Caribou for the next few hours.  We talked about our hopes and dreams of ministry, our spiritual journey, and the daily challenges that we face in ministry.  During that time, we were interrupted countless times by people that he knew.  He knew each person by name, their story and their family.  Some were members of his church, others were people that he knew that worked at that Caribou or in the downtown area.  

As Drew was leaving for the day, he stopped by our table.  He asked, "Are you guys Christian?"  We laughed and said, "Yes.  Why do you ask?"  Drew then stated that he too was a Christian, but he never met anyone like us before.  No one usually exchanges names or talks with a cashier.  He stayed a few minutes and told us his story.  That was ministry.  That was evangelism.  After my meeting with this pastor, I realized that he "got it."  Evangelism is about relationships.  

So often, church "evangelism" takes place at places like a business expo.  We hand out pens, brochures, or candy as people walk by our booth.  They look at your church like another "business" when you're surrounded by a local bank and a plumbing company.  Once you put in your few hours at the expo, your "evangelism" is done for the year, you pack up your candy and you head back to the four walls of the church.

Today, I wonder what that pastor is doing.  I bet he went into that same Caribou to order his Mint Mocha and talk to Drew by name.  I bet they are building a relationship.  I bet that if and when Drew hits hard times in his life, he'll look for "that pastor who knows his name."  That's ministry.  That's what real evangelism looks like.

Channel Surfing

Have you ever found yourself on the couch, channel surfing in your blue snuggie looking for something “mindless” to watch on TV?  I’ve been finding myself in that position more often than not these days.  Nine times out of ten, I usually end up watching some buddy comedy or something with slap-stick nonsense. 

Last night I found myself in this situation.  Surfing through the DirecTV guide, until I landed on something so mindless that I just knew that it was the perfect choice for the evening.  That 2008 Academy Award snub: “Rambo.”  Granted, it was on AMC, so I was unable to get the full effect of what the director was trying to portray, but watching Sly Stallone hunt down some rebels with a bow and arrow sounded like the perfect end to a hard Tuesday.

About 45 minutes into the film, I heard seven words that redefined this movie for me.  It went from a classic “B” movie with all the explosions, poorly written dialogue, and horrendous acting into a movie with a message.  Just as I’m settled into a thoughtless euphoria, Sly mumbles out these profound words: “Live for nothing or die for something.”

That was it!  My night was over!  Are you kidding me!  What a powerful statement! 

My mind was racing for the rest of the night with the thought of this message.  How many of us in this world are “living for nothing?”  Maybe it’s a friend. A co-worker.  A family member.  These people feel like their life is full and complete, but at the end of the day, when they really look in the mirror to examine their hearts, they realize their lives are empty.

I unfortunately know a lot of people like that.  It may be a cheesy Christian cliché, but it really is true: we all have a “God-shaped hole” in our hearts.  We try to fill it with “stuff,” shallow relationships or anything that makes us temporarily happy.  These people are “living for nothing.”

In the end, though, it’s that “die for something” that is the real kicker.  Do you have anything in your life that you are willing to die for?  More importantly, are you willing to die for your faith?

You may not know who Cassie Bernall was, but you may know her story.  Cassie was a junior at Columbine high school in 1999.  On April 20^th of that year, two of her classmates stormed the school… armed. The two classmates knew that Cassie was that “Christian kid” in the school and put her faith to the test.  They held a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God.  She said, “Yes.” They then took her life.  Cassie’s mom wrote a book, She Said Yes, that recounts the events of her daughter’s life and more importantly, the account of that fateful day. 

Cassie’s story lives on and she has stood as an example for the past 13 years as a person who really did “die for something.” 

Just Say “No”

For most people, Thanksgiving week tends to kick off the holiday season.  For others, the Christmas “season” started after Labor Day.  Personally, I love Thanksgiving, but it tends to be my last “big breath” before the rush of Christmas starts.  Parties, pageants, and shopping tend to occupy my mind and time.  I think things will only get worse this year with a baby.  This will be the first year that we’re actually doing Christmas cards.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been hearing a common theme this year from a variety of sources (churches, speakers, blogs, etc.).  That theme is, “It’s OK to say, ‘No.’”  I don’t know why, but that has really hit home with me in the past few weeks.  Maybe it’s because I’m working two jobs, am staying at home with my daughter two days a week, and giving guitar lessons on the side.  I’ve been very guilty of running myself ragged and I constantly allow myself to get pulled in 5 different directions.

I know it’s not healthy; for me or my family.  But I’ve managed to “justify” it by saying it’s, “just that season of ministry” or “it will get better.”  NEWS FLASH: it doesn’t!  There will always be something that comes up and next month may be busier than the last.  Things happen.  Things come up.

Last week, I felt God calling me to quit one of my jobs.  It was a part time job that was taking away a lot of time and energy from my other job and family.  It was tough, but I told my boss on Thursday that I wouldn’t be able to continue after the fall semester.  He agreed that it was the best move for me. 

Even though I’m still in the position for another month, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  That freedom has come with the knowledge that it’s OK to say, “No” sometimes. 

As the busy Christmas season approaches, figure out what’s most important to you and do it.  Remember, it’s OK to say, “No.”  Do what’s best for you and your family.

I said this last year in my “Thankfulness” post: If you don’t take time out, God will force you to take time out.  Psalm 23:2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures..." Take it from me, take the “time out” before God makes you take one.  It’s less painful that way.

One Year Later...

It’s hard to believe that I started this blog one year and 50 posts ago.  A year ago, I lost my job and had a wife that was 6 months pregnant and heading into the holiday season.  I was hurt, frustrated and upset by the circumstances surrounding me.  There were so many thoughts going through my head that my friend, Ben suggested that I write them all down.  So I started “Relentless Discipleship.” 

This blog was the place that I could tell the world what God was laying on my heart; unapologetic and unfiltered. 

At the time I started “Relentless Discipleship,” my family was going through the deepest valley we had ever gone through.  We had no clue what God was doing.  I had uprooted our lives to take a youth ministry job, because I knew that God was calling us to do so and even after all the pain an hurt that we went through last year, I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Our church family may have abandoned us, but our Fuse Student Ministry family was there for us every step of the way.  Our families were there for us.  Our friends were there for us. They were all an answer to our prayers.  They assured us that God had a plan for our family, and He did. 

I never applied for a job yet I was contacted by 7 churches after I was let go.  I had interviews with each and six made me offers.  All of this happened in a matter of days.  In the end, we felt that Saint Paul was where God was telling us to go.

I am so glad to be on staff here at Saint Paul in Mount Prospect.  I am surrounded by a staff that puts God first.  I am daily encouraged and uplifted.  It’s a church where we all work together to accomplish the goal of building God’s kingdom.  We are so blessed with great congregation members and volunteers.  From the moment we came here, we knew that the God was doing great things here.

There are times I think about how things used to be: the late nights, the cross country trips, etc.  I miss those things, but I know now that God had a plan for me to be home more with my daughter.  As opposed to being at work 5 nights a week, I am only gone one or two AND I get to spend two days a week with my daughter.  That time has been the most precious thing of all.

This time last year, I though the world was caving in around me, but God had a plan for my life.  The path to get me to where I am today was painful, but I know that my family and I are spending more time together; time that we wouldn’t have had a year ago.

The holidays are creeping up, and for some people, they are tough times.  But I’m here to say that God has a plan for your life.  It may not be what you desire or what you think is best, but God’s plan is better than anything that you can come up with. 

You may not be able to see that today, but in a few years, you just might...

Taming The Tongue

Those that know me, know that I love to vacation in Disney World.  My parents own a house down there and my wife and I make a yearly pilgrimage to pay homage to the mouse every summer.  When we are down there, we attend a church called Real Life Church in Clermont, FL.  I had searched for a church to go to while on vacation in Florida for many years and came across this church by pure accident.  One of the things I like so much about Real Life is the preaching of Pastor Justin Miller.  In his messages, he’s not afraid to speak the truth in love, even if what he says may hurt yet be true.

When I’m not in sunny Florida, I find myself listening to his weekly sermons via the iTunes podcast.  This week, he talked about James 3 and how we need to tame our tongue.  This message hit me pretty hard.  I had a phone conversation with a pastor this week that was experiencing divisiveness in his church.  I also talked with a worship leader that is experiencing the same thing in his church.  It seems that gossip and slander are a theme in churches all across the country.

Pastor Justin emphasized verse 3 that we can tame so many different kinds of animals, but we can’t seem to manage to tame our own tongues.  We can charm snakes.  We can train killer whales with whistles and hand motions.  We can train elephants to stand on their hind legs.  We can do all these things, yet we still manage to put our foot in our mouth on a consistent basis.

He also went in to discussion about verse 4, how large, massive ships are steered by a small rudder.  The tongue is such a small part of our body, yet it can corrupt and control the rest of the body.  These days, our spoken words aren’t the only words that hurt.  The words and phrases we put on Facebook and Twitter also do major damage to the people around us.  They may not be spoken words, but they are powerful none the less.

Pastor Justin put out a good idea for those of us who struggle with this issue.  He said that we should use the 10 second rule.  In the 10 seconds before you say something, ask God is what you are about to say honoring to him.  Ask him to give you the right words to say in that situation.  Imagine if more people did that.  Imagine if more people actually thought about what they would say before they said it.  Imagine if people actually asked themselves, “Is this post God honoring” before they posted something on Facebook.

It was comforting for me to hear Pastor Justin’s message this week.  It let me know that there are churches across the country that have the same struggles. 

Do you need to implement a 10 second rule in your life?