There are few words that I love more in the Scriptures than “freedom.” I think it is one of those words that really sets Christianity apart from other religions. Many people say that all religion is the same, it’s all about the golden rule, “Do unto others as you’d have them do to you.” But that’s not really the case. The religions of the world are all very different from one another. Each has their beauty, but they are not simply the same.

Consider Galatians 5 for a moment,

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1–6, ESV)

Whenever I read this passage I am blown away. I am left in wide eyed wonder at the gospel. To follow Jesus is to be freed from seeking a self-justification.

First, Paul has jokes. He plays on the issue of circumcision by saying that a Gentile convert who get circumcised is, “Severed from Christ.” Paul’s being funny. He’s dropping one liners like Kevin Hart.

He’s also very serious though.

Those who seek to follow Christ cannot do so by following rules or traditions or law. To follow Christ all that matters all that counts is “faith working through love.”

When we seek to justify ourselves by the law we have “fallen away from grace.” We are no long free but we are submitting ourselves again to “slavery.” The way of Jesus is the way of freedom by grace through faith.

This is the beauty of the Christian life. Grace and faith re-shape us and free us to live lives of integrity and goodness. Elsewhere, Paul talks about the importance of the law and that its demands lead us to repentance. Yet, in that we are freed from the condemnation of the same law because in Christ there is grace. Justification comes as a result of Christ’s faithfulness to the law.

Grace, faith, and freedom must shape all of who we are. I think that David Fitch says it well in regards to the issue of abortion consider what he says and how it applies to living in freedom:

We cannot be redeemed by the law. We are redeemed by grace through faith. This reality must play out in our personal lives and also how we seek to engage the world around us.

The beauty of Christianity is the radical call to freedom because all that counts is “faith working through love.”

Freedom, Law, Grace, and Love was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I don’t know how many conversations I have had with folks about Jesus. Too many to count, after all, I am a pastor. Many of them with people who don’t follow Jesus say, “If God is real he would just do something miraculous and prove himself. Why doesn’t he just do that?”

Even Jesus had to answer this question. In Mark 8 we find this little interaction with the religious leaders of his day:

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. (Mark 8:11–13, ESV)

Can’t you almost picture it? I think Jesus probably does something like this:

Now, I know that might feel a little sacrilegious, but can’t you almost hear Jesus’ eyes rolling? This interaction came following the feeding of four thousand men (probably triple that number in reality when you count women and children). He had seven loaves of bread and fed the crowd and had a leftovers enough to fill seven baskets. That’s a heck of a sign. He had already performed many healings too. At what point would they be satisfied?

The question for us is, “At what point will I be satisfied?” We have the Scriptures and the accounts of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. We have the history of the Church. It has been marked by people experiencing encounters with Jesus.

What more do we want?

I am reminded of a joke that is often told. A man living in a particular town sees rain coming down at a tremendous clip. There is news of serious flooding in his area. His neighbor stops by and says, “Grab some stuff, throw it in my truck, and you can ride with me to safety.”

The man replies, “No thanks, God will save me.”

As the waters rise the man moves upstairs. He looks out the window and one in a boat yells out, “Come, get in the boat, and I will take you to safety.”

The man responds, “No thanks, God will save me.”

As the waters rise and he retreats to his roof. A helicopter hovers over head and the crew drops a rope ladder, “Climb up, we’ll take you to safety.”

“No thanks, God will save me!”

The man dies and stands before God and asks, “Why didn’t you save me Father?”

God replies, “I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter. What more did you want?”

What more do you want? What are the trucks, boats, and helicopters in your life? Have you recognized that they are God’s good provision for you?

If Only… was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

My brother shared a video with me a few weeks ago. It has since disappeared off the internet. But, the gist of it was focused on this one question, “How do people change?”

In the video, a police officer told the story of how a man approached him at a restaurant after observing the officer during his meal. The officer, as most officers do, was on high alert while he ate, completely on. The man who observed him shared that he had not always been on the “right side of the law” but that if anything were to have happened in that place he would have had the officer’s back.

Both men were changed.

I am learning that there is a fundamental way that we as people change. We change through our interactions with other people. This sounds obvious. This seems to be a “duh” kind of concept. Yet, it seems to be a foreign reality to most people. I’m not speaking of social media interactions. No, I’m speaking of real life, flesh and blood, face to face interactions with other people.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

— Proverbs 27:17

We don’t think of this reality enough. Too many of us believe people are fundamentally changed through information. We think if folks would just get the right information and understand the right arguments then they will change.

This just isn’t how it works.

People do not fundamentally change as a result of information. They fundamentally through interacting with other people.

One of my favorite movies is Remember The Titans. This movie tells the story of a football team that is created as the result of forced desegregation. In it you see people change. You see them change at a fundamental level because they get to know people who they had never known before.

There is a moment that turns the tide of the film,

We can not change apart from knowing the “other.”

If you find that you hate black people or white people or conservative people or liberal people or gay people or straight people, then those are the people that you need to get to know. Do you have a general mistrust of those folks? Get to know them. Do you argue with them online? Stop it and find them out and get to know them personally.

There is simply nothing that changes us more than a cup of coffee with someone and a little time. We find out they are people. Real people. They are just folks like us.

They have heartache and sadness.

They have real fears.

They have real hurts.

They have real ideas about how to fix things.

They have a view of the world colored by their experience that is nuanced and special.

They love.

They laugh.

They care.

Do you want to change? Get face to face in real life with a real person, especially someone who is different than you.

…or how to subvert the empire.

We so often find ourselves looking for a savior. We want our own personal Jesus Christ. We want someone who will fight for us. We want someone who will stand for us and protect us from all those people who we perceive to be our enemies. This mindset is not something new, we have seen it throughout history. The desire for a strong man drove the people of God to reject God and embrace a king, it has driven countless societies to embrace tyrants.

Psalm 62 challenges us to not walk down that path.

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
 from him comes my salvation.
 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
 my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

 How long will all of you attack a man
 to batter him,
 like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
 They take pleasure in falsehood.
 They bless with their mouths,
 but inwardly they curse. Selah

 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
 for my hope is from him.
 He only is my rock and my salvation,
 my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
 my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

 Trust in him at all times, O people;
 pour out your heart before him;
 God is a refuge for us. Selah

 Those of low estate are but a breath;
 those of high estate are a delusion;
 in the balances they go up;
 they are together lighter than a breath.
 Put no trust in extortion;
 set no vain hopes on robbery;
 if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

 Once God has spoken;
 twice have I heard this:
 that power belongs to God,
 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
 For you will render to a man
 according to his work. (Psalm 62, ESV)

That opening stanza! Oh that opening stanza! That speaks sweet relief to my soul. How would we be different if we would but embrace this truth? “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

I see so many people in my life who are being “greatly shaken” right now. They are shaken by the state of the world for one reason or another. If you are feeling shaken remember this sweet truth from Psalm 62, God alone is your rock and salvation, your fortress, therefore, do not be greatly shaken!

The world around us is driven by fear. The power players of the empire leverage fear to consolidate their power and take more from those around them. We can subvert the power structures by living a transcendent faith knowing that they will not save us. They are not our protectors. No, when we embrace the reality that God is our deliverer and redeemer we take the power from the empire.

For God Alone My Soul Waits was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Some mornings as I read the Psalms one hits home and speaks to my soul. This is one of those times. As I meditate on these words, I am grateful to be able to say with David, “This I know, that God is for me.”

We want to have people in our lives that we can know without question are for us. I love spending time with those people. They encourage me and make me want to be the best version I can. I am able to hear from them rebuke and challenge. Why? Because I know they are for me.

As we walk through this life and these days as followers of Jesus we can know one thing for certain, “that God is for [us].”

What are marvelously gracious reality.

Psalm 56

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
 all day long an attacker oppresses me;
 my enemies trample on me all day long,
 for many attack me proudly.
 When I am afraid,
 I put my trust in you.
 In God, whose word I praise,
 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
 What can flesh do to me?

 All day long they injure my cause;
 all their thoughts are against me for evil.
 They stir up strife, they lurk;
 they watch my steps,
 as they have waited for my life.
 For their crime will they escape?
 In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

 You have kept count of my tossings;
 put my tears in your bottle.
 Are they not in your book?
 Then my enemies will turn back
 in the day when I call.
 This I know, that God is for me.
 In God, whose word I praise,
 in the LORD, whose word I praise,
 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
 What can man do to me?

 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
 I will render thank offerings to you.
 For you have delivered my soul from death,
 yes, my feet from falling,
 that I may walk before God
 in the light of life. (ESV)

God is For Me was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Or is it just fantasy?

I am noticing an unsettling trend within my tribe. There is a lot of “spiritualization” happening at the expense of doing what is right. This is something that has happened at many times throughout human history. Jesus even dealt with this when he was here.

Check out this story,

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
 but their heart is far from me;
 in vain do they worship me,
 teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:1–13 ,ESV)

This interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees should challenge us as followers of Jesus. Particularly, those of us who have been Christians for a long time. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were more concerned about their man-made traditions than following closely to what the Scriptures had actually said.

The Scriptures call for children to honor their parents. Jesus makes the argument that part of honoring them is to care for them in their old age. But, the tradition had been set up that if you said that the money for them was now “God’s money” then you could be released from caring for them.

Jesus calls them on it.

Our traditions can not trump our commitment to the Scriptures.

The Pharisees spiritualized the tradition by sticking God’s name on it and tried to make it look like an act of worship. It wasn’t, it was simply an evasion tactic to keep more money.

What are the traditions that we adhere to at the expense of the Scriptures? I think in our day and age it is largely our political commitments. We place our allegiance to a party or a candidate over our allegiance to the Scriptures. We ignore or white wash the aspects of the platform that deny the Scriptures in our commitment to the tradition.

This reality cuts across the whole political spectrum.

There will never be a political party or candidate that perfectly upholds what we see in Scripture. This means that we must speak truth to their failings. It means that we cannot align ourselves with power from either side. Following Jesus demands an allegiance to him and not to a flag or a president or a party.

Derek Webb, one of my favorite artists says it well in his song, A King and A Kingdom:

Is This The Real Life? was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In the midst of the storm, listen.

We live in a world that is broken. There is chaos every where we look. Wars and rumors of wars fill the news. Personally, many of us are living in chaos too. Pain and suffering seem to be every where.

In Mark 6 we find the disciples of Jesus on a boat crossing the sea of Galilee after Jesus had fed 5,000 people,

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:45–52, ESV)

Whenever life gets hard this passage gives me hope. First, I love that Jesus “saw that they were making painful headway, for the wind was against them.” Jesus saw. He noticed their difficulty. Jesus was aware that things weren’t easy for them. When we are going through the rough patches we must remember that Jesus sees us. He knows that it’s hard.

Second, he trusted that they could handle the situation. Jesus was not just going to bail them out because it was hard. Many of his disciples were experienced sailors and could manage the situation. To sail the boat safely to port they didn’t need him. Notice, “he meant to pass by them.” Each of us have gifts, abilities, and skills. When the going gets tough, there are times when we are to use them. God has given these to us as gifts. In the midst of the challenge, we are to embrace who we are and leverage these gifts.

Finally, when it got to be too much, when the disciples became terrified, Jesus responded. He said, “Take heart, it is I.” He gave clarity to them of who he was when they were believing wrong things. They thought he was a ghost. In that moment, he spoke and clarified his identity. In the midst of our struggles and turmoil we often get messed up pictures of who Jesus is. It’s in that moment we must listen. We will hear, “Take heart, it is I.” When we have clarity of who Jesus is then in a miraculous way the winds die down. We are able to move forward and reach the shore.

Following Jesus requires us to move out in faith. He asks of us to trust him. It will be scary at times. There will be times when the wind is against us. But we can know that he sees us, he trusts us, and he will come to us.

Take Heart! It is I! was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

That time when you realize Psalm 50 is relevant.

I have been thinking and praying about where we’re at in this crazy world of ours. Something just isn’t connecting for me as I see my tribe, my people, so quickly give themselves to the power of the empire. It doesn’t matter if they’re on the left or the right. Every few years they scramble over themselves to align themselves with power for a “seat at the table.”

This time around it was more stark than ever.

Today Psalm 50 was one of the passages in the Scriptures that I read. I had to return to it because it was, as my friend The Beard says, “relevant.”

It’s so money, that I want you to read the whole thing and not just the snippets:

A Psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God the LORD,
 speaks and summons the earth
 from the rising of the sun to its setting.
 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
 God shines forth.

 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
 before him is a devouring fire,
 around him a mighty tempest.
 He calls to the heavens above
 and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
 who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
 The heavens declare his righteousness,
 for God himself is judge! Selah

 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
 O Israel, I will testify against you.
 I am God, your God.
 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
 your burnt offerings are continually before me.
 I will not accept a bull from your house
 or goats from your folds.
 For every beast of the forest is mine,
 the cattle on a thousand hills.
 I know all the birds of the hills,
 and all that moves in the field is mine.

 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
 for the world and its fullness are mine.
 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
 or drink the blood of goats?
 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
 and perform your vows to the Most High,
 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
 I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

 But to the wicked God says:
 “What right have you to recite my statutes
 or take my covenant on your lips?
 For you hate discipline,
 and you cast my words behind you.
 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
 and you keep company with adulterers.

 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
 and your tongue frames deceit.
 You sit and speak against your brother;
 you slander your own mother’s son.
 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
 you thought that I was one like yourself.
 But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
 lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
 to one who orders his way rightly
 I will show the salvation of God!” (ESV)

First, our God does not keep silent. He speaks and he is perfect and beautiful. His desire is not for sacrifice but for us to offer thanksgiving, keep our word, and call on him when we are in trouble. How beautiful is that? Our God says, “When you’re in the depths, when you’re in trouble, call on me! I will deliver you, I will care for you. I got your back!”

Second, the wicked are described as people who speak his statutes with their lips but celebrate thieves, keep company with adulterers, they spread lies, and speak against their brothers. They ignore discipline.

This should shock you, it does me. The wicked are not here described as “others” but as those who speak with words the statutes of God and are “brothers” of the faithful. On the one hand this makes sense as God is speaking to ethnic Israel. On the other, as we consider how it applies to the Church today, it is deeply challenging.

As we scramble for power and “a seat at the table” are we celebrating thieves, adulterers, spreading lies, and speaking against our brothers? Are we selling our very souls because we believe that the political agenda to which we ascribe is more effective at building the kingdom of God than God is?

Pastors, we must call the people of God to not give in to the powers. We must remind them that faithfulness to God is primary. There is no savior on Capitol Hill, there never will be. In the time of trouble we are to call out to God, not a political leader.

It seems that we, like the people of God in the past, desire a strong man or woman, so we can be like the rest of the nations. God’s warning through Samuel to his people is well heeded for us today:

So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:10–18, ESV)

I pray we will repent. I pray we will turn from our desire for a hero and embrace our one true King.

Will you pray with me? Will you join me as I seek to set aside the trappings of Empire and follow the Crucified Servant King?

Don’t Give In was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There’s a picture that I have shared on more than occasion. It is one that I first saw in my children’s school. I really resonated with the point that it was communicating. Check it out…

When I first saw this picture it came with a caption: “Equality is not justice.” I remember thinking, “Yes! Amen!”

Recently, in my research and study on what biblical justice looks like I stumbled on a different picture. This picture is even better:

That last caption describes justice well, in my opinion, “…all three can see the game without any supports or accommodations because the cause of the inequity was addressed. The systemic barrier has been removed.”

I continue to think about and process this statement from the prophet Micah, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8, ESV)” The conclusion that I am coming to is that “to do justice” requires the people of God to not simply create equitable solutions but actively seek to remove the systemic barriers.

My friend Rev. Tyler St. Clair wrote,

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The Church needs to be about helping to create educational, recreational, and economic opportunities in the areas where “the least of these” are most prevalent. This means that we need to enter in with the rural and urban poor and the minority cultures beyond giving them support systems. To “do justice” is to figure out how to remove the barriers that keep people from educational, recreational, and economic opportunities.

We must begin tearing down fences (dare I say walls?). The gospel subverts the systemic barriers of injustice. Let us be a people of grace and truth.

Justice — It’s More Than Equity was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

…or Are You A Two Faced Poser?

Growing up in a nearly all white community in a white family there were a lot of jokes about other races and nationalities. We would tell these jokes with reckless abandon in private and hushed voices in public. I am ashamed as I look back at the jokes and that I would tell.

As I grew older and entered into close relationships with people who looked different than me that these jokes didn’t seem as funny anymore. A few times I manned up and challenged the joke teller, “Well I’m not racist if that’s what you’re getting at. It’s just a joke. It’s not like I’d say that joke around them.”

In Galatians 2 Paul tells a story about a time when he and Peter (Cephas) had a little “issue”:

Galatians 2:11–14

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (ESV)

It’s sad isn’t it? 2,000 years later we haven’t changed a whole lot. Many of us still live hypocritically. We act one way with one set of friends and another with a different group of friends.

Will we ever come to the place where we live consistent lives? The hypocrisy of Peter is nothing new.

What we do and say in private is who we are. Jesus said,

Matthew 15:17–20

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (ESV)

Let us take stock of our lives. Let each of us look into the mirror and listen to the words that come out of our mouths. What do these words say about our heart?

How Many Faces Do You Have? was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Sometimes pain, affliction, or suffering has purpose.

When we are going through the hard times in our lives we often wonder “where is God?” Philosophers have wrestled with the question of “why do bad things happen to good people?” There’s an entire text in the Bible about this very question, the book of Job.

Isaiah 48 opens with God explaining why his people are experiencing affliction. There are two reasons, first, he says they are stiff-necked. The sinews of their neck are like iron! This means that they can’t turn or change. It’s an illustration for a lack of repentance.

The second reason is that it is a result of the affliction or suffering God is glorified.

This second reason is a hard pill for me to swallow. It feels uncomfortable. But, then as I continued to ponder what he’s saying, I am drawn back to the opening verse, “Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.”

He’s speaking to people who are called but have not yet trusted. So, he refines them. This refining is like the refining of gold and silver. This pain, this affliction is changing people. As they come to see their need for him, they turn. Their necks are loosened and they trust him. When this happens God is glorified.

The suffering does not bring God glory. The affliction is purposeful and transformative. When God’s people are changed and refined this is when he is glorified.

Is there an area that you are being refined in? Where is God working to transform you?

Tested, Refined, Changed was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Your friends and family won’t get you.

I remember sitting at the table at the family cabin after my first mission trip with Cru. My family was asking about the summer and what I had learned. As we started talking about Jesus and the gospel, it didn’t go so well. “Who is interpreting the Bible for you?”

When my wife and I became missionaries to the college campus, most of our backing came from people we didn’t know. Close friends and some family didn’t join with us. They prayed, of that I’m certain. But, they just couldn’t get on board with what we were doing.

As a pastor, I’m finding that my weird life is misunderstood by many of those closest to me. I’ve learned to be OK with it. To smile and laugh, I know it’s not mean-spirited.

Jesus was in his hometown and as he tried to carried out his ministry those closest to him said, “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”

What was Jesus response? “And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

I’m learning that when you are following your calling there will be those who won’t understand. They will often be the folks closest to you. Often it is those who love you the most that will understand you the least.

But, that can’t stop you. You have to move on. Keep going. Jesus did.

Without Honor was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Or…get your heart and mind right for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is January 20, 2017 and Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the President of the United States. Governor Mike Pence will be the Vice President of the United States. The country I live in will once again transition power from one sitting president to the next. There will be no civil war. There will be no intervention from the United Nations. There will be no need for a foreign super-power to act as a nation builder. Every time this happens it is an amazing thing to behold.

Many of my friends are excited about the prospects of a Republican presidency. Many of my friends are deeply concerned about a Trump presidency. I am sure that the people of my congregation fall on both sides of this spectrum too.

As the inauguration approaches I want to remind us that as Christians our primary allegiance is to the kingdom of God and this demands us to have perspective.

How should we respond on inauguration day?

1 Timothy 2:1–4 is a good place to start, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Our first responsibility on any inauguration day is to understand that we are called to pray for the president and our nation’s leaders. Your position on the incoming president will shape your prayer, and that is good. The key though is to pray. As we pray it drives toward living a life that is peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified.

This leads me to the second thing that I want to challenge us with. In Romans 12:9–21 Paul gives an exhortation to the church there:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The church in Rome was diverse. There were Jewish and Gentile believers. They had very different ways of engaging with God. Their social, ethnic, and class identities were distinct from one another. Yet, Paul makes clear that they are to seek to “live in harmony with one another.” He goes on to say, “If possible, so far as it depends on on you, live peaceably with all.”

Does this mean that there should be no debate or correction? Of course not! Paul’s own life and ministry make very clear that these are necessary (read Galatians and 1 Corinthians if you doubt that). He begins by saying, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” He clearly believes that there is a response to evil and it is to abhor it. Yet, in the midst of this there is the deep value to seek harmony and peace.

We as the church must engage with one another not with the goal of “winning” an argument, but with the desire to build harmony and peace within the church. This does not mean, as some suggest, that we simply ignore or overlook wrong-doing in our leaders or when our brothers and sisters support that wrong-doing. It means, that we seek to speak to truth in grace with love. The telos or goal of the interaction must be peace. If it is not, then we are doing no favors to the church or the world.

Men and women like Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. challenge the sinful and broken systems of our society. He was non-violent but he stepped in and challenged the powers that be. Why? For the sake of causing division? No. For the sake of bringing peace and harmony.

As you step in to discussions regarding our political leaders, whether to challenge or defend, remember the admonition of Paul from Romans 12.

Finally, I leave you with the words of my dear friend Rev. Pete Scribner who summarizes my thoughts well, “One of the great freedoms and comforts of my faith is the fact that my ultimate joy, security and peace are not tied to who occupies the Oval Office. Therefore, while I have voted in every Presidential election since I turned 18, and I certainly have political convictions, I neither rejoice endlessly nor despair uncontrollably on any inauguration day. Not in 1992, not in 2000, not in 2008. Tomorrow will be no different.”

This is the key, is it not? We must not find our “ultimate joy, security, and peace…tied to who occupies the Oval Office.” If we do, we will struggle to pray for whomever holds that office and we will struggle to pursue peace and harmony within the church.

In Preparation of Inauguration Day was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Don’t waste a day!

I remember waking up in a dorm room at Ferris State University after a night of partying. I didn’t feel all that great. Honestly, I felt dirty and a little thin. The night before was fun, I laughed, I don’t think I cried, I drank a little too much and escaped from reality.

That morning as I drove back to Central Michigan University I was overwhelmed by the thought that, “There has to be more than this.”

There had to be right?

Tom Brady has asked the same kind of question:

As a college freshman I wasn’t very successful, but I was beginning to wrestle with some huge questions. The kinds of questions that altar your life.

Ephesians 5:15 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” This phrase, “making the best use of the time” has captured me.

From my Sophomore year at college until today, this verse haunts me. It has informed every decision I have made about how I understand God’s calling. There have been few decisions that haven’t been run through the grid of “is this wise? Is this making the best use of the time?”

So many of family have died untimely deaths. Every time it happens it shocks me back to the reality that tomorrow is not promised.

If tomorrow is not promised, I need to live to the full today. How can I make the most use of today? How can I use this day with wisdom? How can I bring just a little more light into the world?

How about you? Are you seeking to make the best use of the time given to you?

Make The Best Of It was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Or…why I don’t want to be a Grinch

One of my favorite Christmas stories is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” I dig it for so many reasons. What I like the most is the Grinch’s revelation that Christmas is about something more than just presents.

Do you remember what happens in that moment?

His heart grew three sizes! It finally had room for the real meaning of Christmas and he finds the strength of ten Grinches!

I was reading in Psalm 119:25–32 today and this last verse hit me between the eyes,

I will run in the way of your commandments
 when you enlarge my heart!

The psalmist is acutely aware that he needs a larger heart. Our hearts start so small and there’s not enough room. We need new ones, bigger ones, ones that have room for the commandments. I love this image!

It reminds me of something that C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity,

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

This process “hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense.” When he’s finished it’s a palace, that he “intends to come and live in it Himself.”

I am so much like the Grinch. My heart needs to grow. To love well, to love like Jesus loved, it needs to grow!

Does yours?

My Heart is Too Small was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.