So Simple It Is Scary. Like Bears.

Many of my friends have an unbridled passion and zeal for world missions. And as far as I can tell, it doesn't get much better than seeing and hearing and touching and beholding and participating in what God is doing on a global scale. It's electric--to say the least. God is truly about the business of doing amazing things....

Bears do amazing things. They can run, climb, and shave a tree with their claws in a matter of seconds. They are also known for sleeping for months at a time, catching fish without the use of opposing thumbs, and swimming great distances in freezing cold water really fast! (That last sentence was amazing--but not as amazing as bears.)

The sad thing is, today the church is like a bear fed by tourists. It's lost its natural ability. We need to share Christ in meaningful ways without just inviting people to a congregational event. Let me just suggest one brief idea: let's get that back by starting where people are, listening to them, building a relationship, telling them about Jesus, sharing with them the story of redemption, and bringing them to a bloody cross and an empty tomb.

He's Always Been Faithful...

God is always faithful.

For those of you who haven't heard, this past Monday I became engaged to the most beautiful person I know. She's my best friend, my soon-to-be wife, and God-willing, someday she will be the mother of my children. She makes me happy when I don't deserve to be, makes me smile when I am too selfish to smile, makes me laugh when I really didn't feel like laughing, makes me love for reasons I can't explain. She is beautiful.

God is so good.

For those of you who feel called to pray for us in these coming months, feel free to pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi with us...

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.

The cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Porn Shops Don't Have Windows

Have you ever wondered why there are no windows on adult bookstores and certain types of night clubs?

I don't think that it is because they don't want people looking in and getting a free look-see. It's not about dollars and sense. I believe that porn shops don't have windows because they don't want people looking out and getting a look at the sky. The sky is the enemy of lust and a great power against it. Pure, lovely, wholesome, beautiful, powerful, large-hearted things cannot abide the soul of a sexual fantasy at the same time.

Get out of the dark places. Get out of the lonely rooms. Get out of the boxed in places. Get out of the places where it is just small you and your mind and your imagination and what you can do with it and get out where you are just surrounded by color and beauty and bigness and loveliness. Get out into the sun. Get out into the light. Get out under the sky. There is something about bigness--something about beauty--that helps battle against the puny, small, cruddy use of the mind to fantasize about sexual things.

I know from experience that when you give way to sexual fantasies and yield to lusts and dwelling on unwholesome things that your capacities to see and experience the sky are cut in half, and cut in half again, and again, and again, until you are just a little worm on the ground and your language and your mind is nothing but smut. It can happen to anybody. We are all vulnerable. I commend you to battle lust with the upward glance at the magnificient blue and the thunder and the lightning and the sunrises and sunsets and the glory of God.

cc: desiringgod

Fancy Londontown

Here are a few of the pictures I will be uploading from my spring break trip to London. I hope you enjoy.

(Jess and I feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square)

No More Jesus Jokes!

One of my greatest and best buddies in the entire world has just undergone the extremest of extreme makeovers. Seriously. This dude hasn't cut his hair in so long that he doesn't even remember the last time he saw a pair of scissors! Check out how hot he his over at Ryan's blog.

Lookout ladies...

Smells Like Tween Spirit

Middle School (6-8th grades) can be some of the most chaotic years of our lives. Some of the biggest emotional, physical, and spiritual changes can happen during these years. Which is why I love being a part of ministries that are devoted to creating a place for middle school students to come and be themselves while discovering who they truly are.

I say all this to say that I will be attending Junior High Jamboree this weekend in Salina, KS. And I'm excited to see what God is preparing in the hearts of today's tweenagers.

Please pray for me. :)

Kitten Cannon: Highest Score

To the best of my knowledge, this is the greatest and best score ever recorded on Kitten Cannon.

NOTE: Do not play this game if you: like kittens, are afraid of trampolines, take issues with using explosives, have ever had a bad experience with a missle or a balloon, have ever stepped or fallen on something sharp, or have ever been eaten by a venice flytrap.

Embracing the Love of God: Winter Retreat

This past weekend was spent singing, dancing, studying, serving, resting, laughing, loving, eating, massaging, and chocolate fountain-ing at Camp Hiawatha for the Friends University Campus Ministries retreat. The theme of the weekend was "Embracing the Love of God," which was taken from the title of James Bryan Smith's book, Embracing the Love of God.

God is good. Always and forever...

If you want to catch some crazy pics of the weekend...click here.

Conviction.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. - 1 John 2:15–17

This has been a great conviction of mine over the past few months. I plan to blog a series on Worldliness starting later this week. Please pray for me in my attempts to center my life on the God of the gospel, and not the trappings of this world. Thank you.

Good Bye Emptiness

Do you feel empty? Is there something lacking? Do you long for something but don't quite know what it is? Are you longing for fulfillment? Are you unsatisfied with the daily routine of work, or school, or whatever? Maybe when you are by yourself and you look deep inside, you just don't feel content. Something is missing. Maybe you've discovered that indulging the desires of your flesh and mind have not produced the peace and tranquility that you need.

When I was younger I sought many things to replace God. I tried to identify with something, a cause, a philosophy, even a look. I was seeking an identity. For a while those things where entertaining and even exciting. But ultimately, the same emptiness came back. I can remember one night I was looking for something to break the boredom. I watched the people around me as they were pursuing the same thing I was and suddenly I realized how futile and empty it all was. I realized that if I got what I wanted I would still be unsatisfied. I wanted more than the same old thing. I wanted something that wouldn't leave me feeling empty after a little while. I wanted something real. Somehow, I knew I could only be satisfied by encountering God and finding His purpose.

In His great mercy, God has touched me. In the midst of my sin, in spite of pursuing my fleshly desires, He came to me and healed my heart. Emptiness is no longer my companion. In fact, it is so unfamiliar to me that I can barely remember what it was like. Now, I have peace, contentment, and fulfillment because I have found salvation and fellowship with God. This fellowship is found in Christ. "God is faithful through whom you are called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ," (1 Cor. 1:9). When you find Christ and his salvation, you discover your purpose and you find your hope fulfilled.

Good bye emptiness.

cc: www.carm.org

Broken Thoughts of a Christian Nomad

This guy is awesome. His name is Matt Snyder and he has all the potential in the world. (He just needs to start blogging some more...)

Go check it out. Hopefully he'll be encouraged and will continue to be sweet and awesome.

...just like my Father in heaven.

I want to be a Dad someday. Of course, I'd like to be a husband first, but being a Dad would just be too sweet. All the slobber and poop and preschool and teeball and spankings and grade reports and recitals and pimples and rebellion and pizza and first-dates and musicals and shopping and holidays and girls...and so much more. Being a Dad would be such a blessing. What a privilege.

It's a tragedy that some of us men see the privilege of fatherhood as a duty, or anything less than a glorious, God-given privilege.

Everything that God gives any of us (especially a family, wife and kids), and every opportunity of obtaining what we need are undeserved mercies from the Giver of all good things. When we believe this, and have this written into the corner of our existence, it will transform our every task and our every day. Everything that God gives you and I, and every opportunity of obtaining what we need is an undeserved expression of God's favor and grace. In a society that is preoccupied with its “rights”, the word of God calls us to focus on “privileges”. As men of faith and integrity, we must embrace this truth for the good of our families, and for the Kingdom.

Just as Noah "found favor in the eyes of the Lord," I want to find favor in the eyes of my father. Just as any kind and loving son would, I desire to joyfully obey him, respect him, and serve him to the best of my abilities. And God willing, one day I will be able to look into the eyes of my son with this same grace and favor.

But it's a two-way street.

If it is true that young must learn to serve the elderly, then it must equally be true that the elderly need to learn, with good grace, to accept the offerings of the younger. We men will have to learn to respond to the good graces of our children in an equally graceful fashion. There are many children, who endeavoring to do well for their parents, have been so soured in the process by the reaction of their ungrateful, cantankerous parents the joy of service and the privilege of the opportunity have been dulled. I want to be the Dad who can respond with a sincere and grateful heart to the meekest of my children's offerings. I want to be a Dad...just like my Father in heaven.

Better Than I Deserve.

This week has been a trying one for me. Whether it be the snow and ice, failed windshield wipers, reconfiguring two hectic work schedules, starting a new Bible study, watching my cell phone fly through the air and smash into pieces, or having your wallet and everything inside it stolen...while you're in the process of applying for a passport...if you asked me the question, "How are you doing?" I would have to say, "Better than I deserve."

It's strange how often we allow ourselves to compare our situations with some imaginery perfect one and get dissatisfied. But when I stop and think about it, I am very fortunate.

My friends are far better than I deserve. They put up with all my quirks and sillies. My family has been there for me when they could have easily laughed me to the curb. My church, local and on-campus, treats me with dignity and loving accountability. I have jobs that help me pay the bills. I have a car that gets me where I need to go. I have a couch to sit on, a bed to sleep on, a computer to blog on, and clothes to put on. I have so many things I don't deserve.

I have been given an imagination, which I used quite regularly. I have been blessed with the ability to sing and play music. I have been given eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to use for the glory of God. Of course, the next breath that I am going to take is not something that is mine by right, any more than the pulsing of my heart is anything that I have done something to earn. So being allowed to live—let alone being saved by the sacrifice of Jesus—is much, much, more than I deserve.

So given all these things for which I have to be grateful, why is it that the quality and extent of my worship of Jesus remains so much less than He deserves from me?

Irreverence in Our Church Protocol

I used to be the “Assistant Worship Director” at a church downtown. It was quite the experience. Before church started every week, we would have a little meeting with the pastor, the band, and all the tech guys (we had a video guy, a lyrics gal, and a sound guy – and an occasional lights guy). The conversation was centered on and revolved around the “order of worship”, who's doing what when, who’s saying what while standing where, etc. And invariably, there was the following exchange (or a reasonable facsimile thereof):

Pastor: Ok, do you want to pray at that point, or do you want me to?Band leader: It probably makes more sense as a transition for you to do it...Pastor: Sounds good. You come on up during the prayer. Lights?Lighting guy: Ok, I'll drop the lights when the prayer starts, so they'll be down when the band starts playing.

I always get a little fidgety at the point. I know that that stuff is important. I do. I understand that excellence in doing church includes being polished and ensuring smooth transitions, etc. But, when we start talking about prayer as a transition, it gets under my skin a little. It's a real struggle for me; it always feels like dangerous business.

And I'm reminded of a couple of things. The first is the story of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6. When the Israelites, led by David, are taking the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, they don't follow God's instructions for how to transport it. And then, when the oxen pulling the cart stumble, and the ark starts to fall, Uzzah reaches out to stop it from falling. Verse 7 says, "The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God." It's dangerous business, messing with the ark of God.

Andrew Peterson (who is awesome, by the way) uses an interesting metaphor. He's got a song called "Mohawks on the Scaffold" that compares the way we do church to the building of the first American skyscrapers and the legend that Indians were used to build the highest parts, because they weren't afraid of the heights. The chorus goes, "Like Mohawks on the scaffold, heedless of the danger/Don't look down at the city, brother it's a long way to fall/Like Mohawks on the scaffold, strolling on the I-beams/Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, He's a puzzle that I've solved."

So where's the line? When does the business of church cross into irreverence? When does being concerned with the atmosphere and the content of church become too much about the concern and not enough about the church? Does it even matter? Am I too sensitive? Is it just part of the deal?

In the Peterson song, when he does the chorus the last time, he ends it with "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, He's so patient with us all."

Lord, I hope so.

24: A Tribute

A tribute to some of the greatest 24 memories...ever.

Seminary Power Rankings

Student Relations

1. SBTS
2. McAfee
3. Truett
4. DTS
5. RTS

Financial Feasability

1. Truett
2. SBTS
3. McAfee
4. DTS
5. RTS

Campus Facilities

1. SBTS
2. Truett
3. McAfee
4. DTS
5. RTS

Campus Location

1. McAfee
2. SBTS
3. Truett
4. DTS
5. RTS

Institutional Integrity

1. SBTS
2. DTS
3. McAfee
4. Truett
5. RTS

Overall

1. SBTS (23 pts.)
2. McAfee (18 pts.)
3. Truett (17 pts.)
4. DTS (12 pts.)
5. RTS (5 pts.)

Rate That Seminary

Dallas Theological Seminary

• Student Relations = 5
• Financial Feasability = 5
• Campus Facilities = 4
• Campus Location = 3
• Institutional Integrity = 5
• Overall = 4.4

George W. Truett Theological Seminary

• Student Relations = 5
• Financial Feasability = 5
• Campus Facilities = 5
• Campus Location = 4
• Institutional Integrity = 3
• Overall = 4.4

Reformed Theological Seminary

• Student Relations = 4
• Financial Feasability = 2
• Campus Facilities = 2
• Campus Location = 1
• Institutional Integrity = 3
• Overall = 2.4

McAfee School of Theology

• Student Relations = 5
• Financial Feasability = 4
• Campus Facilities = 4
• Campus Location = 5
• Institutional Integrity = 5
• Overall = 4.6

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

• Student Relations = 5
• Financial Feasability = 4
• Campus Facilities = 5
• Campus Location = 5
• Institutional Integrity = 5
• Overall = 4.8

*Scale = 1 being lowest, 5 being highest

From the Suburb to the Seminary

You know, it doesn't seem like you've been traveling for 5 hours at a rate of speed somewhere close to 75mph across 3 states when you're sitting in the passenger seat of a 2004 Chevy Avalanche while listening to some sweet tunes on a radio transmitter and blogging on the the internet . . . all at the same time.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that the brothas and I are roadtrippin' to some of the sweetest seminaries in the southeast . . . dare I say . . . the world!!!

Here's the list:

Dallas Theological Seminary - Dallas, TX
George W. Truett Theological Seminary - Waco, TX
Reformed Theological Seminary - Jackson, MS
McAfee School of Theology - Atlanta, GA
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - Louisville, KY

As soon as I get some pictures taken, you'll be able to fine them here: future seminarians.

Here's a little insider's peek into one of the day's conversation:

Josh: Hand me an apple.
(Josh is handed an apple)
Josh: Man, these apples sure are sweet.
Ryan: Them Japanese really know how to make them apples, these Fuji Apples are my favorite. The only problem is that they are too small.
Josh: Yeah, everything is smaller in Japan.
Jake: Everything looks smaller because we are in Texas.
Ryan: That's the biggest Dollar Tree store I've ever seen!
Josh: What's a Dollar Tree?
Ryan: It's a store where everything is a dollar.
Casey: It's a good thing you came on this trip Josh, you might end up learning something.
Josh: OK. Someone really did fart this time.
Casey: Yeah, sorry. That really was me. I was going to mention it earlier, but I was dumbfounded by Josh's Dollar Tree comment. STOP!
(Long Pause . . . )
Josh: What? You want us to listen to your fart?
Casey: No. I want to try and blog that entire conversation.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

The resolutions we make as Christians (whether for the New Year or sometime else) ought to be profoundly deeper, and thus categorically different, than the resolutions made by unbelievers.

So if that’s the case, then what kinds of resolutions should we be making?

Though it is not an authoritative list (in the sense that Scripture alone is authoritative), the seventy resolutions of Jonathan Edwards serve as a wonderful example to us in this regard. Amazingly, Edwards penned these resolutions when he was only in his late teens and early twenties. Moreover, the commitments he made were lifelong pursuits; they were not limited to just the next year (as our New Year’s resolutions often are).

Whether you are a New Year's resolutions person or not, it would greatly behoove you to read the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.

Here are a few (abridged) examples:

1. To live for God’s glory (see resolutions #s 1, 4, 27)
2. To make the most of this life, in terms of eternal impact (5, 6, 7, 9, 17, 19, 23, 52, 54, 69)
3. To take sin seriously (8, 24, 25, 26, 37, 56, 57)
4. To become theologically astute (11, 28, 30, 39)
5. To be humble (2, 43, 68)
6. To exhibit self-control in all things (13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 40, 44, 45, 59, 60, 61, 64, 65)
7. To always speak with grace and truth (16, 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 46, 47, 58, 66, 70)
8. To constantly develop an eternal focus (10, 18, 22, 50, 51, 55, 67)
9. To be a faithful Christian, in prayer and dedication (29, 32, 35, 41, 42, 63)
10. To daily pursue a fervent love for Christ (48, 49, 53, 62)

As we consider the resolutions that we make for 2007, we can definitely learn something from the man widely recognized as America’s greatest theologian.

cc: A Puritan's Mind

What Does It Mean To Be Human: Life Together

When first approached with the question of “What does it mean to be human?” one million thoughts popped into my mind. I know that from the standpoint of a Christian worldview, one could speak of the importance of the body and the soul, being made in the image of God, the vicarious humanity of Christ, the corruption and depravity of man, as well as many other relevant concepts that may fall under this category. However, I intend to take a somewhat different route in discussing what it means to be human. Hopefully you will be encouraged and God will be pleased.

To understand what it means to be human, we must start in the beginning (no pun intended).[1] God’s plan for the first human relationship involved perfect unity.[2] After awaking from sleep, Adam looked at Eve for the first time and uttered beautiful words that few men have since been able to match in beauty or simplicity,

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, 'for she was taken out of man."[3]

God immediately decrees, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”[4] The first relationship involved unity of a man to his wife. In their sinless world they enjoyed perfect unity. Yet after they sinned, this unity was shattered. The first result of sin Adam and Eve felt was shame as they realized their nakedness. Immediately after this we see that their unity had been disrupted as Adam tries to blame the sin on his wife saying, “The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”[5] Since then all human relationships have been marred by disunity. Yet God’s plan for his people still involves communities that are united. There can be no true hospitality where there is no unity. How can one man edify another if they fighting against each other? How can we be devoted to people with whom we do not have unity? Evidently unity is the foundation for a godly community.

Before we look at unity we must first understand what it is, or perhaps it is best to understand what it is not. Unity does not necessarily indicate that everyone believes exactly the same thing. A person who believes in infant baptism (the Protestant form) can be in harmony with someone who believes in believer’s baptism. Unity does not mean that one person has to lower his standards of doctrine or theology so they come into line with another person’s. What unity does entail is a singleness of purpose or action. It is a sense of harmony and agreement in relationship. Unity is only possible where there is humility and a willingness to esteem others higher than oneself.

Let us turn to the Word of God to learn what our Lord has to teach us about unity. 1 Corinthians 1:10 reads, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” God calls us to agree with each other, laying aside differences so we can remove any type of division. We are to “stop passing judgment on one another,” allowing us to live in true harmony.[6] Christian unity serves as a powerful witness to unbelievers as they see evidence of God’s redemptive work in the lives of Christians.

Five times in Scripture Paul and Peter tell the readers to greet each other with a holy kiss (or a kiss of love as Peter terms it).[7] At the time and in the culture the Bible was written, a kiss was a form of greeting. The early church adapted this form of greeting and gave it wonderful meaning. Though the kiss of greeting is no longer practiced in our culture (thankfully, I might add, since I am not a big fan of physical contact beyond a friendly hand-shake), the principle holds true. We are to greet one another enthusiastically and meaningfully. The early church adapted the holy kiss as a symbol of their unity. Similarly, our greetings today should reflect the unity we have as a community of Christians. The greetings we are accustomed to in our post-modern society really have lost any real sense of meaning. What is really conveyed in the following typical exchange?

“How’s it going?”“Not bad. You?”“Pretty good.”

And we walk away content in our knowledge that we have just fulfilled our duty by greeting another believer.

That is just a typical exchange that might occur any number of times on a given Sunday morning. What sense of unity does this convey? What interest does one person show in another in such a conversation, if it can even be called that? We do not show true unity, true concern for each other, unless we know each other and unless we are willing to be known by others. There can be no unity where there is no concern. This is the plight of our humanity.

God gives us the ultimate example of unity in the Scripture. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, though one God, are three separate persons. These three persons work together in perfect harmony. While distinct in function, they are united in purpose. And in the Trinity we see how different Christians, each with their own functions and their own identities, can be united. 1 Peter 3:8 says “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” Christ’s humility before His Father is the ultimate example of godly humility and submission. Just a couple of chapters later Peter says “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

Community begins with unity and unity begins with humility. Until we esteem others as better than ourselves and until we learn to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21), we can never have unity, and will never fully understand what it means to be human.

[1] Genesis 1-2[2] The reason I say first “human” relationship is because the relationship that existed in the Godhead before there was time consisted of perfect unity…which gives meaning to being created in God’s image.[3] Genesis 2:23[4] Genesis 2:24[5] Genesis 3:12[6] Romans 14:13[7] Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14

NOTE: I began reading Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer today. Saying that it would be well worth the time spent in reading it would be an understatement. Read this book.