i’ve decided to dedicate thursdays to giving some of my personal life axioms…truth that, from my perspective, is self-evident. sometimes practical. sometimes philosophical. sometimes whimsical. but truth, no less.
“sooner or later, your hidden life will catch up with you.”
it’s an interesting reality. just about every person you know has secrets they don’t want anybody to find out about. hidden sins. a dark side. things about you that you don’t want others to know.
why don’t we let others in? lots of reasons. embarrassment. fear of rejection. we work hard on the image we portray to others. for many, it’s a lifetime of building that they are afraid will come crashing down if people knew who they really were. for people who claim to be followers of christ, this is a particularly paralyzing fear.
afraid of what we will lose. people deceive themselves into believing that if they just keep up the lie, everything can go on as normal. the irony is that they will eventually lose it anyway.
our mind can convince us there is less pain involved in juggling our secrets, than there will be if they are exposed.
i’m not suggesting that we are supposed to tell everything, but i am saying saying that there are secrets that hold us back, deceive us, strangle us, and suck the life out of relationships and passion and purpose. the sooner we own up to them and let others in on our struggle, the sooner we can get on with living the life that jesus died for.
i’m pretty stuck on the sermon as i look back on yesterday’s gathering as a church family. i have taught through the book of james multiple times in my life (though always with kids at a bible study…never preaching through it), but i have never seen it through the lens i look through now.
there are so many people who are struggling these days. more than ever before? probably not…but it sure feels like it. it seems like we have fewer and fewer people who are financially stable in these upside down economic times. so many who are dealing with crazy life issues. lots of hurt. lots of confusion. lots of questions.
it is certainly not the days and culture of persecution that the readers of james’ letter were living in. but it is our world and the message of james is no less challenging and no less demanding of us. we need to listen carefully.
the instruction from james 1:5-8 is to pray for wisdom. in the most difficult of times, pray for wisdom. when it seems like we can’t go on, pray for wisdom. when it looks like all is lost and there is no hope, pray for wisdom. not relief. not help. not removal from conflict. not a change in circumstances. nope. we are to pray for wisdom.
here’s what i’m afraid of: we come to god when we want something, but do we really trust that he knows best. do we trust his wisdom enough to pray for it? or are we more comfortable just telling him what we want him to do? honestly, most of the time, we really think we know what’s best for our lives…until we’re out of control…and then we come running to god…because there’s nowhere else to run!
here’s the bad news from this passage: with that kind of belief system about god and about how he works, he’s really not god at all…we are…and he is nothing more than our servant who exists to give us what we want. and with that kind of faith, james says we really shouldn’t expect anything from him at all. ouch! go read it for yourself…
so it’s time to take inventory. here’s what a “double-minded” man is: wanting god on your terms.
you want his power…when it will give you what you want.
you want his goodness…when you can’t find it anywhere else.
you want his truth…when it fits what you want to believe.
you want his presence…when it fits your schedule.
you want his relationship…when your friends aren’t around.
you want his grace…when you’ve dug yourself a hole.
you want his forgiveness…when you choose to sin.
you want his way…when yours doesn’t work anymore.
you want his help…when you can no longer make it by yourself.
i think it’s time for us to go to god on his terms, not ours…don’t you think?
i found this list of questions byanne jackson at flowerdust.net this evening. it’s a pretty insightful list of questions. could you answer them? do you have other important questions that you think we need to be asking ourselves? what does it say about you if you’re not asking (and answering) these kinds of life questions?
here are the questions:
1. What do I wish to be remembered for?
2. Is this really as good as it gets?
3. How was it that I could be so successful, so fortunate, and yet so frustratingly unfulfilled?
4. If your life was absolutely perfect, how would it look to you?
5. What is my passion?
6. How am I wired?
7. Where do I belong?
8. What will I do about what I believe?
9. Who am I?
10. What do I value?
11. What gifts has God given me? How can I use them?
12. What would I be willing to die for?
13. What injustices do I see in the world, that I simply cannot stomach anymore?
14. What is it about my job that makes me feel trapped?
15. When you are in bed at night staring at the ceiling, what questions are you asking yourself?
here are the main points of my sermons from the past couple of weeks:
human suffering is an inevitable part of the human experience.
god picked suffering as the way to fix the problem of sin and separation.
jesus suffered and by his suffering we are redeemed.
the resurrection shows us hope and possibilities beyond our wildest comprehension.
the book of james starts off with the most basic reality of life: it will be full of trials and difficulties.
we are to count everything we go through…everything…all of it as joy.
we do that so we will be able to persevere…more of the same.
that’s life and we better learn quickly that if jesus isn’t enough…not jesus plus a cure…or jesus and a victory…or jesus and more money…or jesus plus that new job…then we’re never really gonna understand what it means to be part of the kingdom.
for me, it’s that simple.
so here are some personal things i got out of my own sermon:
i’m hurt. i’ll get hurt again. i need to get over it.
sometimes i find myself living in the past. see line above.
i have a tendency to dwell more on problems than on solutions. i need to shift the balance of “thought power” in my life.
honest…ruthless honesty…is the only way to live. that doesn’t always mean to speak your mind. it does mean that we need to be honest with ourselves and with god. always.
the phrase “jesus is enough” can and should be the most practically powerful words in my vocabulary.
when i sit and wish someone would say “thanks” for the good things i have done, i wonder if it’s really god who i wish would say “thank you” to me? for all the good things i have done for him. what a simply repulsive thought!
i am who i am. if jesus is enough for me, am i enough for jesus?
the learning curve i am on these days is like the back corner of the texas motor speedway on lap 197…
i’ve got a couple of people in my life (and not a few of the famous big-timers i read online) who are convinced that twitter is the answer to the world’s problems. i haven’t bought in yet. somehow i realized i was looking for more.
yesterday was a good day. lots of thoughts. some i will write about. others i won’t. that’s just the way it is today…
sometimes i preach a sermon simply because it says it in the bible and it needs to be told.
sometimes i preach a sermon because i am convinced it is something that our church family needs to hear.
sometimes i preach a sermon because god has been teaching me a lesson and i feel strongly that it is important enough to pass on.
contrary to popular belief, i have never preached a sermon to address a problem that a particular person has.
there are times i have preached a sermon because it was expected that i preach on that topic. usually very difficult for me.
sometimes i preach a sermon because it is truth that i need to hear.
that would be the sermon from yesterday.
we have a very strange and wonderful collection of people who call north point their family!
i have told others that we are a “home” for people who didn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t, or couldn’t belong anywhere else. i believe that now, more than ever.
i love being part of that “home”…
where else could i talk openly of my own personal struggles from the music stand…and still be affirmed as the leader?
my favorite line from my sermon yesterday: “if i am trying to present anything other than this broken, messed-up person to jesus, my faith is dishonest.”
it is always good to pray for a new baby. fresh start. full of hope and possibilities. like our lives should be every day.
didn’t know what to expect with attendance the sunday after easter. not bad.
loved a moment in the middle of a song in the first service…an ugly sound comes out of the loud speakers…i mean, really ugly…scott drops his guitar, walks off stage to the storage room on the side, opens the door and out blasts the ugly sound…really loud! a few seconds later, the sound is gone and by the end of the next song, scott walks out and back on the stage, straps on his guitar, and starts playing like nothing has happened. it was pretty sweet.
i missed the donut centerpiece in the lobby. we’ve gotta figure out how to have donuts every week…
i’ve said this before, but my favorite part of sundays is watching everyone hang out after the second service. it was especially good yesterday.
a small group of us prayed in my office before the service at 9:25. feel free to join us.
a group of women are praying together at 6:00 on sunday evenings. feel free to join them. if you’re a woman…
i’ve decided to dedicate thursdays to giving some of my personal life axioms…truth that, from my perspective, is self-evident. sometimes practical. sometimes philosophical. sometimes whimsical. but truth, no less.
“the measure of our love for god and commitment to his kingdom should be defined more by what we do, that by what we don’t do“
the bible is pretty clear that we are to avoid the appearance of evil and be very careful about the company we keep and the choices we make and to be salt and light in a fallen world. but i think we have this tendency to get things out of whack.
i think there are a whole lot of things we would be better off saying “no” to, but those things seem to become less of an issue when we are boldly saying “yes” to the things of god. unfortunately, in our world, christianity has become identified with certain behaviors, certain moral issues, certain political agendas, certain public figures…rather than the person and power of jesus. consequently, the watching world struggles to gain a accurate sight line to the things that are most important when it comes to the real agenda of the kingdom. sad.
this week, the cover story of newsweek is titled: the decline and fall of american christianity. you can buy it or read it online. it is disheartening and challenging at the same time. it discourages me to realize that the picture our world sees of the greatness and majesty of jesus is seen through the lens of a messed up church.
it heartens me to know that when people meet the real jesus, there is power and freedom and grace and love and order and transformation and hope and meaning and answers. too bad all they’re seeing is judgment and intolerance and hypocrisy and rules and empty, hollow, pious religious activity.
anyway, here’s a link to another guy’s take on this whole issue. if you have the time, read some of the comments by other readers. there’s a lot of give and take…different opinions…alternative views of the same subject by good-hearted people who desire to end up at the same spot.
last night i went to a high school baseball game. pretty exciting game. some good pitching, some shoddy fielding, a couple of timely hits, and a bunch of whining about how bad the umpires were. yeah, it was a normal high school game.
on the way out, i was behind a dad and his son and another player. they were from the losing team. obviously, the losing team whined a lot louder about the umpire than the winning team…and this dad (as best as i could hear) was having the same conversation that parents of young athletes have all the time:
“…it’s not your fault. there was no way you could hit with that kind of an umpire. they stole the game from us. how can anybody play with that kind of bias? you couldn’t have any confidence in the strike zone. those umpires took you out of your game. blah. blah. blah.”
i will admit that i generally have a different take on the whole umpiring thing than most (in that one of my sons is an umpire), but i’ve also been the dad of athletes my whole life. I have walked off the ball field many times, helping my sons face the reality of a loss.
i’ve also listened for years to parents make excuses for their kids, instead of helping them face reality. on the ballfield…and also in life.
“it’s his fault.” “you just got on the wrong team.” “we don’t have enough money.” “your teacher isn’t being fair.” “don’t the police have something better to do?” “they’re giving way to much homework.” “the administration is always showing favoritism.” “they’re cheating the system.”
you get the picture.
parents, stop crippling your kids. stop making excuses for them. stop teaching them to make excuses. we’re a culture of excuse givers. it’s time to stop.
hey. life is difficult. don’t complain that you didn’t get get three perfect pitches. sometimes you only get one good pitch to hit. shut up. swing your bat. give it your best shot. if you miss, go back to the bench and figure out what you did wrong and what you could do better.
there.
and if you think this post is about baseball, you just swung and missed.
national tv audience, opening night of the new ball park in the big apple, prime time in every way and the little friars from san diego spoil the biggest night in baseball this season. i love baseball.
i know it’s a long season, but 6-2, the best pitching stats in the bigs, guys that actually pay attention to their hitting coach, no choking on the main stage, and david eckstein…this is a good start.
happy day after easter! it was a good day in the house at north point yesterday. here’s my take…
i’m not going to evaluate why easter is still a more important sunday than the others in our culture. i’ll just say that i enjoy it when it rolls around.
i could go for the doughnut centerpiece in the lobby every sunday.
it would be great to have that kind of crowd in the first service every week. definitely made newcomers feel at ease.
i hope most people had a better response to the way i sermonized: one guy (who will remain nameless…even tho he sleeps at my house) said, “i can’t believe you preached three sermons today!” gimma a break…
i’ve preached easter sermons for many years. i don’t think i have ever been more passionate about one of them than i was yesterday.
talking about pain and suffering and the difficulty of life on easter made me a little uncomfortable as i prepared during the week, but the responses from a bunch people really made it worth it. what did you think?
what an honor it is to speak of the resurrection of jesus…the most important and life-altering event in all of history.
the music was awesome. the band rocked. i wouldn’t trade the way we sing at north point for any church anywhere.
not sure which suit was more pimp: logan’s hand-me-down western cut or conlee’s slick white collection…
probably conlee.
ties at north point. i love easter.
i don’t know how many of you saw wade’s triple-gainer from the pike position, but you missed an olympic moment.
babys.
i wonder how many people are having a much better restroom experience now that we are tiled, painted, decorated and free of accumulated restroom smell? and how about that new restroom sign? was it me, or did people just seem to be smiling more yesterday?
i love meeting new people on sundays.
not a big lunch crowd after the service. it was good to hear of so many people spending time with their families.
glad we wrestled “mighty to save” away from the underground…even if it was just for one sunday. great song.
are you keeping may 3 open? you better. we’re going to have a great time.
i start a new sermon series this coming sunday. i can’t wait to see the fruit. do you know of someone who needs to be a north point on sundays? maybe you’re the person god will use to get them here. are you open to being used that way?
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
this week, the cover story of newsweek is titled: the decline and fall of american christianity. you can buy it or 
i know it’s a long season, but 6-2, the best pitching stats in the bigs, guys that actually pay attention to their hitting coach, no choking on the main stage, and david eckstein…this is a good start.
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
