Long Time No Blog

Well, I have been a bit of a slacker on my blog lately. I could blame it on the holidays and being crazy busy, but I'm not going to do that. The thing I am going to do is blog more in 2010 -- hopefully :-)

Life has been pretty busy the last few months. I recently received a new position in my job that has brought about a whole new level of responsibility. Nevertheless, it has stretched me and forced me to grow in my leadership. As if that was not enough, I also embarked on the next stage of my academic education. That's right, I began the long and strenuous journey towards a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary. I must say that it has been HARD work! Reading 200 pages a week and writing 15 page papers isn't quite what I want to do be doing in my free time, but it has proven to be great learning experience thus far. Can I endure 4 years of it? We'll see!!!

So why haven't I blogged? Because all my writing energies have gone to writing research papers! :-) But I am hoping that as I discipline myself more and more, I will establish a better routine. That way my blog doesn't get neglected. My hope is that I will be able to share all the things I am learning in my classes. That is, if I have enough energy.

So stay tuned...more to come!

A Great Weekend!

Last weekend was one I will never forget! First, we had a guest speaker at church, William Paul Young, the author of a NY Times Bestseller, The Shack. It was a great time and the story of his life is amazing. He talked about how he came to write the book and how God has used it to bless many people - there a so many incredible stories! One of the questions he posed to the crowd was, "Can God do anything that is not motivated by love?" He went on to say that the answer is "no" because God's character is love. He further said that even God's wrath is motivated by love because he wants to save us from the very crap we put ourselves through. What an awesome thought that God doesn't do anything that is not motivated by love.

If you have not read The Shack, then you need to! It will cause you to think deeply about your faith and about God. It's a book you won't be able to put down.

Also, this weekend I officially became a Triathlete! It was a lot of hard work on a very hot day, but it was well worth it. I will put some pictures up soon. I can't wait for the next one!

Discipline - Do You Not Know?

Since reading Lone Survivor, I cannot stop thinking about and wrestling with the concept of discipline. I don't know about you, but the "D" word kind of scares me. Somehow I believe Jesus intended his followers to be a whole lot more disciplined than we realize. I hear much more talk about being blessed by God today than I do about being stretched by God. I mean, think about it for a moment. In today's consumeristic society do we [the Church] focus too much on what we receive as Christians? We want so much to be the recipients of God's love and grace and forgiveness. We want Him to bless our lives and make us prosper. Don't get me wrong. All these things are gracious gifts that God freely gives to us. But what is our response to these amazing gifts? A simple 'thank you very much'? Or is there a responsibility to respond in obedience and commitment? Well duh! We all know the answer to that is a resounding "YES!" Why is it so hard though?

Growing up, sports were my life. I am so thankful that my parents kept me active as a child and taught me the simple disciplines that would later make me successful in life. I did everything as little kid. I remember wrestling at the age of 4 and up. I remember playing competitive golf when I was so young that our tournaments were only 3 holes long! I participated in BMX racing. I was on the Plantation Swim Team (still have my iddy biddy speedo :-). I played soccer, little league baseball, YMCA basketball, and of course Pop Warner football when I was finally old enough! Football was my favorite. I remember as a kid I had it all planned out. I still remember sitting in Skipper's, my favorite seafood restaurant in Boise, Idaho and laying out my future plans to my parents. "I'm going to USC to play for the Trojans and then get drafted to the Buffalo Bills." That was the plan and it was going to take a lot of hard work, dedication, and a lifetime of discipline.

I did continue to play sports in junior high and high school, choosing to focus on football and track. One thing God gifted me with is speed. I didn't really have the size for football (5'9" and a buck thirty), but I had speed. I had the fastest forty yard dash time on the Mountain View football team, my personal best time being 4.43 seconds. Again, if I really wanted to see my NFL dream come true, I would have to be more disciplined than I could possible imagine. If there was a place for discipline, it was at Mountain View High School.

Mountain View had a huge reputation for their sports program. They were the best at everything. It wasn't quite as hardcore as Navy SEAL training, but it sure was close - at least to a 16 year old. I remember getting up at 5:30 and hitting the track and running till some guys would puke their dinners up from the night before. I remember being in the weight room every day, pushing our bodies to the limit. Day after day. It was rough and there were times when I wanted to quit, but I stuck with it. While I was at Mountain View we went 40-1, winning two State Championships. The one loss came in triple overtime of the Semi-finals my senior year. Discipline? I will tell you those few years of my life were the most discipline years I have ever experienced.

God got a hold of me my junior year of high school and convinced me that the NFL wasn't truly my life's dream. Honestly, I never would have made it to the NFL anyway, but you can't fault me and every other young guy for wanting that! Nevertheless, on the spring break mission trip to Mexico building houses, God revealed to me that our world is full of broken and hurting people. He needed some more workers and asked me if I might consider joining His team to bring His Kingdom here on earth. That is when I heard the call. I responded. "Lord, take my life. It's is Yours."

The rest is history.

Sorry for the long explanation, but now that I am a pastor I am sitting here wondering where the discipline went? If there was some sort of spiritual football or Navy SEAL training, would I have what it takes to make it through? Honestly, I think a lot of times my approach to the Christian life is that I have accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and now it's just time to enjoy life and coast on cruise control. This is not how the Apostle Paul saw the Christian life.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

This speaks to me. I know what it is to run a race. I know what it means to compete in a game. Do I view my life as a disciple this way? Paul did. William Barclay writes,

"Paul was always fascinated by the picture of the athlete. An athlete must train with intensity if he is to win his contest; and Corinth knew how thrilling contests could be, for at Corinth the Isthmian games, second only to the Olympic games, were held. Furthermore, the athlete undergoes this self-discipline and this training to win a crown of laurel leaves that within days will be a withered chaplet. How much more should the Christian discipline himself to win the crown which is eternal life."

I want to wrap this up and I apologize for this going on, but this is where I am at. I can't get this word discipline out of my mind. Part of me hates it because I know it means pain. But we all know the saying, "no pain no gain." Thus, please help me as I seek to live a more disciplined life. Let's help each other as we spur one another on towards living godly lives. Here are five things in my life that I am choosing to be more disciplined in. Pray for me and keep me accountable to the 'strict training' that is being a disciple of Jesus. Thank you in advance!

Five areas I am disciplining myself in:

1) My relationship with God - uninterrupted quality prayer, daily time in the Word, listening to Him speak and guide me

2) My ministry and relationships - taking the time to give myself to people (family, friends, the broken and the hurting)

3) Education - reading and listening to podcasts to learn more and sharpen myself
(I made a goal this year to read 25 books...so far I have read 15)

4) Honing my musical skills - taking voice lessons and working on improving my guitar skills

5) Physical fitness - running 3-5 times per week, working out, and eating healthy

Really?

I went to lunch this week with a friend of mine and we headed to Barro's Pizza for the 2-slice lunch special. I don't care what you say; Barro's pizza is one of the best! This day the pizza was indeed great and I was extra happy because one of my slices was huge! You always hope that you don't get stuck with 2 tiny slices. Our conversation over lunch was great too, so it turned out to be a pretty stellar lunch. Until....

We were walking out to my car to head back to work when I hear a voice from behind me. "Excuse me, would you mind sparing me some money for a motel room tonight?" I turn around and there was a kid probably 18 or 19 years old with a cup in his hand. Now he looked hot and sweaty, but he didn't really strike me as the homeless type. I took a few moments to have that internal wrestling match to figure out whether I should continue to my car or stop and hear his story. I opted for the latter not thinking I would regret it later.

I always freeze up in these kinds of situations, not being able to discern how to handle the situation in a Christ-like manner. Nevertheless, I decided to hear the kid out and he told me he got in an argument with his parents and they kicked him out. Right there I should have investigated his story further. Instead I told him I was uncomfortable with giving him money, but that I would buy him a slice of pizza (he also said he hadn't eaten all day).

While we were in line, I asked him why he got kicked out and of course it wasn't his fault at all. His parents were over-reacting and sick of driving him to Glendale to work everyday. Again, I should have made a run for it, but I thought to myself, "what could a little pizza hurt?"

After he got his pizza, he thanked me and we went our separate ways. I returned to my buddy in my car only to hear him utter these depressing words, "I don't want to disappoint you, but I ran into that kid about 2 months ago and he told almost the same exact story." Then it hit...

I just got played. Cheated. Taken advantage of.

The reality is that this kid probably had a place to stay that. He is probably hooked on some drug and is unofficially fundraising to feed his addiction. Who knows what the real truth is. All I know is it is sad that people have to lie and manipulate other people to try to get "aid and assistance."

I learned my lesson this time and I will be more cautious in the future. And all of you who live in Mesa and are reading this: if a 19 year old wants money and he just got kicked out of the house, DON'T BELIEVE HIM!

Who is the Customer?

I recently went on the Junior High summer camp trip in beautiful Malibu, California. It was so nice and refreshing to be near the beach and feel the cool ocean breeze. I also really loved hanging out with junior high kids again. They are wild, crazy and just fun to be around. Oh, and man can they have fun worshiping God! Jumping, shouting, singing to the top of their lungs....My favorite time was doing Crowder's tune, "We Won't Be Quiet" and having them just shout it out! Like Crowder, I used a megaphone on that song and it was fantastic!

As fun as the trip was, there was one thing that I really wrestled with. I will borrow Bill Hybel's term "holy discontent," to describe the uneasiness that I had through out the week. I came to the realization that sometimes Christian adults can be rather ruthless. Now I am the first to admit that kids (especially Jher's) need discipline. However, what approach do you take with kids who have had no exposure to the church and with Jesus? We are talking about kids who come from broken homes and who have little or no positive influence in their lives at all. Yet, we expect even these kids to be polite and respectful. Maybe just maybe they don't know what that looks like. Maybe we are the only example of that they will ever see. Somehow, yelling at kids and forcing them to behave might not be the best approach.

I think of Jesus with the woman at the well. He had such a marvelous way of exposing her sin yet affirming her at the same time. He even plays dumb a little bit in order not to come across as superior. Jesus found a way to speak the truth in love. I think that we can do the same it just takes a few things to get there. It would require us to slow down and be patient, kind, caring, and altogether interested in the human beings we come in contact with. Jesus wasn't in a hurry, but rather he stopped to sit with this woman. Through His words and actions, He communicated to her that she was the most important thing to Him at that moment. Jesus gave her His full undivided attention. This is what it means to love your neighbor - something I willingly admit that I am not good at.

So who is the customer? Think about when you go into a place like starbucks or a restaurant. We naturally expect to be served. And don't just serve me but, I want service with a smile. Oh and I want my coffee in 12.045 seconds. But when it comes to relationships and more specifically interactions with non-believers, a lot of times this attitude of service is not present. Not that Christianity is a product to be sold, but we have a job to present this hope we have in Christ as something that is freeing, not burdensome. How are junior high kids ever going to know a better life if they are constantly talked down to and told to follow a certain set of rules? After all, they are the customers. People are customers who are looking for something to follow and they will choose whatever option they think is best. What can we offer them? Grace and freedom and hope and peace and rest from the burdens of life through Jesus Christ. I think before we can expect someone to behave like a Christian they must first need to understand the good. They need to first know what we are for, rather than what we are against. Consider what Jesus' says in Matthew 23 to the religious people of His day. May we never fall into this trap!

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.c

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides!