Bad Chocolates

I became a Christian in my last year of high school, but it was not until college that I really began to understand what it meant to follow Jesus.  I had a wonderful church family with a number of strong believers that encouraged me.  During college, my mom cheated on and left my dad for the other guy.  It was a whirlwind for me, and I assume it was similar for my brother.  We really didn't have any idea that she would do this.  She came back to him for a little while, but then she left again for good.  Later on, when I became engaged to woman I thought I would spend the rest of my life with.  We went became missionaries in Alaska for a short time.  After about five months, I came back to Texas to search for a job that would support us as we began our life together.  I took so time, but I managed to find a beginning, a part-time youth pastor position in Paris, TX.  The night before I left, we talked on Skype.  She ended it.  I was going through some pain at that point so I might have blocked it out, but I don't even remember an explanation, just, "I can't be your fiance anymore."  It was a long drive to Paris the next morning.

I have heard it said that we are all either just out of trouble, in trouble, or about to get slammed by some trouble.  I can testify that whoever said that dropped some wisdom on us with that particular phrase.  Peter said, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12).  John told us, "
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you" (1 John 3:13).  These guys spoke from experience.  All you have to do to know that is read the Book of Acts, and even that doesn't tell you everything they went through.  It stands to reason that if these guys are warning us that things will gets hard, we really shouldn't be taken off guard when our life feels like it is getting flushed.  If fact, we should probably expect it.

Satan takes advantage of the fact that we don't keep a firm grasp on God's Word, and he tries to use problems in our personal life to push us away from what God wants us to do.  Sometimes it is a number of little problems, and sometimes it's a big one.  Either way, he begins hammering wedge between us and God because we believe the lie that says once we become a Christian, everything in this life will go well with us.  That's a lie!  Jesus never once promised us that.  If fact, He was very clear that the opposite would be true, and if anyone tries to tell you this life is going to be wonderful because you are a Christian, you'd better run from that false teacher like he set your pants on fire.  Our hope is not in this world.  Our hope is in Jesus Christ, and the salvation He bought us in Eternity.

Yet I have seen Christian, strong Christians, who have had legitimate personal tragedies, and they began to retreat within themselves.  They pulled back from God, the ministries He had called them to, the church family He put around them, and sometimes they even blamed Him for it.  Why?  Well, sometimes emotions can make us do things we look back on later and shake our heads, but far too often it is because they have bought into that lie that for Christians, this life is bed of roses.  It's not!  It's really like a box of chocolates, and sometimes you get that horrible, nasty, toxic sewage waste wrapped in chocolate that as far as I can tell the company puts in there to keep us guessing!

Jesus got a lot of those during His life here.  He got the religious leader trying to trap Him.  He was rejected by multitudes.  He was spit on, hit, despised, tortured, and murdered.  Those are some bad chocolates, and He told us, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.'  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours" (John 15:18-20).

I don't know what bad chocolates you have had in your life.  It is likely that you have taken some from people inside the church as well as outside the church.  Jesus did.  He took it from the Jewish religious leaders and got stabbed in the back by both Peter and Judas.  Do you know what He did?  He leaned on His Father more, and He kept ministering.  I find it very troubling when I see Christians going through some hard time, and they let that pull them away from the ministry God has assigned them.  It's like taking a wound in combat only to lay down your weapon and walk away.  Did you expect it to be easy?

When my mom left my dad, I could have gotten angry at God, but that would have been stupid.  It wasn't God's fault that my mom was wrong.  He didn't tell her to commit adultery.  No, I ministered to her.  I told her that this is not what God wanted her to do.  She did it anyway, and I think she is still paying for that wrong.  When my ex-fiance left me, I could have gotten mad at God, but that would have been dumb, too.  She made the choice, and now I'm glad she did.  I'm married to a wonderful woman now.

If we follow the example Jesus gives us, not only will we continue pushing on with any ministry God has called us to in the hard times, we will lean on God all the more while pushing harder against the Enemy. That is called being faithful.  When we are faithful to His calling on us, then we can trust that God will take care of us and the hardships going on in our lives.

Firing Neurons

This morning, I was wading through my own ruminations on the connections between the physical, metaphysical, and the cerebral.  I don't always get how these things connect, but there is a connection.  Consider a beautiful autumn landscape. 

The physical complexity of it is immense!  The trees have been growing for years or even generations in that soil collecting water and minerals to reach up toward the sun and photosynthesize their food through the mechanisms in each individual cell that works together.  The trees are in harmony with the rest of the ecosystem as leaves provide food and homes for animals either on the branches or after they fall.  If not, they decay and fertilize the soil for the multitude of life in this one small patch of forest.  It's incredible, and that is just the physical!

Now, think about the cerebral part of this.  I look upon this, an amazing physical phenomena in itself that I will not go into, and I consider it beautiful.  Why?  The bouncing photons enter my eye, either from the scene itself for from the computer screen, and the electrical impulses fire from the optic nerve up into my brain to be translated.  I comprehend the array of reds and golds or the leaves on the trees.  I see the brightness of the sun.  If I am there, my other senses become involved as I hear the crunching of the leaves under my feet and feel the warmth of the sun against brisk autumn air.  I even hear the trickle of the stream that my eyes cannot see, and all of these things cause a calm through me as my brain releases chemicals, likely dopamine and/or serotonin,yet I cannot cause the release of these chemicals myself without outside stimuli for the most part.

Now, if that was not enough, consider the metaphysical.  Why did I choose that particular place to go?  Is it a product of biochemistry or something more?  I could have chosen a meadow in the Spring or a wheat field under the summer sun or a Caribean beach.  Why an autumn forest?  Did I choose it, or is free will an illusion, and it was instinct or pre-association that caused it?

The complexity of everything in this causes me to believe that I did choose it, and I have reason behind that.  You see, evolution shows us that as we have evolved from the less complex to the more complex, we are still governed by the same set of rules in order to function.  The insect does not make decisions, it acts on instinct.  The same is true for the reptile, and as the brain becomes more complex, the instincts do as well.  Yet, instinct is not what caused that.  There is a beauty that goes beyond evolutionary biology, and if you believe that evolution is how we came to this point in our existence, you have to believe that free will is an illusion.  I don't.  I see our free will enacted on a daily basis, and because I see that I believe that the beauty of the autumn forest is not only good from my brain but good for my soul.  My belief in free will also shows me that there is something beyond the physical and cerebral, that there must be a creator, an artist, who crafted this beautiful landscape, and it does my soul good to embrace that truth.

Danger: Post Youth Group

This morning on the way to work, I heard a story on Moody Radio that really got my attention.  It got me listening because it talked about a study that attempted (and succeeded greatly) in answering a question that on my heart a lot.  Some people at Eastlake Baptist know that the current spiritual growth of the youth is not my only concern because I am deeply concerned with their spiritual growth after they finish high school.  Several of you have heard me talk about it before.  The truth is that a huge amount of people leave the church after high school, and church congregations are dumbfounded.
The reason is easy to see if you are in the right place to see it.  It's the youth groups!  For most people in the church, the one criteria for a successful youth group is numbers.  If they see a lot of kids in there, they think everything must be going great.  The kids are in church and having fun.  What could be wrong?  A lot.  This single standard of measure has caused many well-meaning volunteers and paid ministers to strive for that one thing, and the way to get a lot of kids somewhere is easy.  Entertain them.  So, that's what they do.  They play games.  They watch movies.  They go to amusement parks.  None of these things are bad to do from time to time, but these youth groups start doing them all the time.  You can see the problem, right?
This study went around to college campuses, found former youth group members now involved in things like secular student organizations.  When some might think that they would find a lot of little Richard Dawkinses, lured away from Christianity because of arguments given in favor of evolution, that was not the case for the majority.  The problem for most of the former youth groupers, including Phil, who was the president of his youth group, started in the youth group, with their leaders seeking to entertain them rather than taking the Bible seriously and challenging them with it.  Kids are a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for.  They can see when you really believe something, and they respect it.
This is where it comes to the parents.  Even though the kids will grow with leaders who focus on the Scripture, most will not beg you to go to that kind of group, especially not the younger ones.  Parents must realize that their are a lot of other pulls of them.  I hear excuses like, "I don't know anyone."  Well, you will if you go, just like school.  "It's boring."  They just don't have ears to hear yet.  Give it time.  There are many more, but you get the point.  This is their spiritual health and walk with God on the line; their entertainment, popularity, and comfort and come second.  You have to be the parent, know it is for their good, and bring them, "kicking and screaming" if necessary, though hopefully not literally.
My concern over this has brought me to the conclusion, many years ago, that The Forge at Eastlake and the youth groups I have lead previous to it, need to be focused solely on God and His Word.  We will play some games and have some fun, but the focus will never be on that.
My desire is that this will be an encouragement to the youth that have been going to their youth groups and the parents who have been bringing them as well as an encouragement to those have been gone for a while for whatever reason to come on back.  We've missed you.

Sitcom Workouts

This may be the first time on this blog that I have written about a topic that, on the surface, has nothing to do with God, but as the creator of this world, everything really comes back to Him.

Working out is something we all wish we did, but sometimes it is just a pain to get yourself in the habit of doing it.  Once the habit is formed, believe me, it only takes minimal effort to stick with.  Courtney just recently got me on a recent craze that really makes getting into working out a lot easier.  They’re called “TV Workouts” or “Sitcom Workouts” usually titled with whatever show you are using first i.e. “Big Bang Theory Workout.”

There are a number of these out on the internet already made, and you can completely customize them.  Plus, if it isn’t already out there, even a complete workout novice can make their own from an example for a show they are familiar with.

Instead of describing them, I will just give you two that I have made.  The first is a Big Bang Theory Workout that I modified from several I found online, and the second a Frasier Workout that I made on my own.

Big Bang Theory Workout

Sheldon says, “Bazinga”                                                   
– 20 Squats

Anyone eats food                                                 
– 10 Burpees

Someone knocks on a door
– 20 Crunches

Sheldon gives a fact
– 10 Jump Squats

Sheldon fails socially
– 20 Jumping Jacks

Howard’s mother yells
– 30 Crunches

Sheldon is made fun of
– 20 Squats

Howard hits on a girl/mommy issues
– 20 Mountain Climbers

Raj & Howard argue/gay
– 20 Sit-ups

Amie says something lesbo
– 15 Squats

Anyone mentions Texas
– 20 Jump Squats

Anyone drinks
– 15 Fire Hydrants (each leg)

Raj can’t talk/whispers to Howard
– 10 Butt Busters (each leg)

Anyone says, “Coitus” or “Star Trek”
– 20 Mountain Climbers

Leonard longs for/fights with Penny
– 50 Bicycle Crunches

Howard mentions his Jewish ancestry
– 20 Push-ups

“The Stairs” are shown
– 20 Crunches

University is shown
– 20 Push-ups

Comic book store is shown
– 10 Lunges (each leg)

Cheese Cake Factory is shown
– 20 Calf Raises

Frasier Workout

Frasier says, “I’m listening”
- 20 Mountain Climbers

Niles creeps on Daphne
- 20 Sit-ups

Frasier offers a sherry
- 20 Squats

Martin is sitting in his chair
- 20 Jumping Jacks

Frasier hangs up with a caller
- 20 Jumping Jacks

Anyone eats or drinks
- 10 Burpees

Someone says, “Eddie”
- 30 Crunches

Eddie breaks the rules
- 10 Jump Squats

Bulldog barks
- 20 Push-ups

Daphne mentions England/Manchester
- 50 Bicycle Crunches

Someone rings/knocks on a door
- 20 Crunches

Frasier mentions Harvard
- 20 Jump Squats

Roz talks about sex/her baby
- 10 Butt Busters (each leg)

Martin does/talks about exercises
- 20 Push-ups

Someone mentions Martin being shot
- 20 Mountain Climbers

Frasier & Niles argue/fight
- 10 Squats

Frasier yells
- 20 Jumping Jacks

Frasier apologizes
- 15 Fire Hydrants (each leg)

Nirvosa (coffee shop) is shown
- 10 Lunges (each leg)

Radio Station is shown
- 20 Pushups

Courtney and I have had a lot of fun doing them together, and I am really happy about it because being in shape is something I feel very strongly honors God.  Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live within you as a guide and helper.  Your body literally becomes a temple for the God of the universe, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  That is why the church is not a building, it is the people.  We are put in charge of taking care of that temple.  That means eating right is not only a good habit, it is a spiritual act of worship… a sacrifice on the altar so to speak.  Sacrifice is difficult, and the area of food is an idol to many believers.  I challenge you not to let yourself fall into that trap.

You are more than welcome to use mine, modify them, etc.  I hope they help you get into the kind of shape your desire and that honors God.

If Only

In our Sunday night Lifegroup, we are talking about other religions and cults.  It is a very interesting look at what others believe, why they believe it, and how we can reach out to them.  The topics range from the interesting to the bizarre as we discuss the practices of other belief systems, but there is one thing that has come back several times.  I have heard something like this phrase being said on multiple occasions, “If only we were as good as they are about witnessing to people.”

I can hear the sadness in the slight tremor of the voice each time it is said by each person.  I can feel the shame as the words are cast out into the room and die away.  The unsaid looms, “Why don’t we witness like these other groups?”  The Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t know who God is.  Their relationship is confused by the lies of the Book of Mormon and the Watchtower.  We have the Way!  We have the Truth!  We have the Life!  It is Jesus Christ!  Yet they outdo us all the time in telling others about Him.

Jesus said that the all the Law and the Prophets depend on this:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15), and when He left this world, He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  It is quite easy to put these Scriptures together.  You received power when the Holy Spirit came upon you, and if you love God, you will go tell others about him and teach them to follow Him.  It is that simple, and there is no exemption clause for age or gender or anything else.  I have seen children that have not reached ten years old passing out Bibles to friends at school, and I have seen old woman crippled with age lead a teen to the knowledge of Christ.

You may be scared, but God did not give you a spirit of fear.  That is Satan.  Don’t listen to him.  Listen to Jesus!  How grateful are you to the one who told you about Jesus?  You have the opportunity to be that to someone else.  If you really care, tell them about Jesus.  Don’t be a coward and wait for someone else to do it.

Real Life

When you think of the term “real life,” what comes to mind?  Usually I think people, at some level, get the idea of the small things in life, or maybe the “day to day” things that go one.  Ideas of real life become the tiny moments that one treasures in this life.  It is an amazing deception.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, had an interesting description on heaven.  At the beginning of the book, he made clear the idea that he was not speculating on the afterlife, only giving an idea.  So, nothing in the book should be taken as the way it will be.  However, part of this idea, I believe was the difference between heaven, hell, and earth.  He describes heavens as a place that is so much more real than earth.  In comWhen you think of the term “real life,” what comes to mind?  Usually I think people, at some level, get the idea of the small things in life, or maybe the “day to day” things that go one.  Ideas of real life become the tiny moments that one treasures in this life.  It is an amazing deception.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, had an interesting description on heaven.  At the beginning of the book, he made clear the idea that he was not speculating on the afterlife, only giving an idea.  So, nothing in the book should be taken as the way it will be.  However, part of this idea, I believe was the difference between heaven, hell, and earth.  He describes heavens as a place that is so much more real than earth.  In comparison, hell and earth were only shadows to Paradise.  I think that is probably something we will find to be true when we get there.

When we think of “real life,” though, our first thoughts are not of heaven.  They are of earth.  They are of the things here that bring us joy.  Now, when these things cause use to draw closer to God, I believe they are part of the life we were meant to enjoy here, but they are nothing compared to the real life to come.  What seems to happen far too often, however, are these things distracting us from God.  Choosing to sleep or do something else rather than go to church, choosing not to go witness to those who don’t know Jesus (whether as a group or by yourself) because you’re scared or too busy minding your own business to do God’s work, being caught up in a busy schedule only to not notice a person in need of help…  in other words, being too involved in “real life” that you miss the real life.  When you stand before God, what do you want to have been involved in here on earth?  Do those things.

"Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48b).

Working

I have been thinking recently about a subject that has been hitting me hard recently.  Church people...  I use this term because I want to be sure to differentiate between those who are actually believers in Jesus Christ, Christians, with people who show up in church, church people.  These two groups overlap.  They should overlap a lot.  Christians should be in church, unless they are sick or at work or otherwise physically cannot make it.  They aren't always, but that is a topic to tackle under the title "Laziness" or "Irresponsibility."  There are also people who really do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, but they are in church.  It may be because they have just always done it, or it may be because they are interested in what is being said.  Either way, I'm glad they are there.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

I love this verse!  It makes me marvel at the astounding grace of God toward us, who could not be good ourselves!  Any Christian who quotes this verse or is reminded or this verse or reads this verse should remember the vast amount of grace that has been poured out on them and be overwhelmed!  

However, like many good things, the use of this verse can abused.  Whether they realize they are saying it or not, many church people and Christians use this verse to justify pursuing their own desires above God.  They resolve in their hearts that because their salvation is not based on works that what they do does not matter.  If what they do does not matter, then they can go where ever they want during church and be "just as good a Christian at _______ than at church."  Can you be just as good an employee at _______ than actually being at work?  No!  You can't because you focus is in the wrong place!  Even those that work at home know that to be productive they must have a special place at home to do their job where they are separated from distractions.  They willingly ignore the very next verse, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).  Put these two verses together, and suddenly what you do matters!

I hear objections rising as people read, "But my salvation is not based on works!  It is based on grace!"  You're right!  I'm not talking about your salvation.  It's not about you!

Mind blown.  Yes, you were thinking about you again.

God has poured out His grace on us abundantly, but He did not do it because we are so awesome.  He did not do it for our sole benefit.  He didn't do it so that He would have company in heaven.  He is triune.  He has all the fellowship He will ever need in the Trinity.  He did it for His glory.  He did it so that when we saw what He did for us, we would fall down before His throne and give up ourselves!  He specifically tells us to do that, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

The reason this has been on my heart so much is that I see so many church people that refuse to give up themselves.  They have convinced themselves that they can be a good Christian doing whatever they want to do.  They will do church things when it is convenient, but not if it isn't...  in effect putting themselves first and on the throne of their own lives where God belongs by right.

The consequences of this type of life are also not considered.  Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).  He also said, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37).  He even said, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you;depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:21-23).  Notice verse 21 says that not everyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord will be welcomed into Paradise.  He says only those who "do the will of my Father."  How is this possible if salvation is not based on works?  James answers this when he tells us, "I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18b).  It is by faith that we receive God's grace and that grace the brings salvation.  Works are the proof of that.  What you do shows what you have faith in.  If you say you have faith in Jesus but you ignore what He commands, do you really have faith?  I am not talking about a mistake or moment of weakness.  I am talking about willfully ignoring what He says.  Do you think you have real faith?  Do you think you will be granted entry to the Kingdom of Heaven just because you cry out to Jesus as Lord?  Apparently those people who cried out to Him in Matthew 7 did.  look what happened to them.  

Some of you who know the Scripture may now want to quote, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).  I agree.  Notice it says that you must believe.  It does not end with just a confession.  You must believe in your heart that Jesus died to pay for the sin debt on your soul and that God raised Him from the dead conquering death itself!  You must believe, and if you believe, something more than just a confession will come from you!  You will tell others about the great salvation you received.  You will serve others first because Jesus did.  You will reach out to help the hurting and needy because God has reach out to you.  You will give your tithe so the church can continue to to operate and reach more people...  you may even give more that 1/10 of your income so that more can be done.  You will do these things because you love Jesus, and He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

Being that living sacrifice can hurt.  I know from experience.  I have lived below the poverty line in a place I didn't know with no family in service to God, not because I'm great, but because He is great.  God may not call you to that, but He is calling you to lay down your own life.  If you are a Christian, you proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life.  If He is, get out of His chair.