A Decision for the Ages

Research suggests that something like 80% of Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 18 and after that, the percentage drops significantly of people that decide to follow Christ. I was talking with a couple guys a day or so ago and one of them mentioned how they knew a guy that had decided to be a dentist when he was 18 and now in his 40's, has come to the conclusion that dentistry is not for him.

This led us to start talking about what the implications might be for someone who chooses to become a Christian at an early age, say sometime before they turn 18. Does the immaturity of the individual at the time of "conversion" make a difference in the significance of the decision? Or does the idea that choosing to follow Christ is more a relationship that grows and matures with the individual mean that it doesn't matter how young someone might be when they decide to follow Christ?

I think there is a difference between choosing a career-path at a young age and choosing to have a relationship with someone at a young age, especially if that relationship is with Jesus. It seems like a career "is-what-it-is" whereas a relationship is always able to change, grow, and adapt as the individuals involved change, grow and adapt to life around them but maybe I'm biased since I started my walk with Christ when I was 11.

None of Your Business??

With the Democratic National Convention behind us and the Republican National Convention underway it has been an interesting week or so in American politics. Obama gave a nice speech, lots of stuff he's said already and McCain picked a running mate that not many people could have guessed, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Now, I'm not going to spend any time talking about whether or not she's qualified or has the experience or what reasons McCain might have used to giver her the nod as his VP selection (but you are certainly welcome to and I look forward to hearing your thoughts) but I will take this opportunity to say something about the recent "scandal" involving her pregnant daughter.

I think Obama said it best when he said that "family is off-limits in presidential politics, especially children." It seems unfair to judge the competency of a candidate because one of his or her kids makes an unfortunate decision as a 17yr old. Sure you could try to make an argument about "what kind of parent" he or she might be if his or her daughter gets pregnant but that argument seems to fall to the wayside when we all realize that we have all made stupid choices at one point or another and weren't able to blame our parents for it anymore. I'm impressed that the candidates have no desire to even discuss this issue, showing a level of privacy and respect that seems somewhat uncommon in our more recent political campaigns and yet the media insists on pushing this so called "scandal".

What I've found interesting today is hearing how both sides, Republican and Democratic supporters respectively, are using this issue to make the point that she clearly is or isn't the appropriate choice as the potential VP. You say to-ma-to, I say to-ma-to...

The Wheels of Justification Go Round and Round

It's amazing to me how often we find ourselves giving in to temptations that we would have never imagined ourselves giving in to. I'm sure we all know someone that after doing this or saying that has found themselves in a situation they would have never thought possible. Maybe it's just me but I find it scary how easy it is to justify just about anything to myself. I wouldn't say that I am a masterful debater by any means but when it comes to convincing myself of why I should or shouldn't do something, I can make a strong case.

I'm finding that how I deal with temptation and the justification process that starts to take place in my puny little brain go hand-in-hand. I start telling myself things like: "I need this", "I like this", "I will gain something from this", "I've earned this", "I am the only one that will be impacted by this," and so on and so on.

I am guessing we all face different temptations on a daily basis, I know I do and ya know, sometimes I win and sometimes the temptation wins. The difference between who or what wins I've realized has to do with my focus. Obviously as someone who is trying to be like Jesus, my focus must first be on Christ and then on everyone else and when I find that I am out of focus, I become much more susceptible to giving in to temptation, even temptations that seem like they would never be a temptation for me. It's a slippery-slope when our focus becomes all about "me", its then that we find ourselves looking up from the bottom of the ditch wondering how we got there.

On A Crowded Street

Isn’t it great to walk in somewhere, regardless of the size of the room or the number of people, and feel like you belong there? For some reason I've been thinking about this lately and it made me think of a story that describes a radical act of hospitality by Jesus (Mark 5:24-34). I read this story and am blown away by Jesus’ willingness to be hospitable in an almost impossible situation. There were two things that really struck me about how Jesus was able to create an intimate setting for hospitality on an overcrowded street...

The first is that Jesus noticed the individuals around Him, regardless of how busy or how large the crowd got. What a great remedy for the “large church” syndrome of feeling disconnected or feeling as though you're lost in the crowd. Even while He was on His way to somewhere else, He was present with the people around Him.

The second is that Jesus sought people out. Not only did Jesus take the time to notice people but He went a step further and sought them out to make them feel welcome. Even, or maybe better said especially, in a large crowd Jesus looks for a way to practice radical hospitality by connecting with others on an individual level.

Jesus recognized that it wasn’t simply about being hospitable but rather about touching someone’s life. Radical hospitality touches individuals’ lives in way that makes them feel not only welcome but like one of the family. Imagine the impact this kind of radical hospitality could have on the life of your church family, the individuals you notice and seek out around you, not to mention yourself. Now, I’m not suggesting that if you and I practice this kind of radical hospitality like Jesus did some sort of healing will take place…or maybe I am?

A Different Kind of Judgment

A lot of people struggle with judging others, deciding whether or not it is the right thing to do or if it depends on the situation and circumstances. It seems that a lot of Christians are confused by this whole passing judgment thing and often times are too quick to do so. I think there are definitely times when we have a responsibility to other brothers and sisters in Christ to make them aware of things in their life that may be in conflict with the way Christ calls us to live.

The more I've been thinking about this the more I've started wondering if maybe we're missing the things we should be passing judgment on. I don't think it is anyone's place to judge the state or eternal destination of someone's soul but maybe instead we should be "judging" when someone is hurting or lonely and instead of responding by passing judgment, responding with and because of, the love of Christ. I wonder how much hurt could be avoided in people's lives if we "judged" with an attitude of service and love as opposed to an attitude of arrogance.

Weekend In Review

I hope it's not too late in the week to do a "Weekend In Review" but that should give you an idea of how crazy the last couple days have been for me. Not that anyone really cares about what my weekend consisted of but I'll share some thoughts anyways...

Friday - I had a wedding rehearsal that Tai came with me to because the couple invited us both to the dinner afterwards. It went pretty smoothly and dinner was quite enjoyable. Both the bride and groom's families were extremely nice and welcoming, so that was cool.

Saturday - Volleyball practice in the morning. Came home and got cleaned up to do the wedding in the afternoon. The wedding went well, at least I thought so but maybe I'm a little biased. I learned something about myself from doing this wedding...I might be a freak. I say this because I was a sweaty mess up there. What is utterly confusing to me is that I really, truly, honestly was not nervous and yet it must have seemed to anyone that might have seen the sweat beads rolling down my face that I was scared to death. So after I got down drying myself off, I headed home to pick-up Tai for an outreach event our church had with the IU Cru band leading worship. The band sounded great though I'm not sure people were expecting a worship concert. From there we headed downtown to hear one of our friends play as well as one of my wife's favorite bands, Faun Fables. If you have ever heard their music, it is fairly theatrical to say the least. They really were pretty good at telling some interesting stories.

Sunday - I get excited when I get a chance to meet new people at church, not in a stalker sort of way, just in a it's-cool-to-meet-new-people way. We had an outreach lunch after our late service and had it catered by the Kolache Factory. It was ok, not great, not awful. My softball team made it to the championship game of our janky league with only 4 teams in it but hey, a trophy is a trophy and really more importantly, a tshirt is a tshirt. There's no better feeling than wearing a tshirt that you actually "earned" as opposed to picking it out at the Goodwill because you thought it looked sweet. After the big win I promptly headed home to get cleaned-up because my boy Rob, through his sweet hook-up was able to hook me up again with VIP tickets to see Chris Cornell at VWMC. I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see Cornell perform especially with the fact that I didn't have to listen to any other crappy bands, in and out. It was that easy. Unfortunately, Cornell didn't really sound that great and I kind of thought his new stuff was so-so. His band however "outshined" him.

I really enjoy live music so overall I would say a pretty good weekend...and tomorrow is Wednesday.

Did You Hear Something?

I'm not sure we're very good at listening. I know I struggle with it at times as there are so many things going on around me that I fail to really listen because I get distracted by this or that. And then I know there are other times when, because of one thing or another, I don't really want to listen because I might not like what I hear or because it doesn't quite fit into what I'm thinking or want to believe.

We like to hear things that make us feel good or prove our point or show that we were in the right and someone else was clearly in the wrong. I think there are times when we get so upset or have been so badly hurt that we only hear what we want to, regardless of what is actually being said. If only we would stop and really listen to what is being said or not said. I find it almost humorous at how badly our ability to listen becomes when we have already determined what we want to hear because of pain or anger. When I stop and think about it, I wonder how many things I have missed that have been said to me (if I'm honest, probably things I needed to hear) because I had decided I would only hear what I wanted to. I guess James really knows what he's talking about when he says that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Who would have thought that really listening to what someone says might actually make a difference?

Game On

Like many of you I have been watching the Beijing Olympics and am finding myself completely engrossed in every single event. It could be women's handball, beach volleyball, men's gymnastics or watching Michael Phelps...it doesn't matter in the least, I love watching them all. I haven't watched this much TV in a really long time, maybe about 4yrs or so.

From the opening ceremony, which by the way was incredible, to each and every event so far in the first 3 days of the games the thing that has stood out to me the most is how beautiful the different people of the world are. I was blown away watching the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremonies at how incredibly beautiful each person from each country was. It was a perfect reminder of God's beautiful creativity.

Needless to say I'm pumped there's still 13 days of games to go...

UPDATE: A Close Call

Having had a chance to talk with one of the guys last night that was in the accident a few days ago, I wanted to pass along a quick update to say that they are all back home now and doing well. Here are a couple pics from the whole ordeal...

Michael, the one shown in the pic, was thrown from the car and did not suffer a single broken bone. I'm not sure I would call it a miracle but to be honest, I'm not sure I wouldn't...especially after seeing these pics.

A Close Call

I had just walked out of a coffee shop a few blocks away from my office when I got a call that 5 of the guys that were in my youth group and are now in my college group had just been in a car accident on their way out to Colorado for a camping trip. The details at the time were sketchy but it was not sounding good. Immediately one of the parents had put a call out for prayers for these 5 guys as family and friends waited to hear what had happened and how each of them was doing.

I remember thinking about what a tragedy it would be to lose 5 such great guys, young guys that all had promising futures ahead of them. There was another thought I remember that quickly followed that God was not done with any of these guys yet, all of this was followed by a sense of peace that is hard to understand or explain. I obviously had no idea how this would play out and yet I knew that one way or another God was doing His thing.

I am relieved to say that at this point all 5 of them survived their car rolling at least once and possibly twice causing 1 of the guys to be thrown from the car. Aside from bumps and bruises and one concussion none of them suffered any broken bones. If I stop and think about that too long, it blows my mind. The guy that was thrown from the car is, last I heard, in stable condition with bruised lungs, one of them partially collapsed, and plenty of scrapes, bumps, and bruises. He is staying in the ICU to monitor his lungs as well as make sure there was no major internal organ damage. I can't help but think that somehow God was directly involved in this outcome.

Please know that I am not naive enough to think that if you pray, things will always work out like you want or think they should. I believe with all my heart that God wants good things for His creation but I must also admit that my definition or idea of "good" is so limited in its scope or understanding. I must trust that God who is the very form of "good" has a better grasp of what good actually looks like for His creation than you or I ever will. I know we lose loved ones and it hurts, I don't understand why or claim to but I do believe that there is a Savior who's love, mercy and compassion are greater than all of the hurt, doubt and confusion the world may ever know.

Radiohead @VWMC

I have to start by giving 'props' to my boy Rob for using his hook-up to hook me up with a free VIP ticket to see Radiohead at the Verizon Wireless Music Center last night. VWMC is an open-air venue which worked out great because last night was a perfect night to see a show under the stars.

I was not expecting to go to this show, let alone get hooked-up with being on the VIP list. I have to admit, it felt pretty sweet to roll up to the venue and be able to say that our names were on "the list". I kind of felt like a big deal. By the time we got there, the concert was well underway and Radiohead had already played 2 songs and so we pulled right in to the VIP parking lot, got out and walked right in to the show. We were able to find a place to stand about 15 "rows" up on the lawn in the center section with a great view of the stage.


I mean I'm a Radiohead fan, not a huge fan but I like some of their stuff and I heard they put on an incredible show and fortunately for Rob and I, they did not disappoint. We were both surprised to see how many people were at the show and not to mention the wide variety of people. Everything from Euros, hippies, yuppies and everything in between, including Rob and I. I am not sure I have seen or smelled so many interesting things that could be smoked but needless to say it looked like everyone was having a good time. Remember though, smoking is bad for you.

Radiohead's setlist was impressive and as unpredictable as the band itself. Their light show combined with the pulsing of their music made for a very sweet effect. I am embarrassed to say that I only recognized about 3 songs but despite that, I was impressed by the show. If you are any sort of fan of Radiohead, then I highly recommend getting to one of their shows because you will definitely not regret it. I know I didn't regret enjoying a great show, hanging out with my friend Rob and all of the other tens of thousands of Radiohead fans that made a trip to the cornfields of Indiana to witness quite a performance.

Where Did The Summer Go??

Today, as you are probably well aware it is the 1st day of August. We're already in August, that's crazy! I'm having a hard time remembering where the summer went...between 4 weeks of classes, work and a couple projects around the house it seems like summer just started and yet here we are in August.

Though it flew by, I feel like it has been a fairly productive summer and there's still a couple weeks left. I think the thing I'm most excited about getting done this summer was being able to knock out 6 on-campus graduate credit hours in 2 weeks. It was intense but it was definitely worth it.

I have no doubt that many of you have had an exciting and productive summer and I'd love to hear about it, if you're willing to share, even if it's anonymous...

Poor In Spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit..."
I have read this beatitude so many times and yet I’m not sure I’ve ever really understood what it means to be “poor in spirit.” Having read Oswald Chambers’ thoughts on this has given me a new perspective on this passage…Christ’s kingdom is about poverty, not possession. It's as if I'm standing at the gate of the city as a beggar and Christ comes there to meet me, stretches out His hand and invites me to join Him in the inheritance of the Kingdom. Christ doesn't want me to be without yet I must realize that I am a poor being, unable to live up to the standards of Christ and in that poverty allow Christ to begin His work in and through me.

The Dark Knight

I saw the new Batman movie today and am going to share some of my honest thoughts and opinions. If you have seen the movie, I would be curious to hear your thoughts and if you haven't, you may not want to read much further as I share some things from the movie and would certainly not want to wreck it for you.

I have read reviews and heard plenty of hype about this movie and also the performance of Heath Ledger as the "Joker" and so unfortunately for me, I went in with fairly high expectations. I am not going to try and write this as a "formal" movie review but instead just share some thoughts in more of a list form...

1. The first thing I noticed before I even got to the theater was that the movie was 2hrs and 40mins long. That is a long movie.

2. There are waayyyy toooo many plot lines going on in this movie. You've got Batman vs. Joker; Batman vs. himself; the love triangle between Rachel, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent; the moral dilemma Batman faces with whether or not to use cell phones to spy on people for their safety; the story of Harvey Dent as he becomes "Two Face". I believe this is most of them or at least the ones I could somewhat keep track of.

3. Not enough Batman. For a movie that is 160mins long you don't see much of the hero. It is unfortunate that we were not given the opportunity to see Christian Bale play the arguably best Batman character in more dynamic scenes, or just more scenes period. I think he looks the part, acts the part and even sounds the part but I know that more from Batman Begins than its sequel.

4. I know that Heath Ledger has passed away since the release of this movie and of course I am sad to hear of someone's passing but I don't think his performance is Oscar-worthy. Personally, I did not find him to be particularly scary and thought that Jack Nicholson played a much better, more convincing Joker. Maybe there is something major I am missing about this flick but I could almost swear that this movie was centered around the Joker and had little to do with anyone else. I can see why critics have talked about Heath Ledger's performance so highly because his performance is the one we spend the most time with.

5. The "new" Rachel Dawes played by Maggie Gyllenhaal is TONS better than the previous one in Batman Begins.

I left the movie not really sure what just happened or what the movie was about. There were so many things going on in the movie that it simply became too much to try carry through for almost 3hrs. Overall I would give it a 'B' and would say wait to rent it unless you can catch it at an IMAX theater, that would certainly add to the entertainment factor if for no other reason than those theaters are cool.

Self Pruning

Jesus talks about coming not to bring peace but a sword. Could it be possible that the sword that Jesus is talking about has more to do with the battle that we must fight inside ourselves rather than against those who would discount Christianity? Maybe the sword looks more like a pair of pruning shears. The battle that happens inside each of us begins when we determine to strip ourselves down to simply ourselves…getting rid of all the things our friends think of us, of all the things we think of ourselves and hand our naked selves over to God. I think the sword that Jesus talks about is used to divide ourselves, not each other.

In Debt

I realize that I have not posted in a while and I apologize. I just finished week 1 of 2 of Local Pastor's School and let's just say it hasn't been quite what I was expecting...needless to say I'll try to take some time this last week of "pastor's camp" to post more regularly. Here is a quick thought I had earlier in the week...

Who am I indebted to in my life? Of course I am indebted to Christ but I realize that Christ has worked through others in my life that have invested in me one way or another. Paul talks about his obligation to both the wise and unwise, I must do the same regardless of one’s status or position. Oswald Chambers says “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only.” I am indebted to all and so I must serve all, I have no choice but to serve both the wise and unwise, those I like and don’t like because I am wholly and completely indebted to Christ.

Martha, Martha

An outline of my sermon from yesterday...

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“Martha, Martha”
Luke 10:38-42
-Take note of the cultural background of this short story
-We are reminded that Martha had very clear cultural expectations for her
-Martha is trying to serve Jesus and the disciples by providing hospitality
-Jesus doesn’t say that what Martha is doing is wrong or bad, just not what is most important, she is divided

John 13:12-17
-Jesus was clearly on a higher level as the ‘master’ and ‘teacher’
-To refuse to serve others regardless of your position is to put yourself above Jesus
-We manifest God’s grace not only in our lives but in the lives of others when we serve them

Mark 10:42-45
-Jesus Himself came to serve
-The formula for greatness that Jesus commands us to follow is greatness = serving others
-Notice that Jesus ‘gave’ the ‘ransom’, He served mankind through the giving of His life

A couple things to point out about serving:
It is important for us to be aware of people’s needs
-James 2:14-17 talks about “living out your faith, that when you see someone hungry, give them food”
-Serving is “scratching where people itch, scratching where they don’t is an irritation to them”
-We need to go throughout our day with the mindset of a servant, looking for ways to serve others

We need to ask ourselves why we serve
-We need to see people’s inherit worth and treat them accordingly
-We are never serving as a means to gain something but simply out of love for Christ and neighbor
-This is not an example of “playing the game” or “office politics”
-When we are willing to serve others with the love of Christ, people are more likely to trust and follow us

This is the very nature of what it means to be a Christian
-This is ‘who we are’
-The symbol of Christ is not a $, diploma, popularity or whatever…it is the cross
-This is not an option, we don’t have the luxury to choose whether or not to serve others, Christ makes that very clear
-Jesus tells us that to be first, we must be last…may you and I have the humility and courage to be last

1 Down, 2 To Go...

I finished a week of class working toward my MA and now have 2 weeks at what is called the Local Pastor's School (I prefer to call it "Pastor's Camp") which will allow me to get my license as a local pastor in the United Methodist Church. I'm not looking forward to being away from home for 2 weeks after just getting back from being away last week but man will I be glad once these 3 weeks are done. I'll actually feel like my summer has been quite productive once I end up on the other side of these remaining 2 weeks of "school" stuff.

My wife and I went to a wedding today and there were two things that I thought were really cool about it...1) it started at 11am which was sweet because we had the rest of our day once the wedding was done and 2) this was the first couple from my youth group to get married, they started dating their senior year in high school during which I had the honor of being their youth pastor. It was pretty special for me to see them both up the together, along with a couple other people from the youth group back in the day standing in their wedding party.

After the wedding we went to an architectural salvage place here in Indy, which ended up being way cooler than I thought it would be. We are trying to find some cool old doors for our house because we want to replace the ugly ones we have currently. We found some we really liked but will have to see if we can get them to work.

Needless to say it's been a long week with two more to go and I preach tomorrow.....

Story Time

I am currently in Wilmore, KY taking another summer intensive class at Asbury Theological Seminary for this entire week. The name of the class is Narrative Pastoral Counseling, the basic idea behind this style of narrative counseling deals with the individual's story. As the counselor practicing this form of counseling my goal is to help a person build their story by asking questions that will fill in the details. By being interested in hearing a person's story and asking the right questions I am guiding the individual to solve their own problems rather than being the problem solver. Narrative counseling also seeks to focus on a solution, highlighting the things that are working in an attempt to create open communication and continuous renewal as opposed to focusing on the problem.

I really like the idea that each of us has a narrative (or story) to share and that we each have the opportunity to impact the story of people we meet, regardless of how small that impact might be. Think about your own story, isn't it amazing to think about some of the things you have been through and where you are right now and yet, your story isn't finished. Remember that Christ wants to help you write your story if you'll let Him.

"Be careful of the stories you tell (even of yourself) because you will find that you will live by them." ~Dr. Dinkins

To Be Served

Notes from a sermon I gave this past Sunday...

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“To Be Served”
Luke 10:38-42
-Take note of the cultural background of this short story
-Mary chooses to be served by the words & teachings of Jesus

John 13:5-9
-Peter was confused by this act of Jesus
-He couldn’t understand why the Master would be washing his feet
-Peter initially wouldn’t allow Jesus to serve him but realized that he needed to give Jesus the opportunity to serve
-Sometimes we ask for assistance or service and other times it asks us

Mark 14:3-9
-Jesus allowed a woman to serve him by anointing him w/expensive perfume
-He saw that this was an opportunity for this woman to show her love for him through her devotion, sacrifice and service

A couple things to point out about being served:

It requires humility to allow someone else to serve us
-We shouldn’t be too arrogant to think that we can’t be served or that we don’t need help

It is important for us to recognize people’s need and desire to serve
-Just as we have a desire to help and serve others
-Who am I to take someone’s opportunity to serve away from them, even if that means the person they serve is me?
-Think of the times when you have let someone help or serve you knowing that you could do whatever it was yourself
-There is not an expectation of service that thinks or acts as if service is deserved or somehow we are “worthy” of being served

We are reminded as we take communion that we need to allow ourselves to be served by Christ
-We need to be served by Christ, not because we deserve it but because without it we are hopeless
-It is a choice you and I have to make to allow Christ to serve us through His sacrifice

A Patriotic Smorgasbord

Yesterday we celebrated our nation's birthday and these random "patriotic" thoughts are a result of the past 24hrs (and though some might question the patriotism of the word 'smorgasbord' I simply say that this word has been nothing but kind to the American people)...

Fireworks
We watched the fireworks in downtown Indianapolis last night from Victory Field, the home of the Indianapolis Indians Triple A baseball team, after they finished losing to the Louisville Bats 2-4. On Friday nights the Indians put on a firework show of their own and so last night, we got 2 shows for the price of 1 and honestly, I think the Indians show was better than the city of Indianapolis'.

We ended up having to park in the zoo parking lot, which isn't too far away but trying to get out of there last night was like walking the fine line between hilarity and insanity. There had to have been hundreds of cars in this parking lot with no visible signs of any sort of organization, consideration or courtesy. I bet I sat there for at least an hour waiting for someone to let me in "the line" while other cars would come from other aisles to cut in front of me as if I didn't actually exist or even worse, had no desire to ever leave that parking lot. And so I turned it into a little experiment to see if someone would actually let me in or if I would eventually have to weasel my way into the line. Needless to say I eventually got out of the parking lot as countless people looked right at me as they rode the bumper of the car in front of them making sure I couldn't somehow sneak in front of them when they weren't paying attention. It made me so proud to be an American...

"I call them 'Little Rascals'"
This is the name my wife gave to the fireworks that when shot up in the air, start spinning around all crazy while they make the zipping noise as they spin. This is the name I just gave to the kid walking around my neighborhood, by himself, lighting firecrackers and throwing them in the street as if attempting to spread the holiday cheer evenly throughout the neighborhood. Even now I can hear him blocks away spreading his cheer throughout the land. What a patriotic little rascal.

Phone
I've been sitting on my porch all day so far and noticed a neighbor of mine come walking out of her house on the phone, proceed to walk around her yard/house as she talked. Then I realized that I had just taken a call not too much earlier and paced almost the entire square footage of my house. Why is it that so many of us feel this need or urge to walk around while we talk on the phone, to the point that some of us will answer the phone while sitting on our couch in the living room and end the conversation standing on a street corner blocks away from our house? Maybe walking or pacing while we talk on the phone helps us stay focused or maybe we have become so accustomed to multi-tasking that simply sitting down talking on the phone is boring or not being efficient with our time when I could also be doing dishes, walking the dog, hanging drywall, playing video games, etc.

Couples x3

I've had the opportunity over the past couple weeks to do a number of pre-marital counseling sessions with 3 different couples whose weddings I'm doing in Aug., Sept., and Nov. respectively and have to say that I've really enjoyed leading these counseling sessions up to this point. I'm not sure how much "counseling" actually takes place because it ends up being more like a discussion/Bible study rather than a "typical counseling session". The thing I've enjoyed the most about my time with these 3 different couples is seeing how different and unique their personalities and relationships are and yet they also have a number of things in common simply because of their upcoming 'big days'. I have been honored by being able to play a small part in this significant event in these couples' lives.

The other thing that has been fun about doing pre-marital counseling is that it reminds me of when my wife and I reached that point in our relationship almost six years ago now and all of the excitement and stress that came with it. It has been good to see how much we've grown as a couple and as individuals up to this point, but of course there is always plenty of room to keep growing.

Brand Loyalty

Here's a 'sneak-peek' of the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow. Maybe some of you will see it in person and if you're not in the Indianapolis area and you want to watch/listen to it online or podcast it, you can check it out on the church's website here.

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And now, to be honest with you, I’ve started wondering and asking myself in the last couple months if we as Christians have become more loyal to the brand or label “Christian” than to the person and message of Christ. In becoming a little uncomfortable with the “Christian” brand I have found myself now adding a description like “a follower of Christ” or “someone trying to be like Jesus” in an attempt to clear up any confusion around what a Christian is really all about. Many of you probably read or saw the article in the Indianapolis Star talking about the survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey found some pretty interesting statistics but needless to say, one thing was clear from their research, there are a lot of people that have either gotten the wrong message of what a Christian is or have no idea what that really means or looks like. I would imagine that a number of us at one time or another have been burned by another Christian that someone else has met in the past because the brand of Christianity they got from that person was not the Christianity of Christ.

The sermon series over the past two weeks has been on becoming a contagious Christian and we heard Mac talk about the story and how we are to be the story tellers. How timely as we hear more and more about a brand of Christianity that seems to be spreading a disease of fear, hopelessness and division rather than being the remedy of those ills.

C.S. Lewis said that every Christian is to become a “little Christ” (kind of like we take ourselves off, our desires, wants, attitudes and put on those of Christ) this “putting on of Christ”…is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.

And so this morning I would like to take a look at Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus and pull out a couple things that speak to what a Christian or “little Christ” is. Ephesus was a thriving city with tens of thousands of people traveling through the city annually. It was an important city in Paul’s missionary journeys and the churches in the area were experiencing significant growth in their congregations. Paul is writing this letter to these churches to encourage them in the faith but also to explain the purpose of the church and how a Christian should live. Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Christians are humble.

-We don’t have it all figured out, we’re not perfect and shouldn’t pretend to be

-We remember how we have been humbled by life and how Jesus stepped in to show us His grace in those moments humility

-But most importantly because Jesus was humble…read Philippians 2:5-8

Christians are gentle.

- Vs. 2 gentle = humility, courtesy, of being considerate

-When I think about the character of Jesus, I can’t help but think about how gentle He was

-I’m reminded of the story in John 8:1-11 when a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus…

-He still challenges her, calls her to something better but does so in a gentle, loving way, there was a gentle accountability

-If we are to be Christians, then we must be gentle

-We are gentle because “God works through all”

Christians are patient.

-Again this speaks to humility, an understanding that Christ has been and continues to be patient with us and so we must be the same with others

-Vs. 2 bearing with = “to put up with”, to exercise self-restraint & tolerance, endure patiently

-Think of the countless times Jesus shows patience with His disciples, or with the crowds of people that were constantly following Him around, or even the social outcast that was a cultural taboo to even interact with

-There are times when we have to “put up with” people because it is the Christ-like thing to do and if we’re honest, there are probably more times when others have to “put up with” us

-We are patient because Christ is patient

Christians are united.

-And when Christians strive to be humble, gentle and patient with one another then we are able to be united in a way that cannot be broken through a bond of peace

-Just as Jesus was united to the Father and us as believers to Christ, so too you and I with one another

-this is not a unity of “us vs. them” but rather an “us for all”

-Paul is emphasizing a “Oneness” with other believers, he is not saying that all religions are one in the same but that Christians are to be united with each other in Christ

-When Christians fail to be united w/one another, we fail to be like Christ

-This forces us to ask the question of why anyone would want to be part of faith that is divisive

Humility, gentleness, patience and unity are four characteristics of what a Christian is but don’t forget that you have to know the story in order to tell it. To be a “little Christ” you need to spend time in the Word, in prayer and in community to get to know THE Christ.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

I have to say from the get-go that I have never been a big Jason Mraz fan but I also haven't listened to much of his stuff so I thought I would give his new album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. a try.

I must say that throughout the album I couldn't help but think that there was an eerie resemblance to Jamiroquai but not nearly as good or smooth. While I think Mraz's voice is pretty good regardless, it seemed like the more "pop" style songs on the album like the single "I'm Yours" or "If It Kills Me", which also happen to be my two favorite songs on the album along with track #3 ft. Colbie Caillat entitled "Lucky" mostly because I think the duet of Caillat and Mraz's voices go so well together, the song itself is ok. Track #4, "Butterfly" was hands down my least favorite song on the album for a couple reasons: 1) I've never really been down with "sexy" songs simply because they are played out and 2) this is a perfect example of what I was talking about before with the whole Jamiroquai thing, it sounds like the 70's disco-funk thing that Jamiroquai can do so smoothly and unfortunately for Mraz, in my opinion, not so much.

I would guess if you consider yourself a Jason Mraz fan you are enjoying the album already and if you're not, I'm not sure this is the album to bring about your conversion as one. I do however like the album artwork and I think the title is kind of catchy. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this album a 7.5 but I've been known to be a pretty tough critic.

Blur

It has been a bizarre few days to say the least but I have finally reached the point where I can talk about the loss of our dog Otis. Everything happened so quickly that it all kind of seems like a blur...one moment Otis is being Otis, then next he's sick, then really sick and then gone. When I took him to the vet on Thursday morning I had no intention of coming home without my dog but after seeing the condition he was in and talking with the vet the best option became quite apparent. We have been fortunate to experience a peace about the decision we made and honestly, I have no regret about it but man it is still a bummer.

I am thankful that God is willing to meet us where we are, giving us a sense of His presence and peace despite what may seem like an insignificant situation in comparison to things happening in the rest of the world. I also feel like I'm learning more and more about perspective and what it means or takes to get it and keep it. It was not more than a day after my dog passed away that I attended the funeral of a dear man that was the landlord/neighbor of our first home, not to mention a husband, father, grandfather and all around blessing to a lot of people. God continues to be faithful in helping me keep things in perspective.

On top of God's attempts at shaping my perspective, we have been trying to stay busy to keep our minds off of the initial awkwardness of our house without Otis and so we've been finishing up a major project on the backyard and I've been checking out some new cds, both of which I'll write about in the coming days (and maybe even add a pic or two of our work). Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and concerns about Otis, they are much appreciated.

And Then There Were 2

My wife and I said goodbye to a good friend today...our dog Otis was put down this morning or at least what was left of him as he had not really been his energetic, curious, happy self for the last couple weeks. That's really all I can write for now as it's been a really long and bizarre day but thanks to everyone for the thoughts, concerns and prayers.

There's Always Something

There's nothing I would have enjoyed more than to come home after a week away and be able to hang out with my wife and just relax but life seldom works that way. It seems like there is always something to deal with. When I got home Friday my dog Otis was in pretty bad shape. All four of his paws were swollen as well as his mouth. I knew he was really sick when he didn't or couldn't get up to see me when I walked in and as a result of this, I didn't sleep at all Friday night worrying about what to do with our sick dog. After 2hrs and a couple hundred bucks at the vet we still didn't know what was wrong with him so now we're just waiting and hoping that the antibiotics will do their thing, if we can actually get him to eat them which has been a challenge in and of itself. Here are a couple pics of the sick puppy...


(Not to mention we're also working on some major home improvement projects on top of everything else going on. Pictures will be up soon.)

2 things I have taken so far from this ordeal with Otis:
1. In life it seems like there is always something to deal with, stress about, pay for, etc and yet in comparison with some of the obstacles and struggles others face mine seem pretty small.

2. Otis HATES taking his medication and we have tried everything so far (my wife is actually stopping to get him a cheeseburger from Wendy's as I write this to see if that will work). He obviously doesn't realize that even though they might taste awful, they are actually needed to make him feel better. Which makes me think about how often the things we need to make us better whether spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, etc are things that are not easy to take (ie. staying disciplined in prayer or time in the Word, exercising, eating right, breaking off an unhealthy relationship, taking a step back from an unbalanced friendship or job and the list can go on and on....). Sometimes the things that bring healing hurt a little bit at first.

Thanks for Visiting Wilmore

Day 6
We only had a half day today, which was sweet! We started our morning with a time of Communion and prayer, which was pretty cool. Afterwards we watched a video from the Leadership Summit held at Willow Creek of Jim Collins talking about leadership. Before the video started I was somewhat skeptical but ended up really liking some of the things he had to say. Once class was over I had the chance to grab some lunch with a couple really cool people I met and then it was on the road again for me.

Now, I'm guessing that it has something to do with a more southern culture and the fact that I am not, in any way, from the south that makes me go crazy when driving in the south. It seemed that everyone drove SO SLOW!! I know that I tend to have a "lead foot" but come on seriously, who actually drives the speed limit?!? Other than that, the 3 & 1/2 hour drive home wasn't bad until I hit the Ohio River on I275...it was like God had taken the entire content of the river itself and dumped it on those of us in the area at the time. I have never seen soooooo much water on the interstate, both falling from the sky and sitting on the road. And don't get me started on those giant semis that come flying by in the left lane as if it wasn't already hard enough to see the road in front of you.

Needless to say I made it home and am actually sitting out on my porch as I write this. Overall I had a good week on campus, really enjoyed my class and my prof and felt like I not only learned a lot but was challenged personally and spiritually in the process. I'm sure I'll share more in-depth in the upcoming days but for now I'm going to go see if Otis is feeling any better.

Wilmore: Day 5

Day 5
Another day of class & lecture from 8:30am to 4:30pm. We did some small group work today which I thought was pretty cool, we did an exegete of Mark 9:33-50 and came across some cools things. Our prof gave us 1.5hrs for lunch today which fit in perfectly with my lunchtime-nap plans. I was able to pick up my paper that we had to turn in on the first day of class and I scored a 9/10 so I was cool w/that. We have a 10 page paper due by the 27th of June, I don't think it will be too bad though.

This evening brought my daily after-class-nap (of course) but tonight I had plans to grab some sushi with a classmate but that didn't pan out but don't worry, I went and grabbed sushi solo. I can't get my hopes up for sushi and then not actually get some, so peeps or not I'm going to hook up some sushi. The sushi was ok, not amazing but not awful.

This is my last night in my dorm room and if you'll allow me a moment to reflect on the experience as I'll deeply miss this dorm room flashback and the relationship I built w/my "roomie" (whom I have not seen ALL week).... *pause* ....ok, I'm good now. I think on this note I'll call it a night and lie in bed thinking about all of the great memories I have in this room.

Wilmore: Day 4

Day 4
Morning lecture today went from 8:30am to 11:25am because chapel was at 11:30am. It's been a while since I've been on a Christian school campus as a student and completely forgot about chapel, which almost seems hard to do considering we had it at TU 3 times a week. The service actually ended up being pretty decent with some good worship and a pointed yet short message. After that it was lunch time.

Our afternoon consisted of going out into the community in different ways to live out servant leadership. We had 4 service groups that went out: one did yard work for an older lady, one painted a house for a nearby ministry, one helped setup for the Ichthus Festival and the other went to do some cleaning at the Salvation Army in downtown Lexington...I was in the last group. We had a good group and ripped through deep cleaning the kitchen and dining room in less than 3hrs. This was the first time I felt like I actually got to know some of my fellow classmates, so that was cool.

The evening brought nothing exciting really. I decided I would go to Panera again and this time bring my laptop, books, etc so I could just chill there for a while. I got back to my room probably close to 9 and decided to go for a run around Wilmore. It was a good run but tough as there are a lot of hills, it ended up being almost 1.6 miles...not too shabby.

Here are a couple more random pic highlights...





The building next to the building my class is in...this one looks way cooler than the one I'm in hence the pic









I'm not sure you can really tell what I'm holding but just it's a Cicada. It would seem that they have taken over the world or at least campus. They are literally EVERYWHERE. It's pretty crazy...and LOUD!







fyi...this is a good cd. I had no problem listening straight through w/o skipping a single song. I've actually made it all the way through 3x now.

Wilmore: Day 3

Day 3
I went to the local grocery store last night and picked up some things for breakfast so I didn't have to get up as early today. I think it was about 10 to 8 by the time I actually got out of bed. Supposedly we had some decent storms come through last night but I only remember hearing a couple peels of thunder and seeing some lightening before I was out.

Nothing too incredibly exciting happened today. The lecture hall where my class is being held was FREEZING today! I wouldn't be surprised if the thermostat said something close to the 50's because I think at one point my toes and fingers were actually numb. Today's theme was the "Shadow Side" of servant leadership. We discussed how any selfish motive to lead others will only result in disaster and how easy it can be to abuse positions of leadership. It was a long day but important to bring up and discuss the abuses of leadership that unfortunately happen all around us.

Class got out a little before 5pm today so I headed back to my dorm room for a little after-class-nap session. I got up and for some reason was ready to go, I wasn't really sure where I was going but I was ready to go nonetheless. So, I decided I would venture toward Lexington and see what I could find...I ended up at a mall, walked around a little, hit up a Panera for dinner on my way back and called it an 'adventure'.

Now I'm back in my room with a lot of thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head, which I guess isn't necessarily a bad thing considering I am scheduled to preach 3 Sundays in-a-row at the end of June into July. I'm hoping that I can use some of these thoughts or ideas for my sermons if I can formulate them to make sense somehow. While thoughts are floating around the room I decided I would check out a couple new albums: Wanderlust by Gavin Rossdale, 3 Doors Down by 3 Doors Down and We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz. I'll let you know what I think if you're interested.

Wilmore: Day 2

Day 2
The alarm went off at 7:30am and I was up and at 'em ready for my first classroom experience in some time. I decided I was going to kick it old school and leave the laptop in the room and take notes with pen and paper (remember those days?!?) because I didn't want to be "that guy" taking notes with a laptop. What's funny is that I ended up being "that guy" because about 90% of the class had their laptops out taking notes, which ended up being a double whammy because the morning lecture's powerpoint was online. Needless to say, I ran back to my dorm room to grab my laptop during the morning break. It's probably a good thing that during my undergrad I a) didn't have a laptop and b) my school did not have WiFi because that would have been a deadly combo for my grades.

The word of the day is kenosis, a Greek word for "emptying self" or "making self nothing" or "pouring out self". This idea is exemplified in Philippians 2:7 and is one of the foundational points of servant leadership. An interesting concept to think about as it relates to Jesus and what it means for those of us trying to be like Him.

Lecture today went from 8:30am to about 5pm with a break in the morning, 1hr lunch break (which I hit up Subway half a block away), and a break in the afternoon. I was back in my room by 5 after 5pm and decided I would take a little nap. Got up about 6:30pm and decided to checkout downtown Wilmore to see what kind of food options I might find. In case you haven't been to downtown Wilmore, like I hadn't before this evening, I will let you know that it is in no way large. The only place open (on a Monday at 6:40pm?) was La Casa De Jose, which I admit was pretty good. I had potato tacos, I know it sounds weird because it sounded weird to me as well but they were actually "muy bien". If nothing else, it gave me a reason to leave my dorm room.

A couple of pic highlights so far (these were taken w/my iPhone so bare w/the quality)...






drink of the day












"roomie"












me

Welcome to Wilmore

Day 1
I arrived at Asbury Theological Seminary located in Wilmore, KY about 2hrs ago. I am taking a week long class on the theology of servant leadership and must admit I'm actually looking forward to being back in the classroom after 7yrs since finishing my undergrad.

The drive down was nice, about 3.5hrs. Great weather and not a lot of traffic. I don't know about you but I don't mind driving longer distances by myself. I'm a big music guy so when it's just me in the car, I crank up the tunes and pretty much let it go. No doubt I'm entertaining for the people I pass by as I leave my heart on stage...or in the driver's seat.

Talk about a crazy flashback to dorm life. I am staying on campus for the week in one of the student dorms and am quickly reminded of the good and bad of dorm life. I originally requested a single room but that didn't work out so I arrived anxious to meet my new roomie...who happened to be working the desk where I needed to pick up my housing paperwork so that was cool. My first flashback came when my roomie told me "there is an empty box and some clothes on your bed, just throw them on mine." The week has officially begun.

So now I'm sitting here with a mini-fridge to my right topped with dishes that have remnants of, what I'm assuming was, their most recent meals while I take a break from writing a paper that is due at 9am tomorrow. Man, those were the days...

....dishes crusted with Ramen noodles
....community bathrooms
....video games 24/7
...."open house" hours
....last minute late-night studying
....an occasional fire alarm as the result of a water balloon, firecracker, axe bomb, playing frisbee in the hallway, etc etc

A Blogging Slacker

I know I have been slacking these past couple days and I apologize but it has been one of those weeks for me...

Monday & Tuesday was spent backpacking and camping in the hills of Southern Kentucky. I went with a couple of guys involved in my college group and we ended up having a great time. It was a quick trip but a good time none the less.

Lots of things going on at church have been keeping me busy over the past couple of weeks, most of which are kind of exciting. On top of this stuff, I have been planning a camping trip for our young adult group for this weekend while getting ready to head down to Wilmore, KY for my first class of the summer. For those of you unaware or forgetful I'm working on my MA from Asbury Theological Seminary and have been trying to read the 7 books required for the class Theology of Servant Leadership which I'm taking next week. Not to mention I have a paper due on Monday, the first day of class.

Despite all of this, I have to admit I'm pretty excited that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination seems to be over...and it's about time. I feel like the longer this goes on and the more things Sen. Clinton (or her husband) say, the more and more it is like watching a train wreck.



p.s. - Don't forget about TRL

Karma Police

So I'm sure most of us have heard of the actress Sharon Stone, most likely as a result of her great acting abilities that were made evident in the movie Basic Instinct, which she then followed up a number of years later with an equally stellar performance in Basic Instinct 2. Well, believe it or not, this incredible actress has fallen out of the good graces of the majority of citizens in China due to some remarks she made about the earthquake there that killed over 68,000 people being a result of bad karma. There are 2 things that I find interesting about this news story...

1. The idea of karma doesn't really make sense to me for this reason: if karma is a result of the things we do, and it is quite obvious that no one is good, nice or selfless all of the time; then it would seem that we all deserve bad things to happen to us according to the law of karma. I'm sorry but I'm not down with something that leaves it all up to me and the things I say or do because if that's the case, then I'm hopeless.

2. And this I think is just hilarious really....Why would or should the country of China, its citizens and especially its government officials, care in the least what Sharon Stone says about them, their policies (this is certainly not to say that their policies shouldn't be addressed) or their karma as if any of us in this country listen to the things she says? Even to the point that the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry felt it necessary to comment on? Really? We're talking about the same Sharon Stone right? My advice to China is to brush up on their knowledge of Hollywood Films before they feel like they have to defend themselves to an at-best-cameo-appearance actress. I mean, why don't they care what I have to say...at least I wasn't in Basic Instinct or the somehow worse sequel?

It's Good To Be Reminded

Here are some excerpts from a sermon I gave this past Sunday. I tried to keep it from being too long so you wouldn't get bored reading it and Blogger messed up the format so bear with me if you dare.

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Memories are funny things. They have the power to motivate us and they have the power to freeze us in our tracks. It seemed right to take some time on this Memorial Day weekend to talk about memories and the importance of being reminded. Webster’s dictionary had some interesting things to say about memory. It defined memory as:

1 a: the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained b: the store of things learned and retained from an organism's activity or experience 2 b: the fact or condition of being remembered 3 a: a particular act of recall or recollection

The part I found most interesting with what Webster had to say about memory was the relationship between the word memory and recollection. It says that recollection “adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind, often with some effort.” It made me wonder if there have been times in your life when you have wanted a certain memory to revisit you but you really had to search for it? It was probably something that was good or enjoyable. It could be anything: a memory of a certain food, someone’s voice, a smell, a place, a song. In those moments, it’s good to be reminded. And sometimes when we have forgotten the consequences of an action or a set of words (our own or another’s) and the hurt that was caused, and though it’s not easy, it’s good to be reminded in hopes that we have learned something in the process so we won’t have to experience or cause that hurt again.

On a Memorial Day weekend, it’s good to be reminded of those that have gone before us and those who even now are serving their country so that we have the freedom to call it ours as well. It’s good to be reminded of loved ones that are no longer with us but not forgotten. The memory of these and many more is not and should not be reserved for just one day of the year. Dr. Carl Sagan said, “You have to know the past to understand the present.” It’s good to be reminded of that.

Dr. Bill Schwein said, “There is something within us that realizes the importance of remembering. That’s why we tell stories, take pictures, make scrapbooks, and keep journals.” And it is good for us as Christians, as people who are trying to follow Jesus, to be reminded. Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:12-13… We need that don’t we? There are countless times in our lives when we need to have our memories refreshed, it’s not that we didn’t know, we just forgot. Here are a couple things that I think are important to be reminded of as Christians…

• We need to be reminded that there have been heroes of the faith that have gone before us.

1. a.) Hebrews chapter 11 lists individuals of faith that helped pave the way for us today
2. b.) Part of this is being reminded that we aren’t doing this alone. That there have been people of faith that have struggled with the very same issues we struggle with today.
3. c.) It’s good to be reminded that we are not thrust into the world on our own.

• We need to be reminded that we are loved unconditionally, with no strings attached.

1. a.) When we are faithless, Christ remains faithful. When we turn our love away from Him, His love remains.
2. b.) It’s important to remember that there is nothing you or I can do to earn this love and thankfully there is nothing you or I have done or will do to lose this love.
3. c.) It’s good to be reminded that there is a place to seek and find love unconditionally regardless of who we are or what we’ve done.
4. d.) AND because He first loved us in this way…

• We need to be reminded that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.

1. a.) William Barclay said, “If a man’s Christianity does not cause him to be kind it is not real.”
2. b.) Part of being a Christian is putting others before ourselves, it’s not easy but it’s also not an option.
3. c.) We simply need to be nice to people, realize their worth as one of God’s and treat them accordingly.
4. d.) It’s good to be reminded that God loves people and so too should we.

• We need to be reminded that faith requires action.

1. a.) It’s hard to follow standing still. You’ve probably heard the story of Peter stepping out of the boat onto the water; his faith forced him into action.
2. b.) Do you want to know a great way to measure the pulse of your faith? Ask yourself if it is pushing you into action. James tells us in chapter 2 of his letter that faith without deeds, without action is dead.
3. c.) The actions of your faith will be varied and could be anything from helping someone at the grocery store, supporting a child in a developing nation or striking up a conversation with someone you might not choose to interact with.
4. d.) It’s not that the action itself isn’t important but also that you feel compelled to do something, to act in a particular situation.
5. e.) It’s good to be reminded that putting our faith in Jesus means we actually have to go and do...that maybe "faith" is actually a verb.

Mix-n-Match

I feel like I have run into this more and more lately, people who take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and call it their "faith". What I have a hard time with is what exactly are they putting their faith in? Now I'm not telling people what they should or shouldn't believe in (though I do feel strongly about this guy named Jesus and firmly believe that if you don't know Him, you should get to) but I am asking them to understand what it is exactly they are professing as their belief. I think it has become a pet-peeve of mine to hear people talk about "believing" (or liking) this aspect of one particular religion and another aspect of another religion or this part of the Bible but not this part. At some point, make a decision and go with it.

Hearing someone talk about their belief in God and go on to describe how they decided to accept a little something from one religion, a little something from another and still a little more from another one is, honestly, confusing. It would seem to me that this line of logic is rather illogical and here's why: if someone believes there is a (G)od, which would by definition put it above us as humans, then doesn't the act of mixing and matching beliefs from various religions in a sense say that the one that is doing the mixing and matching actually knows better or more than the (G)od, which would then make the individual smarter than the (G)od and ultimately above it.

I will be the first to admit that there are things I don't understand about Christianity but I don't think that means I have the authority or right to simply ignore them or decide I don't like them and so I'll fill them in with something that sounds or feels better. Hence my struggle with the Unitarian Church, to believe in everything is really to believe in nothing. Theology that is bad or not theology is not good theology. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of acceptance and unity, that's why I am a trying to be like Jesus (aka: a Christian; but I'm getting more and more apprehensive of that label because the "Christian brand" is starting to make me a little nervous...I'll write more about this in a later post). When everything is easy to understand and feels good there is no need for faith, fortunately for those of us trying to follow Jesus that is not the case.

A Slap In The Face

This has been one of those weeks for me where it seems like everything is happening at once and I can't seem to catch up. My classes are finishing up this week so I've got to get my papers in, books read, forums posted, etc and on top of that prepare a sermon for Sunday, stay on top of a lot of things going on at church, and blah blah blah. The thing that actually started to cause me to feel stressed was an email virus that had found its way into our network at church and as I was driving to volleyball practice I was thinking about the 218 emails that showed up in my inbox as "undeliverable" because they said I was trying to let people know where they could purchase their pharmaceuticals online or buy fancy replica watches (apparently I know the best places so hit me up if you're interested)...

...and then, as if out of nowhere God slapped me across the face with some perspective...

...on the news I was reminded about 5 million people that have been displaced by the earthquake in China and over 55,000 people killed AND the 130,000 killed in Myanmar by the cyclone. I have never experienced an audible voice from God, at least not that I'm aware of, but this had to have been pretty close to it as I could clearly hear the words in my heart saying,

"Matt, you're kidding me right? You're not seriously whining about your email inbox, forgetting the fact that you own multiple computers OR that you have to read some books for a masters degree, forgetting the fact that there are people on this earth that still haven't located their loved ones because of these disasters OR that there are people that can't afford to buy food for their starving families. Please get some perspective and while you're at it, get a clue!"

And The Winner Is......

.....INDIANAPOLIS!!! It's official, the NFL owners accepted the city's bid to host the 2012 NFL Super Bowl. This could mean HUGE things for the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. It also seems to make some sense considering we are spending over $700 million to build a state-of-the-art 7 level stadium with a retractable roof.

A study from Ball State University estimates that hosting the Super Bowl in 2012 could bring a $365 million boost to the Indianapolis metro area economy and could bring in somewhere near 100,000 visitors over the course of Super Bowl week. And people say there isn't anything in Indiana except corn.

"Half-Way"

One of the things I struggle with is when people do something only "half-way". What I mean by that is when people just go through the motions not really caring about the end result. I have a hard time understanding why someone would do that because I don't understand the point of doing something at all if it's done only "half-way". Sure I'm competitive but I'm not a sore loser. I have no problem losing but for the most part, I'm going to try my best and if I lose while doing that then so be it.

I've seen it so many times in so many different aspects of life...someone only goes "half-way" in his or her friendships and then can't figure out why most of them don't last, someone only goes "half-way" at work and can't figure out why he or she didn't get that raise or promotion, someone goes "half-way" in his or her marriage and can't seem to figure out why it's struggling, someone goes "half-way" on the court and can't believe that he or she didn't win, someone goes "half-way" in school and can't believe he or she isn't passing the class, someone goes "half-way" with his or her spiritual life and can't understand why he or she feels so disconnected from God...and the examples go on and on.

Thinking about this today has made me take a new look at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians telling us that "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I've always found this to be really hard to do and tried to imagine myself eating Skyline (or whatever I might be eating at the time of "giving glory") and eating it in such a way that glorifies God but now I'm wondering if what Paul is really saying is "don't just do something half-way, see it through to the end and give the best you've got while doing it or don't do it at all."

Nothing Like a Good Laugh

I'm currently spending time in North Carolina with some family and just got done having one of those times when you laugh so hard that your abs hurt, your eyes water, your nose runs and you can't catch your breath. Sitting on my sister & brother in-law's screened porch with only the sound of our own laughter, the falling rain and a tree frog named Lewis laughing with us felt pretty good!

Like so many other people, I like to laugh but even more than that I like to make people laugh. Do you have those people in your life that when they are around, they make you feel like the funniest person that ever lived because they laugh at just about everything you say? Of course I like to think I'm pretty funny (and maybe that is a joke in and of itself) but there is no doubt my youngest sister thinks I'm funny. Now granted, she's pretty hilarious in her own right but when we get going we're hard to stop. We both enjoy laughing and goofing around and so it's easy for us to have a good time together, which we usually do but what was even better about tonight was that all of us headed off to bed with sore abs, wet sleeves and the exhaustion that comes from good, hard laughter.

TRL

Remember that show "Total Request Live" on MTV with Carson Daly? I just realized/found out that it's actually still on and from what I gather, airs everyday. For some reason I find it really funny that it's still on but then again, it might be the only time MTV actually plays any music.

Ok, so if you don't know me well enough by now then you might be asking yourself, "Is he seriously going to devote an entire blog to TRL?" And the answer is, never! However, the idea of taking requests is of interest to me, hence the whole "total request" theme.

I've enjoyed blogging up to this point and am trying to blog everyday but thought it could be interesting to take some requests. So, if you have a topic, situation, idea, album, issue, question, book, thought, complaint, movie, etc that you would like me to blog about or that you would like to discuss in the Journeymen's Catalog blogsphere, drop me an email at matt.lipan@gmail.com. All emails and content will be kept confidential and blogged about anonymously so you don't have to worry that someone might figure out it was you that wanted to talk about reality TV shows, why Hilary is still in the race, why it's so hard to be a Christian around other Christians, the Apple iPhone or anything in between.

Comfortable In Your Skin

There are too many people, people we all know, that are uncomfortable with who they are and so instead they try to be something or someone they're not. We've all seen them (and been them at times) and it breaks my heart. Seeing them try so hard, go through so much pain, spend so much money to be anyone but themselves. It's not so much that the answers are hard to figure out...popularity, relationships, money, pride, power but maybe it goes deeper than that. I wonder how many people are trying to be something or someone else because they are looking for a way to bury their past or even start over.

I want to know people that are real, authentic, sincere, with the past and present and I want the freedom that comes with letting people know me in this way as well. I mean, when it comes down to it, aren't we all looking for this? Just think, you wouldn't have to pretend anymore. No more hiding or struggling to pull yourself out of the quicksand created by lies. We want so badly to let people know what's really going on, who we really are, the things that make us tick and yet so many of us are afraid to do just that. I think it becomes crucial to let others know that they can be real around us, even though sometimes real is messy.

If: real = messy
Then: bring on the mess...because the reality of it is, we are all a little messy.

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

'Tis the season for weddings. Weddings are such a unique experience, every ceremony is so different and so personal that two are seldom the same or even similar. Tomorrow I am officiating my first wedding and I'm pretty excited to see how it goes.

To help keep myself from being too nervous, I'm trying to remember as much as I can about my own wedding, which is helping me realize that people really won't remember much of anything I say or do short of setting something on fire. Thinking about any of the weddings I've been to as a guest, I honestly can't remember one thing any of the pastors said, so I feel like I might be OK.

Indiana's Turn

For those of us lucky enough to live in Indiana (and you can take that however you like) today is our chance to vote in the ongoing and seemingly endless primary race. With yard signs displaying the names of those running for the local school board, state governor, president of the U.S. and everything in between my wife and I got up nice and early to avoid the rush at the polls. We've been hearing on the news about 200,000 new registered voters in Indiana and how everyone is expecting record setting voter turnout but I'm guessing that must be for those that arrive to the polls after 8am because our polling site was fairly empty.

I'm hoping that you have or will take advantage of the opportunity to be involved in the political process because it is not only your freedom and right but also your duty and responsibility. There is something to say about standing in front of your ballot with the names of the candidates listed there that connects you with something bigger. It's not very often that I think of myself as being involved with the thing that is "The United States of America" except for when I vote. The machine seems so big and yet somehow I feel empowered to think that my little vote can make a difference...and maybe it will.