Running and other issues of faith

"Therefore," is one of the greatest words to ever begin a sentence in the Bible. It creates a transition in a story and can either be positive or negative. And thank God this usage sets up a most amazing reason to persevere in the midst of trial.

"since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses," shows the concept of community in a way that connects heaven and earth--eternity and time. 

I recently had a friend die. Aged 39, it felt like he was taken from us. It feels so unfair. But I found this odd comfort carrying me even as I stood beside his casket. 

He is there, with Jesus, in this great cloud of witnesses. Right now. Cheering us on. Watching as if a great football game was playing out, sometimes loud, sometimes hushed, but watching nonetheless. 

So let us live our lives not only for ourselves but with an eye toward the stands where a great crowd of witnesses have already taken their place--lead by the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus!

"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." There is nothing as annoying when I'm out running than a loose shoestring. All I can think about is that string, how it has the potential to trip me up or cause me to stumble. 

And then it hits me, this tiny thing is taking my mind off the race. So it is with sin. These little "toys" that I hold aside for personal moments keep me from the best race possible and could even put an end to my race should I fall, unable or unwilling to get back up. Tie up those loose ends. Confess them to the coach. Keep on running. 

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1, 2 NIV84) And now the finish line, the prize, the reason I began this race to begin with. 

Whenever I'm running, I have found the one thing that will always keep me through to the end is thinking of the end. And here is the most excellent of all prizes waiting to welcome me...cheering the loudest over the whole crowd for me to keep going, it's almost over, finish well...Jesus himself standing there waiting to lift me up into his arms. 

Whenever I watch the Ironman triathlon held in Hawaii, this is the thought that quite literally brings me to tears every time. Some finish first and some finish slow. Some make it within the timelines and others not so much. 

But what they show on the program brings me back to this point every-time. The runners are met by someone who loves them and has been waiting. However long it takes, they are there, arms wide open, ready to greet them at the finish of this grueling race. 

Cue the tears, because it throws me to my own future, whether near or far, when the ultimate champion, Jesus himself, welcomes me to the end of my race with cheers and welcome. 

He knows this race. He understands it all--the grueling pace and exertion. How? He knows this race because of one simple truth--he ran it himself.

We've got Trouble

Consider this, my friends. Jesus himself faced it. Abandonment, accusation, trial, murder,prison, injustice, and much more. He faced it all...this little thing we call TROUBLE. 

But we also have this. "Jesus answered them...In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." 

So what does that mean? Today, it means that in spite of the immensity of the burdens for family and friends I feel like I'm carrying, there is truth that this world is not all there is. This world has been overcome by my savior and friend. 

He wins, and He is taking me with Him. But not only me...whosoever will. Whosoever will take up their cross and follow Him. So there is always this...the joy and anticipation of leaving this "overcome world" in which we live contrasted with the knowledge that Jesus wants to send me back in to let others know about His love and possibly help bring some out. 

Yeah...we've got trouble. But glory is right around the corner. 

Well, what a journey...

And it has only just begun.

BB, my mother-in-love, had a massive stroke on Friday, June 10. It was just two days before I was scheduled to go to church camp with my son. It went down like this:

Friday after work, I was eagerly anticipating my son's return from San Francisco. His mom and sister had been there for 2 weeks helping/visiting my wife's sister. They were to stay for one more week and were putting my son on a plane.

I was syncing my iphone and going about getting the house in order for being a week away, so I put the phone in "airplane" mode so there wouldn't be any interruptions in the sync.

I was packing and putting some final touches on the studies that I was going to be teaching these 6th grade boys. The lessons were on The Greatest Story Ever Told: God's plans and our part in them. All was moving along at a pretty good clip.

I went over to the computer and realized I had 2 voicemails. I noted that they were from my father- and sister-in-law. I started listening to the message from the father-in-law and realized something was very wrong. He stated my mother in law had fainted and was not able to be revived and they were en route to the hospital. Just as this message was playing out, my wife texted me telling me I needed to call my sister-in-law because BB had been taken to the hospital. I listend then to my sis-in-law's message and called her. She said BB had fallen and the paramedics thought she had had a stroke.

My son was on a plane, I couldn't get my wife on her phone because it had been broken a few days earlier. She had been using her sister's phone and the battery died. I called my sis-in-law here in the Springs and asked her about some of the details. She said her husband (my wife's bro) was at the hospital with his dad and mom. After a brief discussion and prayers, I took off to meet up with them at the hospital. Before leaving, I ended up skypeing on my laptop with the San Fran sister to let her know what was going down with her mom. She then skyped on her computer with her bro to get the details.

I went to the hospital where I saw BB and pop- and bro- in love...BB called me over and whispered a couple of things. I was most surprised by her wish that she get the address of camp so they could send mail to Jack. Really? The address? I get it. She wants Jack and I to go to camp in spite of this whole deal. Ok. Crazy, but ok.

My son arrived and I told him about his grandmother, we prayed through tears and went home to rest a bit. This was all Friday night.

continued in the next blog...

The Great Suggestion?

Recently, I was sitting next to my 11 year old son and we were looking at my iPad, trying to get to some of the games I had on it. He couldn’t find them, so I took a closer look. But the more I looked at it the more I was stumped by what I saw. Nothing was working the way it should, apps were in the wrong place, and I was a bit confused.

Then I remembered something. I had loaned my iPad to a co-worker, and he had synced it up to his computer. All the games, apps, notes, etc. were synced to his computer and were different than what I had been expecting.

This is a lot like our lives. We are either synced to God's word or not. So when we are expecting one set of results from our life but receive another set of results, it might be time to evaluate what we are synced up to. What are we connected to that directs our lives?

Introductions

So I need to tell you that I’m a missions nut.

When I first began this walk with Jesus, I felt like he wanted me to go to Eastern Europe and smuggle bibles (yeah, it was before the iron curtain fell). But as time went on and life happened, the road went a different way. I became a graphic designer and went to school in Pittsburgh, got a job after college and began a career in marketing and graphic design.

Still, there was this desire to make sure people know the word of God and his love for them.

Fast-forward 20 some years to today. I'm the web manager for the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

For those of you that don’t know, The Alliance began as a movement of Christians set on doing two things, Knowing Jesus and fulfilling the Great Commission. And it’s my job to make sure that message is clear. Though not alone...it is a team effort for sure.

Right when I came on board, I was told that we needed to rework the website. (YIKES) When we redesigned the site, we were looking for a single quote that would sum up the mission of our organization. Here it is: The Alliance is a unique missionary denomination—a maverick movement into whose soul the Head of the Church breathed “Go!” from the very start.

At our heart is Jesus' Great Commission. This passage has held my heart and been my theme ever since Jesus found me and he planted a desire in my heart to tell His story. I “get a rush” when I hear stories of God moving around the world. I tend to get emotional when I hear of God reaching others like he has reached me. This is why I consider myself a missions nut.

So what is the great commission?

"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (The Message)

Plain and simple right? But what had happened up to this point? Let’s back it up by about 45 days.

John 19: 16-37 Jesus is crucified
John 19: 38-42 Jesus is buried
John 20: 1-10 Jesus comes back to life.
Matthew 28: 11-14 the soldiers guarding the tomb saw the resurrection,
John 20: 11-18 Mary was the first follower to see him
Matthew 28: 8 The women coming to prepare the body saw the empty tomb
John 20: 19-21 the apostles are in a locked room and Jesus comes in through the locked door,
Luke 24: 13-35 the men on the road to Emmaus encounter Jesus
John 21: 1-14 The fishing expedition

So here we are. 40 days after he has been seen alive again, with multiple proofs, Jesus is ready to "take off."

Think about this in the context of your friends or family, or if you’ve ever left loved ones behind and you wanted to leave an important thought with them. “Don’t mess this up. It’s all on you now. I’m outta here.”

What would you have done at this point if he had not given a command?

Let's think through. Imagine you've just seen Jesus blast off 40 days following His resurrection. He has gone up into the clouds. First, after I had recovered from seeing Him lift off the ground, I would have likely stayed in Jerusalem.

I would have gotten comfortable with that upper room, maybe carpeted it and gilded the table where the last supper had taken place, possibly elevate it higher in the room than anything else so people would be sure to see it.

I bet I would have bronzed the cup used for the last supper and used it on special occasions--maybe once a month to remember the meal we shared just before that terrible day he died.

I would probably put in a few rows of benches for those that had been around the day Jesus told us all those wonderful things on the mount just before he left.

But I would have kept it members-only--just us and no others.

What's the problem with this way of thinking? After all, Jesus will get the work done, won't He? I mean, it is His job, right? I'm just along for the ride. It's not really important that anyone else know about this sweet deal, because it gets messy when there are more people...
and there might not be enough for me when it is all said and done...
and I might not know what to say to someone...
and I might look foolish...

Sounds ridiculous, right? Who would actually live this way, right? Yours truly, that's who. I remember when this was my perspective. Comfortable. Easy. Dead.

I was completely unaware of what Jesus meant when he commanded "go."

So what really happened?

He is leaving this last recommendation. Ok, it's not really a recommendation. More of a strong opinion. OK, not that either. Read it again.

The fact remains that he did give this command because more often than not we need to know what the plan is.

The basic points are to go, to train everyone you meet, to baptize in the name, and to teach these new disciples the practices that Jesus has taught. Here are some specifics from the Greek. The language is so rich.

Go out
poreuō (po-ryü'-ō)
1. to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey

and train (in this way of life, )
mathēteuō (mä-thā-tyü'-ō)
1. to be a disciple of one
a. to follow his precepts and instructions
2. to make a disciple
a. to teach, instruct

everyone you meet,
pas (pä's)
1. individually
a. each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
2. collectively
a. some of all types

far and near,
ethnos (ethnos)
1. a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together
a) a company, troop, swarm
2. a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus
a) the human family
3. a tribe, nation, people group

marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
baptizō (bäp-tē'-zō)
1. to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
2. to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe
3. to overwhelm

Then instruct them
didaskō (dē-dä'-skō)
1. to teach
a. to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses
b. to be a teacher
c. to discharge the office of a teacher, conduct one's self as a teacher
2. to teach one
a. to impart instruction
b. instill doctrine into one
c. the thing taught or enjoined
d. to explain or expound a thing
e. to teach one something

in the practice of all
tēreō (tā-re'-ō)
1. to attend to carefully, take care of
a. to guard
b. metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is
c. to observe
d. to reserve: to undergo something

I have commanded you.
entellō (en-te'l-lō)
2. to order, command to be done, enjoin

I'll be with you as you do this,
meta (me-tä')
1. with, after, behind

day after day after day,
aiōn (ī-ō'n)
1. for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity
2. the worlds, universe
3. period of time, age

right up to the end of the age
synteleia (sün-te'-lā-ä)
1. completion, consummation, end

It's not so complicated, huh.

I think that often we get this picture in our head that we need to go overseas to really do this work. But remember the term ethnos: a multitude of individuals associated or living together (your street, relief centers like springs rescue mission or the soup kitchen), the human family (the city, state, country), or tribe, nation, or people group (overseas missions)

And we are not doing it alone.

Meta ion synteleia.
I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.

The missionaries I know have typically started in their local church. They worked in their local community teaching and community outreach. And then the path Jesus put them on had them going overseas.

Now this is not meant to be a formula for overseas service. I know it can be rather overwhelming to consider overseas service.

But I also don’t want this to be an “out” for us. Often times people will say “I’m a sender, not a go-er” and miss out on what God may have in store for them.

How are you being a missionary right now? How are you living it out? How are you being pushed to do it on a larger scale? Do you sense the push to get a greater impact today? Then just take that next step.

So my wife helped me see that perhaps God has brought me full circle. From the early days of my walk with him and the desire to reach people in Eastern Europe to today being part of a team that reaches thousands of people daily with the good news of Jesus love, God has in fact been leading me on a missionary journey. And he will do it for you, too.

My eyes are dry...

There is this classic song from Keith Green that is rattling around in my heart right now:

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

It is as though I have forgotten my sole purpose in life is to minister, not to work, build, or keep up with technology. But to minister. To Jesus and to people.

I think about the words of Jesus to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:1-7 when he says, “You have left the love you had in the beginning,” and think about my life, filled with much-ness and many-ness and long for that first time love.

When I first fell madly in love with Jesus, there was nothing He could ask that I didn't say yes to. To quote Keith Green, I was filled with the oil and the wine of knowing the lover of my soul. But as time has gone on, I'm growing cold.

The question remains, how do we heat it back up again? Quiet? Solitude? Still trying to get that one. I can only rest in Him and let His oil and wine flow.

Staying Awake with Jesus

When I consider the tradition of Maundy Thursday and the many things we learn about the passion of Jesus, I don't usually focus on what role the disciples played.

Sure, they got their feet washed and filled with a meal, they even heard some powerful words. But the part of keeping vigil with Jesus is what was brought to my attention last night.

At our church Steve Smith, author of The Lazarus Life spoke on staying awake with Jesus. He quoted these verses from the gospel...

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.” Matthew 26:36-38

And there it is. Jesus calling for his disciples to keep awake with Him, to carry the burden with Him while He seeks the father on this issue. What a privilege, right? And what happens? Sleep comes on them.

When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can‘t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there‘s another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” Matthew 26:40-41

But listen to the words of Jesus in this. He has no anger, but as a father with his child on a busy street He makes a statement to be alert and stay close. “Don’t wander.”

Could this be the awake He is calling us to? The awake he is calling me to? I know this, when I’m not near Him in prayer and the word, the temptations of this world call to me and I am more prone to listen to them than to His beautiful voice.

It’s time to be awake and to abide with Jesus. To hear Him as he prays, to soak in every beautiful word. For soon He will be taken.

Teach me to listen.

AW Tozer: truth seeking prophet?

If one were to define of prophet as “a person who speaks for god or a deity, or by divine inspiration” then A.W. Tozer seems to be one. His devotional thoughts from the C&MA website for today’s devotion strikes at the core of what it means to seek truth.

Let me say boldly that it is not the difficulty of discovering truth, but the unwillingness to obey it, that makes it so rare among men.

What do I take away from a statement such as this? Nothing less than a prayer that God would make me a seeker of truth at all costs. That I would not allow anything in the way of that pursuit, and that God would show me by His word what steps need to be taken in everything.