When God says, "You Didn't Build That"

Man, oh man, am I going to get it today.  Just so you know.

Before I start, I want you to know that I took offense at President Obama's words when he said, "You didn't build that."  I didn't think they were serious enough that the Republican National Convention made it their theme for the year, but as a church planter who worked his butt off (and continues to work his butt off) planting this church, working four jobs (newspaper carrier, soccer coach, substitute teacher, and pastor) the first year and still continues to work part-time to support the family, the words didn't set well with me.

I found myself growing incredibly self-righteous as I pointed to the risk I took in stepping out to start a new church.  No guaranteed paycheck, no guarantee of success, putting my family's welfare on the line- and that was the easy stuff.  I remember the long six weeks of remodeling and renovation of our current facility, knocking down walls, framing up new walls, hanging and finishing drywall, painting- the whole nine yards.  I bristled at Obama's words, "You didn't build that," when I looked at the work of my hands, sometimes working 18-20 hour days in getting this thing going.

Then God told me, "You didn't build that."

He directed me to a passage in Luke 12:16-20 that I have preached on many times . . . .  but apparently never practiced.  It says this:

“The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’  “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 
 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

 It's the last line that gets me every time.  God asks those chilling words to us, "Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

Now, don't get me wrong.  I believe that God honors hard work and rewards those who have a strong work ethic.  The book of Proverbs tells us this.  I don't believe that God calls every business owner or every church planter a fool.  I believe that hard work honors God and glorifies Him when it is done well and with integrity.

But the plain and simple fact is that my life could be demanded of me tonight.  Who then would get all the things I've worked for?  Every now and then God has to remind me that we are stewards- caretakers- of His property while we are here.  Catalyst Christian Church isn't my church.  It's His church.

Staples, Wal-Mart, Advance Auto Parts, AT&T and all the other business in this world- they are God's.  They don't belong to us.  If they DID belong to us, we would take them with us when we die.  But we don't.  We leave them here for another person to manage.  Then that person dies, and leaves it to another, and so on and so on.

We really don't own anything.  We are temporary guardians of God's property while we are here.

Through my anger at Obama's words, God reminded of the truth behind them.  I doubt Obama was speaking from a Biblical perspective, but the truth of the matter is that all that I have worked for belongs to God.  So is all that you have worked for.  You and I cannot truly say, "It's Mine!" about anything. 

This is what God has reminded me of this morning.  He basically whispered to me, "You labored and sweated and sacrificed and hurt to plant this church, but you didn't truly build it.  I built it through you.  You used the hands that I created, the mind that I created, the body that I created, the life that I gave you, the knowledge that I gave you.  You used the materials that I created using money that I entrusted to you in a location that I provided for you supported by people that I created and brought to this church.  You are sustained now by people who are being faithful to Me in giving and you are being blessed by My hand."

"David, my dear precious child who most of the time doesn't know his left hand from his right, you didn't build that.  It all belongs to Me.  The church I planted through you is to be used for My glory to bring My creation to a saving relationship with Me.  It really has nothing to do with you.  The fact that you love this church like you do brings joy to Me as Your Heavenly Father.  I love seeing your passion for what I have called you to do, and nothing brings Me more pleasure than seeing you find joy in your calling."

"But you didn't build that.  I did."

And that, people, is a good lesson to remember.

Ten Reasons Why You Are Bored All The Time

1.  You aren't actually bored, you are BORING.  I still remember my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Simms, saying, "A truly intelligent person is never bored.  There is so much interesting stuff in this world to explore.  Boring people are the only ones who get bored."

2.  You count on external things to determine your life.  Sitting around waiting for someone else to make you happy is a recipe for boredom.  Exciting people create their lives; bored people wait for someone else to create their lives.

3.  Your life is all about YOU.  "No package is so small as a man who is wrapped up in himself."  How true.  I remember an old song that taught us the opposite:  "Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell JOY."  Put yourself 3rd, and you will find true joy.  Jesus, Others, THEN you.

4.  You feel entitled.  Nothing creates boredom in life more than a feeling of entitlement.  If you feel that you deserve happiness, or deserve attention, or a large paycheck, a large house, or whatever else, you will be frightfully bored all the time.  The opposite of entitlement is gratitude.  People who feel entitled to things are bored; people who feel gratitude are rarely ever bored.

5.  You don't risk.  Many people are bored because they are afraid to step out where it is uncomfortable.  People who don't risk don't have friends, don't actualize their potential, don't get married, and ultimately never commit to Christ because all of those things involve some amount of risk.  Ask yourself, "If your life was a movie, would anyone want to watch it?"

6.  You haven't pursued a vision.  A vision for life is simply your picture of the future that arouses a passion within you.  Without a clear sense of where you are going, what you are striving for, and what you hope to accomplish, you will be very bored indeed.

7.  You have squelched your natural curiosity and creativity.  All children are born with curiosity and creativity.  The increasing prevalence of technology- video games especially- has shoved creativity out of the mind as more and more children engage in pre-packaged activities with determined outcomes instead of being free to create and explore.  Turn off the technology and go experience the real world.

8.  You have failed to truly connect with other human beings.  The older I get, the more I see that humans are by nature social creatures with a built-in need to connect with others.  Having 900 friends on Facebook is no match for having one true friend in real life.  However, connection takes risk, and if you aren't willing to risk, you will never truly connect with others.

9.  You miss the beauty of the ordinary.  One of the things our children constantly teach us is that just about everything in life can be interesting.  I have learned that even dirt can be interesting- one of my kids loves to simply get her hands into some dirt and play around in it for hours.  If dirt can be interesting, what else in daily life can we find to be fascinated by?

10.  You have lost perspective on life.  One of the reasons I love mission trips is that I get out of my American context and see the way people in other countries live.  I love worshiping God with other believers who speak a different language.  I love staying in homes where there is no electricity and no running water.  Even more than that, I love seeing the joy in the people that have a thousand times less than I do.  It truly is a shame that the most blessed people on the face of the earth constantly claim to be bored all the time.  Spending time in a different context forces you to change your perspective, thereby eliminating boredom.


John 10:10- "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." 

Why Do We Celebrate Mediocrity?

I was watching "The Incredibles" with my son Sam the other day, and we were watching the part where Mrs. Incredible was giving Mr. Incredible a hard time about not going to their son's "graduation." 

"It's not a graduation," said Mr Incredible.  "He's moving from the 4th grade to the 5th grade.  It's psychotic!  Every year they come up with more ways to celebrate mediocrity!"

That phrase stuck with me, because I believe that what Mr Incredible said was true.  We have become a culture that celebrates things that really aren't worth celebrating.

We feel the need to give medals to kids for simply being on a sports team.  Medals should be earned and given to the winners.  All three of my kids play sports, and I have yet to see any one of them be proud of a participation medal.  They display the trophies and medals that they earned, not the ones they were given by being part of a team.

When I was a soccer coach, I refused to give participation medals.  Instead, I recognized the players that were the most talented, most improved, and hardest working.  I was criticized by at least one parent for this policy.  I simply responded, "Being a part of a team is not something worth getting recognition for.  Do you really think your son will cherish a participation trophy or medal?  It will be in the garbage before the week is out, because it says nothing about your son other than the fact that he showed up for practice and games.  That's not an achievement.  If your son wants a trophy or a medal, make him earn it.  Talk to him, not me."

This culture of celebrating mediocrity has even invaded the church.  It kind of reminds me of what Francis Chan observed when he went back home to China.  Chan is about 5'10" and all his relatives were about 5'4".  They kept saying, "You are so tall!"  Chan responded by saying, "I'm not so tall- you are so small!"

I wonder if we have been around people that are lukewarm for so long that any devotion to Christ, any movement outside the norm of American life, any sign of Christianity whatsoever is met with an exclamation of, "You are so tall!"  If a middle schooler drops his or her head to pray for ten seconds in a school cafeteria, the people around him or her would consider that person to be a Jesus Freak.  We think of someone who simply doesn't smoke, drink, chew or go with girls that do as super-spiritual.

Why do we celebrate mediocrity in the church?  Why is someone who leaves the comforts of home to go to the mission field seen as extraordinary?  That seems to be the norm in the Bible, right?  Why is a couple who refuses to live together before marriage seen as taking the high road?  That's the norm in the Bible.  Why is someone who refuses to indulge in a culture of materialism, live simply, and give sacrificially to the Lord's work in the world seen as a spiritual giant?  They would be what Jesus would refer to as the norm.

I'm not saying those things are bad.  They are actually very good.  I also don't want to minimize small victories in the life of a believer.  We should celebrate every victory over sin, every step of devotion to the Lord, and every decision made to move closer to Him. 

I just don't want to think that a 5'10" person is tall . . . . simply because I am short. 

I don't want to be part of a church that celebrates mediocrity.  I want to be part of a church that celebrates devotion to Christ. 

I don't want to be part of a church that expects participation medals for simply being on the team.  I want to be part of a church that is seeking the crown of glory for finishing strong.

I don't want to be part of a church that holds up the pastors as super-spiritual.  I want to be part of a church that holds up the pastors in prayer.

I don't want to be part of a church that is content.  I want to be part of a church that is restless, always looking for ways to move closer to Christ and accomplish His vision for this world.

I don't want to be part of a church that celebrates decisions for Christ.  I want to be part of a church that celebrates disciples of Christ.

I don't want to be part of a church where the people are friends.  I want to be part of a church where the people live in community with one another, caring for one another, providing for one another, and are in each others' homes constantly like in Acts 2:42-47.

Why do we celebrate mediocrity?  I say we stop doing it. 

Humanity's Biggest Illusion

I remember the first time I saw a magic show.  I was about eight years old.

The guy made handkerchiefs disappear, coins come out of people's ears, and made a woman disappear right before our eyes.  He was actually pretty good.  I marveled at his magic powers and wondered how he did it.

Then I learned about sleight of hand.

Sleight of hand works by directing your attention one place while the trick happens at another.  We instinctively follow the magician's eyes and hand gestures while the other hand subtly works the "magic."

I realized that what I perceived to be real was based on not having all the information.  I was led astray by only noticing half of what was going on.  But the fact that I didn't notice the other half didn't mean the other half didn't exist.

I began to wonder if there were other things that I was being "shown" in life that caused me to think a certain way.  I wondered if culture was throwing me a "sleight of hand" that made me believe something while not noticing something else.  Then something happened that would change the way I view everything. 

My ten-day-old son died.

Like everyone else, I grew up around clocks.  Clocks measure time, with hands going around endlessly in circular motion.  A clock gives the impression that time goes on infinitely. 

Contrast that to an hourglass.  Instead of going around and around for what seems to be an eternity, an hourglass shows you that time is limited.  You can watch the level of sand decrease and decrease and finally run out. 

I believe that humanity's biggest illusion is that we will have time forever.  That's why we prefer clocks to hourglasses.  No one wants to be reminded that his or her time is slipping away, that we won't have an infinite amount of time here, that we are all in the process of dying.  We have plastic surgery to rid ourselves of the reminders of aging.  We have hair plugs put in to make us look young.  We are shocked and cry "unfair!" when someone younger than 90 dies, as if that person had been robbed of their right to a long life full of years.

When my son died, I realized that the hourglass was a much better indicator of time than a clock was.  God didn't rob my son of anything.  His young life was not cut short, nor was God being unfair to him.  I realized that I had been a victim of a cultural sleight of hand.  This culture had taught me that everyone has time, time, time.  Everyone lives a long life.  There is always tomorrow.

The fact that my son died at ten days is not nearly as shocking as the fact that I have lived 38 years.

People, we are not guaranteed tomorrow, or even the next hour.  Yet we live like it.  We fool ourselves into thinking that our life has a clock instead of an hourglass.  We refuse to believe that our lives are short and our days are numbered, because that is just very unpleasant to think about.  The psalmist asked God to, "Teach us to number our days," (Psalm 90) so that we don't take a single day for granted. 

If you started viewing your life through the lens of an hourglass, instead of a clock, I wonder what changes you would make today. 

How Technology Make Us More Lonely Than Ever

The other day I went out for lunch.  I was supposed to meet someone there, and he was running late.  I found myself standing there in the restaurant with nothing to do. 

I immediately pulled out my iPhone.  I didn't want to look like a loser just standing there.

Now, I've only had a smartphone for 5.26% of my existence on this planet.  The other 94.74% of my life has been without it.  So, if this situation had occurred before 2 years ago, I would have just sat there and waited.

However, with the increased technology at my fingertips, just sitting there wasn't an option.  Why?  Because I immediately felt lonely.

Lonely?  Yes.  The amount of connection that is available right now with technology is truly staggering.  Anywhere we go, we can be texting, logging on to social networking sites, reading news, playing games, or whatever we want.  Our brains adapt to this, so that when there is any downtime, any rest, any bit of time in between activities, it doesn't feel pleasant.

It just feels lonely.

I am beginning to believe that loneliness is one of the biggest fears facing Americans today.  Loneliness and boredom.  In our drive to avoid loneliness and boredom, we have engaged in patterns of behavior that will ensure the maximum amount of loneliness possible.  We expect connection 24/7.

Go into any school, restaurant, coffee shop, or whatever, and you will see what I mean.  If people aren't talking face to face, they are on their phones or laptops.  Sometimes they are on their phones when their spouse or significant other is sitting right there with them.  Why do people do this?

I believe it is a fight against loneliness.  The cell phone has become the #1 weapon used in America to fight off the dreaded disease of loneliness.  Try going to a coffee shop by yourself and sitting at a table without using any kind of technology.  Just sit there, listen to the sounds, observe the people, see what goes on.

I'll give you about two minutes before you absolutely go crazy.  Especially if you are a teenager.

An absolute feeling of deprivation will overcome your senses.  The sudden awareness that you are sitting there by yourself with no one to talk to or occupy your attention will hit you like a baseball bat to the forehead.  You will be restless, anxious, and nervous.  As the withdrawal symptoms progress, you will become increasingly agitated and feel stronger and stronger impulses to pull out your cell phone and check the latest post on facebook or text you might have received.

All the while, the feelings of loneliness will intensify to a level you never experienced before you bought the phone.

I have no problems with technology.  I really don't.  I like the convenience of it and I like what it offers to me.  I like the efficiency it provides and I would miss it if it were gone. 

However, I don't like what it does to me when I try to obey the Scriptural command, "Be still and know that I am God." 

Who does that anymore?

And hence, we feel disconnected from God, increasing our loneliness.  Being still and quiet are not options when it comes to listening for God's voice.  They are essential.  However, if every time we get still and quiet we demonstrate signs of an addict experiencing withdrawal symptoms, we will never be able to hear the still small voice of God speaking to us.  Technology has made it very, very difficult to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, leading us, guiding us, comforting us, convicting us, and challenging us.

And so many of us conclude that since we can't hear Him, He is just simply not there.  Or that He doesn't speak to us.  Or that He doesn't care.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

So instead of taking those moments in the restaurant to be quiet and still and listen for the voice of God, I popped open my Word With Friends App and began to occupy my time with a silly game.  I wonder if God had anything He wanted me to know in that moment.  If He did, I definitely missed it.  I didn't want to be lonely.

But now, as a Christian man wanting to be close to God, I realize that I am even more lonely than I ever was, because the One I am missing is God.  I believe that I am almost totally conditioned not to hear Him or be close to Him.  I believe that my absorption with technology has conditioned my mind to avoid the very circumstances I need to be able to hear His voice.

I so desperately need to hear His voice and experience His presence.  However, in order to do this, I have to fight down my fear of stillness and quiet.  I have to steel myself away from the conditioned fix of technology that screams for my immediate attention and allow myself to experience nothing.  I have to fight down my fear of loneliness, my fear of boredom, and simply practice stillness and silence.

It is in those moments that the Holy Spirit of God connects with me in deep ways unimagined by people who have never experienced it.  If you don't know what I am talking about, I can't explain it to you.  I just pray that one day you will experience it for yourself.

Now, please excuse me.  I have two messages and four notifications on my Facebook page.

The point of the Christian life is . . . . .

In my church, we are going through vision and values.  Our vision is "Build the Body, Change the World," and we accomplish this by four things:

1.  Salvation- bringing non-Christian people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
2.  Community- doing life together in community groups that meet weekly
3.  Training- moving people towards spiritual maturity
4.  Ministry- setting people loose to make an eternal difference in the world

That's it.  That's our church in four sentences.  However, as I've studied these four "wins" as we call them at Catalyst, I'm noticing a thread that moves through them all.

It's all about Connection.

That's what the Christian life is all about.  It isn't about theology, practices, buildings, or music.  It isn't about good preaching, comfortable seats, or a good location.  It's about connecting.  With God and each other.

Salvation happens when lost people connect with the loving God.  Community happens when Christians connect with each other.  Training happens when Christian connect with a vision for their lives.  Ministry happens when Christians connect with people in the community.

When God wanted to save this world, He didn't send more laws.  He sent Himself.  This is an amazingly beautiful thing about Christianity- the God of the universe connects with people.  Connecting is at the heart of everything that Christianity stands for.  The greatest commandment in the Bible is all about connecting- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."  In other words, you shall connect with God and connect with others.

I have found that here in America, people don't connect with one other very well.  The lack of community has hurt the church and has hurt the faith, because Christianity can't exist without it.  I realized that without connecting, our church cannot achieve any of the wins that we identified as essential to our church accomplishing its mission.

What are the connecting destroyers in your life?  In your home?  Too much time on electrical devices is one- plunging into an artificial world of video games and facebook replaces face-to-face communication and love.  Living vicariously through athletes on a tv screen instead of living real life out in the neighborhood.  Couples sitting in bed, each on a laptop instead of in each other's arms.

Connecting with God and others is the point of the Christian life.  Nothing will happen without it.  This is shown in studies of churches that are growing quickly and declining quickly.  In a study by Christian Schwartz, he found that in churches that were growing by 10% or more per year, the average church members had another person from the church over for coffee or a meal an average of 17 times in a two month period.  For churches declining quickly, that number was 2. 

When connection occurs, great things happen.  We as people were designed for community, and the spread of the gospel and the health of our churches and families are dependent on it. 

Laying down the terrible burden . . .

Life is hard.  It's even harder when you have to be right all the time.

Richard Foster, in his masterpiece A Celebration of Discipline, writes the following:

"The obsession to demand that things go the way we want them to go is one of the greatest bondages in human society today.  People will spend weeks, months, even years in a perpetual stew because some little thing did not go as they wished.  They will fuss and fume.  They will get mad about it.  They will act as if their very life hangs on the issue.  They may even get an ulcer over it." ( p 111)

Is this true?  Absolutely.  One of the beautiful things about Christianity is that God calls us not to live that way.  He calls us to lay down the terrible burden of having to have our own way; to lay down the crushing burden of having to be right.  Have you ever experienced this kind of freedom?

Foster goes on:

[When we do this] we are at last free to value other people.  Their dreams and plans become important to us.  We have entered into a new, wonderful, glorious freedom- the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others.  For the first time we can love people unconditionally.  We have given up the right to demand that they return our love.  No longer do we feel that we have to be treated in a certain way.  We rejoice in their successes.  We feel genuine sorrow at their failures.  It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed.  We discover that it is far better to serve our neighbor than to have our own way."  p 112

 Do you realize that this is the way Jesus has called us to live, day in and day out?  A life of freedom- of laying down the terrible burden of having to have our own way, and in turn being able to joyfully and truthfully love people unconditionally.  How many of us truly rejoice in the successes of others?  How many of us truly feel sorrow at their failures?  How many of us are so bitter and angry and frustrated because we don't feel we are treated the way we expect to be treated?

This is where the revolutionary life and teachings of Jesus become so beautiful.  Never once did Jesus fuss and fume because the Pharisees didn't respect him.  Never once did Jesus rejoice in a wicked man's failure or grow jealous of John the Baptist's ministry of baptism.  Never once did Jesus push his way to the front, demanding to be treated as the Son of God should be treated.  He was free, totally free, to love people unconditionally because He voluntarily gave up the right to demand His way. 

This is one of the many reasons Jesus is my hero.  This is why I am a Christian.  The life that Jesus led is so revolutionary, so real, so pure, so amazing- that's the life I want.  I want so desperately to be able to love others unconditionally like Jesus did.  I want so desperately to be able to lay down the burden of having to have my own way or be treated a certain way.  I want so desperately to live as Jesus did.

I have found that having the correct beliefs is the easy part.  It's the part that Foster was talking about that is the hard part.

 

Most parents I know are exhausted . . . and they don't have to be

I interact with a lot of parents, both from being a pastor and from the fact that I AM a parent and most of my friends are as well.  I have noticed two things recently- one that is obvious and one that isn't so obvious.

The obvious one is that most parents I know are exhausted.  That's not exactly rocket science.  Being a parent is time-consuming, sacrificial, and energy-draining.  It is hard being needed at all times, at the most inconvenient times, and it is very thankless job.

The one that might not be so obvious, however, is something that has been an increasingly popular trend among parents in the last thirty years.  I don't know how it started, why it started, or who started it.  It has become so ingrained in the American parent that most of us don't even notice that we are doing it.  It has negatively affected our kids, our society, and ultimately, us as parents.  It's one of the main reasons why parents are exhausted all the time.  Want to know what it is?  It's simple.

We do things for our kids that they can do for themselves.

I catch myself doing it.  I catch myself putting on my 6-year old's shoes for him.  Why the heck am I putting a 6-year-old's shoes on for him?  He can do it himself.  My wife and I catch ourselves setting the table at dinnertime (after going to work, earning the money to pay for dinner, coming home, fixing the meal, getting it all ready, etc).  Why?  My three kids are fully capable of setting the table.  We catch ourselves waking our kids up in the morning for school.  Why?  They can set their own alarms.

My six-year old still needs me to cut up meat for him at dinnertime.  What that usually means is that by the time I fix his plate and actually fix mine, he's done eating and wants more.  Most of the time, I would stop, still not having eaten a bite, and get him more.  I realized that I was training him to expect me to be at his beck and call.  So, the next time it happened, I simply said, "I'll do that when I'm done eating."

Guess what happened- he waited.  He realized that he wouldn't starve to death waiting ten minutes.

So, from now on, if my son (or anyone) wants seconds, they can flat out wait until I am done.  I am under no obligation whatsoever to stop what I am doing to serve their needs.  Unfortunately, this is revolutionary, and I mean REVOLUTIONARY, concept to far too many parents today.

I know a parent who still opens the car door for her ten year old.  I know another parent who still pours the milk on the cereal of her twelve year old.  Still another parent lays out the clothes for her sixteen year old the night before school.  I know parents whose children verbally harass and abuse them, then pick up their iPhone that the parents paid for, log on to the internet using a data plan the parents pay for, trash their parents, then go to a room the parents pay for, enjoy the A/C and heat the parents pay for, lie down in a bed the parents paid for, watch a tv the parents paid for . . .  then wake up to put on clothes the parents pay for, come downstairs the next morning and eat food the parents pay for, text their friends again using a phone and data plan the parents pay for, and then accuse the parents of ruining their lives.

We catch ourselves doing things for our children that they are fully capable of doing for themselves.  We make very few demands on our children.  Meanwhile, mom and dad are mowing the lawn, dusting, doing laundry, fixing meals . . . .  while the kids contribute nothing.  And we wonder why we are so tired all the time?

This is a fairly recent phenomenon in American history.  Most of us in our thirties and older grew up with long lists of chores that we had to do to contribute to the family.  Most parents I know today, by their own admission, have very very few chores for their kids to do, if any at all. 

Somewhere in American culture, it was communicated to parents that it is our job to serve our kids.  It was communicated that that's what a good parent does.  What kind of idiot came up with that?

A good parent is one that prepares his or her child for adulthood.  A good parent is one that teaches the child that being part of the family is greater than showing up mealtime and having mom and dad pay for their cell phone coverage.  A good parent is one that teaches work ethic, humility, faith, financial responsibility, and the importance of being others-centered.  That doesn't happen with mom and dad doing all the work.

Parents, today, sit down and make a list of things that you constantly do for your kids that they can do for themselves.  Then, stop doing them.  Oh, your kids will bellyache and whine and cry and accuse you of being unfair.  Then, they will put on their big girl panties and do it themselves.  We are doing our children no favors whatsoever by doing things for them that they are capable of doing for themselves.

Stop being your childrens' servant.  Make them do everything for themselves that they are capable of doing.  Make them do things to help out.  They will be happier and healthier.  Ever seen a joyful person who was on welfare?  Me neither.  The happiest people are ones that provide for themselves and contribute to something bigger than them.  Our kids need to take care of themselves and contribute to the family.  Try it and see.

Remember, parents- you are raising adults, not children. If you raise a child, what do you get? A child. If you raise an adult, you get an adult. That should be our ultimate goal as parents- to produce self-sufficient, free, independent adults capable of managing their own lives without us. We won't be around forever. Our children need to learn to provide for themselves.

Do nothing for your children that they can do for themselves. Try it and see.

At least you won't be so tired all the time.

Apparently, 90% of Christians are thieves . . .

There once was a church that was very healthy.  They were growing and making disciples.  The people were living in Christian community with one another, bearing each others' burdens, rejoicing with those who rejoiced and mourning with those who mourned.

They went on mission trips, both local and foreign.  Things were going gangbuster.  But there was only one problem.

90% of the church members were committing murder.  Each week.

The pastor saw this.  However, murder was a topic that made people uncomfortable.  He had been told that if he preached too much about murder, people would leave the church.  He didn't want to be known as the leader of a church that "only cared about getting people to stop murdering."  So, instead of preaching about murder from the pulpit, he avoided talking about it, keeping the murderers in his church happy and coming back each Sunday.

Now, obviously, this story is not true.  I made it up.  There is NO WAY that 90% of the people in a church could take a command of Scripture such as "You shall not commit murder" and ignore it.  There is no way on earth that 90% of people who have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, been baptized into new life, are living in dynamic relationship with Him, could take something in the Bible and ignore it.  Right?

Wrong.  There is a command in Scripture that 90% of church members are ignoring.  Day in and day out.  Week in and week out.

It is the command to tithe.

I've heard all the reason why people don't tithe.  I really have.  Many are legitimate.  There are churches that misuse funds.

But that doesn't change the fact that God commands it.  This is a glaring issue facing the church- bigger than abortion, bigger than homosexuality, bigger than the rise of radical Islam, bigger than just about anything.  It is probably the largest area of disobedience to the Bible found in the church today.

Why am I writing about this?  The entire purpose of this blog is to challenge Christians to go deeper, to surrender more to Jesus, to risk more, to walk more closely with Jesus, to take Scripture more seriously- in other words, to step up their game.  Tithing is a sacrifice.  It really is.  It is taking a tenth of what you earn and placing it in the hands of God, trusting that He will use it better than you.

It is a realization that God owns 100% of all of your money, and only wants 10% of it.  He could legitimately demand 100% and would be stealing from no one.  It is a realization that He is the Provider, not the employer.  It is a realization that we need far less to live on than what we actually think.

It is a letting go of the idol of materialism and recognizing the sovereign power of the one true God.  It is a cessation of stealing what is rightfully God's (yes, stealing- see Malachi 3 if you don't believe me) to fund an affluent lifestyle.  It is moving yourself from tight-fisted to generous.

It is being faithful to Scripture.  Isn't that what a Christian desires to be?

Tithing is not a money issue.  It's a heart issue.  You don't tithe because a church needs it or because a ministry needs it or because you are made to feel guilty.

You tithe because it belongs to God.  You tithe because your money isn't yours anyway.  You are a manager of God's resources, and because they are His, you send them where He sees fit.  Right now, 90% of Christians are guilty of stealing and mismanaging the Lord's property.  Plain and simple.  If 90% of church members were murdering or committing adultery or stealing or abusing children, we wouldn't put up with it.  So why do we put up with Christians who steal what is rightfully God's?

An amazing coordination of coincidences . . . .

Saturday I received a call from a former student of mine.  It was great to hear from him . . .  until he told me that he had been addicted to Percoset (prescription pills) for 5 years and had just been kicked out of his house for the usual stuff addicts do- stealing, lying, manipulating, etc.

He was feeling totally alone.  That's because he was.  One of the things they don't tell you when they introduce you to drugs is that you will eventually destroy every relationship you've ever had and hurt every single person that you love. 

We were having an indoor men's tailgate party at the church (excellent!) and I invited him to come.  Mostly because he was living out of his truck, had no money, and needed a good meal and place to forget about the withdrawal symptoms that were racking his body.  He showed up and to make a long story short, had a blast playing cornhole, four-square, laughing with the guys, and just being in an environment where no one wanted anything from him nor would they put a gun to his head (which is pretty much the environments he had been in the past 5 years).

Coincidence #1 happened- he needed a place to stay.  Now, I consider myself a fairly brave person, but I am very protective of my family and I am very aware of what addicts are capable of doing when the crave for their drug of choice overrides reason.  It just so happens that Rachel was in Tennessee at a funeral and my mom and dad had invited my kids over to spend the night.  So I invited him over to stay at my house for the night on the condition that he came to church with me on Sunday morning.

Coincidence #2 happened- one of the guys at the men's tailgate party was a former addict and dealer who has experienced the joy of the Lord.  I pulled both of them into my office and we spent time talking and praying together.  My former student realized two things- first of all, he wasn't the first person to deal with addictions, and second, there is a place in the church for people who have destroyed their lives on drugs.  Not only is there a place, but the church will love you regardless.

Coincidence #3 happened- as we left my office, another guy in the church happened to be there closing up (everyone had already left- no reason why he should have been there).  He also had struggled with drug addiction and had been about 2 years clean.  I introduced my former student to him and the two of them talked.  Literally, he told my former student VERBATIM what the first man had told him.  I began to marvel at the number of people God had mobilized to minister to this broken young man.

Coincidence #4 happened- we got to my house and sat up talking until about 11 pm.  I sensed the Holy Spirit say to me, "Watch Louie Giglio's "How Great is Our God" sermon."  Now, I never, ever bring my laptop home.  Never.  It stays in my office 24/7, and we don't have a home computer. However, I just happened to have it.  So we watched it.  It was a game-changer for this young man.  That's all I can say. 

The next morning we went to church and he sat next to the formerly drug-addicted-now-Christ-following guys he had talked with the night before.  To see these guys praising God together- guys who had given their lives, the money, their time, their passion, everything to a false god called drugs- was truly a miracle. 

I don't believe in coincidence.  I believe that God mobilized His church to reach out to a broken, lost young man.  As he left the church after worship, he told me he had never enjoyed himself so much.  It wasn't because of a great sermon or great worship.  It's because he made connections with people.

To a drug addict who had isolated himself away from every person he loved, the connection is what he needed most.  He needed people to give him the time of day.  He needed for people to care.  He needed for people to call him out, set him straight, and encourage him to kick the bullcrap habit of drugs out of his life once and for all.  That's exactly what he received.

With all the church-bashing that goes on daily, it truly is amazing to see the church be what it's supposed to be.  It is amazing to see God orchestrate and mobilize His followers to do the great things Jesus talked about.  I saw one of them this weekend watching a bunch of men reach out and encourage a drug-addicted broken younger man.

Or, you can write it off as an amazing group of coincidences.  But that just wouldn't make sense.

If I was the pastor of this church, I think I would just break down and cry . . .

If I was the pastor of this church, I think I would just break down and cry. 

I wish that those signs were replaced with ones saying, "Teach me how to accomplish the Great Commission," "Show me how to love the people I hate," "We love our pastor's wife- she is the greatest woman in the world and this church would be nothing without her," "I surrender all," and "Challenge me to a risk-filled, reward-filled Christian life."

What sign are you carrying into church this Sunday?

When Christians feel entitled to grace

For the past ten soccer seasons, I coached soccer at the local middle school and high school.  I loved it, I loved the kids, and I love the people I worked with.  There was only one part of coaching I hated, and it wasn't dealing with parents.  It wasn't scheduling games or practices or traveling to away matches.

It was tryouts.  I hate cutting players from the team.

I know what that does to the players- I know it devastates them.  But the plain and simple fact is that when you have 27 kids come out for the team and only 18 uniforms, someone is going to get their feelings hurt.

I remember getting cut from my high school Varsity soccer team when I was a freshman.  I was relegated to the JV team (which wound up beating the Varsity team that year in a scrimmage, but I digress) and I hated it.  I moaned and groaned and thought the world was coming to an end. 

Then I got over it and moved on.  Most kids do.  But some don't.

I have had players that I had to cut from the team bad-mouth me.  They blamed me for being a "jerk" and a "bad coach" because we couldn't fit 27 guys into 18 uniforms. 

This betrays a mar on our nation's character that is becoming more and more prevalent in younger generations.  This mar is known as entitlement.  We, as a society, are becoming more and more "entitled" to things, believing it is our fundamental right to have them.  When we don't get them, we cry, we blame, we complain- we expect SOMEONE ELSE to fix it for us because, after all, we're ENTITLED to them.

I explained to one kid who was particularly bitter about not making the team that being on the team was something he had to earn.  It wasn't a right.  Honestly, he hadn't put out much effort.  He was last in the sprints, played half-heartedly in scrimmages during tryouts, and overall projected the image that he didn't want to be there.  Not good when one-third of the guys trying out were going to get cut.

I said, "You can blame me all you want.  The plain and simple fact is that you let yourself down.  You let ME down.  I expected effort and focus and hard work.  You didn't do those things.  You can blame me and get mad at me and holler and scream all you want, but the guy responsible for you not being on the team is the guy you see in the mirror every morning."

It went in one ear and out the other.  The kid was so consumed with entitlement and the fact that I had robbed him of his "right" to be on the team that he couldn't see the truth in front of his face.  The call I got from his mother the following night, where she blamed me for not giving him a fair chance, confirmed it.  In her eyes, her son could do no wrong.  I was the bad guy who had "stolen" (her words) her son's chance to be on the team. 

Oh, how the entitlement culture thrives.  It is so prevalent in our young people because it is encouraged by the parents.  When I didn't make the varsity soccer team my freshman year, my dad said, "Well, obviously you didn't work hard enough.  Learn the lesson and don't be so cocky next year."  So, I shut up and went out to work harder to make the team the next year.

We see the entitlement mentality everywhere.  It is prevalent in our schools, preventing teachers from holding students accountable for their actions (now, it's the teacher's fault when little Johnny fails a test as opposed to little Johnny who was up playing Xbox until 3 am the night before the test).  It is prevalent in our families, with parents running up credit card debts to buy their children iPhones and iPads they can't afford. 

The most dangerous place for entitlement, however, is in our churches.  What would happen if Christians began feeling entitled to grace?  We already have a secular American culture where people feel entitled to heaven when they die (If you don't believe this, try doing a funeral for someone and mentioning that they might be in hell instead of heaven.  See how THAT one goes over!).  One of the biggest criticisms of God today is "How could a loving God send people to hell?"  Underlying that criticism is the belief that people are entitled to heaven when they die, and for God to send someone to hell is robbing them of their right to eternal life.

When the church begins to believe it is entitled to grace, entitled to heaven, entitled to all the blessings God gives, it is on dangerous ground.  First of all, it will be flat-out wrong.  No one is entitled to grace or heaven or blessings.  They are undeserved gifts from God that He gives as He sees fit.  Second, when grace and heaven are viewed as entitlements, the wonder and awe at these amazing gifts goes away. 

In your church, if there is very little wonder and awe at the beauty of grace, the beauty of heaven, and the beauty of God's blessings, you can be sure that the culture of entitlement has crept in and has taken up residence there.  It will destroy your church, it will destroy your love for God, and it will ultimately destroy any joy in life you might have. 

Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people

"Everybody thinks of changing humanity, but nobody thinks of changing himself."- Leo Tolstoy

It's easy to look around the world and get discouraged.  We see political mudslinging, dishonesty, drama, people without character, debt, etc all around us.  However, there is one thing that I see that always genuinely stands in stark contrast to all the garbage flying around each day.

The testimony of a genuinely changed human being.

Maybe this person is a husband who took his family for granted and/or was abusive, and now cherishes his family above everything else.  Maybe it's a teenager who was on drugs and is now clean.  Maybe it's a woman who was negative and condescending who now is speaking graciously and gently.  Maybe it's a guy who refused to get off his butt to support his family and is now working two jobs, acting like a real man.

Or maybe it's a non-believer who has surrendered to Jesus and now is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (all promises that accompany the gift of the Holy Spirit of God). 

Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people.  People who have struggled and overcome hard things in life, people who have been walking a bad path and have changed direction, going on a good path, and people who have new purpose and new passion, ready to take on the world.

This is where the challenge comes in.  A Christian is someone who has had an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus, who has seen the goodness and glory of God, who has recognized his or her own darkness, has repented, has been forgiven, and has been given the gift of the Holy Spirit of God.

How can that person not be changed?  Genuinely changed?

There is no way that a person can encounter the God of the universe and remain the same.  There is no way a person can come face-to-face with the Almighty God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all life, the One who conquered death on a cross, and who has the living presence of the Holy Spirit within him or her . . . . . .  and continue to be the same.  Continue to make the same decisions with regard to time and money.  Continue to use the same language.  Continue to have the same priorities.  Continue to serve himself or herself.  Continue to turn a blind eye towards serving the poor or the call to missions. 

The world is hungry for genuinely changed people. 

Oops! I Wish I Wouldn't Have Said THAT From the Pulpit

Someone asked me yesterday, "What is the biggest mistake you've ever made in a sermon?"

We had just planted Catalyst Christian Church and were in our third month when we decided to do a series on Love, Sex, and Marriage from the Song of Solomon.  I was talking about the difference between marital sex and pre-marital sex, and I said the following:

"Sex is like fire.  Now, you can spray lighter fluid on a bunch of logs and light it, and it looks like the real thing.  But soon, it fizzles out.  That's what pre-marital sex is like.  However, marital sex is the real thing.  To get a good campfire going, you need the red-hot coals going underneath.  That kind of fire will keep burning hotter and hotter as long as you've got wood."

As soon as I said the word "wood," I heard a lady laugh.  Then, another laughed, and pretty soon, everybody was laughing.  I realized in that moment that it was probably time to just say a prayer and walk off stage.

Alas, we pastors are human too.  Have a good laugh on me today. 

And remember God loves you and has a great sense of humor.  That's why He put me in charge of a church.

Human nature never changes

I hear from my unchurched friends all the time:  "How does a 2000-year-old book have any relevance today?"

Instead of correcting them on the fact that the Bible isn't 2000 years old (parts of it are actually older as it was written over a period of thousands of years), I simply say, "Because people were people then, and people are people now."

I usually follow that statement up with my favorite proverb, Proverbs 10:19- "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

Yep- human nature never changes.  Even stone-age tribesmen who thought the earth was flat had trouble keeping their traps shut when it wasn't called for.  People who had never seen a computer, driven a car, built a skyscraper, or even fired a gun realized that someone who spoke too much and too often would run the risk of stretching the truth, letting loose a secret, or outright lying.

Yep- human nature never changes.

Proverbs 23:4-5  says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust in your own cleverness.  Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

Sounds like they needed Dave Ramsey 3000 years ago. 

One of the unspoken benefits of studying the Bible is that you realize that with all the advances in technology and understanding we have made in modern times, what makes up a human really hasn't changed all that much.  We all need wisdom in knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet.  We all need financial discipline or we will see our hard-earned wealth disappear. 

And we all need a Savior to cleanse us of our sins.  They needed Jesus back then, and we need Jesus now. 

Yep- human nature never changes. 

However, with Jesus, human nature can be redeemed and restored.  This Monday, I am very thankful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for taking my human nature and doing what no one and nothing else could do- restoring me to wholeness.  My human nature may never change, but it definitely has been made new.  For that I am thankful.  Overwhelmed and thankful.  Amen.

When the Christian life isn't fun

I remember coming out of high school and working a summer job at Little Caesar's pizza.  I was a delivery driver, cruising around town in my 6000-lb 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (with wood paneling, I might add, and a comfortable seating capacity of 14 teenagers.  No wonder it was called the War Wagon).

It was a job that I didn't particularly like.  Most of us who are adults at some point have had entry-level jobs that either bored us to tears or drove us crazy.  We couldn't wait to get out of those jobs and move on to more exciting jobs with more responsibility and more pay.

I was reading Jesus' teaching in Luke 19:12-26 about the king who gave a minas (roughly equivalent to a few dollars) to each servant and went away on a journey.  Now, a few bucks isn't going to do much for anyone, and no doubt some of the servants felt slighted.  Some probably didn't think much of it.  They were probably like me working for Little Caesars- giving a half-hearted effort until the REAL job opened up.

Others, however, took the few bucks and put it to work, earning more.  When the king returns, one servant brought the minas back, along with ten more.  The king told him, "Well done!  You get a promotion.  I'm making you the leader over ten cities."

At that point, I imagine that the rest of the servants' jaws dropped.  It would be like one of the delivery drivers at Little Caesar's being promoted to owner of ten stores simply for getting the pizza to the customers on time.

As I reflected on this passage of Scripture, I realized that we serve a God who tests us in the small things before He blesses us with more.  Your attitude towards what seems to be stupid, pointless tasks could be the test of whether or not God blesses you with abundance.

One of my favorite preachers is Louie Giglio.  He told a story about when he was in college.  His non-glamorous job was copy boy at the CDC in Atlanta.  Not an exciting job by a long stretch.  However, he determined that he was going to be the best copy boy in the history of the CDC, and when he left, they had to hire two people to do the job that he did.  That became a lifelong goal of mine- to work so hard that when I left, the organization would need to hire two people to do what I had done.

God could be testing you right now.  Are you being faithful with what seems like nothing?  Or are you looking past what is right in front of you hoping for bigger things?  Your handling of the insignificant, mundane tasks is going to determine your handling of much bigger things.  Your treatment of insignificant, mundane people will determine your handling of people who are truly important.

Sometimes the Christian life isn't fun.  Just remember that we serve a God who says that he or she who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much.  Unfortunately, we serve a God who also says that he or she who cannot be trusted with little cannot be trusted with much either.  Maybe the next step in your life is to start being faithful with the little you DO have.  When that happens, you can be assured that God will give you plenty more.

What can I get away with and still consider myself a Christian?

In his book, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" author Phillip Yancey writes the following:

"Imagine a groom on his wedding night holding the following conversation with his bride:  'Honey, I love you so much, and I'm eager to spend my life with you.  But I need to work out a few details.

Now that we're married, how far can I go with other women?  Can I sleep with them?  Kiss them?  You don't mind a few affairs now and then, do you?  I know it might hurt you, but just think of all the opportunities you'll have to forgive me after I betray you!'  (p 190)

We all know that a marriage like this wouldn't last very long at all.  Neither will a relationship with God.  Oh sure, we'll go through the motions of worship.  Heck, we might even give a few dollars to a church now and then.  But we will never move into the deep relationship God desires with each of us.  We'll never experience the joy of the fellowship with the Holy Spirit that is waiting for each of us.

We all need to replace the question, "What can I get away with and still consider myself a Christian?" with the deeper question, "What can I do to ensure that God is glorified in everything I do?"  In practical terms, the Christian should never ask the question, "What's wrong with it?"; rather, he or she should ask the question, "Will this bring absolute glory to God?"  "Will this action shout from the rooftops that God is the greatest treasure of my life?"

The husband in the passage above would have done better to tell his wife, "From now on, my actions and my words will shout to you and to the world that I prize you above all other women.  I don't need rules or limits or anything of that nature, because my love for you has turned my heart towards you and away from anything that would destroy that love.  You are better than the rest, and I choose you over them all."

The same would be good words for any Christian towards God.

The question I want to ask every Christian

When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?

Christianity is not about going to heaven when you die, as much as we'd like it to be.  Oh sure, it's a part of it, a pretty nice part of it, but I would say that in the grand scheme of faith, it occupies less than 1% of what Jesus cares about.

Somehow in American Christianity, we've gotten it into our heads that the key definition of a Christian is someone who is going to heaven when they die.  Someone who has been forgiven of their sins and by the grace of God will be welcomed into the pearly gates five minutes after they kick the bucket.

Where in the Bible does it say THAT?

In fact, Jesus spent most of His time on earth talking about something called the "Kingdom of Heaven" or the "Kingdom of God" depending on what gospel you read.  Most of what Jesus talked about, in His parables and in His teachings, dealt with treasuring this kingdom (the parable of the treasure in a field and the parable of the pearl of great price), valuing this kingdom over the things of this world (Luke 14 and the parable of the Great Banquet), seeking the kingdom, serving the kingdom, and building the kingdom.

I always thought that the kingdom was a reference to heaven.  I always thought that when Jesus talked about the kingdom, He was talking about things that would happen after we die.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I would define the kingdom of God as a place where things are as God intends them to be.  Whenever you love your enemies, there the kingdom is.  Whenever you forgive someone who has hurt you, there the kingdom is.  If your home is a place where God is honored and worshiped, and His rules for the family are followed, there the kingdom is.  If your church engages in Biblical worship and adores God in praise, there the kingdom is.

When you are going to start being a force for His kingdom?

I sat down with a Christian who was upset with his church because he thought there needed to be more classes and Bible studies for the people.  Now, I have no problem with classes and Bible studies. I love them.  However, most churches don't need more of those.

I asked him, "You're 58 years old- why do you need another Bible study?  You've been going to Bible studies all your life.  You've been listening to sermons all your life.  You don't need more teaching.  When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?"

He looked at me with a funny expression.  "What do you mean?" he asked.

I said, "When will you become a force that brings non-Christians to faith in Christ?  When will you start taking younger men and discipling them for a deeper walk with God?  When will you start doubling your tithe to support missions in persecuted countries where they need it the most?  When will you start being a force for His kingdom?"

He looked at me like I had two heads.  Then he shrugged and said, "I think I'm going to find a church that has more classes."

"So you're like the forty year old who has been in college for the last 22 years because he needs to "get more information,"  I said. "A forty year old who has been in college for 22 years doesn't need more information.  He's afraid of life.  He's afraid of what he's learned, and he's afraid to move outside the safety of the academic classroom and actually do something meaningful.  Same is true with a 58-year-old Christian whose been in church all his life but still wants more "classes" instead of being a force for the kingdom."

See why I get in so much trouble?

I could have been nicer, I guess.  However, I'm not here to make comfortable people comfortable.  I am passionate about people moving out of the classroom and into the real world where Jesus has called us to go (Matthew 28:18-20).  It may be that it is time for you to stop "training" and get in the game.

When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?

5 Things I've Learned from Watching the Olympics

1.  The Olympics brings out some amazing things in people- the hard work, the dedication, the singularity of focus that these athletes show is truly inspiring.  These are qualities that Christians must have in their walk with the Lord.  In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul states, "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

These athletes go through so much training, discipline, eating the right foods, backbreaking workouts, etc- for a prize that doesn't last.  How much more should Christians labor and endeavor for a crown that lasts forever?


2.  Sprinters have it much easier than distance runners.

Sprinters have to be focused for a few seconds.  Quick burst of energy and they are done.  Distance runners have to stay in the game mentally much longer.  Minutes, even hours, of pushing themselves mentally and physically.

Which is the Christian life more like?  A sprint or a marathon?  All too often, people view faith in Jesus as a sprint.  They start off strong, but fade after the first initial burst.  Around 80% of people who come forward in evangelical rallies leave the church and their faith within a few years of their conversion experience.

What the church needs is distance runners- endurance athletes who stay in the game mentally and physically to the end.  A sprinter is exciting to watch, but a Christian whose faith is a sprint will do nothing to further the kingdom of God.


3.  Pride and arrogance is ugly.

It never fails- someone who has accomplished an amazing feat of athleticism faces the camera and struts, posturing like a peacock before the cameras, proclaiming his or her greatness to the world.  Not all athletes do this, not by a long shot.  However, I've seen my fair share of arrogance strutting around the track or the field or the pool or whatever venue the athlete succeeds in.  And it is ugly.  Very ugly.

I am actually fearful for these athletes, because pride goes before a fall.  These athletes are one pulled hamstring away from disqualification, one knee injury away from never running again, one ankle sprain away from going home.  Their illusion of world domination is just that- an illusion.  When the fall comes, it will not be pretty.

It is much better for an athlete to perform a world-record winning performance and be just as excited as if someone else had done it.  I love watching the interviews with the athletes that are so grateful and excited just to be there that it doesn't matter who wins.  They can't believe the opportunity that is before them, and they are as giddy as a child on Christmas morning just to be on the field of competition.  Those are true athletes.


4.  People are people, no matter what country they are from.

Thousands of miles and cultural difference don't change the basic humanity God has given us all.  All of the athletes have sacrificed, gone the extra mile, and worked for where they are.  All of them have families and friends in the stands cheering them on.  All of them want the same thing- to do their best in representing their countries to bring home the gold.

I love it.  In my travels to other countries, I have found that people are people.  In every country I've been in, people love to laugh.  They all have the same basic needs.  They all need respect.  The Olympics shows the very best that is in humanity, and for that I am very grateful.


5.  Humans are intrinsically drawn to greatness.

Why do we like to watch the best?  Why do people flock to the stands to watch the fastest men and women in the world?  Why do people crowd into stadiums to watch the best tennis players, the best soccer players, the best swimmers, the best gymnasts, etc?

It's because we love to watch the best.  It is human nature to enjoy greatness.  We enjoy great works of art, great feats of athleticism, great stories, and great works of creation.  And that is no accident.

God made us in His image.  We were created in the image of greatness.  However, in the fall in Genesis 3, we tarnished that image by allowing sin to enter the world.  In every one of us, there is a sense of loss and a desire to see that greatness once again.  God uses that desire to see greatness to draw us to Him.  More people have become believers in God after seeing the beauty of the Grand Canyon and the thundering might of Niagara Falls than they have because of carefully crafted theological arguments.

We were created to desire and enjoy greatness.  As great as the Olympic games are, they are nothing compared to the greatness of God.  The same pleasure and satisfaction and enjoyment we get from watching the best athletes in the world compete is what allows us to enjoy God.  Realize today that the reason you enjoy watching the best in the world is that God placed that desire within you so that you might search out His greatness and enjoy Him forever.

The #1 sin destroying the family and the church . . .

As a pastor, I see a lot of different things.  I have seen good families, bad families, terrible accidents, wonderful acts of love, friendship, addictions, addictions that destroy friendships and family relationships, sacrifice, and just about everything else under the sun.

I've also seen the consequences of sin.  A lot.

However, truly terrible sin is rarely evident on the surface.  To be sure, we have terrible outbreaks of sin such as in the Colorado shooting and more recently, the Sikh temple shooting, and those are very evident. 

But for sin to truly do it's best work, it has to go undetected for long periods of time, sort of like cancer that eats away at a human body until the point it causes death.  That's why the #1 sin that is destroying the church and the family is subtle and unseen, and even celebrated by some.

It is the sin of idolatry.  The #1 sin destroying us.

John Piper wrote about this in his book, "A Hunger For God":

"The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie.  It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world.  It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.  For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of His love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20).  

The greatest adversary of love to God is not His enemies but His gifts.  And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth.  For when these replace an appetite for God Himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable." p 14

The sin that is destroying the church is simply a hunger for something other than God.  It is destroying the family as well.  The sin of idolatry- it doesn't matter what the idol is, be it a car, a job, money, music, significant other, comfort, a large house, the American Dream- leaves the church full of zombie-like people trying to worship a different God on Sunday than they are used to.  We cannot give our worship to God on Sunday if we've given our worship to an idol the previous six days. Many times I find myself in love more with the gifts that God gives me than God Himself. 

  -Sometimes I find that I am in love with my wife and children than the One who gave them to me.   

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with His church more than the One who died to save it. 

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with my health than I am in love with the One who sustains it.

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with the gift of sex than I am in love with the One who created it and the sanctity of marriage in which to enjoy it.

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with sitting on the couch drinking in the mediocre drivel called entertainment than I am in love with His word.

Then, almost immediately, my mind goes to the "default defense of the terminally lukewarm" statement, "What's wrong with that?"  Good question.  What IS wrong with loving my wife and children?  What IS wrong with loving His church?  What IS wrong with loving those other good things?

Nothing.  However, just like in Luke 14:18-20, those good things have the potential to keep me away from the banquet feast of the Kingdom of God. 

Here's the bottom line:  the sin of idolatry will make sure that it is good things, not evil things, that will keep me from the love of God.  That is why idolatry is the #1 sin destroying our churches and our families.  We won't spot it until it is too late.  We will even commend the man who has made an idol out of his family, loving them to the detriment of his relationship with God.  We will even commend the servant who has made an idol out of his or her church, serving it relentlessly to the detriment of his or her own love for God.  We will refer to that person as "so dedicated, so servant-hearted, so sold out for the kingdom" when what they truly have is a problem with idolatry.

Meditate today on Luke 14:18-20 and ask yourself, "What would keep me away from the party God has invited me to?"

Then ask yourself, "Is it worth it?"