No Shirt, No Shoes, Know Jesus

Random Thoughts

 Here's some random stuff I've been thinking...

1. I'm one of those weirdos who loves the snow! But if that plow driver throws all that white crap in my driveway one more time, I'm going after him with my shovel!

2. Now I have the theme song to Mr. Plow stuck in my head!  If you get the reference, kudos!  If you don't, chuck it up to not wasting your life watching tv.

3. Gonna celebrate my 15th anniversary next month.  Stumped on where to take Julie.  The anniversary noose is tightening.  Anybody got any cool suggestions for me?

4. I am constantly amazed at how much time Easter takes up for a pastor.  Spent a nice chunk of the week preparing for a day almost two months from now.  What happened to the days when my biggest worry about Easter was how much chocolate was gonna be in the basket?

5. Friday night has become the new Saturday morning for me!  Tonight I plan on watching new episodes of Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Superman.  I'm not a grown-up. Don't judge.

6. I'm old enough to remember when Gadhafi was a nut back in the 80's.  Guess crazy does go round again.  Can't believe this guy is still in power! 

7. Really hoping all that turmoil in the Middle East results in more freedom for the people.  Kinda suspect some new crazies are gonna fill the power vacuum. 

8.  Can't wait for church this week.  Shout out to Greg Davis for coming out to the OSC and sharing his mission.

When that's all that's swimming in the grey matter right now.  See ya all on Monday.

Guest Blogger!

    We have been doing a series at the OSC entitled, "Unlovable" and I asked Frannie to give me her thoughts when it comes to loving those who are difficult to love.  I think she crushed it!  I hope you do too!

Hi All, Franny here – your guest blogger, extraordinaire. I’ve really been thinking about the red and pink hearts, chocolates, and flowers that the month of February has to offer. I wanted to share my thoughts with you. While Valentine’s Day is sweet and everything, does it really depict what love is? 

Wouldn’t it be nice if love meant holding hands and watching a sunset, walking along the beach, getting flowers and non-stop butterflies! I could sum this up in one word – YUCK! Now, I am not suggesting that these things aren’t nice every so often, but let’s be honest, it is a shallow representation of what love truly is.  Love means taking the good, the bad, and the ugly and accepting a person for who and what he or she is.  Not a candy bar.

My very wise mother reminded me of this last week.  I was complaining about a family member and I said “I love him like crazy, but…” My mother stopped me and said “But nothing.  Love doesn’t have boundaries.” Whew! That was a heavy statement.  I just sat there for a few minutes.  She is right.  Love cannot have margins and restrictions. Love means whole-heartedly taking someone for what he or she is and isn’t.  Love can be tricky.

Given my experience, and the situations that I have faced, Love is phenomenal. It is support, strength, compassion, caring, and sometimes, it hurts like hell! The truth of the matter is, we don’t only love people who show us the same kind of love – then it would be easy. We care about people that don’t always care about us, that don’t always care about themselves. Often times, we find ourselves loving the Unloved. It would be a lie if I said that this wasn’t painful and troubling sometimes. 

Loving the unloved constitutes standing up for what you believe in even when no one else does, defending those who are being treated unfairly, and ultimately, forcing the unloved to believe why they should be loved too! Truthfully, we are all the “unloved” at some point.

 As a whole, it is our responsibility to look out for one another, to start looking at each other as people and to stop itemizing our love. Now sure, everyone has some sort of hierarchy of love (Family, then friends…), but I’m talking about outside of our immediate sphere of our influence to then say “Well, I will love this group of people more than that group of people, but I will love that group more than these people, and those ones, I won’t ever come into contact with!” It is illogical! Whether we admit it or not, we all have the tendency to do that. I ask that we break our preconceived tendencies and show love without boundaries.

Now, I know that this is seemingly farfetched.  As if I am preaching about world peace while the Beatles “All we need is Love” is playing in the background. But let’s be honest – what good is it to love only those who are happy and whole.  In my experience, loving people who are broken and lost is also important.  We need to be ready for the warm-fuzzy-feelings love, and for heart-wrenching tear-jerking love.  Regardless, warm-fuzzy or tear-jerking, I would rather feel something that is real – instead of continuously experiencing a false representation of love, were love is portrayed through little candy hearts with expressions like “hug me,” “cutie,” and “xoxo.”

This can be a daunting task – trust me, I know.  But, this is what we are here for, loving those who don’t feel loved, who are shunned by family, friends and society.  Let’s think back. If memory serves, Jesus wasn’t here kickin’ it with kings and people with all of the riches.  He became BFFs with people like cheating tax collectors and lepers.  Maybe we all need to follow his foot steps and find some modern day crooks and creepers to hang with – I know I do.

What Your Pastor CAN'T Do

    As a pastor, it is funny to me to see some of the expectations that people have of the person that fulfills that role in their life.  Some of those expectations are justified. Some are insane.  I thought it might be helpful to pull aside the curtain and share some of the limitations we have as pastors so that people are not set up for disappointment in their spiritual leadership.  So here goes...

     Pastors Can't Be Perfect.This should be a no-brainer!  Pastors are people, with all the fallibility that goes along with that.  No matter how they might try, (and in some cases, pretend!) pastors are just as flawed as everyone else.  You won't have to spend much time with me to see that this is true.  I can be unorganized, forgetful, grumpy, argumentative, indecisive, mistaken, and foolish.  Sometimes, I "gasp" even sin! In all honesty, I sin everyday. (double "gasp"!)  That's because, like everyone else, pastors are a part of fallen humanity desperately in need of a merciful God.  While my intentions are to be the best man I can be, I still screw up.  This should be no surprise.  But to some people, it is.  I think this comes from some misconceptions. 

    First off, people get confused on why God calls individuals to ministry.  They assume He must call the best and brightest.  WRONG!  A cursory look at the Bible shows that His selection pool tends to be filled with screw ups.  Fishermen, thieves, terrorists, murderers, the homeless, drunks, and madmen have all made His final cut.  Not necessarily what we would consider pastoral material.  His standard is still the same today.  Get a bunch of pastors in a room and you will discover they are strange people with strange ways.  When the bible says, "God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful." (I Corinthians 1:27), pastors are definitely included in that statement!  We need to readjust our viewpoint, then, and recognize that God is not calling perfect people to ministry.  He is calling broken people who are desperate for Him and will allow His redemptive purpose to be displayed in their lives. 

    Secondly, pastors have to stop perpetuating the myth.  In our desire to be obedient to everything the Lord asks, we tend to create a facade that we are.  As much as I wish it were true that my life was an example of perfect obedience and relationship with Jesus, it is not so.  Pretending that it is and spreading that fiction, leads to disillusionment by the people we are called to serve.  It takes courage to admit to failure and it is embarrassing to confess to sin.  But people respond to honesty much better than they handle the discovery of hypocrisy.  We need to be honest in our struggles and in our wrestling with God's standards so as to effectively and relatably share the powerful truth of a Living God who moves in our lives.

    So there you have it.  I'm not perfect.  Never was and never will be this side of eternity.  But I love Jesus and I am willing to share with you how He works in a messed up guy like me so that you may have hope in what He can do for you.  And if I can successfully pull that off, it might just be...dare I say it?...perfect!

Hey, That's My Kid!

    I learned something unfortunate about myself the other day.  I learned I have the potential to be one of those dads.  My son, Noah, is playing basketball for the first time.  Let me preface my following comments by saying that I recognize that he is still learning and is not the best at the sport.  However, compared to the other kids on his team, he's Michael Freakin' Jordan.  I'm telling ya, this team is rough.  Most of the time the other kids aren't even paying attention to where the ball is.  It should come as no surprise that they have yet to win a game.  This does not sit well with Noah.

    Noah is not an aggressive kid.  He plays well with others.  Noah also hates to lose. Ever.  So about halfway through his games, he decides that, if the other kids are not going to go all in, he'll just do it himself.  Last week, he had more rebounds than both teams combined.  After seeing the ball go out of bounds too many times because his teammates were facing the wrong way, he takes the inbounds pass and shoots it himself, every time.  He never passes.

    I've had a talk with him about that.  This is supposed to be a team sport and even if his team doesn't do what they are supposed to, he needs to play the right way.  I explained to him that if the other kids don't get a chance to touch the ball, its no fun for them.  I told him how the other moms and dads want to see their kid get a chance to play.  And he understands.  He tries to do better.  Right up till halftime.  Then his competitive nature kicks in.

    This is obviously frustrating for the other parents and I am sympathetic.  I would be upset if I felt the other kids were preventing Noah from playing.  So I'm understanding...up to a point.  I always wondered how parents could fight at a kid's sporting event.  Now I know.  You want to fight when some idiot criticizes your son.  Last Saturday, a parent shouted to Noah, "Pass it, you ball hog!"  My first thought was, "I've got a better idea, 'how bout I punch you in the face?"  I mean, who is he to say anything to my boy?  Thankfully, I was able to remain rational and control myself.  (Though I took some amusement when his oaffy kid got plunked in the back of the head with the ball cause he was facing the wrong way. Again. I'm a bad person, so sue me.)  But the emotion really affected me!  I love my son more than anything and I can't stand for people to be critical of him.  It is the only thing that can inspire such a rage in me that I feel like I responding physically.  That protective instinct in hard to suppress.

    Most of us can understand that emotion.  It probably shouldn't come as a surprise then, that God also understands it, that He would be protective of His children.  This is something that is worth considering.  I've had to deal with one comment about my son.  How many does He have to hear on a regular basis?  Just this weekend, I can count multiple times where Jesus or Christians were the target of criticism and ridicule in the media.  And maybe some of the comments about the church were justifiable. Maybe in our attempt to do what's right, we screw up a little.  I'm just saying, right or wrong, if you yell at my kid, we've got issues.  The bible tells us God feels the same.  The book of Ezekiel deals with God's correction of Israel, His children.  It also tells us about God's judgement on nations that thought they had the right to talk smack about Israel.  God is not interested in hearing anyone trash His kids.

    So what's the lesson in all of this?  If you belong to Father God, just know that He's got your back, jack!  Even if someone may be critical of you for a time, God will not let it slip.  He promises to repay our wrongs.  On the other hand, I would think twice before I started trashing His kids.  Life is hard enough without having God ticked at you. 

Spring is Coming

Julie here.... the recent thaw and glimpse of sunshine has my spring fever in overdrive.  This song has been in my mind all week long.  I hope that spring is coming soon, both to Cleveland and to my heart.  It has been a long, cold winter, but today I feel the hope!

But I Hate That Guy! Part II

    I used to hate it when my dad would say, "cause I told you to!".  I always thought it was a stupid justification for doing anything.  As I have gotten older, I've come to accept the authority of a person as a valid reason for obedience.  But for me, it is still the least satisfactory cause for response.  Thankfully, God is merciful to obstinate people like me and often explains more fully why He asks certain things from us.  This is true when it comes to His command to love our enemies.

    As a follower of Jesus, I want to be like Him.  This is probably a good goal for everyone.  Seriously, can you think a better person to want to be like?  He has super powers, never screws up, goes all action hero when He needs to, and makes better wine than all the frenchies combined!  Who wouldn't want to be like Him!  Once you get to know Him, you are even more inspired by His mercy, grace, truth, and holiness.  God's Son is the ultimate standard to reach for.  He is the highest idea we can aspire to.   So His example can become a compelling reason for obedience.  When it comes to loving our enemies, we are forced to deal with Jesus' example of what that means.  Consider this verse...

    For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.  Romans 5:10

    Think that through.  Jesus gave His life for us while we were His enemies.  Period.  We were not acquaintances.  We were not on friendly terms.  We were not indifferent.  We were His enemy.  That may seem a bit extreme to some of you.  You may think you have never had anything against the Big Guy.  But the Bible tells us that our rebellion against Him sets us up as His enemy.  It certainly, in no way, would justify the ultimate sacrifice He made on our behalf.  Yet He is willing though His actions to demonstrate His love for those who don't love Him.

    For me, this is a good answer to why we should love our enemies.  I want to be like Jesus and He did it first.  The challenge is to live up to that great example.  It forces us to move past hatred and indifference and to take action.  If I am to be like Him, I need to look for opportunities to serve those who I do not like to demonstrate love.  That is not easy, and frankly, Jesus' example doesn't make it any easier.  His level of commitment is scary.  But it does inspire me to try.  My prayer is it would inspire you as well.

But I Hate That Guy!

    Let's be honest: there are people out there that you just don't like!  Maybe you have a great reason for it.  Maybe you are totally justified in your attitude. Maybe you're paranoid and delusional and hate everyone around you cause you think they are trying to steal your cat.  Regardless of the reason, we can all admit that we can be a hater.  That's why it's so annoying when Jesus says stuff like this:

    But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  Matthew 5:44

    C'mon, Jesus, why should we love the bad guys?  Why should I care about someone who has hurt me or treated me poorly?  It doesn't make any sense!  When it comes to the topic of loving our enemies, I think this is a good place to begin.  We need to start with the question of "why?"  Without an answer, there is no motivation to obey.  This is why, what is obviously a command to be active in our love for those we don't like, has become a passive response of dismissal.  Apathy is not love.  A non-response doesn't fulfill Jesus' command. 

    As a Christian, that is the example that I have seen most often.  Church people may not say they hate.  We just are cool and unresponsive toward individuals or segments of society that we don't care for.  Guess what?  It's the same thing!  It's just less honest than coming out and straight saying you hate someone's guts!  So what do we do then?  How are we supposed to handle this most difficult of verses?  For me, it's about the "why?"  Why should I love my enemies?

    The simpliest answer to this question is: Cause Jesus told me to.  Oh, I bet a lot of you hated that!  As a culture, we despise authorotarian responses.  We don't want people to tell us what to do.  I can remember as a kid, the worse answer my dad could give me was, "because I said so."  That's not a good reason to do anything!  Or is it?  We question authority as a culture, and rightfully so.  It keeps us from being abused by the unethical. Yet at the same time, the word of someone in authority is enough to prompt action in our daily lives.  If our boss tells us to do something in the course of the work day, we may not like it, but we do it.  Why?  Because he or she is the boss and our response to them dictates our employment.  When my dad gave me the "because I said so" retort, I didn't like it but I obeyed.  Why?  Because he had authority over my life and there were reprecussions for disobedience. 

    Obviously, Jesus' authority should be without question.  If you accept that He is God, then logically, He gets to call the shots.  We know if we choose to disobey Him, there are going to be reprecussions.  Yet, just like my dad, I believe that what God asks of me, He does for my benefit.  I may not fully understand it, but my obedience, even when I don't like it, results in my betterment.  That is "why" I want to respond just because Jesus tells me so.  Even when it means loving and praying for those I don't like.

Apostle Of Love

    Is that the greatest nickname or what?  It was traditionally given to the Apostle John because he wrote so much about the subject.  The name, however, reminds me more of a bad Barry White song than anything associated with a dude from the bible.  Seriously, it sounds like a 70's sexploitation flix. 

    John did write about love quite a bit.  He is the one who qoutes Jesus for that most famous "for God so loved" verse.  His first letter is filled with references concerning the true nature of love. Considering the holiday today and the myriad ways love is expressed, both authentically and perversely (candy plus flowers should not equal sex.  Just saying), I thought it might be nice to consider some true expression of love from God to us,  So I'm gonna shut up and let you hear from the Apostle of Love. (Bow chica wow, wow!)

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!  I John 3:1

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. I John 3:18

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  I John 4:9-10

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.  I John 4:18

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!  Hope these words remind you that you are being loved!

Random Thoughts...

Nothing deep today.  Still feeling too crappy from this cold to be profound.  Here's what I'm thinking about today...

1. I think it ironic that when you shorten Valentine's Day to its initials, you are left with what many people run the risk of getting based on how the holiday is popularly celebrated.  Just saying.

2. I thought the human body was mostly water.  I have discovered this week that mine is mostly mucus.  Which, I suppose, is just thick water.

3. I've had an overwhelming desire to sing, "Let my people go!" in a deep voice every time I've seen Egypt mentioned on the TV this week.

4. Can't wait to have Korean food tonight!  You know asian food is gonna be good when you are the only caucasian in the place.  Although, situations like that result in a least one "stupid American" moment for me. 

5. I need to figure out how to take auto correct off my phone.  I almost texted someone that I was going to "touch him in a game" instead of "torch".  Yesterday, I sent a text the read "Contracts!!!!" instead of "congrats".  There is bound to be a huge misunderstanding if I can't get this fixed right now.

Well, those are the thoughts bouncing around in my noggin right now.  Sorry for the quality.  I blame the Nightquil.  I'll have better ones come Sunday!  See ya then.

I'm So Sick

    I've spent the last few days curled up in bed convinced that, what I originally thought was a cold, was actually terminal.  I have been miserable!  I hate it when I feel so bad that I can't get anything done.  I haven't been able to think, I certainly haven't been creative, all I've wanted to do was stay under the covers and concentrate on not dying.  That's a bit hyperbolic, I know, but I'm still sick so don't mess with me.

    I think the tendency to blow things out of proportion is pretty instinctive.  If it's affecting me in a negative way, then it most be the most horrible thing in the world.  We forget, like bad colds, most problems have a way of passing with time.  I'm sure if you ask me how my February was at the end of the year, I won't recall that I was under the weather.  I'm a drama queen in the moment and forget it as soon as it's done.

    What's affecting you negatively today?  How much time are you investing whining and complaining and worrying about something that will be over before you know it?  Maybe you got something big on your plate that's worth a few tears.  But most of us are overwhelmed by things that are trivial.  I don't want to be overwhelmed anymore. Whelmed is good enough for me. 

    So I'm gonna stop whining, accept that I have to wait this sucker out, and concentrate on getting better.  Seems like that's good advice no matter what the problem might be.  Now...I'm going back to bed.