Happy Easter

I read the story of Jesus' betrayal, execution and resurrection with my 7-year-old and 5-year old before they went to bed last night. We had a children's bible that told the story using words that were easier for them to understand.

We talked about what the story meant and they both made thoughtful comments. It was a special time. I enjoy it when my kids like something that I like, but there is nothing better to me than knowing that my children know who Jesus is and what he has done for them.

There are many things I think about Easter. But this year I'm enjoying so much the beautiful simplicity of a child's faith and understanding.

My one question is this, what is it for you? Is it a "family" occasion? A "holiday?" Do you think more about bunnies and eggs than about a savior and a world-changing miracle?

Man's new friend...

I'd like to introduce Joey. This beautiful dog joined our family today. he was wandering in the streets of a suburb south of us. A kind family took him in and then posted a craigslist ad saying they needed a good home for a nice dog. We responded and were invited to go meet him. He took to us right away and the family that found him released him to us. My only difficulty in taking him was that they had a six-year-old girl who was heartbroken to see him go. We promised to email pictures for her and that seemed to help.

Joey is a cuddler. They warned us that he thinks he is a lap dog, and it's true. I had a very hard time saying goodbye to Sammy. It was too hard for me to blog it, so I didn't. Don't feel badly, there are some things that cannot be shared with the world. God knows what we need and today I needed to meet Joey. Susan said, "Our family is complete again." I don't know if that's true or not, but we are dog people and something has felt like it's missing since Sammy died. So, we have a new friend. He's the world's friendliest dog and we feel blessed to have him in our home. I'm sure there will be more to the adventures of Joey Nelson in later posts.

Palm Everyday

Today is Palm Sunday (according to the calendar). Today is the day that churches all over the world traditionally celebrate what is called the "Triumphal Entry."

Shortly before His arrest (false), trial (mis), execution (unjust), and resurrection (more on this next week), Jesus made a grand entrance into the city of Jerusalem accompanied by a huge crowd of people who were making a huge ruckus and laying their cloaks on the road for Jesus to pass over. They waved palm branches (that's where we get the name for the occasion) and shouted "Hosanna!" over and over. Hosanna is a combination of two words that can be taken to mean "deliver us now" or "save us now."

I find some irony here. First, there is good reason to believe that the deliverance for which the people were asking was from the Romans. I find it ironic that when they shouted "save us now" they probably didn't know or understand that that's exactly what He came to do, only not in the way they would expect. Jesus came to save them and us from the true tyrrany that dominates and enslaves us - our sin. They would remain under Roman rule and Jesus would be killed and for those who did not understand the Messianic significance of His death, that would be the end of the dream. For the rest of us, His resurrection is the beginning of our true life (more on that next week).

The second irony I see is the observance of the day. I'm not sure what we're celebrating when we observe Palm Sunday. As a child, I participated in a palm branch waving parade into the church with all of us saying, "Hosanna, Son of David." As an adult looking into what that event signified, I do see it as a sort of revelation of Jesus on the national stage. I guess for that reason it's worth the re-enactment. However, I think it's a little funny. Let's just hope that a week from now we're not in a crowd of many of the same people calling for an end to his "blasphemous" claims and his rejection of our religion. 

When we call out, "Save us now," I hope we are doing so knowing that He is the savior and that He will answer and save us from what is truly enslaving us.

What I love about the true church...

Ok. Those who recently read "Wake up, Church!" may be a little surprised at this latest bit. The fact is that I posted an incomplete thought last Sunday.

Since that posting I've had no fewer than six separate deep discussions about the topic and I realized that I needed to have said a few more things before I hit 'publish.'

First of all, I love the church. The church is the people of God. I cannot even begin to explain all of the people who have had profound effects on my life or in how many ways they have done so. There is nowhere else on earth other than in the presence of believers that I feel "at home" and there is nothing I love more than sitting and talking with another Christian about our Christ.

I love the Christians on the fringes asking hard questions and making me scratch my head and dive into the Word to remind myself of what Jesus says about some hard areas of life.

I love the Christians who are in the middle of the main stream of Evangelical Christianity who defend church and "how it's always been done" with the tenacity of a guard dog.

I love the Christians who ache to see the world changed for the cause of the Gospel and will make any sacrifice necessary for the Kingdom of God.

I love the Christians whose legacy is the very stones of the path I'm attempting to walk, though not always expressing my gratitude appropriately.

For me to say what I said the other day without making sure to point out that "leaving the church" is not only a bad idea, but arrogant and self-righteous was myopic at best. I neglected that point because with my present focus on the church as the body of believers, it seems a given that someone who believes in Christ cannot leave the body of believers. And so I made an assumption that I was being clear on that.

So, here I am feeling a little chagrined. I'm sorry, church, that it took me more than the first 20 years of my life to begin to ask God what he really wanted from me. I'm sorry, church, that I played into the deception I previously discussed by pretending to be one thing at church meetings and then living a different way everywhere else. I'm sorry, church, that I have spent so much time dabbling in sin and complacency all while complaining that I sense no spiritual vitality in my life. I'm sorry, church, that I have not been serving you with the gifts God has given me. I'm sorry, church, that I tend to be very open with my critiques and very private with my praise.

Love God, love people, follow Jesus. I think I've been emphasizing points one and three and not really living point two.

So, I reiterate what I said in the other posting about the church really becoming what Jesus describes in his anecdotes of Kingdom living. But, I also ask for you, church, to give me grace as I try to live the complexity of the simple truths I see in God's Word.

And, world, I also want to say to you that I'm sorry for the ways that I have not represented the love that Jesus has for you in ways that mean anything to you. I ask for you to forgive my ignorance, my judgments, my hypocrisy, my selfishness, and all my efforts at trying to be like you. I'm from another place and much of my life I've been acting like a wanna-be.

Finally, God, please don't stop speaking to me through the Bible, and through my interactions with wise friends. You have given me great gifts in my parents and my brothers and sisters in Christ. You have given me the great gift of faith so I can see and believe. You gave the greatest gift of all, your own Son. I deserve none of this. God, replace the part of my heart that wants to chastise and replace it with an eye that sees opportunity and a will that doesn't pass it by. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Transform me by the renewing of my mind. Most of all, use your Spirit in me so I can be usable to you. I have no other wants.

Church, I'm sorry if I stepped on toes.

If you are what you consider a "traditionalist" then you may have been offended by my previous post entitled, "Wake up, Church!"

It is not my intent to invalidate the present form of church. God can and does use those who submit to Him and there are many in church who do just that. I think the present form of the church is also an apt place for anyone that would not be able to be in a house church without tremendous distractions. If you do not feel that where you are is legitimately ministering to you, you probably will not grow there.

My intention is to call out those who would masquerade as the church while living for themselves. I want those who do have Jesus to just keep doing what they believe God would have them do and strive to become like their master in all ways.

So, if you were originally offended, please accept this olive branch. I sincerly want to start conversations that drive people to seek the face of God and that are mutually encouraging to all involved.

"non-inspired" bible study observation

Here's an alphabetical list of Greek words with rough English meanings from a current New Testament lexicon:

ekkaqairo - clean out
ekkaio - burn out
ekkakeo - worn out
ekkenteo - put out or dig out
ekklao - break off or cut off
ekkleio - shut out or turn out
ekklesia - church
ekklino - to deviate or to shun
ekkolumbao - swim away
ekkomizo - to carry out
ekkopto - cut out or cut off or cut down

Reminds me of the song from Sesame Street...

"Which one of these is not like the others. Which one of these doesn't belong."

Nothing profound. I'm just up too late and no longer being productive.

Wake up, church!

I don't know what is happening to me, but I don't want to miss it. I have been seeing or feeling or sensing God at work in my life in the past few weeks like I never have before. It's a little scary in the sense that I don't know exactly what is happening or where it is going, but it is thrilling that it seems so clear and so immediate. Let me try to explain myself.

I don't like to go to church. For me it is usually an exercise in insincerity. Not that I am given to pretending. Those that are closest to me will probably say that too much of my heart is on too much of my sleeve. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's who I am and I don't know that I have the time or desire to try to be something I'm not.

As a result of my dislike for going to church, I started sincerely looking into what God says about His church to see if what I was feeling was my pride and sin warring against Him or if my feelings were about something real. What I am discovering is shocking.

To put it simply, I have discovered that none of us should be going to church.

When you're over the shock of that sentence, keep reading. I'm not walking away from my faith. There are great deceptions at work in the church. In my nation, those deceptions include the following:

1. Being Christian is equivalent to being American.

2. Church is something to go participate in and is a place that is comfortable and appealing.

3. Being religious is the same as being spiritual.

4. Meeting the approval of people in your church is the same as meeting God's approval.

There are many other deceptions, but there is one great work of deception that is stealing the hearts of the people of God from Him - that we can live by the pattern of the world and still be ok with God.

I cannot talk about the aspects of this deception that I've already seen without making you read an extremely long, rambling entry. So for this one I'll just talk about what I see in the church.

We've read in Romans 12:2 that we are not to conform any longer to the patternof this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. To be transformed is to be changed from something into something else. You cannot transform yourself. You must be transformed by God and when that happens the result is clarity - you will know the will of God.

The church is not a building. The church is not an event. The church is not a schedule. The church is not a culture. The church is not an organization. The church is not a system. The church is people.

Who are these people? We are people who have the Spirit of God living in us because of the work of Jesus. If you have Jesus, you are the church. The things that the Apostles say about the church, they are saying about you. From the day you are born, there is a powerful enemy who works very hard to give you what you want. That enemy does not love you - he wants you to die. Don't listen to the one who wants you to die just because he gives you what you want. But this enemy is not as powerful as the One he tries to defeat. From the day you were born you've also had someone watching you and loving you and wanting to make you into something better than you can imagine. He knows you because he made you. What he wants for you is hope and a future. What he wants from you is just you. He doesn't want you for your money or your wit or your particular talents or what you look like or who you hang out with. If He wanted those things from you, He would wait to see what level of success you achieved before He would decide if He loved you or not. The truth is He has loved you your whole life - while you are still a sinner. In fact, I heard one person say about Jesus, "He loved you so much, He would rather die than live without you."

So what do the people who have Jesus look like? In the book of Galatians we are told that the "fruit of the spirit" is love, joy, peace, etc. I didn't list them all because the first three are telling enough. Do you have love, joy, and peace? Do you have love and joy? Do you have love? Do you have Jesus? There is a picture of what we are to look like when we live in the spirit of God. That picture is described in fuller detail in Galatians 5:16-26. Read it and then come back.

That section from Galatians tells is that the enemy I described before is actually appealing to a part of our own selves that wants to fight against God. There are some "big" sins in there that many of us avoid. However, included in the acts of the sinful nature are impurity, discord, jealousy, factions and envy and selfish ambition. Are these the ones we tolerate in our own lives and then think that we are still people of God? If you read to the end of that section, you will see what the people of God should look like. You will know them because they have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

What do the people who have Jesus do? I can answer this in two ways - how we are to act toward one another and what is the job that Jesus has left us to do here. First, the people who have Jesus love one another. Jesus said himself, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This was in chapter thirteen of the book of John. A little later in that same book, in chapter 15, Jesus says, "You are my friends if you do what I command." Then he says, "This is what I command: love one another." Jesus was asked by someone who was not his friend what He would say is the greatest commandment. Jesus told him that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and the second greatest is to love each other. Then He said that everything else hinges on these two commands! Read about that here.

Jesus told us that we need each other, that we should not avoid getting together with other people who have Jesus. He said that, "...where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." I fear that when two or three of us get together, we seldom do so in the name of Jesus. He told us when we are together that we remember him by sharing bread and a cup together in memory of his sacrifice for us. He told us that when someone believes in Jesus and wants to have His Spirit in them that the first thing we need to do is baptize them with water because they accept that Jesus died for them and was actually buried and actually rose from the dead to give us real life. Jesus also told us that when we are together we should encourage each other to love and do good things. He told us to encourage each other with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. He told us to carry each others' burdens. He told us to pray.

But, Jesus also left a very big job for us to do. We are to spread the message about Jesus to the whole world and we are to do that starting wherever we already are. In the Bible he was talking to people who lived in Judea. So he said, "Go to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world." (That's a paraphrase). Samaria was right next to Judea. I live in Huber Heights, OH. So if Jesus gave this command to me directly, He might have said, "Go to Huber Heights, Dayton, and the rest of the world."

So what does all this have to do with church? I know that if you don't go to a church you may have wondered about church and what goes on there. Let me tell you that if you get a chance to read the bible, you can see openly what the church is supposed to be. It's in the New Testament, and the apostles talk about it quite a bit. If you are in the church, let me say that a critical evaluation of your life will show you whether you are conforming to the pattern of this world. In most areas, we have been given standards that we are to meet in order to please God. Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your father in heaven is perfect." Is that the standard we present to one another? I see a much more common practice of telling someone that they will be pleasing to God if they assimilate our church culture. This is not the truth. In Hebrews and in 1 Thessalonians we are told that to please God we must have faith and we must love and we must live a set-apart life.

Did God mandate a schedule for church meetings? No. Did God mandate that we buy a church building and pay a staff and present a package of ministries in our services? No. Did God mandate that we sing four songs and then have a preacher give a sermon? No. Did God say that we need to wear certain clothes to have meetings together? No. I say that we have traded the simplicity and sincerity of living in the Spirit (see Galatians) with an organization designed to tell us what to think and how to live so we don't have to look to God in His Word and live. I say that we have become so accustomed to church culture that we will do anything to justify its rightness rather than let ourselves be transformed by the renewing our our minds. I say that because we have become accustomed to church culture, we have traded spiritual growth for personal comfort.

It's time for a change. It's time to stop putting so much stock in what we've been told all our lives. It's time to pick up the dusty Bible and read if for ourselves and be changed. It's time to stop being afraid of the unknown and start being afraid of rejecting our Holy God. What if your religion keeps you from the truth? Which would you sacrifice?

Wake up, church! You are the message-bearers. You are the people of love and acceptance. You are the people of purity and integrity. You are the people of faith and hope. You are the "little Christs." You are the ones who know the way, the truth, and the life. If you are not these things, you are not the church and if you are not the church why are you wasting your time going?

In the writings of the prophet Amos, the LORD says, "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies." This condemnation follows the charge that the people of God had turned away from Him. That they traded doing good for doing evil. Based on what Galatians says about the things that are part of our sin nature, the present form of the church may mirror what Amos saw in the house of Isreal. Are the things that were important to Jesus important to us?

Wake up, church! Love and live.

My dog Sammy

This is a picture of my dog, Sammy Sosa. We got him in 1998 (hence the name) and he's been a wonderful member of our family ever since.

On Thanksgiving day, 2008, Sammy had some sort of "event." We're not sure what exactly happened, but he's not the same. We think Sammy might be starting the process of saying goodbye to us.

It was a difficult evening for our family. Jenna was heartbroken and sat up with me keeping an eye on Sam. Kayla was sad, but mostly because Jenna was crying. After crying for a while, Jenna told Susan, "I need to write." And she did. She sat with a notebook in her hand and wrote for 20 or 30 minutes. Mostly it was notes to Sammy about how she loved him and she hoped he'd be happy in "hevin."

Sammy pulled through, and he's hanging on. He seems a little confused in general and his back legs are weak. But he doesn't seem to be hurting so we'll enjoy whatever time we have left with our old friend. You've been a wonderful dog, Sammy boy. Stay as long as you like and I'll take care of the family and the house for you when you go. I love you. Good doggy.

Father/Son

I just uploaded an entire photo album in facebook that is comprised solely of pictures of my 8-month old son Eli.

I got to thinking about fathers and sons. I've been a father for over 7 years now and I've been a son for a little over 33. There's so much I want my kids to know. And I'm so excited for them to meet new things in life. Paradoxically, it is a challenge to not rush them out of various stages and yet the time flies by so quickly.

Dad, did you hold me and think about the things I would experience? Did it make you want to be the best man you could be because you knew I would need that? I just finished feeding Eli a bottle and it's 12:15 am. I held him and it was a quiet, tender moment for me. He's so small and yet so full of life. His face practically glows with his excitement to see and experience new things!

I am devastated by this moment. It makes me feel so big and important to have the impact on another person's life. Simultaneously, I am so deeply humbled by the privilege and responsibility of being entrusted to raise a child...let alone three of them! Lord God, I need you with urgent desperation! You must transform me into the person you want me to be. Failing these kids is not an option. Please change my heart and make me better.

To reflect clearly, I've felt overwhelmed like this just a few times. My wife did that to me and each of my three kids has done that to me. Dad, did you hold me once and feel the inexpressible urges of fatherhood? What did you think about my future in that moment? You should know that I believe you succeeded. I am not perfect. But I love my family and would die for them in a second. Even more, I love Jesus and His Word in ways I cannot express. Is that what you hoped for me?

It's not surprising that I can't have a pure reflective moment on my kids without appreciating my mom and dad so much. Thank you, mommy and daddy, for sitting up with me in the middle of the night, and for telling me about Jesus, and for patching up my many, many owies, and for making me my favorites every birthday, and for loving me enough to discipline me. What I understand about God is certainly connected with what you did for me. Please keep praying for me as I hold little hands and take big steps. Pray that I can be for them what you were for me and that they will love Jesus someday, too.