How Do You View God?

I have always believed that how we picture God has a tremendous impact on our faith.  Whether it be through bad teaching, bad theology or simple misunderstanding, many of us see God as having attributes that simply do not exist.  We talk about the "God of the Old Testament" as if God has a split personality, failing to realize that Jesus is the New Covenant who changed everything.  This is crucial, because the way we view God influences the way we think God views us.  Take a look at the list below and see if any of these "personas" of God have ever found their way into your thinking...


God as Darth Vader - Do what God tells you to do and everything will be cool.  Lose one rebel ship because it jumped to light speed and feel the cold hand of doom on your shoulder.  God does not like failures...
God as Genie - Your wish is God's command!  Some people call this prayer, but we all know it's all about telling God what you need want and waiting for Him to deliver.  Plus, there is none of that silly 3 wish limit stuff!
God as Judge Judy - Break a law and you will pay.  There will no mercy for law breakers, especially if it happens to be one of the Top 10.  If God catches you coveting your neighbor's key lime pie, you might as well pack your bags for hell...
God as Grumpy Old Man - God is not actually in control of things anymore.  He just sits in the recliner and complains about the state of things on earth and how no one listens to Him anymore.  Occasionally yells at the young folks to "Get off my lawn!"  
God as Bartender - God is always there to listen, to ease your pain, and to give you a little something to take the edge off.  But He's not really gonna' do anything about it.
God as Cosmic Killjoy - Does something look like fun?  Then God doesn't like it.  He wants you to be solemn and miserable.  Everything that sounds like a good time must be against His rules.  That's why soccer, rap & disco succeeded- absolutely nothing fun about those things.  :)
God as Financial Advisor - We should give freely to our churches and TV evangelists, not because we want to give back to God but because if we do He will make us wealthy beyond our wildest dreams!  So you don't forget, order your autographed Last Supper Menu before midnight tonight and you will be blessed!
God as Life of the Party - You hang with God, and life will be all sunshine and parties.  No sadness, no struggles and no worrying about people who might need your help.  God will keep you smiling and smelling good!


Do any of those sound familiar to you?  Or do you have your very own view of God?  Before you answer, here's one more I left out...


God as BFF - Need to be held accountable?  God can do that.  Need someone to lean on when the world has got you down?  God is always there.  Need to be convicted of your sins?  He's the One for the job.  Need to be loved unconditionally?  God is the ONLY one who will do that.  In John 15:14-15  Jesus says, "You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends..."  The great worship band Delirious expressed it like this:  "What a friend I've found, closer than a brother. It would break our hearts to ever lose each other...Jesus, friend forever."  God came to us in human form so that we would know how much he loves us- and that's what the Jesus Revolution is all about.  You want to know how much he cares about you?  Read Luke 12:6-7.  He knows everything about you and loves you more than you can imagine.  The creator of the universe (YAWEH) loves us like a daddy (ABBA).  How amazing is that...


So let me ask you again- How do you view God?


Because of Jesus,

Hall of Fame: The Class of '09

Cullen & Colton

Normally I am not a fan of the word "potential."  I have seen too many times over the years when that word used to trap and place unrealistic expectations on people.  We all have the potential for improvement, and in that sense it is a great thing.  But is some cases- say, for instance, when a teenager is giving algebra her absolute best effort, but is weighed down by a parent's thought that she has the potential to be an "A" student- it can be quite a burden.  It seems we often fail to live up to our potential in the eyes on those who proclaim we have it...

Alex, Lexi & Ariel with "The Clause"

Having said all of that, when the Class of '09 arrived as 6th graders in the student ministry of Wesley Memorial UMC in August of 2002, I could not help but marvel at the potential they had to completely revitalize our ministry.  We had been lacking in 3 areas during my first year at WMUMC- leadership, enthusiasm and numbers.  This class had the potential to fix all three.  As a youth pastor, I could not help but be excited by this gang, which had been very active in the children's ministry.  I thought of all of them as having the potential to be in my Youth Group Hall of Fame someday.  There were just so many of them who would become the core of Graceland over the next three years.  Alexis Woods, Zach Wehr, Alexandra Smith, Cullen O'Brien, Matt Preston, Skyler Rogers, Ariel Ringo, Corie Champion, Colton Myers, Meagan Dennis, Richard Fenimore, Melissa Nelms and their friends simply transformed the group.  They hit the ground running and never stopped, bringing much needed energy.  Even the high school kids just stood back and watched in awe as "the wave" swept over us.

Zach, ???? & Matt in action!

They also brought leadership.  Alexis and Zach were incredibly spiritually mature right from the start, asking good questions, serving on mission trips and helping to involve their friends. Alexandra, Matt, Cullen and Skyler always kept me on my toes as well.   This group didn't just "show up" for Graceland; they thrived there.  By the time they were 8th grade students in the 2004-05 school year, they were the backbone of the ministry in many ways.


In the end, the long term potential of that talented group to completely change the student ministry of WMUMC was wasted, but that was my fault- not theirs.  I resigned (because I was asked to) in late May of 2005, so I did not get to spend the high school years with this bunch.  I have heard from a few of them, and had lunch with Zach (who I know reads this) and his girlfriend and mom a couple of months back- but most of them are no longer part of my life.  And I miss them.  I have no doubt that together we could have accomplished much, and so today I honor them- all of them- by inducting the entire WMUMC Class of '09 into my Youth Group Hall of Fame.  You are no longer just potential Hall of Famers- you are there.  Blessings to all of you!


Because of Jesus,

A Day In the Life of a Youth Pastor

I was captured in action on a
Mission Trip- Nashville '99

Much of this post previously appeared on my other (now dormant) blog.  It appears here today by request.

One of the most commonly asked questions of Youth Pastors is this- "What do you do all day?"  It is usually asked by the youth themselves, but occasionally by their parents, the congregation, or under rare and very dangerous circumstances, by the Senior Pastor (TIP: If your SP is asking, it's time to polish up the old resume!).  I spent 28 years doing the job, and I can tell you that the answer is much more complicated than most people might realize.  I submit to you today that Youth Pastors are usually the most under-appreciated staff member in our churches. In fact, for myself (and I suspect many other Youth Pastors who have worked in small to medium sized churches) the real answer to the question is...EVERYTHING!

To show you what I mean, let me give you a list of some of the things I was asked to do during any given month at the churches I served. My tasks included, but were not limited to:

• Planning, directing and executing everything related to student ministry.  This usually takes no more than 80 hours a week...
• Serving as the fill-in preacher on rare scheduled occasions and every time the Senior Pastor woke up sick at 6 AM Sunday morning.  No one can "wing it" quite like a Youth Pastor!
• Having office hours.  These exist for 2 reasons.  One, so youth (and some parents) can stop by and hang out and talk to you about things both important and unimportant. Two, so the rest of the church staff has a place to hang out and complain.  My office was always the one with candy...
• Driving the church van for the senior citizens groups and women's groups of the church.  Why me?  Because I had logged thousands of miles in those vans without incident- and because they knew I would say yes after the Senior Pastor turned them down.
• Playing guitar & leading music during worship when the Contemporary Worship leader was sick or off interviewing at a church that was actually contemporary.
• Teaching the staff how to use word processing programs, data bases and graphic design software.  In later years, building and maintaining the church website.  I knew very little about computers, but "very little" made me the expert of some of those staffs.
• Make the wild, creative and envelope pushing suggestions that really rattled staff meetings- then smile as your suggestions were discarded.
• Bringing creativity to worship.  I wrote and directed dramas, made videos, introduced new music and taught volunteers how to run Media Shout.  And then when they didn't show up, I ran Media Shout!
• Support the Senior Pastor in his/her ministry.  With some pastors this was easy.  With others (like The Pastor Who Shall Not Be Named & Reverend Not-Appearing-in-this-Blog) , it was a matter of gritting your teeth and forgetting that they had just thrown you under the bus...again.
• Setting up the sound system in the Fellowship Hall for daytime events because no one else on the staff ever learned how (TIP: Stop learning how to do stuff).
• Make suggestions about making the worship service more relevant for teenagers, only to be looked at like you just suggested actually singing the 3rd verse of a hymn...
• Be the one person on staff who worked most every holiday and all summer long, because that's when students have the most available time.
• Fulfill the final line of every Youth Pastor job description- "and whatsoever other duties as determined by the Senior Pastor and the Personnel Committee."  In other words, everything no one else wants to do!

Please understand- I am not complaining. I loved being in ministry for all those years, and I am sure my brothers and sisters in student ministry feel the same way.  But I also hope you understand that being a Youth Pastor is hard work.  They don't just sit around all day thinking of new ways to ruin the Jones Memorial Carpet or spend all of the church's money.  They deal with screwed-up families, broken relationships and one of the largest mission fields around.  They plan trips, go to ball games, concerts and dance recitals (you will feel their pain when you sit through a 3 hour recital to watch 1 student dance).  They study, pray and prepare to lead programs.  And many of them- in my experience, the VAST majority- do all of these things in a spirit of love and service, because they want so badly for people to know Jesus. So if you know a Youth Pastor, show them some love today.  If you are one, please know you are loved and appreciated.

So there you go.  A day in the life of a Youth Pastor is never, ever boring.  And it was, for me, a blessing beyond anything I can describe.  But that is life with Jesus, isn't it?  Wild, crazy, unpredictable and a greater joy than anything you thought possible.  Have a great Saturday!

Because of Jesus,

Are You a Doomsayer or a Doomslayer?

The concepts of "Doomsayer" and "Doomslayer" contained in this post came from some notes I had in a very old file. I would love to give credit to the original speaker, but I simply don't know who it was. I can only say, "Thank you" and praise God for the inspiration all of these years later...

More and more these days I read articles and blogs that seem to take a negative view of our future here on planet earth.  They are worried about the end of the world, terrorism, our economy and so much more. Much of this writing comes from people who call themselves Christians, and this concerns me.  At a time when so much of the world has become consumed with the end of times and being Doomsayers, we who know Jesus should be positioning ourselves as Doomslayers.  While others find their hearts hardened with fear, hatred and distrust, we need be a people who have had our hearts (to borrow a phrase from G.K. Chesterton) "hardened with hope."  If those who believe in a risen Christ do not have hope in this world how can we expect anyone else to?  Just recently I had a longtime believer write to me talking about how evil this world is, and that there seems to be no hope for good.  Her point was that "things are bad now, and will only get worse.  We don't know what the future holds."  


Actually... YES we do!


We know exactly what the future holds.  Paul wrote that there is nothing- NOTHING!- "that can separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our LORD."  We know that whatever we may face, the power of the Cross can meet the challenge.  We may not know where the twists and turns our journey here on earth may lead us, but we know where the road ends.  God wins!  We may not see what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future.  And in that future, these things are true:
* The lion will lie down with the lamb.
*  The wicked will cease their troubling.
*  The weary will find rest.
*  There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more hatred.
*  There will be no more hunger and no more war.


So in this world of Doomsayers, it is time for the Church to rise up and be the beacon of hope that Jesus wants us to be.  We need to help our friends and neighbors discover the abundant life now (John 10:10) and the eternal life forever (John 3:16).  It's time to be a Doomslayer! How? Like this...

• To those who feel weary and unloved, we say, "Jesus loves me- this I know!"
• To those who feel lost, we say, "Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life."
• To those who have lost faith, we say, "Jesus is the same today, yesterday and forever!"
• To those who put their faith in a political party or movement, we say, "There is only one King of Kings and LORD of Lords who guides us."
• To those who have lost their way, we say, "Jesus is the light of the world!"
• To those who have lost their joy, we sing, "Joy to the world!  The LORD is come!"

Far too many of us stand in church each weekend and sing "Our God Saves" or "Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness," and then go out and live our lives in the chains forged by the Doomsayers.  It's time to pick a side.  Will we join the mighty chorus of doom that is echoing through our land?  Or will will join the great cloud of witnesses proclaiming in a loud and mighty voice, "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" and carrying his overwhelming message of hope to our communities. I cannot speak for anyone else, but as for me, I choose to harden my heart with hope.  I choose to be a Doomslayer.  I choose Jesus.


Because of Jesus,

CCM Thursday: Moshing Machine

Sometime around April of 2003 I received a call from one of the talent agencies I had used over the years asking me if I would be interested in having a new Christian band come to our church as part of their summer tour.  The band was called The Swift, and I had never heard of them.  I was not alone.  They had a new album and were touring in support of it, but they were not well known.  The agent told me that they had a piano-driven pop sound and were receiving excellent reviews for their live performances.  And they would come cheap.  Cheap was good.  The students of Graceland at Wesley Memorial UMC  loved concerts, so I booked them for an August date.  

By the time they arrived at WMUMC that August, The Swift had a hit single called Under the Sun.  Their album had received great reviews, and their star was climbing.  We had booked them at exactly the right time, because by the time they did the show for us we could have no longer afforded them!  They turned out to be great guys with hearts for ministry, and they did a tremendous show for us with an awesome message of God's unfailing love.  It was a pleasure to hang out with them, help them set up and tear down, and them take them and some of my youth out to dinner afterwards.  It turned out that the band shared my addiction to the restaurant Chilli's, and we had a blast eating and listening to them tell stories of life on the road.  It was one of those nights that made me LOVE my calling to serve Jesus through youth ministry.

One particular song stands out from that great night of music.  It's a song called Moshing Machine, and it speaks to the often odd experience of seeing an unruly crowd at a Christian concert.  They also had a killer t-shirt based on the song that was a big seller that night.  One line from the song always makes me laugh out loud: "Love your shoes but when they're breaking pews can't you see, it's irreverency!  OWWWW!"  Having once seen that happen at an Audio Adrenaline/Supertones concert in the late 90s, the song really resonated with me.   The band is no longer together, but their music is still all over my I-pod.  So to cap off a great memory shared with some incredible people on one awesome night, here's the official video for Moshing Machine.  Enjoy, and have a blessed day!

Abide In Jesus (John 15:5)

Sometimes those of us who profess to be Christians need to be reminded that we are human beings, not human doings.  The Christian life is not about what we can do on our own, but allowing Jesus Christ to bear his fruit through us.  In John 15:5, Jesus tells us that if we will abide in him then he will abide in us.  We must nurture the Holy Spirit within us through love, worship and obedience.  This is what it means to abide.


Unfortunately, taking the time to abide in Jesus is somewhat of a lost spiritual discipline.  Much like silence, it is so intimate and so foreign to us that we do not pursue these amazing moments with our Savior.  To help us along that path, today I'd like to suggest 10 ideas to help us focus on knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, experiencing Jesus and being linked to Jesus.  Remember, John 10:10 teaches that Jesus came to bring us not just life, but abundant life.  Let's seek it together.  Try one of these each day for a while and see if you feel a stronger connection with the Christ.

1. Listen to 3 of your favorite worship songs (consecutively) with your eyes closed, picturing Jesus in the room with you.  Sing to him.  Worship him.
2. Fast for a meal or a full day and focus the time you gain on love, obedience and worship.
3. Apply John 15:12 to your life by asking Jesus to show you who needs your unconditional love today.
4. Make a list of the Top 10 Reasons You Love God.
5. Do an Alphabet Worship Time.  Write down a prayer of praise, thanks or intercession for each letter of the alphabet.
6. Read the 5th chapter of the Gospel of John, highlighting any verses that speak to you about love, worship and obedience.
7. Set aside time for a silent prayer vigil- at least 30 minutes. Be still.  Know God.
8. At 10:27 (AM or PM) prayerfully read aloud Luke 10:27 to be reminded of the love of God.
9. Memorize The Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:3-11.  They are the condensed version of everything Jesus taught.
10. Take time to focus on the love of God by writing a letter or e-mail to someone who needs to know that you love them unconditionally because Jesus loves you that way.

Fall into the arms of a Savior who loves you more than you can imagine.  Spend time with him.  Abide in him.


Because of Jesus,

It's Time To Get Childish

When I was in the 8-10 year old age range my best friends were some guys in my neighborhood who loved playing superheroes.  We would get together after school or during the summer and play for hours. We would fashion makeshift costumes and we would BECOME the superhero we were pretending to be!  Did you ever do this? Who were your favorite heroes?   (As a side note, I just hope your favorite was not Aquaman. What a waste of a hero...) In my neighborhood, everyone wanted to be Superman.  With a towel fastened around my neck by a safety pin, I was "the Man of Steel."  When I ran with my cape billowing behind me I believed I was flying.  When I lifted a huge rock over my head, I believed it weighed 500 pounds. It was such a thrill to become lost in those moments.  But there came a time when I began to feel silly playing make believe.  I began to understand that "real" games like baseball and basketball were more acceptable for someone my age, and I hung up my cape.  I had come to a great awakening, a time of growing up and moving on with my life.


In retrospect, that "day of enlightenment" was a very sad day for me because it caused me to push part of my self into a corner where it could be hidden away.  Whatever that part was, I know it was the stuff of dreams and imagination- things that are seldom valued in the world we live in.  It was the place where "playing" lived.  And more and more as I grow older still, I have come to realize that it is the same place that God occupies in me.  This childlike place, this place of whimsy, imagination and boundless hope, is my soul.  We are told by Jesus in Matthew 18:2-4 that we should have faith like a child.  And what is it children have that we don't?  They have the ability to play.  They are still in awe and wonder of the things around them.  They have the naivete (also known as faith) to believe that God speaks to them.  They believe in miracles. They believe that Jesus meant what he said and that loving God and loving people is not all that complicated.  And they still believe that Superman can fly!


But we who are older and wiser, we who have careers and families and important things to do- we often feel our souls melting away.  We become cynical.  The things of God no longer astonish and amaze us. In fact, we become bored with our faith.  Episcopal priest Robert Capon once wrote that dullness is the most critical issue facing the church today.  He finished his statement by saying, "Jesus doesn't change people into wild-eyed radicals anymore, because the church is satisfied with nice people."  If we are to continue to promote the Jesus Revolution, then we must rediscover what it means to have faith like a child.  The late Mike Yaconelli wrote that "dullness is the absence of light in our souls."  That light is Jesus.  And Jesus is NEVER dull!  If you find your faith to be dull or lifeless, then you need to connect with the Jesus of the New Testament- the one who turned the world upside down, who inspired people to do remarkable things and who led his disciples on one adventure after another.  Encounters with Jesus are not like warming your hands by a campfire.  Encounters with Jesus are like the burning bush; they consume you without burning you up.  If your problem is dullness, then you may not have met the real Jesus...


So today I encourage each of us to put on our capes and our masks and remember what it is like to truly believe.  Because through Jesus, we all have the power to love.  We all have the power to change the world.  The miraculous becomes possible.  Mountains can be moved.  And maybe, just maybe, Superman will fly again...


Because of Jesus,