Month: March 2010

Last week my bride joined me on the drive from Dallas to Houston to cheer our Baylor Bears basketball team. Along the way I spotted a billboard near the exit for an adult video store.

Drop the porn.
Be reborn.
Jesus

I spent the next several miles thinking what a sad message that billboard proclaimed. It might cause some guilt and shame for those who do want to drop the porn. They might vow to try harder not to view such material but when they fall again they will be swallowed by guilt and hopelessness. The sign might cause anger for those who feel judged and condemned by the holier than thou types. It might open the door for Satan to stir up old hurts and shame contributed by self-righteous moralists who receive grace easily but cannot return it.

What made me sad is that the billboard did not communicate the central message that Jesus suffered the Cross to achieve. You don’t have to work or earn your salvation. It is a gift of grace. And when you become a new creation with a new spiritual identity you can receive the power to overcome sins.

How many struggling seekers believe that they have to clean themselves up before they are acceptable to Jesus? How many think they that God could never love anyone as messed up as they are? How many think they have blown it too many times to deserve another chance?

I thought about a time when some religious zealots dragged a woman caught in the very act of adultery to Jesus, demanding that she be stoned to death. The Apostle John relays the story.

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 “No, Lord,” she said.

 And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8, NLT)

I thought that if Jesus did authorize a billboard it might say something like this.

I forgive you.
Depend on me  and you really can go and sin no more.

An example from Good Friday might make a good billboard message. Jesus was crucified along with two common criminals. One mocked him. One cried out for mercy.

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”  But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23, NLT)

Hmmmm. That flies in the face of some folks theology. Randy Alcorn succinctly points out how radical this response was in his book “The Grace and Truth Paradox”. Randy writes…

“The thief would never be baptized, make restitution, attend church, take communion, sing a hymn or give an offering. He had nothing to offer Christ, no way to pay Him back. Neither do we.”  (Emphasis is mine)

Maybe Jesus would approve of this billboard.

Believe in Me.
I love you no matter what you have done.
Jesus

I was saddened by the recent passing of actor Peter Graves. Who can forget his portrayal of the clueless Captain Oveur from the movie Airplane?

Tower voice: Flight 2-0-9’er cleared for vector 324.
Roger Murdock: We have clearance, Clarence.
Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?
Tower voice: Tower’s radio clearance, over!
Captain Oveur: That’s Clarence Oveur. Over.
Tower voice: Over.
Captain Oveur: Roger.
Roger Murdock: Huh?
Tower voice: Roger, over!
Roger Murdock: What?
Captain Oveur: Huh?
Victor Basta: Who?

But my fond memories of Peter Graves centered on a show from the the mid-sixties called Mission Impossible. The show featured one of the best theme songs in TV history. I remember waiting anxiously each week for the crew’s new mission led by Grave’s character Jim Phelps. I remember imagining myself as an IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent. Becoming a secret agent was an unlikely career path out of Southern Ohio especially when I shifted the next day to imagining myself as a major league baseball player. Hard to reconcile those two paths unless you are Moe Berg (look him up).

I loved the opening of the show when Jim Phelps got his “mission”. There was a convoluted scene where Phelps would receive a secret tape and a packet with information about the mission. He popped the tape in the machine and heard the details of the task ahead. The conclusion was always something like this.

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to (whatever the mission). As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Jim. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.”

And the tape would start smoking and presumably burn up. 

I never joined the IMF but I did receive a mission when I decided to follow Jesus. Some think the mission is impossible. I received the mission not from a secret tape but from a revealed Word. Here is the text of that mission from the Gospel of Matthew.

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest mission. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

Uhhhhh….is there another mission? This one does seem impossible when I look at the mission from my human frailties. Seriously? Me? You know me God. I can’t do this. And at that point of recognition of my need to trust God totally the mission becomes possible. When I ponder the grace that God extended to me I am amazed. When I believe that Jesus endured the Cross for my sin I am moved. When I understand that I have been changed into a new creation imbued with the righteousness of Christ I am humbled. When I depend on the power of Holy Spirit and not my own self-sufficiency I am bold. The mission is impossible if I try to do it. The mission is possible with Christ.

There is one huge difference in the SOP (standard operating procedures) of the IMF and God. The IMF and the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions if you fail. In my mission the Lord Jesus will stand with me if I fail. He will never disavow me no matter how miserably I execute the mission. His Word never self-destructs. And His conclusion to the mission was a bit more encouraging.

“Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28, NLT)

Because of that truth the mission is entirely possible.

To be honest this may only be the biggest mistake that I am willing to write about with the knowledge that internet postings have the shelf life of plutonium. Years ago I wrote a book with the provocative title of “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People”. In that book I was incredibly candid about the damage that Christians often do in the name of Jesus. I expected to get roasted for my candor about my faith. For the most part that didn’t happen. Perhaps those who most needed to read it didn’t recognize their need to read it. A couple of fans of one heretical televangelist decided I was on the express train to hell. Who knew they could read?

I took the most heat for a chapter where I cleverly (I thought) tried to use a political situation to make a spiritual point. Bad idea. I mean a bad idea along the lines of tank tops for middle-aged men and Spandex for almost everyone.

I learned my lesson.

I regret the political references I made in that book. I found out that political remarks polarize and deflect the message of the Cross. I tried to make it clear that Christians were making a mistake by trying to change our culture through politics instead of by changing hearts for Jesus. But my entire message was ignored by some because of a few paragraphs. I regret the impression that I gave to some readers that I believed the Republican party was the official party of Christianity. I do not believe that at all. And yes…I expect to see Democrats in heaven. And Libertarians. A few Republicans will be there too. But the common link will not be political ideology. The link that will bring us there will be Jesus.

Jesus chose to work by starting his own grassroots movement of faith and discipleship. He could have chosen to work in the lives of leaders and politicians. He could have chosen to concentrate only on people of power and influence. That is what I would have done. Jesus could have encountered Caesar on a Roman road instead of Paul on the Damascus road. But He did not. He chose to work through common men and women. He taught a radical message of grace and humility and service. He valued women, children, the poor, blind, crippled and ethnic outcasts in a way that was revolutionary and threatening to the status quo. Jesus was an off the charts revolutionary. You generally don’t get crucified for being annoying. He served instead of demanding to be served. He loved the unlovable and forgave the unforgivable. He taught that to a group of men and women in the first century who, with NO political power at all, turned the world upside down.

And that is where we as His followers have fallen short. We have fallen short by making righteousness about behaving the way we think you should behave instead of by modeling the One who makes righteousness possible. If the body of Christ had demonstrated His grace in a lifestyle wrapped around discipleship and serving then I suspect we would not have to be so dependent on fighting Washington to change the culture. It would be happening in the hearts of men and women and that would be the ultimate trickle-down effect.

I am not smart enough to decide what God has called people to do. If He has placed a desire for people to impact the culture through political action I am not about to question their motives. But my hope is in Christ and my trust is in a God who is in control even when I cannot see it.

So this writer will try to steer clear of politics in my humble ramblings about faith. God’s Word taught with truth and love will mold followers of Jesus that will view social issues wisely. Moralizing on sexual issues has produced guilt but not real results. Jesus forgave the woman caught in sin and THEN said go and sin no more. My goal is to tell people about the grace and love of Jesus, disciple them into a real relationship with Him, and then  watch as the Holy Spirit changes what my sermonizing cannot. Their hearts.

The body of Christ is about Jesus. About being a good citizen that respects authority. And about demonstrating His amazing grace to a desperately needy world. The message should be grace, redemption, and the forgiveness available to everyone. All political parties are welcome at the foot of the cross. We need to spend more time there…for the good of America. Jesus left us with these words that would be good to remember when you get discouraged by the cacophony of twenty-four hour news.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16, NLT)

I pray that you will believe and trust that truth.

(This article was posted earlier at theFish.com. I post an iPod Devotional every Monday at that site. Hope you will check them out)

Real and honest relationships are messy. If you take the chance to be known and get hurt it is easy to build a wall. If you take another chance with the same result it is easy to build a fortress around your heart. And that is tragic.

Sara Groves is a powerful lyricist with a great voice. That’s a very appealing combo plate. Her song entitled “It’s Me” is amazing. She captures the insecurities, old stories about our past and selfishness that leads to relationship meltdowns. And those moments seems to come out of nowhere.

weather came and caught us off our guard
we were just laughing and feelin’ alright
had such a great time just last night
we walked into a minefield undetected
you took a tone and I took offense
anger replacing all common sense

oh run for you life
all tenderness is gone
in the blink of an eye
all good will has withdrawn
and we mark out our paces and
stare out from our faces
but baby you and I are gone gone gone

I am sobered by the imagery of the minefield. Hidden among the flowers and grass are deadly relationship mines. A misstep here and you explode my insecurity. Over here you detonate all of those old hurts and shame from my past. Step here and you get wounded from the shrapnel of my selfishness. And all it takes is a tone or not meeting a need to blow up all tenderness.

God designed us to travel this journey in community. My friends at Truefaced say that you mature as a Christian when you trust God and others with what is true about you. That means taking off the masks and shining light in the dark places. That has always been scary for me because I imagine I am uniquely sinful. That others have it more together than me. But as I have begun to trust others with me and they with me I am convinced there are no together people. C.S. Lewis made this observation. “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one” That is what you find out over and over when you find trustworthy friends and let them know you. Really know you. We are all messed up.

Sara Groves writes about the sad pattern that most of us follow when we hurt or get hurt.

incomprehensible layers of isolation
now your the man with a heart of stone
making me pay here by being alone
seemingly justified righteous indignation
now I’m the woman who holds all her pain
looking for somebody else to blame

It makes me sad to hear those lyrics because I have been there so many times. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I have read and struggled with words from Paul that says we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church. Sure. And I will then run the 100 meters like Usain Bolt. Same chance. I enjoy reading The Message especially for passages I have read dozens if not hundreds of times. It often gives me a fresh perspective. Here is that verse from The Message.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. (Ephesians 5, The Message)

A love marked by giving. Maybe that is possible. A love that extends grace that is unmerited. Just like I received from Christ. A love that refuses to stay hidden even when that feels like the safest place to be. A love that expresses needs as a sign of strength and not weakness. My friend Bill Thrall says that the phrase “I don’t need you is the mantra of the wounded.” I do need my bride’s affirmation and love. I do need friends who know me and still love me. I do need a Savior who patiently molds me without condemnation. Yet I walk through a minefield of lies and past hurts and self-doubt every day. But that is not who I am anymore and I am trusting this truth.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5, NLT)

So when I step on a mine and get wounded I call out to Jesus. “It’s me. Your child. I need you to love me so I can love others out of your amazing love and grace.” And that is the first step to healing.

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” — Rogers Hornsby

Baseball marketing genius Bill Veeck once said there was one sure way to know that it is spring. “The true harbinger of spring, is not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball.” Maybe one of the most endearing charms of baseball is that it begins in the spring. The teams show up in Florida and Arizona while much of the nation grows weary of gray and gloom. As the weeks of spring training go by the trees back home start to come to life and buds peek out of the once frozen turf. Spring training is the first hope of summer.

Today I get to live a little boys dream and go watch spring training baseball. Sure it is my job. But it is still magic. There is much to learn in my spiritual journey from this boy’s game. I watch athlete’s of incredible ability go over simple fundamentals. Again and again and again. And I wonder why I think I am too mature in my faith to daily renew the fundamentals of who I am in Christ. To review each day that I am a new creation because of Jesus. Remembering again that I am righteous not because of anything I can ever do but entirely because of Jesus. I need to review those fundamentals. Again and again and again.

The other thing I love about Spring Training is the hope of a fresh start this season. Poet Alexander Pope wrote a poem in 1733 to Chicago Cubs fans (okay…and maybe to my beloved Texas Rangers fans as well) and noted that “hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Every team’s records from last year no longer matter. Every team has at least some hope as they enter the new season. What used to be true about a team doesn’t matter. Only what happens from opening day to the final pitch matters. Spring training means all things baseball are a new creation.

I am grateful that in my spiritual journey God has given me a chance for “spring training” renewal because of His grace. I have had some bad seasons during my career as a follower of Jesus. Some pretty ugly slumps. Because of His grace I am learning that everyday is a gift with the promise of renewal.  Today as I absorb the hope of spring training I realize that every day with Jesus can be like this special time in baseball. I can be transformed and new. In fact, I have been transformed. I am a new creation. Past losses (sins) have been redeemed and forgiven. There can be freshness in the journey and real joy and freedom. I can realize that I am a child of God and be grateful that I can call Him Father. I can believe that hope for the future is real. I can understand that I must (by His grace and the power of the Spirit) be a better teammate. I should not expect my team to be perfect. I am pretty sure they will boot some easy chances and strikeout in some key situations. But I will trust God to help me love them and encourage them because we are on the same team known simply as the Body of Christ. Paul gave us a good reason for hope in his letter to the Roman Church. It also fits into the discipline required to survive the marathon of a baseball season.

And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5, NLT)

The magic of a fresh start happens once a year in baseball. It can happen every day for a follower of Jesus.

The Skeptical Believer blog written by Jeremy Seely wrote a very nice review about my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. Oddly enough Jeremy let me know that he was reviewing the book while I was doing a rewrite of that very book. It will be republished in the next several months with a lot of new content and even more bad Christians! Seriously, the new edition will reflect a lot of my journey since that book came out nearly ten years ago. If you choose to buy the current edition just know that everything you don’t like will be revised or removed in the new, inspired version. Right.

Here is just a sampler of Jeremy’s review.

When Bad Christians Happen To Good People will shine a laser beam into your own heart to show you where you personally can do better, and will motivate you to actually do it. And in so doing, you’ll feel yourself drawing closer to Jesus. This book is an unqualified must-read…I wish I had written it.

How about that? Would I have linked this review if it were negative? I’d like to think that I am intellectually secure and honest enough to do that. I would like to think that but the truth is that I am not. I appreciate Jeremy’s kind words and encouragement. And I have enjoyed nosing around his site, The Skeptical Believer. Check it out.

Sandra Bullock had an interesting week. She won a Razzie for worst actress in All About Steve. She earned an Oscar for Best Actress in The Blind Side. Both were probably deserved. But this article concentrates on the good movie.

The Blind Side is the true story of Michael Oher. Michael was taken from his mother and bounced from place to place in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Memphis. A white couple (Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy) take Oher in and rest of the story is a heartwarming journey that examines the power of love, affirmation and stability. Oher was a first round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft.

I loved the movie. I urge you to support this movie because it  portrays Christians and family values in a positive light. In the words of Mel Allen, “How about that!”.  I was hit from my blind side by an interview that Sandra Bullock did with World Magazine. Here is an excerpt from the piece written by Megan Basham.

Sandra Bullock, who, while getting to know the Tuohys during the filming process, found her own preconceived notions about Christians challenged. “One of my biggest issues has always been people who use their faith and their religion as a banner but don’t do the right things, yet still go, ‘I’m a good Christian and I go to church and this is the way you should live your life,’” said Bullock. “And I’m like, you know, do not give me a lecture about how to live my life when you go to church every week but I know you are still sneaking around on your wife. And I told Leigh Anne in a live interview, one of my largest concerns getting involved with this project was that whole banner-waving thing because it scares me, and I’ve had experiences that haven’t been great with people like that. I don’t buy a lot of people who use that banner as their shield. But she was so open and honest and forthright with me I thought, wow, I’ve finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.”

Bullock’s next comment suggested that the Tuohy’s newfound fame has provided them fresh opportunities to impact others with the hope that they have. “I now have faith in those who say they represent a faith,” Bullock commented. “I finally met people who walk the walk.”

Michael Oher was not there to protect my blind side on that last comment. “I finally met people who walk the walk.” Wow. As a Christian I have spent many hours reading books on apologetics and there is nothing wrong with that. I want to be able to defend my faith. But I wonder if we don’t get a little too intellectual and bowed up to “defend” our beliefs at times? (Note to cyber spiritual hall monitors: I know that is also important.) As I have thought about the comments of Sandra Bullock this week I tried to focus on the times when God was able to somehow use me in the lives of others. I do not have one example of my brilliant intellect overpowering a skeptic and bringing him to life-changing faith. Actually I don’t have any examples of my brilliant intellect but I digress. I do have lots of examples where I just walked with people through trials and valleys and God used me in their lives.

I often quote my friend John Weber who is now with his Lord in Heaven. He said these very wise words.

“God didn’t call us to be spectacular. He called us to be faithful”.

When I am simply trusting God and being faithful I have a ministry in the lives of others. Go figure.

The story of the Good Samaritan is appropriate for this movie and this season. A religious scholar was trying to “catch” Jesus with a tough question about loving our neighbor as yourself.

“And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. “A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded.

Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”  (Luke 10, The Message)

It was the lowly and humble Samaritan that did the right thing even when it likely wasn’t convenient. It is easy for unbelievers to dismiss the hypocrite. No problem to ignore the angry and judgmental religious types. But I remember being troubled when I saw some Christians who displayed something different in their lives. I could not dismiss so readily the joy, peace, strength, courage and love that they modeled. They were “troublesome” Christians to me.  I could not ignore them because their lives were authentic and different (different good, not weird). I want to be that kind of Christian.

Leigh Anne Tuohy is that kind of Christian. People are watching. We just need to be faithful.