Author: Dave Burchett

Today I asked a friend to pray for me to honestly live out the truths of grace in a tough environment. I know, I know. Be careful what you pray for because God will often answer in unexpected ways. I have been praying that prayer for myself recently and I have already had a couple of situational at bats. The first time I had a bloop hit. The second time I swung and missed with the fury of Casey at the Bat.

Pitchers know that every hitter (except Vlad Guerrero) has a location in the strike zone where they are likely to miss. My weakness in the zone is being quick to judge and quick to distance from those who are not walking the walk. I love the way that my oft-quoted buddies at Truefaced put it.

“When we view other Christians as sinners trying to be saints instead of saints who still sin then we give ourselves permission to judge them.”

God’s Word says that we are saints. He sees Christ in Dave Burchett even when I swing and miss. I am righteous because of Jesus. I can’t work my way to sainthood. I can live out of who I am and allow God to love through me. Grace compels me to walk toward my fellow Christians instead of away from them. One thing I need to remind myself daily is this simple fact.

I don’t have any idea what other people are going through.

There is a powerful song by the country group Sawyer Brown about how infrequently we stop to consider that other people might be enduring real trials. Here is a sample of the lyrics from the song “They Don’t Understand”.

Everybody’s busy with their own situation
Everybody’s lost in their own little world
Bottled up, hurried up trying to make a dream come true
They don’t understand
Everybody’s living like there ain’t no tomorrow
Maybe we should stop and take a little time
‘Cause you never really know what your neighbors going through
They don’t understand

I remember driving away from one of Joni’s early doctor appointments after her breast cancer diagnosis. Joni was driving her car as I followed. She was distracted (imagine that) and missed her turn. She drove forward to the next opportunity to turn left and double back. Because she temporarily blocked the left lane a guy laid on his horn and started gesturing. I remembering thinking that this guy was not a quality human being (rough translation of my thoughts). I wondered if it would make a difference in the attitude of this, uhhh, not really nice homosapian if he knew what was going through my wife’s mind. He was busy worrying about his 20 second delay as she was thinking about her health, her family, her job, and maybe her life.

I am humbled again that somehow God is patient with me as I work this out. Regular readers know of my admiration for the group Casting Crowns. The song “Who Am I” comes to mind in this context.

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt. 

Take a moment to meditate on that. Then take a moment to meditate on a later verse.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.

That God sees my sin and looks on me with love is mind boggling. How can I accept that love and not at least attempt to offer it to others? Because there is not a (Christian cussing warning) dang thing that I have done to deserve mercy like that. From a human perspective that person who is quick to judge probably doesn’t “deserve” grace. But did you? I know I didn’t.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.

I give my space to Paul of Taursus to wrap this one up.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  (Romans 12, NLT)

Life is hard. Sometimes even more difficult than frozen butter. Things happen that were not in the brochure. Or at least that is what I once believed. In fact that very information is in the brochure. The Bible is very clear that life will be a journey of struggling to spread frozen butter and worse (that is a paraphrase). Much worse. The “frozen butter times” are part of the journey. God has given us a wonderful gift that we too often leave unwrapped. Even if we have unwrapped this gift we too often leave it unused in the toolbox. The gift is laughter. The following excerpt is from my sporadically selling book “Bring’em Back Alive – A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church.” 

I believe a sense of humor is one of God’s gifts to help get us to the finish line. One of the things I learned from writing When Bad Christians Happen to Good People is well stated by humorist Dave Barry. “No matter what happens,” Barry writes, “somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.” AMEN, Brother Barry! Some people take and took some of my observations way too seriously.

An examination of the life of Jesus would indicate that He possessed a sense of humor. The writers of Scripture did not set out to author a joke book so you won’t find the phrase “a Sadducee, a Pharisee and a Roman walk into a bar.” Still, you find glimpses of humor and sarcasm in the words of Jesus. For example, I can see the humor in this exchange when the disciples came running up and asked Jesus the following question.

“Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?” Matthew 15:12 (MsgB) 

I can see them looking at Jesus and waiting to hear Him say something like, “Really? I had better go get that straightened out. The Pharisees are some important guys.” I expect the Lord’s answer first stunned and then amused them.

“Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.” Matthew 15:14 (MsgB) 

You will also note that Jesus was an oft invited guest at weddings and banquets to the point where those appearances drew the ire of the Pharisees. Think about it. If Jesus was a holier than thou, uptight religious, suck the air out of the room sourpuss would you want Him at your wedding party? A deadly serious, stuffy theologian type would likely not be an “A” list party invitee either. Jesus must have been able to laugh and enjoy the common fellowship of others and he was obviously welcome and desired at the festivities. Let’s join Luke at Levi’s dinner party that included some unsavory people and see what happens.

Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners’?” Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders-an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.” They asked him, “John’s disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?” Jesus said, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn’t the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. Luke 5:29-34 (MsgB)  

I am not trying to be flippant (this time) but clearly Jesus knew how to party in the good sense of the word. He knew how to interact warmly with others and connect with those around Him. And He knew where to find those who needed the touch of forgiveness the most.
  
I also think about the eclectic group of followers that Jesus assembled. They were a fascinating blend of common laborers and professional types. Imagine today if Christ went to the local pier to recruit some fishermen, dropped by the IRS to pick up a follower, then over to the medical clinic and so on. This would be (at least initially) a fairly coarse group. I don’t suspect that the earthy sense of humor possessed by such men was immediately dispatched when they dropped their nets to follow Jesus. Part of any healthy and dynamic group relationship is having fun together. I believe that there were times when Jesus and the twelve told jokes, fish stories and made fun of the Pharisees. I think that Jesus understood that the language and topics of those outside the faith may be a bit uncomfortable. John Wesley once walked through the London market with a young man who desired to join the ministry. The coarse language offended the young man and he clearly wanted to leave. But Wesley told him to, “Stay, and learn to preach.”

So let’s all join in that familiar Sunday School song with a slight lyrical modification…

If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then it seems your face should show it.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face.

A lack of humor in the church apparently this has been a problem for a while now. Teresa of Avila prayed this simple prayer in 1582, “From somber, serious, sullen saints, save us Oh Lord.”  Amen…and Amen. Laughter is a gift from God. Don’t be afraid to enjoy it. Smile broadly! You might even add a few years to the odometer!

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.