Charisa Stories

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  • Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson!

    April 15th is generally not my favorite day of the year. Tax day is never fun for a guy who is organizationally challenged. My idea of being prepared is having everything in one gigantic box. (Bonus points if the lid will close on it) This year I caught a break because of some local holiday in the Nation’s Capital. The day of reckoning is now April 18th. But April 15th has been redeemed for me because it is a wonderful day for baseball fans.

    Jackie Robinson made his major league debut at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on this date in 1947. It was a historic and significant day for baseball but maybe more so for our country. You can argue that the American civil rights movement was truly ignited when Robinson came to bat in Dodger Blue. The journey for Robinson was difficult at best and nearly impossible at worst.

    Many Dodgers players, mostly Southerners led by Dixie Walker, threatened to walk if forced to play with a black player. That ended when Dodger management let them know in no uncertain terms that they could keep walking all the way to the unemployment line. I often write about the pain that is caused by “bad” or thoughtless Christians. Can you imagine the pain that Robinson felt to have his teammates reject him for only one reason and for a reason over which he had no control?

    But one teammate reacted in a way that I wish all serious and thoughtful Christians would emulate. Team captain Pee Wee Reese was an unlikely ally for Robinson. He was born in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, and the odds were that Reese would participate or even lead the boycott against a black player. But the diminutive Pee Wee Reese proved to be a giant of a man one day in Cincinnati. During infield practice the Redleg players were screaming at Jackie with all of the usual hateful epithets. And then the venom was distributed to Reese. They were yelling things at him like “How can you play with this (epithet)?”, as Jackie stood uncomfortably at first base.

    “Pee Wee kind of sensed the sort of hopeless, dead feeling in me and came over and stood beside me for a while,” Robinson recalled, as quoted in his biography “Jackie Robinson,” by Arnold Rampersad (Alfred A. Knopf). “He didn’t say a word but he looked over at the chaps who were yelling at me through him and just stared. He was standing by me, I could tell you that.” The hecklers ceased their attack. “I will never forget it,” Robinson said. A silence fell over the Reds dugout and the fans witnessing this amazing act of grace.

    At Reese’s funeral, Joe Black, another Major League Baseball black pioneer, said: “Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the Majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a White guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, ‘Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.’ With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts.”

    Robinson later wrote this sentiment to Reese in a book inscription.

    “Pee Wee whether you are willing to admit what you being just a great guy meant (a great deal) to my career, I want you to know how much I feel it meant. May I take this opportunity to say a great big thanks and I sincerely hope all things you want in life be yours.”

    We need a lot more Pee Wee Reese’s in the body of Christ. We need men and women who are willing to step up for others when it may not be the best action for personal gain. We need men who are brave enough to look hatred and bigotry in the eye and call it by its name. April 15th was a day that demonstrated the greatness and courage of Jackie Robinson. It also reminds us of how one man did the right thing for his teammate. We need men who have the courage to emulate both Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in our walk with Jesus. If Pee Wee Reese was willing to risk his reputation for the cause of team and winning a World Series how much more should we be willing to risk for one another to further the cause of Christ? The Apostle Paul had some good advice to accomplish that dream.

    Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

    Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. (Gal 6, Msg)

    I want to be willing to stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. As I meditate on the gift of grace and redemption I received through Jesus I wonder…how can I do anything else?

  • The Magic of Opening Day

    Friday is opening day for the American League Champion Texas Rangers. It only took me twenty-nine years as television director for the Rangers to be able to type that wonderful line. Hopefully it won’t take nearly that long for the next chance to say that.

    In my mind there is no more special day in sports than opening day in baseball. The smell of freshly cut emerald green grass delights the senses. The base lines are painstakingly and perfectly defined by a grounds crew that is committed to perfection on this day. Red, white, and blue bunting give the ball park a festive world series look. The players today act like little boys. This is the one day that these privileged athletes seem to forget they are millionaires and actually appear grateful that they are paid to play a kid’s game. Children skip school and parents do not care because memories are being made for both of them. The hot dogs taste like gourmet food. Tacky souvenirs are treasures to be kept. Giant foam fingers become family treasures. The atmosphere is magic. It is opening day and every team has hope. Each fan has dreams and they are hopefully, or perhaps hopelessly, optimistic. Last year’s disappointments are gone and the hope of a new season dawns for fifty thousand fans in the park and thousands more across the city. The mood is upbeat and the expectations high. This is a new day and a new season. Old mistakes are forgotten. Past errors are no longer important. Today is the annual renewal of the incredible marathon that is big league baseball. It is a clean slate. The team has a new identity.

    I longed for such a defining moment in my walk with Jesus. And recently I have been understanding that God’s Word tells us that every day can be like opening day (Dave’s paraphrase). I do have a clean slate because of Christ. There is hope. Yesterday’s sins are forgotten if you have accepted the gift of Jesus on the cross. Every morning that I awake and see the magic of a new sunrise I can believe that I have been renewed and optimistically face the day. I don’t have to wait a year to have a chance for renewal. Paul writes that every day has the potential for the spiritual magic of renewal and victory in Christ.

    And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

    As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

    God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

    Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

    Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

    If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

    Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. (Romans 12, NLT)

    I am grateful that in my spiritual journey God that has given me a chance for “opening day” renewal every day. I have had some bad seasons during my career as a follower of Jesus. But I am learning that everyday is a gift.  That was harshly reinforced when a member of our television family, Greg Gambill, passed away this week. He was a good and talented man. He will be greatly missed.

    The fragile nature of our lives makes the bigger questions so much more important even as I enjoy the hope of opening day.  I realize that every day with Jesus can be like this special day in baseball. I can be transformed and new. Past losses (sins) are redeemed and forgiven. There can be freshness in the journey and joy. I can realize that I am a child of God and I can be grateful that I call Him Father. I can believe that hope for the future is real. I can understand that I must be a better teammate to others that I encounter and not expect my team to be perfect. The magic of a fresh start happens once a year in baseball. It can happen any day and every day for a follower of Jesus.

  • A Buckeye Believer Ponders Jim Tressel

    I was in Ohio when the news broke about Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel. For a day or two the economy and world unrest took a back seat in the Buckeye state. Conversations centered on reactions to Tressel’s very late admission to having knowledge of two player’s potential rule violations. The reaction in the Buckeye state was primarily surprise. Jim Tressel is a revered figure in Ohio and not just because his teams have beaten Michigan. Buckeye Nations’s surprise seemed to be followed mainly by disappointment. Comments like these were overheard often.

    “I had hoped he was different.”
    “He is just like all the rest.”

    Buckeye fans (and many others) want to believe that what Coach Tressel espouses is true. They want to think that their coach is really molding young men and preparing them for life. They also want to win. That is the tough line Jim Tressel walks.

    I chose not to write about Jim Tressel for a few days until I had time to reflect as both a Buckeye fan and a fellow believer in Jesus Christ. I can’t win on this one. If I defend Coach Tressel I will get emails about how I am drinking the scarlet and gray Kool-Ade and compromising my beliefs. If I condemn him I will get emails about being judgmental. So I will try something weird. I will just be honest.

    First of all, I thought the press conference was just short of a disaster. That should have been a time for contrition, repentance and assurances for how the situation was being handled. Instead the Ohio State position seemed to be concentrating on what a great guy Coach Tressel is. I agree that everyone should be evaluated with a full body of work and not on just one incident. But that was a conversation to have later. I also wish Coach Tressel had been a bit more forthcoming in his apologies for his bad decisions.  

    The irony is that the news first broke while Tressel was autographing his new book, “Life Promises for Success: Promises from God on Achieving Your Best”. It was no surprise that the critics had a field day with that fact. Hypocrite was one of the kinder adjectives hurled at Tressel and at the leadership of Ohio State. On that charge I have great sympathy. One of my fears when my book “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” was first published was how much I had put my life and testimony in the spotlight for others to dissect and criticize. It was a pretty regular occurrence after the book’s publication for a co-worker to give me a little dig after I said or did something that they deemed inconsistent.

    “So is THAT in your book?”, they would ask. I usually responded by saying, “Yeah, it’s actually in the title.”  But my influence is small and my mistakes don’t make Sportscenter.

    Here are my thoughts on Jim Tressel and any other celebrity who represents Jesus and stumbles or falls. As I learn to look more and more through the lens of grace I find that the struggles of others shines light on my own dependence on God.

    1. Jim Tressel made an enormous mistake. His cover-up and lack of transparency to his bosses have damaged him and the university. I used to get really self-righteous at moments like this and proclaim that “I wouldn’t have done that”. Really? I thought back on various moral dilemmas in my life. The ones I want you to know about were the ones where I reacted with integrity and honesty. But there are sad incidents in my life where I chose hiddenness and deceit. Some came back to hurt me in relationships and reputation. Some stayed hidden and no one ever found out. At least that is how I fool myself. But I was still wounded by that hiddenness in ways that I probably haven’t fully realized. Jim Tressel made a series of bad decisions that he says started out with a desire to protect two young men. I will take him at his word on his first response. Those who know him well say that rings true to his track record. But I suspect he realized at some point that he was in a mess that would not end well. Should he have come forward right then? Of course he should have. But have you ever delayed facing a tough moral decision until you are so deep that it seems better to hope it stays hidden? I have. That does not excuse Jim Tressel. There are consequences to sin. Jim Tressel has suffered those consequences in damaged reputation, relationships and influence. Extending grace to Jim Tressel does not change the focus on how ugly sin is and how painful the harvest of those choices can be. It does change how I respond to the brother or sister who sins. Paul wrote about how we should respond when a believer sins. “Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.” (Galatians 6:1, The Message).
    2. There is a percentage of the population that takes great delight when a visible Christian leader stumbles. They somehow feel that the failure of a vocal believer invalidates the faith. Christianity teaches just the opposite. Paul wrote in Romans how our inability to manage sin by strict moralism demonstrates our need for a Savior and for grace. Our hope is not in a great Christian leader or prophet. Our hope is in Jesus Christ.

      For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. 

      The church has too often communicated through our moralism that righteousness is because of our self-righteous behavior. No drinking. No cursing. No gambling. And so on. But the truth is that righteousness comes because of Jesus. Believers are saints by position and not by personal merit. When we sin we are still righteous even as we may suffer the consequences of those actions. We have been “declared” right in God’s sight because of Jesus. It is that unfathomable grace that is the distinctive of Christianity. If I fail miserably today it does not change the truth of the Gospel. All of us, celebrity and not, should point to Christ and not to our own works. We fail. God does not.

    3. Bill Thrall of Truefaced.com hit me with a paradigm shifter when he said this. “Most Christians don’t know that God has made us saints, who still sin, not sinners striving to become saints. This changes everything! If people knew about this treasure, churches everywhere would become safe places. Not soft places, but safe places, where we could be real, we could try out our faith, where we could fail and yet be loved.” Bill’s point is that we are all the same when God looks at us. God sees the redeeming work of Christ. We have been clothed in righteousness because of Jesus. A great example is how Paul described the church at Corinth. This was a body of believers with issues. Yet Paul addresses them as saints. “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”  When I view you as a sinner striving to be a saint I give myself permission to judge you and distance from you until you work out your sin issues. Grace says that I move toward you to walk with you through the trial because I may need that grace next.
    4. Real growth comes through adversity. I believe Jim Tressel will grow in his faith from this difficult, self-inflicted trial. I will stand with him as I hope other believers would stand with me through struggles. I have never learned the heard lessons of dependence and surrender when times were good. Only in the storm do I learn where my trust resides.

    I have friends that are close to Coach Tressel. I believe he is a genuine man who made a mistake. Pray that he will trust God for the lessons he needs to learn. As for me, I take no joy when a fellow believer stumbles. I want to use those moments as a reminder to open the doors of my heart to the cleansing light of the Spirit.

  • Perfect People

    One of my passions is trying to create excitement about the need for Christian community. Time after time after time I discover that people who seem like they are flying through life are really not. When people feel safe in a community of believers they reveal hurts and fears and doubts. All of this was prompted by a song by Natalie Grant on the morning stroll with dog friend Hannah. Her song “Perfect People” played on the iPod and I related to the words.

    Never let ’em see you when you’re breaking
    Never let ’em see you when you fall
    That’s how we live and that’s how we try
    Tell the world you’ve got it all together
    Never let them see what’s underneath
    Cover it up with a crooked smile
    But it only lasts for a little while

    I often quote my friend Bruce McNicol of Truefaced.com. Bruce says “there are no together people…just some people with whiter teeth”. His point is well-taken. Through hiddenness and acting you can present the “perfect” and “together” Christian. Much of the time we would be living a lie.

    Have you ever done this? You are angry, petty and bitter during the week or even on the way to church. As soon as you walk through the church door you are beaming like a homecoming queen during the parade. We can fool the congregation but we cannot fool the Creator.

    The fellowship of believers should be a place where honesty is encouraged. Where shortcomings ought to be accepted. Church should be the place where you can say without fear, “I am struggling, I hurt, I need help.” But for some reason the opposite happens far too often. Two people who are really in pain could have this conversation every week in church:

    “How are you doing?” (Insincere query… too busy to really care)
    “Great, how are you?” (Dishonest reply… perfunctory courtesy question)
    “Fantastic, great to see you. (Really dishonest reply… safe dismissal salutation)

    Am I advocating dumping our woes on everyone we meet? Of course not. I know that too many have been wounded by unsafe places. That breaks my heart. But there are rooms of grace that exist. Don’t give up. Please.

    My fear is that we have created a culture where we feel there is something wrong with us if we are hurting. If I am struggling I must be doing something wrong spiritually. Shouldn’t God meet this need? What is wrong with me? The fact that God created us with a desire to be in community tells me that part of His plan is for us to be helped by other members of the body of Christ. Natalie Grant tells the truth with this chorus.

    There’s no such thing as perfect people
    There’s no such thing as a perfect life
    So come as you are, broken and scared
    Lift up your heart and be amazed
    And be changed by a perfect God

    Amen. Perfecting comes only from a perfect God. I cannot do it. Being broken and scared is like spiritual soil prep for the seed of grace to grow.

    Yet for years I chose to stay hidden. I believed that if my walk with God was exposed I would be excommunicated from the faith. I was so dry that I feared any spark would set my anger and emotions aflame. Satan convinced me that I would be rejected if I dared to let other see the truth behind the person. Perhaps some would reject me. To be honest I have been wounded at times. But I want to be willing to take a chance to be real. I want to be authentic and see where that takes me. I can’t find that authenticity with a painted grin and phony reply. I chose and will choose the risk of community. But, to be honest, I did not take that risk again until I was tired and broken enough to finally trust God and others with me.

    What does it look like to allow God access to everything? The next stanza has a pretty good description.

    Suddenly it’s like a weight is lifted
    When you hear the words that you are loved
    He knows where you are and where you’ve been
    And you never have to go there again

    I think that is exactly what Jesus was taking about when He said his yoke was light and the burden was easy. We have somehow inferred that life would be easy or at least easier if we follow Him. That has not been my journey. I like the way The Message translates this familiar passage.

    “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  (Matthew 11:29-30, The Message)

    So let’s review.
    • You are forgiven.
    • You are loved.
    • You have unmerited favor because of Christ.
    • You are righteous because of Christ.
    • You have power to not “have” to sin.

    Trust me. Understanding those things make the yoke several hundred pounds lighter.

    Can we trust Jesus enough to drop the perfection ruse? Can we trust him enough to be authentic? Not needy and demanding. Just honest and real in community and, of course, with Him.

    Look up the “one another” verses in the Bible. Here is an example from Hebrews (10:24, NIV):

    And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

    Who lived and died to give new life
    To heal our imperfections
    So look up and see out let grace be enough

    Be changed by a perfect God.

    God does the changing. Let Him.

  • Not Alone

    (The weekly iPod Devotional from theFish.com)

    Part of the fun of writing these weekly thoughts is to try and find artists that are new to me. This was a great week of personal discovery when I downloaded a recent album from the band Red. The new CD is titled Until We Have Faces but the song that inspired today’s iPod Devotional is called “Not Alone”.

    The lyric begins with a haunting psalm-like lament.

    Slowly fading away
    You’re lost and so afraid
    Where is the hope In a world so cold?

    Looking for a distant light
    Someone who can save a life
    Living in fear that no one will hear your cries

    (Come and save me now)

    Then the tone changes and the song becomes an anthem of hope. Why? Because God has promised we are not alone.

    I am with you
    I will carry you through it all
    I won’t leave you
    I will catch you

    When you feel like letting go
    ‘Cause you’re not
    You’re not alone

    I have to be honest and admit I have been pretty mediocre really trusting that God would carry me through great trials. I believed it intellectually. I said the words. But I did not want to surrender control so that God could catch me, carry, and comfort me. Or I was afraid I would be judged if I confessed that I wasn’t spiritually feelin’ it when the storm hit.

    I was led to believe there was something wrong with me when I was hurting. If I am struggling I must be doing something wrong spiritually. Shouldn’t God meet this need? What is wrong with me? The answer is quite possible that there is nothing wrong with me. I may simply be in a place where I must trust Him and wait. But that is NOT what I want to hear. Do nothing? Just pray and trust and have faith? I want to DO something. But God’s Word says that if I trust Him and have faith I will please Him.

    And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6, NLT)

    I acknowledge that can be easier written than done. I can give you a promise that is a good place to start building that foundation of trust upon.

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

    Not a hint of ambiguity there. Jesus does not say if you pray all the time or read the Bible every morning or go to church three times a week He will be with you. He does not say He may or may not be with you. He does not say you just might disgust Him enough that He may leave you. Jesus says “be SURE of this: I am WITH YOU”.

    I believe that Jesus aches to come along side me (and you) and help us deal with the junk in our lives. His agenda is for me to stop trying to a hero going it alone and trust Him for my sin and growth. And Jesus has promised to be with me each stumbling step of the way. When a dad is teaching his toddler to walk he is patient and encouraging. When the tyke wobbles and falls a loving father doesn’t start screaming at his child.

    “There you go again! You can’t walk three bleepin’ steps before you tumble over again. You are hopeless. You will never get this walking thing down. Why am I wasting my time?”

    Hardly. The Dad encourages and applauds the effort. He lifts the child back up and exhorts him to try again. He is beaming with each step and not at all angry when the child falls. That is how I view Jesus with my spiritual walk when I understand His grace. He is thrilled with each spiritual step and is encouraging and lifting me up without condemnation when I stumble. How quickly we forget Paul’s words to the Church at Rome.

    So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8, NLT)

    And I will be your hope
    When you feel like it’s over
    And I will pick you up
    When your whole world shatters
    When you’re finally in my arms
    Look up and see love as a face

    Can we trust Jesus enough to quit scuffling in self-effort? Can we trust Him enough to finally surrender and look into His face? Can we trust Him enough to be authentic knowing that in His grace there is no condemnation? A good step toward that kind of faith is to believe and really trust that we are not alone. He promised we are not.

  • Where Real Change Happens…

    (Latest article at theFish.com)

    Even occasional readers of my humble ramblings know that the start of my faith narrative was mired in moralism. Our church was, without question, the denomination of “no”. Starting from that faulty foundation led me to years of sadness, tiredness and bondage.

    I replayed my long and fragmented journey to grace and freedom as I listened to a song from Hillside United titled, “From the Inside Out”.

    One thousand times I’ve failed
    Still your mercy remains
    Should I stumble again
    I’m caught in your grace

    Everlasting your light will shine when all else fades

    I remembered day after day of agonizing self-loathing because I kept failing. I did not understand His mercy nor did I believe I could fall on His grace. I was taught that such an attitude showed a lack of obedience and a dependence on “cheap grace”. Somehow I missed the message of Jesus to the religious hypocrites as I was influenced by the preaching of shame.

    I was released from that doctrinal prison just a few years ago. Moralism is answering to the wrong source of authority. Legalists sometimes default to religious traditions rather than the Word of God.

    Legalism takes the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ and mixes in some “churchified” version of the law. Church by-laws occupy equal footing with God’s Word. Righteousness is no longer about Christ but about right behavior as only they can define it. Legalism cherry picks verses that support behavioral control while conveniently ignoring dozens of verses about grace, forgiveness, kindness, love, gentleness and forbearance.

    Focusing on right behavior can make you moral and perhaps a good person. It does not make you righteous. Such focus is not much different (if at all) from an agnostic or sporadic church-goer who really tries hard to do right and moral things. Tim Keller wrote this provocative thought about legalism in his wonderful book The Reason for God.

    “The devil, if anything, prefers Pharisees—men and women who try to save themselves. They are more unhappy than either mature Christians or irreligious people, and they do a lot more spiritual damage.”

    I spent many long and frustrating years trying to do all the right things to be righteous. I got tired. I became discouraged. I reached the point of brokenness that allowed me turn over the keys to Christ. I reached the point where I no longer had to be right. I had reached the point where I didn’t want to wear a phony mask of holiness. I had reached the point where I was willing to trust God completely with everything about me. I had reached the point where I was ready for grace. And that is the day that I began to experience what Hillside United sings about in today’s song.

    My heart and my soul
    I give you control
    Consume me from the inside out

    Let justice and praise become my embrace
    To love you from the inside out

    And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise from the inside out

    That is where real change happens. From the inside out. Moralism can restrain sin but only the Holy Spirit gives you the power to not sin. Moralism will always fail. Either you will fail to live up to your standards or you will fail by damaging those you love.

    If you are tired enough, discouraged enough, wounded enough and ready to give up then I have a very odd statement to make.

    You are in a wonderful place.

    You are ready for grace. You are ready for change from the inside out. God is waiting for you to experience His grace. Legalism is a dead end street to misery. There is a better way to live. In freedom.

    Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. (Romans 6, NLT)

  • Gotta Serve Somebody

    (The latest iPod Devotional from theFish.com)

    Bob Dylan wrote some powerful songs about his faith journey in the late 70’s. One song he composed popped up on the iPod recently. “Gotta Serve Somebody” simply says that no matter how independent, self-sufficient or in control we might try to be we still serve something or somebody.

    But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
    You’re gonna have to serve somebody
    Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
    But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

    That lyric struck a spiritual chord because it reminded me of some seriously head and heart messing stuff I have been reading from Tim Keller. Keller wrote a thought provoking definition of idolatry and how we can substitute even good things for God.

    “Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.” (Tim Keller, “Talking About Idolatry in a Postmodern Age,” www.thegospelcoalition.org)

    That is disturbing for a guy who was taught from childhood that sin is a list that included but was not limited to movies, liquor, cigarettes, dancing, long hair and rock and roll.

    Tim Keller’s definition of sin takes all of the fun out of self-righteous comparison and judging. As I read Keller’s examples of idolatry I saw how these subtle traps have played out with my family, friends, and colleagues. Most convicting of all I saw how chasing good things more than God has caused pain and brokenness in my own life. Here are Keller’s thoughts from his book, “The Reason for God”.

    If you center your life and identity on your spouse or partner, you will be emotionally dependent, jealous, and controlling. The other person’s problems will be overwhelming to you.

    If you center your life and identity on your family and children, you will try to live your life through your children until they resent you or have no self of their own. At worst, you may abuse them when they displease you.

    If you center your life and identity on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic and a boring, shallow person. At worst you will lose family and friends and, if your career goes poorly, develop deep depression.

    If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, you’ll be eaten up by worry or jealousy about money. You’ll be willing to do unethical things to maintain your lifestyle, which will eventually blow up your life.

    If you center your life and identity on pleasure, gratification, and comfort, you will find yourself getting addicted to something. You will become chained to the “escape strategies” by which you avoid the hardness of life.

    If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly overly hurt by criticism and thus always losing friends. You will fear confronting others and therefore will be a useless friend.

    If you center your life and identity on a “noble cause,” you will divide the world into “good” and “bad” and demonize your opponents. Ironically, you will be controlled by your enemies. Without them, you have no purpose.

    If you center your life and identity on religion and morality, you will, if you are living up to your moral standards, be proud, self-righteous, and cruel. If you don’t live up to your moral standards, your guilt will be utterly devastating. (Tim Keller, The Reason for God (Dutton, 2008), pp. 275-276)

    Ouch. I mean seriously. Ouch.

    Paul wrote these words to the Church at Colossae on the topic of idolatry.

    “Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” (Colossians 3, NLT)

    It is a hard truth to admit that we often worship the things of this world because they really can be good things. God in His loving grace does not desire for us to be deprived of good and pleasurable things. He simply wants us to place them in proper order. Later in the passage Paul gives one key to avoiding idolatry.

    Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:10-11, NLT…take a moment to read verses 12-17 to see what the results of this action might look like)

    Another key is to remember a campfire song from the Jesus movement that was, to borrow the approach of Law and Order, “ripped” from the Gospel of Matthew. (Matthew 6:33)

    Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
    and all these things shall be added unto you.
    Allelu, alleluia

    Everybody is going to serve somebody or something. Who (or what) are you centering your life on today?