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I think a lot about the church. When you write a book called “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” you tend to hear from angry and wounded churchgoers. I have received hundreds of emails and blog posts from hurting believers. If a modest selling author and blogger like me gets that many responses then you can extrapolate that this is a big problem for the American church.

I began the book mentioned above with this paragraph.

“I am a hypocrite. I can be arrogant and selfish. I have been known to stretch, conceal, or slightly message the truth. I am sometimes inconsiderate and insecure. I struggle with lust and impure thoughts. My ego often rages out of control, and I battle foolish pride. I can be lazy and foolhardy with my time. I get angry, petty, and ill-tempered. I am sarcastic and cynical. I am a Christian.”

I can make the claim in the final sentence only because of Christ. A song by one of my favorite artists, Andrew Peterson, reminds me of the mystery of grace. Peterson beautifully illustrates that I am like every sinner who ever lived or will live. Peterson’s lyrics hit home and remind me that I am saved by grace alone. I was a sinner in need of a Savior. Andrew Peterson’s lyrics describe it well.

I am the woman at the well, I am the harlot
I am the scattered seed that fell along the path
I am the son who ran away
I am the bitter son who stayed

I am the angry men who came to stone the lover
I am the woman there ashamed before the crowd
I am the leper who gave thanks
I am the nine who never came

Paul tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I used to feel superior to those who violated my denomination’s “Top 10 list of things not to do if you are a real Christian”. But I came to realize that having less repulsive sins on my resume than someone else only mattered to me and my miserable band of legalists. I still fell short.

As my journey continued I was wounded by the church and I got angry at God when fallible people (just like me) did not follow His Word or “act like Christians”. Yet I often did the same thing that offended me when others did it. And that is why Peterson’s question resonates in my heart.

My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me?

Indeed. I had nothing to offer that God needed. I was falling far, far, far short of the glory of God. But what He did is pure grace and Andrew Peterson says it well.

You took my sin and wrapped me in
Your robe and your ring
My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me?

It’s a mystery of mercy
And the song I sing.

I love that imagery. He took my sin and wrapped me in robes of undeserved righteousness.

I am still prone to react when I hear stories of harsh shepherds and mean-spirited churchgoers. But more and more I realize that I am more than capable of being that harsh shepherd or mean Christian apart from trust and dependence on Jesus.

Paul wrote these words in a letter to his spiritual son Titus.

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—”When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. (Titus 3 – NLT)

Why hast God accepted me? Because of Jesus and not for anything I have done or could do. Today I have a heart of worship as I meditate on this mystery of mercy and grace.

I am digitally ducking as I post this week’s musing. This is the kind of the title that brings the spiritual hall monitors out of the internet woodwork. But it is true. God used the insightful lyrics of Harry Chapin to get my attention about my selfishness. Chapin was a genius in poetically describing how we try to find happiness in the wrong places and with self-centered priorities. The first song to meddle in my life was W*O*L*D. I was an aspiring radio “personality” at a small station in Southern Ohio dreaming of being a big city star someday. The lyrics describe a conversation with the wife he left behind to pursue his dreams. He recounts how he moved from market to market trying to find happiness. Now he realizes what he has sacrificed and hopes to reconcile with his family. Chapin writes a powerful truth about running from the problems in our life.

Sometimes I get this crazy dream
That I just take off in my car
But you can travel on ten thousand miles and still stay where you are.

The darkness and sadness in our hearts is not healed by relocation, new jobs or new possessions. In my experience that only comes from the healing forgiveness of Christ. I looked around and saw that there was a lot of truth in these lyrics. I honestly began to rethink my career path because of this song. I got into the sports business and television production. I married the beautiful Joni, we settled in Southern California and we started a family. I had not traveled ten thousand miles but unfortunately I had stayed right where I was in the pursuit of success and affirmation. Enter another Harry Chapin song.

To this day I still feel regret when I hear “The Cats in the Cradle”. The lyrics make me think of missed moments as I had pursued my career. I thought of too many times when Joni had to go it alone as I traveled the country doing my television thing. After many years I recognized that she was at a breaking point in our relationship. I remember my eyes tearing up as I listened to these lyrics that were likely foretelling my future.

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talking ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew
He’d say, “I’m gonna be like you, dad
You know I’m gonna be like you.”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
“When you coming home, dad?” “I don’t know when
But we’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then.”

It broke my heart to recognize that too often that was me and I began to change. By the grace of God my relationships with my wife and boys were redeemed. Joni and I have celebrated four decades together and I am enjoying my wonderful sons and who they have become. I am grateful that God got my attention. To be sure my recognition of the need to change was more than a couple of Harry Chapin songs. But the Holy Spirit pierced my heart with the insightful lyrics of this amazing artist.

Now I am a grandfather who has learned his lesson. I try to never be too busy for those sweet souls. Recently I was at the Perot Museum with grandson Ethan. I watched as he experienced the activities of a children’s play area. I looked around at the parents. I am not exaggerating when I report that 90% of them were staring at phones. Some glanced up occasionally to check on their child. Some did not even do that. I watched as children looked at their distracted parents and tried to get their affirmation. And this song came back to me again.

I prayed that these parents would have an epiphany before it was too late. The most haunting lyric in Chapin’s song is when the dad tries to get his grown up son to come and visit. He tells his dad that he is too busy but they will get together soon. This stanza devastated me years ago.

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

I learned a hard lesson before it was too late. Jesus talked a lot about priorities. In a familiar passage in Luke Jesus talks about not worrying so much about the things of the world but to store up your treasures in Heaven. I like the fresh take in The Message on a well known verse.

It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Luke 12:34)

If the place you most want to be is not with your Lord and your loved ones you might want to rethink your priorities. It is never too late in God’s amazing grace.

 

My new book, Waking Up Slowly, addresses how we can be more connected to God, ourselves and one another. Release date is March 7th and is available for pre-order now!

It is a classic Christmas song. Santa Clause is comin’ to town and you had better watch out ’cause he is making a list. So no pouting, No crying. Be on your best behavior or else. Sadly that kind of thinking is all too common among followers of Jesus. I am borrowing one little bit of content from John Lynch, one of the authors of the The Cure. He addresses how we are programmed from childhood to default to performance theology. He calls it the “Santa Claus is Coming to Town theology”.

You better watch out
Better not cry
Better not pout
I am telling you why
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
He’s making a list….checking it twice…three times…every day
Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
He sees you when your sleeping, nows when your awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

Oh, he’s watching. Waiting for you to screw up so you will get coal instead of a bicycle. You had better please him. And we teach our kids to put on the mask and be something they are not. Because Santa Claus is comin’ to town. This omniscient being who is judging our every deed is coming to town…and we learn to do the dance early. Buck up…be good. Don’t cry. Don’t pout. Santa Claus is coming to town.  (©Copyright 2003, William Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.)

He is exactly right. We learn that we get good things and receive love only when we are good and do good things. Santa is pleased (and we later substitute God) when we obey. So we learn early. We had better be good. Or least fool everyone around us to think that we are being good.

Ask any child this Christmas if they are being good and I will wager you will not get this response.

“Well, to be honest, I am really struggling with the whole being nice thing. I have actually been pouty and I cried yesterday. It just isn’t working out this Christmas so I suspect the toys will have to wait.”

Nope. What you hear is the lie that we learn early and too often keep handy in our arsenal for a lifetime.

“Oh yeah. I am being really good! Or at least better than my sister and brother.”

I remember (vaguely) the tension of the Santa Claus years. I knew I hadn’t really changed much. I tried to modify my behavior for a week or two leading up to Christmas but I knew I had failed to really be good. I learned a couple of things early. I learned how hard it is to change behavior by sheer willpower and I learned that I could fool Santa by living a lie. I did not learn about grace. That maybe Santa gave me gifts because of who I was and maybe he came to my house because I was lovable instead of rewarding me for what I had done to please him. I figured I had fooled him and to get the good stuff I would have to continue to hide the little boy who broke an ornament and then hid it.

Isn’t that too often how we view God? We had better not cry. Better not sin. I’m telling you why. Jesus is coming to town. He’s making a list and He is checking it not once or twice but every moment of every day. God knows if you’ve been bad or good so if you want to be healed or happy or prosperous you had better be good for goodness sake. If I do mess up I am scared to death that I will get a bad life or miss all that God has for me. So I put on the mask and try to be really good for Jesus. If I can fool those around me maybe, just maybe, I can fool God too.

Satan sells the lie so convincingly. And we buy it for months and years and even decades.

But God and Santa are very different in their approach. God does not keep a list. He is not impressed by our hernia inducing straining to control sin.

You know the verse well.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT)

Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.

Don’t let the Santa Claus theology live into the New Year. Go straight to the gift of grace that Jesus left under the Cross. Open it. And clothe yourself in His salvation, acceptance and love. It may be the best gift you have ever given yourself.

If I could have one wish for those of you who read these humble ramblings it would be very simple.

Amy Grant recorded “My Grown-up Christmas List” for her “Home For Christmas” album. The lyrics imagine an adult going back to Santa with a different perspective on what matters most in life. Instead of material things the writer now asks for good things for others. I love the sentiment of the song.

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

I thought about my “grown-up” Christmas list this week. I would love for all of the things in the lyric above to come true. But I have lived enough to know they will not. Everyday lives are torn apart. Wars start too frequently. Time does not heal every heart. Some who are reading this are lonely. Right seems to lose way too often and love ends for many.

So what could I wish for that would be available for all? My grown-up Christmas list would have one simple wish. That every person would truly understand the outrageous grace gift that God offers to each one of us. All we have to do is open that gift in faith. Christmas is when the gift came to earth wrapped in swaddling clothes.

I wish that everyone who hears the Gospel message would comprehend the one way love that God demonstrated. Instead of turning His back on sinners who deserved just that God chose to reach out to His creation with a radical plan for forgiveness. A plan that is unlike any other religion in history. Man made religion always demands something to earn salvation. God’s plan for redemption requires the lost to bring nothing to the table other than their sin and the need for salvation. Nothing.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT)

Not a single requirement other than believing. A gift of grace. Grace that is so vast and inexhaustible that no sin or sinner can exceed the scope of this amazing grace to cover their sin and redeem them. I coined an acronym for grace that only partially captures the enormity of God’s love.

God’s Radical And Complete Embrace.

God initiates salvation. The plan is so radical that it feels otherworldly. Salvation is complete and God’s embrace shows His desire to know us as His beloved children.

I wish that everyone who believes the Gospel would truly believe that they are a brand new creation. Recreated as a saint with complete freedom in Christ. Adopted as a child of God. Forgiven forever. And that all of those things are completely true because of Jesus.

I wish I could give those things to everyone on my list. Life will give us sadness, loss and loneliness but trust in Jesus gives us hope in the darkest storm. It started with the baby we celebrate at Christmas.

We rightly use the term hero for soldiers, police officers, fire fighters and other first responders. Those men and women deserve the title. Some call those whose faces adorn celebrity magazines or perform in athletic venues their heroes. But my heroes are not famous or powerful. This definition fits my heroes.

A person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.

That describes two of my heroes. On November 24th Harry Word passed from this life to spend eternity with the Lord. Just the day before Jake Washburn received a second chance at life with a double lung transplant in Phoenix.

Let me share why these two men are my heroes.

Harry Word was a faithful and caring presence at my home church, Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. I told him just a few weeks ago that he was my hero because he wanted to be in church no matter how much pain he was feeling or how difficult the task might be to get there. Whenever I woke up feeling tired or out of sorts I would think of Harry dragging his aching body willingly to church and then I would get ready to go. If Harry could get there I certainly could as well. When I got to church I would often see Harry slowly making his way to his front row seat to soak in the music and message with a smile of contented joy on his face.

He always had a word of encouragement and a promise to pray for you.

When Harry passed away the comments were revealing.

“A wonderful Godly man”
“I will miss his hugs. I thank God for the time I got to share with him”
“His sweet presence will be missed””So thankful to have known him”
“A great man with a great impact”

Isn’t that the resume that all of us would like to have as representatives of Jesus?  This is Harry with his bride Jerry. Pray for her and the family as they mourn their loss.

I met Jake Washburn just a few months ago through dear friends Laura and Duke Barnett. They told me about this remarkable young man who loved Jesus, his family, his friends and the Rangers in that general order. Jake has lived (emphasis on lived) all of his life with Cystic Fibrosis. He received a double lung transplant a few years ago. We developed an online correspondence about faith and starting pitching.

I finally got to meet Jake in person at Globe Life Park this past season.

When I met him on the field those transplanted lungs were beginning to fail and Jake had his oxygen tank in tow. Unless he could receive a second transplant his prospects were grim. For a thirty year old young man to hear this news you might have thought he would have been a bit discouraged or downcast. You don’t know Jake. His smile and confident trust in God lifted and inspired me. Jake received a baseball signed by Ranger manager Jeff Banister that featured the team slogan.

#nevereverquit

I know Jake had to be discouraged at times as the prognosis got worse and worse. How could you not be when receiving such news? But his faith was undaunted. When he was rejected by a couple of hospitals for a second transplant Jake asked his friends not to be angry with the doctors who denied his surgery. He simply said that God is in control and He will make a way. Hundreds if not thousands were praying for this special young man. I have no other explanation other than a miracle happened. A transplant team in Phoenix agreed to review his situation. They put him on the list and he moved to Phoenix to wait.

On November 18th Jake posted this quote from Kari Jobe.

“The only thing I want in life is to be known for loving Christ”.

How can you not root and pray for a warrior like that? Just a few days earlier he had posted this verse on his site.

Jake lives that hope. He knew that whatever happened he would be okay. He would either have a second chance to live and breathe or he would be eternally healed with Jesus. And then the call came that new lungs were available. I will never forget watching Jake share on Facebook Live the wonderful news.  He kept asking over and over that we pray for the family of the donor who were grieving even as their sacrifice gave life to Jake and others. It was a powerful moment. The surgery was a success. Jake is breathing with new lungs thanks to a selfless donor, an amazing medical team. legions of prayer warriors and a God who sovereignly made a way for Jake to make it to Phoenix. One of the first things he did after waking up from surgery is to scratch out these words on a whiteboard in his hospital room.

Jake wrote “never ever quit” and “Rangers”. His handwriting was a bit shaky after major surgery, anesthesia and being all tethered up with tubes but we can forgive that! Keep praying for his healing and recovery. And be encouraged that God can use regular people reflecting Jesus through trials and suffering in miraculous ways. He certainly did that with my two heroes.

Jake and Harry shared one very important trait. They were both prepared to die. The irony of our Christian journey is that when we are prepared to die we are prepared to live. Out of that truth we can live without fear of the future. We can live joyfully knowing that God has plans for us that are good. Our future and our hope may be present or eternal but that hope is real in the lives of followers of Jesus.

Heroes like Harry and Jake don’t make headlines. What they make is much more important. They make a difference.