VISION. (Road Signs Part 2)

Last week I made my first post about the Road Signs series we are doing as a youth group. I had the opportunity to talk about the path principle, which is simply this: Our direction determines our destination. In pondering, praying, and pontificating on this topic a single word came into my mind over and over again: VISION. I think the reason that I and so many other people in life get on the wrong road, or miss a road sign, is because we forget about our vision--or we simply do not have a vision at all.

Andy Stanley defined vision like this: "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be." This is from his book Visioneering which you all should read if you have not. This principle applies to businesses, families, personal goals, and especially our Christian lives. In order to live and grow in a certain direction we have to have vision. We have to constantly ask ourselves--what is the vision that God has given me for life? We should spend all our energy finding that vision--and then NEVER forget it.

Stanley outlines two main points that every vision should have. First, the vision should come from a deep conviction. This conviction is birthed from our dissatisfaction with something and a desire to see it changed. Second, the vision should line up with what God is doing in the world. One of my friends would term it like this: "We need to connect with the movement of God." What is God doing in our community, in our family, in our hearts and where do we need to jump on board?

The main point in our Road Signs message this week is "when you see a warning sign, turn around." I think this principal is inherently linked with our own personal vision that comes from God. If we don't have a conviction about what God is doing in our lives, how will we ever know if we are going the wrong way? If we have not studied the Scriptures deeply and learned to love them, how will we ever know God's heart for the world in which we live--not to mention his personal plan for each of us? If we have not been driven to our knees by what God did for us on the cross--how will we ever change the world for Jesus? These are questions we must ask ourselves if we really want to align ourselves with God's vision, God's purpose for the world in which we live.

Too many of us go through life lacking a vision--missing the road signs that God puts in front of us. I see so many students walk through life simply wanting to have "fun." Don't get me wrong--I'm all for fun, we need to laugh and connect with people--that is part of God's plan. HOWEVER, when our desire to have fun becomes our vision we will never get anywhere in life. And, sadly, we will never do anything really great for God. Too many of us, myself included, have wasted portions of our lives because we have not pursued our vision. Or, maybe we have a vision but we have ignored the warning signs that popped up when we walked down the wrong path.

I don't know about you--but I don't want to waste my life. I don't want to want to wake up when I am 65 and getting ready to retire and ask the question: "What have I been doing with my life?" I want to come before my God and have him say "well done." Our path, our direction is different for each of us. To discover that path we need vision--a vision that comes from our great God. Don't waste your life. Discover God's vision for you. If you see a warning sign, turn around and head back to the path--because the great thing about our God is that he is a God of Mercy and Grace. Even that truth should shape our vision.

Our direction--our vision--determines our destination.

THE STARBUCKS EXPERIENCE--Some comments on loving God and loving People

I have worked at Starbucks for almost 3 1/2 years. In that time I have done things I never thought I would do. First--I now regularly wake up at 3:45am to go to work (An hour so ungodly--I question why the good Lord created it). Second--I have learned a new "language" which centers around coffee. Third--I actually like coffee! It was not too long ago that I actually detested the taste of it.

For all those things I thought I would never do, I have had the opportunity to do some things that have improved my ministry. First, I have learned to love people. Now... let me say that loving people is not always easy. When people walk in the doors at 8:59pm and we close at 9:00pm, I find it very difficult to love them. When I am cleaning various parts of the store to get ready for us to close, it is hard for me to love people. When customers complain about a tiny little bit of foam on their "Grande No Foam Latte"--it is hard to love people.

But I have met so many people at Starbucks and it has taught me to appreciate the creativeness of our God. I work with people from all walks of life--Christians and Non-Christians--and I believe that God loves everyone of us and he died for every single one of us. We all need Jesus because we are fallen and broken.

I have a friend who has taught me a great deal about loving people through his actions. I have learned so much from his generosity--whether is is getting donuts for strangers in the morning, remembering people's names, or going out of his way to correct something that he said. His passion for people is contagious and inspiring. And it is those little things that go a long way towards loving people and showing the heart of our God.

Starbucks seeks to connect with people over coffee. A few months ago Starbucks decided to close down all their stores in the US. They did this because they wanted to refocus their employees on the reason they exist as a company--to connect with people and serve great coffee. During this meeting my manager quoted Walt Disney's philosophy of growth-- "No matter how big we get, it all began with a mouse." Being the pastor that I am, I could not help but notice the parallel for ministry. Because the truth is no matter how big we get as a church, in our career--no matter how busy we are it all began with Jesus. And Jesus loves people. All people. Through my experience at Starbucks I have continued to learn that no matter what I am doing in life--nothing is more important than loving the people whom God brings into my life--and showing everyone the love that My God had for me.

"It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin'"--Some thoughts on humility and unleashing the church

Last Friday morning, as I do most Friday mornings, I got to sleep in. The week had been exhausting. I was up late three or four nights in a row, but I had made the promise to myself that I would go back to the gym this morning. 6:00am rolled around and my alarm started blaring--it was time to wake up and go work out. Now, I don't know about most people--but I like to institute what I call the "snooze and snore" maneuver. Whenever my alarm goes off in the morning I hit the snooze button twice...okay three...alright four times! I'll admit it, I like sleep. I will delay the waking up process as long as I possibly can so that I can get a few more minutes of shut eye sprawled out on my bed. And, as happened for many Fridays previous, I did not go to the gym. Instead, a thought shocked my brain like a bolt of lightning--I had not finished my message for Sunday! I had been thinking about it all week, praying about it, even daydreaming about it in all my seminary classes but I had not finished. I realized that it was Friday... and Sunday was coming!

Some of you may recognize that line, which was made famous by Tony Campolo. Tony, a born and bred Philadelphia Italian with the spit and passion to prove it, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Evangelical Christian world. I had the opportunity of attending Eastern University where Tony taught and heard him speak often. Since I graduated from Eastern I have not heard Tony speak... until yesterday when he came to Denver Seminary's chapel. I was reminded of what a good speaker he is. I want to highlight two points that I walked away with from chapel yesterday...

1. HUMILITY Tony eloquently talked about the idea of "power and authority" throughout his message. Power, he said, is something that most people seek in this world. People love to have lots of money and wear two bluetooths in their ears to prove that they are important. So many people think that the world revolves around them. Sadly, the church thinks this same way. We think that if we have a lot of money, big buildings, thousands of people in attendance, then we are important and are really making an impact for God and his kingdom. When those things happen--we may have power, but not necessarily authority. Authority only comes when we prove that we are humble enough to realize that God's kingdom is bigger than us and our egos. Authority comes when we have humbly walked to the walk, not just talked the talk. As the old the saying goes--"We have to earn the right to be heard."

Those who know me best know that I have an issue with this. I feel the need to always tell people my schedule and how busy I am. This has been convicting to me of late--because the world does not revolve around me. I am not that important. And while I may have some kind of "power" by the positions and achievements that I hold--my authority only comes from God the Father Almighty. It is through his grace that I have what I have and by his sacrifice that I have life. This thought should drive us to our knees every day as we humbly depend upon our God.

2. UNLEASHING THE CHURCH You will never hear a time that Tony speaks when he does not mention the poor. He is passionate about Christians going into the darkest places of this world to reach the outcasts and make a difference for the Kingdom of God. As Tony spoke about these things this time--I was reminded of the book and philosophy made popular by Frank Tillapaugh "The Church Unleashed"--(Originally "Unleashing the Church"). The crux behind this philosophy is that the church needs to get outside it walls and make an impact on the city in which it ministers--to all the outcasts that the people of "power" neglect. I have heard sermons recently and over the years that have communicated the need for Christians to minister in the "darkest places." In response, I say that those of us who minister in the suburbs, the privileged middle class, need to get unleashed and start serving in the darkest places. I feel that one of my callings as a pastor is to mobilize and equip the suburban church to minister in the urban community. This is Tony's challenge as well, which is relevant and convicting to all.

As he finished up with power and authority, it seemed appropriate when he used the illustration of the current Wall Street situation. All the people of power are freaking out because they realize their power is found in their money. But if we are followers of Jesus Christ--our power is in our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is still on his throne and everything we have is because of him. Sometimes it may feel like we are in bed on a Friday and we are panicked with the things of this world. But Sunday's coming--and while I may have been a little concerned about my message on that Friday, Sunday was a great day of celebrating our God. He is the one who has saved us, redeemed us, changed us--he is the one who has come... AND HE'S COMING AGAIN! Wherever you are--HOPE in the truth of the Lord Jesus. It may be Friday--but Sunday's coming!

Your Direction Determines Your Destination: Thoughts on Road Signs

Driving can sometimes be a challenge for me. Have you ever gone the wrong way down a one-way street? Have you ever been driving on the interstate and gotten off at the wrong exit because you "accidentally" were in the wrong lane? Or better yet, have you "misread" a sign and started going the wrong way on the highway... only to realize a few hours later that you were not where you should be? All of those scenarios have happened to me. 

If you are a little younger and cannot drive, maybe you have seen your parents do those things. But more likely you have gone into the wrong restroom (men to women and women to men), gone the wrong way around the bases, walked into the wrong classroom in the middle of a lecture, or said hi to someone you thought was someone else because they look familiar. Again, all have happened to me :). 

In all of these scenarios it seems that things happen unintentionally. After all, I don't think that I intentionally tried to kill the people in my car by going the wrong way on a one way street, or waste people's time by driving the our of our way for three hours. There have been times when I have not intended to hurt someone emotionally... but I did. I have ended relationships with people. I have had relationships end with me. And my favorite line when that happens is "I did not mean to hurt you." Let me just camp here for a second. Of course we did not mean to hurt each other. No one goes into a relationship and says "Hmmmm... I wonder how deep I can wound this person." It is not our intention, but because we take a risk sometimes it can happen. If we choose to take a certain direction in a relationship there is chance, a risk that someone will get hurt. There is also a chance that the direction we take could lead to something greater. 

Intentions are all well and good, but if our intentions do not lead to actions then they are meaningless. Here is the thing that I have learned and that we all have to learn in life: Our direction, not our intention, determines our destination. That is the theme of a new series I am teaching called "Road Signs." 

As I am getting a little older, I have begun reflecting on that idea. I look back over my life and realize that all the decisions that I made in my life have been a direction that eventually led to a destination. I chose to go to certain college, which led to the next stage of life. I chose to move to Colorado from New Jersey to go to Seminary which was a major directional change. All the decisions that I have made in the past and will make in the future are directions that will lead to destinations. The question to ask ourselves is twofold: "Where do we desire to be... and is it in line with God's vision for us?"

As a student pastor I have seen so many young men and women make poor decisions. It is the plight of all student pastors... I am sure mine thought the same about me. We often make decisions based on our desires, but we never stop to ask ourselves if those desires line up with God's vision for us. It is often like a really scary movie, you see the young protagonist enter the dark house late at night and all you want to do is yell "NOOOOOO!!!!!!" Proverbs chapter seven talks about this idea. We see a young man making some very poor decisions in life and an older man is watching and shaking his head. The older man knows these mistakes because he has already made them in life. So he cries out to the young man "keep my words, and treasure up my commandments with you." Why? Because he knows that it is like and he does not want the young man to go through the same pain he went through. He does not want him to misread or disregard the road sign and wind up on a direction that will lead to a poor destination. I think this is the same way that God looks at us as he sees our hearts and our actions. 

Our direction, not our intention, leads to our destination. I have found that to be so true in life. I don't know about you but want my direction to be God honoring and guided by prayer. As I think about this principal I realize how much I need to be on my knees every single day crying out for God's guidance because only he can help us determine the correct direction for our life. And if we take a detour... he offers grace and guides us back to the highway. But it is not his desire that we stray from the path he has laid before us. The writer of Hebrews put it this way:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. (12:1-2)."

My hope is that we all would look for the Road Signs in our lives. Run the race, but make use the cloud of witnesses who care about you and always look to Jesus. Heed the "caution" signs, t stop at the red lights and stop signs, dive headfirst into the green lights, and ultimately continually "Yield" to the direction that God is putting us on. Our direction, not our intention, leads to our destination. 

Spiritual Implications of A Boston Red Sox Defeat

This is may seem like a ridiculous topic to blog about, and it is, but I feel I need to comment. Those of you who know me best are aware that I hate the Boston Red Sox. I hate the Red Sox so much that I would be satisfied if they lost every game for the rest of their existence as an organization! Harsh I know, but this is how I am aware that I hate the Red Sox so much. The other night the Tampa Bay Rays were on the verge of allowing the Red Sox to come back from 3-1 series deficit (not the first time the Red Sox have done this). It brought back haunting memories to the worst year in New York Yankees recent history--2004 when the Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead. As the Red Sox lost to the Rays--even though the Yankees did not make the playoffs--I felt like the year was a success. 

A recent issue of USA Today showed ran a story about a Boston Red Sox fan who used to root for the Yankees. He had moved to Boston and became a die-hard Red Sox fan. His comment to the paper was "The Red Sox grow on you." I cannot think of a more heretical statement that could be uttered by a Yankees fan. Scores of stories from church history ran through my mind as I thought that this man was a worse than Pelagius, Arius, perhaps even some of our neo-orthodox brothers.  A visceral reaction rose up in my bones as I heard this statement... it was then that I realized how much I hated the Red Sox. I felt betrayed by this young man. And being the Calvinist that I am I questioned whether he was ever a Yankees fan in the first place! The Arminian perspective may have allowed for more grace in this young man's changing allegiance. 

The whole story reminded me of the Church at Laodecia in Revelation 3. The Christians there were criticized for being lukewarm and falling away from Christ. I offer this young man from Boston as an example of a lukewarm Yankees fan who should be ashamed of himself. Folks, whatever team you root for... never. never. never give in to lukewarm cheering! We cannot lose our valuable faithful to our arch rivals. I hope and pray that the Boston Red Sox loss in this year's playoffs will begin a revival of the Yankee faithful to win more souls to our cause. We cannot be lukewarm... the souls of many depend upon it!

Running Towards The Fray

Does anyone remember when The Fray got really big like two or three years ago? I think it was impossible for me to go into a diner, drive in my car, step into a Starbucks, walk out on the street, enjoy a Rockies game without hearing that familiar beat and vocals to "How to Save a Life." NO ONE could get away from the Fray. They were everywhere. 

Over the last few days I have been thinking about the fray... not the band, but what it means to be in the fray of life. The messiness of life that will always be there. As I get older I realize that life can throw some curveballs at you. Things you thought were going to happen, don't. Challenges that your thought would never come your way, do. And sometimes you are left crying our to God for guidance but left wondering what to do. Sometimes others are telling you these same thoughts from their lives and you try to offer guidance. The uncertainties and messiness of life is the fray. 

I was reading a book at a Starbucks the other day and it used the phrase, "We must start running towards the fray." I was a little taken back because for the last few years I have been trying to run away from the Fray. This author was speaking specifically to followers of Jesus Christ. As we minister in life, we need to run towards the fray. We need to get into the messiness of people's lives and show them God for who he really is: the God who saves, loves, redeems, transforms, is all-powerful, is all knowing, gives freedom, and is the great God of the universe. We must run towards the fray because too many people run away from it. Too many people are scared of getting involved in people's lives. We need more people like David, who was not afraid to run towards Goliath with power that comes from God Almighty. 

Part of the reason I don't run towards the fray of life is that I don't like letting go of the things that I am attached to. I don't want to risk losing my security and worth. I like the relationships that I have, I like the TV shows that I watch, I like my paycheck, I like living the way that I like to live... I am attached to things and I need to let go of them so God can use me in more powerful ways. I was reading another book when I realized that this life is not all about me--it is about allowing the living God to be glorified through me. So often I get caught up in the things that I am doing and am attached too that I forget God has a bigger plan for me. God wants all of us to take the risk of running towards the fray of our lives with his power and let him show up. Because when he does amazing things will happen. 

I don't know specifically what it means for you to run towards the fray. I don't know what you are attached to. Maybe it has to deal with a relationship, or a vision for your life, or how you use your resources. Whatever it is, may you run towards the fray of life, get in the messiness and let God be God. Un-attach yourself for the things of this life and attach yourself to the God of the universe who can carry you through any issue that comes about in your life. Change the world by being used of God. Run towards the fray.

Are you ready for this?

I have never blogged before in my life. Actually, when I first that people were starting this new thing called "blogging," I thought it was synonomous with an upset stomach and something in the toilet that looked like old chinese food (see what you do with that image!). So when it was suggested that I start a blog a few weeks ago (when it was created for me), I wasn't initially on board full swing (As evidence by my lack of posts in the last few weeks). However, its time to to get going... and those who know me well know that reading my blog will be like a Seinfeld quote- "I never know what to expect, and I'm real scared (Jerry to George)." 

In fact, as you read this blog it might not always make sense, you might get visions of George Costanza dancing in your head, you will probably find lots of quotes from current TV Shows and Movies, I may forget to clarify an inside joke, or something else that I am not thinking about at this moment. But I hope that at some point, as I dump out the many thing that go through my mind, you find some hope and encouragement for life an that you see a passion for the God that I love and the kingdom that I live in. Because, as many know- I do love my life!

2:00 AM at the Diner is a reference to a childhood passion of mine. I grew up in New Jersey, and when you grow up there you cannot help but get captured by the diner culture. I chose 2:00 AM because that is time when the best conversations happen and breakfast never tasted so good. Join me at 2:00 AM--and may you be part of the adventure!