Where are the fathers?

For the past several years, I have been sensing a deep cry arising from the heart of people. It started rather innocuously but steadily increased in intensity and crescendo. One day while driving, I literally felt a groaning in my own spirit, a groaning that found its way to my lips. I have no way to describe it except that my spirit responded to both the heart of my Father and to the cry from deep within people, especially from young twenty-something adults.

It all started with the realization that while the Holy Spirit had done a “fathering” work in us a number of years ago, we have replaced fathering with other less intensive activities. Almost simultaneously with that realization, young adults began communicating with Bev (my wife) and me about their deep desire for fathers. (I use the term father not in a gender specific sense, but in a way that includes mothering as well). Invariably the conversation led to the burning question – who will teach us how to live? How do we do life as a follower of Christ? Who will answer our questions about marriage, about unfulfilled sexual expectations with our spouse? To whom can we turn to discover if we are parenting our toddlers in a way that releases life? Who has gone before us that can help us discover God in our own journey? How does the kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven” look in the twenty-first century?

While their questions would indicate that they are asking for answers, it’s not answers they seek as much as the guidance to help them make their own discovery of God, who He is, and how He relates to everyday life. What does it look like to walk with God in a practical manner? They have no hunger for another class or another program. They don’t want to attend another meeting. They want to be invited into someone’s life so they can learn.

Quite frankly, we have done a great job of giving people information but that is the extent of our involvement with them. We teach them the value of prophecy without teaching them how to raise their kids. We teach them to pray without teaching them how to deal with the difficulty and ugliness of this life. We stress the importance of meetings (Sunday morning services and Sunday school, Wednesday classes etc) without ever preparing them to face the reality of doing life with God. We teach them the importance of the supernatural but never teach them how to live in a supernatural way.

Paul addresses this very problem with the church at Corinth

15For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16So I ask you to follow my example and do as I do. (1 Corinthians 4:15-16)

I fear that we have been more interested in being instructors and teachers than we have in being fathers. Teachers give you information and then go home. Fathers invite you to come into their home. Teachers speak about theory; fathers speak from experience. I watched a leader continually emphasize evangelism yet he never invited anyone to “follow my example”. Why? Because there was no example to follow! Therefore this leader had no authority to bring transformational change to those to whom he spoke.

Granted, teaching is a more attractive option. There is less risk and more glamour. We can teach to thousands but we can only father only a few. We can host conferences with wonderful teachers but fathering can’t be imparted in a conference. Fathering often feels insignificant.

I hear a lot of discussion about ministry, about vision, about building the church. In the midst of these words, one thing that is sadly missing is the discussion about building the lives of people in a transformational manner. We have replaced fathering with efforts to build a great ministry. We have replaced the invitation “follow my example, do as I do” with teaching that tells people what to do. We focus on striving to be being the best or the biggest

Our teaching has become like that of the Pharisees. We teach about things we have never experienced. We read a book and decide that it would make a good teaching so we write a class, teaching about things of which we know nothing. We may mentally assent with the material but we never “own” it in our heart because we have never experienced the material we present.

Look at these words taken from Matthew 7 in the message.

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

What was Jesus’ source of authority? He lived what He taught. His teaching flowed from His walk with the Father. Today, the word (the logos) still needs to come in flesh. True fathering authority comes when I bring the logos to life in my own life and then like Paul, invite people to follow and imitate me.

My own struggle with God will teach them how to wrestle with God. My sin and subsequent repentance will teach them how to overcome when they fall into sin. My need for grace will free them to experience God in deeper ways. God’s supernatural intervention in my situation will cause faith to grow for their life. My experience with God becomes a compass heading that helps them navigate the treachery of life.

Fathering is painfully difficult. Recently I asked Bev why I care so much when the caring causes me so much pain. It would be easier to detach myself from the struggle of life than it is to become intimately involved with the life of others. When my biological children face the pain of life, I hurt. When our daughter Heidi’s friend Chris was killed several years ago, my emotions were a wreck. Her pain became my pain, her sorrow became my sorrow, her anger became my anger, her questions became my questions.

And yet Fathering is not all about pain. The joys are deeper than one could ever imagine. Seeing the “kids” lay hold of all that God has for them causes an explosion of elation to erupt from deep within my spirit.

The million dollar question is this – what will we do with the cry of people who desire to be fathered? Will we invite them to church, to a class, to a meeting or will we simply invite them into our own walk with God (regardless of how frail that walk seems). Will we heed the yearning of their heart or will we turn aside to more important things (in our eyes) like building our ministry or church. I fear that we are often seduced by the seeming more grandiose endeavors in the kingdom of God instead of choosing the way of insignificance, the way of intentionally inviting a small group of people into our own journey with God.

For me personally, I am choosing to give my life to people. Part of the deep groaning in my spirit was a result of the realization “that the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few”. I cry out to the Father, asking Him for more fathers, for people who care little about prestige and public ministry, for people who will freely offer their life as an example of the word in flesh. I invite you to join me in fathering. Father those to whom God joins your heart. Turn aside from being teachers and instructors; embrace the noble call of fatherhood.

The joy of celebrating the season

This past week, I watched an argument develop on an Internet forum. A bunch of "Christians" were debating whether we should celebrate Christmas. A rather outspoken group of people insisted that the celebration of Christmas was not appropriate since the origins of the holiday are pagan. Furthermore, they argued, that Jesus was probably not born in December.

While it is true that the celebration of Christmas is the result of the "Christianization" of a pagan holiday and while it is true that Jesus probably was not born in December, that does not negate the value of celebrating. Jesus came to earth to transform the secular into sacred. He came to redeem the culture, not to abolish it. The fact that a pagan holiday became the celebration of the greatest work of God ever is a picture of the very work of God.

Furthermore, the fact that God was willing to come to earth, that He was willing to give His all for the possibility of humanity being restored to Him, is worthy of great celebration. If we really understood the the awesomeness of God coming to be one of us, if we really grasped the significance of His actions, we would celebrate even more heartily.

So go ahead...enjoy yourself this Christmas season. God coming to us, reaching out to us, demands celebration. Enjoy the food; enjoy the drinks; enjoy the relationships. Jesus came so that we might have abundant life, extravagant life. We would have no hope if God had not reached out to us. But He did! It is appropriate that we celebrate.

Seeing from God's perspective

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of your people Israel.”[1]

There are two ways by which we observe the world around us. We perceive either by the eyes of the natural man or we perceive through the eyes of the spiritual man illuminated by the Holy Spirit. When our spirit is united with God, we have the capability of seeing as God sees. However, from the time of our natural birth, we have learned to see with eyes of the natural man, the power of our natural eyes strengthening as we age. The strengthening of our natural eyes always occurs simultaneously to the exclusion of the spiritual eyes.

Simeon saw the world through the eyes of the spirit, enabling Him to see what almost everyone else missed the day Jesus came to the temple as a baby. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died. Seeing with eyes of the spirit caused Simeon to be in the temple the very moment the Messiah entered the building.

Almost everyone else in the temple that day saw a rather ordinary baby boy, a boy born to rather ordinary Jewish parents. Simeon, on the other hand, perceived with the eyes of the Spirit. Where everyone else saw a baby boy, Simeon saw the Messiah. In the midst of the day to day busyness of the temple, Simeon recognized what others missed. In the squirming bundle in his arms, He saw the divine destiny that would unite all nations to God. In the eyes of the baby, he recognized the Creator of the Universe. In the typical baby whimpers and cries, he heard the voice of the God that spoke the world into existence. Simeon did not seem to be troubled that the King of Kings appeared, not in great glory and fanfare, but in the lowest of human forms. He saw past the natural into the eternal destiny of the Child.

If we are to understand the work and ways of God, we like Simeon must see with the eyes of the spirit. It is impossible to comprehend the ways of God with the natural eyes and the natural intellect. The spiritual eyes enable us to perceive the supernatural work of God in the midst of what the natural man would define as ordinary. With our spiritual eyes we can discern the yeast of the Kingdom of God penetrating society long before the natural man will even be aware of its existence.

The natural man that perceives with natural eyes will look for a Messiah that appears in great glory, missing the power of the insignificant mustard seed placed in the soil. There is great danger in failing to see the work of God. When the natural man does not see the work of God, he attempts to create it on his own. History shows us that this work of the natural man, even though done in the name of God, always resists the true work of God.

We must, in every situation we face, continually watch for the hand of God with the eyes of the spirit. Instead of quickly jumping to conclusions based on the eyes of the natural man, we must rise to the higher view of God’s perspective as revealed in our place unity with Him in our spirit. Then we, like Simeon, are able to correctly discern the ways of God in the world today. And like Simeon, our response to God’s work will be a response of blessing and joy.
[1] Luke 2:25-32 NKJV

I'm back!!

After a month of not blogging, I am back again. Bev and I along with our 17 year old daughter Karisa spent several weeks in the Himalayan regions of India. We have several different projects ongoing in that part of the world. I was touched deeply by the heart of the Father as I was there. (It happens every time!)

We dedicated a facility that will provide a home for 32 girls. For the past year construction has been ongoing. The girls currently live in a cramped space just off the street. They will move to their new home later in December. As I watched them stream up the steps into what will be their new communal bedroom, the tears couldn't be stopped from my eyes. Their faces were so excited, smiles stretched almost ear to ear. We celebrated with music, the girls singing with gusto. We celebrated with food, great pots of rice, vegetables, and curry chicken were consumed. I watched a small girl dance spontaneously to the music.

In my own heart, I felt the heartbeat of the Father. My heart was overwhelmed that these girls would have a better home, that they have hope. And it was good! I wanted to hug, to hold each one of the girls and let them know how special they are. The heart of the Father toward them seized my heart, overwhelming me in waves of joy and love. And it was good!

God so cares about the "little people". To be part of His redemptive plan for these 32 girls was and is a privilege beyond compare.

disillusionment with church

This past week I have had several conversations with several different people that underscored a growing sentiment, a sentiment that Bev and I have been hearing for about five years. People are very disillusioned with the way we interpret and do church. Now before you disengage spiritually and intellectually with this statement, before you immediately assume that these people are somehow disgruntled church-goers who want to do things their own way, hear what I have to say.

Most of these kinds of conversations have been with people who either are or who have been in leadership in a local church, pastors, elders, people in music ministry, and deacons, etc. They are not disillusioned with God, with Jesus, or even with heart to heart transformational relationships. No these things are dear to their heart. What does deeply bother them is the lack of these things in their churches. What does deeply bother them is a sense that the system of church (the structure, the activities, the ministries) has taken precedence over both God and people. What does bother them is the lack of love for people. What does bother them is that when they begin to question the status quo, they are immediately dismissed at best and rejected and vilified at worst by those who seek to protect the church system.

A pastor wondered if it is even possible for the large church he led to be truly real and vulnerable. (He confessed that people in the church were sure that they were vulnerable but in reality were hiding behind facades.)

An elder wondered if anyone in his church would even relate to him if he wasn't an elder. Would anyone miss him if he quit attending Sunday services?

The wife of a person previously involved in music ministry expressed with sadness that when her husband was no longer "in ministry", people quit relating to her and even avoided her.

A couple that both participated in various leadership positions in church observed that they had gotten so busy in "ministry" in the church that they no longer had the time or energy to engage with people in a meaningful way.

The frequent reaction of people who seek to protect the church system is to quickly assume that something is somehow wrong with people I mentioned above. I know all of the listed people personally (and could have listed many, many more). Each person I referred to above is a follower of Jesus. They are not rebellious or trying to cause trouble. They are simply responding to what they see, the reality of their situation.

They have been to the top of the system and have discovered it to be empty. They fear that we have left the ways of following Jesus, exchanging active participation with Jesus in redeeming the world for busy church activities. They no longer have a desire to build a great ministry, a great church, or a great anything. They simply want be deeply involved in the redemptive work of God in the world, interacting with people in a way that God's transformational power is unleashed. They do not want to align with and to be identified by a specific group, ministry, or man. Rather they want to be aligned with and be identified by their participation with Jesus. On the other hand, they deeply yearn for God-centered personal relationships that will be both safe and challenging. Relationships that go beyond the "how are you? I'm fine" standard that defines many church relationships.

For the past number of years people from all types of theological persuasions have been prophesying that a new wineskin (to use Jesus' words), a new way of being church, (perhaps more accurately, a restoration of an old way being church) would emerge. We are seeing that emergence in the hearts of people.

Abundant life and the Waterfront Tavern

This past Saturday evening Bev and I enjoyed an evening together. Friends had given us a generous gift certificate to the Waterfront Tavern in Lewistown. Everything about the evening sparkled with life. The chef at the Waterfront obviously enjoys creating culinary masterpieces, blending flavors and presenting them exquisitely. The steak seemed to melt in your mouth, every bite of the crab cakes demanded another. The October Spice lager blended with the meal to perfection. We dared to try an unknown (to us) desert of rum-soaked lady fingers topped with mousse and chocolate syrup to discover it equalled the rest of the meal. We finished off our desert with steaming rich coffee enhanced with real cream.

The entire experience caused me to reflect on life, more specifically, the abundant life promised by Jesus. It seems to me that we frequently define Christianity, not by abundant life, but by the things we can't or shouldn't do. A pastor friend of mine was recently chided for having too much fun in public. Somehow we have made Christianity into a dull, sober lifestyle, mistakenly assuming that our joyless existence satisfies God.

When I began to truly follow Jesus, I discovered joy in the journey. My life is no longer defined by a set of rules but rather by abundant life. I have learned to shun the things that are not conducive to abundant life. I am learning to wholeheartedly embrace the things that bring life. Abundant life does not eliminate pain but rather it carries me through the normal pain experienced as a result of living in a sin-tainted world. Abundant life does not negate the mundane, ordinary duties of life, it causes me to rise above the place of being defined by those duties. Abundant life does not always keep me from sinning but it will keep me from living in a place of sin.

I do not believe that our experience at the Waterfront caused abundant life, it was a result of abundant life. Abundant life begins in the heart, in our place of oneness with God. As we heed the longing of our spirit to be united with Him, we discover our heart becoming alive. The "aliveness" in our heart then allows us to experience the fullness of God as expressed in our day to day world.

I believe that the writer of Proverbs understood this as he penned the following words -
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23). My prayer for you is that your heart is well, that you too experience the abundant life!

walking together

For those of you who wondered - I did not vanish from sight the past month! It has been a very active season in our lives. For our family, this has traditionally been our busy time of year.

Bev and I did have the opportunity this past weekend to spend time with some fellow travellers on our pursuit of God at our New York lakefront property. At one time our friends were on the road to destruction but more recently have begun the journey toward life. Our time with them refreshed us and reaffirmed the value of connecting relationally in a heart to heart manner with people.

While most people affirm the need for relationships, I am convinced that most people rarely experience deep, heart to heart relationships. I am not talking about the Sunday morning "I'm fine, how are you" kind of relationships. The relationships I am talking about result from life deeply shared. Struggles, joys, dreams, and encouragement are freely shared. Burdens are carried together, questions are explored in community. Facades are not necessary, and in fact, are discouraged. In the midst of our heart to heart relationships, God enters the dialogue, engaging in the give and take.

My hope for each of you reading this is that you will experience the love of true Christian community, not in manner that never goes beyond the surface to the heart, but in the way of Jesus and His disciples, in the way of first century church.

The way it was meant to be

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. (Genesis 1:31) Last night Bev and I went to a wedding. Andrew and Kate are some of our favorite young adults. Their passion for Jesus shines through every part of their life.

I don't know if I was ever at a wedding where I saw so many tears. I saw tears in the eyes of both bride and groom, their parents and grandparents, as well as the guests. Andrew's grandfather had the honor of guiding them through the ceremony. At times he had to pause for a moment to compose himself before he could talk.

There was something magical, something enchanting about the wedding. It had nothing to do with the location (although it was at a beautiful mansion), or the actual ceremony (although it was simple yet meaningful), or the food (it was wonderful). No, the sense of enchantment came from somewhere else. I had a strong sense of God smiling His affirmation on the two becoming one. Just as God looked over everything He made and affirmed it thousands of years ago, once again He pronounced it excellent in every way.

I believe the reason for the tears was that people understood somewhere deep in their spirit that this was good. Our spirits were joining with God in the affirmation of the mystery of marriage, a mystery straight from the heart of the Creator, a mystery that stretches to the beginning of time, a mystery that was first evident in Adam's sense of wonderment as he beheld Eve for the first time.

I believe the tenderness of heart that facilitated the blessing of God and the sense of enchantment started with the couple. They have allowed their hearts to love and be loved, both by God and each other. I believe the powerful cross-generational affirmation of a grandfather blessing and honoring two hearts becoming one intensified the sense of awe and holiness. As the parents of both the bride and groom gathered around them and prayed, blessing the union, God's affirmation was evident. The conversation and laughter that accompanied the wedding meal reflected the joy of the Father's heart.

Once again I found myself in a place of God's affirmation, my heart overflowing with a sense of joy - this was good! Once again my spirit harmonized with the heart of the Father, responding to His joy with joy of my own - this was good!

Pharisees still resist Jesus

Jesus greatest resistance throughout His ministry years was not from the Romans and their ungodly government, rather it was from the religious leaders of the day, namely the Pharisees. I have noticed that to this day, the same spirit that was evident in the Pharisees opposes the active work of Jesus. As the work of Jesus increases in the world through the active involvement of His body, Pharisees begin to attack it. I have observed some re-occurring themes when it comes to Pharisees (both in Jesus’ day and today).

Pharisees are self proclaimed keepers of the truth – they have a tightly defined system of beliefs about God. Anything that lies outside of that system of belief is immediately and vociferously attacked as from the devil. Because Jesus never seemed to adhere to their system of beliefs, He was proclaimed to be from the devil. They still demonize people who deviate from the accepted system of beliefs. Pharisees freely use the terms like “false teachers”, “snakes”, and “deceived” to describe anyone who would dare to disagree with them. They care more about the protection of their doctrinal systems than about people. To even question their pet doctrines is heretical to them. In a reality, the truth they proclaim is not God’s truth but their own. They may find scriptures that support some of their beliefs, but at the core, they hold to their own truth not God’s truth.

Pharisees are never wrong in their eyes – Since they are the “keepers of the truth”, they cannot be wrong. While they profess to love truth, what they really love is themselves and their projected image of God. Since they cannot be wrong (they will find the scriptures to PROVE they are not wrong), anyone who disagrees must be wrong.

Pharisees refuse to humbly and honestly search the scriptures – Pharisees take a great deal of pride in their adherence to the scriptures. However, they come to the scriptures with their own set of paradigms. In so doing, they frequently make the scriptures say something they were never meant to say. They will allow and even promote shoddy exegesis of the scriptures if it will further their own agenda. They are not “learners” due to the fact that they have God “figured out”. They resist learning from and embracing the pattern of Jesus as revealed in the Gospels. Rather than interpret the scriptures through the life and pattern of Jesus, they attempt to fit Jesus into their belief system. Where He does not fit, He is ignored

Pharisees love judgment – Since they have all truth and are the epitome of godliness in their own eyes, they eagerly await the judgment of those that do not hold to their accepted belief system. They profess that their judgment is motivated by love, but their attitude displays anything but love and graciousness. Sinners MUST be punished and the earlier God punishes the sinner the better it will be. As I stated earlier, they are quick to label anyone who disagrees with them as deceived. They have a clear line of demarcation – people are either “in or out”.

I work with a great deal of pagans as well as new believers in Jesus. The Pharisees always make my work more difficult. Instead of bringing healing, they cause pain. Instead of bringing freedom, they bring bondage. Instead of bringing life they bring death. Instead of encouraging vulnerable learning and curiosity about the scriptures that depends on the Holy Spirit’s teaching, they dictate rigid dogma. At every turn, they resist the work of Jesus.

I believe that we live in the most exciting time in history. Unfortunately like in Jesus' day, the greatest resistance will come from Pharisees. I expect that as God's plan continues to unfold, the Pharisees will beome more vocal and vehement. Be encourage though, their poisonous doctrines will not prevail against the work of Jesus!!

Superstar??? Christians

This week, two stories from the church world made the news. Unfortunately they were not the kind of stories that demonstrate the cause of Christ. On the 23d, the AP broke a story about Juanita Bynum, a female televangelist and author and her husband, Thomas Weeks III, founder of Global Destiny Churches. Apparently the couple had separated and are no longer together. In a confrontation, Weeks assaulted Bynum, choking her and kicking her. Bynum and Weeks were married in 2002 in an extremely elaborate, televised wedding

On the 23d as well, the Tampa Tribune released the news that Randy and Paula White, pastors of Church Without Walls in Tampa, were announcing their divorce. Church Without Walls is reported to be one of the largest and fastest growing churches in the United States. The Whites have been under scrutiny for some time for their lavish lifestyles.

Both cases reveal a deep sickness in the American church. The church has been transformed from the Body of Christ into what is the equivalent of a large corporation. Leading these corporations we have superstar leaders who justify their extravagant lifestyles by pointing to the corporate world. These are the leaders who are placed on a pedestal by gullible believers who carnally desire to have a king.

These two stories reveal the moral rot that frequently exists behind the facade of success. While I have no expectations that leaders live perfectly (they wouldn't need a Savior if they did!), I do have problems with the way they position themselves as superstars, their attitude frequently mirroring that of professional athletes. It is an attitude of "I deserve more". Instead of standing with the people they lead, they stand above - in extravagance of lifestyle, in the demands to be served, in the expectations of financial remuneration.

When placed against the example of Jesus, the lifestyle of these superstar leaders bears no resemblance to the Son of Man. Jesus washed His disciples feet (donkey doo and all). Jesus exercised His authority for the benefit of messy, broken people, not to build a soft life of ease. Jesus freely relinquished His rights to self aggrandisement. In reality, Jesus penetrated the lowest strata of society, choosing to live in a way that indentified with the poor and the marginlized.

Perhaps it is time for the followers of Christ to begin to emulate His lifestyle instead instead of the lifestyles of the rich and famous in our society. Now wouldn't that be a novel idea!

misplaced focus

One of the greatest dangers we face in our pursuit of Jesus is the "good things" that can subtly shift our focus away from Him. Jesus warned that the thief would come and attempt to kill, steal, and destroy. We usually assume that the thief is some evil thing or sin that steals our life, some terrible thing like immorality, substance abuse, or violence. I believe that the most insidious thief poses as things we would call good, things that seem right to us.


Let me illustrate. A young man recently related to me how he had been part of a church who had stressed that God has a specific destiny for each person. While that teaching is correct, he realized that at some point he placed the pursuit of his destiny ahead of his pursuit of God. In so doing, he made his God-given destiny his idol. It happened for me as well. For years I pursued God because I needed Him for successful ministry. It was not until several years ago that I realized that I did not pursue God for Him, I pursued Him for what He could do for me.

We so often subtly shift our focus away from God on to some good thing - things like church, ministry, work, family, worship, prayer etc. In so doing, we sacrifice abundant life; we sacrifice the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc). Our life becomes consumed with activity and busyness; God 's presence is more of a token afterthought than an ever present reality.

Return to Him, to the simplicity of relationship, to life, abundant life. Pursue Him, not ministry or church, or any other good thing that seeks to steal your focus.

consumer Christians

I have become increasingly aware of how our western culture has affected the church. It seems as if most Christians today are consumers. Let me give you some examples that I have recently observed.

• I spoke on the phone with a woman from another state. She lamented the fact that her family could not find a church where they "were fed". As I processed through our conversation later, it occurred to me that she related to church from the same perspective that she would have seen a store. She was looking for a "store" that had the product she wanted. When I encouraged her to take the responsibility to create what she saw lacking, she resisted the encouragement. She wanted to be fed.
• I recently have noticed that most church advertisements play on this consumeristic mindset. They all, in some form or another, present the message of "we have something you want (or need)". Come and get it.
• A recent post on an Internet forum I frequent at times informed people of the availability of an empty church building in the poster's community. The last line of the post read "the only competition would be a Baptist church down the road". It would seem to me the competition would not be another church, unless you saw church as a product to market to consumers.

When I place these mindsets over the template of Jesus' life, the glaring flaws of this kind of thinking becomes apparent. Jesus never invited people simply to be consumers, using slick marketing tools to promote the advantages of following Him. Instead, He expected people to become involved in His work. He demanded a sacrifice that frightened the consumers away.

If the church is to become a transformational force in our communities, we must address the consumeristic tendencies in people instead of taking advantage of them (the consumeristic tendencies) to build something impressive. We must teach people to feed themselves. We must ask them to make an "all or nothing" choice when it comes to following Christ. If we do not address the consumeristic tendencies, we are doomed to becoming irrelevant to the cause of Christ.

the goodness of God

Several times in the past month I have experienced moments where my heart was overwhelmed with the goodness of God. The words "God is good" seemed too cheap to adequately express the gratitude and wonder I felt. Yet I did not know any other words to express the depths of my heart. Something, somewhere from deep within my spirit deeply longed to touch the heart of God and thank Him for His goodness to me.

I am discovering that we truly were created to experience abundant life. I am also discovering that the abundant life only comes as we follow Jesus, heeding the desires that He places in our hearts.

While following Jesus frequently pits us against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, as we persevere and conquer the obstacles, we discover the Father smiling on us. There were times in the life of Jesus when the veil between heaven and earth was shattered by the affirmation of the Father. The same is true in our life as well. In that affirmation, our hearts readily respond with worship and gratitude.

My prayer for you is that you can discover the goodness of God as I have experienced it. The words "God is good" is not some trite phrase to me. It is experiential reality.

Is it about Jesus or the church?

I have been noticing an interesting phenomena (It's probably been there all along, it's just that I haven't noticed it before.) It seems as if we are more focused on church than we are on Jesus. Let me give an illustration of this. Bev and I have friends that recently moved to another community. As they have been interacting with their new neighbors, a common thread has emerged. They regularly get invited to church and church functions. Yet no one has asked them about their life journey, nobody has talked about following Jesus. The invitation is always "come to church". People talk about the events at "our church".

I see a danger in the church focus. We become numb to the radical, prophetic lifestyle that following Jesus requires when our focus is church and its activities. We invite people to a place, to an activity assuming that the church activities are synonymous with following Jesus. It becomes easy to busy ourselves, engaging in numerous activities that may or may not have anything to do with Jesus.

For the past several years, I have been pursuing Jesus in an intentional way. The interesting thing is that as I have engaged in this pursuit, I have discovered deep heart relationships with other fellow pursuers! As we travel together, we have discovered church life at a deeper level than ever before.

I would encourage each of us to not simply invite people to church hoping that the "professionals" (pastor, worship leader, greeters etc) minister to them, Instead do something more radical - invite people along with us on our own journey with Jesus.

what is God doing?

What do you see God doing in the world today? This is a question that I have repeatedly posed to people who profess to be Christians. Surprisingly, almost no one can give me an answer. Usually the response is a blank stare and and an answer of "uhh.." I am not asking this question to nominal Christians, in fact, most of the people to whom I have asked this question would consider themselves devout, evangelical Christians. Tragically, there seems to be a great disconnect between their understanding of God and the practical reality of His work/activity in the world today.

When I do get an answer, it is usually some generic statement. For instance, a pastor answered the question by saying that God is doing a purifying work today. However, he could give no examples of the practical manifestation of his answer. Might it be that in all our theological intelligence, we have completely missed the real involvement of God in the affairs of people today?

How can we ever participate with God in His redemptive work in the world if we never know what He is actually doing? How can we ever be partners with Him in His restorative, healing, reconciliatory, and redemptive activities if we are clueless to the whereabouts of those activities?

Begin to look for the hand of God. Recently I had a conversation with an older gentleman who has an incredible life story. Most Christians would quickly dismiss him because of the added adjectives in his conversations. (He is an immigrant who knew no English when he came to the USA. I am convinced the first word he learned was the F-word!) As he told some of his life story to me, I began to see how God opened repeatedly open doors for him. I mentioned seeing the hand of God in his circumstances. He replied with a rather lengthy discourse on how God has helped him in numerous ways, miraculous ways for which he can take no personal credit. I am convinced that we will have more God conversations in the future as God continues to draw Gene to Himself.

Where is God in your circumstances, what is He doing? Where is God in the life of your friends, what is His work in their lives? Ministry becomes easy as we discern the actual, practical, and real work of God. When we get on board with what He is doing, the miraculous, transformational power of the Holy Spirit does far beyond anything we could do on our own.

I am convinced we frequently miss the work of God because He operates outside of our expected parameters. Keep your spiritual eyes open. When you see Him at work, jump in alongside Him and participate.

The primacy of Jesus

People all have a “center” that determines our actions, our way of doing life. That “center” is the starting point for all paradigms and perceptions that shape the way we live and act. For those of us who follow Jesus, the center, the starting point must be Jesus Himself. The moment we as Christians move from Jesus as the center of our practice we immediately move into a perversion of Christianity. Every action must be done and lived through the filter of the example of Jesus.

The problem with many of our religious institutions and their accompanying paradigms is that they have rarely been placed against the template of the life of Jesus. While we may find Old Testament paradigms that support many of our current structures and ways of relating to God, we frequently discover glaring flaws when our Old Testament-modeled structural paradigms are placed against the template of Jesus’ life. Unfortunately many of the paradigms we hold most dearly are periphery to the cause of Christ at best and contradictory to the ways of Jesus at worst.

Let me say that there is nothing wrong with Old Testament paradigms as long as they mesh with the leadership attitudes and the life example of Jesus. However we must also remember that the work of Jesus demolished many of the Old Testament worship forms and structures. To attempt to recreate those demolished structures is to engage in “another gospel” (see Galatians 1:6-9)[1].

It is my observation that there were several characteristics of Old Testament worship demolished by Jesus that we frequently attempt to recreate. (Kind of like the Jews sewing the veil in the temple after it was split at Jesus’ death). They include:

A sacred person, a priest – The Old Testament priest was a man who was set apart to represent the people to God and God to the people. I hear the re-creation of this holy man in liturgical traditions (the pope, the bishop, the vicar), in evangelical traditions, (the pastor), as well as in the charismatic traditions (the man of God, the apostle, the prophet). In the elevation of a man to be our “priest”, our “go between”, we ignore the work of Jesus that opened the door for each of us to direct communication with the Father.

It is easy for leaders to subtly suggest[2] that they “hear God” more clearly than the less spiritual. People look to prophets to hear a personal word from God, desiring an external word coming through a person more than the internal “rhema” word from the Father Himself.

Much of the teaching on authority reinforces the sacred man concept. Believers are told that they must be under, must have a covering[3]. Don’t hear me wrongly; I fully believe that a person cannot have authority over something until they have first learned how to submit. However to demand someone submit to a positional leader or else they are in rebellion to authority is not compatible with Jesus’ style of leadership. It is imperative that we keep in focus that there is only one head of the church. It is Jesus Christ Himself. Any other head is a false head.

A sacred space, a building – The Hebrew worship took place primarily at the tabernacle and later at the temple. Both the tabernacle and the temple were the dwelling place of God. The re-creation of the holy building today manifests in the great emphasis the church places on gathering at a building, frequently referred to “The house of God”. (As in, “it’s good to be in the house of God today”)

There is a mindset that assumes that most of the work of God in the world today occurs in the confines of the building. We invite people to our building to experience how God is working. We bring them to the priest so he can bring them to God, our actions born from the assumption that somehow we are incapable of ministry to the pagans wherever we meet them.

For most Christians today, it is inconceivable that Christianity could exist apart from the building. Perhaps the best indicator of the depth of this paradigm is the fact that most Christians call the building “the church”. Yet the most rapid expansion of Christianity in the first several centuries occurred apart from buildings.

Jesus was not impressed with the grandeur of the structure of the temple. He was interested a creating a new sanctuary, a temple of living stones, built together to form a new temple for the presence of the I AM. Everywhere the living stones are found, the presence of God can be seen.

A sacred time – The Jews worshipped on certain days, every Sabbath (Saturday) was holy and then there were various feast times. The re-creation of the holy time is perhaps one the most emphasized features of Christendom. Believer’s growth and maturity are measured by how faithfully they attend the sacred space, to hear the sacred person, at the sacred time (Sunday morning sometime between 8 AM and 12 PM). While most church leaders will deny they hold to the sacredness of Sunday morning, let someone not attend a church service for several weeks and immediately there arises an assumption that something must be wrong with the person not attending. All church growth statistics, all church attendance statistics measure Sunday morning attendance. The success of churches is determined by how many people attend “church” instead of how well the life of Christ is being formed in the disciples.

In many ways, today’s Christianity has become meeting focused. The apex of a believer’s walk with Jesus occurs in the meeting. The experience of the first disciples however, was vastly different. For them, following Jesus took them far outside of a meeting. The world became their platform; wherever they found themselves with Jesus became their classroom.

As the “logos” (the word) becomes flesh in us, as Jesus becomes formed in the life of the believers, as believers begin to be the church (instead of going to church), all time and space is sacred. The work of God suddenly explodes far beyond a specific geographic location defined by an address and a specific timeframe measured by a clock.

An emphasis on external behavior – The Hebrews lived according to an external set of expectations and rules (the law) that determined their holiness, their relationship with God. The re-creation of the emphasis on the law and external actions manifests in much of the teaching that circulates through the church world. I hear much emphasis on things like the need to live a holy life, the fear of God, and conforming to certain standards of behavior. While I certainly agree with need to be holy, and I believe that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the starting point of many of these teachings is external actions instead of the internal, transformational work of Jesus on the heart. If the heart is holy, the actions will be holy; however no amount of effort can ever make a heart holy.

It is important to note the Jesus did not just reform the Hebrew worship, He abolished it completely. The final manifestation of that abolishment was the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Yet at every step, the temptation to re-create the Hebrew form of worship has haunted the church. Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia addressed the efforts to re-create Judaism in Christianity. In this case, the re-creation had to do with the circumcision of the Gentile men who had begun to follow Christ. Paul violently denounced the re-creation effort, going as far to state that those who attempted to bring in the old forms of relating to God were an anathema (were cursed). The writer of Hebrews stresses the superiority of the work of Jesus over the Jewish form of worship, repeatedly making a case that the way of Jesus is superior to the Old Testament worship structures. (Read the first 10 chapters of Hebrews.)

It seems to me that we spend far too much time and energy maintaining periphery structures and worship forms, many of which are modeled after the very worship forms that Jesus abolished. When we begin to protect the institutions and the accompanying paradigms that do not mesh with the life and example of Jesus, we begin to actively resist His work in the world today.

Every action, every effort, every work, must be laid on the template of Jesus’ life. We must measure our motivations against His; we must judge our values by how they integrate with His. The things that violate the mission and work of Jesus today must be ruthlessly discarded. The things that are periphery must be held lightly, always with an attitude willing to release them if the mission demands.

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[1] The believers in Galatia were embracing a gospel message that emphasized works, a gospel that incorporated the Old Testament doctrine of circumcision. Paul called this “a different gospel” or “another gospel”.
[2] To be honest, sometimes it is not done so subtly. In the past year I have heard from numerous people who have told me that their leaders told them that because they were “lay” people they should not expect to hear from God as well as the “one with the anointing”.
[3] It may shock many people to discover that the Bible never uses the term “covering” in the way it is presented in many teachings today. Believers are not required to have someone be their covering. Jesus is head of the church and as such is their covering. This does not negate the need for ALL believers to engage in submission but the Biblical concept of submission differs from much of the teaching about covering.

Theology of celebration

I’ll bet you never expected to hear the words, theology and celebration, in the same phrase! For some reason, Christians get stuck on the self denial, the dying, that comes with following Christ and never really seem to get the celebrative heart of our Father God. Often, celebration and enjoyment of any kind are equated with sin. It’s almost as if Christians fear celebration.

In reality, God is a God of celebration! Read the about Old Testament feasts again. In two of the three major feasts, God commands them to rejoice (literally, to make gleesome). These celebrative feasts lasted for up to seven days! The feast of tabernacles was in many ways a week long communal camping trip.

Perhaps our fear of celebration can be seen most clearly in the King James Version of the Bible. Look at the following words from Deuteronomy 16:15:

Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God…

If I read these words as translated, I assume that the feast talked about must be kept in a somber manner. In reality, the Hebrew word translated as solemn means anything but somber. The Hebrew meaning had to do with a sacred feast celebrated in a manner by implication to be giddy, to celebrate, to dance. Huh??? To be giddy? To celebrate? Now that couldn’t be God! Or could it?

The Hebrew concept of the original word is lost in the KJV. Why? I believe it is very possible that to the translators, to be giddy, to celebrate, to dance, seemed contrary to their idea of God, kind of like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. His only perception of his relationship with his father was one of duty, of hardship, of a father who was a hard taskmaster.

I’ve just spent several days in Upstate New York with family and friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie, the laughter, the food, and the drinks. At times the night would ring with laughter (fortunately we had no close neighbors!) The fire blazed, throwing sparks into the star-speckled sky. The distant call of the loon eerily echoed across the lake. The s’mores, the late night coffee, the card games, pipe smoke wafting skyward, all celebrated the abundant life made possible by Jesus. Every day the goodness of God was celebrated with joy. Truly the abundant life is good! It is meant to be celebrated.

the joy of losing my life

The kingdom of God is full of paradoxes. So much so that almost everything seems backwards or contrary to to my way of thinking. Jesus said that if we are to find life, we must lose our life. In fact He poses the question - what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Recently my daughter met an acquaintance that she had not seen for some time. She was shaken by his "deadness". She described him as lifeless and empty. In all likelihood he had exchanged his soul for an illusion of safety, trusting his own understanding instead of courageously embracing the risk of following Jesus.


So often we trade our soul for good things. Like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, we fall prey to the allure of the religions systems, trading our soul for the protection of our traditions (I am not opposed to tradition, but when the tradition becomes our God, we have made an unholy transaction) We may attempt to create a structure, a theological system, or a financial framework that gives us a sense of safety. While none of these things are necessarily wrong (and may even be good in the right context), God desires the best for us. We must however, let go of the good to receive the best that God has for us...Jesus called it losing our life to gain it.

For many years, I traded my soul for religious activity, attempting to climb the ladder of religious success, playing the political game of religiosity. Bev will tell you that something happened inside of me. Perhaps the best way to describe it was that I died. My radical, prophetic nature was exchange for religious correctness in an effort to please people and expectations. My validation came from leading a successful church instead of the affirmation of my Heavenly Father.


Thank goodness Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost. Several years ago, He broke into my "lostness" and invited me to a place of life. That invitation has led me on a journey of continually losing my life. In many ways, God has been my enemy these last several years (or so it seems to me at times). However in the middle of losing my life, I have made a great discovery. God is not a simply a sadistic taker. As I have lost many of the external "props" that identified my life, I have discovered joy, abundant life and an overflow of blessing. I KNOW God is real, I have experienced His affirmation in a very real way. I KNOW I am a beloved son of the I AM. I KNOW Jesus more intimately than ever before.

That joy, abundant life, the affirmation of the Father have not come without cost. Responding to the invitation of Jesus required me to let go numerous self-centered desires. Desires like financial security, the validation found in a ministry position, the right to determine the course of my life. In many ways, I have been in a process of losing my life. In the process however, I have receive infinitely more than I have lost. I can say experientially that Jesus' words about losing life to find it are absolutely true.

the adventure

Currently I am experiencing the joy of watching several young couples we have sent out experience the real adventure of following Jesus. They are LIVING!

As I spend some quiet time with God this morning, I am overcome with the joy of walking with Jesus in a way that practically transforms my life. It occurs to me that since I have pursued God and the whispers of His voice, the desires He placed in my heart, I have not been bored.

Several years ago a young man (the husband in one of the young couples to whom I referred at the beginning) told me in a phone conversation that he was bored with life. My response to him was rather direct - since I have been truly following Christ, I have no time to be bored. He took my words to heart and began to radically pursue Jesus, uncovering and validating the God-given dreams in his heart. Today he is living life in epic proportions. (He uses other more earthy terms to describe the accompanying fear!)

Neither of the young couples are spending time and energy on things that are not part of the God journey for them. As such they have the time and energy to pursue God's priorities for them. Far too frequently, we live according to the expectations (spoken and unspoken) placed on us by our culture or our religion without ever taking the time to discern whether those expectations align with God's invitation for us. As we relinquish God's specific invitation for abundant life to embrace cultural and religious expectations, we can expect to deal with boredom.

Live epically! Take the risk to pursue Jesus radically!

true discipleship

Several years ago, Bev and I felt like God was inviting us to consider a new way of discipling people. I had reviewed the prior ten years of ministry and found some things to be lacking. While it certainly looked like we had been very successful, (starting a number of new churches and ministries) when I looked past the initial seeming success, I felt like we had missed the point on some key issues. Those issues had to do with relationships and discipleship. We had made discipleship a program, a track one follows. In many ways, discipleship had become a formula for us.

When I placed our efforts at discipleship against the template of Jesus' life, I quickly became aware of the deficiencies of our way. As a result, Bev and I decided to more fully embrace the "Jesus model" whereby we would invite a few people to join us on this pursuit of Jesus. The past several years have been the most fulfilling of my spiritual life as I share deeply with others.

On the other hand, I have discovered that when you stir people to radically follow Jesus and then help them "get there", a painful reality emerges. Two couples that we invited along on our journey have embarked on a journey of their own, pursuing Jesus to "the uttermost parts of the world". As such, great geographic distance now separates us (Thank God for telephone and email!)

When I step back and take a look at the big picture, the pain of geographic separation is overshadowed by deep joy. Joy in seeing people literally bring the kingdom of God to earth. Joy at seeing people fulfill their destiny of greatness. Joy at seeing people risk all, losing their life to find it again. Joy at seeing Bev and my hearts being reproduced in other places with other people.

Now that's true discipleship!

a whole lot of air

For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power. (1 Corinthians 4:20). This spring I have had the opportunity to participate in several gatherings of church leaders where the discussion centered on new things God was doing in the church today. I found it to be rather fascinating to hear leaders discuss various aspects of God's "new thing". Invariably as the conversation progressed, it became evident that the "experts" had much to talk about but little to share from experiential expertise.

I must say that the conversations always started well but when it turned to the practical application of the theory, any substance disintegrated quickly into emptiness. We are experts in theory but we have no life experiences from which to base our theory. In other words, our theory has not been tested. (Read Paul's words to the church at Corinth again).

If we are going to transform our world, we as leaders must quit talking about things which we have not experienced. The rule of God (the kingdom of God) is not about being able to say the correct words, the kingdom of God is about practically ordering our lives according to work of God in the world today.

One of the repeated requests Bev and I get from people (and especially young people) is - "show us how to live". They never ask us to TELL them how to live. We have incredible authority to bring transformation to people as "the word becomes flesh" in us. On the other hand, empty experience-less conversation leaves an emptiness in the spirit of those who hear.

I am convinced that what I experienced at the various leaders meetings had little to do with the kingdom of God, it had more to do with empty air.

more confessions of a converted pastor

Recently several of us who walk in close fellowship in this pursuit of Jesus sat around have a conversation. It was one of those "what if" kinds of conversations where we discussed possibilities for the future among other things. In the conversation, I was asked whether I would ever consider once again leading a "traditional" church if the opportunity arose. As we discussed the hypothetical possibilities, I realized something deep within me. While I would be willing to lead a traditional church at the invitation of God, I can in no way give up the deep heart to heart relationships that have developed with some fellow travellers in the journey.

I have a confession to make. In 1996 we first started Grace Covenant Church simultaneously with building a new house. As we looked for property, the one needed qualification was that the location needed to be somewhere where I could get away from people. In retrospect, that desire ran contrary to the nature of God. (Don't hear me wrongly, I do believe that we need to get away to mountain or the wilderness at times to connect with the Father as Jesus did. However to live "away" from people is not God's pattern.) Everything about the pattern of the Father as seen in Jesus has to do with engaging with people, living with them, entering their world.

Unfortunately the current church system has a way of cutting leaders off from the very people they lead. At a recent gathering of leaders, a very "successful" pastor shared a new venture in which he was spending some intensive time with a small group of men and their families. He stated that this interaction was perhaps the most fulfilling "ministry" in his life at this time. I wanted to say "duh...that is Jesus style of ministry". (I kept my mouth shut though!) Why wouldn't it fulfill a God-inspired longing in our heart when we do things God's way?

I know the seductiveness of ministry success and the drivenness the desire for success brings. I always wanted to be on the cutting edge, an innovator. While that desire is not necessarily wrong, when I view people as my key for achieving my success it descends qiockly into a pattern far from the way of Jesus. When the need to create a significant organization creates a motivation that isolates me from deep heart connection with a few believers, than I have departed from the way of Jesus. Unfortunately in the current church world, success is measured by numbers not by depth.

Jesus most significant world changing efforts were not with the masses but with a few. How contrary to the prevalent attitude in the church today. Most church leaders I know have no one with whom the share their journey. The church system quickly consumes all their time and energy. Believe me, I was there, I speak from experience.

To place the survival of the church system above connecting deeply with people is to miss the point completely. In the past several years, Bev and I have engaged people deeply by inviting them into our home, eating together, sharing joys and fears together, doing life together. While I would be willing to return to a place of leadership in a traditional church if God so led, that position could in no way force me to compromise my relationships in the circle of the fellowship of believes with whom I do life.

confessions of a converted pastor

I enjoy perusing church websites and literature as time permits, especially as it has to do with new churches. Church planting has always been in my spiritual DNA. It has been twenty two years since a Mennonite Pastor encouraged Bev and me to explore the possibilities of starting a new church. The passion that he stirred in us exists to this day.

I must say, however, that many of the tactics we utilized ten or fifteen years ago (and many still use) bother me today. I recently had some time to surf the web at my job and was looking at the websites of some new churches. It became almost comical as I begin to notice key phrases that repeatedly appeared in most of the sites.

- a different kind of church
- exciting kids ministry
- relevant preaching
- upbeat worship
- relaxed dress
- casual atmosphere

Now lest you think I am being too critical, these were precisely the kinds of words and phrases that I used to promote Grace Covenant Church ten years ago. Time spent in the school of God has a way of helping one see more clearly.

As part of my journey, I have spent much of my Bible-reading time reading about the life of Jesus. (It seems to me that if one wants to follow Jesus, one should be familiar with Him!) When I put the above mentioned phrases against the template of Jesus life, I discover a great deal of difference between the Jesus pattern and the accepted church planting pattern.

A wealthy young man comes to Jesus. Jesus invites him to come to His next meeting where the young man can be uplifted by the worship band, his kids will experience an exciting time with qualified kids church workers. The young man will be comfortable in his well worn sandals will he sips his cappuccino. He will hear teaching on how to live his life….

Okay…it really didn’t happen that way. Jesus’ hook used to catch the man was this – sell everything you have, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Me! (And as you may know, the young man was not uplifted after hearing Jesus proposition.)

Jesus meets Matthew at his place of business (Matthew was a tax collector). Jesus invites him to the First Church of the Disciples to experience God’s love as the Jesus Christ Ministries Worship Band played contemporary music. He would have the opportunity to hear relevant teaching while enjoying his coffee.

Wrong again…Jesus simply issue an invitational challenge to Matthew – follow me. Jesus gave no guarantees that Matthew would enjoy himself, or be uplifted in any way. Jesus didn’t offer family ministry, or life changing teaching, or contemporary music. The invitation was vague, the guarantees non-existent.

Again, please do not hear me as being critical. I too thought I should lure people to my church, offering certain desirable guarantees. I never took the time to stop and compare my methods with the way of Jesus. It seems as if we have somehow commercialized the message and life of Jesus. We treat Jesus as a product we are offering for sale. We hope to make Christianity attractive.

The way of Jesus is not easy. I will no longer minimize the difficulty of following Jesus. Following Jesus will require me to relate to people on an intimate heart level, engaging with them in their struggle and pain. I will invite people to follow Jesus with me but I will make no effort to make their journey easy. Jesus didn’t. And if Jesus didn’t, then why would I do so?

the way it was meant to be

I have spent a good deal of time reflecting on this past weekend. The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus comes naturally from a heart experiencing abundant life. For me, this past weekend was special, special in the kind of "and God said it was good" way. In my walk with Jesus, there have been several times recently when I knew the affirmation of God deep in my spirit; this weekend was one of those times.

I spent much of the weekend with people who share life with me in our pursuit of Jesus. We ate together, we shared joys together, we talked about our struggles together. For me, there were some difficult moments as well when our discussion exposed the residual effects of the spirit of an orphan within me. On the other hand, it was safe being exposed. Nobody tried to counsel me or fix me. I was in the company of people who loved me.

I realize the privilege of being part of a band of believers, followers of Christ, who are becoming deeply connected in the heart. We are bound together by our love for Jesus and our love for each other. Far too frequently Christians have settled for a cheap imitation of the deep love and vulnerable intimacy that Jesus spoke about to His disciples. We choose to engage in meetings and activities with people but we never truly engage with either God or people. (It feels safer to engage with meetings and activities than it does to engage with God and people).

I am realizing that I spent the weekend, not participating in a sterile, intellectual acknowledgement of the resurrection but with a vibrant yet flawed, organic yet centuries old, expression of the body of Christ. I spent the weekend with people who purpose to pursue Jesus, not with people whose priority is a meeting or an activity. As I reflect I sense the whisper of the Father - it is good. This is the way it was meant to be.

Leaders, jealousy, and authority

I do some part time work at the Pennsylvania Famshow Complex as a security guard. (No, I don't carry a gun!) As part of the responsibilities, sometimes I interact with three specific groups of law enforcement personnel each with different levels of authority - the Pennsylvania State Police, the Harrisburg City Police, and the Capitol Police. The State Police jurisdiction is the state of Pennsylvania, the Harrisburg Police patrol the city of Harrisburg, and the Capitol Police take care of the Capital Complex as well as a few other facilities.

In my interaction with these three groups, I have made an interesting discovery. The less an officer's sphere of authority, the more jealously he/she tends to protect that sphere. (I am speaking generally here). As a whole, I have discovered the Capitol Police more likely to flaunt their authority than do the Harrisburg Police force and the Harrisburg Police more likely to flaunt their authority than do the State Police.

As I pondered this, it occurred to me that the same thing often happens in the church world. It seems to me that far too many leaders jealously protect their small sphere of influence. I have been to Ministerium meetings and Pastor's gatherings and I have seen the posturing that takes place. If it wasn't so tragic, it would be amusing.

In the church, the guarded territory is not a geographic location but rather it is people. Leaders will release people to follow their God-given dreams AS LONG AS they do it according to the standards of acceptability set by the leaders. If people do not fit into the accepted mold, they are immediately labeled as rebellious.

I recently spoke with a husband and wife whose church leaders encouraged them to launch out and minister to to people in their home. As this couple began to do so, the leadership of the church began to tell them how to minister, when to minister, and to whom they could minister. Put quite simply, the church leaders were flaunting their authority. (Which incidentally, tells me that their real authority is quite limited indeed)

It seems to me that people with real authority have a confidence that does not require them to flaunt what authority they have. Far too many leaders in the church today are living small, jealously guarding their turf. Their actions tell me a great deal about their sphere of authority.

Into the shadows

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” (Mark 10:32-34)

From my leadership experience, I have discerned a startling truth – People will willingly follow a good leader almost anywhere except into the valley of the shadow of death. God’s pattern of leadership as revealed in Jesus requires leaders to embrace what feels like a downward spiral into the shadows, into a place where the glory of leadership dissipates completely.

Jesus’ disciples were astounded that He would choose to travel to Jerusalem in the face of imminent danger. His steady movement toward a place of apparent death struck fear to their hearts. Their consternation with Jesus’ travel plans blinded them to see through the valley of the shadow of death to the glorious reality of the resurrection.

Jesus’ disciples had dreams of Jesus being a king like David. In their minds, not only was Jesus destined to be a king, but they were poised to have leading roles in this emerging glorious kingdom. Therefore, Jesus’ journey into the shadow lands of death caused a great deal of consternation in them. They needed Him to establish a kingdom, to be the monarch of the new Jewish superpower.

In the context of Jesus’ journey into impending death, in the context of their fear, James and John came to Jesus asking for positions of power in the empire that they were certain that Jesus would establish. (Read Mark 10:35-37). It was as if they were reminding Jesus that He had a responsibility to establish the new Jewish superpower.

Jesus’ experience with His disciples mirrors much of my own experience. People will follow a leader as long as the leader is building something magnificent. They deeply desire to be a part of something grandiose.

For leaders seeking validation from the people they lead, it becomes easy to never make the journey into the valley of the shadow of death due to the expectations of those being led. To not complete the leadership journey, however, will negate the leader from engaging with God’s pattern for leadership. Consequently the Kingdom of God is never established through that leader.

It is important to note that Jesus’ own journey into the shadow lands was the prelude to resurrection power. God was establishing His kingdom through Jesus. Even so today – leaders must journey to the shadow lands of death to discover a new and fresh authority and life.

From my own experience I can tell you that any leader who makes the journey into death and the cross will probably not be popular. Throughout the years of leading and being a catalyst in the emergence of God’s Kingdom on earth, I have experienced the resistance that comes from the demonic hordes seeking to destroy the new things God was bringing forth. However, the greatest resistance I have received on my walk with God occurred when I intentionally followed God into the valley of the shadow of death.

Many of the people I have led consistently applied pressure on me to abandon the journey into “nothingness” regardless how much I tried communicate with them the power (and the Jesus pattern) of the journey into “nothingness”. Beyond the pressure from people, my own desire for significance was compounded by the voices of the enemy encouraging me to choose a less threatening path to resurrection life. (Which, incidentally, does not exist).

For the past number of years, the gentle whisper of heaven, the voice of the Father, has invited me to choose the way of the valley of the shadow of death. I have chosen to resolutely heed the invitation, knowing that in all likelihood, I would find myself not on some grandiose stage, but in the shadows of the world and the church.

However, I have found some diamonds in the place of darkness. In the shadow lands I have found that the barrier between heaven and earth are minimal. This past year, I experienced the kiss of the Father for an extended period. That kiss has sustained me in my resolution to press ahead. For the first time in my life, I feel like God is my friend. I am acutely aware of the invitation to participate with Him in the redemption of creation.

Leaders – press on to Jerusalem; it is the way of God. Purpose to enter the valley of the shadow of death as God invites you to do so. To grasp at our dreams of greatness will cause us to miss the point, to miss resurrection life.

living for the cause

This week Beverly and I watched the movie Amazing Grace. It is the story of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the driving force behind the abolition of slavery in the 1800's in Great Britain. While the movie seemed slow at times, it moved me deeply. Wilberforce's story is one of a man who gave his life to accomplish the work of God in society. In spite of repeated setbacks, Wilberforce lived to see Great Britain outlaw slavery.

Wilberforce literally gave his life to accomplish something beyond himself. This is the pattern of Jesus. Paul, the apostle, describes Jesus' life in the following words:

Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name... (Philippians 2:5-9)

Jesus gave His life for the accomplishment of God's purposes in the world. As a result, the world was forever changed. Jesus gave His life for two things. (1) To be with the Father and accomplish His purposes and (2) to serve people in a way that restored them to place intended by the Father.

I believe that each of us has the same opportunity to "live large" and give our life to accomplish God's purposes in the world today. Unfortunately the difficulties usually cause people to choose a "small life" (a life that revolves around themselves and their comfort) and as such never really accomplish anything with their time. Too often we choose the way of safety, sacrificing the opportunity to truly do God-sized things for our own comfort. A wealthy young man came to Jesus but was unwilling to disburse his puny wealth in order to participate with God in his world. (Any amount of wealth is puny compared to the greatness of partnering with God in the redemption of creation).

I choose to live my life for a cause, for the cause of Christ and His current work in the world today. The cause motivates me to willingly sacrifice things people hold dear so that the rule of God can be established on the earth today. I will give my life for a cause that is beyond the comforts of self-centeredness.

Someday I will have to give an account for what I did with my life. I want my life to have radically effected eternity. I want the purposes of God to be evident in the way I lived. I want people to experience all that God has for them because of the way I lived.

Today I choose to live for a cause beyond me. I choose to partner with God and I choose to serve people.

following Jesus in 2007

Jesus' constant invitation to people was "follow Me". To the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He said "follow Me". To Matthew the tax collector, He said "follow Me". To a wealthy young man, He said "sell what you have and follow me".

I believe that Jesus still invites us to follow Him in 2007. The question is this - How does following Jesus look in 2007? For each person, that may look somewhat differently. One certainty - if we are to follow Jesus in 2007, then we need to know Him.

For the past several years, most of my Bible reading occurred in the gospels. I want to know Jesus, to understand how He would respond to the situations I face. In the process, I have discovered a gradual but steady change in my thinking. My theology has been challenged. My presuppositions about Jesus and His behaviors have been shaken. Things I held dear were contested. I discovered more questions than answers. But perhaps the deepest transformation involved my priorities.

If we follow Jesus some themes begin to emerge in our life. Themes like:

• A deeper focus on people and less focus on systems and structures (incidentally this results in a deep frustration with religious leaders who value systems and structures above people)
• Less need to control
• Rest instead of striving
• A movement away from "right versus wrong" toward a focus on "life"
• A transformation from programmed discipleship to a deep heart-level interaction with people

This is certainly not a comprehensive list of transformational themes that emerge in our life. Time and space will not permit me to discuss them all. Just as following Jesus transformed the lives of people almost 2000 years ago, today we discover a radical transformation that occurs as we follow Him.

Let me clarify - When I use the term "following Jesus", I am not speaking of following a church (even though the fellowship of believers is a vital part of this walk). I am not speaking about following a pastor or a priest. (even though leadership is part of God's Kingdom). I am speaking of a wildly dangerous adventure, abandoning the things we hold most dear in order to walk with Jesus today. This is a practical lifestyle. We will begin to embody the priorities of Jesus.

I would encourage each of us together to ask, "How does following Jesus look in my life in 2007? Pursue Him and His priorities!

What is really important?

During the past several years, God stripped away many of the things with which I identified myself (and my relationship with Him). For example, I have not purchased a "worship album" in six months. It's not that I don't like music, it's not that I don't deeply enjoy worshipping. Yet God has limited the musical worship in my life at this time. I still worship and pray, but it often is in silence (external silence). The grace to lead larger conferences has disappeared, the invitations to teach have almost dissipated. My identity as a "pastor" no longer exists.

Perhaps at a deeper level, my ability to provide income for my family seems to have diminished. My inclination to work harder, to try more gets me nowhere. An then on top of all this, my efforts to control my emotions and sinful nature fall woefully short.

So who am I today?

In spite of the discomfort of my situation that last several years, there are some things I know. I know that I am a son of the I AM. I know that He is good and loves me deeply. But most of all I KNOW HIM!

I have discovered the reality of God apart from all the "props" that we assume we need. I have discovered what really is real - His love, His desire to be with me, His approval of me. He doesn't love me for what I do but for who I am.

the condition of your heart

I have observed that religious people constantly attempt to keep me from living from the place of my heart. Perhaps their favorite scripture comes from the words of the prophet Jeremiah. "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Like we are often prone to do, this verse is lifted out of the context of the whole of scripture.

The same people that quote Jeremiah 17:9 forget about Ezekiel's words. "I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead..." (Ezekiel 11:19). These two scriptures are not contradictory, rather, they are a reflection of the process we undergo as followers of Jesus.

Without a doubt, the heart is wicked and self-centered UNTIL a miraculous transformation occurs. Jesus alluded to this when he talked with Nicodemus (recorded in John 3). He used terms like "born from above" and "born again". Jesus' words reiterated what Ezekiel prophesied centuries earlier. While we were born with a wicked bent, the desire of God is to rid us of that wicked heart and replace it with a new heart, a GOOD heart.

I have discovered that as I pursue God in the place of my heart, my heart has not been wrong or evil. Great wisdom comes from my new heart because I am now the dwelling place of God.

If your heart has been transformed, YOU CAN TRUST IT! It is the dwelling place of God. Pursue the desires of your heart!

we make this too hard

I had a conversation with a young man who was struggling with his purpose in life. He desperately wanted to know the will of God for his life. At one point I asked him what it was that he wanted to do, to which he replied, "that would be too easy". He like so many of us assumed that discerning God's will has to be difficult.

David, the wise king of Israel wrote the follow words in a Psalm. "Take delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) The phrase "take delight" literally means to be soft or pliable. Eugene Peterson in his Bible paraphrase The Message uses these words, "keep company with God". Perhaps a more earthy rendition would say "hang out with God".

Jesus told his disciples that the day was coming when He would be in the Father, and we (he spoke to the disciples but I believe it applies to us as well) in Him and He in us. This speaks of a deep spiritual oneness. (John 14:20) Where does this oneness first occur? In our heart/spirit.

Something happens as I allow God to impact me, as I get next to Him. I begin to want what He wants. I start to think His thoughts. His desires become my deep heart desires. Therefore the secret to doing the will of God is not revealed by some external voice or person, but arises from the heart.

In other words, if I choose the way of God, if I am seeking Him, I can trust my heart's desires.

Don't spend your time and energy striving to find the will of God for your life; it will be discovered as you look to the desires of your heart. It really is that easy.

joy in the journey

It seems to me that many people who profess to be Christians are sadly lacking in joy. People frequently confuse Christianity with a rather boring lifestyle marked by things we do not do. We often grudgingly perform our expected duties, hoping that our "faithfulness" will be noticed by God and somehow rewarded at some later date. Our sacrifice is expected to win favor with God.

I am an earthly father with four children. They bring me most joy when they are being who they were created to be. It brings me joy to see Justin solve a math problem on which he has worked for days. I deeply enjoy watching Heidi play soccer. When Karisa dances in her graceful manner, my heart sings. This past fall, I watched Sarah immerse herself in a differant culture and enjoy every minute of it; my heart swelled with a good kind of pride. For each of them, these are activities they WANT to do.

My children bring me most joy by being, not because they have kept the rules properly. I don't appreciate them more because they sacrifice their joy in an attempt to please me. In the same way, I believe our heavenly Father is not impressed by our drudgery of sacrifice but rather by our fulness of joy.

I have determined to pursue Jesus and the abundant life He brings. I will not waste my time in this life with things that do not bring life. I will not engage in activities that continually steal my joy. I will not participate in the things the keep my heart from soaring with the Father. I purpose to enjoy life, to relax, to pursue the dreams God has placed in my heart. I will enjoy the journey with Jesus.

I have decided that I will do what I want as long as it does not contradict what God says and as long as it does not stifle the life flow that comes from my oneness with God. If I want to throw a party to celebrate God's goodness, then I will do so. If I want to fast to experience a deeper communion with the Father, then I will do so. However, I will do neither out of a sense of obligation.

As I say so often...Relax! Enjoy yourself!!!

the adultery of ministry

Several days ago, I shared some thoughts on ministry (See January 30 post). I am convinced that our paradigm of ministry is flawed. In fact, I believe that our perception of ministry frequently inhibits abundant life.

I know from experience that it becomes easy to focus on ministry, on the building and expanding of it. I know from experience how quickly my focus turns from God to the protection and perpetuation of ministry (especially MY ministry). I know from experience how I find my worth as a person in the success of my ministry. I know from experience that the adulation of people can quickly cause me to lose sight of my God-given purpose for living. I know from expereince that my vision for ministry can overtake me in a way that causes me to forget about people. I know from experience that ministry can cause me to turn away from God.

Any time that "my ministry" causes me to neglect people and to reject the "messiness" of their life, I can be sure that my priorities no longer align with God's priorities. When I find my worth in the success of my ministry, I have ceased to be intimate with God and instead have become intimate with my ministry.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus rebukes people who seem to be very concious of "their ministy". They prophesied, cast out demons, and performed wonders, all in the name of Jesus. It seems as if these people found a great deal of their identity in the greatness of their ministry. Contrast that with people Jesus describes in Matthew 25:33-40. They never seemed to be really aware of their ministry and the impact of their life. I believe that for them, doing the heart of the Father came naturally. Their focus was not on a ministry but on being with the Father.

I like to ask leaders how they are doing with God. The majority answer this question with some answer that pertains to the ministry activities with which they are involved. Their relationship with God is built on a ministry foundation. If these leaders had no ministry platform, I wonder how they would relate to God (or even IF they would relate to God) .

Any lover that steals our heart from oneness with the Father's heart is an adulterous lover. Perhaps the most insidious of all false lovers is ministry as we define it in the church today.