January 31, 2009
What are you learning?
I recently came across a quote that made me think. I always quote Doug Fields who said, “Leaders are learners.”
“In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” - Eric Hoffer
What are you currently learning that could help us grow as leaders?
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January 30, 2009
Empty Me
One of our favorite “American Idols” of the last couple of years has been Chris Sligh. With his wild hair and quick wit, we were cheering for him till his final week. It’s been wonderful to see him thrive after “Idol” and even more of a joy to watch him give glory to Jesus as he does it.
This morning as I was taking the kids to school, Chris’s song “Empty me” came on the radio and I was reminded again that it…
is not about me.
And my number one enemy is…
me!
Watch this video and pray that we could decrease and He could increase!
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January 27, 2009
Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference Junior High Style!
Thank you for praying for us as we took 26 of our junior high students to Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference this weekend. It was a great trip and God did some amazing things among us. Many people underestimate what junior high students are capable of understanding.
That’s what I love about our speaker, Sean Dunn. He challenged the students to take their faith seriously and went deep with them each session. He pushed them to make a decision to live a life of “radical relationship and complete obedience” and told them the dangers of playing in the middle of the “wide road.” He did a great job of helping them understand that if you play in the middle of the road, sooner than later, you end up as spiritual “roadkill.” He talked them through what it means to be in a war and how to focus on the cross.
Our theme verse for the weekend was James 4:7: “Submit yourselves to God, resist the Devil and he will flee.” Everyone of of us must make the decision to submit or not to submit to God. In submitting to God, we find our purpose, joy, and the abundant life that Jesus talked about.
The band for the weekend was “Gentleman in Arms.” (You can find them on Face Book and MySpace). They are four guys from Michigan who are moving to Nashville to try to get signed by a label. They did a masterful job leading the students in praise. Their hearts were humble and the hands and voices gifted. They hung out with the students and connected well.
The Cedar Lake staff, made up of mostly college students who are so beautifully sold out to Jesus, made the weekend even better. They laughed, cried, and played with our students all weekend.
The adult leaders, Marty and Kristy Cotter, Julie Rayburn, Amy Park, Lori Wiseman, Joe Dittmer, and Ralph McClure, were exceptional. I am honored to serve with such an amazing team of servants. One interesting note - out of this team, all but one of us had a student of our own on the trip! That’s a first. It was such a joy watching Josh take in his first Cedar Lake after waiting for 8 years to go!
The students were wonderful and I was really proud of their “see the need/meet the need attitude.” They were phenomenal in our small groups and said some of the most profound things.
Again, thanks for praying for us. This was my 8th cycle of Cedar Lakes. That means, counting the time I was the speaker and a couple of visits, I’ve been to Cedar Lake around 18 times. This was one of the best junior high weekends we’ve ever had.
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January 21, 2009
The Streak is Over
Here’s a little trivia for you. Do you know what the longest home winning streak in basketball is? Did you guess UCLA? you would be mistaken. It was Kentucky.
Kentucky won 129 straight home games from 1943-55, a streak that was ended by Georgia Tech 59-58 in Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 8, 1955. This is astounding!
No less amazing was the 7 year winning streak that me and the Pontiac Christian School girls had going. We have dominated some really good competition. But this year something changed. There was a whisper in the air. Perhaps PJ could be beat. Several times Vince Murphy has told me that this is the year the streak ends. As he is now about 8 inches taller than me, I thought he may be right.
But the stars would have to align just right. They’ve been close before but we pulled it out at the end.
Not today.
First, it would be wrong of me not to be honest about our scoring method. Girls baskets count 20 and 30 boys baskets 2 and 3. Usually we win be at least 50 points. But today was different…
The boys, (Garrison Green, Joey Bellot, Joshua Anderson and Joshua Albertson, and Vince Murphy), seemed to be laser focused. They passed the ball well. They played defense. The girls hustled but could make a shot till the end. That made it 20 to 38. I convinced Mr. Marley to let us go one more shot.
The whole court held their breath.
I decided to go for the nail in the coffin. I broke free from Vince, something that’s not easy to do, and let go what I thought for sure was the game winning three (or 30 pointer). It caught the side of the rim and the game was over.
The streak was over. I had let the girls down. I had let my family down. I had let every left-handed, vertically challenged 40 year old wanna be down.
The boys didn’t even celebrate that much. I think they were in shock.
Now, not that I’m making excuses but it was like 40 degrees in the gym. One time a penguin set a pick for Vince. And I really think the goatee slowed me down. (Although Eric Watson told me at lunch, “Keep the beard Pastor Jeff, it really works for you). And I forgot to eat my banana today.
But in the end, the streak is over and those five guys will go down in the annals of history.
Congratulations!
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January 20, 2009
Happy Tuesday
Today is Tuesday, Jan 20th. It is a day that will be remembered and children in successive generations will read and study about this day. On this day, America takes another step forward in the quest to live out our own Constitution - that all men are created equal before God. No matter what race or nationality. Often I’m cynical and have a lot of gripes about our republic. Not today. I’m proud to be an American!
Sunday was one of those days at church. It was an incredibly busy day but God was at work behind it all.
* The students and I led our praise time and I think they did a great job again. A big shout out to my son Josh in the sound booth for mixing the whole stage. That is not easy at all. We introduced a new song to the congregation, Your Grace is Enough and it is our prayer that people understood that you can never go too far for God to forgive you.
* Most people didn’t know that I also taught Promiseland on Sunday. It was kind of crazy but I had a great time being the “Accuser.” I grabbed David McClure and he got to be Jesus. I knew He was hungry so I offered him a pop tart. I dared him to fly from the Temple. I offered Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down and worship at my feet. But…He resisted me…and used Scripture to do it! It was a good lesson for the students and adults alike.
* Sunday night at NEXT was our first attempt to use our “under construction” youth room. We had the Wii and PS 2 set up and Ken walked us through what the room will look like when we are done. I taught a lesson called “Kingdom Hearts” from Matthew 13. It was a really fun night. We ended by knee boarding down the hill in the snow.
This week is one of preparation. We have several big events coming up:
* Tomorrow night, Cross Roads starts a series called, MADE. We will be talking about how we are like clay and God is like a potter.
* Friday, me and a team of five other adults, will be taking 26 junior high students to Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference. For the first time since I’ve come on staff, Joshua will be with me at Cedar Lake. It will be a trip!
* Sunday night at NEXT Joe Myzia will be teaching.
* Sunday Feb 1 is our Souper Bowl party. We are inviting students and their parents to come watch the big game on the big screen. There will be all the soup who can eat for $1. All the money will go to World Vision.
On the home front:
* The boys enjoyed their days off from school but seemed to be okay with going back this morning.
* I’m tired but pushing though and trying to be productive.
* Maxine has an appointment with a specialist next week. She’s still off of work. Please pray for her to feel better and that the specialist would know how to help her.
Some other random thoughts.
The Illini are ranked for the first time since 2005. We are #25 this week after nearly knocking off #7 Michigan State. With games at Ohio State and Wisconsin this week, there’s a chance we will move up or drop back out. We’ll see if they can rebound this week.
Leigh Sullan (aka littl’ pup, sista leigh) is celebrating her birthday in Washington DC this week. She will be at the festivities today. I’m jealous. Watch this video and count how many different forms of technology Obama mentions. This will truly be the most accessible Inauguration ever. Don’t miss the first ever “kid’s inaugural ball” with the Jonas Brothers (scream!) and others tonight on Disney!
Pastor Brian turned me on to Pandoraradio. You give it a band you like and it will create a play list from that band and others like it. I now have a 80s pop metal station called, “Ratt Radio!”
One of our former students stopped by this weekend to tell Maxine he had bought a cello. He had a couple of questions for her. Growing up, I listened to more Van Halen than Bach. It may surprise you to know I like some classical music. When I was college, I did a work study for one of my professors. I had to sit and code data for hours. He had classical music on and I discovered that I liked some of it. I love to hear Max play the cello. When I write music I always hear a cello line now.
Yo Yo Ma will be playing at the swearing in ceremony this morning. He will be playing a carbon fiber cello because his 200 year old cello can not stand the cold.
Watch Yo Yo Ma (the Van Halen of cello) play Bach and enjoy!
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January 18, 2009
Your Grace is Enough
On this “sanctity of life” Sunday, I’m reminded of a story I told in a sermon some time ago:
“When I became a Christ-Follower at the age of twenty-one, I began inviting my friends to our college outreach on Wednesday nights. One of them that actually showed up was a long time friend named Krystal (not her real name). After coming every Wednesday night for about two months, she responded to an invitation to surrender her life to Jesus. I couldn’t believe it and made my way up front to be a part of the group of people that prayed for her that night. It was an absolute miracle. With tears streaming down her face, she committed her life to Christ.
A couple of days later a few of us were at her apartment playing games. Right in the middle of a game she slid off the couch and began sobbing uncontrollably. Being a guy I was at a loss as to what to do. When she finally calmed down enough to talk she said in a quivering voice:
“I know Jesus came into my life the other night and I know he forgave me for all my sins.” She hesitated then continued as the tears flowed, “But I don’t think He could ever forgive for killing my baby.” At that she collapsed into sobs again.
Those of in the room were stunned. I had known her for three years and thought I knew her well. What I didn’t know was that she had become pregnant and her boyfriend dumped her. She felt alone and trapped so she had an abortion.
Several of us got to speak truth and life into her.
“Come now let us reason together,” the prophet Isaiah began, “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson they shall be as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
“…he does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.” (Psalm 103:10-12, The Message)
That night she learned that grace is so amazing, so scandalous, that God had even forgiven her of the thing she was most ashamed of.
All of us in this auditorium have our broken places that we don’t want others to see. But God sees, and He still loves you.”
This morning, the students and I are leading worship. It’s always fun to lead with them. We are introducing a new song to the congregation called “Your Grace is Enough.” For those of us who listen to Christian music, it’s not exactly new but many people will hear it for the first time. Our prayer is that as we sing that song to worship our Grace-Giving King, people would understand that God’s grace goes farther and covers more than they could ever imagine.
Paul had what the Bible calls a “thorn in the flesh.” We are not really sure what that was, but we know that he asked God to take it away from him three times. God did not but reminded Paul,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
No matter what you’ve done, what you’re going through, or what you’re worried about, God’s grace is enough!
Watch this video and prepare yourself for this morning’s service.
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January 15, 2009
Beautiful (Make sure to watch the video!)
I don’t have girls. God blessed me with two boys and I have a while before I can spoil my grand-daughters. But I have been around teenager girls for the last fifteen years. And in that time, I’ve learned a few things.
I’ve learned that every single teenager girl you meet is fighting a really hard battle. She is bombarded with images from the media telling her she’s not enough.
Not pretty enough. Not thin enough. Not “sexy” enough. Not smart enough. Not popular enough.
Just not enough.
Don’t get me wrong, guys struggle with the “not enough” messages as well. But with girls, it is system overload.
Every image they see reaffirms that she is not the model that she sees on the billboard. Every movie reinforces the fact she’s not the beauty queen.
I’ve had girls, who were very pretty, tell me they are “hideous.” I know girls who will not look at themselves in the mirror. I’ve known girls who would starve themselves trying to attain something called “thin.”
When teenager girls do not think they are enough, they are tempted to sell themselves short. They start kissing frogs instead of waiting for their prince. They seek approval affirmation from guys who do more harm to their fragile self-image than good.
So, what’s the answer?
Two things.
First, remember what is true.
David said,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Here’s something every girl needs to know - God don’t make junk. He doesn’t make mistakes. He made them. Each of our young princesses are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Second, what the world calls “beautiful” is impossible to achieve. Why? Because it’s not REAL! This world system is conspiring again our girls to destroy them. How? By making them chase an illusion. Don’t believe me? Watch this video:
Do you get it? Do you see that this is straight from the pit of hell?! Every girl wants to look like that girl on the billboard. The only problem is the girl on the bill board isn’t real! Same goes for the girls in the swim suit issues in Sports Illustrated. You be surprised at what a photoshop program can do to a female body.
(By the way, this has tremendous implications for teenager boys who view pornography. The average introduction to porn in America is 11 years old now. 11 ! What happens when a teenager boy sees these images? Images that are completely unrealistic, airbrushed, and stripped of every physical flaw? Their image of what a girl looks like, or should look like, is warped. They become, unknowingly, partners with the destroyer as they set the standards of what is “hot” so high that girls can never reach it.)
So what do we do?
We need to be speaking into our teenage princesses. We need to not miss an opportunity to tell them they are beautiful. From the world, they hear they are not enough. Let’s take every opportunity to affirm their beauty. Fathers especially need to speak words of life over their daughters every day.
More than that, we need to remind them that “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Prov 31:30)
Skin deep beauty is a fleeting illusion. I want our girls to be beautiful from the inside out. The best beauty treatment they can have is time with their Heavenly Father being reminded that it is a woman who “fears the Lord” that is praise-worthy.
Well, what do you think? Do you agree?
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January 14, 2009
What will it cost?
Yesterday, I posted a song called “Take it All” from Hillsong United. Hillsong Church in Australia. United is their “college band.” We do several United songs in our praise time on Sunday mornings, including “Mighty to Save.” But It’s more than just music, it’s a mission. Click around on the website to learn more.
Then watch this video and ask yourself what am I willing to give up to love the world the way Jesus does?
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January 14, 2009
All activities at PBC are canceled tonight - this means no Cross Roads! :(
Due to the snow, the strong winds, and the dangerously low temps forecasted for tonight, we are canceling all activities at PBC. This means no AWANA or Cross Roads. Stay safe and keep warm.
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January 13, 2009
Take it all
This weekend at Cedar Lake, the band, Red Umbrella, used the Hillsong United song, “Take it All” as the weekend’s theme. (Some students thought it said “take it off” which lead to some interesting discussions let me tell ya). This is an amazing song that really cries out to God to take everything from us and be our only desire.
I’ve already had a student tell me today that they took several opportunities to share their faith today and another tell me that they are considering going overseas this summer on a mission trip. Pray for our students that even after the “Cedar Lake high” is gone they would still be singing, “Take it All.”
Watch this video to begin your day and cry out to God to talk it all.
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January 12, 2009
Cedar Lake 2009 (High School)
We took 35 high school students to Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference in Indiana. It was a fantastic weekend and we saw God do amazing things in our students and our leaders.
It snowed almost all day Saturday. The lake was frozen and the tubing hill was open so it was a good time. Last year, it was just muddy!
Our speaker, Shawn Harper, is an ex-NFL football player and was also a member of the Power Team. He did a great job connecting with the students. He wowed the male students with stories about football and by turning a frying pan into a burrito. He captured the girls attention by going straight to their self-esteem issues. He was funny and energetic. Check out his webiste.
Our band for the weekend, Red Umbrella, was probably the best band, musically, that’s I’ve ever seen at Cedar Lake. They did a great job leading the students in praise. I appreciated that the sets were a little longer than normal and they did songs that the students knew from Hillsong United, Dave Crowder, Chris Tomlin, etc.
Cedar Lake really did a great job this year focusing the student’s attention, even while letting them have lots of fun, For the first time, they had prayer walk with seven different stations. Their image, forgiveness, praying for others, and kneeling before the throne were all part of the experience. It was amazing!
Ken Hinds and I got to be part of something really exciting for us. During free time, students were given the option of going to “For Guys Only” or “For Girls Only.” Ken and I and another young staff member got to be the panel and answered questions for about 30 teenage girls. Ken and I were in our element. We both have such a passion for girls to understand how to live as princesses and protect their purity. It lasted an hour and the questions were fantastic. It was a good spread for the panel - Jim is 20 and has a girlfriend, Ken married 5 years with a baby, and me married 16 with a teenager.
A special shout goes to the most incredible student team in the world. Amy Park, Lori Wiseman, Ken and Kara Hinds, and Joe Myzia sacrificed their weekend to play, I mean minister, to a fantastic group of students. I am honored and humbled to serve with them.
I’m tired but encouraged. At 40, it’s not as easy as it used to be. But I’m also not your average 40 year old!
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January 09, 2009
Baby Food and grace!
I’m waiting for the students to start showing en mass for our Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference trip and I thought I asked you to pray for us. We, myself and 5 other adult leaders, are taking 35 high school students to the retreat this weekend in Indiana. We should have snow and the lake should be frozen so good times will be had. Pray that the students hearts are forever changed as they hear the Word and lift Jesus up in worship.
Now to the baby food -
At Cross Roads I was teaching from John 4, (the woman at the well), and decided to give a little lesson beforehand on grace. We played “baby food” mania. The consists of sitting in a circle, with a spoon, passing the jar of baby food around and around. When the music stops - you eat! It’s hilarious and we had fun watching them suck down the carrots.
I asked one of our students to spill a little on the floor and then I was going to get mad and yell at them. Lori would then come and help them clean it up and encourage her. You see? What’s the difference between my reaction and Lori’s? GRACE!
When it came time for the student to spill it on the floor, she freaked out and actually spilled the entire baby food jar into one of high school leader’s laps!!!!! I did the yelling thing and Lori did the cleaning thing but it was Michelle who taught that lesson. You know I always say, “You’re not cool till you pee your pants?” Well, Michelle didn’t want to look that cool! Luckily, Marty found a pair of pjs upstairs in our youth closet and she wore them the rest of the night. Michelle gave her grace and forgave her. The students were primed for the lesson after that!
Here’s the grace giver herself, sporting some mighty fine looking pjs!
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January 08, 2009
Reformed Theology and Evangelism
Yesterday in my rambling post I talked about reformed theology. Many people have asked me over the years how I could appreciate John Calvin’s theology with it’s emphasis on the Sovereignty of God and predestination. The question usually goes like this, “If God already knows who will be saved, then why evangelize anyone?
Here are two fascination perspectives from very different people: Pastor Mark Driscoll and then watch a video from atheist/magician Penn Jiliette of Penn and Teller:
Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill) wrote a post today that had a really good answer to this question.
Hope this helps if you you’ve ever wondered. (Of course, seminary does teach us to answer questions nobodies asking!)
Evangelism and Reformed Theology
Because of the Reformed theological convictions of Mars Hill Church, one of the common questions I receive is how we can believe that God predestines those He will save and that God does the work of causing people to become Christians, while at the same time concerning ourselves with doing personal evangelism. Essentially, the question assumes that since God will save whomever He desires, our evangelism is unnecessary. There are three things that must be clarified so that Reformed theology is not wrongly misunderstood as to pave the way for fatalistic passivity regarding evangelism.
First, we cannot merely read the words of Paul without placing them in the context of his life. Not only is Paul responsible for giving us clarity on such doctrines as predestination and election, he also demonstrated for us a life filled with evangelistic fervor. For example, even a cursory reading of Acts reveals that Paul was a very active evangelist who labored tirelessly from city to city until he was ultimately put to death for his evangelistic work. Furthermore, Paul repeatedly speaks of the importance of his personal evangelism in such places as 1 Corinthians 9:22–23 where he says “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel . . .”
Evangelism Fits With God’s SovereigntySecond, perhaps the most thorough treatment of the doctrines of predestination and election are to be found in Romans 9–11. But in the middle of that breathtaking theological treatise that shows how salvation is fully the work of God, we also read Romans 10:14–15: “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news [the gospel]!’”
Third, God is fully sovereign. In regards to evangelism, God’s sovereignty includes selecting when and where we would live, who would we meet, and granting us the opportunity to do evangelism so that the elect will be saved. This is because God is sovereign over both the means and ends of evangelism. God has not only determined who will be saved, but has also determined how He will save them—and this often includes using our evangelistic efforts, though God can also save people apart from us as He chooses. God often chooses to allow us to be involved in the process so that we might share in the joy of seeing people’s earthly and eternal lives forever transformed through Jesus.
Jesus Saves PeoplePractically, this means that by understanding that God is already at work on the elect, we are able up to do evangelism with the greatest amount of freedom and joy. We can share the gospel of Jesus in full confidence that God will use it to save some people because they are elect. On the other hand, if some people should not respond to the gospel in faith, we should not take that personally but rather pray that God would open their blind eyes to see His love and also humbly trust God’s will and timing in all things.
Lastly, the fact that Jesus remains to this day an active evangelist is of great encouragement to me personally. It means that children who are aborted in the womb, those mentally incapable of understanding the gospel, and those people who have lived in times and places that missionaries did not visit are not necessarily beyond the hope of salvation. Indeed, Jesus could visit and save anyone anywhere because He remains The Evangelist.
Now to a practical application from an atheist:
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January 07, 2009
Under Construction Gift
I ate lunch with the junior high students at Pontiac Christian School today and had a great time talking to them about getting out of their comfort zone. Dean Ridder, the principal and head cheerleader of PCS, gave me gift while I was out the there.
If you can’t tell what it is, it’s a miniature barricade and cone with the words “Under Construction” on it. On the other side it says, “Phil 1:6” (the text I preached from) and 01-05-09 (the date I preached it).
This was a fantastic surprise. He is a creative servant. It will go on my desk and will always remind me that God is still at work in my life.
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January 07, 2009
Lord, I was born a Rambling Man
Yesterday, I rambled a bit and got some good feedback so I’ve decided to ramble a bit more.
I’m about to finish a book I’ve been reading for a while. Thanks to Jeremy Leacock for giving me “A Heart Promptly Offered: The Revolutionary Leadership of John Calvin.” Its a smallish book but packed full of interesting leadership lessons.
When I decided to go to seminary, we narrowed it down to RTS (Reformed Theological Seminary) in Jackson, Mississippi or Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth Texas. Maxine mother, Lu, had been friends with the uber-theologian R.C. Sproul for years. She also hung out quite a bit with grace-master Steve Brown. Both of the giants were RTS faculty. That’s why I chose RTS.
What was interesting was that, in retrospect, I probably had no business being in seminary! I had been a Christian for less than two years. When someone asked me when I decided to subscribe to “Reformed Theology” I just stared at them. I didn’t even know who John Calvin was!
Needless to say, I did survive seminary. I can explain with proficiency the “five points” of Calvinism, although I don’t necessarily agree with every aspect of all five points. And, after graduation, I could tell you what Calvin believed about almost anything. But, I knew very little about the man himself. I read most of the “Institutes” - but not much about Calvin himself.
This same volume helped me understand him as a human being. He was a leader’s leader. He was thoughtful and patient with people and systems. He was a revolutionary but thought change happened better in increments whether in wholesale rebellion. He believed in the absolute depravity of man (point 1 of the TULIP) and that belief lead to his political theories of limited government. In the day of kings, the idea that people had the God-given right to have leadership that cared for its welfare, was a completely new concept. He went farther - if those leaders decided to act in ways that were harmful to the people then they had a God-given right to get rid of that leader. His political ideas changed government and education. Geneva became a shining example of a city that based it’s structure on Biblical principals.
Why is this important? Well, two hundred years after Calvin died, another group of revolutionaries, believing in the absolute depravity of man and the Sovereignty of God started to write things like, “We declare these truths to be self-evident…” Without Calvin there would have been no Declaration of Independence. He started it all.
He cared about the poor and set up systems to not just give a a hand but to help them help themselves. He preached passionately. He led humbly. He mentored a group of guys who took his ideas throughout the world after his death.
Simply put, he just loved Jesus.
I may not be a genius like Calvin but I can “promptly offer my heart” to God every morning and ask Him to use me.
Click here and sing along.
I’m also reading “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. This is an amazing book that seems to kick me in the teeth every chapter. I’m taking a group to the Willow Creek Student Ministry Conference and Francis will be one of the main speakers. Listen to his challenging words:
“Have you ever wondered if we are missing something? It’s crazy if you think about it. The God of the universe - the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies, and E-minor - loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We got to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it or not…we all know something’s wrong.”
In my Bible reading this morning, I was struck by how strange God is. Seriously. He is the God of crazy love but there are times when His wrath is just plain crazy. In Jeremiah 48, he pronounces judgement on the Moabites. Take some time today and read the whole chapter but look at verse 26:
“Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.” Wow! God’s serious about this whole “honor me” thing. To wallow in vomit can not be a very pleasant experience. But that’s what they chose when they worshipped other gods.
It still happens today. I was talking with a student about choices some of her friends were making and I gave her this word picture: They are eating bologna off the floor and you are waiting for your steak dinner in the banquet hall. God makes it clear. His way is the best way. It is unfathomable to me why some people would intentionally turn down the steak dinner for scraps. But I used to live like that until the Holy Spirit transformed my heart.
Michael W. Smith called it “Rocket town.” (MWS seems to the artist of the day) This song was very important to me when I was trying to figure the whole Christian thing out. I was living in rocket Town but I wanted out. Watch it here then pray for someone who still lives in Rocket Town.
Switching gears entirely, the fighting Illini got a shout out from none other than ESPN’s Seth Davis! He writes a blog and every year does a “market watch” post in which he picks 30 college basketball teams and tells you whether to “but, sell, or hold.” This is what Seth writes about our 2009 squad:
“I had the Illini at No. 25 on my AP ballot this week, and though they remain unranked I have a feeling my fellow voters will be catching on soon. Before it lost at Michigan on Sunday, Illinois’ only other defeat came at home by two points to a very tough Clemson squad, and last week the Illini pulled off an impressive road victory at Purdue. Point guard play was a question mark last year, but Chester Frazier, who leads the Big Ten in assists (6.5 per game) and is third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.94-to-1), has matured into a first-rate floor leader. Moreover, this is an excellent passing team; Illinois is second in the nation in assists with 19.9 per game. Inside, sophomore forward Mike Davis is one of the surprise stories of the season. Once Kentucky transfer Alex Legion, a 6-5 guard who became eligible in December, gets into the groove the Illini will have as deep and talented a guard rotation as you’ll find anywhere.”
With a top ten recruiting class coming in next year, the Illini are looking good.
One last thing…
Austin, my ten year, is doing a project about himself. He had to tell about all of friends, hobbies, favorite books. One of the section was his “heroes.” He chose one of our students as his hero. When he showed her the sheet and asked her for a picture to go in the section she fought back tears. My boys have benefited greatly from hanging out with our students who simply love Jesus. (Thanks for being a hero and not just your normal average high school girl!)
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