GaryMo Monday - Let Me Introduce You to My Hero

he·ro

 noun \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\

plural he·roes

Definition of HERO

1

a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or abilityb : an illustrious warriorc : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualitiesd : one who shows great courage

2

a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic workb : the central figure in an event, period, or movement

3

plural usually he·ros : submarine 2

4

: an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol

It's week #4 of GaryMo Monday's and I've been thinking about this topic ever since Gary posted his list. I actually started writing this post about 3 weeks ago and have really been struggling with what I think a hero is...to me.

Then this morning as I was reading through my Facebook news feed, I saw this:

"Heroes don't leap tall buildings or run around in capes. They bleed, they bruise, they listen, they love, they reach out their hand. Heroes are ordinary people who even if their own lives are impossibly knotted, take the time and care enough to help untangle yours."

Wow! That's it.

COMMUNITY!

Last week, I wrote that church = community.

I guess this week what I'm saying is community = heroes.

There are so many different people that I could single out that have been personal heroes to me...people who have picked me up when I was down or celebrated with me when things were good or cried with me when I was suffering. My heroes.

But these heroes don't do what they do to be singled out. They do it to be part of the community and to build and preserve relationship. They do it because they just can't NOT do it.

I only pray that I can be a hero to someone in my community...daily. Not because I want someone to think of me as a hero, but because I just can't NOT step into that story and have a positive impact. Because the Spirit won't let me not be a hero.

Who are your heroes? Who are you a hero to?

GaryMo Monday - Why Church Is Relevant for ME

rel·e·vant

 adj \ˈre-lə-vənt\

1

a : having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at handb : affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion <relevant testimony>c : having social relevance

This is the third installment of GaryMo Monday's where I take on the list of 20 topics that Gary wishes people would write about.

Relevant is one of those words that gets thrown around A LOT in today's churches. It's usually teamed up with authentic and humble. I feel a real butt-scrunch whenever I hear a church announce that they are relevant.

What relevant should mean when coming from a church is showing how the message of the gospel applies in our everyday lives. How we can live it out and spread the message of Jesus to the un-churched, the de-churched, or the over-churched...the lost.

What relevant increasingly means is providing a product that people will consume...something that is "hip" or "cool" or different than what people perceive church to be. There's nothing wrong with providing a different offering in church services, but when the gospel takes second place to the production value then the message of Jesus gets lost in my opinion.

I think authentic has become equally distorted and should mean staying true to the clear message of Jesus, but unfortunately too often means staying true to the what's-in-it-for-me mentality of today's society.

And humble? Well, that could be a whole post in itself, but suffice it to say, if someone is telling you they are humble...they aren't. Jus' sayin'.

So, why is "church" relevant to me?

I have a t-shirt that on the front says "Don't go to church." And on the back it says "Be the church."

Church is not a building. It's not a worship style. It's not a liturgy.

It's community.

A community of broken people doing life together. With all their brokenness. In all their messes. Through the good times and the bad. In celebration and in sorrow. It's people who aren't afraid to have someone else's mess splash on them a little. Who aren't afraid to speak truth, to love, to encourage, to support and who aren't afraid to have truth spoken to them, to be loved, to receive encouragement, to ask for support. It's people who gather together and humble themselves to worship authentically the God of the Universe.

It's what He made us for and it's what He calls us to.

And I am blessed to live in a community like that.

Yeah, it's messy and yeah, sometimes it splashes around. But somehow God moves through us and in us and He always gets the last word. And there's a peace in knowing that He's not finished with any of us and there's a joy in knowing that we are doing this together humbly and authentically...and that's relevant to me.

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

Romans 12:2 (The Message)

GaryMo Monday - My Prayer for My Daughter

This is #2 in my series of GaryMo Mondays, writing on the 20 topics that Gary would like us to write about. So, here goes...

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the big questions that my daughter had about God. Our time together exploring those questions and reading the bible together has been heavy on my heart since that day. I've been praying for all sorts of things with regards to my daughter.

I pray that she keeps asking questions.
I pray that she gets the answers she needs.
I pray that she always knows that it's okay to have those questions.


But mostly...

I pray that she knows the love that God has for her no matter what questions or doubts she may have.

And I pray that she gets a little taste of that love and how BIG it is...from me.

I didn't have a very close relationship with my dad growing up. It wasn't entirely his fault. He worked in the construction industry and was up before dawn and usually home after dark. I really only saw him on weekends and like most boys, I had stuff to do on weekends. Baseball, skateboarding...girls. The usual.

So, we didn't spend a lot of time together. We didn't talk about things other than sports or cars. Girls...not so much. Certainly never God. I don't even know if my dad believed in God. I'm pretty sure he wasn't a follower of Jesus.

I talk about my dad in the past tense because I haven't seen or heard from him in about 20 years. He and my mom divorced when I was 27 and he pretty much divorced me, too. I have no idea where he lives or if he is even alive. He has never met my wife and I'm quite sure he doesn't know he has a granddaughter.

I could look for him, I suppose. But, I won't.

I just don't want to be like him.

I want to be the father to my daughter that is ALWAYS there for her. That will talk with her about anything she wants to talk about...dolls,video games, fairies, boys (as my stomach churns)... and God. I want to sing songs with her and dance with her and go to all her talent shows and, and, and...

So, I guess my prayer for my daughter is that she has the father that I feel like I never had. And by the grace of God, I pray that I can be that father. And I hope that by being that kind of father, my little girl will get just a small sense of the love that our Eternal Father has for her.

Are you convinced of the Father's love for you? What shows you the love of the Father?

Child-like Faith

This morning I was greeted by my daughter (who will be 6 years old in five days) with this question:


"Daddy, how was God born and if He is our ultimate Father, who is our mother?"


We spent the next 45 minutes reading and discussing the creation story in Genesis 1-3. It was a holy moment. One I won't soon forget. She asked some really tough questions and some of the answers led to more questions. I praised her for asking and told her to never stop asking. God can take it.


I don't know if I can, but God can.


He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:2-4

I used to read that verse and think that my faith was something that I should just accept. Without question. I always thought that little children listen and obey their parents. They do what they're told. They don't question authority. They submit.

They certainly don't ask "Why?"

Then I became a parent and now I realize that little children constantly test their boundaries. They ask questions...A LOT! And start almost every sentence with "Why?" And it's okay. If she wasn't constantly asking me questions...I would worry.

Another question my daughter asked was "Why did Eve listen to the snake?"


I thought about it awhile and then said, "I guess she didn't trust God enough to go back and ask Him if the snake was telling the truth."


And suddenly, I realized that God expects us to ask questions, too. Tough questions. A LOT of questions. If we didn't...I think He's concerned. Like a Father would be.

What do you do when you have questions about God? When you have questions for God? Do you seek the answers? Do you dig deep? Do you trust that you can ask? Or do you just accept what you been told or taught?

Obsession Confession

Sometimes I feel I am just a statistic...


Via: www.onlineschools.org

I am truly bothered by the one that says: "57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life."

Are you taking the online off-line? I pray that you are.

GaryMo Monday - The Most Difficult Thing About Working at a Church

So, it's GaryMo Monday and this is the first of my posts from the "Twenty for Twenty-Eleven." I've actually been struggling with this topic for quite some time. I've started to write about it a couple of times...but I always wimp out and delete it.


I don't know what I'm afraid of. I know and have said many times how blessed I am to work at the church I work at. It truly is one of the healthiest churches I've ever seen or heard of. I know because I've talked to folks who do what I do in other churches. I'm blessed. Really.


The difficulty I have has nothing to do with the job I do. I love my job. I can't wait to go to work in the mornings. I can't wait to be in the booth for the weekend services. I've never felt more at home at a job.


So, what is it that I struggle with?

If I'm being honest...I have trouble keeping my job separate from my spiritual journey.


Hey, I work for God, right? Isn't that enough?


I know the answer...it's obviously "No."


God wants more from me than the job I do at the church. He wants more from me than how I serve His people when I facilitate a class. He wants more from me than the way I lead and pour into volunteers.


And can I just say...I want more from Him too?


God wants MY heart. God wants to spend time with just ME. He wants to talk to me...through His word, through my prayers, through my family and friends. He wants me to hear Him.


I want to hear Him. I think.


But I'm too busy...and I stay busy...and sometimes I think I do it so that I won't hear Him. So, I won't hear the truth. A truth I already know.


I know I haven't fully surrendered to Him. I know I'm still trying to do some things my way...not His (even though I keep telling myself that everything I'm doing is FOR Him).


But I want to fully surrender...I want to trust Him. Completely. But I know that means I'm going to need to change. I going to need to let go. I going to need to let Him.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

What gets in the way of your spiritual journey? What kinds of things do you do to avoid hearing the still small voice of God? 

Twenty for Twenty-Eleven

I met Gary Molander briefly at Echo Conference in Dallas last July. Looking back, I wish I'd taken some more time to get to know him better. If you haven't heard of him, check him out. You'll be glad you did.

Gary's blog has been an inspiration to me on a lot of levels, but he has really knocked it out of the park this week. It's as if he is writing specifically to me especially when he posted about the 20 things he wants people to write about.

Those of you that read my blog (all 3 of you) know that I run "hot" and "cold" in my blogging activities. I hope to change that and I'll use Gary's list as my motivation. For the next twenty weeks, Mondays will be known as GaryMo Mondays and I'll drop a post on one of the topics on Gary's list (in no particular order). Ironically, some of the topics I already have posts started on and others are things that have been rolling around in my head for some time that I've just never sat down to organize my thoughts on.

I'm excited about this. Some of the topics are things I've been dying to talk about and some of them scare me to death. It's time that I use this blog the way I intended from the beginning:

To ask the hard questions. My questions. To acknowledge that I have them. To let it be okay. To engage in the conversations. The difficult conversations. To speak the truth. To have the truth spoken to me.

To move CLOSER to God.

It's a new year, so it's time for a new...WORD?

I'm not a New Year's resolution kinda guy.

Never have been.

It's always seemed to me that most people set themselves up for failure when the make resolutions. They choose lofty goals and then when they find out that change is hard all they can see is how far away from the end game they are and don't focus on the little victories right in front of them.

And then they give up.

And they do it again the next year.

I went to a small get-together on New Year's Eve and there was a discussion about making more goal-based resolutions. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight." say "I'm going to run a half-marathon in April." It kinda makes sense. You'll probably lose weight if you're training to run a half-marathon, but the cynic in me says what do you do when you find out you hate to run?

I started thinking that it would be better to just pick a theme, a word maybe, that could define the new year for me. Genius, I thought. I even had the word picked out. Then, my friend Katie posted on New Year's Day her One Word 2011... post.

Wow...she beat me to it.

or

Great minds think alike! Heh.

It turns out that Katie was inspired by this post from Alece and after reading it and a few other things on Alece's blog...yeah, so am I. Inspired. Completely. Once again, God comes up with a way to show me how blessed I am when I'm wallowing around in my junk.

So, that said, what's my word? Just like Katie, I'm going with SURRENDER.

It's the word that everything else follows. If I surrender to Jesus, nothing else can get in the way. If I do it His way, there can be no question in the choices I make or the actions I take.

But there are questions...mostly in me. And that tells me that I haven't truly surrendered. I haven't let go. I'm still doing a lot of things my way.

That's the truth about me.

What about you? Will you take the "One Word" challenge for 2011? What's your word?