The Thriller's Gone

We live in the constant flood of news about pop culture. It's not a shock that when the self-proclaimed "king of pop" dies that the details of his life and death dominate discussions for days. For someone my age, Michael Jackson has been an icon of the good, bad and ugly of pop culture. His talent has been amazing. His life has been one of the most tragic. From the obvious abuses of his early life to the strange trek into later years, he has lived a disturbing and tragic life. Whether people will remember his music, his weirdness or a mixture of the both depends upon individual choices. I tend to distill the complexities of life into their relationship to a larger narrative. In the end, our lives tell a story that is part of a larger story. It is the story of God. The chapter we write will either testify of the impact of God's redemptive grace or a tragic drift away from Him. The latter always makes me sad.

Why do people choose the substitute over God himself? Probably the most important reason is that it obviates accountability to God. We can meet idols on our own terms because they are our own creations. David Wells, God in the Wasteland

One of the greatest challenges to a Christian worldview today is any claim that salvation comes through Christ alone. I have had many discussions about the salvation. The discussions take on many shapes and forms, but the end result is still the same. Do Christians claim that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life? Yes. Why does this matter? Because Jesus is not an object to be worshipped. He is alive. Any true, pure relationship with Jesus is personal. Once we grasp that fact, it changes the conversation completely. We can no longer speak of Jesus as if He wasn't in the room. It's more than an issue of accountability. It is a personal relationship with the Sovereign ruler of the universe.

cost or consequence

As I continue to reflect on my recent time in Russia I have thought about frequent comments about the "cost" of following Jesus. During my stay I was inspired by wonderful brothers and sisters who had chosen to serve God in spite of hardship and difficulty. Some had suffered in their family relationships. Some face great financial challenges. When we hear about these challenges, we respond with comments about the "cost" of following Jesus. I have even heard comments about how much more it costs to follow Jesus in other countries. Our comments reveal something about our lack of understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. The consequences of following Jesus may differ from country to country, but the cost is the same. In order to follow Jesus, it costs everyone the same. It costs us everything. Jesus requires everything. In America, we have bought into an idea of following that is less than accurate. Jesus wants all of us. We try to convince ourselves that Jesus will be thankful to receive part of our time, part of our devotion, a partial commitment, half a heart. He's not. The cost of following Jesus in America equals the cost in Russia. The consequences may differ, but the cost is the same.

Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home. It's great to be back from Russia. I had a wonderful trip. If you have read any of the previous posts, you know that I had some great experiences and God's grace was evident all along the way. Each time I take a trip, expecially to another country, I find myself considering the effects of the trip. After spending time with other pastors, I have thought a lot about what it means to be a pastor. What do I have in common with a pastor in Siberia? Actually, quite a bit. I have thougtht about two important aspects of pastoring: context and calling. After listening to the pastor's in Russia share, I could sense that calling is much the same. We share a invitation from God to share His love and build better disciples. Context makes it interesting.

The Body of Christ

Often I refer to the church as the "body of Christ". It's a good reminder of our connection with one another and with Christ. But it's such a deep truth, it's easy to miss how important it is to our existence. Our connection with Christ is life-giving. In an organic illustration, Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches". Consequently, our connection with one another allows the life of Christ to flow through us and encourage one another. This morning I was at the closing service of the pastor's conference here in Moscow. It was a communion service. Together we remembered how our Savior gave his body and blood to give us life. It was a special moment in my life. Vast differences in culture and language faded away as a common culture moved to the forefront. The distance created by differences could not compare with the unity of our connection with Christ. It was a communion to remember.

Encouraging Words

I have had a great time in Moscow. It's been exciting to teach and preach to a group of pastors from many different regions around the former Soviet Union. Each day in our meetings a different pastor shares a report about what God has been doing. As a result, I have seen pictures and heard testimonies from remote areas of the world, such as sparsely populated areas of Siberia. It's really fascinating as I hear about individual accounts of God's grace. These stories encourage my heart. For example, I heard today about a pastor's struggle to forgive. Because of a conflict, the government in his region had become unusually oppressive. This pastor knew that an individual was stirring up the opposition. As I reflect on this pastor's journey, I can't help but compare it to the Apostle Paul's challenges in the book of Acts. This Russian pastor shared how God's grace flowed in his heart - allowing him to forgive. Sometimes it's easy to allow challenges to distract us from our mission. His testimony was a reminder that God is at work in each challenge. It may be that God provides a breakthough in our community that is outwardly observable. It may be that God provides a breakthrough in the condition of our hearts that cannot be seen by others. Either way, God is powerfully at work.

Non-verbal communication

I have taught many leadership classes on communication. Typically, I spend some time on the importance of non-verbal communication. Body language, certain gestures, eye contact, etc. It's interesting when you are surrounded by people from a different culture, speaking a different language. While here in Russia I enjoy watching Russians communicate. It's a great learning experience. But, there's a non-verbal communication that is much more striking than body language. It is the language of the heart. I have experienced a communication between the hearts of the brothers and sisters around me. Late last night I was in a classroom alone working on my laptop when a pastor named Andrew came in and visited with me. He speaks very little English - I speak very little Russian (you can only say "thank you, my name is Paul" so many times before it gets old.) Yet, we communicated. Rather, the Spirit of God communicated between our hearts. He introduced me to his sons. I showed him pictures on my laptop of Nick and Lynn. He pointed to Mongolia on the map where he spent two years in the army. He didn't say anything about it, but I could tell that it was a very painful and difficult time in his life. He sat down at a piano and played a song. The music was full of emotion, a complex mixture of sadness and hope. He couldn't see the tears in my eyes as the music he played poured into my heart. I played some video from our website and he began to weep as Pastor Phil sang about our Lord. He didn't understand the words, but the Spirit was speaking to his heart. Our worlds so different, yet the Spirit who shapes our hearts is the same. After a few minutes together, he hugged me and said as best he could "glad you're here". He spoke the words, but I had already heard the message in my heart. When I teach classes on communication, the goal is always the same: learn to be a better listener. God is teaching me something about being a better listener. When I listen with my heart, it must be soft to receive. A hard heart is closed to the most meaningful messages that God sends our way. They are rich messages, deep messages, messages that He delivers personally by His Spirit through His diverse and beautiful servants, like Andrew.