You knew didn't You

I'm wrapping up the class I am teaching at the Seminary tonight. Before leaving I walked in the chapel and stood silently and took a few moments to reflect. It's hard to believe that on an evening just like tonight 20 years ago, I was sitting in chapel. It was a course called "Pentecostal Foundations" that met from 7-10 pm (I was younger then!) It was in this introductory course that we learned about the significance of sharing our story, our testimony about our journey. In addition to those key components of our Seminary experience we also did some testing. It was my first time to take the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator Assessment (MBTI). I remember when our results were in and the administrator shared some things about each type. There were about 80 of us in the class. When he called out my "type", I was the only one of this type in the class. I will never forgeet his comment: "this type would not likely find themselves in seminary". But, there I was. There I sat with Lynn by my side - and here I am. As I stood quietly in the chapel tonight, I took a deep breath and considered the journey from 1989 to 2009 and I shared with God, you knew didn't you. You knew every where we would go, everything we would encounter, every person you would send us to reach. Twenty years ago as we sat with a list of questions how someone like me could ever be who you called me to be. You knew. Maybe you smiled when he said I was an unlikely candidate. You knew I would be back here tonight.

The Sideline

We were on the way to one of Nick's football games when he made an astute observation about the NFL. He said "have you ever noticed that most of the players on the roster never get in the game"? We had a conversation about the reason that is the case. Also, I shared with him that they get paid rather well, whether they get their uniforms dirty or not. Nick loves footbball and currently he has a starting position on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. So, as a result, he doesn't spend much time on the sidelines. This week I am teaching a class at our seminary on "leading and mobilizing" people in ministry. Based on Nick's comment, I think he identified the essence of the course. How do we get people off the sidelines and into the game? When it comes to followers of "coach" Jesus. He has already called our number. We, like the pro players on the sidelines, have received great benefits.

Forgotten God

If you thought Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" was painful to read, don't pick up his latest. Chan doesn't waste much time getting to the point in "Forgotten God". He believes that something very important is missing in church today. That something is "Someone", the Holy Spirit. Here's how Chan introduces the book:

Without the Holy Spirit, people operate in their own strength and only accomplish human-size results. The world is not moved by love or actions that are of human creation. And the church is not empowered to live differently from any other gathering of people without the Holy Spirit. But, when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice.

In my last blog, I asked how the presence of God in us could be as contagious as the flu. I think Chan expressed the answer pretty well.

Contagious

The "flu season" has started early this year. Already, a number of school systems have closed due to illness. I don't ever remember that happening in September. Nick has had a number of friends who have the flu. On Thursday a friend (who now has the flu)rode in the car with us. Friday night, Nick was at the football game with another friend (who now has the flu). This week, Nick has the flu. It's a reminder that the flu is contagious. Nick will be the sixth member of his football team to get the flu. This raises a question in my mind. What if good things were just as contagious? What if God's love spread this easily? What if the Gospel spread this easily? What if people couldn't help but be exposed to the grace of God through contact with us? In the words of Jesus, we are salt. We should spread our "saltiness" through our contact with others.

Calling

Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service. (Os Guinness)

I took a little time this morning to re-read a portion of "The Call". It is an excellent book by Os Guinness and one that I have recommended for a number of years. His definition of "calling" is a powerful statement about what it means to live in response to God. His words are a great backdrop to my study of the book of Judges this week. I can't help but see the parallels between the cycle of sin then and now. It always happens when we live our lives in response to something, someone, some purpose other than God. We have reduced the meaning of "devotion" to a brief reading from our favorite writer instead of a personal response to a God who calls us to Himself.

College Football and Emotions

College football started with a "bang" last night. Maybe I should say that it started with a "punch". After the late night match up between Boise State and Oregon one of the Oregon players (LeGarrette Blount) took a swing at a Boise State player (Byron Hout) and landed a punch on his chin. It will provide lots of coaches with fodder for inspirational talks about sportsmanship (and the lack thereof) this year. I saw a brief interview with the Oregon's Coach Kelly this morning. Obviously he was not pleased with the way his player represented the university. One of his comments stuck with me. He said that he wanted his players to "play with emotion, but not let emotion play with them". His statement has a solid theological foundation. As we enter a study of Judges on Sunday morning we will see examples of how great leaders get in trouble when they are played by their emotions. You won't hear me advocate an "emotionless" life. (Come watch me at one of Nick's games!)However, when our emotions change, and they frequently do, we need to remain true to the core principles of life. If anyone had asked LeGarrette Blount before the game whether he would punch another player or not, I'm sure he would have said "no". And, to his credit, he apologized after the incident. I'm not picking on Blount. In fact, it appears that Hout was showing very poor sportsmanship by provoking Blount. I am acknowledging a problem that is hardly new. It is not an easy path to develop our strength of character so that we can resist temptations in the moment. But, it is imperative that we do so.

Why did you do that?

I have been studying in the book of Judges in preparation for a series of messages. Judges is not a real pleasant book. Apart from some really fascinating stories of extraordinary victories and colorful characters like Gideon and Samson, it's a pretty sad commentary on our tendency to fall into the same patterns of debilitating sin. The beginning of the book has a real deep and complicated question. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic) According to the second chapter, the Angel of the Lord appeared before the people and asked them "Why have you done this?". Can you guess how they responded. They cried so much they named the place "weeping". By the way, there isn't really an answer recorded to the question. I have a bit of an explanation of why there isn't a verbal answer. Because the truth hurts too much and sounds too stupid coming out of our mouths..."Why did I disobey...I thought it would be fun to walk away from blessings, rewards, victory and peace and abandon the living God Almighty and make another god out of a piece of dirt or a rock or something" or how about this one..."God, I thought since you had given us life and victory over the false gods of this land I would see how it felt to serve the loser gods for a while". See what I mean? While the specifics or our disobedience is different, the root issues are the same. I'm looking forward to being "schooled" from Judges.