God – Page 11 – Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, Encouragement, God, Life, Ministry

The Faith of a Child

My wife has been babysitting for a young mom in our church over the last few months. It’s just a couple of hours a day in the afternoons. If you know much about me, I usually don’t deal well with little kids. I just feel awkward around them. Jr. high and up is usually the age groups that I seem to work well with. So Kelley babysitting in our home has been a growing experience for me.

This is my buddy Aaron. He’s around a year and a half old. He has a smile that will just melt your heart at any time. Like I said, him being around has been a growing experience for me. I’ve actually gotten to the point now where I miss him being here on days that he’s not at our house. His little personality is so awesome to watch develop, and he is on the verge of talking, which I’m sure will just be a whole new experience.

He’s taken to me, and loves when I take him outside. The other day, we had a pretty funny exchange. It was one in which I realized just how much he really understands, even when he can’t fully speak yet. He had woken up from nap time and Kelley was in the other room for a minute. I asked him if he wanted to go outside and you could just see his face light up. But then he really blew me away. He walked over to his diaper bag and pulled out his jacket that we normally make him wear when we take him out. He didn’t need it that particular day, because it was actually pretty warm, but his comprehension amazed me. I couldn’t help but laugh at how excited he was to go outside as well.

The best part about having Aaron around though is just watching his joy and wonder taking shape as he discovers new things around him. Watching him trust others without a care in the world is refreshing. As he is around us more, the more he trusts us. And like I said, his smile can just melt your heart (It doesn’t matter how upset he is, me trying to do a Daffy Duck impression brings this huge grin to his face).

Being around his curious and trusting personality has brought life to a passage of scripture. Jesus talks a lot about children throughout His ministry. There is a story in Mark 10, however, that really shows how much He cares about children. The story is found in verses 13-16,

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

I’ve always known about Jesus saying that no one will receive the kingdom of God unless they do it like a little child. But something clicked when I was reading through this again recently. Did you notice Jesus’ mood when His disciples were trying to keep the children away from Him? It says He was indignant. Not a word that we use much anymore, so let’s take a look at its definition. Indignant: feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment. Jesus was angry at His disciples.

The faith of a child is a wonderful thing. Aaron has shown me this in a very personal way. Watching the way he learns is just incredible. You tell him something and he believes it. The faith of a child is what we need when we are pondering the kingdom of God. And that is why Jesus valued them so highly. Children can teach us how to learn. They can teach us what it means to have faith in Jesus. And according to Jesus, we have to have faith like a child to inherit the kingdom of God. May we all have the faith of a child.

Christian Living, Encouragement, God, Life

Well Done: A Tribute to a Friend Gone Too Soon

I woke with a sadness in my heart this morning. Over the last few days, I have been seeing a prayer request posted and reposted on Facebook from a friend in Tennessee, asking for prayers for her friend Jane. What I didn’t realize over that week was that she was asking for prayers for a Jane that I highly respect and has been a huge supporter for Kelley and I over the last few years. I just found out yesterday morning through a separate friend’s post that it was my friend Jane that was needing prayer. Sometimes this long distance thing isn’t any fun.

While watching a couple of shows last night, and winding down for sleep, the news came across my social media feeds that Jane had passed away. I’m just blown away. Jane was someone that I would have never expected to pass this soon. While she was older, she seemed in great health the last couple of times we were able to go back to Tennessee for a few days.

You see, Jane’s husband David and I served on the board together at Crossroads Christian Church before Kelley and I moved to New Mexico. Dave became an elder at the same time I became a deacon. David and Jane were constantly encouraging us, praying for us, and genuinely excited for us in our opportunities for ministry. After moving to New Mexico in September of 2014, I always looked forward to seeing them when we would go back home for a few days. They always wanted to know how things were going, if there was anything that they could be praying for for us, and would always have that encouraging word and piece of advice for us.

jane-williams

For the last few months we were in Tennessee, Kelley and I were in the same Sunday school class with David and Jane. It was amazing to see their love for the Lord, their interest and knowledge in the Word, and their genuine care for those that didn’t know Jesus yet. They have served as missionaries, especially David, who uses his background as a doctor to invest in lives overseas.

Jane was the type of person that could always put a smile on your face. She was talented, energetic, and just plain fun to be around. She had a lot of talent in the drama field, directing a few different dinner theaters and dramas at the church over the last few years. Her love for God, people, and service will be greatly missed.

I started off saying that I have a sadness in my heart this morning. And it’s true. I’m sad that I will never get to talk to Jane again. I’m grieving over our loss here on earth. My heart is breaking for David. Even as I type these words, I feel myself choking up. But I’m also rejoicing right now. I have this intense sense of joy because Jane is no longer suffering! I’m confident (as confident as I can be in regards to someone else) in her relationship with Christ. I’m rejoicing that while she has been taken from this earth, her work is done. She’s heard “Well done my good and faithful servant”. And in that sense, as sad as I am she’s gone, and as joyful as I am that she is not in pain, I’m a little jealous.

Jane’s finished her race. She’s won her prize. She’s at the feet of Jesus!

Jane’s finished her race. She’s won her prize. She’s at the feet of Jesus! Rest well my friend. While I miss you and hurt for your family, I’m so incredibly overjoyed for you! Thank you for all your love and encouragement over the years. You’ll never know how much it meant to Kelley and I. Until we meet again my friend.

thoughts-from-a-crosseyed-jesus-freak

Christian Living, Encouragement, God, Life

Treat One Another with Respect (Part 3, Conclusion)

The last couple of days I’ve written about treating each other with respect. First in general, and then what our response as Christ followers should be when the world doesn’t always treat us with respect (Jesus warned from the beginning that the world would hate us because of Him). You can read those two posts here and here if you’d like.

Today I’m going to wrap up this three part post about treating one another with respect, and it’s a topic that I feel shouldn’t need to be discussed, but is one that probably needs more attention than the others. We are going to be looking at how Christ followers should treat other Christ followers. You would think because we have Jesus in common, then we would be able to at least be civil with each other. But that is just not the case anymore. Sure we can disagree over minor issues, but that doesn’t mean that we have to resort to yelling, name calling, and just down right belligerent behavior. Yet, more and more that is what I see happening between people that share a faith in Jesus Christ in common.

You would think because we have Jesus in common, then we would be able to at least be civil with each other.

I’ve seen it multiple places and involving multiple topics of discussion. And we fall right into the trap that the rest of the culture does. We think by yelling and name calling, we make our point come across in a more effective way. But in reality, all it does is make us look juvenile, and in the process give Christ a bad name. Let me deal with that first.

If we can agree on one thing, it should be that we have a mission of sharing Jesus with others. Seriously, if we have this relationship with Jesus, and we see someone who doesn’t, why would we not want to share that with them. Jesus is the best thing that has happened to us, and we should not want to keep that from other people. But when we disagree with other Christians in a belligerent and juvenile way, others see that. When they see that we aren’t acting any better (and sometimes absolutely worse) than the rest of society, they are going to ask one question; Why would I want to follow this Jesus when His followers don’t even treat other with love and respect?

When they (Non-Christians) see that we aren’t acting any better (and sometimes absolutely worse) than the rest of society, they are going to ask one question; Why would I want to follow this Jesus when His followers don’t even treat other with love and respect?

And they have a point. We damage our ability to share Jesus with others when we can’t even treat our fellow Christ followers with respect. In fact, I think it is fair to say that most people that have had a bad experience with Christianity or God would say that it was really an issue of how they were treated by other people, and not God.

Social media has just made this phenomenon even worse, because it is so easy to type words and not consider how they will affect the situation. We can attack without much fear of how it will impact us in the long run. But others are watching us. Politics has been one area where Christians on both sides of the aisle, so to speak, have just gone off the rails. They can’t understand how anyone could support something opposite from what they support, and instead of agreeing to disagree, they attempt to tear the other side down through attack after attack. I’ve seen it, like I said, from both sides. I’ve seen it from friends and family, and complete strangers. And it breaks my heart.

That is one reason that I try to stay as far away from political posts on social media as I can. I know what I believe and support, and I vote that way. But our relationship with Jesus and trying to follow Him should take precedent over any political party or position we could hold. Neither political party in this country completely lines up with Biblical principles. I’ve heard it from both sides; You can’t be a Christ follower and support the _________ party.

It’s not just politics. I’m in groups on Facebook for members of and ministers of the Independent Christian Church/Churches of Christ. These groups are set up for similar leaning people in their theology and doctrine. Yet I learned very quick after joining these groups to not post or comment without being ready to be flat out attacked because someone is going to disagree with your stance on something. And I mean attacked hard. I’ve been told that my opinion on something was completely and just flat out wrong. I’ve seen people just so beaten down that they end up leaving the groups. And there has been so many discussions that have gotten so nasty with personal attacks that the admins of the groups finally had to take the original post down and actually ban people from the groups.

Friends, this should simply never be the case when we are talking about Christ followers interacting with other Christ followers.

The only thing that I am thankful for in regards to these Facebook groups is that they are not open to where just anyone can read the junk that sometimes happens, because that would hurt any effort of sharing Jesus with others.

So what should we do? First, we need to remember the words of Paul that we looked at yesterday. When possible, as long as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Does that mean we have to agree with everything someone says or does, even fellow believers? No. That is just never going to happen. But we have to be able to still treat each other with love and respect.

When possible, as long as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Most of these disagreements I see between Christians that get this nasty are actually things that would fall under the category of opinion. In other words there is really no Biblical proof, one way or the other, as to exactly what should be our stance. But one person thinks one thing, and another disagrees. Instead of realizing that both parties have a right to their opinion, and deciding to discuss and listen to each other, the yelling and screaming begin.

Here’s the thing. If what we are disagreeing over as Christians can be considered opinion or that we have freedom in those things, then we have to get to the point that we just agree to disagree. In other words, if it is not a clear salvation issue, or something that is clearly declared sin in Scripture, why are we wasting our time arguing over it.

That leads me to my final thoughts on this topic though. What if what the disagreement is over is a potential salvation issue, or and issue of sin? In other words, one person thinks something is completely fine and not an issue, but another person thinks that it is a sin or that you have to do something to reach salvation. I believe that Jesus addressed this. Jesus states in Matthew 18:15-17;

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

You address the issue with them. If they don’t change, you take a couple of other mature believers with you as witnesses. If it continues, then you bring it to the church and finally you cut off contact if they still refuse to change. But no where in these instructions does it say to resort to anger, yelling, or name calling.

You are to do all of this in a loving way, because you truly care about that person.

Even if it is not a sin or salvation issue, sometimes the most loving and respectful thing we could do with someone that we disagree with is just to stay away from them. I have found that to be the most useful thing for me. And it takes a lot of stress and potential anger off of my shoulders. There are others that I completely disagree with one certain topics, some that I would consider a sin issue. They know where I stand, I know where they stand. And instead of locking horns in a never ending debate, I have chosen to walk away. That doesn’t mean that I ignore them completely. If I see them, I try to be cordial and say hello. But we aren’t close friends.

Major in the majors, minor in the minors, but in all things treat one another with love and respect. Disagree with someone to the point you don’t think you can be kind to them? Sometimes the best thing to do is walk away. Let’s make this world a better place by treating one another with respect. Join me, won’t you?

Christian Living, Encouragement, God, Life

Treat One Another With Respect (Part 2)

Yesterday, I wrote about the idea that we have lost the ability to disagree with one another and yet treat one another with respect in this society. In fact, I put it this way: “Our society has lost the ability to have a civil discussion/debate without becoming belligerent.” You can read that whole post here. Today, I want to continue that idea, but focus in on what Christ followers should be doing in this culture of yelling, screaming, and just down right divisive behavior.

As I’ve written in other posts recently, we cannot expect a society that doesn’t know Jesus to live by our morals, because our morals are developed by following Jesus. I think treating each other with respect is something that we should expect from everyone though. That is just descent human behavior that we seem to have lost the ability to demonstrate. But Christ followers should be better than society. Unfortunately, in my experience, we are just as bad, if not worse than others in this behavior at times.

We cannot expect a society that doesn’t know Jesus to live by our morals, because our morals are developed by following Jesus.

You know as well as I do; we will never be perfect (not this side of heaven anyway). But we should be striving to be the best we can be, and not through our own power. The more we follow Christ, the more we should be transformed into His image. And when we take a step back someway, we just dust ourselves off and try to continue to move forward in our walk. One of the best ways we do this is being connected to a community of believers. We cannot become like Christ on our own. The author of Hebrews puts it this way in Hebrews 10:24, 25

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Christ followers, first and foremost, you need to be connected to a community of fellow believers. That is the first step in treating others with respect. But it goes much further than that. Why should we treat others with respect? Why should we live in peace with those around us, even when they don’t show any signs of living at peace with us? Paul addresses this exact topic in one of my favorite chapters of one of my favorite letters of Paul. In Romans 12 (you can read the whole chapter here), Paul pens some very frustrating, scary, yet important words for us. In Romans 12:14-21, Paul challenges our normal human behavior, and asks us to turn from it. He writes;

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

That’s tough. When someone hurts us, our first thought is usually about how we can get back at them. But Paul tells us to walk away from that. He says to not repay evil for evil. Even tougher, in my opinion, he says that when possible, as long as it is up to us, live at peace with everyone. Everyone. Not just those you agree with. Not just those that are nice to you. Not just those that show you respect. EVERYONE! Come on. Why should we do that? Well, if you’re a Christ follower, then your ultimate mission is to share Jesus with as many people as you can. If you’re yelling and arguing with someone that doesn’t know Jesus, that’s going to make it very hard for the gospel to ever get through. And it’s not just about sharing Jesus with them. It’s because we are to be imitating Christ, and He would live at peace with everyone.

Christ followers, first and foremost, you need to be connected to a community of fellow believers.

Does that mean He agrees and approves of everyone’s lifestyle and choices? Absolutely not. Doe that mean that everyone will treat Him with respect? Nope. But how someone treats Him (and you, if you are trying to imitate Him) should bare no impact on how you treat them. Believe me, I know that seems so hard. Almost like an impossible task. And if we were trying to do it on our own, it would be an impossible task. We have to rely on God’s power to help us accomplish living at peace.

This is not going to be easy in the world that we live in. We are so divided in this country that it is almost unbelievable at this point. We might fail at times in living peaceably, but we can commit to growing through the process of becoming more and more like Him.

I have one thing that I think I can guarantee. And I want you to be aware of it before you start this process. I think it is important to know what you are getting into. If you are truly a Christ follower, becoming more and more like Jesus as you get to know Him better, people are not going to make it easy for you to live at peace. They are going to treat you poorly. Because of Jesus, people will hate you. But no matter how they treat you, you are to live at peace with them. Jesus said in Mark 13:12, 13;

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

The key in all of this is simple. One, we can only do this through the power of Christ living in us. Two, from Paul’s thoughts on the subject, “as far as it depends on you…”. You see, we are responsible for how we react. How someone else treats us does not give us the right to become belligerent with them. So if someone is treating you like a king, or beating you down on a daily basis, we are called to live at peace with them.

When possible, as long as it is up to us, live at peace with everyone. Everyone. Not just those you agree with. Not just those that are nice to you. Not just those that show you respect. EVERYONE!

Tomorrow, I am going to look at part three of this idea. We’ve discussed so far the idea that whether we are Christ followers or not, we should treat everyone with respect, and if we could do that, this world would be a much better place. Today, we looked at the idea that if we are Christ followers, no matter how someone treats us, we need to live at peace with them and treat them with respect. Tomorrow, and I need to give my wife credit for the idea, I am going to explore what we should do when Christ followers attack other Christ followers. Unfortunately we are seeing that more and more, so we need to discuss that to wrap up our 3-part series of treating one another with respect. Until then…

Christian Living, Encouragement, God

I Love the Church

About a week and a half ago, I came across an article that was discussing why you should go to church (you can read it here). Unfortunately this seems to be an all too common type of article being written today, because there are plenty of “Christians” that claim they follow Jesus, yet do not see the importance of attending a gathering of fellow believers. While there are plenty of articles you can read on this topic (and believe me, I’ve read plenty), I realized something over the last couple of days.

While there is a somewhat large part of our population that claim to be Christians and don’t go to church, there is a group that could be included in that that I have not really read much about. That’s the group that contains former ministers and their families that have left the ministry AND the church. It seems to be becoming a more and more common occurrence…and it is absolutely breaking my heart.

I can recall numerous people that I have either known in ministry or from my time in Bible college that not only no longer serve in vocational ministry, they don’t even attend church. If you talk to them, I’m sure that most could give what sounds like good reasons for this as well. But is there really a good reason to be a Christ follower and no longer attend church?

There is one situation that I am aware of that might make sense as to why someone doesn’t still attend. There is someone I know that spent what seems to be a lifetime in ministry that has now decided that they are an atheist. It makes sense, if you are going to claim to not be a believer any longer, that you would not attend church. But that is not the type of situation I am writing about. What about those that still believe, still claim to be a Christ follower, but for some reason have decided that it is not necessary or important to attend church any longer.

I get it on some level. Working in vocational ministry is not easy, nor is one always capable of coming out of it unscathed. I can tell you horror stories about how ministers and other lay Christians for that matter have been hurt by churches in the past. Some of them would actually be personal stories from my own time in ministry, but I don’t want to get into the details of that. That’s not the point. The point is, sometimes ministers get chewed up and absolutely destroyed by churches and people that they are trying to help.

But here’s the thing for me. The Church, with all it’s faults (and believe me, there are plenty because it is led on earth by human beings that are flawed), is still the Bride of Christ. The Church gets things wrong, sometimes more often than it gets things right, but again that is because all of us are imperfect. We mess things up. But if you are so hurt by a church or the Church that it makes you walk away from God, was your faith really in God to begin with?

The Church, with all it’s faults, is still the Bride of Christ.

Jesus wants us to be part of a community of believers. We were built to do life together, in community. And for all its faults, the Church is still the design that God has set up for that community. Is it perfect? No. Is it exactly the way things were in Acts? No. Is it flawed? ABSOLUTELY! But that doesn’t mean we just abandon the Bride of Christ. In Hebrews 10, the author of Hebrews writes about this very topic. He writes in verses 24 and 25,

“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Do you want to give up on the Church? I hope not, because Jesus said that nothing could prevail against it either. Matthew 16:16-20 states,

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah

If you’re a Christ follower, especially if you used to be in vocational ministry, please don’t give up on the Church. We need to rally around Her and help move forward.

Christian Living, Encouragement, God

Love is a Verb

love-is-a-verb

Valentine’s Day. A day that you see all the couples you know posting sweet little notifications across social media. I have seen more pictures of candy, food, babies, and couples spending time in the candle light today than I ever thought I would. None of that is necessarily a bad thing either. There is nothing wrong with wanting to show someone how much they mean to you, however, like almost all of the “major holidays” anymore, it seems to have become way too commercial. It is all about how much money you can spend and the more you spend the more you care about the person you are spending on.

My wife and I got married on February 6, 2010, and when we set that date, knowing how close it was to Valentine’s Day, we made an agreement. I cannot remember who’s idea it was, and really it doesn’t matter. We agreed that with our anniversary being only a little over a week before Valentine’s Day, we would basically combine the two celebrations. Even before we set our wedding date, we did not go out of our way to celebrate the holiday anyway.

kkb-315-2

Here is the way I look at it. If I have to go all out one day a year just to prove to my wife that I love her because I have not shown her that love throughout the rest of the year, then I have not been the husband that I should be anyway. Am I perfect at treating my wife well, and always showing her how much I love and care about her? Absolutely not. None of us are. But again, if I look at it like I can just do something on one day of the year and then not have to worry about it again for another 365 days, I have failed in a big way.

Being a Christ follower is trying to live a life full of love; Love for fellow human beings and also a love for Jesus. Showing our love to others is all about service. Jesus says in John 13:13-17; 34, 35;

13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them… 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We show our love for God by serving our fellow man. Why? Because that shows that we are trying to be Christ followers with the way that we live.

But it can’t be just a one time thing. Or a once a year thing. It has to be a lifestyle of service. Just like I cannot just take one day a year to try to prove my love and care for my wife, we cannot just assume that one act of service is enough to show how much we love Jesus and our fellow man either. I am not talking about earning the love of Jesus. That is something that is freely given. But we should be progressing through our relationship with Jesus in such a way that it produces the works of service in our lives.

If you are a Christ follower, then you should be finding ways to serve God and others in your daily lives. There is nothing wrong with a big service project like a mission trip, but what are you doing in your neighborhood? How are you showing what God has done in your lives to those that you are around on a daily basis? I think we all have room for improvement, and will until the day that we get to see Jesus. Don’t get down on yourself if you mess up, but let’s all find ways that we can serve one another and show the love of Christ in our lives!

God, Life, Ministry, Preaching

One of the Best Days of My Life!

August 12, 2007. Nine and a half years ago to the day. A day that I will never ever forget. Sure, there are details that get a little blurred with the more time that passes, but I would be hard pressed to find a more important day in my life, at least in regards to my calling in life. My wedding day would probably be the only other day that I would consider as more important overall, as I got to marry my best friend and the person that has agreed to walk beside me through my calling in life.

What was August 12, 2007? It was the day that Crossroads Christian Church in Gray, TN ordained me for full-time ministry. In other words, the leadership of my home church “set me apart” for my calling of ministry. They had watched me grow up, and even with the mistakes of my youth that they knew about (I had some wild years, even while going to bible college), they saw the calling that God had put on my life. On top of that, they also saw my commitment to follow God’s calling on my life to go into vocational ministry.

The summer of 2007, leading to this memorable day in August, was a very impactful time in my life as well. I had just finished a 3-month internship at Georgetown Church of Christ, and had been able to start correcting some of the mistakes of my youth. It was also the summer that I met my wife. In fact, August 11, sometime in the early morning hours was when Kelley and I finally made our feelings known to each other and agreed to start dating. She was still in Ohio, and I was back home in Tennessee for a week before going back to school in Ohio.

So leading into my Ordination service, I had also just started a relationship that would prove to be something very important as well. To say that I was on a “high” would be an understatement. Crossroads is the church I consider my home, and a place that has helped prepare me for ministry over the years. For the leadership from Crossroads to see something in me enough to “set me apart” for ministry means more to me than I think I could ever really express through words.

Let me set the scene a little for you. Most ordination services that I have heard of over the years usually take place on a Sunday evening. But for some reason, Clint (the Sr. Minister) and everyone else from Crossroads decided that they would hold my ordination during both Sunday morning services that day.

My best friend (and eventually best man in our wedding) was able to be there that day to lead the worship service. Nick Tomeo, the professor of youth ministry at Cincinnati Christian University, where I was studying youth ministry, made the five hour drive from Cincinnati to Gray to be a part of the service. One of my best friends from college drove in from Louisville, KY to be there as a support to me. My extended family that all go to different churches around East Tennessee showed up at Crossroads to be a part of the service as well. Ryan Bader, the last ordained person from that church before me came and spoke as part of the service.

Clint Andrews and Curtis Booher, mentors and men that I respect highly preached and challenged not only me, but the congregation to run the race of this life with our eyes fixed on Jesus. And then maybe the most special part of the whole service happened. The elders of Crossroads surrounded me, and with me on my knees in an act of surrender to God’s call in my life, laid hands on me, confirming my calling, and promising to support me in my efforts to be a servant leader in the Kingdom of God.

After the service was over, my mom, along with the rest of my family, hosted a luncheon in celebration of the day. To say that I was blown away with all that took place is definitely an understatement. It was a humbling moment, one that I never want to take for granted. There is nothing special about me. That is not why I am writing this. In fact, I will be the first one to admit that I am a very flawed person, and I do not always feel worthy of the calling that God placed on my life. But I also absolutely love getting to preach full-time. There is nothing else I would want to do with my life. And honestly, I don’t really think that I am qualified to do anything else.

I am humbled by the fact that men that watched me grow up saw enough in me to set me apart for a life of ministry. But it is also sobering. Not only do I have a calling from God, I have the support and recognition from other servant leaders that I am set apart for vocational ministry. What if I fail? Do I have what it takes? Am I going to make them look bad? If I try to do this all on my own power, then the answer to those questions is an emphatic YES! But that is one of the reasons for an ordination service like this. It shows that we cannot do ministry on our own. We have to support each other, but more importantly, we have to rely on God’s power to do what we are called to do.

That is why this day, nine and a half years ago is so important to me. It reminds me that I have a support system, even 1,400 miles away from where I am living now. But it also reminds me that God has called me to this life, and it is through His power that I am able to do what I love.

A friend of mine in ministry posted a picture of his ordination program the other day on social media, and that is what got me thinking about all of this today. It is a great reminder of those that have gone before us, but also surround us and support us in our calling. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life, even when ministry is tough and beats me up a little. But more than that, I can’t imagine walking through this calling without the support system that have surrounded me through the years, even when I wasn’t really living the way I should have been.

What about you? I would love to hear about a day that you will never forget or about the support system you have in your life. Don’t think you have a support system or feel like you need more? Let me know how I can try to support you!

Christian Living, God

What Does Abundant Life in Christ Look Like?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a different kind of post on here than ever before. I had the honor of reading an advanced copy of a book about preaching that had just been released, and while I had no obligation to write a post about it, I chose to because of the great content it contained. You can read that post here.

Since then, I was chosen to read an advanced copy of another book by one of the authors of Preaching Sticky Sermons. Brandon Kelley just released his second book, and just like the first, I have nothing but great things to say about the book. Preaching Sticky Sermons is a book that has a very specific audience of those of us that write and preach sermons.

Crucified to Life is a book that has a much wider audience. It is written for any of us that want to live our lives as a Christ follower in a freer and more abundant way. But it is more than that really. It is also for those that have not made the decision to follow Jesus with their lives yet, but want to know what being a Christ follower is really all about.

crucified-to-life-front

I am 33-years old as I write these words. I was baptized at the age of 11. Being a Christ follower has been the majority of my life (2/3’s so far if you need help with the math). One thing I can tell you from my experience in this time; while being a Christ follower is something that I have always wanted out of my life, I did not always know what that meant.

Christianity, if looked at from the outside, on a surface level, seems like any other religion. A list of do’s and don’ts that you control your life. A way to be a better person in the eyes of who you try to follow. But that is not what Jesus came for. He came that we might have abundant life, and that is what Brandon lays out so eloquently in Crucified to Life.

If you are looking for a book that you can quickly breeze through, but not really get a lot out of, this is not the book for you. This is a deep, thought-provoking read, but one that is very much worth the time. In fact, part of the process of getting to read an advanced copy is agreeing to provide a review on the Amazon listing for the book. We were not required to leave a positive review, just an honest one. Here is what I wrote as my review: “Challenging. Relevant. Deep. Just some of the words I can write in regards to this book. Brandon is an outstanding author with a great understanding of the challenges of the Christian life. Give his words a chance to open the freeing and vibrant life that only following Jesus can provide.”

I mentioned Christianity earlier as a religion, and that is what it is if you look at it on the surface. But Brandon does a great job of explaining that it is so much more than that when you really get into it. What is different in Christianity than any other religion? You have to sacrifice yourself in following any other religion, but Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we can be a Christ follower.

jesus-offers-quote

That does not mean that we do not have sacrifices to make in our own lives. We are called to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses and follow Him. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25; 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Brandon deals with this issue directly in the pages of his book.

without-cross-quote jesus-demands-quote

Other religions say that we have to do enough good in the name of our religion to outweigh all the bad that we have done in our lives. Christianity says you can never be good enough on your own, and that is why Jesus came; to pay the price for our sins. You are never too far gone for the love of Jesus to cover you. This life of being a Christ follower, and the freedom and abundant life that is attached, is open to all.

jesus-power-quote everyone-invited-quote

It is my prayer that you will be blessed by this book. Crucified to Life is one of those rare books that is deep and challenging, but it is also so relevant because in today’s world, we often miss the point. We think of life as a checklist; Yes I need to do that, no I cannot do that. Jesus is saying, follow Me. Lay down your life and become the new creation that only I can make you through you denying yourself, picking up your cross, and following Me with your whole life.

abundant-life-quote

What about you? Are you Crucified to Life?

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

God, Ministry, Preaching

Sermons That Stick

Back in October, I had the opportunity to do something that I had never done before. The guys at RookiePreacher.com were in the process of having their first book published, and were asking for preachers to review the book, and be on the launch team. It was going to be a book about improving your sermon prep and delivery, so they were looking specifically for a group of preachers to promote the book.

So, I was given an advanced e-version of the book. This is the first time that I have ever been able to read a book before it was published. Let me tell you, I was honored to be able to read the book, but once I got into it, it got even better. I was blown away by the practical information contained within the pages of Preaching Sticky Sermons.

The chapters are short, specifically designed to be an easy reference guide for specific topics, meaning that you can easily turn to a chapter and quickly find the information that you were looking for, without having to scan through a lot of information. The whole premise of the book, however, is what really intrigued me. It is about developing sermons that stick with people. In other words, it is about finding a way to preach memorable sermons.

sticky-quote

The book is finally available as of today. You can pick it up here. The great thing about it is that it does not matter how long you have been preaching. There is something in this book for everyone. Different chapters will resonate with different people. What has helped me the most is the chapters about utilizing Evernote for sermon prep. I am still in the process of implementing that in my own prep, but I know that it will be very useful in the future.

I do not get anything out of promoting this book, but I think this book will help you develop your sermon prep and delivery. Preaching is a calling, and it is something we should all strive to improve in no matter how long we have been doing in. In “Preaching Sticky Sermons”, Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland do a fantastic job of giving practical information on how to improve your sermon prep and sermon delivery. I highly recommend this book for anyone who preaches, whether you’re just out of Bible College, or have been preaching for years. Give it a look. preaching-sticky-sermons-final-cover-copy

Christian Living, God, Ministry

Christmas is on a Sunday!

This is the first time since 2011 that Christmas Day has been on a Sunday. That means that this is the first time that I have been on staff at a church in which this was the case. I do not recall what my home church did the last time this happened, but I am guessing that they held a service that morning, and I was probably there. Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, however, seems to be a very polarizing topic among Christians, especially on social media.

The thing is, some churches have chosen to cancel Christmas Day services and only do a Christmas Eve service. Some are only doing Christmas Day services. Others are doing both. I personally do not see the problem with any of these options, as long as each church is staying faithful in their context.

Here is the problem though. If you are in group that is cancelling Christmas Day services (which is what our church has decided to do this year), more than likely you are seeing some huge backlash, and not from those that would attend your church on Christmas Day. You are seeing it from other Christians that attend somewhere else.

I have seen numerous posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and different blogs completely condemning any church that has decided to cancel services on Christmas Day. My question is why?

Let me give you some examples of what I have seen starting with the most recent one that pushed me to the point I felt the need to write this. Scrolling through Facebook, I came across a status from someone that read, “Can someone tell me why you would not have church services on Christmas Day?” The person who wrote this goes to a rather large church (compared to where I serve) that has multiple staff and plenty of volunteers (although you can never have enough volunteers, believe me). So I get where they are coming from. They can spread the responsibilities of a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service around to the point they are not putting everything on a handful of people.

But it is not just large churches with multiple staff and volunteers that I am seeing this from. Another post on Facebook from someone connected to a smaller congregation wrote,

“I have seen FB posts of churches cancelling Sunday’s Christmas Service. At the (name of the church), we understand that Christmas can be one of the loneliest times of the year. This is why we will proudly have worship service Sunday at 10am, and our Christmas Eve candlelight service is Saturday at 6pm. You don’t have to be alone this Christmas! So spend this Christmas with the Family of God near you.“

The comments on this were even worse, with one person stating that if this was happening at their church they would be demanding the leadership to change it, and if that did not happen, they would be looking for another church home.

Jon Acuff posted about this very topic yesterday on Twitter, and let me tell you, the lashing that he received was unbelievable. He simply tweeted, “Shoutout to churches cancelling services this Sunday. We pastor’s kids often leave faith because the church stole our Christmas every year.”

jon-acuff

I have been reading some of the responses that he has received since posting this, and cannot believe the lack of grace that is being thrown his way. But Acuff has responded and tried to explain to most of the graceless posts toward him. He explains he understands Christmas does not occur on Sunday every year, but what he is getting at is there are so many services the week of Christmas (from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, normal Sunday, and then maybe even different Christmas parties/events that ministers are expected to be at) that ministry families often do not get to enjoy Christmas together.

But I do not want to just focus on ministers and their families here. This is about the church as a whole. My question on the whole issue is to ask, what is best for your local context. There is freedom in Christianity, and to blast another Christian or body of believers because they choose to cancel a service one day is an issue to me. In fact, it is showing a lack of love and unity toward one another that gives those outside of the Church in general another reason not to refuse Jesus. In fact, Jon Acuff tweeted this after all the backlash he received, “Dear Christians, whenever atheists say we’re unloving, this is why. We do this to each other…”, then posted this on his Instagram page.

jon-acuff-1

My point is this: there are many different contexts, and many different reasons to have services Sunday or to cancel services on Sunday. By all means, if you are in a context to have services on Sunday, that is great. Have them. There is nothing wrong with that at all. But do not condemn a church that may not be in that kind of context. If having a service is more important to you then anything else, then it could be that your services have become an idol, and you are worshiping them instead of our Savior anyway.

Let me explain why we are not having a Christmas Day service where I serve. We are doing our first ever Christmas Even service. This is something I have been proposing for the last couple of years, and finally we have other people on board. The problem is that Christmas Eve is on a Saturday, and the same people that are leading in the Christmas Eve service would be the same ones that would have to turn around and lead the next morning if we were to hold a Sunday service. You see, we are a small congregation, in which a small handful of people are involved in everything. That is just the context we are in, and it would not be good stewardship of our time and talents to force back to back services less than 18 hours apart.

On top of that, when it was proposed to our leadership team to do a Christmas Eve service, it was made clear that it would be one or the other, because our faith family would not do both. So in our context it would be one or the other. We felt that we could reach out into the community better on Christmas Eve than Christmas morning. I also did not want to hurt the enthusiasm of some of our volunteers who really pushed to have a Christmas Eve service. Even though I had proposed it the last couple of years, it was some of our volunteers, without my prompting, that came to the leadership and asked to do Christmas Eve this year. That means they are owning it, and when someone owns something, it makes it that much more special.

I was ready and willing to do a Sunday Christmas Day service this year. That was my plan all along. But when I have volunteers that are willing to plan and organize a Christmas Eve service designed to really try and reach our community, I will get behind that 100% of the time. That led to the decision to cancel Sunday morning, because we just do not have the people resources to do both so closely together.

Here is the great thing about it though. There are other churches in our community that are having Christmas Day services. If it is that important to you, then I have no doubt that you can find a service to attend that day. You do not have to lash out at someone else. In fact, my wife and I are going to a ministry friend’s church an hour away from where we live to attend their Sunday service. If it is important, you will find a way. Otherwise, you are being critical for the sake of being critical