One of Favorites

One of my favorite sermon illustrations…

Enjoy!

On the morning of June 7, 1958, the Air National Guard’s jet precision team, the “Minute Men” were performing just outside Dayton , Ohio .

Four planes pulled straight up and then suddenly split apart, rolling to the four points of the compass, This was their famed “flower burst” maneuver; a routine they had performed hundreds of times before millions of people.

As they pulled out, Colonel Walt Williams, the commander, glanced back over his shoulder, and saw Captain John Ferrier’s plane rolling out of control headed right for the small town of Fairborn, on the edge of the airfield.

Steering his jet in the direction of the crippled plane, Colonel Williams radioed urgently, “Bail out, John! Get out of there!”   He still had plenty of time and room to eject safely.

Twice more Colonel Williams issued the command: “Bail out, Johnny! Bail out!”

Each time, Williams was answered only by a blip of smoke.

He understood immediately. John Ferrier couldn’t reach the mike button on the throttle because both hands were tugging on the control stick; but the smoke button was on the stick, so he was answering the only way he could — squeezing it to tell Colonel Williams he thought he could keep his plane under control long enough to avoid crashing into the houses of Fairborn.

Suddenly, a terrible explosion shook the earth. Then came a haunting silence. Colonel Williams continued to call through the radio, “Johnny? Are you there? Johnny?”

No response.

Major Win Coomer, who had flown with Ferrier for years, both in the Air National Guard and with United Airlines, and who had served a combat tour with him in Korea , was the first Minute Man to land. He raced to the crash scene, hoping to find his friend alive.

Instead, he found a neighborhood in shock. Captain John T. Ferrier’s Sabrejet had hit the ground midway between four houses, in a backyard garden. It was the only place where he could have crashed without killing people. No one had been hurt…, except Captain Ferrier. He had been killed instantly.

An elderly man with tears in his eyes came up to Major Coomer and said, “A bunch of us were standing together, watching the show.  When the pilot started to roll, he was headed straight for us. For a second, the pilot and I looked right at each other. Then he pulled up right over us and put it in there.”

In deep humility, the old man whispered, “This man died for us.”

A few days after the accident, John Ferrier’s wife found a worn card in her husband’s billfold.  On it were the words “I’m Third.” That simple phrase exemplified the life — and death — of this courageous man. For him, God came first, others second, and himself third.

Looking past what is.

I’m chilling and watching a show called “Property Brothers” (don’t judge me). It’s a show where people send in what their dream home would look like and these guys go about helping make it a reality. What’s interesting is that they start by showing them a home that perfectly fits everything they want, and the people get super attached to that home. The brothers do this because they want to be sure they know what the people want. Then they reveal the price of the perfect home, often 30-40 percent above their budget. Then they begin to look through other homes that need a lot of work. They funny thing that happens is that the people never can come to accept any of the older, beat up homes after they’ve seen the nice home. The brothers are thus continually using language like, “If you can look past what is and see the potential” or “you’ve got to open your mind to see what could be”. The follow the people around and after each critique that is thrown out, they talk about how they can fix, repair, or redo it for less. The amazing thing is, they give the people exactly what they want for much less, but it starts by having eyes that see beyond what is.

A simple lesson I’ve gleaned is this. As a youth pastor, it’s easy to see students as they are and feel hopeless. We all have a few people in our group that are stellar. (Although that’s not often the real case, but that’s for another blog) These students often make it seem like the others are not worth investing in. I know for me personally, especially with a strength of Maximizing (I love taking the best and making them better), it’s very easy to see those who aren’t getting it and being highly critical.

But what about Jesus? How did he deal with those who didn’t get it?

He saw past what was into what could be. What’s more He never asked people to change to be able to fit in with Him but went to where they were and called them to live the “better life”. I love this concept, but it’s one that I’m poor that implementing. Jesus didn’t critique those He encountered, He met their needs, spent time with them, and then called them to change. Can you imagine the dialogue that could have been if Jesus expected her to change instantly? Jesus would have given up quickly and moved on and one of the few encounters of Jesus with a female and a Samaritan would have not been recorded or remembered.

What about Peter? Can you imagine what would have been if Jesus wasn’t willing to invest 3 years into Peter? Jesus surely would have given up on Peter. But thankfully he didn’t. He was patient. He allowed Peter to fail. He allowed Peter to encounter moments of crisis. And He took time with Peter to train him to become the person Jesus knew he could be, “The Rock”. The one who goes on to be a major player in the Jewish church and the Christian faith as we know it.

I must learn to see what God wants for kids. I must see their potential the way God does. Isn’t that the beauty of redemption? Isn’t that what God does with me? Let’s begin to see people the way God does, rather than finding all the critiques we can in others.

Maintaining Passion…

I was in the local high school Christian club and the idea of being “On Fire” for Christ came up. I love the idea of this, even if the language is strange, because fire has a number of intrinsic abilities.

First, fire spreads, and little can keep from being consumed. The idea of consumption is that there is no part that is not encapsulated in fire. It’s impossible to be partially on fire for long. Short of any outside influence, a building on fire will burn until everything is consumed. Isn’t this what Jesus wanted anyways? Nothing Jesus said was about partial commitment, partial cost, or even mediocre attempts at doing God’s will. Jesus was pretty straight forward when it came to these things; it’s an all in, no holds barred commitment.

The second reason I like the idea of fire is that it is magnificent in that it draws spectators. I love what one famous preacher named John Wesley said in regards to us being “On Fire.”

“When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.”

But what I was puzzled by today was the idea of maintaining the fire of God. Is this even possible, or was it ever God’s intent? I’ve watched many a student make a commitment to be different when we return from a various trip or even at youth group evening services, but the idea then becomes to take the commitment you made and maintain doing that.

The problem is this, rarely does anyone ever do it.

It’s simply a matter of time before I revert to the “old me”. The previous normal. Let’s be honest, new normals are uncomfortable and we’re better at maintaining the old norm anyways. I read a quote this week on twitter that I loved.

“Working to preserve the present is a slow agonizing death.“

How often is this us? Has this ever been true of a commitment you’ve made that was supposed to draw you closer to Christ?

I guess the truth I’m finding is this:

We were not made to get fire and attempt to maintain it, we were made to get fire and want more.

God never intended us to be passionate about being close to Him, figure out our next step and then just be content there. God made us to be leaning on Him daily for a fire that only He can bring.

If you want to set yourself on fire, it comes from a desperation from receiving God’s fire daily, hourly. So forget maintaining, pursue God’s rich blessing for your life, his life-giving and life-changing call for your life, and walk in obedience and wait as the world comes to watch you burn!

My past, His blood.

I’ve been working a lot recently focusing on this story of Jacob as he wrestles with God. It’s one of the most peculiar stories in the Bible for a number of reasons, but in our current place, I think it’s one of the most relevant. There are a number of things that really translate from Jacob to us in the story starting with the background of the story.

Jacob has always been a tricky, conniving, thieving brother up to this point. He has been taken advantage of by his Uncle Laban, but he has also taken advantage of others, none more than his older brother Esau. He convinces Esau to give up his birthright for a mere bowl of soup. And then later, at his mother’s beckoning, dresses up, and acts like his brother Esau to steal the blessing from his father Isaac. What a quality guy to have in the lineage of God’s chosen people. It’s actually quite fitting though due to the symbolism that will exist between Israel and God in the years to come.

All in all, Jacob has simply never been enough… especially at home.

Maybe you can relate? It seems like more and more often, I deal with students and people who have deep, deep scars. Scars that alter their lives. And they started at home when young. Jacob has impersonated, tricked, and lied his way into a place of blessing and abundance. Sure, God blessed him while with Laban, but at this point in the story, that’s not the point. The point is simple, for Jacob is about to come face to face with his older brother, Esau. And to make matters worse, Esau is a hunter.

A hunter. A killer. With motive.

This can not be a good feeling. Jacob has sent his possessions, wives, children, and wealth ahead of him and has stayed behind for a night by himself before he faces what is sure to be the retribution due for past crimes.

And this is where God meet him.

God meets him in his greatest moment of need. God meets Him when He has nothing to hide behind. It’s now just Jacob. And God shows up as a man and begins to wrestle with Jacob. What’s crazy about this is the idea of Jacob wrestling with God, but he does. All night long. And what comes out of it is profound. God eventually touches Jacob’s hip, separating it. What we sometimes miss in this story is key to understanding it’s implications here. I’ve never been a fighter, but some forms of it fascinate me. I spent about 6 months taking private kickboxing lessons once a week. All of the power for a punch or kick starts in your hips. And when on the ground, any maneuvering or attempt to fight back starts in your hips. Without the ability to use your hips, you lose. Jacob’s posture changes as he goes from wrestling to simply hanging on for dear life. At this point, we hear some of the profound dialogue.

“Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob won’t let go of God until God blesses him. And then comes the moment of answering who Jacob is. By answering this question, he is in fact owning his past mistakes and who he is. And God changes his name to Israel which means, the one who prevails by God. This name change is more than simply something that he goes by, it’s his identity. It’s not that Jacob is no longer who he was, but rather the way that Jacob now triumphs is no longer by deceit, but by God.

And then we hit the final few verses… We see the total effect of Jacob’s encounter with God.

“The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.”

When we have an encounter with God, we leave changed… noticeably. When Jacob met Esau the next day, I’m sure one of the first pieces of conversation was, “Dude, what happened to you?” I often wonder what this looks like for my life… What’s my limp? And I think I’ve found that when I wrestle with God, one big way I should leave changed is that I should be full of Joy. Joy for being forgiven. Joy for being redeemed. Joy for being restored. Joy for being blessed.

Joy for being loved.

This joy only comes from being vulnerable with God and allowing Him to be the one to bring the joy, but at the same time, not be willing to let go until God has brought blessing. So cling to God, be re-named, and go on in joy actively seeking God’s promising future and leaving behind your deathly past.

Looking Forward

I’ve been spending a lot of time evaluating and realizing just how important it is to set goals.

I’ve been doing this youth pastor thing nearly 3 years and am beginning to, in a small way, feel as if I have a grip on what i’m doing. I’m cautious in this feeling however, as I know it’s right when you feel like you got it all under control that the horse bucks you off. A few musings from what I’ve been learning that hopefully can help you out.

I heard it said by Larry Osbourne that not setting goals is like shooting a bow and arrow into a field with no target in sight. Then, after shooting the arrow, you go find where it landed (if it were me, it’d probably be in my foot or something) and draw the bull’s eye ring around it and get excited because you “hit what you were aiming for”. The reality will eventually set in that while you may feel good for “achieving the goal” you’ll find that you’re not really making any progress. It’s difficult to have any momentum when you have no progress, even if you’re hitting your goals. In addition, it’s impossible to evaluate since you have nothing as a point of reference.

I’ve grown up thinking that you can’t measure success by number of people… And to some extent this is true. I’ve been taught that quality is important than quantity… But let’s be real!

I’d bet about 10% of the community I serve in attends a church regularly.

Ten Percent?!?

Is this winning? Is this something to rally behind? I am not satisfied with 10 percent, and while numbers are not everything, and while quality is important, doesn’t quality breed quantity? Don’t people want to be involved in something that is quality? And when it comes to the size of our church, doesn’t Jesus want our churches to be filled with people who need Him?

So in this season, I’ve set a few goals so that I’m actually aiming at a target. At the end of this semester, if I “hit what I was aiming for,” the result will be real progress.

I set 3 goals.

1. I set a goal I know I can hit but that I’m not currently doing.

For me this looks like spending quality time during the week searching for a quality game. This may seem really simple, but I’ve found in my context that there are kids that will sit in worship, listen to a message, and engage in small groups simply because I have a game on Wednesday nights. I’m actually learning that quality games are important and spiritual.

But by and large, this goal is a gimme. It’s something I do need to work on, but it doesn’t require all of me. I think goals like this are important… Have you ever gone 0-3 and then tried to have the motivation to set new goals? Nearly impossible.

2. I set a goal that requires all of me

This goal for me looks like actually delegating lots of what I do in a manner that gives my leaders ample time to prepare. I’ve found it’s so much easier to simply do it than spend the time explaining it to someone else. But the conclusion I’ve come to is that if I want this ministry to be bigger than me, then I must invite others to come in and throw their hands in the middle and use their God given talents and passions to serve Jesus by doing ministry at my church. This is the goal that calls me to be “all-in” for ministry and every semester, I find that my “all-in” is more than the previous one. I laugh now at what I called “crazy busy” 2 years ago. This pushes me to give my all every semester.

3. I set a goal I can’t do

This is the most important goal. This is the goal that gets accomplished only when Jesus shows up. This goal is missing in many contexts and in mine for some time. Ever wonder why sometimes it feels like God doesn’t show? In my opinion, sometimes it’s simply due to me praying prayers that I can answer myself. Throwing a goal out there that only God can accomplish pushes me to rely on Him and watch Him work. For me this looks like seeing 15% of the students in my community start attending a church in my community.This is my favorite goal as I can’t make it happen, and it forces me to rely on God and making sure I’m following His lead. There are some days I’m right on the path He’s leading me down, but others I miss it. It’s great to have this goal so that I can only go about a semester in the wrong direction before being confronted with the fact that I’m lost…

So that’s where I’m at and I’m looking forward toevaluating this in December. Throw some targets up for your ministry and context to have a point of reference to measure growth by.

I encourage you to join me in this fight against the norm. Let’s create a new normal where 10 percent is simply not good enough!

Face Kick…

You ever have one of “those days”? One of those days where it feels like you get kicked in the face and are confronted with who you really are in spite of who you think you are? I had one of those today. In a good way, in a way that was encouraging and challenging.

But no matter how encouraging and challenging a kick to the face is, it still hurts.

A lot.

And it’s not the moment you get kicked that it really hurts, it’s the moments that follow. As you try and eat and are reminded of the kick in the face cause your jaw hurts. You spend time re-thinking how it happened, what you did wrong… and the worst part is, sometimes there’s nothing you could have done differently and you just get kicked.  And it rocks you. It rocks who you are and challenges the idea in your mind that you’re doing what God wants and that you’re doing it well or even good? I guess I don’t think I’m the only one. That I am one of many who sometimes get humbled, in a good way, but it’s something that makes me question and re-think a lot of stuff… I guess I’m just the kind of guy who doesn’t take a hint from God and needs these gut-check type moments to make me really change. It’s one of those things that makes me dig deeper.

It’s even scarier cause for me, I don’t think I yet have the tools to accomplish the task set in front of me. I don’t think I know how to stop the kick. I can’t defend it and I know it. I’ve known it all along but I’ve psyched myself into believing that I can. I’ve talked myself up to be better than I am and now it’s exposed for all to see. Those are the days that really clear away a lot of the garbage and help focus on what matters.

I love what John Ortberg says in his book The Me I want to be:

God isn’t at work producing the circumstances you want. God is at work in bad circumstances producing the you he wants.

God uses face kicks in my life to get my attention and show me that I’m not yet who God wants me to be. But God hasn’t given up either. It’s days like these I’m joyful for grace, thankful for where God’s led me, blessed by those who are around me with love and with grace towards me.

It’s days like today that help me ask the right questions

- What is God’s vision for this ministry and what is mine? How much smaller is my vision for this ministry than His? (I don’t know that one can ever have a bigger vision for their ministry than God does.)

- What do I need to give up to focus on that vision and playing my part in making it happen. Often, face kicks come on the days when I feel like I’m doing great but really have neglected myself and have yet to feel the consequences.

- What have I done in the past that is hindering God’s vision for this ministry happening? What elements do I need to remove from a particular service, event, etc. to see God’s vision made the primary focus in everything that we do?

God light a fire in me. Teach me to be able to do what you’ve called me to do. Equip me with the tools I need to accomplish what you’ve set before me. Bless me, show me my next step, so that I may bless others. Keep using face kicks to produce the me you want. But please, dear God, be gentle.

Giving this a shot…

I wish I wrote more… I like new tech things. So I’m going to do my best to put my thoughts here, once a month. Not to distract from what I need to do, but at the same time, I don’t want to be lazy. Blogging forces me to think… and at the same time, I think most are better at communication through word than anything else. Simply having edit, spell check, and a backspace button gives written word far more accuracy in conveying what I want to say.

Oh February. So ironic that it’s a mild 69 here and yet the rest of the USA is suffering from storms… Early spring and the month of February wreak havoc on the internal emotional center of a teen. So, my musing for the week/ month is this. We talk tons about how to date, when you’re old enough to date, what the Bible says about dating, how far is too far (a subject many will talk about but few will be honest about how they did in meeting the standard they set) but the one question we seem to never ask is “Why do I want to date…” In Jr. Hi, high school, college, etc. we’re at all sorts of different stages, why the desire to date? Is it merely the acceptance and feelings of being wanted? Those feelings can never be met in another person. They were meant to be met by God alone. In addition to that, some will say that, “It’s not good for man to be alone” (a verse from the creation account of Genesis) but the Bible also comments saying, “Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.” (1 Cor. 7.1) I guess, if we want to see the 50% of people who get married divorce (in the Christian community, we’re beginning to see this number reduce), shouldn’t we be re-thinking the way we teach pre-marriage just as we have done in re-thinking how to counsel those who are married?

So, in conclusion, what do you think? Why do people date? Why is there such a strong desire to date someone? It’s this emotion that can actually (though only for a time, it is the most powerful motivator I’ve seen or experienced) alter someone’s personality completely. What are your thoughts?