Back To School

This week I found myself sitting in a classroom surrounded by young, ministry-bound college students thirteen years after I left the student lifestyle myself.

I am currently taking two classes (M-W-F and T-TH) during my lunch break at Moody Bible Institute where I work full-time in the Public Relations department. It is really interesting learning in a classroom once again. It seems like I am able to assimilate the material much easier now having a broader foundation of experience to pull from and I'm lovin' it!

Sure, I am nervous. Yeah, it will be time consuming. But I am enjoying the journey this time around and learning has a much greater value to me than a piece of paper that says "degree."

Follow Me: Part 2 "The fish are coming with me!"

John 21:20-22, “Peter turned and saw that the follower Jesus loved was walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who will turn against you?") When Peter saw him behind them, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me." (NCV)

As the scene unfolds, I sense that maybe John gave one of those, “Sorry dude, I’m the one that Jesus really loves,” looks with a smile of contentment and a shrug of the shoulders. It’s almost as if they are competing with one another.

Pastors have a way of trying to keep up with the spiritual Joneses at times. Church attendance, worship style, Christian bling, new methods, fads, fashions, etc… I for one am guilty of looking at other churches and thinking “if I had their resources, of course I would have those results.”

Whenever I feel this way, the Lord slaps me out of my visions of envy and reminds me that I am on a path to death. “That’s none of your business,” Jesus says, “Follow me.”

God calls us each to walk our own journey. “Peter, get your eyes off John and look at me!” If we are to follow Jesus passionately, we must take our eyes off everyone else. When we are looking at others, we become self-centered. Following Jesus should mean we become less concerned with “my blessing” and much more concerned with “how can I bless others.” We should be much more interested in helping people fulfill their destiny, than trying to get ahead of them.

Isn’t this what church and discipleship are all about? We are called to build people, not an institution. As we can concentrate on building people, Jesus builds the church because the church is really people. Judah’s House may not be like every other church in town (and there is a lot of them), but we know we are following Jesus as we reach out to people and help them find purpose in Christ.

“I’ll make you fishers of men,” Jesus said, “Come. Follow me.”

So in the infamous words of Jerry Maguire I declare, “The fish are coming with me.”

Watch This!

Short commercial break from blogging to show you this video of a powerful drama... Enjoy.

Follow Me: Part 1 "Wanna Die?"

John 21:17-19, “He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." 19(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me." (ESV)

Jesus basically tells Peter, who just for the record loves Jesus, that he was going to die a vicious death, but it would glorify God. Next words out of His mouth are “Follow me.”

Following Jesus is difficult. Anyone that tells you differently is lying or they are trying to sell you something. Now I am not talking about the way McChristians (consumer Christians) follow Jesus, but rather the ones that want to follow Jesus with everything, not just when it is convenient.

You see, Jesus never said easy things to attract people to follow Him. You hear things like “die daily” “pick up your cross” “sell all and follow me” “narrow is the road to righteousness, few find it” …

In no measure would I consider myself a “hell, fire and brimstone” prea-cha, but reality is that we sometimes luke out the message of the Gospel. Yes, God loves everyone and will accept the vilest person who honestly confesses and turns from their wicked ways by putting faith in Christ, but to say the Christian life with Christ is easy and just about living a life filled with blessings is a lie. Sorry.

It’s a hard call, but by far the most fulfilling. A person that follows in the way of Jesus will have a life filled with purpose. A life filled with meaning. You just can’t get that from one hour a week sitting passively in a service that doesn’t even convict you. It’s time to speak the truth. Jesus wants us to die… so we might really live.

It’s not a broad road.
It is a narrow path.
Few find it.

Keith Green rang true with the words to “To Obey is Better than Sacrifice”

To obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money, I want your life
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon
But you act like I'll never return

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet
How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be
If you keep on ignoring My words
Well you pray to prosper and succeed
But your flesh is something I just can't feed

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights
Cause if you can't come to Me every day
Then don't bother coming at all

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly to give back to you
According to what you have done

The Water and the Wind

So I was walking during my lunch break the other day. It was one of those hot and humid days, an up-side of the bi-polar weather moods Chicago seems to have. Anyway, I passed a sprinkler watering some bushes in front of a condo building and I couldn't resist putting my hand in the cool spray. The water was incredibly refreshing.

After I passed by, I decided to wipe my wet hand on my forehead. Then, surprisingly, a breeze began to blow across the beads of water and I felt this cooling sensation run through my entire body. Nice.

Basking in the breeze, refreshed by the water and wind, I felt God whisper to my heart that the water was like the water of the Word. The wind was like the wind of the Spirit. Coupled togther they equaled refreshment and peace from the toil of the journey.

I realized the Lord was challenging me to saturate my mind even more with the Word so that when the wind of the Spirit blows in my life I will have peace and refreshment that only He can give.

Scripture says that a wise son labors during the harvest. The harvest can be a hot, humid place to work. As you labor in the Lord this season, take some time to just meditate on the scriptures and allow the Spirit of God to cool and refresh your soul.

Dream for Life

Becky Loves Me was a band a couple of my friends were in during the early 90’s. They had a great line in one of their songs that went like this,

“Sorry, Sir, I didn’t know you had to sell your dream… just to have a life.”

It is easy for us to fall into the trap of trying to “have a life” while all the while forgetting the very things that make life worth living. Dreams are the fuel for a fulfilled life. Think of how a dream kept Joseph through all his trials. Think of Abraham looking at the stars and pondering “his inheritance” of children while his wife was barren. Think of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream in the midst of racism. Think about Paul in prison, content, because he was living his dream of bringing the good news to the gentiles.

As you journey day to day take some time to reflect on the dreams that God has put in your heart. Are you striving towards them? If not, what can you do today to step closer?

You might find that in daring to dream again, and taking steps towards that dream, you will experience a fulfilled life even when “life” isn’t perfect.