The Irony about Living

What if the health of a person was directly proportional to their willingness to die? What if a church's health was directly proportional to its willingness to die? Here's what I think...I think both statements are true. The most alive people, the most spiritually alive persons are those who are willing to lay thier lives down for that which ultimately matters. Churches that are laying themselves down are the most vibrant communities on earth- feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, sharing the gospel, healing the hurting. Show me a sick, self-consumed (i want to be comfortable and happy), enemic, impotent church and I'll show you a church that has stoppped giving itself away. THey have shifted into survival mode. Here's what I think, I think we have been tricked. Tricked to believe thier really is a survival mode. But I don't really think there is a survival mode. Perhaps survival mode has really been mislabeled all along. Survival mode is more appropriately called burial mode. Here's the irony- be willing to die to yourself and live, or continuing living for yourself and you will surely die. Same for individuals, churches, communities, nations, ... Oh it's what Jesus said(ref. Matthew 16.25).

Bible 101: a sin ISN'T a sin

a sin is a sin, right? well no. this common quoted statement, "a sin is a sin" is false or at the very least misleading. i heard a woman say recently, doesn't the bible say that a "sin is a sin." to which the preacher's daughter to whom she was speaking speaking responded, 'yes.' hmmmm, where does it say that? i don't know of a single verse in the bible that says a sin is sin. people use this phrase as a way of saying there are no big sins and little sins. but i've got be honest, i totally disagree with that. while the BIBLE does teach that the RESULT of all sin is seperation (rom. 3.23 and 6.23) from God, i do not think it is true that a rolling stop at a country intersection is the same as premeditated murder. to say they are the same is an affront to common sense, and densies the obvious and differing scale of impact. i mean come on! all sin seperates us from God, true. but the folk religion that teaches that all sins are totally equal is misleading and perhaps even heretical. there isn't a single verse in the bible (i'm still looking) that says 'a sin is a sin.' it's just not there, maybe because the statement isn't true.
okay...i feel better now. you can tell me what you think...

healing and Jesus

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus does not heal impersonally or arbitrarily, but relationally and personally.

Have you ever wondered why there are no records of Jesus randomly emptying out hospitals or asylums with the wave of his healing hand? The reason is because God does not heal arbitrarily or impersonally. God’s healing is the result of being in relationship with him. The great physician heals us, the closer we get to him the more whole, thus healed we become. That is why death for the follower of Jesus is a great victory. It is the ultimate healing for the believer- because it presents the opportunity to be the closest to God.

an experience, not a title

I ordered a new Smartphone last week, and I asked if there were color choices for the phone. "Yes", i was told by chirpee (his/her chat name) "you can have the phone in any color you would like as long as it’s black."

Jesus once told a man that no one will see the kingdom of God unless he/she is born again. There really isn’t any other kind. I suppose its unfortunate that this phrase has become so distasteful to so many- the phrase born again. I must admit I don’t use it very often.

When someone says 'born again Christian,' thoughts of some loony, bizarre, dogmatic, judgmental person stock piling explosives waiting to blow up an abortion clinic after Wednesday night study on the book of Revelation comes to mind.

But like the phrase or not, there is only one type of Christian- it’s the born again ones. Maybe you’ve heard this- “I’m a Christian but I’m not one of those born again Christians.” That is kind of like saying, I’m a guy but my feet down smell. It’s not really possible. Or like saying I’m from the south and I don’t like tobasco sauce. Not possible.
You don’t have to call yourself one, becuase Jesus wasn't giving out titles, he was describing a requisite experience. To be a Christ follower one need not use it (born again) as a title, but you gotta have the experience. (rf, John 3.1-21)

Mixed Feelings

I've heard people say, in justification of their actions, well it feels/felt like the right thing to do. I've done that, and said that myself before. But here's the deal...sometimes our feelings are right and led us to right actions. But sometimes the heart is wrong, leading to disastrous results. It’s not that we are bad people, it’s just a fact that the heart is not always a trustworthy source of truth, of what is right. The heart gets mixed up. The heart is filled with mixed feelings. When it comes to living what is true, we need something more. We must look UP, not IN for truth.

the difference making conviction

When I read the epic MADE story of the book of Nehemiah it seems that on each page (at times plainly written and other times you just feel it there)is this passion. In the backdrop of this extraordinary story is a passionate conviction, and that conviction keeps them moving forward, keeps them in the game, keeps them working and pressing on, fuels their pit-bull like tenacity.

I think when we have this same conviction, then it will do wonders for us too. The conviction that stood as a backdrop to Nehemiah’s work; the gut level, the heart level belief was this- this was God's work!

I really don't think its possible to overstate how critical this is. When we know that we are doing the work of God, when God is in it, it makes all the difference in sticking with it and following through. Nehemiah and the people were absolutely convinced this was the case in their work on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and they finished the work- in 52 days!

influence is up close

A good coach gets close. It has been said you can impress from a distance, but influence happens up close. The people of God in the 5th century BC needed to be MADE. They needed a coach. Nehemiah was their chosen coach. He might have wooed the people with his grand vision for Jerusalem from a 1000 miles away in Susa, but to really influence the work and influence the people so that they captured the same vision that captured him, he had to be close to do that. Near the people. For any dream that we have, any area of life we want to see made over, it would serve us well to do the research ourselves about what it will take to do that. Not just hearsay.This principle of leadership applies to all relationships as well. If you want to know what the real condition of something check it out yourself. If you want to know if the car needs an oil change sometimes you’ve got to go pull the dip stick out yourself and look at it. Check it out for yourself.

A good coach gets close, s/he may impress from a distance, but influence happens up close.

03.22.09

Beginning on March 22, 2009 Breiel Church of God is making a dramatic shift in the way it approaches worship. For years Breiel has offered a blended worship experience.

Understandably, if you haven’t been around church the term “blended” sounds like something having more to with a frozen beverage than a worship experience. Basically the blended service has been the Christian Church’s attempt to mix traditional with modern elements of worship. Across America churches have had varying degree of success (and failure) with this approach. Honestly, Breiel has done better, for longer than many. But we want to do better, and we are certain we can do better. We be honest we want to be the best in the WORLD at offering our community HOPE. It is this calling that has convinced us that now is the time to become a church that will reach more people by giving persons a choice between two experiences.

So beginning 3.22.09 at 10.40 am we begin the adventure of faith. We will begin offering simultaneous yet totally unique worship services.

The Experiences

#1 The Annex will be our more laid-back worship environment. This venue will be located in gym, have a coffee bar and chair seating, with music led by our rockin’ house band. Worshipers are free to enjoy some coffee or snacks during service.

#2 The Sanctuary will be a top quality worship experience utilizing an array of traditional elements. Musical selections include choir pieces, classic hymns, gospel favorites, and cherished choruses. This worship venue is located in the main sanctuary.

If you’re tired of the same old, you have found a community that shares you’re feelings. If you think it is absurd that grandparents can’t worship at the same church as their grandkids, we’re with you. If you think the argument over what is appropriate to wear to church is a tired, irrelevant, and annoying discussion, we’re with you. If you just want to seek God without the drama, then we’re with you. If you don’t like church, but think Jesus is pretty cool. We understand. And we are with you.

You are invited to join us on this journey, be a part of the next chapter of Breiel Church. Let’s all see if we can become a community of unparalleled hope and optimism. Prepare for launch, 3.22.09!

guinea pigs with capes

my preschool son loves this nickjr show, he watches its regularly. i on the other hand, am rereading a good little book called the way of the shepherd. in the book the authors point out that there are two main questions followers ask of their leaders. 1. does s/he know what s/he's doing (knowledge and competence)? 2. Can I trust him/her? People will forgive a leader who fails from time to time with the first, but failure to establish and maintain the second (trust) means a person's leadership is basically over. Of course trust and competence are connected. if a leader consistently proves to have knowledge and skill, then trust goes up in thier ability to deliver. if on the other hand the leader can cast life-like vision, but doesn't deliver the goods, then it won't take too long before the vision stuff starts to sound like a Wonderpets episode. "wonder pets, wonder pets, we're on our way to save _________ and save the day..." blah blah blah i suppose the point is that a leader without competence and trustworhtiness is little more than a guinea pig with a cape.

its just that simple

i think it’s a consistent human mistake to make simple things overly complicated while complicated things overly simple. nowhere is this more applicable than to the issue of poverty and wealth. as Christians, our theology has to be sufficiently inclusive (complex) to see God’s special love for the righteous poor, and the special place the righteous rich play in God’s plan as well. it seems to me that it is too simple (and untrue) to believe that God loves the poor and hates the rich, or that God loves the rich and that poverty is God’s curse. That’s too simple.

the gospel is good news for all people. good news for those who work under me, and for those who sign my paycheck. the gospel is for those who can afford a Bently and is equally extended to the one who peddles a bike with a basket, on a dirt road. Christ is good news for stock broker on Wall Street and the stock boy at Walmart; the employer, the employee; the underemployed, and the unemployed. The gospel is for broke carpenters and raw and uncultured sheep herders, and the gospel is for powerful kings and prosperous magi. The gospel is for the outcast and for the privileged, its just that simple.
from a weekend service at www.breielchurch.org

chip, remember the block

all who hope for deliverance-all who seek the LORD! Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from which you were cut (Isa 51.1-2). remembering where you're from is important don't you think? i mean most folks think so. as a chip, its helpful to remember the block. you can tell a lot about a person by discovering where they come from. but not everything. some times people surprise us. i had a friend one time, he was really down to earth. as young boys we played sports together and hung out at school. i went to his house one time for a party...it was a very big house, biggest house i'd ever been in. i would have never guessed where he came from, but then again at 7 years of age a pedigree wasn't that big of a deal to me (except for our doberman pinchers, we even had a blue one). i guess the point of this passage of Scripture is to remember where you came from, and remember that God can make more out of our lives than we could imagine for ourselves. that's God's point to Isreal. Abraham was alone, pretty much a nobody. God blessed him, and he became the father of a great nation. Pretty cool, huh?

it's amazing what God can do, i mean it wasn't until i was 22 that i lived in house without wheels. living that long on wheels does something to a person, it's got to. i don't know what it does but i'm pretty sure it messed me up somehow.

Destructive Impulses

Four destructive (leadership) impulses

1. the impulse to believe the doubters

When times are tough, the voices of the troublemakers in our lives seem to get louder. When things are hard, it is good to know when to just ignore the criticism, the critics, the nay-sayers. When an area of your leadership or life is struggling, and the nay-sayers are telling you to throw in the towel, to give up, to quit, you have to know when its time to ignore them. Even, especially if the source of those voices comes from somewhere inside of you.

2. the impulse to make things happen

Have you ever had the pressure to make something happen? During difficult times, especially if you are in an area of leadership or responsibility, you feel the pressure, the expectation to make things happen. Do something. What are you waiting for? Just go. And people will even say, we don’t care what the rules are, just do something. Just go ahead. Avoid the impulse to make something happen.

3. the impulse to delight in another persons failure

In today’s economic climate there are many people who are suffering, who have lost jobs, lost positions, lost homes, lost pension. A lot of losers and not many winners in today economy. A sure way to displease God is to delight in someone’s failure or loss.

4. the impulse to make up (create) a word from God

During difficult times we must be careful because our internal fears and doubts, and static can interfere with our hearing from God. We can want God to speak on a particular issue so bad that we start creating a word from God. You want a certain job real bad, and all of sudden you hear God say, “yes that job is yours.” Or you want a certain thing or gadget real bad, “and you start hearing God say yes go get the iphone :) ” Or you want a certain outcome so desperately, you start using spiritual words to defend your very human desires. God told me… God wants me….God has promised me… God spoke to me. If untrue it can be destructive.

from a weekend message at breielchurch.org

character barks

have you ever had an annoying cough, that tickle in the back of your throat that wont go away? yes...i've got one of those right now. and i've been playing this little game this morning... a little war between me and my cough. (i'm wierder than you think) this the game: i see how long i can keep from coughing. limbs squirming... eyes watering... neck pounding... it a sick and painful little game, and i'm really irritated because the cough always wins. doesn't matter how long i hold out the cough EVENTUALLY yells "i win" in the tone of a bark.

but i was thinking, our character is kind of like that cough. we can try to choke it back, hold back what's inside , but it will eventually come out. some folks are good at hiding it for a very long time, but good (and bad) character always finds an escape point. character barks!

who built this machine?

i woke up in a funny mood this morning. one of those moods when i feel outside of myself. it's one of those days when i think of Christ, and the relationship with Christ that Scripture encourages and then contrast that with churchianity and wonder, 'who built this machine?' i mean how was the simple, personal, relationship with jesus christ, and believers in fellowship with one another turned into such an impersonal machine? i told you i woke up in a funny mood, and days like today my soul craves the simple love of god and love of the people of god. only the misguided could have turned the manger into a gearbox. but it has happened, all over the country and world. what do we do with this machine? do you have thoughts...i do.

shadow boxers and finishers

i arrived early for the race. earlier than necessary i would discover, but i wanted to be sure to get a parking place. so i arrived at 6.40a for the 8.00a race on thanksgiving day. this provided plenty of time to watch other people. one guy provided great entertainment. to observe him you would have thought this was the boston marathon and he was an elite runner. while i sat in my warm car, sipping my hot coffee, he bounced around outside his minivan stretching and jogging in place. at one time i might have been impressed by all of his activity, but i've seen enough of this that now i just chuckle. i just wanted to tell him to relax. did he really think he was going to win? not to pass judgement, but i could tell by looking that was not going to happen. so why all the anxiety and 'rocky-balboa-like" air boxing going on? in my mind only one thing could be more foolish than a middle-aged man jogging in place, in sub 20degree weather, beside his MINIVAN at 7am. only one thing more foolish, that i could think of...that woud be a middle-aged man at 7am, in his truck, WATCHING 'rocky' bounce around his minivan. i did see 'rocky' in the race, and passed him... but didn't say a word :-)

do you ever see people get all worked up over things that don't matter? it's really kind of funny, and sad. do they really think thier shaddow boxing will make a difference? in the race, the race to glorfy christ and make the world a better place, the mature will always pass the shadow boxers.... no need to say a thing, your finish will speak for itself.

ascent

"i was stoked when my peeps told me it was church time!" that's how i translate psalm 122:1 "i was glad when they said to me, 'let us go to the house of the Lord!". this ancient psalm is a song of ascent. it is one of the songs the Hebrew faithful would sing as they made one of the tri-annual trips up to jerusalem for worship. they literally ascended to a place of worship, climbing the 'hill of the Lord.' but even more powerful was the spiritual and emotional ascent the journey provided. it was uplifting, an ascent. our dream for breiel church is that it will be the most positive, uplifiting, hopefilled place in this entire region- the best in the WORLD at offering our community hope. our dream is that going to breiel, being around breiel people, is an ascent- spiritually, emotionally uplifting. i think we're getting there, just keep climbing. hope is stronger than fear.

thoughts on the election

regardless of one's political affiliation, it seems to me that one would have to be totally unplugged emotionally not to be moved by the outbursts by the masses following tuesday's presidential election. particularly moving was the hope in the eyes and voices of african americans who now can believe that possiblities really do exist for all people in america, a nation with the ideals of christiainity embedded deeply in its frabric. we will not all agree with the decisions our new president will make, that is for sure. some of us may be cautious, even suspicious of him. but as christians we must all pray for him, and i think as christians and americans we can be proud of what having an african american reach the hightest office in the world represents. america has come a long way...from abolition, to voting rights for all, to electing a black president. that is positive. that is maturity. and the church has played a pivotal role each step of the way.

on a personal note....growing up in milton louisiana i went to grade school with Derrick. He was the only black kid in our grade and he was my friend. we grew up together. he got me my first job bussing tables at the Landing restaraunt. I haven't seen Derrick in 20 years, but today my heart is glad for Derrick.

anything else would be uncivilized

i think john the baptist used right guard deodorant (i'm sure he would need it). no really, i think he did. because all the crazy dudes do. i've come to this conclusion because i remember the old commercials, when they use to have all those ruthless football players, dressed up in tuxes, telling me that using anything else would be "uncivilized." i've read about john the baptist, and look, he was really different. i suspect he never even tucked his dress shirt in. in fact, i would be surprised if he even wore a shirt half the time. and yet as eclectic as he was, he was totally dialed in to what God was up to. he was a step ahead of everyone else when it came to sensing the activity of God in the world. jesus himself said of john that no other person got it, understood it, pursued it like john the baptist did. john was an example to others. i'm not sure how i feel about a shirtless wild man being my example. but then how i feel about it, really doesn't matter. it just matters that my opinion line up with God's opinion..."anything else would be"uncivilized."

stuck in second gear

my first car was a 78 cutlass calias, 4-door.. cracked windshield, baby blue, wagon wheel mags. o yes it was awesome! the batmobile, as it was affectionally called, also had a little transmission problem. when it rolled off the assembly line it was an automatic, but by the time i picked her up she was barely a semi-automatic. it would stick in second gear so i'd have to manually shift her into third. but over time i didn't even notice this little quirk. but friends would hop in the car and they notice right away that my ride was broken. even to a parachute-pants-and- RATT-t-shirt-wearing kid, this semi-automatic thing just couldn't be right. but somehow i had gotten use to it, so use to it that i didn't even notice it was semi-broken.
our lives get like that 78 cutlass sometimes. things are broken, but the longer we live with it, we just assume broken is normal. this happens in marriages, in businesses, and even in churches. one of God's great gifts to us is to bring truth into our lives, often through other people, to help us realize what is broken around us- and that broken isn't normal. Jesus came not primarily to tell us that things were broken (a reality most were thoroughly convinced of already) but that broken didn't have to be normal- that wholeness could replace brokeness, we could finally shift out of second gear.

Leader's Go First, even in the Rain

Ezra was not happy it was a rainy, overall cruddy day. from the words in his book it is obvious this brother was not having a good time. he was grieved by the spiritual condition of the Israelites who were exiled from their homeland. as a symptom of their lost identity and broken connection with the LORD the men had intermarried with women who did not follow the ways of the LORD. and consequently were conceiving, birthing, and raising children that were altogether spiritually confused. and the we learn that it was the leaders to took the lead (surprise) in this act of unfaithfulness (ez. 9.2). to remedy this situation, after prayer and consultation, it was decided that the leaders would go first in making it right (ez. 10.14). the people would not change until they saw that the leaders were willing to submit themselves to the pain of change first.
what a lesson on leadership! leaders are those who go first. i mean as far as i can tell a person is not leading if they go second....ummm....because the person who went first was/is the leader. it seems to me that when it comes to change, its really important that those with positions of leadership go first even when the change means (as in the case of Ezra's people) the first to repent. As far as i can tell, leader's must go first...even if its raining!