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Don’t Forget To Be A Person, Pastor

Some thoughts for my Pastor type friends, especially. You’ve got an important message to communicate, but does it ever feel like no one’s listening?

I write a lot of fairly serious stuff that I think is really important. Like – life or death forever important. I hope to help people see and engage some potential God has put within them that they may not have realized was even there. I love it when I get to see this happen.

But, in a life full of a constant stream of information, I know my stuff is not always an easy read and my lesser self tells the rest of me that it’s easy to ignore. That I’m easy to ignore. No one’s listening, so why bother… I have ample evidence to make this case, and yet I keep tilting at the windmill, hoping to spark something in you that God will use for His glory and someone else’s benefit.

But a couple days ago, I posted something that was anything but serious, definitely not meaningful, and at face value of little redeeming quality. It was a flippant comment about the food I was eating. It was this:

Just a dorky comment about cereal, but between Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, (where I also post all the other more serious stuff) I had about 50 times more interaction about my cereal that anything else I’ve posted lately. It was a good reminder of a few things:

Many people aren’t as interested in public discussion about matters of faith and church and spiritual growth as I might be. I’m a church nerd all the way through and I don’t mean to back away from that at all, but “everyone eats.” As we pastor from a distance right now, we need to make sure to maintain common ground and not get lost inside our own thoughts so deeply that we begin to disconnect from the people we serve.

Maybe this one’s just me, but it’s easy to start to take ourselves (and everything else) too seriously. There is room in your life for a goofy food post once in a while, or a stupid meme you found funny, or maybe even that horrible dad joke that makes you laugh way too hard when no one’s looking.

Pastor friends – I know your work load is crazy right now and you’re having to learn new ways to communicate and gain new skills to do it. You’re helping lead churches full of people facing fear and uncertainty looking to you to know what to do. They need to see your faith and confidence and character that grabs a mop and leads through the mess.

But don’t forget to be a person. Often, connections are forged in the trivial moments we share every day with each other as much as in the deep, meaningful, momentous occasions that come along once in a while.

Take a breath…

Take another…

Relax… He’s got you.

Have some Cookie Crisp.

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What Do You Really Believe?

“Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because He said, Do it, or once abstained because He said, Do not do it. It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you.”

George MacDonald

What we really believe is seen in what we really do. The quote above stopped me in my tracks last week as I read it and began to think about the way I live my life. This doesn’t mean I have absolute confidence in every decision I make… definitely not that. But it means I have some way to cut through my self doubt and find some assurance that what I’m doing (or not doing) is in sync with the heart of God.

Am I living a life that reflects the fact that it’s being directed by God or by me?

What exactly did I do today that He told me to do?

How has God instructed you?

How have you responded?

(These questions may sound rhetorical, but I really don’t mean them that way. I hope you’ll wrestle with these questions for yourself, and I’d love to hear your stories of God’s direction and your response. Use the comments section below if you don’t mind sharing.)

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Shared Victory

The agony of the cross faded into a silent anguish and the grief that follows the unexpected.

“What do we do now? I thought He would lead us to glory and victory… I can’t believe He’s gone…”

The answers didn’t come… at first.

But then the silence of Saturday was broken as the Lion of Judah shook death still in His jaws, threw it to the side, and stepped out of the grave with an earth shaking roar. An incredible victory – but one that perhaps shouldn’t surprise us as it does. What else would the Author of Life do when He’d tasted death? (What a luxury is a couple millennia of hindsight!) The greatest victory is always one that is shared.

What may be even more amazing is that Jesus put His power over death to use at great personal cost for the benefit of those who are powerless against it without Him. We have no hope against death outside of the hope He has given us by inviting us into life, His life. So that’s exactly what He did. He’s invited us to share in His victory.

“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined to Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. and just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was.”

Paul, in a letter to Christians in Rome

Easter was certainly different this year. But Jesus’ power over death has not been diminished. Our union with Him still leaves us with nothing to fear from death. And His selfless use of His power for our benefit is still the example we follow.

I wonder… What power do you have? How are you using it to benefit someone else and help people find the Way to life? How are you entering into the darkness and uncertainty and fear in your family and neighborhood with the light of hope and faith and love?

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Look Deeper…

“The sail was patched with flour sacks, and furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.”

-Ernest Hemingway

In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway begins with this description of old Santiago’s sail – it’s beaten and weathered and old and used up. Just like the man, himself. On the surface, it’s easy to see the signs of defeat.

But look deeper and you can see determination greater than the defeat. Every patch and wrinkle and scar points to something more than defeat. They point to tenacity and resilience. They point to a long-suffering mind, set on doing just what he was made for. Born to be a fisherman, Santiago launched out day after day after day in the pursuit of the fish.

Our world is looking a bit worn these days. Our society is revealing its brokenness in ways we haven’t often experienced before. On the surface, the signs of defeat are evident: the selfish hoarding, the accusations and mistrust, the shoving away of our fellow man in just about every possible way… We are broken.

But look deeper and you can see determination greater than the defeat. We wear the scars of our sin, yes. All creation groans as the result of our choosing of death over union with Life, even as it also cries out His glory with every sunrise and hidden valley and sack lunch given away. We wear the scars, but those scars can remind us the scars of another – those worn by one who did nothing to earn them, who bore their pain and shame on our behalf.

In Jesus’ final week, the signs of defeat were easy to see – a fickle crowd turned in just days from shouts of praise to calls for death, a family of friends reduced to a hiding gang of misfits unsure of what to do next after the betrayal from one of their own, a final meal, a cross, a tomb… Surely the defeat is now absolute.

But look deeper and you can see determination greater than the defeat. Every step brought him closer to doing just what he had come for. Born to rescue, Jesus launched out into Jerusalem one last time. He set his gaze on his Father and ran a stake through the heart of death itself to open the way for every sin scarred one of us to come home.

Whatever defeats you are feeling and seeing today, keep looking deeper. Determine to gaze deeper into the heart of our Father and be just what He’s made you to be. These defeats are not final. These wounds will be healed. Because of Jesus, even death itself is only a way marker on our journey home.

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Light The Dark

A couple months ago, I came across Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark and was reminded how much I’ve appreciated his songwriting. It was a great look into what lies behind his writing that I enjoyed so much that I hadn’t even finished the book before I picked up a few copies for some people I know whose creativity has been a constant blessing in my own life and many others’.

Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making

I also checked out The Wingfeather Saga, which starts with On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and his Rabbit Room community, and I listened again to the songs I first heard in my college days. Then I came across this newer song of his, and it’s been resonating ever since:

As our world seems to slide into a collective panic, this has been a great reminder for me during this Easter week that there is one who is greater than the source of that fear. He is worthy of every shred of devotion I can find within my soul and every ounce of effort I can muster to give. He is whole, and He is King, and He would make Himself known.

Rest in Him today, friend. Soak in His light and go and share it in the dark places that threaten right now to smother those you and He love. He does indeed intend to dwell again with us.

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We Are Not Excused

I’m a pretty slow eater at this point and am usually picking at the food on my plate well after everyone else at the table is done, but when I was younger, it seems that I engaged a more Hoover-like mode of mastication-free dining. I remember being a lot more hasty with meal times than my parents would have preferred, and being shot down with a simple phrase when I tried to fly away from the table too quickly…

“You’re not excused.”

Despite what I’m sure must have been more urgent and exciting things to do, I was not allowed to leave the table just quite yet. There was something to accomplish there that was evidently still undone… conversations to be had… dishes to be wash… leftovers to be put away.

I want to say this to my Christian friends today as we wrestle with canceled activities and “services”: We’re not excused. Being unable to meet together does not excuse us from continuing to be the church together. As we sit around frantically trying to adjust to a new (if temporary) normal, we still have work to do. Conversations to be had… relationships to deepen… seeds to be planted… lives to be built. Don’t forget you’re here for a reason.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.

-Paul, in a letter to Roman Christians

It’s easy for us to get a little confused about what worship really is. Take this virus imposed quarantine as a reminder: We were never called to hang out and sing songs while our friends and family and neighbors sleep in at home wondering why we’re so weird. It’s a good practice we’ve developed, but we have been called to more. We have been called to take light to dark places so people can see the way out, to take truth to people who’ve been deceived about what life’s really for, and to take life where death seeps in seeking to drown and destroy and ruin everything good that God has made.

That hasn’t changed.

We are called to give all of ourselves to Him, to put our very lives at His disposal for whatever purpose He decides. We are called to live lives that are so filled with faith and hope and love that our neighbors can see the Spirit of Jesus living through us. You have a great opportunity ahead of you. You may not be able to gather in the building you’re used to on Sunday mornings for a while – but don’t let that stop you from worshiping together.

The church that Jesus has drawn together cannot be stopped even by the gates of hell. Go and love your family and love your neighbors. We still have that work to do – even if we have to do it from at least 6 ft. away! The church has always been most productive when it’s dispersed. Let’s go worship by giving all of ourselves everywhere we are.

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What’s On Your Mind?

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

–Paul to the early church in Philippi

Recently, probably like you, my thoughts have been consumed with the never ending stream of information regarding COVID-19 and the overwhelming wave of novel coronavirus data that’s flooding us all right now. I’ve found myself wading through pages of CDC and WHO websites and articles linked by friends and media all focused on how bad it is, how bad it’s going to be, and whether or not anything we do will be of use in reversing the tide.

The maps tell me that COVID hasn’t quite made it to our neck of the woods yet, but the grocery shelves tell me there are a lot of people afraid that it’s coming soon. I’m still not quite sure why that means there’s no toilet paper available, but who needs to take logical action when a good dose of panic will do, right? We are letting this coronavirus take up an awful lot of our mental bandwidth right now!

I realized I needed to turn my attention elsewhere. Maybe you do as well. I’m not saying we bury our heads in the stockpiled TP and pretend COVID’s not making its way across the planet… But how much more data do we need? As the situation changes, there will be new information, but what are we doing with the information we already have? The contagion that is threatening us right now more than any other is not COVID… it’s FEAR.

Can I make a couple suggestions? (I’m going to anyway…)

  • Avert your eyes. Detox your mind from the COVID juices for a while and stew on something else.
  • Read a good book.
  • Meditate on a passage of Scripture.
  • Find a virtual tour of an art gallery or something online and think about something beautiful for a while.
  • Call or message someone to see how they’re doing. Share with them what God’s showing you when you’re not burying yourself in your new virology hobby.
  • Go for a walk and notice the birds and squirrels (or bigger critters if you’re in the right place). They just keep doing their thing. Maybe we should, too.
  • Wash your hands.
  • Don’t forget you still have a mission – your life means something, so don’t stop living while you wait to see what COVID will do.

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Paul, to Timothy (who probably needed a reminder)

Maybe your conversation with God has been drowned out a little lately… Here’s a great deal on my journal “PRAY” that can help you cut through the noise and stay connected to our Maker and Sustainer (who is not surprised at all by any of this corona business)…

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Quick “Younique” Thoughts/Review

I recently read through a new book from Will Mancini called Younique: Desiging the Life that God Dreamed for You. It was a good look at some practical tools to help someone live intentionally engaged in the specific mission God has for them to live.

Mancini is great at helping people and churches gain clarity. A previous book called Church Unique was a great treatment of how God has shaped every congregation uniquely and I expected something similar from Younique only aimed at the individual instead of a whole church.

Expectations were met, and Younique could be an incredibly helpful book. It is full of tools and practical thought exercises that can help you determine your unique mix of personality, skills, interests, passions, etc. and how that all works together to reveal the specific work for which God has crafted you.

If you’re tired of living on auto-pilot, this is a helpful resource. The only caveat I would offer is that at times, the deluge of inventories and exercises can be overwhelming. This is not a friend you sit down with for a casual read at your favorite coffee shop. This is a counselor that will help you unpack years of unexamined living to make order out of the chaos your life may resemble from time to time. This is a pastor that can help you find clarity through the tears and a coach that will bark at you when you’ve been running the wrong route.

I don’t know a lot of people who have put the kind of intentional effort into living that Younique calls for. We all have blindspots that keep us traveling familiar routes, but I could see this book being incredibly useful to a small fellowship of people who are committed to helping each other live on God’s mission. I think maximum benefit from this book would require some extended time with a good counselor, discussing the various exercises.

Not coincidentally, Mancini has developed a company designed to do just that as they walk people through the tools in the book to develop their “Younique Life Plan” through various weekend and 4 day events and 6-month cohorts. It looks like a great way to get the most out of the book if you’ve got the funds to join in. Even if you don’t, there are a number of free resources available to help you as well.

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44 Things I Think

I like to give a lot of backstory to help provide clarity to some of the crazy things in my head before I let them out… usually. It’s safer that way. For me… for you… really for everyone in general. But today, as I’ve done a few times on previous birthdays, I’m forgoing the safety net and sharing a bunch of scattered thoughts – some safe, some not. Enjoy and take it all with a grain of salt, I’m ok… mostly.

  1. If I ever forget the indescribable grandeur of the coastal redwoods… Someone drag me back there as soon as possible!
  2. 25 year Anniversaries don’t happen very often.
  3. They also don’t happen on accident. Want to have one? Commit to your spouse and work to reveal Christ in your marriage to them and the people around you.
  4. Sometimes, you should just climb stuff. It may help you prevent crotchetiness in your old age. (As long as you don’t fall!)
  6. It was truly surreal getting to camp and hike among these giants. I wish I could explain…
  7. Lots of times, you should cross bridges when you get there… even if you don’t know what’s on the other side.
  9. Don’t burn them behind you though… You might need to go back.
  10. I feel like I’m on one side of a whole bunch of bridges right now and not doing a great job choosing which to cross. They all lead to where I can’t see.
  12. One last thing about bridges… Don’t try to cross one until you get to it.
  13. I have written over 950 posts on this blog, but only 9 of them have been this year (including this one). I’m not sure if that discourages me more than the discouragement that’s led to this recent lack of productivity or vice versa, but I have to get better and back into a writing rhythm.
  14. I’m pretty sure I do not own a single set of footwear with actual bootstraps.
  15. I do own a lot of other shoes, though!
  16. I have great hopes and high expectations for Millenials and Gen Z. I have seen what they are capable of when fully given over to God and chasing after his mission with their lives! It is nothing short of spectacular.
  17. This has been a year of car problems for the Andrews family. The glitchy doors and windows are one thing, but the transmission failure(s), valve jobs, two cars that won’t go backwards, etc. are on my last nerve.
  18. My kids are incredible! I know that I am absolutely biased, but they continue to amaze me. Leading worship, solving math problems that cause normal people to seize up, tinkering with stuff, and leading their peers as truly good and dependable friends… I am grateful for the people who will carry my genes across bridges I will never even see.
  19. Good and dependable friends are of more value than we often realize. Be one for somebody.
  20. Friends, I am sorry for how I’ve tended to climb into a hole and lose touch a lot more lately. I don’t know why I am so uneasy letting people into the mess of process in my life. I know I’m not a finished product and you don’t expect me to be.
  21. Some years are messier than others. Grab a mop when it’s needed, get help where you can, and make something awesome out of the mess.
  22. I wear black socks now. But not with shorts – and definitely not with sandals! Come on now; I’m not that old.
  23. Ever notice how trends change? In our meme saturated culture, don’t expect that too slow down. The good side of that is… the trends that are most annoying will be gone soon. Just shake your head and wait.
  24. I haven’t actually seen many Boomers upset about “Ok, Boomer…” But mention it around a Gen X and all the neon and jelly shoes in the 80’s won’t brighten the cloud that’s about to descend. Watch out for lightning!
  25. We got a really good deal switching our internet to another company. We were happy with the old one, but half price for faster speeds was too much to pass up. I think it is the second time I’ve ever purchased anything from door to door sales.
  26. A bonus to the deal was free cable for 3 months. We haven’t had cable or satellite tv for years, but I’ve been able to watch more soccer in the last few months than I have for a really long time and I’m loving it.
  27. “Why don’t you have cable, weirdo?” It’s an expense that just doesn’t make sense in our budget, and I find plenty of other garbage on Netflix and free Roku channels.
  28. Christian Pulisic is not overrated, and it’s been a lot of fun watching him play for Chelsea. I can’t wait to see how he continues to develop and what that will mean for the USMNT. (Some of you have no idea what this means, and I am sorry you are missing out on the beautiful game.)
  29. I’m also excited that Omaha is getting a USL team next year. (Check out Union Omaha!) The crest and name are exciting and seem to fit. Our state is too wide for me to justify season tickets, but I hope I can get out there for a game once in a while.
  30. I don’t get fans calling for the firing of new coaches. Over the last year (or a few years) several teams that I’ve followed have named new head coaches. It amazes me how so many fans can be so self-deluded that they think they are qualified after as few as 4 or 5 games to declare the coach a bust and call for his head on a platter. At every level from college football to NFL to MLS to national team soccer this has been grossly visible. What makes us think we know how to hire a coach or that we actually know who would definitely be a better option?
  31. I have enjoyed coaching soccer for my kids and others. This year was a rough one for Lizzy’s team, but they got better as the season went on, they had fun and built relationships with their team, and gained some skills. They’re 12 year olds… that’s the point.
  32. I’m still not convinced getting rid of Jürgen Klinsmann was a good idea for the national team. Then again… what do I know?
  33. Learning is important. When I cut myself off from the inspiration that comes from connecting with God and connecting with people, I don’t learn much. And consequently I don’t have much to say. You’re probably like that too. Let’s learn some things this year.
  34. Not having much to say doesn’t always stop people from talking. Loudly. And without ceasing.
  35. I did learn a little about the stock market this year by using an app called Robinhood. If you use that link to sign up, we’ll each get a free stock. It lets you buy and sell stocks commission free. Fair warning, though…. there is risk involved. Do not invest money this way that you cannot afford to lose completely – because you could.
  36. Some stocks that I thought would do great have slowly fizzled despite a stream of great news and profits. Other companies that seem like they’re bleeding cash have stock prices on the rise. Do a lot of research and don’t take things at face value.
  37. Commission free stock purchasing used to be impossible. Now it’s not. This is great if you want to buy stocks without paying a stockbroker. It’s terrible (or at least risky) if you’re not good at choosing companies that will increase in value.
  38. You’re probably not as good at choosing companies as you think you’d be. I know I’m not. I had a stock go up 11% today. Last year the same stock lost about 30% in one day, too.
  39. This method of investing has taken up an embarrassing amount of headspace for a modest return. I will be liquidating that account soon to pay for car repairs.
  40. The Solomon Foundation is a much more appealing way to invest. While their returns are pretty good, and their stability is great, it’s not really about the money. It’s about investing in the Kingdom as they use the funds deposited to help build, re-build, and plant churches!
  41. Building the Kingdom is worth everything. All my time. All my attention. All my resources. You can see what they’ve been doing with these churches’ stories.
  42. There is nothing else like the church on the planet. I know we don’t always get things right, but as far as we reflect Jesus and live out our lives with His community in mind, we make a difference in this world no one else can make.
  43. Not everything that calls itself “church” is doing a great job reflecting Jesus. I don’t always either. But I’m thankful for the grace God gives us to get up and do better.
  44. I have so much to be thankful for that I’ll never be able to express all the gratitude I should. I should try anyway.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

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Seek Understanding

Our student ministry is going to use a book called CORE 52 from Mark Moore this year as a roadmap for our teaching times. I’m excited to see our students not just get a better understanding of the big picture of the Bible, but to actually get a handle on how to understand the Bible when they read it for themselves.

Too many times, we settle for a spoon fed version of God’s Word. “The preacher says…” But I don’t think that’s enough. I say that as someone who’s spent a lot of my life teaching people what’s in the Bible. I don’t want my students to settle for what I say ~ they need to discover Scripture for themselves as well.

If there’s one thing that I’ve consistently desired for my students over the years, it’s that they go beyond just scratching the surface of the Bible with an occasional Bible story or memory verse. I want them to dig into it regularly and seek understanding. Ironically, one of the obstacles to that is a lack of understanding.

A kid might crack open the Bible and read a passage and think about it a little bit, until they come to something that doesn’t quite make sense. It’s easy to start to glaze over a section or two and lose the plot, but then it becomes that much more difficult to catch back on to what’s going on in that Scripture. So they close the book and set it aside until next time. It’s a sad cycle that leaves us ignorant of many truths that God wants us to know.

It’s ok to be ignorant of some things for some time. It’s not ok to stay that way. I’m looking forward to helping our students get some handles that they can grab hold of to help them understand all of the Bible better.

If you want to follow along, hit up the links here and enjoy the journey. You can also learn more about the book and additional resources at www.core52.org.