come clean

Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover up their inadequacies/insecurities before God.

We use accomplishment and good deeds.

Come clean.

"Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD. ( Jeremiah 23:24)

the balance between confidence and humility

Captain “Sully” Sullenberger who successfully piloted Flight 1549 to safety in the Hudson River saved more than 150 passengers in the process. He exemplified a balance between confidence and humility as few could, attributing his courage through poise to his training over the years.

“One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15 the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

The balance between confidence and humility... 

comes from being a rooted person who is faithful in the everyday moments.

"Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unfaithful in very little is also unfaithful in much." (Jesus, via Luke 16:10)

we didn't start the fire... so what?

Blame is spelled "B-lame."

It's an escape mechanism we use to get out of awkward situations we should stay in and work through, like using a parachute to get out of a plane because we're afraid someone will hold us accountable for taking one too many bags of free pretzels.

What feels like a way out of one situation only makes matters worse and forms new situations.

 
This is especially true if we never get caught, for if we get away with our choices now we'll assume that will always be the case. One day we will stand before God in a final judgment over our lives, and we can't in that moment point fingers to blame others for our own choices.

Then again, we didn't start the fire.

"The man said, The woman you put here with me‑‑she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Gen 3:12-13) 

Then again, not starting the fire doesn't mean we should keep letting it burn everyone.

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." (Romans 14:12-13)

ordering another "hit"

Be aware -

some social media trends/posts turn us all into Mafia-like mob bosses, ordering "hits" out to "kill" someone/something we don't like...

but it a business that treated us a certain way or a person who cut us off in traffic.

• "No one shop there!"
• "If you see this person, give them a cold shoulder!"
• "Everyone go write a bad review online!"
  

We justify it by saying such things are justifiable, and in rare occasions they may be.

Strangely, we don't treat this as a rare response but as our first response.

And our response is often as ugly (if not uglier) than what we end up rallying against.

“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (Matthew 5:21-22)

what's wrong with the world?

In truth, we are all pretty messed up.

While it's convenient for us to point the finger at some external source of misery and say, “Right there... that person... that situation... there’s the problem!” it is more authentic to confront the person and situation staring back at us in the mirror.

The London Times once asked people to respond to the question, “What is Wrong with the World?” Christian theologian G.K. Chesterton wrote this bold reply:

Dear Sirs,

I am.

Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton

Thankfully, God has not washed His hands of us. He already has a plan in force to set our upside-down world right-side-up again... it involves us washing our hands (and our entire lives) in Him.

The problem with the world is not something strange out there.

The problem with the world is something familiar within. 

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. " (1 Timothy 1:15)

3 things leadership means

If you're the leader of anything...

this practically means at least three things:

• Anyone ready to “buy in” is given a shot.
• Anyone "in" is given accountability.
• Anyone bowing "out" is given love.

This is not easy to do.

You'll likely be greater at one or more of these, and weaker at one or more of these.

It's also not a complete list.

What's missing?

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)

happy days Jesus

Sit on it...

The Bible says Jesus made people:

• Uncomfortable
• Confused
• Angry
• Repentant
• Worshipful
• Riotous

There were a number of things He got angry over.

Is your "Jesus" more about life feeling like "happy days?"

Perhaps you've made Him a bit more like Fonzie:

• Working magic
• Setting you up with dates
• Helping you with problems
• Always having a clever response-a-mundo
• Giving a "thumbs up" on your life

Sit on it.

"Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves." (Matthew 21:12)

intentions and action

Your intentions must translate into action.

If not today, declare when and stick to it...

or else they may not actually be your intentions.

Even then, be aware of the difference between your ambitions for God and God's ambitions for you. After all, Judas did things for and in the name of Jesus, and yet he betrayed Him in the end.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.  (James 4:17)

judge this

When you inappropriately judge another person, you appropriately define yourself.

This doesn't mean we're not to evaluate what comes out of someone and determine a reasonable response. Some avoid doing even that out of fear of offending another person, which (according to culture) is the "worst thing you could possibly ever do."

Is it?

Jesus never once suggested (including within the often misquoted "Judge not, lest ye be judged" statement) that we have no authority to make evaluative conclusions about human behavior. Rather, the authority comes from Him and His standards as we live out mutual accountability... it's to be two-sided and not full of lop-sized hypocrisy. Even within our "Who are you to judge me?" culture, we must push through our fear of offending someone by helping them see their blind spots and growing through them... we must believe this is important.

Is it?

The line, which I fundamentally proposed, is to become aware of how your healthy evaluation can easily get off-track and become an unhealthy, locked-in summary of who you think this person is. You can begin to see him/her as a "snob" when compared to your "humility," or as a "low life" when compared with your "morality." You will start to pride yourself on your ability to see through people, without realizing how you've become amazed at your own brilliance regarding the dullness you see in other people.  You will apply this to people above you, below you and next to you.

Of course, none of this probably applies to you. It likely just applies to someone else. This blind spot isn't at all a part of who you are, how you connect with others and the sass by which you approach the world.

Is it?

"Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor." (Matthew 7:1-5, The Message)

this is ridiculous

"This is ridiculous."

There's something about the growth that can take place in an environment of need or tension. You've experienced this when you look at a situation that seems backward, be it spiritually, financially, relationally or otherwise. You scan things over, and say three words - "This is ridiculous."

The real catch? Those three words actually mean one of two things:

• "This is ridiculous. I need to personally step up and make this better."
• "This is ridiculous. I'm going to quit, and I don't care what that means."

We've all had both of those reactions toward something in life. The former can cause a break-through that we didn't know were possible. The latter pulls us out of situations where we fear break-downs.

We're often blind to our short-sightedness in both options, sometimes stepping out of things too quickly or rushing in without a wise plan.

It's why you and I need to be devoted to leaning into God more than our own ideas. The key word in that idea, by the way, is "devoted." His wisdom must always trump our feelings - even if we'd rather live by our feelings and assume He's "with" us.

I tried challenging someone recently on a blind spot. The response? "I'm fine. God is with me and I'll figure it out." It was a defense mechanism that used spiritual language - it was meant to shut down the awkwardness of being confronted versus really open up and hear something that the person didn't want to hear.

Do you want to more be "with God" and His ideas on life... or do you more want God to be "with you" and your ideas on life?
 
It's crazy that we'd even consider the latter when we have the option of the former.

This is ridiculous.

"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God." (1 Chronicles 22:19a)

Jesus didn't fire Judas

When is it time to cut someone loose?

Consider your job. A friendship. Creepy extended family members. Your church.

It's an awkward question, isn't it? Perhaps there's a better question to ask instead.

I came across an intriguing quote from Geoff Suratt that contrasts how Jesus led versus how culture/business tends to lead:

"Jesus didn't fire Judas... (many people) have bought into some aspect of top grading made famous by Jack Welch when he ran General Electric. The basic idea is that you only want 'A players' on your team. To achieve this goal an organization regularly grades the staff; the A players are rewarded while the B and C players are weeded out... the idea of consistently weeding out under performers is almost universal. The logic and results of this approach are hard to argue with.

The challenge is this isn’t how Jesus’ led. He didn’t force Peter to resign because he just didn’t get it. He didn’t suggest to Thomas that he might want to look around for another rabbi since he didn’t seem to buy into Jesus’ vision. If Jesus utilized top grading he would certainly have let Bartholomew and Thaddaeus go for under performance."

Suratt references Next Jump, a company that offers on their website:

“We don’t hire employees, we adopt family members. We don’t fire at Next Jump, we coach.“

Charlie Kim, Next Jump’s CEO, says no one would lay off an under-performing family members, so why would a company? Thom Rainer, on the other hand, hits on the tension of Christians firing Christians - "Sometimes the greater danger is doing nothing."

You'll certainly find more examples that defy what is being discussed here. Many companies have made their mark by firing people instead of pursuing them; many people have tried to build the perfect life by ditching relationships instead of rooting into them. 

Why not? There's always another replacement around, isn't there?
Consider your job. A friendship. Creepy extended family members. Your church.

Then again... Jesus didn't fire Judas. And here we are, twenty centuries later still feeling the impact of His style and values.

Maybe that's what makes grace so "amazing."

Hmm.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

God's mute button

What if God watches us sometimes without audio?

I don't mean when we pray. He assures us that He hears us when our hearts genuinely cry out to Him.

I'm suggesting that He hits the "mute" button when we use our noise to make a spectacle of our faith.

Let's face it - every one of us could earn an Academy Award in acting in some area of our lives. What if it's in how we try to come across spiritually?

• We say we "prayed about it," when what we did is make a decision and look for circumstances or emotions that validated it, ascribing this to God.
• We sing a song about God's role in our lives, but have no intention of Him actually having that role.
• We show up in attendance at church, but don't attend to what God has shown us to be His Church.

Does He ever have to grab his remote and put us into slow-motion without sound so He can lean in and note how our dialogue doesn't match the activity?

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b)

sidestepping the words of God

Here's a thought... what about the Bible? 

This is usually the point when you put your head down. I'm tempted to do the same.

For some reason it seems like a majority of Christians struggle with reading the words of God.

Notice how I described that.

I could have just said "the Bible." Instead, I noted that we are avoiding reading the words of God.

Think about how insane that is. Here we are in life, begging for Divine revelation... when it's already been written down for us.

We might say we struggle because it's difficult to get into a routine.  

The real truth is we make time for the things that matter to us.

When my wife and I were dating, I would run out the door at work in Michigan and drive hours down to where she was at school in Indiana to spend five minutes with her before her curfew. It was chaotic, but we didn't care - because that time mattered to us... because of the relationship.

Perhaps the real issue is something we're afraid to admit.

It is often in opposition that we are defined. Maybe that's why we avoid the Bible more often than we engage it. Let's face it - who wants to be chiseled away at when you could instead go through your day in your own sensibilities?

Might that be the real issue here?

"The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being." (Proverbs 20:27)

an honest, gutsy spiritual growth plan - pt 1

I waited a month to share this with you.

We all know January 1st is full of great intentions that often go nowhere past the first week. Now that it's February, it's time for a spiritual growth plan that you might actually stick with. Every day can be hectic, and sometimes our best intentions get lost. You can recover them and the life God intended for you with a plan and process to draw closer to Him. (James 4:8)

Let's begin by asking some good questions you're willing to be honest about:

• What words would I use to describe who God was to me five years ago? Has anything changed since then? Should it have?
  
  
• When I pray, what do I pray about? How do I listen to God?
  
  
• What does it look like for me to really care about other Christians?
  
  
• How will I grow in my love for people who don’t yet know Christ?
  
  
• Am I giving God what’s right or what’s left financially?
  
  
• In what areas of my life am I making excuses?
  
  
• In what ways is God bearing some real fruit/change in me?
  
  
• Do I really care about the Bible? Do I believe God speaks through it? Will I memorize any particular Scriptures?
  
  
• What’s my attitude toward church or spiritual leadership?
  
  
• What music/songs resonate with my soul?
  
  
• With whom do I need to go back and “make things right?”
  
  
• What is one area of my life I’ve become stronger this year?
  
  
• How do I settle for the appearance of growth/accountability that needs to go deeper and wider to really make a difference?

Here's one more that ties those together:

• Who am I trying to speak in generalities with because I don't want them to know the specifics of how I'm really doing?

Today's step: Talk to that person, and share how you answered those questions.
See you tomorrow for Part 2.

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)

three "Christians" walk into a bar

You're perhaps familiar with the scenario.

Three people say they are Christians. 

One person seems to be richly walking with God and is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control; another person is angry, proud, speaks negatively of others, is hard to be around, has opinions that aren't allowed to be challenged and asks to be accepted without being held accountable; a third person hovers in between and figures, "I'll admit that I'm not perfect, but I won't do anything about it. Maybe if I don't look like the second category, I'll at least look more like the first category."

Of course, you're the first category.

Of course.

I "know" I am.

Yet all three people claim they are Christians.

Why does one of those individuals' lives seem to line up more with what Jesus prescribed than the others?  Or does it? Who's right? Who's wrong?

Are all three really Christians?

Often we believe the "bar" to gauge if someone is a real Christian is if they are spiritual as we are. The trouble with that concept is the only "bar" to measure anyone or anything is Jesus Christ. We likewise forget that our sense or morality isn't as pure as we'd like to believe.

John Ortberg, in his book Faith and Doubt, illustrates this by challenging that if we really wrote out what we believe at our core it would look less like the Apostle's Creed and more like a something we sketched in the sand. For many that might mean owning up to these hidden beliefs:

• "I believe that a lie is a bad thing, but it might be necessary for me to avoid pain."
• "I believe that it pays to be nicest to people who are wealthy, attractive, smart, athletic, successful or important."
• "I believe that I have the right to pass judgment on others."
• "I believe that I have the right to gossip about people."
• "I believe that I had better be looking out for number one."
• "I believe that things have not gone as well for me as they should, so I deserve a little treat: another doughnut, another drink, another pill, another fantasy…" 
• "I believe that thirty thousand children dying of preventable diseases every day in our world are not worth risky my affluence for." 

Ortberg sums it up by adding "All of these convictions lie deep within me, and you can see that I believe them if you look at the way I live."

Along these lines, examining the life of Jesus shows us what integrity and wholeness of faith looks like. When we give Him our life, receive Him as Savior and follow Him, we undergo a transformation. He redirects us, changes our core convictions, and offers us a glimpse at why we're on planet earth.

Honestly, I'm not interested in what category you're in or I'm in. All three categories of people need Jesus - we will all walk into a bar one day with His name on it. It will either hurt because we closed our eyes and wouldn't see it coming... or it will give us comfort because He is consistent, firm and unmoved in a world that feels less like bedrock and more like quicksand.

Be honest... you're probably nodding your head at that more quickly than you're nodding your life.

I know I am... and I hate that enough to do something about it. Do you?

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

a commentary on commentary

Some interesting thoughts on Barack Obama and marriage are circulating online.

In case you missed it, he said something that a lot of people felt one way about and another group of people felt another way about. This prompted plenty of graphics, polls, snark and commentary that people posted on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Of course, for all the liking and debating... nothing changed. The pursuit of happiness continued to blind every American, and we spent more energy trying to make sure everyone can have an opinion versus discovering what the original and actual Truth is.

Where do you think that will ultimately lead us?

"If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg." - Abraham Lincoln

"The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." - Genesis 2:25

do you see what I see? who cares?

A friend of mine shared online: "Pointing out someone's flaws doesn't make you any more perfect. I know some people who do this."

People do this for many reasons, but I've learned there are two typical motivations:

1) Insecurity. They reason, "If I can push others down, then I come across as more successful/powerful/better as a person." The problem is this is false logic - exposing other people's flaws may take the spotlight off of yours for a moment, but it doesn't make your flaws disappear. Hence, the cycle continues.

2) Good intentions with bad application. They reason, "We should all be in a better place than we are, so I'll make sure others know what I think they need to be doing." The problem is this is more critical than constructive, but because it starts out with good intentions the person doing it may not see how he/she comes across. Hence, the cycle continues.

The only solution is to receive the genuine grace and genuine holiness of Jesus Christ - not one over the other, but both simultaneously. In this way you will experience unconditional love (so you can give it) and unconditional inspiration (so you can grow). Most of the time critics point out things in other people who haven't asked for it, but this approach makes you the kind of person others want to be like because they see Christ being formed in you - not just you whipping around good standards to impose on others.

This distinct difference can even be overlooked by regular church attenders, which is why we come across as hypocritical to the world. Christianity is surrender to Christ... not just trying to support His standards or be like Him. Many who call themselves Christians try to be what they think God wants them to be... BUT not as many (unfortunately) surrender their whole loves to God - they end up holding areas of their lives back from Him. By keeping that inner world from being transformed, they end up focusing on the "outer world" and try to look the part of a Christian while making sure others look the part, too.

There are a lot of people who are religious and can talk some good "Jesus talk" but haven't yet been born again and transformed. Their blind spot and hurdle is that they think they have.

Jesus often criticized the Pharisees for doing this in His culture. We may not have Pharisees around today, but we sure have those who just ask "What would Jesus do?" and do that alone... so they appear moral. But they don't ask, "God, what am I holding back from You, and how might I give that area over to You,. too? What action step do you want me to sacrificially take next?"

We all need accountability in this. Otherwise we try to be our own eye doctor... with blurry eyes.

No wonder so many of us walk around with "moral glasses" that we've self-prescribed - that only makes everything we see and point out blurry... only we think because we have the glasses on our sight is clearer than anyone else.

And then what happened? Well, when Israel tried to be right with God on her own, pursuing her own self-interest, she didn't succeed. The chosen ones of God were those who let God pursue his interest in them, and as a result received his stamp of legitimacy. The "self-interest Israel" became thick-skinned toward God. Moses and Isaiah both commented on this: Fed up with their quarrelsome, self-centered ways, God blurred their eyes and dulled their ears, Shut them in on themselves in a hall of mirrors, and they're there to this day. David was upset about the same thing: I hope they get sick eating self-serving meals, break a leg walking their self-serving ways. I hope they go blind staring in their mirrors, get ulcers from playing at god. (Romans 11:6-8, The Message)

true transparency

True transparency doesn't need to defend itself - not because we believe we're right, but because we are open to how we might be wrong.

We may believe we're vulnerable because we share vulnerable details about our lives; however, unless you are open to correction such "vulnerability" is only another mask.

Remember this before you complain you're being judged or quickly tell someone, "Don't be a hater." Perhaps what you perceive as a false evaluation is simply something you're too chicken to hear.

(Spoken as one who wrestles with all of this on a daily basis. Let's grow through this together.)

"He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding." (Proverbs 15:22)

social (media) responsibility

Apparently we're all members of the media now. How is that responsibility affecting your personality?

Check out today's article, "Facing Your Electronic Persona," from my weekly newspaper column in the Cleveland suburbs "Fully Alive Living."

It just may help you better understand how you're "virtually" interacting with the world.

managing vs. creating your reputation

Someone at the SyFy Network must say on a daily basis, "What's the worst movie ever? Okay, let's air it, and anything that sounds remotely like it after it."

For every "Mongolian Death Worm" and "Sharks in Venice," there are thousands of ideas that don't make the cut. I like a lot of science-fiction movies, but sometimes they seem to be made for YouTube instead of an actual audience.

As I was looking at the implication of what was yet again on TV, I realized this challenge:

Consider the reputation you think you have, versus the one you're creating.

"These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." (Revelation 3:1) 

 There are essentially three ways to handle who you appear to be versus who you are:

1) Manage your reputation to look good even when it isn't. Surround yourself with only people who agree with you or are too afraid to confront you. This way you'll think you've convinced yourself of something you'll never truly convince yourself of.

2) Actively monitor what people are saying about you. You may end up turning your friends into your own personal "Google," asking them "What did she say? What did he say? What did she say about what he said?"This will be an awkward life to manage - believe me, I know from personal experience. It's far better to realize people don't think about you as much as you'd like to think they do (in order to "plot against you," of course).

3) Proactively be someone who pleases God's heart and practically adds to His world. The only real way for people to not poke at your life and pop the false bubble you're creating is to become solid. There's a huge difference between a negative reputation with a few positive comments versus a positive reputation with a few negative comments.

Unfortunately, there will be times where you have to address real or false accusations. Some of us have spots on our record we may always have to answer for, while other times we may simply deal with others who would rather grumble about their perceptions than work things out permanently.

That is all secondary to the primary task of simply being the person God create you to be. Don't be afraid to carry the cross of putting out content that you are living out - which means avoid doing good deeds without actually letting the Lord work good inside of you. People will see through it anyway.

Of course, there may be times that even by doing good you are crucified... and the good news is you're in good company.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)