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)

a potentially honest look at facebook

An interesting thing about Facebook - we think sharing an update equals being transparent.

Ironically, it couldn't be further from the  truth... just watch what happens when someone pushes back on what you've said or what another person wrote - look at how quickly we call constructive thinking as someone being judgmental, say "You don't understand me! So leave me alone!" or accuse them of being "a hater."

I like Facebook for its potential good, but I do think this graphic says something worth noting:

What do you think? Does being a part of an online social network mean you present a side of yourself to the world but hide the rest? After all, isn't that what most of us do in person?

"There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures."  (James 1:16, The Message)

a letter a day

Twenty years ago the Harry S Truman Library in Independence, MO made public 1,300 discovered letters that the late President wrote to his wife, Bess.  Mr. Truman had a lifelong rule of writing to his wife every day they were apart, and followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington to visit her beloved Independence.

Scholars examined the letters for any new light they may have thrown on political and diplomatic history. Of course, the obvious truth couldn't be dismissed - every day he was away over the course of 50 years (even during the Presidency), Truman took time out from his dealing with the world's most powerful leaders to sit down and write a letter to his wife.

The application runs deeper than marriage, for the God of the universe and everything in it thought you were important enough to write you a love letter called the Bible. Every day you wake up He seeks to woo you away from sin and death and toward freedom from addiction and life. Enjoy this, and enjoy Him as you build your relationship with Jesus Christ. Read from His letter to you every day, and think about what He is trying to tell you through it. You matter that much to Him, after all.

"Behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14)

flashback to 9/11

I remember being asked to put a video together the day after 9/11 happened. It was for our upcoming church service five days away, only there wasn't an abundance of film yet available on the attacks. Somewhere over those five days this is what I was able to paste together.

I'm not sure if this can help you remember, but I know that we are in the habit of moving on from things we need to work out. Here is my humble attempt at a moving memoriam about the attacks on the World Trade Center and Capital on September 11, 2001.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF_khJV6a3E

why truth will tick you off

The Truth will set you free.

But first... it will tick you off. 

Let's face it...

we'd rather live a "don't rock the boat" life where we call the shots.

It's a nice boat.

Comfortable seats.

Full of the latest toys.

We've spent a lot of time filling it with things that soothe us.

Then again, while that boat may seem expertly built and secure...

that boat has a hole in it.

Sometimes we see it, and sometimes we don't.

Even weirder, sometimes we see it and pretend we didn't.

You know what I mean, especially about that last part?

So will we stay on the sinking Titanic where we are the "King of the World?"

Or...

will we accept the ladder that just dropped from the rescue offered above? 


You know, out of all the courageous changes we must make in life...

this shift is the hardest.


For it involves confessing we are not God...

and He is.


We confess this not just with a head nod...

or the occasional appearance at a church service...

but with life change that we allow Him to power up in our lives.


Life change that affects everything.

Yeah, everything.

That's why truth will tick you off.

The upside, though?

It's momentum can tick you off of the sinking boat... if you let it.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jesus, John 8:32)

is it on purpose or on accident?

Admit it - you like giving others a hard time (even though you know you shouldn't). Other times you may do it without realizing how others are receiving it. For example:

• Maybe you enjoy giving little kids a hard time (Kid: "I'm hungry." You: "Hi, Hungry! Glad to meet you." Kid: "STOPPPPPPP!")
• Perhaps you bring up old conversations whenever you see people ("Hey!  It's 'Scary Toes!'  Hey everyone, this one time Sheila was wearing flip flops and her toes were all dirty. Scary!")
• Quite possibly you take shortcuts with names that other people haven't asked you to (Person: "Hi, I'm Nicholas." You: "Hey Nick!  How are you, Nick?")
• It could be that you're the "Yeah, but..." person in every conversation, email or online post. (Person: "...which is why that's why I feel as strongly about that as I do." You: "Yeah, but how about this...?")

Most of this has less to do with a conscious effort to anger others and more our own way of blowing off steam or processing life. Still, even though we'd claim "That's just who I am" that doesn't mean it's who you should be.

Just a question - how is your attempt to not feel annoyed by life actually annoying others?

"Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both." (Proverbs 27:3)

capturing the now

"Gentlemen you're going to be on the field 75 plays. Two or three of those plays will determine the outcome of this game. Unfortunately I can't tell you which ones they're going to be. Therefore you're going to have to play them all." - Vince Lombardi

Something I've been reminding myself (and the amazing members of Connection Church) in recent days is that today is Gameday... and every day is. Specifically, I'm referring to the fact that the greatest moment of your life is right now, for the greatest thing that could ever happen in your life is just a decision away. And to top it off, it's not just an "us" thing... the God of the universe is about to throw each of us a pass that He hopes we each catch and move down the field.

Maybe that sounds somewhat inspirational, because it absolutely is. Yet it drives us to question, "What does that practically mean?" and "How do I 'capture the now' of the moment?"

• The first issue is mindfulness: People step up into their God-given destiny - be it on a daily basis or for their whole lives - when they stop seeing life through small eyes. This doesn't happen naturally, for it requires something "beyond natural" - or "supernatural" - to show us what that we are otherwise blind to. The question is would you rather be blind to such an option or would you rather know what you're missing out on? The worst thing we can do is continue to believe our assumptions on their own will always be right.
  
  How aware are you of the greatest thing that could come out of your life on any given day? Do you allow your mind and heart to imagine yourself taking part in something so glorious that the sheer thought of it makes you weep?
  
  
• The second issue is motive: It's one thing to see what your life can be, and another to find a reason to decide to embrace it. A motive empowers you to live against the grain of the status quo you have set your life to live within. Until enduring the pain of this staus quo becomes greater than the pain of change, we will keep doing what we do and never jump into the vibrant life of reconnecting with our Creator (and our created purpose).
  
  What would it take for you to get off your duff about something you know you need to get off your duff about? A moment of brokenness? Another person?
  
  
• The third issue is method: We need to establish a new trend in this generation to not let the fear of the unknown paralyze us from action. It seems like previous generations threw themselves into whatever needed to happen, even when they didn't know how to solve their problems. We're so used to Google and Mapquest telling us our answers that we freeze up with indirection when the clear steps are not outlined. Maybe Door #1 won't open the way you want it to, so how about seeing if Door #2 is actually a backdoor to get you into the same room?
  
  What tools do you use throughout your day that help you get your most important stuff done? Do those tools make sense to continue to use with this renewed endeavor?
  
  
• The fourth issue is membership: We all need more than a purpose... we need a committed community of purpose that will surround us with others who have decided to not settle for the status quo. Some may feel comfortable enough to open up, while others will simply enjoy the presence of being around others. Either way, we gain a network of relationships that allows us to discover the things that must change - which, ironically, is only possible to have any form of accuracy when we are linked into the one thing that will never change - God Himself.
  
  Are the people you're connected to going to help you simply "be happy?" Or will they help you become more than you are or even imagine for yourself?
  
  
• The fifth issue is maintenance: All of the previous steps have created a culture, and so the remaining step is to be sure that culture stays relevant. Simply put, this means taking eternal truth and being sure it is connected to the "here and now." Every hurdle will give you an opportunity to distinguish between what is the core purpose of your life (i.e. "What I simply must do") versus that which is merely circumstantial (i.e. "What I do because that's the way my life is.").
  
  Are you willing to create a culture that is intentional about upgrading growth potential and downsizing comfort when appropriate?
  

If you want to be a part of something that has real purpose and eternal value to it, you have to be willing to capture the now. Sure, it may take a bit of advance work, but it's well worth it.

It's Gameday.

for the kids... and the grown ups

As a parent, I've noticed that at times the degree to which my wife and I can relax and fully enjoy something is often related to the measure by which someone has considered our kids. For instance:

• At a local dental office, we noticed that while the patient's chairs were amazing and full of much technology, there was nothing in the waiting room for kids to read or watch. We usually bring stuff ourselves, but this time we forgot and noted how this made the experience for them and for us as parents more agitated than calm. For all the money and detail spent on making the office welcoming for grown-ups, there wasn't even one "Highlights" magazine for our kids to doodle in (which, as a side note, I've found doctors' offices are the only places I've ever seen periodicals).
  
  
  
• At a local Chick-Fil-A, we witnessed how they had taken the time to install a door handle that was "kid level' as well as "adult level." To top it off (or bottom it off), they intentionally left a one-inch space below that door (so kids wouldn't jam their toes). Then there were the hand-wipes for parents they freely handed out for moms and dads to use to clean their kids hands before eating. When we did eat, we also found plastic placemats available so our kids didn't have to eat on dirty tables (which weren't really that dirty anyway).
  

We've seen this play out in other people's homes, too. Maybe you have as well, from the family who keeps a stash of kids toys on hands specifically for visitors to others who don't consider the potential danger zone a living room can be to a small child. Or how our local Wal-Mart is finding that during its conversion to a Super-Center that it needs to provide maps of the store that change each week as new things get built and old things get moved around.

Consider your home, place of business, and church - where is there room for you to help make things better and more convenient for visitor, let alone kids?

Maybe you don't need to... but what if you did?