I Finally Did It...

I have been talking about getting a tattoo, the same tattoo, now for almost 6 years, and this past week finally went through with it. This was done after much prayer and thought for a long time and I am so pleased with the outcome.

The tattoo is a cross with a sun behind it that is on my right ankle. I sketched the cross based on a different tattoo I saw as a freshman in college. Coming out from the crossbar of the cross and going all the way around my ankle is the Greek for John 10:10, "...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

I have wanted this tattoo for a while for both personal and evangelistic reasons. It is exciting to me to take this radical step of showing my faith, of taking up my cross. It has also been amazing to get so many questions about what the tattoo means. I love the conversations about Jesus I have been able to have with people I would never expect to be able to talk about my faith with.

Thoughts on Easter...

What has Easter become? How has Easter become more about eggs and bunnies than death and resurrection? What do your Easter rituals look like? Would they look any different than your non-Christian neighbor? Would anyone be able to tell that you were Christian by the things you do and the words you say?

Let’s not forget the real story of Easter. Easter is the confirmation that the Messiah has come, that we worship a risen Savior. Easter is a time for new beginnings. Easter is a time for radical life transformation. Rather than New Year’s Resolutions, we should be making Easter Resolutions, that because we serve a risen God, we want to completely change the way we live our lives.

Look at the life of Peter. Just two days ago he was denying that he even knew Jesus. Now, less than a week later, Jesus is tracking him down to offer him grace three times over (John 21).

Where are you in need of radical transformation? Where have you strayed from God this past year? We worship a risen King who called us to lives of faith, hope, and love. Let’s start acting like it.

A Better Vision

Lately I have been so frustrated with the lack of vision in churches today. I am most of the way through George Barna's new book 'Revolution' where he talks about a new way of doing church where people who are radically sold out for the message of Jesus are beginning to do ministry, fellowship, discipleship, and evangelism apart from the local church. At first read I didn't quite agree with him, and maybe still don't totally, because I am a huge proponent of the local church. But as I spend more and more time in churches, including my own, I am more and more frustrated with the way things are run and become extremely doubtful and cynical about the capability of most churches to actually impact the world.

Why are we so worried about appeasing everyone? Heaven forbid someone is not comfortable with every single aspect of corporate worship. Is that really our goal and vision? To simply massage people's emotions? To make them feel good and happy and comfortable each Sunday morning? As I study the book of Acts, the early church was anything but comfortable, and when they were, the leaders would reprimand them. They were stretched. They were challenged. They were taken outside their comfort zones. We are so worried about appeasing the people who are already in our church that we completely ignore both the people leaving our church and the people attending no church at all.

May we be people of better vision that that. Let's quit massaging egos long enough to make disciples. Let's quit thinking that church is what happens on Sunday morning. Let's quit thinking that church is what happens at a certain place with a certain group of people. Let's stop basing church on our own opinions rather than the life-changing Word of the Living God, the Creator of the Universe.

An Eternal Perspective

Often it is incredibly frustrating to feel like I pour my life into ministry and rarely feel the fruits of my labor. Throughout my time in ministry I have gone through a series of highs and lows in this area. Sometimes I feel successful for the Kingdom, and sometimes I feel like a failure. I know in my head to 'keep an eternal perspective,' but that is easier said than done.

This is one of those down times. I am not questioning my faith, or whether God exists, or whether prayer works, or if I am called to ministry, etc. Sometimes I DO have those questions, but not now. I think I am wondering if there is more to life than this. Is there more to ministry than this? Is what were doing in churches today having any impact? Are we making any ground? Is providing an activity once or twice a week for students actually accomplishing anything?

For those taking the time to read this, I say thank you and sorry in the same breathe, because I am fully aware that I am simply rambling and have no answers or solutions to my questions. This is simply a report on what I'm thinking. Obviously I don't know what I'm thinking.

May we be people who aren't afraid to admit that we don't have it all figured out. May we never stop asking the hard questions, even when people tell us to shut up. May we strive for so much more than we have now. May we seek to be Christ-like in all we do, including our ministry (regardless of what that looks like).

The Need to Win?

Throughout my life I have been extremely competitive. I rarely do things that I know I will not have success at. Now by no means am I saying that I am successful, though. I simply skip a lot of activities that would probably be enjoyable and only stick to the things I can do well.

Recently, however, my competitive attitude has begun to soften. I sometimes even find myself annoyed when people take things too seriously. I am currently on an intramural basketball team at the University of Sioux Falls where I play on a team with other staff members. I think I probably bring the average age of the team down 10 years or so. Needless to say, we did not win our first game. This is a struggle for me to be encouraging to others, but it is a great challenge and is teaching me the importance of teamwork and simply enjoying the people around you.

We can get so wrapped up in comparing ourselves to others and proving ourselves superior, that we miss the point of the activity we're participating in. We can get so involved in excellence and the end destination that we miss the journey and the people we're traveling with. May we be people who always strive for greatness, but understand the futility of competition. May we truly comprehend Jesus' words that 'those who want to be great must be a servant, and those who want to be first must become last.'

Goodbye Audio A

Last evening I had the opportunity to go to a MercyMe, Audio Adrenaline, & Aaron Shust Concert. The concert was great and it was fun to hear a ton of familiar songs and sing along with some of my favorite Christian artists. I had never seen MercyMe in concert, so that was definitely a treat.

Now as I write and reflect, however, I am filled with a bit of sadness as I witnessed one of the final Audio Adrenaline concerts ever last night. This April they will call it quits after 16 years of amazing cds and jaw-dropping performances.

Audio Adrenaline has been a staple in the Christian music industry for almost the entirety of the "Christian Rock" era. I have been listening to them for over 10 years now, almost half my life, and have 8 of their cds. Their music really catapulted me into the realm of Christian music, something I am very grateful for.

I suppose there are no need for tears here, but I am really just trying to say thanks and goodbye to a fantastic band. I wish them the best and know God will continue to use them in amazing ways for the Kingdom.

Audio A Info: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/AudioAdrenaline.asp

Service vs. Evangelism...

I was recently reading a blog post from a new ministry called xxxchurch.com. This ministry is attacking pornography head-on through some creative means. For Valentines Day they are planning on giving roses to local exotic dancers as a way of demonstrating what true love looks like.

So far there have been 63 comments made regarding this post, including a very heated debate about whether or not service always needs to include a clear presentation of the gospel message. The debate is very interesting and raises a number of very good points. I am still wrestling with whether or not service alone in the name of Jesus is enough, or whether those actions should include the Gospel message. I have my opinion on the matter, but I would be interested to hear what you all think in response to the issues addressed in these comments. Here is the link for the blog entry: http://xxxchurch.com/07/blog_x3_full.php?p=28.

My Favorite Superbowl Commercials...

I am an avid football fan and loved watching the Superbowl yesterday. It was a great game that featured a host of different storylines within the game, from Peyton Manning overcoming defeat to Tony Dungy becoming the first African-American coach to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

At the same time, however, I also look forward to the Superbowl each year to see the creativity of the commercials. I have been disappointed in recent years by the lack of originality and humor in the ads, but was pleasantly surprised by the commercials this year. Two companies stood leaps and bounds above the others in my book...Sierra Mist and CareerBuilder.com. The Sierra Mist Comb-Over Beard sketch and the CareerBuilder Performance Evaluation commercial were my favorites. You can see these commercials and all the rest at http://www.youtube.com/superbowl. Feel free to let me know which commercials you thought were the best.