So Pokemon GO happened...

Wow! I have never seen such an outburst of communal gaming in my life. I am honestly shocked at the amazing popularity of Niantic's new Pokemon GO app. In fact, according to Forbes Tech, as of the timing of this post, "Pokemon GO was installed on 5.6% of all Android devices in the United States... Not only that, but on average users are spending twice the amount of time engaged with Pokemon GO than they are on apps like Snapchat." Talk about viral!

But to be honest, I have always felt like I was on the outside of the Pokemon crowd looking in. My wife recently started playing, and now goes on Pokemon GO walks with her students (deserving the youth leader of the year award). Even when I was younger, I played with my baseball cards while a lot of my school friends played with their Pokemon cards.

But something struck me today as I watched my wife leave for one of her Pokemon GO walks; I think there is a progression in the Pokemon experience that the Church can learn from. It all began on some cards. And people would sit around playing with the cards, simulating in their minds what it would look like if they were in a real Pokemon battle. And then, Pokemon came out with movies and shows about the original card game. But it wasn't until Pokemon GO that people actually got out into the world and got in the game, so to speak. Pokemon GO has inspired a huge following because players are now players in a real-time experience, where every move they make matters.

Like I said, I think the Church, the collection of the people who follow Jesus, can learn from this progression. Too often, we sit in our nice buildings and talk about what it would look like if we could actually experience what others have written about. And we have even progressed to making movies and skits and shows about others who have experienced what the Bible talks about. But for the vast majority of us, we have yet to get off our seats and get in the game.

Yet, this isn't because it's not possible yet. In fact, this kind of life is ready and available for all of us...and the servers never crash. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." Every single one of us can experience the most thrilling version of God's activity possible, one where God works through us. We don't have to simply settle for reading about God moving in and through someone else, we can experience it for ourselves.

However, even though making disciples happens while we are going, it doesn't happen on accident. Making disciples in an intentional process. It doesn't happen unless we plan on making disciples; we have to make a decision ahead of time to make disciples and grow disciples. Otherwise, it never happens...kind of like catching Pokemons in Pokemon GO.

So let's make a decision together today. Let's Pokemon GO... and make disciples!

There is a lot being said as of late about the transgender issue.

What if a guy wants to identify as a woman? What if a woman wants to identify as a man? What if a woman wants to identify as a cat? What if a female-identifying man wants to use a female restroom at a certain supermarket? What if a person wants to identify as a 7 year old version of himself?

And frankly, this is a conversation that makes me very anxious. I have loads of anxiety in me because I don't know how to respond. I am a pastor and there are lots of people who, if not yet, will soon look to me to provide a godly answer about how to respond to a transgender person as Jesus would. This scares me because there are so many bad ways to respond, but not a lot of good ways. On the one hand, I would never want to disagree with God's commands in what I say or do; on the other hand,  I would never want to tell someone who does not yet know Jesus that he doesn't love them or that he didn't die for their sins too.

In this conversation, there are lots of Christians who error on either side of this discussion. There are some Christians who will say that if a person chooses to deny the way that God created them and become transgender that they are no longer worthy of love or kindness. But there are other Christians who will not say anything at all and choose to defend man's desires over God's genius in creation. And this is not godly either.

So how do I respond when my response could very easily misrepresent Jesus?

I don't know. But I do know a few things:

First, those who identify as transgender are doing so because they they need love. They believe that they will receive more love (if even from themselves) by doing so. They are human beings who are created in the image of God. They are human beings who are created with a need to be loved, but have been hurt at some point in their life.

Second, Jesus died for them. They are human, and as such, are sinners. And because of that they are human beings for whom Jesus died. And God doesn't wait for someone to clean up their life before loving them. For example,

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

"And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man (Jesus) receives sinners, and eats with them...'"

Luke 15:2

Jesus identified with sinners because he was more concerned with seeking them and saving them (cf. Luke 19:10) than condemning them (cf. John 3:17). He identified with me, a sinner, because he wanted to start a relationship with me that lasts forever. And I am eternally grateful.

I don't really know how to respond to the transgender frenzy and the anger that is being stirred up on either side. I wouldn't know what to say to the little girl who identifies as a boy. I wouldn't know what to say to Bruce who identifies as Caitlin. And I definitely wouldn't know what to say to the woman who identifies as a cat.

But I do know this: I identify as a sinner...just like everyone else that has ever lived.

And Jesus receives sinners.

Allow me to confess something. I have a history of depression. It comes in waves and at different times. But usually it's unexpected. And when it grabs a hold of me, it can cause me to question my calling; it can make me doubt my understanding of reality; it can influence me to give up on all God has in store for me.

This last month has been like that for me. I was so busy with so much that I didn't even realize that I had become depressed again. When I began to slow down and was able to process stuff again, I realized that I had started to question my calling and dread waking up to take on the day.

And then the Lord brought me to Ephesians 6. And through it, he spoke life back into my sleeping heart. Ephesians 6:10-13 says,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore..."

And as I read this, the Spirit of God began to hover over the chaos in my heart (cf. Gen. 1:2). It was almost as if the Spirit was telling me that I had been looking at this life all wrong. It wasn't about me fighting for God or working hard to produce something God could use. God was already doing the work. He just needed me to stand firm.

And he just needs you to stand firm. The secret to being strong in the Lord and with the strength of his might is simply standing firm. Don't back down. It's not your strength that he needs. It's not your skill that he is looking for. It's not your cunning wisdom that he is relying on. What he needs is for you to stand firm against the devil, and not to run away.

When you're discouraged, stand firm.
When you're beginning to doubt, stand firm.
When you're getting impatient, stand firm.
When you're feeling hopeless, stand firm.

This is not a battle against things we can see. There are greater forces at play and you are a crucial part to God's plan. He is looking for you to simply be present in the battle. This is God's battle. And we are using his weapons. And we are fighting on his turf. He needs us in the fight, and he needs us to simply stand firm. He will win the fight through our stand.

It's the season to make New Year's resolutions. We hope for great things in 2016 and expect great changes. But between the hopes and the desires, what is the key to actually seeing real change?

Maybe the key to change isn't found in trying something new, but in consistently doing something over and over again.

Are you a real leader or just a rockstar who can attract a crowd?

I have been challenged to rethink what I used to know about leadership. There have been a few people recently, who have caused me to wonder if the amount of followers leaders have is even that important. See, I had always (secretly) hoped that someday I would be a leader who had thousands of people flocking around me to hear what I had to say. That was what my dream of greatness looked like - me, on a stage with a sweet light show and wearing a trendy outfit while spewing my buckets of wisdom... Sounds real biblical, huh?

But then I met some people who had all of that. They seemed like the perfect leaders, but somehow they weren't leading anyone. In fact, they refused the leadership opportunities that were placed right in front of them because it involved service more than spotlights. For them, the idea of leadership was less about actually leading people to something greater, and more about attracting people to themselves. 

When I saw this in other people (because it was easier to see it in other than see it in myself), I learned something very important: Leaders lead, and great leaders lead to great places. Notice what I didn't say: Leaders attract, and great leaders attract more. A rockstar does that, not necessarily a leader. Leaders go somewhere and people follow them to that place. And the place that leaders take people is far more important than how many people they are taking there. When it comes to leadership, it doesn't matter how many people are following you as much as where you are going.

Jesus has called his people to lead others to him. This is the greatest form of leadership: making everything in your life about leading others to Jesus. And this form of leadership is starkly contrasted with what lots of people (and I used to be one of them) think of as leadership: being a rockstar and attracting loads of people to themselves. This may be the American Dream, but this is not Jesus' dream for his people. Jesus has called you to lead others to him. And if you are leading people, Jesus makes it clear that this road is paved with service and sacrifice, not power moves and popularity.

Jesus said,

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12

And then he modeled this kind of leadership. On the one night that he could have afforded to take a little bit of pleasure in for himself - the night that he was going to sacrifice his very self in the greatest act of leadership EVER - he chose to serve rather than be served. Check out John 13:3-14 for this account. For Jesus, it was less about how many people saw him do that, and less about power moves and popularity, and more about leading his followers to something greater.

So my question to you is: are you leading or just attracting?

Don't waste the gift that God has given you today. Lead others. Lead them to him.

I was recently given a waterproof Bible for my birthday. I love it! It has pages that are made of a flimsy plastic, making it able to shed water instead of absorb it. Its cover is made out of a waterproof synthetic leather. It is so fun to take it to places that had previously been "no book zones" just because they are wet places.

For example, I love showering with my new waterproof Bible. I usually do my best thinking in the shower (don't you?), and so spending time in the Word of God in the shower has been very eye opening. With my mind so clear and with my thinking so sharp in the sanctuary of my shower, God has been revealing some pretty awesome things to me lately.

The other day, I was reading my waterproof Bible in the shower, and I was spending time in Hebrews 11 (I'm sure those faith heroes would have loved to read a Bible in a shower...hehe). While there, a passage in particular hit me. Hebrews 11:13 says about the people in the Old Testament who had great faith,

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."

Translation: the lifespan of their faith was lot longer then the span of their lives. Their faith lived longer than they did. Not even death could shake their faith in the coming Messiah.

So God began to ask me about my faith. How long is the lifespan of my faith? Will my faith outlive me? There isn't necessarily a way to answer this question other than proving it. There isn't really a good way to know other than living everyday with a faith that is stronger than my fears, quenches my doubts, emboldens my life, and encourages others until I take my last breath. I want to live my life with a faith that will outlast me.

So what about you? What is the lifespan of your faith? Is God more secure to you than your stuff? Could you leave everything you have in order to follow God's call on your life?

Just this morning, I was praying for my wife - like I do every morning. And as I was, something hit me hard. God gave me a realization that what I was doing was absolutely amazing. I was talking to God! And when I realized this, I was fascinated! God gave us the ability to talk to him, and we should never take it for granted. Here are 3 things that make prayer so awesome:

1. Prayer is an awesome thing.

Think about it. When you pray, you talk to the Ruler of the Entire Universe. You aren't just uttering a quaint pre-dinner phrase. You are entering the throne room of heaven to lay your humble request at the feet of the Lord of All. And the thing that is really amazing is that, in Hebrews 4:16, He calls us to do this with confidence!

2. Prayer is amazing thing.

Not only is prayer a high privilege, but it is uniquely special because it opens the door for us to have a living, breathing relationship with the One who breathes stars. Psalm 33:6 says,

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And their starry hosts by the breath of His mouth.

The moment you cease to be amazed by the fact that you are known and loved by this God is the moment you have lost sight of Him altogether. You can't relate to God without having your mind blown consistently. He is infinite in His glory, splendor, and desire for you!

3. Prayer is an affecting thing.

Prayer has a great effect. Prayer affect God, ourselves, others, and our world. How cool is that??? God has specifically given us, as fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), the ability to reach into the storehouses of heaven and affect God and his activity here on earth. THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!

Andrew Murray said in his book With Christ in The School of Prayer,

"Lord, teach us to pray." Yes, to pray. This is what we need to be taught. Though in its beginnings prayer is so simple that the feeblest child canary, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise. It is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One. The powers of the eternal world have been placed at its disposal.

So I want to challenge you today to reach into the heart and hands of your heavenly Father and experience the wonder and power of prayer. This is the unique privilege and plan God has given to you in this very moment. Don't let today end without laying hold of this amazing blessing.

This week, the Lord really impressed upon my heart the need to ask big things of Him in my life.

I have been journeying through the book of 1 Samuel and I was spending time in the account of the battle between David and Goliath. And I think that the main thing that we always notice in this narrative is the truth that you can overcome any giant in your life when you fear God more than the giant in front of you.

However, something I didn't notice until the Lord showed me this week was that David could have been in my youth group. He was the same age as my high school students. He was the young guy on the outskirts of the circle. He was the kid that his youth leader didn't notice too much. He was the dude who was trying (however unsuccessfully) to get his crush's attention. He was the student that nobody ever noticed.

And yet, what happened? God chose little David to change the course of his nation's history and to bless the world for eternity through his Messianic seed. Could anybody have seen this when he was fifteen? Absolutely not! But as God revealed to Samuel at the anointing ceremony,

"Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." ~ 1 Sam. 16:7

So what is the difference between what people see in a person or situation and what God sees? The difference is the unpredictable power of the Holy Spirit.

And what is the difference between what I see in a student or a situation with at work and what God sees? The difference is the unpredictable power of the Holy Spirit. He can do "far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20) with every single impossible situation or person. Anything I could possibly dream of God doing pales in comparison to what he can actually accomplish. My biggest dreams are small potatoes compared to His divine ability.

What's left for me to do is to "ask big." James 4:2 says, "You have not because you ask not..." So this week, I was convicted to ask huge things of God - things that I don't see ever happening - because I know that that is the place where He loves to show Himself off. I need to ask big, hairy, audacious things of God.

God operates in the realm of big, hairy, audacious prayers (BHAPs). That is His happy place. Things that occur naturally, and thus don't require a miracle, don't fall into that category. Faith is asking God for the impossible, and then acting as if the answer is on the way. That is what it means to pray BHAPs to God. And when the answer comes, it will be obvious that God was the only one who accomplished it.

So I prayed some impossible prayers this week. I prayed that thousands of souls would be saved as a result of our youth ministry. I also prayed that God would do something so big in and though our students that it would still be affecting people hundred of years from now.

Only God could be responsible for such an amazing outcome. So I continue to pray that way, and I continue to pray BHAPs because I have to believe that God is still in the business of doing huge things on planet earth today.

So what about you? What's the most impossible thing you could pray for this week?

This is an expert from a sermon I recently preached.

We complain about the dumbest things sometimes. I am just as guilty as anyone. During last spring break I flew down to Chicago from Bismarck on Delta. And I have never experienced this before, but we were in a traffic jam on the runway. So we waited there…on the runway…for an hour and a half. And the sad thing is that this is an actual story here in our world! People will sympathetically get mad with you because of a story like this, saying something like, "Oh my word! How long did you wait?? What is this world coming to???"

Really, Brant, what happened to you after that? Did you fly through the air incredibly?? Did you soar into the clouds like a bird?? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight and complain about the entire you were up there?

"I’m never flying Delta again…"

You’re flying!!!! Look out the window. You are looking DOWN onto the tops of clouds that previously only angels and birds could see before airplanes!!! This is a crazy! You’re sitting in the chair in the sky!

I had this choice: I could choose to be frustrated or I could choose to be fascinated. And everyday you have this choice, as well.

One of my favorite feelings in all of my life is that feeling you get when the pilot kicks it into 100th gear and your begin to lift off the ground and you are no longer tied to this planet by gravity. Blood rushes to my head; my heart skips a few beats; I grin without meaning to. I am fascinated!

When you are fascinated, you momentarily lose sight of yourself because you are lost in wonder. You were made for wonder!

[You can watch the full message below.]

This post is sort of unusual compared to then content I usually post. Typically I am posting reflections on my personal journey with the Lord and things that can others can relate to. This post, while still reflecting on my personal journey, however, reflects more on the cognitive side of this. rather than the affective. It is meant to display God's grace in not only my growth in his Kingdom, but also on my professional development.

I have been doing youth ministry for over 5 years now, but this last month marked my the end of my first year of full-time youth ministry. So these are the 5 Things I Learned in My First Year of Full-Time Youth Ministry:

1. You have to use words, but your life is what students listen to the most. I think one of the most depressing things that I had to get over was that my words were not very memorable. One of the coolest things ever is when a student grabs ahold of your message, and journals it, or tweets it, or videos it, or talks about it. But the reality is that this doesn't happen very often. Standing alone, my words don't really do much.  In fact, almost every student I have ever spoken to do not remember 95% of what I have ever said in talks. Talk about de-motivation! But here is the thing, even though not memorable, many of my talks made a big difference in lives thanks to two factors: 1) the power of God working behind my capabilities, and 2) the time that I spent with all of my students showing

them what it looked like to follow Jesus. Though the message in my talks may not have been retained very long, the message of my life was much harder to forget.

2. Parents are not the enemy. Maybe this is an age thing or just very common in youth ministry, but there always seems like there is a cold war going on between parents and the youth ministry. Though no shots are fires, it feels like there is a stand-off for the rights to time and attention of their students. And though we both want the same thing - that the student would grow up to love and serve Jesus with his/her life - there remains this awkward tension sometimes when we meet in hallways on in an email because we don't exactly know what the other is thinking about us. (Maybe I'm way off, but that's the way it appears from my end sometimes.) But one of the coolest things that I have learned in youth ministry is that when that communication gap was bridged, and I could develop relationships my your students' parents, I realized a shocking truth - that parents were actually cheering for me and that they were actually really cool people. They just wanted to make sure that their student was getting the best ministry possible. And when I actually took the time to listen to them, what I heard were stories of fear, joy, pain, success, and longing. Parents want the best for their students and so do I. A little professionalism, a lot of communication, and a little time went a long way to gain their trust and something even greater - a group of some of the greatest cheer leaders on the planet!

3. You cannot possibly over communicate. I don't know how many times it took for me to learn this one. In fact, there are still times where I have to re-learn this lesson. Communication that is well in advance, thorough, and accurate is the goal. Obviously, there are last minute changes that come up, but I have learned that the more people that I tell and the more information I give, the more successfully everyone will be informed. And once of the only complaints I receive with somewhat regularity is that so-and-so didn't know about my well-planned event and really wished they had so they could be there.

4. Lead your youth leaders well and you will in turn lead your students well. I figured this one out very early on. I can only connect with so many students in a spiritually significant way. But when I make an intentional effort to disciple my leaders and lay out clear expectations, I am multiplying our ministry into something greater than I was ever capable of on my own. So now I love to take leaders out for coffee, or invite them to our house, or text them during the week to see how I can pray
for them. And as I am pouring into them, I explain that this is what I expect them do be doing with their small group. Ministry modeled. Ministry multiplied.

5. You're not alone! Man, I tell you what... One of the biggest lies that youth pastors believe is that you have to be the superman of your ministry. You have to know exactly what God's vision is for your ministry, know everybody in the ministry, be super engaging, create an Hillsong Young & Free environment, lead thousands of kids to Jesus, and do all of this under budget. And on top of that, there is the pressure to communicate all of this to your volunteers and train them on how to achieve this. And after some time of believing the lies about how inadequate I was to achieve all of this on my own (despite how noble these aspirations were), I began to become extremely overwhelmed. But one of the most freeing things ever was when I realized that my youth leaders were with me in this. They actually wanted to make a difference too, and they were really good at youth ministry already. All I had to do was give direction and lead on. I didn't have to do everything. I have hands on leaders, other youth pastors, parents, articles and blogs, and my own fellow staff members all to lean on. They are so incredible. I just have to trust that in all of our joint efforts, Jesus is receiving just as much glory as those flashy ministries I follow on Instagram.

(6. BONUS! Google apps are WAY better for working, creating, and collaborating than Microsoft apps! This one speaks for itself.)

So many people have so many perspectives...

I don't think I have experienced so many emotions as a result of internet browsing in quite a long time. The recent Supreme Court decision to legally recognize gay marriage in all 50 states has produced the largest mixture of reactions that you could imagine. And unfortunately, a lot of it has gotten ugly, especially on the internet.

You have people saying what they feel, what they think, what they think they should think, and stuff that they don't even really know much about. It's like people have no filter when it comes to what they say online, in posts, in comments, and in direct messages even! And in the midst of all the proverbial dust that is getting kicked up, somehow we have begun to see so many different types of people saying all sorts of different things to other people "in Jesus name." And as I look through all these comments, it is obvious that Jesus couldn't have said all of those things, and most likely wouldn't say most of it. At least not the Jesus I read about in the Bible. And as a result of these kind of people, Jesus is made to sound a lot like a judgmental, cold-hearted, hateful person who pushes others away when he doesn't like them. And who is going to listen to or follow someone like that?

So I was super happy when my wife began to write down her thoughts on this complex issue. And with her permission, I would love for you to soak up her God-inspired wisdom.

                                                            

Since when has our culture come to a point where you have to be perfect to be accepted in a church? If this is the case then, somewhere along the line, we have interpreted the Bible incorrectly. We have not gotten past the Old Testament to see the good news in the New Testament. Mark 2:15-17 recounts the dialogue Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders. All they said was “How could he stand it, to eat with such scum?” (The Living Bible). Jesus replied by saying, “Sick people need the doctor, not the healthy ones.” But yet the Christian culture has been acting a whole lot like the religious leaders who condemned “such scum.”

I was raised in a Baptist church and background. I don’t have anything against Baptists except the fact that I feel like they taught me to condemn the sinner and not the sin. I still cringe when I hear that somebody is gay or has gotten a divorce. But what I have been learning is that Jesus would never do that. He would love them first. Brant always says that all we ever do is to get people to change their behavior before they ever know Jesus, and they die without Jesus, all we have done is sent them to Hell better behaved than before. We must focus on showing them the love of Jesus before we ever try to change their behavior.

I have also learned that a denomination should not define you. We are followers of Christ. No matter what church you come from, we should all work towards the same goal and that’s to bring lost souls to Christ with love. I can see that our culture is changing a lot but I also see the church changing. Christians are starting to realize that we need to end our bad reputation of hurting people and instead love people for who they are.

Now to understand love you need to know God. Did you realize that if there were no God, there would be no understanding of love? “God is love” is what we hear but for some reason I didn’t ever take it seriously. Real love is not the conditional kind – “If you do this for me then I will love you.” Real love is the sacrificial kind where no matter if they take it or ignore it, you still love them. Maybe all of the divorces and all the hurt in our world are because people don’t know what love really means.

I want to encourage you to take one step as a Christian and love somebody without knowing his or her background. That should mean that we treat everybody the same no matter what. And maybe…just maybe that will change how people view Christians, and in turn bring people to Christ.

I love visiting people in their homes. There is something so natural about human beings when they are home and in their natural setting. Their barriers are down, their boundaries are not as much of an issue, and their self-perceptions are not as heightened because they don't really have to impress anyone.

When we are home, we are not quite as concerned with being that cool. Almost cool is cool enough. I love that! There is something so pure and free about being home and almost cool.
In John 15:9, Jesus said,

"Just as the Father has love Me, I have loved you; abide in my love." 

In other words, You should feel at home in my love. And like when you are at home and your barriers go down, the more you live in the Gospel, the more you will find safety and security. The more you make yourself at home in God's love, the less important it becomes to be cool and important.

Realizing this has taken so much pressure off of me. I don't have to try so hard to fit in. I don't have to work so hard at polishing my image. I don't have to kill myself to prove that I matter. Because at the end of the day, I am always home in the love of God and that is what really matters.

The truth is that I have never really been cool. I have always just been "almost cool." And for some reason that always bothered me. I guess it had to do with the fact that I have always looked to the opinions of others to guide me into acceptance. But all that pressure is gone now. When I am finding my approval and acceptance in God, the opinions of others don't even compare! My adequacy is from Him alone (2 Cor. 3:5)!

As a result, I have committed to two things:

1. I will find my home and my security in the love of God.
2. I will be content to be almost cool.

Almost cool is now cool enough for me, and I pray that it is cool enough for you too.

I was up late last night thinking about what it really means for me to follow Jesus and why it even matters. I was processing what the point of it all even is and how I could articulate this to someone who doesn't quite get the point of following Jesus. And though I feel like it's kind of weird for me to share this simplified story on a blog post, but I think it is important to be able to have a version of your own story that you have processed and then condensed so you can genuinely talk about it anywhere.

This is my story...in a very, very small nutshell:

I was 3 years old when I became a follower of Jesus. So my life before Jesus consisted of learning to walk, run, and ski. However, I distinctly remember the exact time and place when and where I put my trust in Jesus. I was in the hallway between my bedroom and the kitchen. I was there on the ground talking with my dad about Jesus and salvation and I decided right then that this was a life I wanted.

Even though, I was young when I became a follower in Jesus, that simple decision has had a profound impact on my life. I can’t claim that I was messed up before Jesus began to rule my life and then I changed because I didn’t have a ton of will power before 3 years old, and because I have been messed up pretty much my entire life - even after becoming a follower of Jesus. 

But the thing that has profoundly impacted my life is the reality of grace in every space of my life. I can never outrun the grace of God and I can never out-sin the grace of God, no matter how many times I think I have. Knowing that there is a God with a love so vast and inclusive as to love me to the point of death has captured my fascination and continually draws me to Jesus. 

Even though it is taking me a long time and the process is very messy, I am slowly becoming more like Jesus and I wouldn’t trade this life for an easier one. I can be real with a God who will never give up on me. I can have the hope of glory. And I can walk in confidence, knowing that my massive list of imperfections has already been forgiven and forgotten. And now I can know the God of the entire Universe...on a personal level! And this makes it worth it all.

The verses that have left the biggest mark on my life are Romans 5:8...

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!"

... and 2 Corinthians 3:5...

"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God!"

What's your story?

Freedom.

We all want freedom. We want to be unchained, unbound, and unharnessed.

But freedom isn't what we often think it is. And it doesn't come from where we often think it comes from.

This is the definition of a paradox:

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Often the concept of freedom can be a paradox. We think it seems obvious to understand, but the lived reality is actually the opposite of what we first thought. It is counter-intuitive.

Here are 3 paradoxes of freedom:

Paradox #1 - Freedom does not mean doing whatever you want. The thing we usually hear in our culture is that freedom means doing whatever you want to do. It means living it up without any restrictions. It means not listening to anybody tell you what to do. It means creating your own destiny. But this couldn't be further from the truth.

Imagine a sleek, new train moving down the tracks at top speed. It is exhilarating to watch. But if that train got it in its train mind (it that were possible) that it wanted to be like the tractors in the nearby field, and jumped the tracks to turn up the sod in the field, what would happen? It would get stuck. Is that train free, even though it did exactly what it wanted to do? No. Why? It wasn't made to go on the land. It was made to move down the tracks at top speeds.

Freedom does not mean doing whatever you want to do; it means doing what you were made to do. You will never find freedom from a wild, limitless pursuit of all kinds of pleasure. You will only end up dissatisfied, empty, and still wanting more. You will only ever find freedom when you begin to live your God-defined calling and when you find satisfaction from a personal relationship with Jesus. That is what you were made to do; that is what will give you true freedom.

Paradox #2 - You can be a slave to your misconception of freedom. The pursuit of greater and never-ending pleasure is capable of sucking you in and enslaving you. As stated above, you cannot find freedom from a wild, limitless pursuit of all kinds of pleasure. Why? It leaves you dissatisfied, empty, and still wanting more. Why? Because pleasure wasn't created to fill the God-sized void in your heart. It was merely meant to point you to an all-loving and good Creator.

Only Jesus can fill that void in your heart. And the more you run in circles, trying to find that perfect experience to set you free and the more you throw the shackles off and try to find your freedom on your own, the more you will become caught up in the pursuit of pleasure. When you look back, you will realize that you were sucked in and that you were indeed, enslaved. How can I be so confident? I have been there. I was a slave to my pursuit of the ever-elusive experience of freedom...until I got to know Jesus.

Paradox #3 - Our freedom isn't free. Much like the freedom enjoyed in the USA was not just handed over to us but earned through great sacrifice, our personal freedom was not free and isn't held onto easily. Jesus gave up everything to purchase our freedom for us (cf. Gal. 3:13, Col 1:14, 1 Tim. 2:6).

I think we often take this concept of freedom very lightly. After all, you shouldn't have to worry about anything when you're free, right? Not really... There is an enemy who hates us and wants to screw us over as much as he possibly can while he still exists. And there is no end to which he won't go to try to ruin this relationship we have with the Creator. It was bought with a great price, and sometimes it requires a great effort on our part to stay close to our Creator.

"Keep on working to complete your salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God working in you to help you to want to do - and to be able to do - what pleases him." Philippians 2:12-13

I was recently reading in John 1 about the Word that became flesh (Jesus). And John said something in beginning of the chapter that I haven't been able to get out of my head since. He said in John 1:17,

"For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."

A slave only knows the Law. He only hears the voice of the Law - telling him he either succeeded or failed. He only feels the affirmation of the Law - what the Law keepers defined to be good or bad. It is slavery to be defined by the Law and the Law keepers - even if you are doing a good job!

But the free person knows something greater than the Law. The free person, knows Grace and Truth. The free person lives in Grace and Truth. The free person finds his affirmation in the unchanging Truth and lives with an unreasonable Grace. The free person might know the Law, but chooses to be defined by a reality that is far superior - a relationship with Jesus - the personification of Grace and Truth.

This sets him free.

Jesus sets him free.

For those of you struggling to be free, realize that your freedom comes from Jesus. You can't just fight the darkness around you. It doesn't work that way. You need to turn the light on. You need to turn to Jesus.

And in your journey of freedom, I would love to be an encouragement to you as much as I can! So drop me an email, or leave a comment below. I would love to get to know you and hear your story. Until then, God bless!

Recently, in our youth ministry, we went through a short series about knowing who we are and how God sees us called Identity Crisis. And even though it seems like such an obvious thing - knowing who we are - we often lose sight of our true identities in the plethora of images of everything our culture expects of us. We are called to love God and change the world, but everything in our culture says we should make our lives comfortable - all about ourselves. And the moment we begin pursuing what culture gives us instead of pursuing what God has called us to, we have settled for something far less than greatness.

But the enemy wants anything for us than to attain to what God has for us. He wants mediocrity for us. Because of this, he has waged war on us. And his target is our identity in Christ. If we can be knocked away from a healthy self-identity, then he can tempt us to do just about anything that will steal glory away from our God with relative ease. And the crazy thing is that we need to know who we are in Christ to fight against this. In order to remain close to God, we need to be confident in Him.

See, we will always fight FROM our identity. The way we perceive ourselves in this world will greatly affect how we pursue changing this world. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we are always in a fight. The question is just what we are fighting for. Are we fighting for things that matter or things that don’t? We will always avoid the fights that matter until we are confident of the One who fights for us. And the way that we perceive God is really important because it changes how we see ourselves.

Big God --> Strong, Confident Me.

Puny God --> Weak, Scared Me.

We see this truth illustrated very beautifully in 1 Samuel 17. When David walked onto the battlefield to fight with Goliath, do you think he was worrying about how weak he was? No. He was confident in how strong his God is. And that made him realize that he was invincible! Did you catch that? The way that he perceived his God was the difference between slavery to Goliath and victory for Israel.

The way that we perceive our God, and how He lives and works in us is the difference between agitated losing and abundant living. Agitated losing. Abundant living. This is what hangs in the balance.

So we must know how God sees us. For those of us who follow Jesus, this is how God sees us:

John 1:12 - We are children of God!
Ephesians 1:5 - We are adopted children who bring him pleasure!
Romans 15:7 - We are accepted by Jesus!
Colossians 2:9-10 - We have the fulness of Christ!
1 Corinthians 6:17 - We are one with the Lord in Spirit!
Romans 6:6 - We are no longer slaves to sin!
Genesis 1:27 - We have been created in God’s image!
1 Corinthians 12:27 - We are a part of the body of Christ - the Church!
1 Peter 2:9 - We are a chosen people! We are a royal priesthood! We are a holy nation! We belong to God! We are no longer in darkness!
Galatians 3:27-28 - We are no longer identified in the way everyone else identifies us!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - We are a temple of the Holy Spirit! We have been purchased at the highest price!
Colossians 3:1-3 - Our identities are hidden with Jesus so much so that God sees us the same way he sees Jesus...as a perfect child whom he adores!

The way we perceive ourselves in this world will greatly affect how we pursue changing this world. And in order to change our world, we need continually fight to protect our identity in Christ.

My prayer for you is that you know Jesus, you know who you are, and that FROM your identity, you will be able to change your world for God's glory!

A candle lit in darkness,

The glowing light of One,

Pushing through the shadows -

The Prince of Light had come.

His glory is among us.

The evil rule is done.

The darkness is retreating;

Our Prince of Light has come.

His presence is inviting;

Around Him is no fear.

There is no need for hiding;

My Prince of Light is here!

I tend to wander around in this thing called faith. I often figure things out as I am going, and it can be really frustrating, sometimes, to feel like everyone else knows more about following Jesus than I do

.

It is a struggle every day knowing that I am not as close to God as I really wish I could be. It is a struggle every wanting to see and hear this God that I try to follow. But then, when I am honest about my struggle, I am comforted by the assurance that I am not the only one who has ever been wrecked over this. 

There have been many saints who have wandered through these same murky waters. There are two lives in particular that I really look up to because they have traveled the lonely road of trying to figure out what it means to live for God despite not knowing what they were doing. These are my heroes.

1. St. Augustine

Growing up in Northern Africa, Aurelius Augustinus (aka Augustine) didn't have a lot of money. His parents spent more on his schooling than they could really afford. Augustine had a lot of second-rate school teachers in Thagaste. 

After a while, his family was able to afford to send him to Carthage, the best place in the world at the time to get a great education. But while he was there, he couldn't sit still. Though his mom prayed for him all the time, he had an insane craving for pleasure. He found himself a girl who became his concubine for many years. With this unnamed woman he had a son, Adeodatus. That same year, Augustine's father died. 

For many years, even though he was pursuing a higher understanding of religion, he couldn't shake his lifestyle of wanting more pleasure. This was his life for many years. But after a lot of frustrated searching and anxiety, Augustine had a crazy vision in his back yard. Before him he saw Lady Continence, who told him to take a leap of faith. He had been so agitated in body and mind that the vision came as a release. When he overheard the phrase "pick up and read" from a child at a nearby house, he grabbed his book of the Apostle Paul and read a passage. It seemed to be talking specifically to him. 

After that, he gave up all his worldly dreams. He quit his teaching job. He left Carthage, and the following Easter, he was baptized by Bishop Ambrose in Milan. Augustine and his mother decided to return to Africa, where they felt that they would be able to do the most good for God. There, he was very active in his church, and wrote a lot of things for the church so they could understand the Bible better. 

Over the last 17 years of his life, he had lost his father, his mother, and his son. He also lost his young, ambitious dreams of gaining the whole world. But he gained something far more important - a life that mattered and a hope that carried him through everything. He gained Jesus.

2. Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins was a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation. 

An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood. A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the

church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love. As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

He was a prophet and a poet and a beggar, more comfortable with the homeless than the wealthy, more in love with Jesus than religion, more interested in the music than the song. He felt too much, and held too much. He searched desperately his whole life for a way to belong down here, but he never did. He was just passing through.

He said at one of his concerts one time, 

“I’m all the time being asked by people, ‘How do you feel closer to God?’ And I kind of always want to say, ‘I don’t know.’ When I read the lives of most of the great saints, they didn’t necessarily feel very close to God. When I read the Psalms, I get the feeling like David and the other psalmists felt quite far from God for most of the time. Closeness to God is not about feelings. Closeness to God is about obedience. It’s just as simple as that.”

Because of his life of love, Shane Claiborne said this about him,

“Rich Mullins is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever known. Interesting because he was honest — not perfect. He made you feel like Jesus was part of the band, telling stories around the fire, laughing with you at the bar. He made you feel like you could own your darkness and be honest with your doubts. He knew that inside each of us there is a sinner and a saint at war, and on good days the saint prevails, and on bad days –Jesus loves sinners. He was as winsome as a kid and as wise as a chief. This film captures the life of one of the most important people in the history of modern evangelicalism, a ragamuffin that our children and our grandchildren need to know about.”

This was a man who loved God no matter how he felt, no matter what other Christians were doing, and no matter what lies he heard from the enemy. He was committed to following Jesus no matter the cost.

And I, too, want that to be said of my life.

One of the of the biggest things that God is teaching me this week is the distinction between believing in him and following him. As I was reading in John this morning, this verse hit me and would not leave my mind all morning. John 8:31-32 says, 

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, 'If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 

There are many times in my life that I am tempted to take it easy in my faith, to slack off in my spiritual disciplines, or to be less alert in spiritual warfare, but Jesus says that his disciples will continue in his word. Those who continue to follow Jesus are those who are his disciples, and that is the goal of my life - to follow Jesus every day without taking a break. To that end, I have intentionally decided to do some things every day to keep me following Jesus.

1. Looking for just one thing each day from the Word. I think we often get overwhelmed with everything there is to learn in the Bible and everything we have to do to be a "good Christian" that we just forget everything. But one of the most powerful pieces of advice I have ever been given was when I went off to camp one summer. This sweet lady in our church wrote me a card that week and told me to just try to pick out one thing that God was teaching me that week. So I did and my life was totally changed that week. So now I try to do that whenever I read the Bible. Just pick out one thing that God is showing me that day.
2. Looking forward to small blessings. My dad always used to say to my family, "Anticipation is in and of itself a sensory delight." In other words, it feels good to look forward to something. And the more you look forward to something, the more you enjoy it. And the more you enjoy something, the more grateful you are for it. Bottom line: When I anticipate the little things that God is going to do for me every day, I will notice them, enjoy them, and be grateful for them. And believe it or not, I feel like God is blessing me more just because I choose to look forward to and notice his blessings more often.
3. Chatting with other who are following Jesus. Almost nothing encourages me to follow Jesus more than hanging out with someone else who is following Jesus. Some of my best friends in this entire world are those who love Jesus with all of their hearts and are serving him passionately wherever their lives take them. Just a simple chat or just a little time spent with Christine, Benjamin, Mark, David, or Ryan makes me want to love Jesus even more. It's amazing the power of choosing good friends.
4. Talking to God in the middle of normal things. Obviously it is good to plan specific times to pray every day, like in the morning, at meals, and before bed. You have probably heard all that before. So I am not going to dive into that. But I think that we often forget to relate to God as the real person that he is. He has feelings too. He cares about the things in your life. He likes to do stuff with you. And he wants to talk to you like a friend (cf. John 15:15). So when I talk to God in the middle of every day, normal things, I am living out the reality that he loves me, cares about me, and wants to be with me. And that just makes me want to love him and follow him more.

So what about you? What are the little things you do each day to follow Jesus?

Is there an area of your life that you know you need to start following Jesus in?

Don't wait until tomorrow to experience the blessing of a life well-lived. Follow Jesus every day starting today.

I am writing early on a Sunday morning. This time of the week has been called many things over the years. But one of the things that has come to my mind this morning is the fact that this part of the week can often be the most segregated time of the entire week. People usually worship at churches where they feel like they belong. And often that means that they gather together at churches with people who are just like them.

As I was praying this morning for my city and my state, God put this on my heart. I couldn't shake out my head this concept that it is more like Jesus to spend my time around those who don't belong. Jesus was always seen with the outcasts and the misfits. In fact, one time he was even confronted by the Pharisees and scribes (the pastors and church workers of his day) about this in Luke 5:30-32. And he said to them,

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance."

 It made me really reevaluate my priorities as a follower of Jesus. If I am really trying to live like him, what should my social circles look like. If all my friends are just like me - white, male, employed, married, stable family, etc. - then I might not actually be living like Jesus as much as I would like to think.

So as I was letting this thought marinate in my mind this morning, I was drawn to pray that God would give me a heart for those who don't belong.

And I hope he does for you too.

Because the more we embrace people around us who need the love of God - regardless of skin color, social class, or even personality - the more we will begin to look like the One who came to seek and to save the lost.

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE BEFORE MAKING ANY JUDGMENTS.

Yesterday, my beloved Chicago Fire took on the Red Bulls of New York in Major League Soccer. To my delight, they won their fourth game of the season (in contrast to their 13 ties...). If you want, you can catch the highlights here. However, to my disappointment, that night at Toyota Park was the 3rd Annual LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride Night. And the motto that Pride Night was pushing was "Love Is Louder," or more specifically, "Love Is Louder Than Homophobia"... (Translation: "It is unloving to openly disagree with a lifestyle that is proud to be homosexual." Obviously, I have some issues with this slogan.)

It was one of those games that I am glad that I watched on TV instead of going to the stadium. It would be hard to believe the Bible, claim to follow the God of the Bible, and give my cheers to open and public sin. What I see in the Bible is that God's design for marriage is: one man and one woman for life. According to Romans 1:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9, there is no question about whether or not God approves of homosexuality. He doesn't. And neither do I.

But (and this is a VERY BIG BUT), while homosexuality is clearly a sin, so is porn, divorce, and polygamy. In fact, these are all the same kind of sin: they are all distortions of God's beautiful design for marriage. Porn is just as much a distortion of God's beautiful design for marriage as living a lesbian lifestyle is; while a lesbian distorts it in a homosexual way, a porn-addict distorts it in a heterosexual way. With this in mind, I would avoid an LGBT Pride Night at Toyota Park just as much as I would a Porn Pride or Divorce Pride or Polygamy Pride night. This is not because I hate people who have committed such sins, and not because I think I am better (because I am the first to say that I am not), but because I cannot support open celebrations of clearly defined sin.

Let's stop for a moment.

This is what I NOT saying: I hate gay people, OR God hates gay people, OR it is wrong to openly accept gay people, OR I will never show love to a gay person, OR divorce is always avoidable. I am not saying that at all.

This is what I AM saying: an open celebration of any kind of sin is wrong, AND I will not openly support homosexuality, or porn, or divorce, or polygamy, AND though it is sometimes unavoidable, divorce is still a distortion of God's design for marriage.

Are you catching the distinction? Good.

The reason that I had such issues with Pride Night at Toyota Park was that I do not believe that it was the correct or helpful way to love people who are hurting (Yes, hurting. Remember that every choice is a result of previous circumstances.), or who are proud of their sins. They do not need encouragement to keep doing what they are doing, they need encouragement to run to Jesus. But unfortunately, Jesus is the last place they think to run because so often they are not loved by the church. In the church, we are so good at knowing who is wrong and who is right, but so bad at loving people regardless.

No, we shouldn't openly support the LGBT agenda, but yes, we should individually love each person who claims to be gay. Why? Because everybody struggles with sin. As Dr. Christopher Yuan, a former homosexual, so elegantly put it, "The opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality; the opposite of homosexuality is purity." And purity is something that even heterosexual people struggle with.

I long for the day when a gay person feels just as welcome to come into the walls of a church a divorced person does. I long for the day when the church will show individualized and intentional love to a gay person just as much as they will to a porn-addict.

I end with this challenge from John 8:1-11. When a woman caught in sin of a sexual nature was brought before Jesus, he responded to all the fierce accusations and pleas for her stoning with one line that will ring through the ages: "He who is without sin among you, cast the first stone." Then he said to her, when no one stood up to condemn her anymore, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." It is this same challenge that I challenge you to ponder. Whoever is reading this who has never lusted after a woman or man, has never been divorced, has never been given over to gluttony, or has never been consumed with their own image can be the first to judge a gay person. But if no one stands up, we must accept the truth that our love for people who claim to be gay will always be louder than our theology, robust as it may be.

Love will always be louder than our theology because you cannot argue with the fact that Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8) and that Jesus will be happier with more people in heaven than how many people were correct about some points of theological minutia.