Pray for Pacific Islands

Waves 20 feet high have literally swept what is believed to be at least 100 people into eternity yesterday in the Pacific Islands. I got the news from Pete while eating a Smores at their home last night.

God empower your church to reach out in compassion that's stronger than 8.0 in magnitude and higher than 20 foot waves. Shine the light of Christ and him crucified for your glory in the hearts of thousands.

"Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; let them praise his deeds in the coastlands (Is. 42:12)."

Trying to Cast a Net in Fish Express...

I don't know if I should have gone further or not--but I definitely felt both the tug of the Lord to get out of my comfort zone as well as His grace to greet the lady next to me waiting for her to-go order today at Fish Express.

My mind was busy thinking about other things and I could tell she was in a hurry too.

"Is it slower today than usual?" [legit question--really was slow]

"Yeah...it's very slow today..."

"I sometimes meet people for lunch here--I serve as a pastor in a church and our offices are in the building across the street." [hoping for a door to open in the conversation here]

"yep." [no go. I didn't have much else to say here]

It seemed like all the elements were there for an opportunity for the gospel, but the conversation never really got off the ground. Maybe I should have been more bold, but this is how it goes sometimes.

Leave Myopia

You know what it's like to be nearsighted or myopic?

The other day I found myself in an Autozone picking up some parts. As I walked up to the counter I was aware of my coldness toward the young man at the counter. Well, let's be honest. I was not aware of my coldness at all. I saw a guy that was not like me in many ways--and to be honest--in that moment--I didn't particularly like him. Yep. The Pharisees got nothing on my spiritual maturity (Luke 18:11). There you go. It's the backward forest my heart often retreats to. The caverns of tunnel-vision. The hills of self-preservation and short-sightedness.

Myopia.

In the mercy of God I had to go back to the same shop in less than 30 minutes for a different part. The thought crossed my mind, "is there a second chance here?"

I wish I could say that upon seeing the young man the second time waves of bubbly love swept over my soul like a Journey song but I'd be lying. As I got the part from the young man and went to pay I didn't feel different about him. Nothing seemed to change until I decided to climb what felt like the high dive and could feel my need for God.

"Hey, here's an invitation to our church--we'd love to have you sometime." [wanted to leave it there]

[and for the dive] "...and this booklet talks about what I live to tell people--that Jesus died for me and rose from the dead." [not that clear...a bit choppy]

I'm not sure what happened in the young man's heart, but as he took the lit and thanked me, something happened in me. Suddenly, unexpectedly, and subtly I could see his eyes for the first time. My ears could hear his voice. My mind could think about his family--his sister he mentioned living with nearby. He became a guy with a story complete with his own dreams, hurts, and needs--most of all the need for Jesus.

He suddenly became very much like me.

I want the picture of his eyes to burn off the frost that collects like cataracts on my own. Jesus gave his life away to free me from myself and give me power to walk in His reconciling love and away from joyless self-interest. He lives in me to empower me to leave my kingdom and live for His.

For the eyes of tomorrow--let's exodus Myopia and get on with it...

What is Faith?

Let Peter describe the essence of saving faith...

And though you have not seen him, you love him, and though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).

There are 3 things Peter describes in these two verses as aspects of the word "faith" and they all relate to the activities of the heart in relation to the invisible King and Savior Jesus.

1. You love him (v. 8)

2. You believe in him (v. 8)

3. You rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory in him (v. 8)

Peter assumes all those activities are involved in some measure in "your faith." No wonder it's a miracle. No wonder only God the Spirit deposited in us can pull this off. No wonder we need to recover this understanding of faith and share with the world that it desperately needs God's own power in them to produce a faith of love, belief, and joy in the living Christ to be saved forever.

It's Free...Really...

The small groups (called Care Groups) in our church have leaders called Evangelism Coordinators that serve their group by keeping up prayer for lost friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers along with organizing outreaches into the community.

To conclude our orientation for the new "EC"s on Saturday we split up in teams of two and went to high traffic areas around town to give away $1 McDonalds coupons attached to a "How Good are You?" booklet that has information about our church. The goal was not to get into as many long conversations as possible, or to bait and switch, but to give them something for free as an expression of the free offer of God's love in Christ and in hopes of generating some "wow" which could lead to a conversation about the gospel.

Me and a friend named Will stood outside of the front of the mall and fanned out $1 coupons and said, "hey, free coupons to McDonalds if you're interested...grab a sweat tea or ice cream." As easy and fun as it was, I was still in need of grace. I find getting "out there" and doing anything in the name of outreach is like throwing on a Halloween costume--you know it will be fun--but you still have to get comfortable with it and make it your own.

It's amazing how easy it was to do, as well as how many folks assumed a catch at first glance. "Free" doesn't mean free in a consumer culture. Some folks were just plain suspicious. I don't blame them. I'm usually in lock-down "robot" mode when I see dudes passing out stuff. But the majority of people were surprised and thankful. Helping to demonstrate what "free" means can be a great avenue for communicating the love of Christ.

It took only 30 minutes and made a great memory as well as opened up several conversations about the gospel.

Find something to give away to folks and tell someone today...

Dude Looked Like a Lady

Okay, so I'm sitting in Starbucks at Main and Teel yesterday in the second notch of Bible Belting suburban Frisco doing some planning when a guy walked in wearing a yellow dress and a purse.

No joke.

He wasn't a dude trying to pass as a female. He was a guy in a dress getting coffee. He strolled in with as cavalier a demeanor as the cable guy on the second day. I moved my eyes around the shop to see if anyone seemed shocked, embarrassed, startled, or anything.

Not even a ruffle or nervous giggle.

I just wanted to pop my head up and say, "dude---help me understand--why?" But I just stared at my computer as if we were in downtown San Francisco at the Jamba Juice and this is normal. He got his coffee and left as Tuesday afternoon as it gets.

There are a couple of things that make me thankful for the guy in the yellow dress. Here they are...

1. Thank you for coming clean. We live in a very moralistically blurry area indeed. Unless this was a dare or something you seem to be showing your stripes. You love the world. We get it. You haven't left us wondering if the allegiance of your heart is with Jesus Christ, or the world that He's made. It's very easy for folks to hide their true allegiance and their primary love in a melting pot of affluence, churches, causes, and family values. I don't know you yellow dress man, but if that's for real--what you communicate is an honesty of your heart in what can be a synthetic carnival of shadows.

2. Thank you for rebuking me. I so rarely get asked the fundamental question I want to ask you, "why?" I want to ask you the reason why you're driven--even in the face certain opposition and suffering--towards that decision? Why does hopelessness seem to beget more courage than hope? Peter says the normal Christian life can at times be described as "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15)." I'm not saying that you wearing a dress on Tuesday afternoon doesn't have an obvious advantage to a Christian being faithful in his cubicle week after week, but it does beg the question, "where does my allegiance to Jesus make those around me ask, what in the world is up with that guy--what is the reason for the hope that he has?"

Pray for the yellow dressed man--and for us to out-hope, out-rejoice the promises of the world by the hope that is in us...

Next Door Neighbor...

Yesterday I was getting out of my car and my neighbor across the street came over and said hello. He told me he just lost his job and has begun looking for a new one.

I was able to pray for him and was thankful that he told me. Moreover, I was thankful that the Lord gave me the courage to walk across the street and meet him a few weeks ago. At the time it felt awkward but the Lord gave grace. I've never read Bill Hybel's book "Just a Walk Across the Room" but the title alone challenges my unbelief.

There are untold numbers of relationships the Lord is eager to give us if we respond to His leading.

Assume Nothing...

I was in Autozone again yesterdy getting a battery recharged. Part 9 of Lessons from the Nissan. It was not busy and I talked to a very nice older man who I've seen in the store before. As he was charging my battery we chatted about my car, his family, and the weather.

I was aware that the conversation had gone well and I was equally aware that I didn't want it not to. My flesh was resisting the Spirit's desire to to move the direction of the conversation to the eternal big time. Nothing new--typical garden variety fear of man. I never look the part in Autozone as it is and I didn't want to be considered a foolish zealot to the men there.

As I walked around the store texting I thought about the fact that the guys at the counter will one day stand before Jesus as supreme Reality. On that day nobody is going to wish we had talked about him less--no matter how poorly we got the words out--or how foolish we felt.

I asked the man if he went to a church somewhere. He looked surprised but not as surprised as I was about to be. From the bottom of my heart I assumed he didn't go anywhere. So goes my hunches.

"well...I go to the LDS church in Denton."

Surprised, I asked, "wow...so you've been a Mormon for several years...were you raised a Mormon?"

"no...32 years ago a Mormon missionary knocked on our door. Seemed like the right thing for my wife and I to do. Our kids have all done missionary work. Our church is busting at the seems and we're needing to build."

[waves of sinking feelings come on me when I hear of happy news like this]

We talked briefly about how their services go on Sunday and that our church meets across the street from the church in Frisco he referenced. The battery was handed back to me charged and he had some other customers and our conversation ended. As a parting word from a sensed interest from me he said, "you should come and visit sometime...see you later."

In a terribly awkward way of saying goodbye I squeaked out, "Thanks. I might do that."

If he could read the thought bubble above my head the sentences would have said something like...

"I mean that. I would like to visit but never to listen for one moment to a gospel that promises a jesus that is not equal with the Father--a jesus that is created and who is simply us at our best. I would like to visit and tell everyone that there is freedom from the cozy bars of blind legalism--of emotionalism--of subjective stirrings based not on truth--of the treadmill of religious performance--of a heaven and no hell--of the lies of the devil who would seek to cloud you from the truth of the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). I would like a chance to dare everyone to read the Bible on their own and come away with any sense that the Bible leaves open the possibility of new revelation to come, or a future restoration. I would like to see the Jesus written of by the Apostles be bowed down to like Thomas when he looks at the resurrected Christ and declares "my Lord, and my God (John 20:28)"--to see whole groups of families discover freedom and joy in being saved by the works of Another and declare Joseph Smith as a false prophet who wandered from the faith and renounce any other means to God except personal trust alone in Christ alone of the Bible alone."

Pray that we will see Mormons come to faith in Christ through our witness in Frisco. Pray that the love of Christ from the church would be a compelling voice to the revelation of Christ in his word. God burns for his prodigal sons and daughters.

Again. Assume nothing in reaching out to people. Let's tell people the news they've never heard.