YES!!  The answer is yes.  Dylann Roof is an example of not only wanting to hate, but acting on his hate.

YES!! The answer is yes.  The call to love from scripture would logically mean that there is an opposite emotion and action and hate fills that bill.

YES!! It is why Jesus preached against anger on the Sermon on the Mount

YES!! It is why the KKK burns crosses, Westboro Baptist Church pickets funerals, abortion clinics are bombed, ISIS beheads innocent unarmed people, and why people in America that are part of the LGBT community are scared and reluctant to share who they are really.

Does Anyone Really Want to Hate?
Is Hate truly prevalent in our world?

The answer is YES!! and I'm not sure that, that answer changes this side of heaven.

Okay Michael, let's just pack it up and quit trying to be what we are not.

Hold on.

Does anyone really want to love?
Is Love truly prevalent in our world?

The answer is YES!!  And I know for a fact that, that answer will never change.

One thing I truly know is that only one of these can drive the other out.  God will never be exterminated!  However, evil can be and it will be done with love.

Hate + Hate = oppressive darkness that in turn breeds more hate.

LOVE>HATE

My challenge for those on Social Media and claim Jesus as their savior and participate in a weekly offering of worship and service with a community of faith:  Drive out hate with LOVE!  Post only positive and loving things for a week.  LOVE PEOPLE more than country, flags, history, debates, principles, politics, news outlets, engaging articles, and even your favorite blog.  

There was a ton of hate in the world when Jesus walked the streets.  He focused on LOVE.  And we can too!

Just like hate is a choice, so is LOVE! 

CHOOSE JESUS!
CHOOSE LOVE!

Love the energy of this song, not to mention we sometimes forget the Holy Spirit

After the events last week from Charleston and from two recent sermons I have had this thought.  Yesterday I preached out of James about "hearing and doing."  It was a sermon planned months ago as part of the series I am in right now, I Heart My Church.  After the tragedy of a racist shooter killing Christians at their prayer and Bible study time, do you not mention that event while challenging your church to not only hear and absorb, but hear and put their faith into practice.  Also, recently as part of this same series I spoke about children and their value to the church now, not just our future investment.  Children came to Jesus and he would not deny them.  In fact, what he did next was AMAZING!! (see what I did there)  He blessed them.  And by taking the time to bless them, he valued them and today children can teach us and bless us just as much if not more as we do them.  You can find those sermons here.

Today I was reminded of something one of my 7 year old sons said back in February.  He said, "God created us and created us to be friends."  So here I find myself being taught, blessed, and reminded of a great truth.  God created us to be friends.  And when placing that thought up against murder, hate, abuse, neglect, addiction, greed, and just meanness I find truth in that we were created for more.

I think that is why it feels so empty to me to come to worship assembly on Sunday and get filled emotionally, spiritually, and if there is a potluck; physically.  Later it just feels empty.  It's not because I'm depressed.  It's not because I have some God-sized hole in me.  It's not because I have a terrible memory.  It's not because Sunday is fake.  It is because we were created for more.

We were created for more than just hearing.

We were created for more than critique and complaining.

We were created for more than political arguments.

We were created for more than survival.

My son is right.  We were created to be friends.  We were created for relationship.  We were created to share in relationship with God and then to mirror his love to everyone else. 

Living out our New Creation, our New Self is not an immediate change.  It is a process or as I like to say a journey.

What "more" were you created to pursue?

I cannot imagine the horror that has fallen on the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (read story here), the community of Charleston, and then the greater community of Christians all around the world.  I am pierced with sadness and grief.  No, I don't know anyone that was part of this tragedy.  But I'm a pastor, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, and a Christian.  This should make those of us who call upon Jesus as our savior and talk about brothers and sisters in Christ mournful as part of our greater family has experienced such loss.  And I guess why this happens to really cause me sadness and reflection is because it happened at a church, while members were studying and in fellowship together.

I don't want to take up too much space with words, because there are no words, no sermons, no pontificating that will make this more bearable.  This is a tragedy!  So I call on all who read this blog or my Facebook posts, etc. to pray.  Pray for the families of those who have suffered loss.  Pray for the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Pray for Charleston.  Pray for followers of Jesus.  Pray that the shooter is found.  Pray that people can be reminded that we live in the unshakeable Kingdom of God even when tragedy strikes.  Pray that those who have suffered loss can grieve and mourn and be surrounded by love and care from others.  And if you cannot pray any of those things, just say the Lord's prayer:

Our Father in Heaven
Holy be Your Name
Your Kingdom come
Your Will be done
on Earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our debts
As we have also forgiven our debtors
And lead us not into temptation 
But deliver us from the evil one
For Yours is the Kingdom 
And the power and the glory
Forever, Amen!

Ever since the day I heard this song, I have claimed it.  I love this song and usually if I'm working and it comes on my Pandora station, I pause my work to just soak it in. 

Last Thursday (June 11) I celebrated my 29th baptismal anniversary.  It's amazing the amount of things I remember from that day.  I really couldn't tell you the sermon preached and I'm not 100% of who preached that sermon.  I was at Camp Peach Valley in Texas.  At the time it was just summer camp for kids to me.  And in fact, I would never return to that particular camp as a camper.  I grew up in the church and have been on a path with Jesus for 38 years plus, but on this particular day I made a choice to own that path.  Of course I would need the guidance of my parents, brother, grandparents, other family, and church family but the restorative power of Jesus had now entered me.  In typical fashion for our tradition of the time at the end of the sermon was a call to come to the front of the open-air pavilion for prayer, re-dedication to God, repentance of sin, or baptism.  Why Wednesday for me was any different than the previous two days I'm not sure but on Wednesday I went to the front.  I made it known to one of the adults that I wanted to be baptized.  So when all of us that had come to the front were spoken with and notes were made we, as a camp, went to the pool for the baptisms.  That night I was one of 18 baptized at camp.  On my way to the pool a bee decided to run into my thigh and sting me.  As I stand in line waiting my turn many thoughts entered my mind.  I was pretty anxious since I had (still do) a phobia of water over my head.  My thigh was throbbing and even though this was something that I had been thinking about for months, uncertainty began to set in.   I stood on the side and watched the other 17 go into the pool, go down under the water, and rise up out of the water.  And yet, I stood there a bit frozen.  They gave a last call and some of me was content to let this pass.  Fortunately, my brother knew my fears and understood my heart and pushed me forward and said, "Michael hasn't gone yet, and he went forward to be baptized."  I felt a little flushed and with noticeable embarrassment on my face I walked forward and into the water. My teacher and counselor that week, Jim, asked me if I believed in Jesus and if I was willing to give my life to Him.  I said emphatically, "YES!"  I covered my nose and went under the water. 

A few years earlier I had fallen off a pier and didn't know how to swim.  My eyes were open as I struggled in the salty water to get my body back to the surface.  Even though my dad reached for me, he missed.  In fact, he missed twice.  On my third time down into the water I took one last look around and everything was murky and dark and chaotic.  There was no peace and death seem certain to me.  And as I said my final goodbye to the world my dad swooped one last time grabbing me by the back of my shirt and throwing me onto the pier.  I lived, but forever scarred.

 So now I am under the water again and my eyes are open.  All I see is light.  All I feel is peace.  There is a hope in the waters of baptism.  There is life in Jesus. 

 I came up out of the water a new creation.  And although I have been far from perfect, I live for the perfect one.  I didn't know everything there was to know about Jesus, the Bible, or faith and I still don't.  But for 29 years I have had the tremendous experience of a journey with Christ that has shaped my life and hopefully helped shape the lives of those around me.  I'm looking forward to the big 3-0 next year.

There was a raging sea and while mass panic had filled the boat and a handful of experienced fisherman were doing all they could to save the boat, the crew, and themselves, they realize someone is missing.  They go to furiously wake him and claim he needs to do his part before they all drown.  At that moment they had no idea what he could do.  Maybe they wanted him to help tie the boat together or throw some cargo overboard or maybe even just have the knowledge that they are all about to perish before he finds himself wet in a watery grave.  But this is Jesus.   He rises from his slumber and says, “Peace, be still!”  To everyone’s astonishment the last reverberation of the words pierce through the wind, chop down the waves and the entire sea becomes calm.  “Why are you so scared? Where is your faith?”

Fear for them had not been just a misplaced or panic button emotion; it was a secondary operating system for their lives.  And who could blame them.  When life was starting to make sense an engaging rabbi comes around and calls them to follow Him.  They leave what they know to the unknown and they are disoriented.  And even at this moment when some are in their zone, their happy place.  They are in a boat on the water.  No crowds, no invalids, no study sessions, and no opposition.  It is just them, the open waters, and the peace that is restoring their soul.

Who knows maybe the minds of these disciples began to wander.  Maybe they were experience a reorientation but on the wrong thing.  Maybe they looked out on those waters and began designing a bumper sticker for their donkey, “I’d rather be fishing.”  Maybe the idea of complacency was a greater comfort than what Jesus was calling them to with this new Kingdom business.  And there it is; fear!  Fear operating in them through a Jonah sized vision to return, rather than press on into the unknown.  But before they can even get halfway to the other side and have their plan etched in stone, a squall evolves.  Fear due to complacency and fear of the unknown has now been replaced with fear of the known.  A fear some of them knew too well.  A fear of wind, rain, and water that would destroy any new promise.  And just when it seems right to wake the teacher so all can die knowingly, he vanquishes the storm in its entirety, with two command, “Peace, be still!”

The call to faith wasn’t simply about the squall on the sea.  The call to faith was allow God’s call on their life be the chief operating system.  Jesus is trying to destroy the spyware of fear.  This calming of the storm is an event that happens toward the beginning of their journey with Jesus.  Fear of complacency, unknown, physical dangers, spiritual woes have no dominion over the Messiah.

Today is no different.  We cannot allow fear of complacency or unknown distract us from the purpose God has laid out for his children.  It’s okay to be scared when we hear the word cancer, when we shake uncontrollably from withdrawal, when our marriage begins to tank, when our children make terrible choices, when our church seems shallow or distant, or when death and grief turn us upside down.  It’s not okay to wake The Christ simply to help you hold the boat you’re in together.  Wake him with faith in your heart that He can say the words, “Peace, be still!” 

There is more to this life than the results of our particular circumstances or crises. Faith in God does not bring you a guarantee of health and wealth.  It does, however, bring you out of fear and darkness into a marvelous light that along with a faithful community will hold you up during the strangest and most difficult periods of life.  But my real hope is that operating with faith over fear will motivate us as his people to stop wishing for complacent, easy answers to a life in Christianity and instead will move us to risk ourselves for Kingdom purposes and relationships with other believers and ultimately with our Triune God.

This is really a huge question that I could dedicate a book, blog, speaking engagements, and really my life to talking about and never reach all its depth.  The reason I bring it up today in my blog is because we had a great discussion in our Wednesday Night Adult Class last night and this idea surfaced.  Our class is right at the end of one topic and we are already in summer mode (read everyone gone all the time).  So the deacon of education at our church and myself held a discussion with the adult group about what we want the hour on Wednesday night to do.  I tried not to use the word class, because that already begins to frame and give boundary to the discussion.  I love the heart of this group and in true fashion much of the core of that group was in attendance last night.  And to their surprise our deacon, Chris, provided ice cream and toppings.

As we discussed what to do with that class many themes came about but as I continue to process the discussion it seems one major theme resulted, encouragement.  Some find encouragement in Bible study, some in prayer, some in testimonials, and others in various other things.  It also seems that providing a meal would be a good step for providing fellowship, encouragement, and help with those families that are time bound on Wednesday evenings.  There may not be a silver bullet in all of this to enliven the people or grow the numerical group, but I think the discussion and the suggestions proved something to me that I have long thought.

In the tradition of protestantism that I am affiliated with (Churches of Christ) we tend to make every meeting time about studying the Bible.  There isn't anything wrong with studying the Bible.  And in fact, my tradition has been pretty good at it and I appreciate that piece of our heritage.  However, when I read the gospels I cannot help but see that there is much more going on in the life of Jesus than just him teaching and others studying scrolls.  Yes, Jesus is Rabbi.  He is a teacher.  He also through relationship helped others not just learn about God, but experience Him as well.

Our gatherings should be more than just academies of learning.  They should be like the first church and Jesus' example of being communities that are experiencing God together.  Some err on the side of using earth to cram for Heaven's final exam.  I want to err on the side of living for Jesus and experiencing His love.  I personally want to use my time on Earth to proclaim with my life who Jesus is and live out the same principles he lived while here on Earth. It doesn't make learning wrong, no, in fact it simply fulfills the learning that needs to be done.  

I look forward to what Wednesday evenings will become at our congregation.  I truly enjoy living in community with other followers of Jesus and growing in our response to the Almighty.  

This is one of my favorites right now.  The musicality and the words are moving to me and speak to my soul.

Sometimes I wonder if I preach and teach too much about love.  It seems as soon as I have that one thought, another thing goes viral on social media that once again proves we need more love.  And really when I say we need more love, I really mean we need more God, "because God is love." (1 John 4:8)


What happened to love?

Is Love (and from here on out I mean God's kind of unconditional love) become some kind of theological unicorn that only exists in provocative sermons?  Has Love become a religious notion and quick answer only to be given because we simply cannot wrap our arms around any better solution that would seem more tangible and practical?  Has Love become so muddled within Christianity because we cannot get along that the world is screened from its brilliance?  Or from another angle, has our world bowed so heavily to the god of media that we refuse to tell the stories that encompass Love because watching people of violence and meanness feeds our carnal self and all its desires?

 
Wow, what a load in these questions.  Sorry I don’t have the answers.  I can be rather honest though.  Love as spoke about as God is real.  I don’t care if you love unicorns and want to be one, one day they aren’t real.  Love is!  Even if it only existed once, it still existed and therefore can perpetuate.  Unlike the Greek mythical gods that held powers that humans could never posses, God gives us access to his gifts and power through the Holy Spirit (that’s a churchy sentence that needs to be unpacked some at a later time). Love exists as God because God chose to send Jesus or Immanuel and through an act of unconditional, self-less Love he was sacrificed as one for the many.  We not only have the greatest example of Love, but we have also become recipients of Love.  And whether you believe it or not it still exists; it is still true.

 
Love is sometimes really intangible.  And when I preach Love as a solution or God’s desired action for us it feels empty.  It feels this way, not because Love is empty or shallow, but because I, as a human, feel so distant from really engaging in this kind of true love.  I have actually had the criticism that I have preached too much love and not enough about sin and its destruction. Really?!  What happened to love?

 
It pains me to see the stories of law enforcement and civilians’ inability to coexist peacefully.  I’m not choosing a side. And that isn’t the point of what I want to say.  My point is that the chances that all those involved (law enforcement and civilians) in Baltimore, Ferguson, New York, and McKinney are atheist is slim to none.  Those behaving badly, making terrible choices, rioting, over-exercising authority and power, vandalizing, fighting, shooting, killing, protecting, and calling for peace are most-likely those who believe in God, profess Jesus as savior, and are linked to all other believers through the Holy Spirit.  There are Christians on every side (because there are more sides than just two) of these situations and issues.  This is why I have felt almost constant spiritual pain in the last months as racial tensions have risen, social media outbursts fill my feed, and diversity of principles and thought has become cause for bashing, judgment, slander, and self-righteous ranting.  We are Christians who are divided on politics, principles, values, theology, worship practices, ideas of heaven/hell, and even whether or not God is one or one in three.  Many of our forefathers saw the diversity in us as a chance to be a more well rounded body of Christ when we all come together.  Now we it seems we have followed the ways of the world and keep trying to Photoshop out the parts we don’t want on the cover.  Do you know what holds Christians from all different backgrounds, lifestyles, and theological persuasions together?  LOVE!  What happened to love?

 
Media has become a quick target for many.  I recently watched a special on the Oprah channel (don’t judge me).  She was interviewing Tom Brokaw for the show Oprah’s Master Class and during the interview he talked about how journalism and media has changed.  When he first started on TV it was about being the first one to get the story out.  Now with technology and self-journalism carried around in everyone’s pocket the objective with at least TV journalism today is not necessarily to be the first, but to tell the most compelling story.  And here we are.  We want desperately to hear a good story and the stories that we will listen to are defining what a good story may sound like.  If you look at the statistics in 2014 70% of Americans describe themselves as Christian.  There is 22% almost 23% who seem themselves as unaffiliated with any religion, but only 3% is atheist.  (from pew research click here for article I used)  So who is listening and shaping the stories.  I have a difficult time believing that the 3% atheist are wagging the dog of media so we all hear media driven away from Love (which is also an awful assumption that just because someone is atheist that they aren’t after Love).  Christians are still by far the majority, so before we go blaming media for the stories we hear we should pay close attention to those 3 fingers pointing back and that speck in our own eye.  If we continue to be amused and entertained by stories of hate, evil, violence, and disturbing content, then that is what will continue to be produced.  It may be pie in the sky but if we cry out for stories of Love then the tide will begin to turn.  What happened to love?

 
As I close I give this challenge.  Quit blaming everything and everyone else for what is going on in our world.  While, Satan is active, he has no dominion over God’s people unless we allow it.  Violence and racism could cease if overrun by Love.  As Christians we need to take responsibility for the world, country, state, town, community in which we live.  Not so we can force-feed Jesus down the throats of anyone that we see as a threat to God and His kingdom (as if that is even possible), but so we can become LOVE.  And remember when we become Love to others, we become a vessel of God to them.