A Trending topic right now in our country is that Fred Phelps the once-leader of the Westboro Baptist Church is on his deathbed.  If you aren't familiar with this church, you might know them by some of the outcry against them in recent years.  This is the organization that has tried to disrupt funerals through picketing.  These are funerals of fallen soldiers.  They have also held a staunch stand against those who are or are friendly towards the LGBTQ community.  The group is considered a "Hate Group" and is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League.   I wrote, "once-leader" because it is said by his estranged children that he was excluded (excommunicated or thrown out) from membership of the Westboro Baptist Church.  The group continues to spread hate and there has been no turn from these ideals that we have heard or seen from Phelps.

And now he is under hospice care and possibly in his last days.  Many things are being written by Christians and thought leaders regarding this man, his opinions, and what to do with him now that he is dying.  I'll be honest that I haven't read all of it and frankly choose not to spend my time reading all of it.  I have read one post on the matter by Jonathan Storment.  I like many of the things that Jonathan is saying here. (click the word "here" to read his post).  Jonathan focuses on the God is has more GOOD to offer than the HATE the world can offer.  I think he's right about that.  God is not light on sin, but he never hates people, only acts of unrighteousness that are so prevalent in our broken world.

So how do we respond to the hate in the world.  I think it is really simple to say, but hard to live.  The answer of course is love.  What does love look like in this instance.  Well if we have had anything to say about the sins of Phelps or WBC, maybe we should be willing to pray for those that will be affected by his death.  Maybe we can pray for a revival of love in this situation.  We might need to combat the evil and hate presented by sharing the truth and the gospel (good news) and the love rather than exploiting the hate of others with our own "righteous" hate.  And please be honest, that there is hate all around us.  Sometimes it comes in the form of those picketing a soldiers funeral or the bombing of an abortion clinic or injuring or killing others because of their sexual orientation.  And other times it comes in the form of writing a vindictive email or Facebook post about those who hate or gossiping about others in your church.  Maybe there is also hate towards those doing good, because people are simply jealous of what someone else may be doing.  What we prescribe for one hate, should be the prescription for any other hate.

I prescribe God, His love, His Son, grace, mercy, reconciliation, restoration, kindness, faithfulness, and the Holy Spirit.

I'll end with this story:

One morning during my junior year in High School one of my friends, I'll call him John, was beaten by a gang at our school.  John was funny and ran his mouth at others in order to get the laugh.  He was pretty harmless, but could make you mad if you didn't get him.  So one day John ran his mouth at another friend of ours, Carlos.  Carlos was humiliated in front of some of his other gang members and didn't like the joke.  He and his gang friends confronted John.  John did what most testosterone-induced adolescent males do and stood up to him.  That didn't end up going well.  Carlos took John down and he and his gang began to beat John and kick john not relenting.  John's friend, Tim, had a front-row seat and was witnessing the senseless beating of his friend.  He loved his friend and knowing that this could end up being fatal did the only thing he could do against an angry gang in the midst of the typical fight mob of a high school that takes place.  Tim chose the most vulnerable part of John's body, his head and face and laid his own body over John.  Now all of those kicks and fists were buffered from John's face and head to Tim's body.  The fight was broken up and thankfully my friend John survived.  It would be weeks before he could return to school due to the extent of his injuries, but he did return...saved by peaceful love.

Tim taught all of us that day what it means to love and be the presence of love in the midst of hate.  We who believe in Jesus Christ and have confidence in the Spirit over the flesh will be willing to throw ourselves into the barrage of hate and absorb it, so that the intended target will only feel the repercussions of the love that exudes from the sacrifice of love.  That sacrifice is the ultimate stand against hate.  It is when Christ dies on a cross so that hate becomes rendered powerless and love conquers all.  The cross is the ultimate symbol of how love can overcome hate.  An instrument of the Roman government to torture criminals to death, becomes the place where hate and sin are tortured and decimated forevermore.  And on the third day when the sun rises, death lost its sting and life...a life of love has become the new way...the ONLY way!

What do we do with hate?  We don't become hate toward those who hate. We allow the Love, who is God, to conquer it once and for all!

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”   -Matthew 3:16-17

This has to be one of my favorite texts in the entire Bible.  It does quite a few things that affirm who Jesus was claimed to be and His connection to God.  There are actually two connections being made from Jesus to God.  First, the text is making it clear that Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus is connected to God through a divine relationship.  God conceived and birthed Jesus from the beginning.  The other connection made is actually best seen in Luke’s retelling of this exceptional event.  As soon as Luke reports the fact that Jesus was baptized, he goes into Jesus of Nazareth’s entire genealogy.  Here is the second connection.  Not only is Jesus connected to God through divine means, but also through human means as well.  It was prophesied that the Messiah would come from the lineage of King David.  Luke actually traces Jesus back to Adam, the first human that God created.  Matthew, appealing to his mainly Jewish audience, feels that linking Jesus to Abraham is quite sufficient.  What the authors are doing for their audience is making this plain and simple.  Jesus is the real Son of God and He is fully human and fully divine.  His entire life from this point on will be helping those who choose to follow to pursue God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength. 

The importance of this text cannot be more implicit.  The fact that this is the only place in scripture where God the father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all together at the same time evokes a second, third, fourth, and one hundredth look.  God, while being one has projected himself three ways to His people and in every way God is pursuing ALL people.

 “The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” -Jesus Mark 1:15


These are the first words that Jesus utters in Mark's gospel.  Since I think that words are important:  written and said, I find it fascinating what words in scripture are spoken by different people first, last, or at some significant happening.  You can learn so much about someone that way.  Like when the transfiguration is happening all around Peter and he says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  It says that when Peter is in awe and doesn't know what to say, he can say some silly things.  Sometimes Peter just sticks his foot in his mouth.  

In this instance Jesus has been adequately marketed by John and people are intrigued by John's proclamation and who this Jesus might really be.  Jesus is baptized and then sent to the wilderness to be tempted.  When he returns Mark shares these words as his first.

Jesus' first words are really intriguing aren't they?  There is no small talk.  Mark's gospel is fast and gets down to business.  There is no birth narrative, it is only 16 chapters (smallest of all four gospels), and he uses the word immediately as much as Jesus' name (that may be a bit of an overstatement).  So Jesus gets down to business.  He makes a bold statement that the time has come.  That long awaited time that the Jewish people had been longing for is now here.  Their new king has arrived.  Even in their excitement of wanting to listen to Jesus, they have no idea what he is really getting at by this statement.  God is ready to reign and Jesus will become the way for that to take place.  He has come to fulfill the story of God from the time of creation to God choosing his people, to the Exodus, to the judges, kings, and prophets, now to the ultimate king.  They will look for a king like Saul that will lead them into battle and destroy in order to reign.  What they have received though is a lamb that will be slaughtered so that once and for all the wall of hostility between God and His people can be broken down.  There will be no need of annual sacrifices or baptisms, just a need for dedication and following the one sacrifice, Jesus.

Jesus calls on his audience to repent and believe the good news.  It is time for the people to not just dip in the water to release themselves of guilt for the sins they have committed only to do it again, but to really turn away from sin, false gods, distractions, and purposeless life.  Jesus comes with this message right on the heels of being tempted by Satan to a point of spiritual exhaustion where he needed angels to attend to him.  He preaches what he understands, that while it is a difficult struggle to turn away from temptation and sin, it is the only way to truly live.  While the temptation and sin might feel good temporarily in the end you have handed your soul over to Satan and you will become a slave to him and his schemes.  Turn and choose the Lord and you might miss on what this temporary world has to offer, but you will gain the Spirit's insight into an unending joy that wells up from the divine.

You can only do this if you believe the gospel.  This isn't some flimsy kind of belief as if you are simply acknowledging something as a possible truth, but this the kind of belief where you are willing to stake everything you have on it.  Jesus will test this belief with the crowds, the disciples, the apostles, and the future church.  Some will express their flimsy faith when they walk out on him (John 6) and some will have their lives ended because of their rock solid faith (Stephen, Acts 7).  The belief that Jesus is calling them to with this proclamation is not to gather a following as much as it is to direct them back to the Father and give themselves back to the one who has done so much for them by rescuing them and choosing them and who will soon sacrifice his son for them.

But what is Jesus calling them to when he says, "gospel"?  What is the gospel?  Throughout church history we have taken this term gospel and have done our best to simplify it so that it could easily be preached and received. So the pioneer and frontier preachers during revivals simplified the gospel to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  It's not a false gospel, but maybe the fuller gospel could be more helpful in our understanding of God and His mission from beginning to end.  I would encourage you to read King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight for a fuller understanding of the gospel.  But basically his claim and a claim that I completely agree with is that the gospel is not just the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Rather the gospel is Jesus being the complete fulfillment of Israel's story and promise from God that culminates itself in Jesus' sacrifice and God's power over death through resurrection.  And I believe that, that gospel will find itself being told until the Holy Spirit brings it to completion when God restores all things and has his son return.

So when Jesus comes from the wilderness and addresses the crowd he says:  
 “The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

And he is still addressing us with these words today!

I asked the boys not too long ago in one of our car rides about commitment.  I used Jesus' parable changed a bit.

To the Boys: 
There were two dads.  Dad #1 told his son that he would be at his baseball game that night and cheer him on.  Dad #2 told his son (who was on the same team) that he wouldn't be able to make the game that night because of work.  That night when the game came Boy #1 looked for Dad #1, but Dad #1 never showed up for the game and wasn't there to cheer him on.  Boy #2 went up to the plate during his turn to bat and heard a familiar voice cheering him on, he looked around and found Dad #2 in the crowd.

Okay boys.  Which dad made the better choice.  

Boys:  Dad #2 (with great emphasis)

Then we had a brief but good conversation about promises and commitments.  We also talked about how our family values commitment and that when they play baseball this season, even if they tire quickly of it they will finish the season.  Then I was able to sneak into the conversation talk about being committed to Jesus and how we don't give up on Him and God even when things don't go our way in life. 

It was a fantastic conversation.  I have no doubt that it will open us up to more conversations about commitment and following Jesus.

Reality Check:
We got up to the front of the school car line and it was time for them to get out.  One of my boys seemed really sad.  What's wrong?  I'm nervous about playing baseball.  Oops, it was  a great conversation but in the end I made my son sad and nervous, ha!  You gotta love the highs and lows of parenting, even when they come within 30 seconds of one another.  But don't worry, on his way out of the car he hit himself in the face with the seatbelt and then began to cry.  Oh Boy!!!

Prayer of St. Patrick

As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,

the power of God uphold me,

the wisdom of God guide me.

May the eye of God look before me,

the ear of God hear me,

the word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me,

the way of God lie before me,

the shield of God defend me,

the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit,

Christ when I stand,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Amen

I have never minded being in front of a crowd.  At times I got nervous, but still loved the process of being a presenter.  It is still true for me today.  I love looking at a blank journal page or computer screen and coming up with just the right words, mental pictures, PowerPoint presentation, or video to show that will make that "one" idea come alive to those watching and listening.  It comes so naturally to me that I sometimes forget that not everyone enjoys this the way I do.  I believe that is because it is a gift from God.

There are things in your world that you really enjoy and have a hard time not doing, simply because it is what gives you purpose and great joy.  Is it possible that those are a gift from God.  You cannot help but share your possessions with those that are homeless or in great need.  Could it be you are gifted with the spiritual gift of giving?  Maybe you love to host people in your home or make the church more welcoming with flowers, the right decorations, or atmosphere.  Your gift could be hospitality.  How about one more example.  You love organization, delegation, and structuring things or people setting them up for success in any project.  Maybe you have the gift of leadership or administration.

God's is never in short supply of gifts.  He has given us eternal gifts such as salvation, grace, love, mercy, and hope.  And He has given us gifts that are for the purposes of His kingdom in this world such as teaching, leadership, hospitality, service, giving, prophecy, wisdom, faith, and encouragement.  God is doing a mighty work in you and it is for His Kingdom purposes and His glory

It would be good if you don't know already, to find out what your spiritual gifts are.  A quick google search for "Spiritual Gift Survey" will probably turn up enough results to help you out.  Take the survey and find out what your spiritual gifts are.  Then I would recommend sitting down with your minister or church leader to find out how you can use your gift in your local church and for your community.  

Spiritual gifts come from the roots of God's love and when they are used for His glory they result in the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22.  Pray about your gifts and then use them to His glory.

This coming year we will focus our attention to the idea of pursuing holiness, but pursuing God.  The word for our theme is “Elevate.”  This word was chosen to remind us that we elevate God, Jesus, Spirit, and Kingdom in all situations.  The tag line is, “The Pursuit of God.”  When we choose to elevate God, we are choosing to pursue Him.  And because of His great love for us, God is always pursuing His people as well.  So, we will choose to keep in front of us the idea of elevating God and so a holy pursuit begins.

Below are a few thoughts from scripture about the idea of elevate and the pursuit of God.  And following those thoughts are some ideas we have of how we can put our thoughts and prayers into action.  We look forward to hearing your ideas and feedback.  Blessings for 2014!

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

-Deuteronomy 6:4-9 

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, the first two sentences above were his reply.  This may have been one of the few times that those in power agreed with him.  The Israelites took this command very seriously and still today this command of God is passed down from one generation to the next.  This phrase from Deuteronomy is known as the “Shema.” This beginning of the most recited Jewish prayer was so important that it is also found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This one phrase put away the doubt of who God is and how we should respond.  God is one.  He is the only God.  He wasn’t saying that He was the only god we should have in our life.  He was saying that He was the only god that existed.  That means He is God, with a capital “G.”  Due to this text we have become monotheistic (only one God). This began with Israel into the time of Christ, to the apostles, and through the years to today.  Our response to the one true and only God is that we should love Him with our entire being.  Basically, God pursued a people he chose connected to the beginning of creation and in return asks for them to pursue Him with our whole self.  We don’t offer God only our heart or just our actions, but with every desire, passion, posture, and thought.  And it makes sense, because He is the one and only God! 

Right now South by Southwest (SXSW) is going on in Austin, TX.  It is a collection of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences.  Basically artists from all over are flocking to Texas' capital city to display and teach their talent and industry that is about creative arts.  This conference has been in existence since 1987 and has grown every year, but just recently became some kind of national household name.  It is pretty exciting to see and know how the arts are being celebrated.

I wish I had met the apostle Peter before he met Jesus and then been reunited with him once again before his death.  I would have loved to see the difference that Christ made in his life.  Jesus called him and after Jesus ascended into heaven and Peter continued in ministry, he never quit changing and looking more and more like Christ.

When we talk about our relationship with Jesus as a journey, we can quickly understand that we are not trying to reach perfection here on Earth.  That will come in the end.  We are trying for something different here.  It would be a mistake to see our relationship with Jesus as one-sided where we ask and take and Jesus does all the giving.  That's where we must choose to have a better perspective.  And one perspective for our journey is to see that our travel on the path with Christ is one of transformation.

In church sometimes we become really good at information.  We like to TELL others how they should act, think, and live.  We want to form them into an image that mostly looks, just like we look.  Jesus came into people's lives (and still does) and meets them where they are and wants to transform them into the holy image of God.  This transformation will never end until the day when Christ returns and we all make the eternal and final transformation bearing the perfect image the Father intended all along.  And when transformation is the goal we tend not to TELL people how to be, but rather enter into relationship with people and SHARE with them the great experience of becoming more like Christ every day.

True disciples recognize the need to be not just informed, but transformed into the image of Jesus.  Jesus calls his disciples and they follow.  As they follow, they become someone different inside and their lives change. They begin to care more about what God wants and how he will rule in the hearts of people, rather than what the chief priests and Pharisees want and how God will rule politically.  They begin to care about people over principles.  They begin to have the heart of God.  And all but John, the beloved one, will be martyred because of this transformation and heart of God.  In the end they are transformed to a point where death is better than life and eternity is desired over this temporary dwelling.  Their perspective changes from how they see the kingdom to what God wants them to do in His kingdom.

If we think of ourselves as disciples (and we should) then we must remember that we are in a process of transformation where God is changing us from the inside out to have his heart and care more each day for His kingdom work.  This transformation is possible because of Christ's sacrifice and the Holy Spirit's indwelling.

How are you being transformed today?
How different do you look today from 1 year, 5 years, 10 years ago?

Everyone wants the punchline.  That's where we laugh.  Everyone wants the what's in the gift box.  That will be our new possession.  Everyone wants their car washed.  That's where it shines.  Everyone wants the "happily ever after".  That is where we find our fairytale.  And everyone knows that in order to have those things you must hear the lead in, tear open the wrapping, scrub off the dirt and grime, and kiss a bunch of frogs while searching for the prince.

When it comes to Christ we all want forgiveness, grace, joy, love, hope, reconciliation, and peace.  However, in order to truly observe these wonderful attributes of Christianity we must be willing to acknowledge how we had to go through darkness, addiction, sin, conflict, war, sacrifice, suffering, and brokenness.  Whether it is our own doing or others are involved coming to Jesus and going through the world's trials will require sacrifice.  These sacrifices will take us down a road to repentance.

When Ash Wednesday comes each year, we will find Christians flocking to their different churches in order to receive the sign of the cross on their foreheads.  It is an old tradition to remind us that we came from dust and we will return to dust, but in between we give glory to God and turn to Him for everything.  And that requires repentance.  God has granted us salvation through His son, Jesus.  When we come into that salvation we quickly find that the way we once lived falls short of what the Holy Spirit keeps turning us towards.  And we will continue to fall short.  And yet, Christ's sacrifice was once for all and His grace is always sufficient and...free!  

And our salvation brings all the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  But we cannot truly appreciate all of this and more that God has to offer us, if we don't recognize how far He has brought us, what continues to hold us back, and accept that repentance while can be a rough path, leads to God's glory and Kingdom goodness.

So today on Ash Wednesday appreciate that we have the avenue of repentance.  That we can come to our God and acknowledge our savior.  That He still saves and that His Spirit continually brings us back to Jesus and to God.