ON Target

BACK TOWARD THE SPARKLING BATHROOM

2012-01-25T06:41:00.006-06:00

It was the cleanest gas station bathroom I've seen. When I opened the door, the smell of bleach hit me.

The mirror was sparkling and the tile had been scrubbed.

I was impressed. I've been in spotless bathrooms at places like the Broadmoor Resort - but a Seven Eleven? Never.

But I wasn't surprised. I had been impressed from the time I entered the building.

The worker behind the counter was an old man - probably in his seventies. The best word I know to describe him is "kind" - something about his eyes and how he talked to me.

The pumps were pre-pay and I wanted to fill my tank. Their policy was that I had to "guess" how much gas my tank would need. Pretty dumb.

But as the guy explained the policy, he almost acted like a doctor giving news of a terminal disease. It was like he was saying, "I'm really sorry - but your going to have to make your best guess and then make the long walk back to your car. And by the way, you have one month to live."

The guy was concerned about a minor inconvenience and somehow made me feel it. Uncommon.

So, I'm in the bathroom and imagine this same guy scrubbing the place down. (I don't know he was the one, but I suspect it.)

Maybe it was four in the morning. I could see him in there wiping down the glass, scrubbing the sink, and mopping the floor during a time few people entered the store.

And he was alone.

It struck me the guy was lonely.

Was he?

Was that God?

My imagination?

Either way, I couldn't shake the thought I should talk with him.

But, as I'm prone to do - I chickened out.

As I walked toward the exit, he said, "Thanks for your patience."

I said, "No problem at all" and then threw in a "may the Lord Jesus bless you today" for good measure.

I think he responded, "Oh ... yeah, you too."

My work here is done.

As I started up the car and put on my seat belt he came running out of the store - moving faster than I thought he should be. He was waving his arms.

I rolled down my window and he pointed behind me.

"You left your gas cap off."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

He smiled and turned to go back inside.

I sighed.

"Babe," (My wife was in the car) "I gotta go talk to that guy."

So I went back in the store.

There was only one person in the store and he was on the opposite side. I was thankful for that.

I extended a hand, which the old man shook.

"I know this might seem awkward, but I'm a Christian, and sometimes when I meet certain people I feel like God is all over them."

He wore a hesitant smile.

"Uh huh."

"Anyway, I felt like that with you and was wondering if you could use prayer for anything."

We had a brief, but meaningful, conversation. The other customer soon moved in behind me and waited - listening.

The guy was a believer, active in church, but could use prayer for something he didn't designate.

By the end of the conversation the man had tears in his eyes as he reached for the other customer's items.

I'm not sure what was going on exactly - but I was thankful I went back.

And here's my point:

It seems like often, if I am at all "people aware" that someone will stand out - someone I should approach - show kindness - offer prayer - talk to.

I have to be honest. MOST of the time I walk on past, hoping to get away. But many times when I do that, God says, "go back." If I ignore Him, He'll repeat.

"Go back."

When I obey, it always turns out good. Always.

And I can still remember, with pain, the times I refused and kept going.

My advice is, notice people. And when God says, "go back," pay attention.

He wants to invade people's lives and you are how He works. If you walked on by, go back.

GOD AND MY BLUE-VEINED GRANNY

2012-01-11T07:33:00.005-06:00

I remember as a child sitting next to my Grandma-Anna Maria Olinda Hussmann (formerly Reinkensmeyer.) She was eating split pea soup. I was four and fascinated by the lines in her hands.

"Grandma, why do you have so many lines on your hands?"

She touched my hair. "Well, honey, those are blood veins and the older I get, the more they show up."

"Blood veins? I thought blood was red. Why are they blue?"

"Blood is red when it's outside the body. Inside sometimes it's blue."

"Why is it blue?"

"Well ... it's blue until it touches oxygen. Then it turns red."

"Why?"

"It's how blood reacts to oxygen."

"But why?"

"Why don't you go in the other room and play with your cousins, sweetie?"

---

We've all seen it. Kids can ask "why, why, why" till their faces turn blue.

Parents find themselves responding:

"Go look it up."

"Ask your mom."

Or, "because I said so."

A long line of "whys" illustrates a principle philosophers call an "infinite regress."

Skip this paragraph and move to the next if it's too much, but here's the definition of an infinite regress: An infinite regress in a series of propositions arises if the truth of proposition P1 requires the support of proposition P2, the truth of proposition P2 requires the support of proposition P3, ... , and the truth of proposition Pn-1 requires the support of proposition Pn and n approaches infinity.

Basically, when we ask "why" we look for a cause, and each cause needs further explanation.

"Why is the moon so bright if it provides no light?"

Be-CAUSE the light of the sun is reflected off the moon.

But, for every explanation, another question arises.

"Why does the sun provide light?"

Be-CAUSE the chemical reactions taking place emit radiation in wavelengths that can be perceived by the human eye.

"Why does the eye perceive those wavelengths?" or "Why do the chemicals react that way?"

And so on.

In a world of cause and effect (the foundational concept of science) every good solid answer brings up another "why."

And here's where God shows up.

The infinite regress cannot be actually infinite because an actual infinite is just a concept, not something real. Actual infinites don't exist.

William Lane Craig argues this with the following example:

Let's say, for kicks, that Jupiter revolves around the sun at half the speed of Saturn. Let's pretend a thousand years from now Saturn has completed 1000 circuits. How many has Jupiter completed? That's right-500.

In 10,000 years it's 10,000 for Saturn, 5,000 for Jupiter. In a hundred thousand ... you get the picture.

But what if we extend time into infinity. Then, all of a sudden Saturn has rotated an infinite amount of times. Right? Now, what about Jupiter? How many times has it revolved? Half of infinity? Infinity?

An actual infinite is impossible and there are many, many more examples that justify this belief.

(Here's some more on that topic.)

What does this mean about God.

As I've mentioned before - the Universe (time, space, and matter) had a beginning. That's a pretty universally accepted truth in scientific circles today-and happens to be exactly what theists have been saying, well, from the beginning. And the CAUSE had to be outside of time, space, and matter. And because most atheists understand this truth, recent explanations (causes) have been theorized such as multi-verse theories, string theories, etc....

But even if true (though speculative now) they do nothing to explain the uncaused cause.

I know of no way to get around the philosophical truth that there MUST BE AT LEAST ONE UNCAUSED CAUSE.

If we ask why long enough, we always, always, always arrive at a determinate point in the past (though "past" may mean something different) where the answer really is, "IT just is." There's no escaping IT and I believe, on intellectual grounds, no denying IT.

The question then becomes, "What is IT?" Therein lies one of the greatest battlegrounds between atheists and theists. Theists say God. Atheists say matter.

But we've already established, matter had a beginning.

Couple that with other areas of thought including special revelation verified through history and archaeology, DNA studies, philosophy of morality, and a hundred other disciplines and I believe the answer is clear.

IT = God, a personal intellect that is omnipotent, moral, and personal.

But even if your agnostic and atheist friends don't arrive at the same conclusion, it's still a great discussion question:

"There has to be at least one uncaused cause. What is it?"

An atheist MUST say either, "I don't know" or "matter." But current science tells us matter is not a good option.

Theism offers the only good answer to the question "why?"

---

For more reading on this and similar topics GO HERE.

---

Also, if you haven't done so yet, please consider purchasing the Kindle version of my new book Letters From a Martyred Christian HERE. When you're done reading it, please post a review.

EMBRACING THE DANDRUFF

2011-12-22T10:04:00.004-06:00

Last week I heard one of the most memorable and Jesus-like quotations I've heard in years.

I was sitting in the Murray State student center. My friend, Becky Lile, and I were on day two of a sixteen hour editing marathon to finalize my latest book, Letters From a Martyred Christian.

We were sitting in a lounge about 10 feet from the glass elevator when Becky pointed over my shoulder.

"Look," she said.

Turning around, I saw what had to be twenty young kids (ages 3-6 I think) crammed into the elevator with three adults. The kids were pressing toward the glass and smiling while they looked around at the massive open design of the building. Many of them were waving at us. Essentially, just over my shoulder, there were two dozen heads and a lot of them were looking at me. It made me laugh.

After that group ascended, another like it took the stairwell about thirty feet away, followed by another on the elevator. Each group tried to get our attention with a lot of waving and smiles and a few hellos.

Becky was waving at all of them and saying "hi" back.

That's when she said something I'll most likely never forget.

She said, "Whenever I see a group of kids like that, I try and find the one kid that probably doesn't get a whole lot of waves and smiles. I pick them out, try and make eye contact, and say hello. There's always one or two like that."

Becky's a school teacher, and her heart for kids shined through.

And it reminded me of Jesus.

What if all of us held a similar view and carried it into our interactions, not just with kids, but with everyone.

The guy sitting in front of me at church has dandruff all over his shoulders.

The lady at the nursing home smells like urine.

One of our coworkers is just plain awkward.

What if we took time to "notice" those folks like we tend to notice people who are charismatic, smart, or beautiful.

The more I've thought about it, the more I'm impressed that was a leading tenant in the life of Jesus. He noticed the unnoticeable. His friends were outcasts and losers - poor, smelly, and uncultured. And it was the "cool kids" that seemed to always take issue with His teaching.

Maybe a huge part of being Christian could be summed up in, "Who will you notice that others don't." Or, more to the point, who will you love that's hard to love?

Ultimately, Jesus took the place of the outcast. He covered himself in "dandruff" and "urine." He didn't just embrace the dredges of society, He took their place.

Thanks, Becky, for re-emphasizing that concept. I'll think about it the rest of my life.

HOW BAD IS HELL? FIND OUT.

2011-12-05T05:53:00.005-06:00

Step One:

Gather materials.

You’ll need a good, sharp saw, lots of towels, and I suggest vice grips and straps to hold your leg still. You’ll need a tourniquet. A belt or rope will do. A red hot iron plate for cauterization should be nearby. And, of course, you’re going to want a stick, or a wallet - something to bite down on.

Step Two:

Get in the right mind set. This is going to hurt, and hurt bad. Plus, if you pass out in the middle, you’re liable to bleed out and die. You’re going to have to be tough. It’s a shame someone else couldn’t do this for you, but the instructions were clear.

Step Three:

Clamp down that leg. It should be immobile. Bite the stick - hard. Choose your starting point.

You really have two choices and I’m not sure which is best. It's your call.

1) You can start at the thinnest part of your ankle and go as fast as you can. Cutting through the bone is going to be awful. Really. But this method requires less precision than the second. You can just scream like a madman and hack away without thinking too much.

2)You can go for the joint between your foot and ankle. This one skips hacking through your bones, but you have to go through a lot more tendons and nerves to pull it off. You’ll have to cut at several angles and that could be awkward if not impossible during that kind of pain.

Either way you choose, that Achilles’ tendon is going to make you scream. I’m just guessing.

Step Four:

Cauterize. The hot plate will do, but an acetylene torch could handle the job. Maybe I should have listed that in step one.

Step Five:

Look at those eyeballs of yours. One of them needs to come out. Get something with a sharp point, or a hook.

-----

Are you disgusted? Angry I’d write this stuff? Wondering where the PG13 notice is? I'm okay with that.

In Matthew 18:8, Jesus says, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to enter life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both your hands and feet.(NLT)" He says the same thing about our eyes.

We've probably read it a thousand times, but most of us have never thought about how awful his suggestion was.

It's gruesome, violent, agonizing, and horrible.

And He - Jesus - says that this kind of torture would be better than going to Hell.

A lot of people want to ask, "Is Hell literal flames?", "Is it eternal conscious torment?", "Are the descriptions of Hell meant to be allegorical?" There can be lousy motives for such a question like wanting to live by our own rules and trying to diminish the consequences. Or, genuine and God-fearing reasons, like trying to figure out how our loving God can be reconciled with such a terrible place.

I think an honest look at Scripture, though uncomfortable, indicates the strongest possibility that Hell is eternal, conscious, and beyond awful. See 2 Thess 1:9, Jude 12-13, Rev 20:10. And Jesus compares Hell to a fiery trash dump where the "fire is never quenched" and the "worm never dies."

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) Jesus talks about a man who is conscious and in "agony in [the] fire." He craves even a drop of water for his tongue.

Here's what we know for certain. Jesus said we'd be better off taking a saw to our own legs, and a knife to our own eyes, than to experience the end result of sin, which is Hell. He used the worst of terms like "torment","darkness", and "fires" to describe the place. To me, when approached with the question, "Is Hell eternal conscious torment?" I think the best answer is "Jesus described it as awful, awful, awful to the extreme. Does that concern you?"

The wages of sin is death and the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.

Let us fear Hell, do our best to avoid it, and dedicate our lives to helping others do so as well.

DOOM, GLOOM, AND FINANCIAL COLLAPSE

2011-11-08T08:20:00.008-06:00

I recently watched part of a documentary on "The Collapse of America."

It started with scenes of vacant industrial buildings, barbed wire fences, and broken down homes. The music was morbid - a funeral theme.

Soon, a man in khakis and a white button-up sat alone at the kitchen table pouring milk over generic Rice Krispies.

As I watched him going through his day, throwing on his jacket and kissing his wife as he walked out the door, driving to work, and sitting at his desk, a voice-over came through.

"It's tough nowadays," the guy from Boston said. "I make 110,000 dollars a year and after expenses, saving for the kids' education, and putting a little away for retirement, there's not much left. We hardly ever eat out, and we can barely afford to buy more clothes when we want to."

"Are you kidding me!?" I might have said the words out loud.

Something about those comments made me angry. Angry at the guy for saying them, angry at the director who allowed them, and angry at the bonehead producer who sent it into the world.

Do you see why?

We live in a world where people are legitimately suffering.

2.7 billion people live on less than two dollars a day. Say it with me. "Two point seven BILLION (with a B.)" Then say, "Two dollars a day is seven hundred thirty dollars a YEAR."

The vast majority of people on Earth will never receive quality education, much less save for their kids. Tens of millions are illiterate.

And retirement? Try explaining retirement to a mother who's watching her bloated two-week-old baby die because her breast milk has gone dry from lack of nutrition.

"It's tough nowadays," he says.

Right.

Things are so bad I can't afford to buy my kids an XBox. It must be Armaggedon.

I'm not saying it's wrong to save money, wear new clothes, send our kids to college, or buy them toys. I believe just the opposite.

But I also know we should be thankful always, complaining never, and live well below our means because we give a lot away. Having financial security allows greater freedom for ministry and generosity. But the day we start whining because we can't have everything we want is a day we've walked straight to the Almighty and spit at the base of His throne.

There is more food in the dumpsters of restaurants near your home than many people will see in their lifetimes.

This weekend I was with my wife's family in Memphis Tennessee doing outreach in the projects.

After the outreach we went to world famous Gus's Fried Chicken. Standing outside waiting to get in, my father-in-law turned to one of the seven boys we had brought with us.

"Have you eaten here before?"

"Nah." The kid was tugging on the strings of his worn hoodie.

"Really?"

"Nah. I never ate out before."

I talked to the ministry director later. He said it's common to meet boys from the projects who had never eaten in a restaurant.

The kid was fourteen years old.

A friend of mine, Gabrielle Kwai is one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan." His father was murdered when government-sponsored militia raided their village. After several years he was brought to the United States. He says when he arrived he experienced three firsts in his life: his first meal, his first bed, and his first hot shower. He was in his twenties. While escaping Sudan, he and thousands of other children had nothing to eat but tree bark and tree leaves while they walked for weeks. And things didn't improve much after that.

Yes, times are tougher.

Yes, money is tighter.

Yes, some people are concerned about the future and our country needs to take spending and debt seriously. I don't mean to diminish any of that.

But we need a change of perspective.

You're reading this on a computer or a smartphone.

You know where your next meal is coming from and you just might have coffee and dessert.

Think about that for a while and then try complaining about times being tough.

I dare you.

MY FIRST KISS

2011-10-21T08:15:00.006-05:00

It was 1986.

I was dancing with Karen Marie Bryant, one of the finest-looking babes at summer youth camp. I was thirteen years old.

Karen and I had been writing back and forth since winter camp and as summer approached the X's and O's (with a big X now and then) started showing up at the bottom of the pages.

My Bugle Boy jeans were tight-rolled.

Her hair was huge, her skirt was Lycra, and her earrings were monstrous plastic hoops.

Lionel Richie's voice filled the air ... Say You, Say Me.

Earlier that night I told my best friend I would marry Karen some day.

She was resting her head on my shoulder, breathing in the scent of Polo cologne, and at just the right time, she leaned back. Her pretty brown eyes met mine. We gazed ....

I'm telling you, it's time to start believing - Oh yes, believing who you are: you are a shining star.

Thanks Lionel.

The moment was right. I'd been waiting for years.

I leaned in.

And the unthinkable happened.

Time stopped.

The record player screeched to a halt and everyone looked.

People gasped.

She had leaned forward so her forehead touched my mouth and gently placed her hand on my chest.

"Wait."

Obviously, I couldn't see my face. But I can imagine - lips puckered and eyebrows lowered. Confusion. Awkward.

She placed a hand on my cheek and sighed. "I think we should still be friends for a while."

I seem to remember after that she pulled a shiv, shoved it into my gut, pulled it out through my spine, and dumped lemon juice on the wound. But, the memory is hazy.

A day and a half later I was walking around numb. When the elevator door opened, there she was, kissing another guy - Danny Brooks, from Tennessee.

That afternoon, on the fifth floor, while others were throwing water balloons and shooting water guns from balcony to balcony, I stared at the ground below and imagined it rushing up to meet me.

---

So here's the spiritual application, though I realize it's a stretch.

There's about nothing worse than seeking intimacy and being rejected - to lean in for a kiss on the lips and get a forehead instead. (It might as well have been a headbutt.)

But I believe God is constantly leaning in for a kiss.

When you wake up in the morning, disheveled with funky breath, he says, "Come here."

When you hate your job or a person gets on your nerves ... He says, "I can fix that."

He leans in while you're in the shower, while your ordering lunch, and when someone you care about breaks your heart.

He's always looking you in the eyes.

"Be mine."

And so, so often we put our hand out. "Wait a minute pal. Not so fast."

And worse, we take an elevator ride with Facebook, golf, movies, hunting, or pick-your-poison, and we makeout like maniacs.

God doesn't react like a squeaky-voiced boy with a crush, but I've got to think it hurts him. He's constantly leaning in, and we're constantly looking elsewhere.

The difference between Him and me is, He keeps on leaning.

He knows He's the best thing you've got going, his confidence isn't rattled, and for at least a little while longer, He refuses to give up.

Take time, often, to kiss Him back. Lean in close, smell His breath. It's good, it's good, it's good.

"To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievment." - St. Augustine.

---

PS - I made that story up. It's fiction. I laughed out loud.

ACT NOW, CHANGE THE WORLD

2011-10-16T12:42:00.006-05:00

"Let me tell you about the day I died."

It's the first line of my new book, Letters From a Martyred Christian, due to be released in early 2012. You can read more at LettersFromAMartyr.com. It's a book I believe will change lives.

You may have seen on Facebook that I am running a Kickstarter.com campaign to pre-sell and raise funds for the associated costs. The link is at the bottom of this blog post.

Every penny of the profits from this book will go into non-profit Christian ministry with 5% of the profits from the first run going to VOICE OF THE MARTYRS (serving persecuted Christians worldwide.)

The campaign will let you pre-order personalized signed copies, limited edition numbered copies, and the like.

Here's a couple reasons you should do it right now, if you don't mind.

1) If you're anything like me, you forget what you put off till later. It's always easier to handle something right when it crosses my desk.

2) Kickstarter campaigns that start with a bang usually end well. Statistically, the campaigns that do really well at the beginning attract a lot more interest from strangers and do much better. The more money we can raise in the first few days the better returns toward the end. It will be money that comes from outside my normal sphere of influence. Really. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough.

We need to raise a minimum of $7000 for printing costs and distribution but, ultimately, we need about $20,000 to $30,000 to do this thing right. I have already secured distribution rights with the largest Christian book distributor in the world and that will place us in the databases of every major bookstore in the country. The book will be distributed to the mom and pop stores and have access to overseas markets as well. But, with extra money we will work on marketing and publicity to get it on the shelves and out the doors. Won't it be great if this book is in Books-A-Million, Family Christian, and similar bookstores? God has opened some amazing doors to make it happen. I have already hired a former vice president of Thomas Nelson to assist in making the book a success.

Please consider going to the campaign now and placing your pre-order/pledge.

It can be found BY CLICKING HERE

In addition, please consider sharing the links with your friends, family, and congregations.

To find out how you can be involved in promoting the book AND possibly make some cash in return, JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP HERE.

Sorry for the bit of marketing, but I believe this book is important and I hope you can be involved in its release.

RHETORICAL SENSITIVITY AND CHRISTIANESE

2011-10-12T08:21:00.005-05:00

You walk into a new church.

After finding your seat, you're listening to the conversations around you.

One person says, "Sibling Johnson told me if his master slows down you'd find him in his meditation basement."

Uhm ... what?

And the people behind you?

"I saw the crime and I went to the table of sacrifice to be reclaimed."

Who are these people? Is this code?

And off to the side: "Stacy has been dead weight to me lately."

Well, that doesn't sound good.

And yet, when unchurched people visit a service the language can be just as incomprehensible.

It's called Christianese.

The above translate: "Brother Johnson told me if the Lord tarries you can find him in his prayer closet","My testimony is that I went to the altar and got saved", and "I've had a burden for Stacy lately."

Do you see if a non-Christian heard those statements the translation might be just as hazy. But they're phrases Christians throw around without care.

In 1 Corinthians 14:23 Paul talks about a church where everyone is speaking in tongues and how, to an outsider, that seems like craziness. But with Christian lingo, we might as well be doing the same.

Paul's conclusion? Translation is necessary.

When we are conversing with nonbelievers we need to use what is called "rhetorical sensitivity." We adapt our language to the people we communicate with. We don't hide what we believe (that's called "equivocation" and it's not good.) But we describe precisely what we believe in terms they can understand.

We all practice rhetorical sensitivity.

When I'm passing out tracts and a group of middle age ladies approach, I might extend the literature and say, "Good morning, ladies." But if a group of teen guys come by I'll say, "What's happenin' guys?" It's a trite example, but a relevant one.

You probably speak differently to a three-year-old than you do a seventy-year-old. All of us naturally adapt our language, but we rarely let it conquer our Christianese. Is it religious elitism or a reliance on tradition? (From what I've read, Jesus hated that stuff.)

Non-Christians may not understand phrases like, "'Brother Jones', 'testimony', 'led by the Spirit', and 'washed in the Blood'." Good substitutes are "'Pastor Jones', 'my story', 'felt like God wanted me to', and 'cleaned up by what Jesus did'."

We can't abandon phrases like "washed in the blood." It would be heresy. The cleansing of the Blood of Jesus is an integral part of Christianity and is used in the great hymns and all throughout the New Testament. But what we can do is use them with care and understanding. Don't just throw them out there. If you use them, define them.

I don't often tell non-Christians I wrote a book on "evangelism." It's a loaded word with various meanings in their eyes. Instead, I tell them my book is about being "outreach centered" instead of "me-centered." That's something they can relate to and with a bit further explanation gets to the idea. I'll talk about "helping people know and follow Jesus" instead of "evangelizing them" or "soul winning."

You might think, "But, aren't Christians supposed to be 'peculiar' people and separated from the world?"

Yep. We are.

But we're peculiar because we fast and pray. Peculiar (odd - different) because we give away a large portion of our income. We spend significant time reading an ancient text. We have different views on cussing, getting wasted, and viewing pornography. We try to discern the will of God. In the world we live in, that's peculiar enough. The insensitivity in our rhetoric is one more blockade in the lives of people.

"What, I have to give up porn AND talk like a crazy person? I'll pass."

We don't need to widen the gap already there by speaking like "men of the cloth."

Let's make it as easy as possible for people to follow Jesus. Choosing our words carefully is essential.

Your non-Christian friends will appreciate the difference and I'm confident Jesus will too.

WHAT IF THE EARTH EXPLODES?

2011-09-22T06:32:00.006-05:00

I'm checking out at Goodwill and playing "what if?"

I want to talk to the girl scanning my items.

But, what if she thinks I'm an idiot?

What if she gets "turned off?"

What if I do more harm than good?

Besides, there's a guy in line behind me. Conversation would delay his checkout.

What if HE thinks I'm an idiot...gets turned off...you know the drill.

Help me Jesus! If I try and share the Gospel...what if chaos erupts, people are screaming and running for the doors...the guy behind me is firing a machine gun. Earthquakes and balls of fire.

But then...what if this girl is desparate for someone to care? What if she WANTS an encounter with God? What if this moment is history shaping - a once in a lifetime opportunity?

What if?

So I look at her nametag. "Jackie, could you use prayer for anything?"

The guy in line just stands there. So far, so good.

Jackie looks up. "What's that?"

Great, I have to say it again.

"Could you use prayer for anything?"

She's nodding. "Yeah, yeah, definitely. I could use some prayer."

"Oh yeah? For what?"

"For my auntie. She went in for a surgery three days ago and she still hasn't woke up. They think she had a stroke or something."

"What's her name?"

"We call her Anna May."

"You guys are close?"

"Very. I'm going to the hospital as soon as I get off work."

"Would you mind if I pray for you now?"

"That would be great." She places her hands on the counter and bows her head.

I notice the machine gunner becomes motionless. His eyes are open but he's waiting and staring at the ground - permission to proceed.

"Jesus...please touch Anna May. I pray against any lasting problems and that she will come out of this coma..."

I pray for maybe thirty seconds. I pray for a miracle and that Jackie will be closer to God.

She shakes my hand and thanks me. The scary guy places his items on the counter. The earth does not swallow us. Nothing burns.

So, what if Jackie goes home and tells her family about the stranger that prayed?

And what if Anna May comes out of that coma within the hour?

And what if Jackie's cousin, who has been riding the fence between atheism and belief hears the story?

And what if he surrenders to God...raises Christian kids...one of those kids starts a church...do you see where I'm going with this?

What if that act of kindness keeps the machine gunner from yelling at his kid today - or worse, shooting up the post office?

What if?

In every moment of life we are faced with "what ifs." Some are good. Some are bad.

Proverbs 26:13 says, "The lazy person claims, 'There's a lion in the road! Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!'"

A lazy person is one who chooses comfort over work. When I give in to negative thoughts it's not because I am concerned about others and their responses. It's because I fear discomfort.

And, I'm not trusting Jesus. He said people WANT to hear His message. What's missing is someone who will tell them. (Matt 9:37-38)

So, forget the "what ifs" of fear, laziness, and disbelief.

Embrace thoughts of faith.

What if today we change the world?

---

For further, related reading, GO HERE.

PRAY FOR THE WALLPAPER

2011-08-26T09:18:00.014-05:00

Day 1: I install new wallpaper in the foyer.

Day 2: The first thing I notice after rolling out of bed is how nice it looks and how it changed the room.

Day 3: Sometime in the afternoon I admire my handiwork.

Day 4 and beyond: I hardly notice the wallpaper. Been there. Done that. Old news.

And unfortunately, it's the same when it comes to news of human suffering. It's embarrassing but true.

The first time I read about sex trafficking I was haunted for days.

When I heard about a reporter beheaded in the Middle East, I lost sleep for a couple nights.

I cried for the victims of the earthquake in Japan.

And when the Heath High School shooting occurred in 1997 I could barely step away from the television for a week.

But now - in 2011?

Another shooting? How terrible. What's for lunch?

I'm just being honest here. Are you the same?

See, suffering is like what Os Guinness calls the "wallpaper of the 'way life is.'"

In other words, we've been there and done that. It's an always present fixture in our lives and one we hardly glance at the more times we walk by.

And then, we have the audacity to minimize prayer. How important could it be, really? And, I often don't know what to pray about anyway.

We use "I don't know what to pray about" as an excuse. But if we open our eyes, even a little, the targets of prayer are limitless.

Pray for the 12-year-old girl chained to a bed in South Thailand - raped by fifteen men a day.

Pray for the guy up the road who lost his job and it looks like he'll lose the house.

Pray for the man who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and can't find a way to tell his wife and four kids.

See, there's no end.

The issue isn't the amount of good "prayer material" out there. The issue is we don't believe.

We don't believe God will actually do something when we pray.

We think He's in charge, He knows what He's doing, and if He wants to do something for the girl held captive He will, with or without our prayers.

But it's not entirely true.

Harold Lindsell said it like this:

"God cannot do some things unless we work. He stores the hills with marble, but He has never built a cathedral. He fills the mountains with iron ore, but He never makes a needle or a jet airplane. He leaves that to us. If, then, God has left many things dependent on man's thinking and working, why should He not leave some things dependent on man's praying? We cannot suppose that God will do for us without prayer what He has promised to do for us only through prayer."

Prayer works and there is no limit to its need.

When prayer comes with difficulty, pray for the wallpaper.

And then, put feet to your prayers. With your time, energy, and resources, do what you can, when you can, to bring change. Be the answer to someone else's prayers.

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, so He guided them to their desired haven." Psalm 107:28-30 (NASB)

STEAK, EGGS AND RACIAL SLURS

2011-08-02T07:22:00.024-05:00

Mike Phillips was sharing a meal with his wife at a small cafe in Pleasant Hill, Alabama.

When the waiter arrived with coffee, he pointed out the daily specials and then announced, loudly enough to seem odd, "But, I'm sorry, sir. We don't have any collard greens or fried chicken on the menu today. You'll have to get that somewhere else."

When Mike's expression betrayed his confusion, the waiter nodded his head toward the table behind him. Seated there was a mixed-race couple - a black guy and a white girl.

The waiter winked at Mike and said, "So, yessah, what will ya' be having today?"

As the server walked away, he threw two menus on the mixed couples' table without comment.

When he vanished into the kitchen, Mike's wife, Anne, spoke up.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" she whispered.

When the man returned with two orders of steak and eggs, he smiled and said, "Make sure you save room for dessert, now. Our ice cream is homemade." Then, louder, "Try vanilla. We don't like to serve chocolate here."

And, winking again, he tapped the table two times and pointed at Mike. "I'll be right back with some more coffee."

When the waiter moved behind the bar, the phone rang and he took the call.

Anne stared at Mike. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

Mike shifted in his seat. "Anne, it's none of our business, okay? Just leave it alone."

Anne had placed both her hands on the table and was moving her fingers in little circles. "For whatever reason, he thinks you're a partner in this and I don't like it." Her eyes kept moving between the waiter, the couple at the next table, and Mike."I wonder if there's a manager around."

When the white girl looked at Anne, Mike pasted on a smile and whispered through his teeth. "Anne, chill out."

Then, everyone in the diner overheard the waiter on the phone.

"Yes sir, they're back ... no, that's just what you get when a bunch of n-----s move into town. They're bound to go after 'em."

The white woman reached across the table and touched the arm of the black guy, whose hand was now clenched in a fist. Mike couldn't hear her, but read her lips. "Calm down. Let's go." The man folded his napkin and placed it on his plate, leaned back in his seat, and crossed his arms.

Mike saw the look in Anne's eyes a moment too late. She was already out of her seat and moving toward the bar, pointing her finger at the waiter.

"Now you listen to me young man. You should be ashamed. You have no right, no right at all to say those things."

She bypassed the bar altogether and went right for the guy, whose eyes were now saucers.

She pushed him by the shoulder and grabbed the phone in one move.

"Who is this, huh?" She held her palm out to the waiter while she listened to the answer.

"Well I don't care if you own the entire town. You're a barbarian and we won't be coming back."

She slammed the receiver down and turned her attention back to the server.

"And as for you..."

Then, coming from the kitchen, a Hispanic guy emerged with several others holding cameras and microphones.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

Everyone in the restaurant but Mike was smiling and a few were clapping. Mike had pulled both his legs into the booth and was gripping his napkin so his knuckles had turned white.

The guy with the cameras approached Anne and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm John Quinones and you are on our television show, What Would You Do? These people are actors we've hired."

Anne began crying and placed her head on John's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him.

In the following interview it was revealed that the experiment had been repeated 23 times over a three day period and Anne was one of only four people who had spoken up, but none as dramatically as her. Most had just nodded, smiled, paid, and left. Some had spoken privately about their anger and a couple had joked and agreed with the waiter.

Two people had asked for a manager but when the waiter said he was unavailable, they had finished the meal with little comment. Another had chastised the waiter and said he didn't appreciate the racial comments. He bought the meal for the couple and made a show of leaving no tip.

But Anne had gone above and beyond. She was built up as a hero, and the whole film crew hugged her and made a spectacle of her bravery.

"Were you scared?" John asked her.

"Terrified," she replied while wiping mascara with a napkin. "But, what he was doing just made me furious."

Mike just laughed when the camera was in his face, "She's ... well, let's just say I've never seen her like that."

So, my question to you is: Was Anne the hero of the story?

I think she was. And ABC TV Network seems to agree - just like the couple who calls the cops when they see an airplane pilot getting drunk right before he boards a plane. Or, the man who steps in when a teenage boy is pushing his girlfriend around in public.

They're heroes because they stand up for what is right, even in the face of ridicule or possible danger.

But, where are the Christian heroes?

And are you one of them?

What would you do? Isn't life like one long episode of this show?

There's a right way and a wrong way to take a stand where Jesus is concerned, but taking a peace-seeking stance against evil (standing in front of a rolling tank as opposed to hurling Molotov cocktails - in many cases) is still taking a stand. Where are the courageous Christians? Where are the believers that would stand up in that cafe and say, "What's happening here is wrong!"

When it comes to evil, Christians so often hide in their booth and wait for the storm to pass.

Because:

If I say certain TV shows are bad for our society I'm a closed-minded idiot.

If I verbalize my hatred of pornography I'm a prude.

If I have a pro-life bumper sticker I'm a right-wing zealot.

But, as in the words of Don Chaffer, in If You Want to Get Free, "It's where you're mocked when you abstain, but cursed when you give in. It's a game that's impossible to beat. But there's a whispering refrain God will sing in your brain when you put the nails to your hands and your feet."

When the choice comes down to being mocked or cursed, I want to choose mocked every time.

Help me, Jesus.

Help me be fearless and wise when faced with the question, "What would you do?"

PS - Mike was kind of a weenie. Wasn't he?

STIRRING THE JUICES

2011-07-21T08:33:00.004-05:00

My wife finds find me waiting at the dining room table.

I've cooked a five course meal from scratch - salad with homemade dressing and Roma tomatos, fresh-baked rolls, almond-crusted tuna with garlic mashed potatos, and for dessert, a stack of oreo cookies and homemade icecream. (The cookies are one of her favorites - and saved me time in the kitchen.)

There are scented candles burning and our son is with a babysitter for the night.

I pull her chair out and, in a terrible French accent, say, "Madame, ze dinner is zerved."

Depending on the family situation, a wife under these circumstances might think one of the following:

1) "Oh no. What did he do?"

2) "Not tonight. I have a headache."

3) "Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?"

4) "Yes! Yes! Yes! I love it!"

But regardless of the wife's response, if his motives are to show affection, do you think a husband who did this would be having fun? Think he's stirring up his own romantic juices?

Can we all agree that doing something like this would, in general, bring out excitement in the man toward his wife?

The reason I ask is, I think we can carry this mentality into other relationships, not just the married kind. And specifically, into our relationship with God.

Yesterday afternoon, hot weather was subsiding and a breeze was blowing through our backyard. Our back deck is one of my favorite places in the world. It's private - mostly screened from the neighbors by trees and bushes. It's also just nice. My wife keeps a lot of potted plants and we've managed to wrangle some great patio furniture.

So I grabbed my Bible, a book on conversation with God, and my journal. I also snagged some fresh-picked blackberries we bought from a road-side vendor, sprinkled some sugar on top, and filled a cup with ice-cold water.

I then spent about 40 minutes reading, writing, eating, and relaxing. The time was dedicated to experiencing the presence of God and making myself open to Him. It was great. Yes! Yes! Yes! I love it!

See, my wife and I eat fast food sometimes. Maybe once a week, she'll come home for lunch and I'll have heated up leftovers or made a pot of tuna mac-and-cheese. But shouldn't we, in a good marriage, have a special meal now and then? Shouldn't I go out of my way to create an environment that stirs things up?

Some of the best times I can remember with God were times in college when my friends were all going out and I chose to stay in my dorm room and curl up on the couch with hot chocolate, classical music, and my Bible.

Of course we should have routine "meals" with Jesus - times of devotion, reading, praying, etc... But we should also do something special now and then.

For a change, try creating an environment you really enjoy and dedicate some time to Jesus. Make room for the occasional time of devotion you can get really excited about. Stir yourself up. I promise, His response will be #4.

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it." Nicolas Herman (Brother Lawrence)

NERVE GRATERS

2011-07-12T13:43:00.005-05:00

I was waiting at a stop light on my way to church.

The guy in front of me was in an Audi convertible with the top down, talking on his cell phone. He adjusted his rearview mirror to look at himself and straighten his hair. I could be wrong, but I bet he winked at his reflexion from behind mirrored shades.

He stopped short of blowing himself a kiss.

At times, that image might make me laugh. Other times it could make me feel sorry for him. But on that day it got on my nerves.

"Dude, you look like an idiot."

A half hour later, I was standing in church, trying to get into the service, and next to me was another nerve grater. She was one of those who had a decent, but not great, singing voice. And, she wanted everyone to hear it. So, she'd make up harmonies and fill in silent gaps with repeated lyrics. If the song leader sang, "I just want to be where you are" she would fill in the space before the next sentence, "Where you are is where I want to be."

No, really.

And, you guessed it, she was driving me nuts.

Then, last night, I was at a conference. The speaker was great. And the lady behind me definitely thought so because every time the preacher made a point she would moan, "Mmmmmmmmm" in a way that made me think she was eating chocolate while getting a foot massage. And when she wasn't verbalizing her affirmation, she was clearing her throat...again, and again.

"Lady, would you please just shut up?"

And in all these situations, there was the thought, "What is wrong with me?"

How can I be a Jesus-follower and let people annoy me? And more important, what can I do about it. 'Cause let's face it, the Spirit of God was nowhere near me and my attitude.

I don't get annoyed with people often, but when I do, alarms go off. "Danger, danger!"

Everyone's kind of annoying if you think about it.

Hang out with anyone, long enough, and there will be something worth a little nerve-grating. I'm under no illusions. I'm not an exception. If I spent enough time with a guy just like me, I'd drive myself crazy. My veiled need for affirmation, my constant striving, the way my knee bounces under the table when I've had too much caffeine... and the sniffing ... the incessant sniffing at times ... all of it adds up to a pretty annoying guy.

But I've also noticed, there is a direct connection between quality time seeking Jesus in worship, meditation, and prayer, and the level of annoyance interacting with people.

If I've connected with His presence people around me can, in general, do no wrong. When I've been with Him, everyone seems beautiful. Even the traits that are bothersome can become novel, or cute, when covered with His gracious attitude.

Just like being "in love" when the object of ones affections seems flawless (she spits beautiful), being in God, who is love, causes the same phenomenon. When we are filled with Him, people are worth celebrating. All of them.

So the next time someone is driving you nuts, slurping their soup, cracking their knuckles, or close-talking, check yourself. If it gets on your nerves,chances are, it's been a while since you experienced the presence of God.

We're commanded to love others, but like every other command, left to our own will and devices, it's impossible. It's the Spirit of God filling us that makes the difference.

Seek Him and see if annoying people don't begin to look really special.

SLOT ZOMBIES AND SIN

2011-06-20T12:09:00.010-05:00

I was standing on a street corner across from Caesar's Palace holding a sign that said, "God knows what happens in Vegas."

A guy, waiting at a crosswalk, leaned toward me.

"So, I guess you think gambling is wrong, huh?"

I smiled, which is always a good start.

"I definitely don't think it's God's best," I said. "Because God's best is love and gambling destroys lives. I don't see how you can support it and be loving."

He thought about it for a second.

"I guess I can see that. But, we're just here having a good time."

He was a not-so-practicing Catholic in Vegas for the weekend and we had a couple more minutes to talk while he waited.

But, what's the right answer when someone says, "Is X sin?" Where "X" is anything from smoking to drinking alcohol or listening to certain kinds of music or even drinking caffeine? They're all issues that get brought up.

I believe the answer can almost always be found in, "Is the behavior destructive?" Does it add to real joy-filled living, or take it away? Ultimately, does it draw us closer to God and others, or further apart?

Let's take gambling for example:

When we were in Vegas, my wife and I would leave the hotel room about 7AM for breakfast - fried chicken over bacon stuffed waffles.

Walking through the casino we encountered the slot zombies.

The slot zombies are drones that have been sitting in front of the same machine pushing the same button all night. Gin and tonic flows and dark rings expand under bloodshot eyes.

It's a good time.

But to understand the slots I want to offer an over-head view of the casino.

Imagine you're looking at all the slot machines from fifty feet above the room. Let's assume there's five hundred individual slots and throughout the day, zombies shamble in, slide their cards, and push buttons.

Now, view the machines for what they really are - one huge mechanical organism designed to collect and redistribute money - The Machine.

See, over the course of a year, the zombies (or, dumb people, if you prefer) will hand over about 34 gazillion dollars to The Machine - and, happy day, in modern times The Machine takes plastic.

Then the owners, or zombie masters, will take the money, keep about .02% for themselves, and redistribute what's left. But of course, we all know .02% of 34 gazillion is about 288 million bucks.

So, after the commission, Joe, the zombie seated at slot #337, goes home with $140,000. Sue, at#49, wins $25,000 and Dave, at #401, hits the major jackpot - 5.5 million bucks.

Livin' large, baby.

But what Dave doesn't know or doesn't think about is, Terri, at #56, lost two hundred dollars, and Frank, at #2, went home and blew his brains out after losing his kid's college savings - money that, after the zombie masters sorted it, ended up in Dave's pocket.

The money that goes to the winners was taken from the losers and handed out, minus a fee - and it happens all day, every day.

But wait a second. Why should Dave think about, or care about Frank?

Isn't Frank an adult that can think for himself?

Didn't the poor sap make his own decisions that have nothing to do with Dave?

And there's the rub. In order to play the slots, Dave either doesn't think (ignorance) about Frank, or he doesn't care (unloving) about Frank and all the thousands of similar undead that sit at the slots each day.

And God condones neither ignorance or a lack of love.

The moment Dave says, "Why should I care about Frank?" is a moment he has departed from the life and truth of God. How can a loving person also love The Machine?

A lot of times, "Is it sin?" is the wrong question. "Is it loving?" is better. The truth about love reveals the truth about sin.

Most often, when confronted with "Is X Sin?" and the behavior is destructive, a good answer is "It's not God's best. God's best is love and X destroys lives."

THE FAT HAIRY SHOWGIRL

2011-05-25T08:47:00.005-05:00

I was walking with my wife down Main Street in Las Vegas, NV. We were on a mission trip with college students. The team was passing out tracts and approaching people to offer prayer and conversation.

I was amazed at the overhead digital screen that spanned an entire road and stretched for several blocks - the largest such screen in the world.

Then, there was the zip-line underneath the screen where every couple minutes two or three people would scream by.

And off to my right - an obese guy in a bikini.

No, really. He was maybe 300+ lbs with pale white skin and black patchy hair that covered his back and, well, other parts. He was wearing a skimpy gold sequined bikini/showgirl outfit in an area where tourists can have their pictures taken with look-a-likes - Brett Michaels, Rod Stewart, and Captain Jack Sparrow were there.

I averted my eyes - not so much from moral imperative, but to keep from throwing up in my mouth.

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but I did keep walking and we had a great couple hours of approaching strangers and sharing the Gospel.

But later that night, God kicked me in my pants.

When the team was debriefing, one college student shared his experience of talking with the guy in the bikini.

The guy had run a successful business for some time, but when the market in Vegas collapsed, his business crashed too. He was desperate and even though it was embarrassing, people will pay for pictures with a novelty like a fat hairy showgirl.

When our student offered prayer and placed his hand on the man's furry back the wildest thing happened. There, in the middle of the lights and swarms of people, the guy closed his eyes and raised his hands in the air during the prayer.

I don't know details about the conversation or the prayer, but what I do know is I was ashamed.

When I first walked passed the guy, it wasn't like I looked at him and thought, "Oh, a guy like that wouldn't want to talk about Jesus." I didn't even get that far. What really happened is that he was invisible to me. A non-person. Even while I'm writing this, I feel sick at myself.

I've always been one to say you can't tell who will be receptive and who won't by looking at them, but it took another faithful Christian to show me my heart.

As I've looked back on that night, I can see the faces of others I ignored in favor of more "normal" people - a gangster, a transvestite, a beggar, a loony.

It's been hard to come to grips with, but as much as I like to think I am a lover of people, I've had to confess and repent over the fact that "people" hasn't included everybody.

Next time, I'm committed to being the first in line to talk with the oddball, reject, or freaky person. Now that I think about it, despite the veneer, that describes everyone, everywhere.

And, God has been dealing with me on looking past people's oddities and seeing their potential.

What if a guy like that, who will swallow his pride and be brazen for a buck, got a hold of Jesus in total surrender. Can you imagine what he'd be capable of? Fearless.

Sometimes, the very thing that makes us want to pass by is the reason we should stop.

God forgive me and break down every prejudice and distance I place between myself and others.

PRAYER, PIZZA, NAMES, AND TATTOOS

2011-05-04T15:28:00.014-05:00

I was at a pizza and hot wings joint in Henderson, KY. There had been about 12 "just came from church" Christians that had kept the waitress on her toes and smiling for 45 minutes. She had short, jet black hair, a nose ring, multiple tattoos, and big pretty blue eyes. Everyone was gone but my friend, Mark Randall, and myself.

When she came to collect the bill (with a big fat tip) Mark addressed her.

"I've got good news for you."

"Oh, yeah, what's that?"

"Jesus loves you very much and has a great plan for your life."

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I know that and...uhm...well this is like a blessing in disguise. You guys are the third group of people that have been nice to me since yesterday."

Mark asked her, "Is there anything we could pray for you about?"

She looked over her shoulder and got teary-eyed. "Yeah. yeah, there is."

She moved a few steps and closed the door, shutting us off from the other part of the restaurant.

She went on to explain that she had been in "drug jail" for her "needle-using." She had two boys that she hardly gets to see and now that she is out of jail, her drug debts were catching up with her and even though she hadn't used in 3 years, she owed a lot of money. She wanted to re-establish her relationship with her boys but her current situation didn't make it easy.

She cried through the conversation. The last group of "nice people" she had talked to had invited her to church and she was already considering it when she met us. She seemed to think it was a sign and my guess is, she'll attend this Sunday.

She said, "I don't know why I've gone through what I've gone through...I mean, I know I'm responsible...but now I've got a story and I think God wants me to share it."

I noticed she had "Landen" and "Cole" tatooed on her forearms. One on the left, and one on the right.

"Are Landen and Cole your boys?"

She wiped tears and said, "yeah." Then she folded her hands together and held them in front of her face. "I put that there so they'll be right in front of me when I pray."

We prayed with her and she gave us both a hug and thanked us repeatedly. When we got back to the church, we told the pastor about the encounter and gave him a description of the girl, asking him to watch for her next Sunday. I believe she'll be there. If you think about it, please pray for Heather and her two boys, that God will do something exceptional, and that her story will touch many.

It's often amazing the conversations that open up from a kind word and an offer to pray.

HELP ME HELP YOU

2011-04-19T08:53:00.006-05:00

If you're anything like me, you need constant reminders to do outreach and evangelism.

It's easy to attend a conference, read a book, or talk to a friend and get "fired up" for a while but if I'm not careful, I get caught up in life and my priority list slides. I can go days or weeks without sharing the Gospel if I'm not careful.

My primary goal in life is to share the Message of Jesus. But I also want to resource and train other Christians to do the same - Every Christian, Everywhere, Sharing Jesus.

I've come up with a plan that will do both. It's also a way churches and individuals can support what we do on a regular basis.

Bear with me here - I'm pitching an idea. In three years of blogging this is the first time I've done anything like this. Chances are, it'll be another three before I do so again.

This idea has the potential to:

-Remind you with regularity of the importance of outreach.

-Equip you to share the Gospel in a way that causes no fear at all.

-Keep you ready at all times.

I'll give you the link at the end of the post, but I have started a company that distributes Gospel tracts. They arrive monthly or quarterly.

Any Christian worth their salt when it comes to outreach should have access to tracts.

Tracts:

-Never get angry or lose their cool.

-Never become confused by difficult questions.

-Can stay in one spot for decades - waiting for the right person at the right time.

-Can penetrate areas most people cannot.

-Get passed from person to person.

With this new company you can receive anywhere from 100 to 5000 tracts a month and for churches and ministries, there are options for custom information printed right on the tracts - church address, service times, website, and the like.

For churches, it's:

-Marketing.

-Resourcing and inspiration for church members.

-A reminder of church priorities - keeping the focus on outreach.

Plans are as cheap as 2¢ per tract. And, every penny spent will go directly to Christian ministry in the form of evangelism and apologetics training, outreach, and benevolence ministries.

This is a great way to equip and inspire evangelism and a fantastic way to financially support more of the same. And, chances are, you're going to love the tracts designs. They're pretty amazing if I do say so myself.

Check it out at: ReadyTracts.com

If this post freaks you out - don't worry. We'll be back to normal soon.

JESUS ON THE CHRONIC?

2011-03-25T07:12:00.005-05:00

I was standing on Beale Street in Memphis holding a sign that read, "Need Prayer?"

It was 10:20 PM and a Kid Rock concert had concluded a block away. 30,000 people poured onto the street and two of them were standing in front of me.

One guy was so stoned he couldn't communicate. He would later, literally, pass out while leaning on the shoulder of one of my friends.

The other guy was red-eyed, but aware.

When they approached, the second guy - a big, tattooed dude in a sleeveless t-shirt, started the conversation.

"What's your favorite Bible verse?" he said.

"Hmmm, good question," I replied. "Probably Habakkuk 1:5."

"Ha buh kuhk?" he said. "I know the whole Bible, King James Version, but I've never heard of that."

He elbowed his friend and said, "Do you know anybody who knows the Bible better than me?" But the guy was busy open-mouth breathing.

"You know what my favorite Bible verse is?" he continued.

"No, what is it?"

"Genesis 1:27, where God blessed all the seed-bearing plants." And he pointed his finger at my face, jabbing with each syllable as he finished. "And that includes marijuana! What do you think about that?"

"Well, let me ask you a question first," I said, and he nodded.

"Okay."

"Has Jesus ever come into your life in such a way that it transformed you?"

He scowled and I continued.

"'Cause that's what's important and if you're familiar with the Bible you know that. The rest falls in line when He takes control."

We talked for about 20 minutes. Later he would talk even longer with my buddy while the 1st guy was passed-out cold, standing up in the middle of the road.

The point is this. Issues are just issues. Particular activities, from adultery to stealing, and from cheating to getting drunk or stoned are not the main thing. A lot of times, as Christians, we are tempted to argue issues with non-Christians that have little value. What we need to do is jump to the heart of the matter: "Who is in control of your life?"

In an all-out, who's right and who's wrong debate, that guy was toast. For one thing, it's Genesis 1:29, not 1:27 he was quoting. But, more importantly, the verse specifically states that God intended the plants to be ours, "for food." So unless the guy was talking about marijuana laced brownies, his argument would crash and burn. And even then, the meaning is clear.

But, there was no need to debate. And here's why.

Chances are, I would get only one opportunity to talk with this guy. There are exceptions, but in a situation like that, it's a one-shot deal - 5, 10, 15 minutes maybe. How do I want to use it?

Sure, I could argue about smoking pot. But, one, that's not the real issue. And, two, without confronting the real issue, the chances of changing his mind about lesser issues are slim.

Which is better? Teaching a blind man to use a cane and keep from stubbing his toes, or to open his eyes and allow him to see?

And that's the bottom line where the Gospel is concerned. Jesus transforms from the inside out - not from the outside in. When confronted with "issues" we need to keep that in mind. Yes, the issues are important. And often it's specific "sin" revealed that brings conviction. But, when given the opportunity, let's hit the big sins of selfishness and control. Let's challenge people to surrender all to Jesus - the one who is in the business of total transformation.

ROACHES AND THE GOLDEN RULE

2011-03-07T07:30:00.002-06:00

I was with my wife and scarfing down a chicken philly at a mall food court when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

Looking over Kara's shoulder I saw it.

A cockroach.

It was about an inch long and its little antennas were tapping their way up the sweatshirt of the guy behind her. His back was about a foot from hers.

The roach must have noticed me looking because the little dude paused for a moment and then darted for cover under the hood of the sweatshirt, inches from the guy's neck.

I leaned forward and whispered. "There's a roach on that guy's back."

Kara's mouth dropped open and her reflex was to pull her seat forward a few inches.

"What are you going to do?"

I wasn't sure and a lot went through my head.

I told her, "I don't know. What does the Golden Rule say? I mean, what would I want a stranger to do?"

There were several reasons I was hesitant:

1) I didn't know how the guy would react, nor his spouse.

I thought about just walking up and telling him. But, even though he was a broad-shouldered guy, I could see him throwing his chair back, jumping up and down on his tip toes, and screaming "Get it off me! Get it off me!" in a falsetto voice. I then pictured the roach jumping on their table and the guy's wife slamming her purse down, spraying food everywhere. An unlikely scenario, I admit, but it still went through my head.

2) What if the guy was embarrassed?

It entered my mind that maybe the roach came with the guy - that he lived in less than sanitary conditions, and roaches were common in his home. Maybe the roach had been in the folds of his clothes and travelled across town with him. It would be embarrasing to have a stranger point it out.

Kara would later tell me, "It wasn't a pet, babe" when I told her this concern. "It's not like he wanted to keep it, even if it did come with him."

She was right.

3) He didn't seem to be worried about it.

The roach wasn't, at the time, causing any noticeable damage. Shouldn't I let the situation run its course? Maybe the thing will just crawl away later and never be noticed.

4) Was it really any of my business?

Yeah, this is a lame excuse that usually means, "I don't want to get involved" but it went through my head. I just wanted to finish my sandwich and go shopping. Maybe points one through three were wrapped up in this desire as well.

Ultimately, that's exactly what I did - nothing. I don't know what ever happened to that roach. At some time he must have emerged and truth-be-told, I'm glad I wasn't around.

But did I do the right thing?

I'm pretty sure I didn't. I think had Jesus been there, He would have tactfully approached the guy. "Excuse me, I don't mean to alarm you, but I saw a small bug crawl under the hood of your sweatshirt and thought you'd like to know. Could I lift it up and brush it off for you?"

So my question for you to think about is this:

A lot of times when we notice something negative going on in another's life we keep our mouths shut for a mix of reasons similar to those above. But is this the right way?

Sure, Jesus would say don't judge areas that you have issues with. If I am covered in roaches it wouldn't make sense for me to try and brush them off others. Jesus would say I should deal with my own roach problem first if I want to be effective at pest removal in the lives of others.

But can we all agree that even if the person had a wild reaction, or even if the person became embarrassed, our responsibility is to tactfully and carefully intervene. That it is, actually, our business?

Doesn't the Golden Rule demand we do something in the light of nasty critters crawling around on the backs of others?

I would want to know if a disease-carrying creature was making its home in my clothes. The instantaneous reaction might not be pretty, but in the long run, I'd be thankful if someone helped me see it.

PASSING NOTES IN CHURCH

2011-02-14T06:59:00.006-06:00

Yesterday at church I was behind girls passing notes.

It was nine girls in a row. One would write something on a half sheet of paper and pass it to the girl behind her. She'd pass it down the aisle. When it got to the end, that girl would pass it up front and it would make its way to the original owner.

I hardly noticed at first, but when every minute or so a new note began, I was curious. I had my suspicions, but wanted to confirm. So, nosey as it was, I leaned forward to read over the girl's shoulder.

It didn't say, "H.L. is so good-looking. His wife is so lucky." Or, at least this particular note didn't - that was probably the first one passed.

It was sermon notes.

The girls, with one exception, were Korean. They were English students visiting America to improve their language skills - skills that made sermon comprehension difficult. So the American girl, the note writer, was dictating in rudimentary English. It was creative and helpful.

But let's face it, all the creativity in the world helps not-at-all if the creative idea isn't implemented.

I admired the girl, Bethany, who took the time and effort. She could have come to church with an "all-about-me" mentality and tried to be "fed" her dose of the Gospel for the week. Instead, she went to the effort of paying careful attention, translating, and furious writing to help them keep up. And you know what? My guess is, in doing so, she received more from that sermon than most anyone else in the sanctuary. It was a great idea that I'm sure was God inspired.

See, God, the Creator, is creative. Go figure.

But true creativity involves action. Without implementation, creativity isn't creativity. It's imagination.

In my last blog, A MANLY, MANLY PINK BIBLE, I wrote about seeking creative ways to grow in faith. Check it out HERE.

Don't let the creative process stop at imagination. Move past imagination to activity. Accomplishment starts with thinking and ends with action.

Meditate, brainstorm, chat with friends, daydream, and listen to God. Think long and hard about ways to fund missions, methods of outreach, and keys to personal growth. But then, DO SOMETHING. Be fearless. Live in a way most people never do. 'Cause let's face it, most people stumble through life by accident and the crowd drags them to a lousy destination. But the person in tune with God's creative juices that's willing to say "yes" - that person is going to do something great - like a lifetime of passing notes in church.

A MANLY, MANLY, PINK BIBLE.

2011-02-04T09:43:00.004-06:00

I'd like to think I'm a manly man.

I know how to use a Miter saw.

I can grout tile, grill a pork chop, and change a fuel filter.

As I approach 40 my German eyebrows are bushier and my hairy ears need trimmed.

The only manicure I've ever had was before my wedding, when someone dragged me there and paid. I wait until my toenails are daggers before I trim them, with bolt cutters.

I'm not sure if that makes me manly, or gross. But then, I'm not sure the two aren't synonymous.

But if you saw my spot at home for daily devotional time, you might question the above. Because I cherish my pink Bible.

Here's the deal: Reading the Bible with consistency has always been difficult. And one reason is because I always have a Bible I favor.

Many times I would use my favorite Bible in my office, but later in the day, take it with me for a lunch date, a Bible study, or a church service. Afterwards, there's no telling where it might end up - my coat pocket, the back seat of my car, or worse, left on a pew somewhere.

Then, when I sat down at home the Bible was gone. I might not be certain which Psalm I ended on, or how far I delved into Galatians. So, without my favorite Bible, it was easier to grab another and read something random, or (gasp) not read at all, with the intention of retrieving my Bible later. (And later often meant "not today" and "not today" sometimes meant "not this week.")

So, when I accidentally received a pink Bible in the mail (no, seriously, it was an accident) I saw a solution. I use that ugly, pink thing for my daily reading. And, I've never been tempted to throw it in my backpack or lug it to church. Not even a little bit. It's always there, waiting for me in it's repulsive glory.

Problem solved.

Sometimes it takes creativity to better ourselves or take the next step in our walk with Jesus.

Do you have a particular area in your life that you know you need improvement, but always seem to fall short?

Get creative.

Do you have issues with gossip when you meet a friend for lunch once a week? Feel guilty afterwards? Take a recorder with you. If you keep a record of the conversation, you're more likely to tread with care.

Addicted to porn? Throw out the computer, the smart phone, whatever it takes. And yes, I'm serious. Desperate situations call for desperate solutions. Remember, Jesus was the guy that said you'd be better off plucking your eyeballs out than giving in to lust. Not my words. His. If need be, check your email at the library.

Can't get out of bed for church? Arrange an early nine holes of golf, or breakfast with a friend even earlier. It's easy to bounce out of bed for something you love. (Ahem.)

Be creative in your approach to improvement. Ask God for interesting and impactful ways to change. He has the ultimate imagination and can show you what to do.

A LIFETIME OF "YES!"

2011-01-26T13:53:00.006-06:00

This last weekend I was with my dear friend, Mark Randall, when he buried his mother, Yvonne.

As we went through her attic, garage, and office, I was struck by the items we were putting in the trash or shipping to a local church.

A ceramic Easter bunny...old receipts...wrenches too rusty to use.

I knew each one had a story. Every receipt was a purchase, every tool had been bought for a reason. But I wondered, now that she's gone, will anyone remember? A lot of it had no value when she drew her last breath.

It made me think about my own life, and my own stuff.

How many years till the ceiling fan I put in seems so outdated as to be ridiculous?

150 years from now, will my vacation pictures with my wife mean anything to anybody? I mean, I don't have stacks of pictures or knick knacks lying around from the Hussmanns before me. I can't even name one of my great, great grandparents, despite my mother's attempts to educate me.

How much of my time and effort is wasted on the meaningless?

Then I was reminded of what, in my opinion, might have been Yvonne's greatest accomplishment - though I understand she had many.

When her son, Mark, was a little boy he developed Hodgkin's disease. And at that time, it was always fatal.

He was no fun to be around, spending most of his time curled up on the couch and vomiting from the treatments. He became so sick he had to quit school when other parents complained he might die in front of their kids.

People were telling Yvonne to prepare for the worst. Accept the inevitable. Mark was a dead-kid-walking.

But she refused.

She had a dream of a rising sun over her boy and she knew it was God speaking. Mark would survive.

So she was adamant. She believed.

When news came of a Christian camp for youth that Summer, Mark wanted to attend and Yvonne said, "yes." The camp leadership advised her otherwise and were prepared to send Mark back home no sooner than he arrived. They were sure he couldn't handle it.

But they were wrong.

Something miraculous happened.

And the rest is history.

Mark was touched by God at that camp and healed. He's still alive today, decades later. And, he has made more of a positive impact in the lives of others than anyone else I know.

I know a drug pusher who is now a Jesus-lover as a result of that boy's survival.

A boy who had his brains blown out with a gun survived and went on to finish college after Mark Randall rushed to the hospital and prayed for him. (One official at the university said, upon hearing of the recovery, "That's impossible. I saw his brains on his pillow.")

And I can say with certainty, if it weren't for Mark Randall, I would have ended up in a mess. He was a positive influence at a time when I was headed down a nasty road. Many, if not most, of the best decisions I have made in life were a result of his involvement.

Eternity will tell, but I think it isn't exaggeration to say he is a history-changer. Thousands and tens of thousands have been influenced by him and those he's touched.

Because Yvonne said, "Yes."

She had every reason to say "no."

No one would have blamed her.

Most would have advised her against it.

But she believed God.

"Yes."

I pray, one day, if my boy is ever packing up my stuff that he can look past the picture frames, the coffee mugs, and even the Christmas ornaments from around the world, and see many, many times that I said "yes" to God.

Yes I'll give up my vacation to help my neighbor pay his hospital bills.

Yes, I will tell people about Jesus, even in the face of ridicule.

Yes, I will teach a Sunday school class, busy as I am.

Yes, I will call a lonely person.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

I'm pretty convinced, in the end, the number of times we say "yes" to God will define our lives. Everything else will be bagged up and forgotten.

Thank you, Yvonne, for saying "yes" when you did.

A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO ROMANCING A LADY

2011-01-11T09:39:00.004-06:00

Sometime this week I’m gonna send my wife an E-card that is either romantic, or a little sexy, or both.

I’m pretty much a man among men. I know.

But what motivates me to do this?

‘Cause it’s on my “to do” list of course.

And no, I’m not kidding. How’s that for classy?

But, really, does that make it any less of a “man moment” because it’s premeditated?

Last week I talked about Motivation Toward Motivation. If you didn’t read it, check it out here before you read on.

See, Monday mornings are my motivational time. It’s when I get in God’s face and say, “What should I do this week?” And in my last blog I said I’d try and give you some idea what that time looks like.

I don’t want to make it more complicated than it is. I will read for a while – the Bible, and whatever else I’m focusing on – and then I’ll get a pen and paper and write a list – my “to do” list for the week. Filling it out might take 10 minutes.

But how do I know what goes on the list and what doesn’t? There is so much I can do with my time. How do I decide?

The answer is in one, unspoken, foundational question: “What are my priorities?”

God and His Kingdom come first. It’s number one on the list and shapes everything else. Because God’s Kingdom is preeminent and it exists in the hearts and lives of people, people become second on the list. And when people are second, my sphere of influence rises to the top.

See, when God and His Kingdom come first, a love-letter to my wife makes sense. Because the tighter our family is, and the more encouraged she is, the greater God is served.

Other items on my list include:

-Drinking 2 Nalgene bottles of water a day. (The healthier I am, the better and longer I can serve Jesus.)

-Finishing a chapter in my new book. (It’s a book I hope will draw people to God.)

-Contact a pastor about a speaking engagement. (Another opportunity to invest in others.)

And so on…

But hopefully, even the “everyday” items on my list (organize the garage, transfer videos from my camera) keep the prime directive of “God first.”

Yesterday I did finish that chapter and made it half way through another. I also lifted weights, brought my wife breakfast in bed, and made a bank deposit. And all of these items were reflected in my list.

Without the list, motivation wanes. But with it, even a shmo like me can write a book, sweep his wife off her feet, and keep his money in order – and, hopefully, all for the Glory of God.

Bottom line: put God first, make a regular list, and bust it out. Focus on practical motivation toward motivation and see if things don’t start changing.

A COUPLE CAVEATS:

1)Your list should, and will, look different from mine.

If you work an assembly line, an item on your list might read “Ask Joe about his sick kid. Offer to pray for him.” Our life circumstances are not the same, but your list should still be built on the foundation of God first.

2)Find the balance between fulfilling the list and rigidly sticking to it.

The idea of the list is not to lock you into a certain group of activities for the week. Let it remain flexible and don’t beat yourself up if you “only” accomplish 15 of the 20 items on your list. Chances are, that’s more than you would have without it. The day the list becomes law is the day to try something else.

MOTIVATION FOR MOTIVATION

2011-01-02T07:17:00.003-06:00

I can motivate myself to get in shape pretty well. And if I'm not careful, that motivation lasts about two weeks. Next thing I know, I'm craving deep-fried pickles and choosing a good movie over a good leg press.

It's not that hard to push myself to stay in touch with family members. But that push might last through one phone call or one email and then it's back to no contact for months at a time.

It's the same with Scripture memorization, sharing the Gospel, organizing my library, and learning another language. When I work on motivating myself, it's easy to do these things for a short while. But when motivation fades, or "life happens" most of this gets pushed to the back burner.

So what do I do? I know there's a ton of things I ought to work on, but how can I keep my motivation up?

The trick is in placing a priority, not on the "things" (working out, calling your mom, etc.) It's on placing a priority on the motivation needed. Great things come as a direct result of motivation.

If we will take regular time to focus our thoughts and minds on that which motivates us, the actions we desire will flow out of that time.

But what does that look like?

It means we have a set time dedicated solely to motivation.

For me, it's Monday mornings. My goal this year is that Monday mornings will be the time I set aside for motivation, priority-searching, and goal-setting. On Mondays I'll determine when I'm going to work out that week, when I'll "go out" to share the Gospel, and even, to an extent, when I'll call my mom or my brother (or my long lost high school friend.)

Really, If I can be self-motivated enough to stick to that one plan - dedicating Monday mornings to motivation - staying up on other areas I need motivation shouldn't be that difficult.

In the next few blogs, I hope to expand on this and give more specifics as to what motivation time looks like, but for now, will you set aside a regular time for motivating yourself toward motivation?

Zig Ziglar said, "People often say motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."

If you will make motivation toward motivation one of your highest priorities, the rest of what you desire - a disciplined devotional life, outreach, stronger family ties, and a slimmer figure - will fall in line. But if you neglect motivation as a goal, most of those things fall not "in line" but, rather, "by the wayside."

GOD'S LOVE LANGUAGE

2010-12-09T07:25:00.006-06:00

My love language is physical touch. No doubt about it.

I am, of course, referring to Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages. You're probably familiar with it and if you're not, you oughta be. It's groundbreaking.

But when I think about it, or even take a written "What's your love language?" test - I'm off the charts. In order to "feel loved" I gotta be touched - at least with romantic love. Sometimes when people touch me too much in a non-romantic relationship it gives me the willies.

So, with my wife, she can say all the nice things in the world. She can spend quality time with me and buy me gifts. But if she's not touching me - so what? The rest of it just doesn't "crank my tractor" so-to-speak. I gotta be touched.

But what is God's love language?

What does he value most when it comes to "feeling loved"?

It's not that He has any particular romantic or security needs to be filled. I suspect He is quite satisfied in the Trinity. But, what can we do to show our love for Him that means the most?

Any honest reader of the New Testament should see it. His greatest love is people. And the more people who know Him and are known by Him the better.

He is love. And that love is poured out to people.

So as those who want to express our love toward God, there are all kinds of things we can do that He appreciates. But one thing really gets Him excited. One thing cranks His tractor. But, unfortunately, it's the one thing most Christians make every excuse to avoid.

Like the bride who won't touch her husband is the Christian that won't reach people.

Sure, she'll be his friend. Of course she'll build Him up with her words. But touch him? No thanks.

That's how many Christians treat God's burning desire for people.

Bill Hybels, in Just Walk Across the Room, said:

"Many people salve their consciences: Sure they'd never admit this in front of civilized people, but privately, they come to God and say, 'I'm really not cut out to take walks across the room [reaching out to people.] But here's my deal, God. I will get all over spiritual development. I will be a Bible knowledge hound! If you want, I'll throw myself into building Habitat for Humanity homes - every summer, in fact. I will be all over volunteerism - I'll show up at church five nights a week if you ask me to. You let me off the evangelism hook, and I'll prove my love to you in half a dozen other ways if it kills me. That's my deal.'"

And Hybels concludes: "My blood pressure rises just writing about it."

It can be easy to show love in a way that is comfortable for us. But what's comfortable for us isn't always the best way to show love for others. Most of the time it requires conscious effort and a search into what is most important to the receiving person.

Good "lovers" are adept at finding out what their partner really wants and giving it to them. Good gift givers give what the reciever wants - not what the giver wants to give.

We can talk about loving God all we want. But until we reach people, we aren't showing it in the way that really gets Him excited. Reaching people is what fires Him up and it's the best gift we can give.

LYING AND LEMON MERINGUE

2010-11-30T07:48:00.002-06:00

Esma Stephenson had worked hard to make a beautiful lemon meringue pie for the handsome man that would visit.

The meringue was perfect - nice and high with white valleys and golden ridges.

The man coming by? My soon-to-be father, Lou.

And Esma? She was my grandmother on my mom's side. It was the first time Lou would meet her and her husband, Tom. Everyone wanted to make a good impression.

After a knock on the door came hugs and handshakes. Then the meal was served. Four chairs took up most of the tiny kitchen where I would often creep in and steal cooked bacon throughout my childhood.

The conversation went well. Tom was warm, but hard to read, and Esma went out of her way to see Lou had everything he could want.

"More tea?"

"Yes, please."

And then it came - The lemon pie in all its glory. The dishes were cleared and the mountain of meringue appeared.

"Whoa!" Lou said. "Now that's impressive." Esma grinned and wiped her hands on her apron. He continued, "Susan must have told you how much I love lemon meringue."

The older woman smiled again. "No. Just a guess."

"Well, it's one of my favorites." So she cut him an extra large slice and he gushed. "Mmmmmmmm. It's been a long time since I had it this good."

When Lou and my mom left the house, Esma and Tom stood at the door and watched them walk to his car. "He seemed nice enough."

And ten steps off the porch, dad leaned toward my mom, who was walking with him arm in arm, and whispered in her ear.

"I hate, hate, hate lemon meringue."

But guess what Esma served every time Lou visited after that. You got it - a heaping pile of zesty egg whites.

I can see it now - a smile on his face while he suppressed a gag. After so many slices, he probably avoided visiting.

But that's the way it goes when you lie - even what we try to pass off as "white" lies cause trouble. I'm not trying to slam my dad here. In fact, one of my keenest memories of him was a discussion we had about business dealings. "Keep your word, son," he told me. "If you don't have anything, at least you'll have your word."

But when he broke his own rule he took a pie to the face. And another. And another.

Jesus made it pretty clear how He felt about lying.

"Say 'yes' when you mean 'yes' and 'no' when you mean 'no.' Anything else comes from the devil." (HLHPV)

And there's lots of reasons why lying, for any reason, anywhere, at any time is unacceptable. (Read more about that topic HERE.)

One, is, it suppresses truth, and truth gives freedom.

When dad said, "I love this pie" he was hiding the truth. And as a result, he was trapped. From then on, he had to either pile lie upon lie, and live in the citrus jail cell of his own creation, or tell the truth and risk hurting Esma's feelings even more.

How should he have handled it?

When the pie hit the table, he could have said something like, "Wow! how'd you get the meringue so high? I don't usually eat lemon, but that looks so good I think I'll try it."

Chances are, the impression he made would have been just as good, and he wouldn't have to endure years of something he didn't enjoy.

And a second reason lying, even "white" lies are bad news is that lying is the great "sin enabler." If you can lie, you can get away with most anything.

"Where were you on the night of June 5th?"

"At home in bed."

Some lies are bold-faced attempts at protecting oneself.

But others, "No, baby, that dress looks great on you" hide different kinds of sin - the need to impress and the desire to be liked taken to an unhealthy level.

There's always a tactful, compassionate way to avoid "white" lies.

"Babe, you're beautiful, but that dress doesn't look quite as good as some of your others that highlight those great shoulders of yours."

As Christians, we need to become adept at speaking the truth in love. And that means no lies - even the "white" kind.

A delicate message of truth trumps a smile with a lie every time.

A WHITEWASHED WORLD

2010-11-16T15:50:00.004-06:00

Imagine it's a whitewashed world.

No reds, no blues, no yellows. Just white, white, white. White skin, white walls, white cars, white everything.

There's some black and grey, because shadows are made in three dimensions and light, but that's it. Life is, in some ways, a blinding snowstorm.

In this white world, texture variations are art. A brick pattern is nice, but intricate carvings and weavings - that's where it's at.

Traffic lights aren't lights at all, but shapes. A square says "go", a circle says "stop." But driving is dangerous. Hard to tell between the road and the grass sometimes.

And eating? A grape and a hickory nut look pretty similar - better feel them with care before you bite.

It's a tough life in a white, white world.

But then ...

It's all over the news.

A new discovery changes everything.

Explorers in the heart of the Amazon found it.

It's a flower.

A lush, green stalk With a bright yellow hat, and browning pedals on the ground nearby.

A new word is generated: color.

Scientists want samples.

Rich people fly to see it.

In time, people across the globe make it their number one tourist spot and pictures hang in cubicles everywhere.

Everyone, worldwide, is amazed.

It's a flower - a no-nothing weed, that most of us would pull up from the roots and cast aside in our real world of primary and secondary colors.

In a world where color is lacking, a simple flower becomes the object of songs and the desire of nations.

But in a world of color?

Meh.

It's not fascinating. Not even very interesting. It's common.

And how much more than flowers do we overlook because we are spoiled with the common abundance of God's creation?

Trees do not generate awe.

Soil is something to be washed off at first chance.

Rainclouds ruin our day.

We've seen our spouse naked so many times we hardly raise an eyebrow and we've heard so many songs we've forgotten what it's like to lose ourselves in music.

The Psalmist said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

When's the last time you lost your breath looking at a flower? The last time you stared at your fingernails and wondered at their growth?

The last time you said, "Well done, God! Well done!"?

Take a second look at what's common and praise the Creator. Don't let His over-abundance of imagination and creativity be your downfall where thanksgiving is concerned.

Look around you right now. Something you've been taking for granted is worth celebrating. And an hour from now the same will be true. A week from now as well.

Never stop celebrating the common AWEsomeness of God expressed in His creation.

SO, SERIOUSLY, DID JESUS EVEN EXIST?

2010-11-04T09:37:00.003-05:00

Well?

Isn't it possible He's another Santa Clause or Easter Bunny? Maybe a figment of Paul's (and Peter's and John's and ...) imagination?

It's a question that comes around every few years, though often presented in a different package.

In one version (the most recent I heard) Paul was a crazed lunatic that propagated the story.

In another, Jesus was an amalgamation of several of the "mystery religions" central characters.

It was the Knights Templar that knew the truth. Constantine propagated the myth because it served his political cause.

Pope Leo X was in on the lie.*

And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I don't, much, mean to disrespect the view, but Christ-mythers don't have a leg to stand on. So, all these arguments end up sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher:

Mwa, mwa, mwa, mwa, mwa.

Gary Habermas (read his resume HERE and be impressed) is a key person to remember when dealing with Christ-myth theories.

Habermas researched 1400 modern day sources (1975 to the present) in three different languages (French, English, and German.) He studied everything he could get his hands on concerning the historicity of Jesus and read Christian and skeptical scholars alike.

He describes "four minimal facts" which he says are so strongly attested that there is near unanimous consensus among scholars across the board on these points.

They are:

1) Jesus died by crucifixion.

2) Jesus' followers believed He was resurrected and appeared to them after His death.

3) The skeptic and church persecutor, Paul, was suddenly changed.

4) James, the brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.

And notice what is implied here. In order to die, one must live. To have followers, one must lead. And to have a brother, one must be a real, historic, individual.

Based on modern scholarship, there is no reasonable doubt. Jesus was a real person.

Bart Ehrman, non-Christian author of "Misquoting Jesus" and hero to many skeptics, says it like this:

"This is an old argument, even though it shows up every 10 years or so...I think the evidence is just so overwhelming that Jesus existed, that it’s silly to talk about him not existing. I don’t know anyone who is a responsible historian, who is actually trained in the historical method, or anybody who is a biblical scholar who does this for a living, who gives any credence at all to any of this.”

And John Dominic Crossan, a founder of the Jesus Seminar said this:

"Jesus' death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate is as sure as anything historical can ever be. For if no follower of Jesus had written anything for one hundred years after his crucifixion, we would still know about him from two authors not among his supporters. Their names are Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus."

If a person wants to believe Jesus never existed, they have that right. But, one must understand, to believe so puts one at odds with virtually every scholar in the field.**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Can I just say having an "X" after your name is plain cool.

** When discussing the historicity of Jesus, it is important we remember that basing our view on scholarly consensus can be dangerous as it can be seen as "argument from authority." At one time the majority of scientists believed the earth was flat and today, the majority of scientists believe in species to species evolution through mutation and natural selection. That is why, in the case of Jesus it is important that Christians learn, not only that scholars agree on the historicity of Jesus, but the "why's" of how that consensus has come. For further reading on this topic I recommend: "The Case for the Resurrection of Christ" by Mike Licona and Gary Habermas and "The Jesus Legend" by Boyd and Eddy.

PLANES, FENCES, AND BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS

2010-10-15T06:28:00.007-05:00

Though several news sources reported it, I'm not sure it's true.

According to the following accounts, some kind of plane crash occured in Chicago on December 9th, 2005.

But did it?

You decide.

AP - Sat Dec 10,

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 rests in the middle of Central Ave. Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005 in Chicago. The jetliner, trying to land in heavy snow slid off the runway Thursday at Midway Airport, crashed through a boundary fence and slid out into the street, hitting one car and pinning another beneath it. A child in one of the vehicles was killed. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Radio@UPEI December 9, 2005

A snowy runway caused a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 to skid off the runway in Chicago Thursday evening. Nobody on the plane was seriously injured, but a 6-year old boy was killed as the plane skid onto the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue, and hit the vehicle he was traveling in.

AFP/Getty Images - Fri Dec 9,

Southwest Airlines jet sits on a roadway after it crashed through a security wall the evening before at Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois. US authorities launched an investigation after the jet skidded off a Chicago airport runway and into a street where it hit two cars and killed a child (AFP/Getty Images)

Reuters - Fri Dec 9,

A Southwest Airlines plane bound from Baltimore, Maryland, sits on a road along Chicago's Midway Airport December 9, 2005, after crashing through a safety barrier while trying to land during a snowstorm in Chicago on December 8, 2005. (Frank Polich/Reuters)

AP Canadian Press - Fri Dec 9,

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 rests nose first at the intersection of W.55th Street and Central Ave. in Chicago Friday after it skidded off the runway at Midway Airport Thursday. (AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)

As you can see, the reports don't gel.

In one report, the plane broke through a fence. In another, it was a "security wall." And in others, no boundary is mentioned at all.

In one, a young boy dies, but in others there is no mention of death. An important detail, don't you think?

And how many cars were hit? zero, one, or two? The accounts vary.

---

You probably see where I'm going with this.

When different people report the same event, they report different details.

And this fact is the most effective tool Christians can use to deal with most apparent contradictions leveled by skeptics toward the Bible.

Especially where the resurrection of Jesus is concerned, skeptics hammer the variations in the different accounts:

How many angels were at the tomb?

Who arrived at the tomb first?

What did the angel(s) say?

But, just as we see in the news reports (which, if we're honest, give a clear view of what happened, when taken together) the answers come through comparing all the reports.

On December 9, 2005 a plan slid off an icy runway, broke through some kind of barrier and hit two cars. In one of the cars was a 6-year old boy who lost his life.

Don't you think that's what happened?

Isn't it crystal clear when one reads all the reports?

So the next time someone says the resurrection accounts don't line up, remind them of the Southwest Airlines flight that crashed on Dec 9, 2005.

For many of the "contradictions" often brought up concerning the New Testament, this is the Christian's first line of defense: various perspectives from differing viewpoints often produce differing, but accurate, descriptions of events. But when taken together, show the whole story.

In addition, such varying descriptions also defy collusion.

If three people work together to "get their story straight" the details of events will be described the same. It's when people don't work together and honestly express what they saw, that particular details are emphasized or abandoned.

All in all, it's the differing accounts of many Bible events that lend to the authenticity of what is written - just the opposite of what skeptics hope to accomplish.

(Thanks to Neil Mammen of noblindfaith.com for compiling the list of news reports.)

THE GIVEAWAY

2010-09-28T06:53:00.009-05:00

(If this video didn't embed, you can see it at HLHussmann.com and click the Videos tab.)

I've found a lot of Christians who say they are interested in open-air preaching, but aren't sure where to start and feel overwhelmed by fear.

A giveaway can be an excellent way to get things rolling and transition into something important.

In the following video, you'll see me give away books and DVDs from one of my "favorite authors and speakers."

Yeah, okay, it's my book and my DVDs. But the crowd didn't know that.

I've heard of some people giving away money for trivia questions and then offering a larger sum if someone in the crowd can prove they are a "good person." Others might just say, "You might think I'm crazy for giving away money (or DVDs, or whatever) but I have a reason." They then talk about generosity, dying to self, or any other topic related to giving. Or, they might just admit, "This money has been a bribe for three minutes of your time."

Either way, giving stuff away draws a crowd, generates interest, and creates smooth transitions for preaching the Message of Jesus. And, if the material you are giving away has the Gospel message inside, you're killing two birds...

So, don't know where to start with open-air preaching? Try a giveaway.

The above video was recorded at Cornerstone Christian Music festival this summer. It's a great place for talking to people about Jesus. A lot of non-Christians and not-so-much-Christians attend for the music.

The sound quality isn't the greatest, but good enough to get the idea.

When I was done, a guy approached and we had a great talk. Then we met up later to chat again.

OVERWHELMED!

2010-09-23T06:49:00.007-05:00

I have a friend who spent three years of his life in a virtual coma because of a brain anneurism. He draws disability and lives with his parents. More than 20 years old, he'd like to get out of the house, but his parents rely on his checks to get by. It's a nasty situation.

Another friend had an alcoholic father, grew up feeling unloved, and has a hard time connecting with others.

Yesterday I had lunch with three people - one is in a wheelchair due to spina bifida and another is an agnostic who is interested in God, but not much. The third person? Refreshing. Thank you very much.

And I can keep going.

A close friend was dumped by his girlfriend this summer. He adored her and it's been hard. Real hard.

Another guy deals with same-sex attractions while in a long-term committed relationship with a girl.

And this doesn't mention all my family and friends that I'd love to spend more time with, all "helping" aside.

And it also doesn't mention all the hurting, confused, lost (can't find their way) people I've yet to meet, but would love to know.

And there are so many more...

Lately I've developed a twitch in my right eye. Not the flapping-in-the-wind kind of twitch that others notice, but the constant bubbles-under-my-eyelids kind, that only I am aware of. Research indicates it's a lack of rest and too much stress.

Spreading our time between people can result in hard decisions. And that still doesn't include regular, every day, grind-it-out living: paying the bills, eating healthy, fixing a leaky toilet.

Overwhelmed!

That's how I feel if I'm not careful.

You probably do too.

So what do we do? How do we deal with this kind of thing? How do we minister to a suffering world and balance that with peace and rest?

Jesus had the answer.

People pressed on all sides. The crowds were so thick His family couldn't see Him (Mk 3:31-35) and sick people had to rip through ceilings to get to Him (Mk 2:3-4.)

He could hardly escape, even when He tried. They'd follow Him wherever He went.

And...at the end of it all, He knew what waited - a brutal, slow, humiliating, go-to-the-bathroom-in-your-pants kind of death, abandoned by His friends - ungrateful and unfaithful. If anything would inhibit peace, surely that knowledge would.

So what did He do? How did He handle the pressure?

The answer (seen multiple times in Scripture) is in Mark 1:35: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

Jesus found His strength in solitude with God.

He did whatever it took, rising so early that others weren't willing to do so. It's the only way He could escape.

He filled Himself with God, and the Spirit of God, and then He went on His way, with energy reserves to spare.

His pressure was beyond what we could imagine, but His answer works for us too. Seek God first. If you are feeling overwhelmed, that time, alone with God, is the first place to look. Chances are, it's lacking. Sure, we know it, but it's easy to forget.

DEALING WITH THE "D" WORD

2010-09-17T07:06:00.003-05:00

Last week I started on the topic of discouragment and the response I've received has topped anything I've written.

It seems a lot of people are dealing with the "D" word and it's not surprising. It is a powerful weapon against us.

We all face it at one time or another and if it is surrendered to, it can shut us down.

But read that last line again. To shut us down, we have to give ourselves to it.

The root of the word is "courage" and to be DIScouraged is to have one's courage pushed back.

The D word is just another way of saying "fearful."

And, just like any other kind of fear, it's best faced head-on - refused, dominated, and destroyed.

The battle reminds me of the classic Bob Newhart skit you can see HERE:

If you can't see it embedded, and the link doesn't work, just search for "stop it Bob Newhart" on Youtube.

And that pretty much sums it up.

The answer to discouragment is "stop it!" Or, as my friend Eric Treuil posted on Facebook recently, "Man up - it's that simple!"

God has given us the ability to control what we think about. (Another important line worth reading again.)

When discouragment comes, we can think about the circumstances that brought it, get down on ourselves, and embrace hopelessness, OR, we can man-up, say, "stop it!" and embrace hope and courage. It really is our choice.

It's hard to admit, but I've been discouraged, off-and-on for a couple decades now and this summer has been some of the worst.

"Am I doing what God wants me to do?"

"Do my efforts matter?"

"Wouldn't it be nice to get a normal job, make some normal money, and pursue a normal life?"

But recently I've realized embracing the "D" word is always a choice and I have, once-and-for-all made that choice.

I will not give one more minute to discouragment.

Not one.

Stop it!

THE BEAT-DOWN STICK

2010-09-08T10:50:00.003-05:00

Training young demons, the Devil laid out his weapons on a table, his calloused hands carressing each one as he placed them in a row.

There were needle-sharp spears with jagged edges, designed to tear flesh.

Some had chains and others hooks.

An axe had barbed tips. It would cut on the way in, and rip on the way out.

On the handle of each device was a word, etched in metal.

"Hatred", "discord", "lust", "greed", and "insecurity" were a few.

When he got to the last instrument he unwrapped it with care. A simple wooden pole, he held it to his chest and cheek, closed his eyes, and sighed like a lover embracing.

Placing the stick on the table he turned to the trainees, who eyeballed the weapons, and, in particular, the stick on the end. The etching in the handle was worn and indiscernable.

One brazen cadet reached to pick it up. "What's with the stick?"

Like a snake, the Devil slapped the beast, and icy poison flooded through his hands. The creature collapsed to the floor and the others took a step back.

"Don't touch it!" the Devil said and glared. "You will learn to respect this one." The pole was four feet long and less than an inch thick.

"Don't underestimate it," he continued. "When you learn to poke, prod, and one day pound-away with this beauty, then you will have learned to destroy the wretched humans." He picked the stick up again and looked as if he might kiss it.

"This one will work when others will not," he said, and slid his fingers up and down the smooth wood.

One demon lowered his head in submission. "Master, what is it?"

The Devil flashed a grin and then narrowed his eyes.

The young demons leaned in to hear him whisper.

"Discouragement, my lads. Discouragement."

SAVED FROM STUPID

2010-09-03T09:27:00.013-05:00

A few weeks ago I was on a train, talking with a guy I met at the terminal.

He wasn't homeless, but he was poor - disabled and living in government housing.

When I asked him about where his food came from, he explained that he rotated between three Christian missions in the area. When I asked about the quality of food, he said, "pretty good." He then described the food at one of the joints as "surprisingly good."

A few minutes later, my wife asked him what he thought would happen to him if he were to die.

He became agitated and animated.

"Those preachers don't want anything but money!" he said, loud enough to make me a little embarrassed in the train full of people.

He continued. "They take all the money and then drive rich cars and live in mansions."

He rambled for a bit in the same direction - Christianity was a tool used to take money from people.

But do you see the problem with our conversation so far?

On one hand he was talking about the generous Christians that go above and beyond to provide quality food for the poor, and on the other hand, the religion was designed to take money away.

I pointed it out to him and he went off on another tirade against rich Christians.

Sometimes blind people don't want vision.

His views were, well, let's face it, stupid.

It would be like me blogging, in English, about the uselessness of the English language.

"English is a stupid language and anyone who speaks it is an idiot."

See why that's self-defeating?

For more on self-defeating statements CLICK HERE.

Just yesterday I heard a radio comentator talking about free speech and the necessity for variation on the airwaves. His argument was that the market (the people) will decide what is good and bad radio. But then he expressed anger that Howard Stern was so demonized. He said, "Don't go sending hate mail to people like Howard because it destroys the free speech process."

See why that was a stupid thing to say?

And so often in religion, people's views are self-defeating.

Buddhism can be a selfish pursuit of unselfishness.

Scientism can be a non-scientific view that science has all the answers.

And relativism says, "The absolute truth is there are no absolute truths."

And we need to be honest, as Christians, we can be pretty self-defeating too if we aren't careful. It's something we need to look for and fight with consistency.

A friend, Jimmy Tate, told me recently that Jesus came to save people from two things - selfishness and stupidity. And I think he's right. He doesn't just clean up the sin, but He renews the mind too. It's good stuff.

As defenders of the faith, we need to have alarms go off in our brains when we hear self-defeating arguments. That way we can, as 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.(NLT)"

SMACKIN' MY HEEL AND SUFFERING

2010-08-18T09:25:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago week I fell down the stairs.

I was carrying a load of laundry, couldn’t see the step below, and missed. I tumbled 5 steps.

It hurt, but nothing was broken. The worst was the heel of my left foot. When I missed the step my heel slammed into one of the other steps, one or two down.

It was two days before I left for Budapest, Hungary and when I got there, I had to do a lot of walking – no fun at all.

Because my heel was bruised, I favored the area. After a half day I had a volcano blister on my pinky toe, so I favored that. Then it was a blister on my big toe, followed by cramping in my left calf. Then the right leg started hurting.

The aches and pains crawled up my body and all the way to my neck over the next two days.

A week and a half later I was still gimpy.

In Genesis, following the fall, God says of the relationship between Jesus and the serpent (the Devil), “He will crush your head, but you will strike (bruise) his heel.” HLHV

I always took this to mean “He will dominate you and there is nothing you can do about it.” But now I see it’s a bigger deal. A bruised heel causes real, lasting, miserable pain that infiltrates the entire system.

One argument about suffering is that most is caused by improper choices of humans. But this argument fails to deal with all suffering. Earthquakes, famine, many diseases, mental illness, and the like cannot be always explained by human choice. (Though human choices can alleviate some of the pain related to these.)

But, these could be explained by other free-to-choose beings with greater power than humanity.

The Bible describes a world where humanity is not alone, but there are such beings. We call them angels and demons (fallen angels.) They are, like us, free moral agents, but have far more power over the natural world than we.

So, if a human can command others and exterminate races, how much more a demon? How much damage could a hate-filled creature do when given the legitimate right to make personal choices?

God, desiring a world of love, which always requires freedom, gave both men and angels great responsibility and many of those abuse it.

We don’t see the big picture, but a battle is raging and we aren’t the only ones involved. Currently, the leader of those fallen creatures is bruising the heel. It’s awful.

But soon, he will be crushed and the wounds will vanish. The Body of Christ will walk without pain.

---

You can read more on suffering HERE.

HUNGARIAN TOILETS AND THANKS

2010-08-18T09:20:00.010-05:00

I love flushing Hungarian toilets.

The toilet bowl is about seven feet off the ground and maximizes the effect of gravity on water.

There’s no sissy lever here. It’s a chain, with a handle.

Think of the priests of Notre Dame trying to ring those huge bells and you’ll get it. Grip hard, pull down, and PLOOSHH! Niagara Falls, baby!

But the showers? That’s another story.

Our shower is gas-powered and starts at melt-your-skin hot. The cold handle is used for balance, but we’ve got to get it just right for a constant stream of hot water with decent water pressure. If we're off a little, the hot water comes in waves from too-hot-to-handle to cold-enough-for-squealing. It takes five minutes to tweak it. And that doesn’t mention it’s a hand-held with no mount. Rinse, put the shower head down, scrub, and pick the sprayer up again. Not ideal.

God bless America, my home sweet home! Thank you, Lord, for American showers.

But, man, I wish I could take the toilet back to the States. My guess is this is against American Airlines policy.

It’s not the only better/worse comparison I’ve made here.

The coffee is rich and powerful. Delicious! But it comes in only one size – thimble.

The cobblestone roads are beautiful, but my knees ache after a day walking.

The mosquitoes don’t bite me for some reason, but they swarm around in clouds. I hold my breath for fear of sucking one up my nose.

It seems like, not just in Hungary, but everywhere I experience both good and bad − pleasant and uncomfortable.

And I believe the Bible tells us the proper response to each:

“Give thanks in all circumstances ... this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:18

We are called to be thankful in everything – the good and bad, the pretty and ugly.

When the toilet is nice? Thank God. It's great engineering He inspired. May it come to America.

But when the shower’s lousy? Thanks, again. How nice I have steady hot water in the US of A.

Either way, “Thanks, God!”

In every situation there is something to be thankful for. Our job is to find it and give thanks.

A MAN NAMED FLYNN

2010-08-05T11:49:00.004-05:00

I was at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Chicago and trapped in the country because my passport had gone through the laundry. I was waiting for a new one.

Flynn was a mammoth and wore a tangerine suit.

Yep, you heard me. It matched the “Dunkin’” color in the Dunkin’ Donuts logo.

It had white stripes down the tangerine jacket that covered a brighter tangerine vest and pants. Under that was a baby-blue collared shirt.

He was a black guy in his early sixties and had “I shop at Armani” sunglasses perched on his head, bushy grey lamb chops for facial hair, and a gold tooth filling. He carried a cane with a gold skull on the handle.

He wanted the bar seat next to my wife. The one I had been sitting in before I went for coffee creamer.

She tried to hold it for me, but I told her from across the room, “Don’t worry about it. I can stand.”

He sat with coffee and I waited. In time, the other stool next to him opened. He was now between my wife and me.

“How’s it going?” I said.

“Pretty good. You?”

“Good.” I nodded, and chewed my western omelet sandwich.

“So what brings you to downtown Chicago?” I asked. He rotated toward me.

“Oh … I have lots of business,” he said.

And we talked for about 15 minutes.

I couldn’t figure the guy out. He seemed homeless in the way he talked about the area and reacted to my questions, but his clothes were pressed and cleaned, and, as my wife said later, he smelled nice. Not like the other homeless guys I talked to that day.

He was ex-military (navy for six years), loved the Chicago weather, and didn’t want to talk about religion much. At first he told me he was an atheist, but later said he had “found God” but that he didn’t want to tell me because if he did, I might ask him where God is, and he didn’t want to explain. Odd.

But the most interesting part of the conversation came when I explained to him that my wife and I were trapped in Chi-town for the night. I explained the circumstances.

He looked at me long enough to make me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure he had heard me.

Then he said, “At least you are together.”

I agreed and told him Kara and I had talked about it just the night before. There are worse things than being confined to a city with the love of your life.

“There’s a lot of people out there who have nobody,” he said, and stared out the window. “Take me for example. I don’t have anybody at all, and my life’s miserable.”

I was surprised at his candor, and told him that if God is around he is never alone – and God is always around. He said he understood my point and changed the subject.

He explained that Dunkin’ Donuts is a morning ritual and he knows all the servers by name so I told him next time I was in downtown Chicago I was going to stop by and ask, “Where’s Flynn?” He assured me he would be there.

So what’s the point?

It all started with “How you doing?” and within no time, the guy, who is as dissimilar to me as anyone I’ve ever met, was telling me about some of his deepest feelings.

And I’ve seen it over and over again. A little friendliness and a simple greeting can go a long way toward God touching a soul. Most people, in most places, if approached with courtesy and respect, will be happy to talk when given the opportunity.

SWINGING FOR THE FENCES

2010-07-14T08:35:00.004-05:00

You can't always hit a homerun.

And with rare exception, the guy who swings for the fences is the guy who strikes out most often.

I'd much rather have a guy who bats a thousand but never hits more than a single.

So what's my point?

I can only speak for myself, but I feel inadequate - a lot. And, I believe in the power of God to change the world - a lot.

So, when I do public speaking, write a blog, or try to answer someone's questions about faith, I am the kind that wants to swing so hard I come out of my shoes. Partially to feel important, and partially because I believe in what I'm teaching. I want to solve all the problems in the world in one speech, one paragraph, one conversation.

But it can't be done.

So I learned this lesson a long time ago. We should make consistent base hits the goal, stepping up to the plate and advancing the game. The home runs will come without all the grunting and muscling.(Is that a word?)

When it comes to outreach, preaching, and communicating, do your best to have something meaningful to offer, but don't freak out if it isn't universe-shaping, mountain-moving, perfection. It's too easy to rely on our own skills and abilities and ignore God's part in the big picture.

Should you prepare? Absolutely. Should you pursue excellence? Without question.

But, don't pressure yourself to crush every pitch. Be precise, meaningful, and razor-sharp. Choose your pitches with care. Don't preach too long. Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast, and leave 'em wanting more.

The game isn't yours to win and it's won with lots of base hits and the occasional grand-slam.

Just don't be the guy who rides the bench or goes down without swinging while he waits for the perfect pitch. Do your best to get on base as often as possible. You'll see home plate a lot more.

THANKS FOR THE PORK CHOPS MOM!

2010-07-07T08:35:00.004-05:00

My mom lives in a pretty small apartment and her landlord (yeah, me) needs to do some serious work.

She doesn't have room for an oven or stove so she operates with a microwave and toaster oven. The problem is, it's all on one overloaded circuit and often the circuit breaks. She loses power and has to trek to the basement to reset it. She trudges back to her apartment, and tries cooking again.

So, when she came over last night with a huge meal, I knew it was born of sacrifice. If I didn't know for sure, it was clear when she came in my house with sweat dripping off her neck.

"I'm never doing this again," she said, and scowled at me.

It was my favorite meal - the one I always tell people I would ask for if I were on death row - fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn - half cream-style, and half whole kernel.

And to top it off - hot pineapple upside-down cake.

My son would clench his fists, shake with excitement, and exclaim, "Tasty!"

Mom had gone way out of her way to bless me. The pork chops were made in an electric fryer sitting on her computer desk with towels over her monitor and keyboard to block the spatter.

Yeah, I pretty much have the best mom in the world and I wanted to announce it to everyone.

I'll eat leftovers later today.

And I do have a point.

The people that bless you deserve public appreciation and the people who serve you deserve thanks.

Whether it's friends, family, or coworkers, make it a point to show your appreciation. Don't go overboard - gushing every time someone says, "bless you" when you sneeze, but when people go out of their way, make sure you do the same to make them feel appreciated. If you are a person in authority - a pastor or boss - it is especially important.

It serves several purposes, one of which is borderline selfish:

First, it encourages people and there's something about being encouraged that makes a person effective.

Second, it's Godly. Jesus gave credit where credit was due and in Scripture we are often reminded to build others up.

And the somewhat selfish third?

Giving thanks inspires a repeat of the behavior. When a person feels appreciated, they want to repeat the behavior that brought that appreciation. Which, as long as your desires and vision are lined up with God's desires and vision, is a very good thing.

Or, you might just want more pork chops.

What do you think? Will writing this blog make any difference in whether mom brings me a big meal again?

Mom? Are you listening?

Love you!!!

SQUIRRELS IN THE SECRET PLACE

2010-06-25T08:11:00.002-05:00

The varmints are out to get you.

See the video here: http://www.vimeo.com/12768535

Squirrels In the Secret Place from HLHussmann.com on Vimeo.

Is the outward appearance of religion always the inward reality?

How can a Christian have an intimate and genuine relationship with God?

You have to get rid of the varmints.

Originally recorded for DVD release, we had some audio difficulties that make it not good enough. So it's an online freebie.

Check out HLHussmann.com for more information.

MY RUN-IN WITH "THE MAN"

2010-06-22T07:40:00.009-05:00

There's a place on a college campus in Ohio where students smoke between classes. It's an enclosed square with concrete steps and high walls surrounding - a perfect spot for open-air preaching.

I had gone with Steve Brannan, a good friend, to meet with another guy who preaches there. He has a few regular listeners, the unchurched who call it "church," but the crowd varies. My guess is a couple hundred people came in and out, with thirty to fifty present at any given time.

I started preaching and projected my voice. It was exciting. A lot of people stopped what they were doing and listened. Some even moved out of the concrete corridors that surrounded the square. One guy was walking through, stopped, put his backpack on the ground, crossed his arms and stayed put.

I had been speaking for maybe 3-4 minutes when I noticed two police officers moving in from behind me and to the left. I announced to the crowd "I'll be back with you in a moment" and turned.

"The problem here," the first officer said, "is there are classrooms in all these buildings."

He pointed and swung his finger around the three walls opposite. The sun reflected off his mirrored shades and I could tell he was on edge.

"So, you need me to tone it down?" I said. And he nodded.

He also told me it was their policy that I was not allowed to approach people individually. I knew at a state-funded college and in a public area this was a ridiculous violation of my rights, but it wasn't the time or place to fight that battle, so I asked, "When I finish preaching, I will invite them to come talk to me and the ball will be in their court. Is that alright?"

He said it was fine and I also got permission to project my voice and explain what had been asked of me so the people could come in close to hear if they'd like.

The officers left and I continued.

The interesting thing was, as I was told later, that when the police talked to me, several in the crowd yelled at them between drags on their cigarettes.

"Let him talk!"

"Leave him alone!"

I didn't hear any of it. It was my first preaching/police experience and I was focusing on the conversation.

But, I thought it was an excellent example of how people are not angered by public proclamation like most Christians think they are.

People want to think about spiritual issues and when it is presented in a way that is compelling and appropriate to the situation, the average person will listen.

I've written about this HERE, but most Christians believe they are annoying others or "turning them off" if they proclaim the Gospel. While sometimes people do get angry, my experience is most do not, and a few are responsive. Jesus said people are ripe and ready. What's missing is people who will tell them.

---

P.S. You might be wondering how things turned out.

I gave an invitation for people to come talk and for the next hour people approached. It went great.

THE PARABLE OF A BIG DUMMY

2010-06-09T08:54:00.007-05:00

A young boy had a rich dad.

When the kid turned sixteen, the dad sat him down and explained his plans for the future.

"Son, I want to do something special for you because I love you," he said. "You will be an adult soon, and as my son you are entitled to share in my fortune. So in two years, on your eighteenth birthday, I will begin construction on a new house for you. I want you to live someplace nice."

This sounded great to the kid. He had seen his dad's properties and knew he spared no expense.

"Wow dad, thanks a lot."

The dad smiled. "Hold on a second there buddy, there are a couple stipulations.

"First, between now and then, I am going to move you out of our home. It will be good for you to live on your own. We'll rent you a place that's not too nice. It will make you tough and show you how the other side lives. Eventually you'll appreciate what you have even more."

"Okay dad. What else?"

"Second, you should know I expect you to invest in your future home. I'm not going to just give it to you for nothing because that would ruin you. Instead, I expect you to work hard, save your money, and when your birthday comes, we'll count it. Then I'll multiply it by a large factor to see what our budget will be. Trust me. You'll be thankful for every penny you save because pennies will become dollars and dollars will become thousands - maybe millions. Sound good?"

The next day the father helped his son find an apartment. The boy wanted to start saving so they chose someplace cheap. There were cracks in the walls, a leaky faucet, and a ceiling fan that creaked. But the boy got a job and started putting money away.

Weeks later he couldn't stand it. The drip of the faucet, and the creak of the fan were driving him nuts so he dove into his savings, just a little bit, and had them fixed.

"If I'm going to live here I might as well fix it up."

It was the first of many projects.

He plastered and painted the walls.

New appliances came, starting with a microwave.

Then hardwood floors, granite countertops, and a Jacuzzi tub.

The landlord was thrilled. The kid must be crazy but crazy is good.

The boys father questioned him but he wouldn't listen.

When the boy's eighteenth birthday came, he had the nicest apartment in town. His friends loved to be there and he slept well at night with his pillow-top bed and high-efficiency HVAC.

When it was time to leave he brought in movers but the landlord stopped him and showed him his lease. All furnishings and improvements were to remain.

The boy shrugged and arranged lunch with his dad.

Over a great meal, his father got around to asking: "So, how much have you put away?"

Looking over his bank statements, the boy's shoulders sagged.

"Well, not much. Not much at all."

And taking the statements from the boy's hands, the father looked at the bottom line, looked back at the young man and said, "You. my son, are one big dummy."

RELATIONSHIP OR PROCLAMATION?

2010-06-02T08:57:00.004-05:00

I have received as much feedback on last week's blog as almost any I have written.

It seems, the dividing line between "relational evangelism" and "cold-turkey evangelism" is one that illicits response.

As such, I wanted to share a couple emails I got last week.

---

From one email (a reader from Indiana):

"I also wanted to comment on Robert Coleman and his work. My dad has a childhood friend named Terry Jones. He is one of my 'holy heroes.' He has been a missionary in India and Southeast Asia for over 30 years! Anyhow, when Terry was in seminary at Asbury Theological, Dr. Coleman was one of his professors. In Terry's autobiography, which I've read, he says that Coleman implemented the discipleship model he talks about in Master Plan of Evangelism on his students. In fact, Terry was one of the few students that Dr. Coleman made his 'core' group of disciples; meeting with them early in the morning and doing special ministry with them. I do remember though that Terry said that Dr. Coleman would take this small group of students out to Lexington with him to street preach and hand out tracts and Christian literature to whoever was willing to listen. So, obviously Coleman was about both the invested discipleship and straight-up, cold turkey evangelism outreach as well."

And in a follow-up email:

"Here is a direct excerpt from Terry's book that I was referring to:

'Dr. Robert Coleman was our professer of evangelism (at Asbury Theological). His book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, examined the method of Jesus in training his disciples to reach the world with the Good News. One of the principles was that Jesus was 'with' them. He truly poured himself into his disciples. Dr. Coleman did the same with a select group of students. We would meet in his office at six in the morning for prayer. I can still see his glowing face looking up as he knelt by his swivel chair, broad angelic smile, and then spontaneous heavenly laughter. It was contagious and quite evident that he really enjoyed his relationship with God.

He was a Ph. D. and practiced what he taught. Regularly we would preach on the streets of Lexington. Dr. Coleman, grinning from ear to ear, boldly preached the Gospel to all who passed by or took the time to stand and listen. We distributed tracts and counseled any who asked for help. You could call it Dr. Coleman's mobile classroom...'"

---

From another email (an overseas missionary):

"I have been talking about this lately... and I agree it should be both. I have a tendency to push proclamation evangelism more in that relational is the only thing taught around here."

---

I'll leave these emails for you to chew on, but must admit, I was excited to hear the guru of relational evangelism, Coleman, was an advocate (and practitioner) of open-air preaching, tracts, and conversations with strangers. I agree with my missionary friend that, though both are needed, those who practice cold-turkey types of evangelism are in the minority. We need more people who will, like Coleman, embrace proclamation, along with discipleship, in reaching this world for Jesus.

Coming to follow Him always involves hearing the message somehow. It always involves proclamation, but sometimes that occurs in the context of relationship and sometimes it doesn't. Let us be believers that, like Paul, become "all things to all men, in order that [we] might reach some." Let's just do something!

WWJD AND EVANGELISM

2010-05-26T07:22:00.005-05:00

A book, by Robert Coleman, titled "The Master Plan of Evangelism" describes the way Jesus reached the world as through, primarily, a discipleship process - gathering a few people and investing His life. He expected them to do the same.

A popular, modern teaching course by Ray Comfort Ministries is called "The Way of the Master" and describes Jesus' chosen method as, primarily, cold-turkey approaches of strangers, street preaching, and the like.

But which one is right?

They both claim to have nailed down Jesus' methods, but the methods they describe are different.

And the modern church is as divided as these two teachings.

On one side you've got your "discipleship" people for whom outreach is entirely relational. They tend to believe follow-up and a continuing intimacy with others are the keys to the Kingdom. If it ain't long term, it ain't effective.

And on the other side are the other sort. Not sure what to call them, but they believe sowing a whole lot of Gospel seeds in various places is the way to go. Through 30 second conversations, sermons preached on street corners, and a piece of Gospel paper in the right hand at the right time, they seek to change the world. "If you died today, what would happen to you?" Alright, who's next?

But, they are both right.

A study of the New Testament shows Jesus did both.

He gathered a bunch of people that went with Him everywhere. He sat around campfires and told them of the Kingdom. He ate in their houses and partied with their friends. By the end of His life, He was so close to at least one of them that the man felt comfortable reclining against Jesus over dinner.

But we also see Him preaching on the streets, in the temples, and on the hillsides. He approaches strangers and shares His identity. He throws out mysteries to the masses without explanation and expects them to figure it out. He's in-your-face and confrontational.

"The Way of the Master's Plan of Evangelism" would be a cumbersome book title, but a combination of the teachings above is what the church needs.

We need both - as individual Christians and as churches. Our lives need to be invested in others, feeding them, helping them mature, and sending them out to do the same. But we also need to be faithful in the area of quick approaches, standing on park benches, and on-the-spot presentations of the Message of Jesus.

If we really want to do it Jesus' way it isn't one or the other, but both.

MY FAT GASSY FRIENDS

2010-05-17T09:26:00.007-05:00

I remember playing a childhood video game. It was called "Galaga" or "Galaxia" or some kind of "Gala" word.

In that game, the player piloted a spacecraft against enemy ships and was able to "power up" by flying over flashing icons.

One of the power-ups was an upgrade in protection. Small spheres (between 1 and 3 depending on the number of icons touched) would rotate in a circle around the player's ship and block enemy missiles. Incoming fire had to get through the gaps to hit the ship. More often than not, missiles couldn't make it.

Did you know planet Earth has such a shield?

They are my fat gassy friends and I am so thankful.

You've heard of them. We call them Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

These gargantuan beasts rotate around the sun and are one reason you are alive today. If it weren't for them, advanced life would not exist on this planet.

There are a whole lot of "missiles" out there in the Universe that could easily destroy life on Earth if they collided with our planet. It's probably a daily occurrence that these planets absorb meteors that may have meant the extinction of the human race otherwise. The mass of these monsters sucks them in like a vacuum. They are positioned perfectly - four hulking giants protecting a 98 lb weakling.

This is only one of a thousand factors that make up the "anthropic principal." Coming from "anthro" (human) and "opic" (visioned, or focused), the anthropic principle points out that the Universe seems to have been designed with human life on this rock in mind.

So, next time you are out in the yard, don't run for cover. Thank God for your fat, gassy friends.

CRAZY DEMON FACE

2010-05-05T09:08:00.005-05:00

Less than an hour ago I pulled out at a T-intersection.

I was making a right and, just off the passenger side was a tree and a hedge. I couldn't see past the corner.

The road I was turning onto is narrow, and on one side people parallel park. So, it's almost a one-lane street.

I pulled out with caution and looked around the corner as best I could. What I saw wasn't pretty. Not even a little bit.

A large van was screaming down the road. The speed limit was 25, should be 15, and my guess is, the van was going 40. Because of the parked cars, she was driving in my lane.

I hit my breaks, and she did too. She wasn't squealing, but close, and we stopped with 10 feet to spare.

Then, she turned into a demon.

If you could have been there, you'd understand. The only thing missing was the horns. I'm not sure about glowing red eyes. It's hazy.

She pointed her finger, screamed, and cussed. I could read her lips and it was nasty. The nastiest. She was almost convulsing in anger. I think it's fair to say I've never seen someone fly off the handle like that. I was shocked.

I waved, smiled, and backed up.

As she drove past she continued her tirade. I think she wanted to kill me.

So here's my question:

What do you think? Two hours ago, before our encounter, was she already an angry person?

Was it me and my car that caused her to be furious, or, did our near collision just reveal the anger within?

Think she's normally a sweetheart, or does she have some serious issues?

I didn't make her an angry person. She was an angry person already. Our situation just gave her an outlet.

How does this relate to outreach and evangelism?

Many Christians rarely share the Gospel for fear of "turning people off" or doing "more harm than good." We are afraid of making people angry, and turning them away from the Gospel. We think if someone goes away mad we did something wrong. We assume if a non-believer hates a believer that it was the believer at fault: they really blew it and should have been more "loving."

Jesus said, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first...they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you." John 15:18-21 (NLT)

We are asked to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves" and to, "whenever possible, live at peace with all people." But Jesus let us know, it isn't always possible.

When someone is screaming through life recklessly and focused on where they are going, even the most gentle interruption - someone pulling out in front of them and slowing them down - will make them furious, even if that person pulled out with care. There's no avoiding it.

Get it out of your head forever that if you made someone mad you must have done something wrong. Be gentle, be loving, and be compassionate, but realize sometimes people are just angry.

TELL ME THIS WASN'T GOD ... IF YOU CAN.

2010-04-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

If this hadn't happened to me I'd be skeptical.

It will take a while to set up, and you’ll need to pay attention, but the payoff should be, “Holy smokes! That’s hard to believe.”

But, it’s true.

And it happened two weeks ago…

---

I was at a prayer meeting on a college campus, and preparing to do some open-air preaching. I was asking God what I ought to preach about.

It doesn’t happen like this too often, but I felt I heard His voice and what He said didn’t make perfect sense.

He said, “I will reunite mothers with their aborted babies.”

I didn’t want to preach about that, so, yeah, maybe that wasn't God. But I logged it away.

At that same prayer meeting, a friend of mine, Steve, spoke up. He had told me twice that morning about a song he couldn’t get out of his head. The lyrics went, “Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh, Oh.” It was driving him nuts.

But, later in the song it talks about “today.”

“Today is your day.”

“Today is the day you have made.”

“Today.”

So in the middle of prayer he said something like, “I can’t get the word ‘today’ out of my mind.” He went on to say “today” was an important day. God was doing something “today.”

I had a similar impression and believed it. “Today” was important.

I was anticipating something big.

---

As we left the meeting, Steve asked, “What does H.L. stand for?” Several students had asked the same question and I explained:

“H.L. stands for Herman Louis. I’m Herman Louis Hussmann the third. My dad was ‘Lou’ and my grandpa was ‘Herman’ but most people called him ‘Ham.’”

It seemed insignificant, but it wasn’t. If you skimmed it, read the last paragraph again.

---

About 30 minutes later I was on campus doing video interviews on the topic “Who was Jesus?”

I approached a girl, explained what I was doing and asked her for permission to videotape.

“That’s a pretty deep question,” she said, and hesitated. So, I put the camera down.

“No problem. Take some time to gather your thoughts.” I extended my hand. “By the way, I’m H.L.. What’s your name?”

She told me her name. “What did you say your name was again?” she said.

“H.L.”

She smiled. “Really?! That was my grandfather’s name. What does it stand for?”

“Herman Louis.”

“Are you serious?” Her jaw dropped and she lowered an eyebrow. “That was my grandad’s name.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, his last name was Louis (Lewis?) but he didn’t have a middle name so they took his last name and called him H.L.”

Then she said the words where God showed up.

Are you ready?

She said …

“But everybody called him Ham.”

---

I couldn’t believe it and I told her so.

“You’re joking, right?”

I explained what I had moments before explained to Steve. We were both shocked and I said, “This is a God moment. He is here.”

She nodded and I asked, “What’s going on in your life?” It was all she needed to pour out her heart.

While wiping away tears that would stream down her face for minutes, she told of how a few months ago she had an abortion and it had left her emotions crushed. On the way to the clinic she had been pulled over for speeding and she knew it was God – a last-ditch effort to save the baby. But she had ignored it and pressed on. Since then, she has been laden with guilt and pain. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t hurt.

She also explained her abortion was her deepest secret. She hadn’t even told her best friend whom she “tells everything.” She couldn’t believe she was telling us.

But God had shown up.

I was able to tell her what God had shown me that morning – that God reunites mothers with their aborted babies. I told her I believed her baby was in a safe place and that someday, they would come back together through Jesus. It was an emotional time as I prayed with her and encouraged her. She was late for a test but gave me her contact information and I was later able to connect her with other Christians and have been touch with her since then. She gave me permission to tell the story.

It was one of those moments where I was thinking, “Is this really happening?”

A skeptic might scoff.

“It’s only a coincidence.”

But I believe it takes more faith in a skeptical worldview than it does to believe it was God.

Yes!

PRETTY GIRLS NEED JESUS?

2010-04-20T08:04:00.008-05:00

The girl in the airport was pretty.

It was the kind of pretty that most guys in the terminal knew where she was at all times, even if they didn’t want to care.

So when I boarded the plane, looked at my ticket – 19B – and saw her sitting in 19C, I had mixed emotions.

I always pray before I board a plane.

“God, put the right person in the seat next to me – someone you are dealing with. Help me have the guts to talk and the wisdom to say what you want.”

But, there always seem to be factors that make me want to keep my mouth shut, put on my IPod, and read a book. *

He might wear an expensive suit. A rich businessman won’t want to talk about Jesus.

She might be wearing a pentagram. A Wiccan will find me annoying.

He might have tree-trunk arms, sunglasses, and a “Mama didn’t love me” tattoo. What if I tick him off?

Regardless of who is next to me, there is always, I repeat, always, a reason to believe they won’t want to talk. I don’t ever remember boarding a plane to find a person wearing a “Talk to Me About Jesus” t-shirt.

In this case, there was the nervousness of talking with an attractive girl, coupled with other concerns:

What will the others on the trip think?

What would my wife think? Would I want her chatting with a good-looking guy for a couple hours? Surely the Golden Rule prohibits me from talking with this girl.

But, when it comes to evangelism, we must – absolutely must – learn to shrug off every hindrance. We have to believe Jesus who said, “Look among the fields for they are ripe unto harvest.”

Jesus, who never said anything that wasn’t spot-on accurate, predicted:

“There is no shortage of people who want to hear. What’s missing is someone who will tell them.” (HLHIV)

Regardless of their appearance, my experience is, if I will start up a conversation, and bring up the opportunity of spiritual dialogue, nine out of ten times, they are happy to talk. And that tenth time they will still be cordial.

So before I sat down, I extended my hand.

“I’m H.L.. What’s your name?”

She and I talked until we landed and spent a good amount of time on issues of spirituality, religion, and most important, the message of Jesus. It was a great conversation.

When I get past my hang-ups, it almost always is.

---

* There are, of course, cases where a guy shouldn’t approach a girl or vice versa, especially when the atmosphere might be “dicey” or the motives might be questionable. A guy, alone, going door to door should never accept an invitation from a single female to step inside and talk. Those kinds of situations are bad news. But a stranger on a plane, in full view of the public isn’t that kind of situation. In that case, we need to get past our excuses and share the Gospel.

DONUTS OF DIETARY DELAY

2010-04-04T10:09:00.005-05:00

Before I boarded the plane I’m on, I downed two Duncan Donuts with some coconut coffee.

Delicious? Yes.

Healthy?

I could argue mental health and physical health have different needs, but you’d see through it.

Truth be told, there’s no good reason to eat a donut. Even among deserts there are better choices than deep fried white flour with sugar and some extra sugar.

But I justified it saying, “I’ll be home tomorrow and my ‘diet’ can start over.” Convenience trumped wisdom once again.

When I’m home, it’s pretty easy to control what I eat. Hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, natural peanut butter, and spinach salads are staples. But when I travel? Eating clean is another story. Somehow I ‘deserve’ to eat junk when I’m traveling. If it’s a business trip it’s a reward for working so hard. If it’s vacation – well, I’m on vacation. But either way, junk food comes easy and a five day trip might have ten good reasons for slices of pizza, pie after dinner, or a milkshake to tide me over.

“My diet will start tomorrow.”

We’ve all said it, but we don’t often translate what is implied:

“Today I eat what I want. Wisdom … shut up!”

And this isn’t the only area we do it. Like New Year’s resolutions, doing what’s right starts at some point in the future, not today.

"Tomorrow I’ll start staying in touch with my family."

"Next paycheck I’ll begin saving money."

"When my kitchen remodel is done, then I’ll spend more time on outreach."

"When my debts are paid I’ll support missions."

It’s an endless list.

One devil’s trick is to always keep you intending wisdom in the future but abandoning wisdom today. Too often tomorrow’s intentions never materialize. “I’ll do it tomorrow” is repeated day after day until the grave, with a rare stab at now as the time for high priorities.

Recognize “tomorrow” as the carrot on a string it can often be.

Tomorrow never comes.

The next time you think “my diet starts tomorrow” order the grilled chicken. Then tomorrow, have the salmon and veggies.

Do that for a week, and then, maybe, have the donut.

ANGEL AT A SUB SHOP? NOT EXACTLY.

2010-03-22T07:46:00.002-05:00

I was entering a sub shop while on a trip to Atlanta and another guy was walking out the door.

God said, "Talk to him."

I responded.

"Nope."

Surely that wasn't God, right? I mean, I wasn't planning on being there too long. I just wanted to get some food and get out.

I didn't see anything on the menu I wanted so I left the shop and went to another restaurant further down. The guy was standing near the door, leaning against a concrete pillar like he was waiting for someone.

God said, "Do it."

I said, "nope" and went inside and grabbed some grub. I was the immature kid with my fingers in my ears saying, "I'm not listening, I'm not listening."

While in the restaurant, God and I had a short debate and He won. Go figure.

Before I left, I told Him, "If he's still out there when I leave I'll talk to him."

Sure enough, he was still standing there. But, I somehow managed to step into another store to restablish the debate.

God wasn't talking.

Silence.

Alright, fine. I'll do it.

The guy was still out there so I approached him, feeling like an idiot.

"How you doin' man?" I extended my hand. He hesitated, but then shook it.

"I'm H.L.. What's your name?"

"David." He lowered his eyebrows at me. Who is this crazy person?

"Good to meet you David. Listen, this will sound pretty off the wall, but I was wondering if you could use prayer for anything. Is there anything I could pray for you about?"

Tension left and he half-smiled while turning his head away.

"Yeah, man, I could use some prayers."

"Oh yeah? About what?"

"I'm waiting here to go to jail."

About this time, I realized God knew what He was doing and I relaxed too.

"Waiting for jail? What do you mean?"

He explained he had been in jail before and was on parole. He had broken parole and had, in the last hour or so, called to turn himself in. The cops were coming to take him away.

"I've been there before and it ain't a place you ever want to be." He said.

We talked for quite a while while he waited and several times he said things like, "You must be an angel or something" and "I can't believe you're here talking to me right now." It was clear he was amazed a stranger had approached him at just that time.

He and I have been texting back and forth since that day. He was in jail for a couple days and he texted me before he went in and when he got out. He has been reading the book of Matthew in the Bible.

So what's the point?

Two points really:

One - approaching a stranger will never be completely comfortable. I've been doing it for years and still don't want to.

Two - get over it. When we are faithful to share the mesage and love of Jesus, God shows up.

I believe we should share the Gospel with regularity and without prompting, but there are also specific times God makes an extra effort to get our attention.

When he does, step out and see if He doesn't show up.

He will.

WHEN BRAINS COLLIDE

2010-03-09T14:52:00.005-06:00

In the grand scheme of things, I know about .000001% of much of anything.

I guess I'm a relatively intelligent person, but there is so much information, so much knowledge available, that the ratio of what I know to what I don't know is always leaning in the direction of ignorance.

And let's face it: you don't know much either, even if you have a different brain full of knowledge than I do.

I know a little bit and you know a little bit and some of that knowledge overlaps. If we put our brains together, we might come up with a little bit of knowledge times 1.7, but I'm not sure about my math and a little bit barely multiplied is still a little bit. Confused yet?

There are certain blessed people who know more than a little bit; or at least a little bit more than the little bit I know. Yes, this is starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.

Where am I going with this?

Little bits add up.

When your knowledge is added to my knowledge and then connected with the brain of someone else, things start to click. And the more brains involved, the greater the information pool.

That's why Scripture says there is "wisdom in a multitude of counselors." When several people bring their minds together, wisdom can be born.

In October of 1962, when the former Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in the island country of Cuba, the tension of the Cold War reached an all-time high.

President Kennedy, instead of making a hasty decision, put his brain together with three other brains — those of former Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower. And out of their collective ideas, a succesful diplomatic campaign defused the crisis and war was avoided.

Just today, I had some important decisions I needed to make and I called a couple people for advice. Not only did they give me what I needed, but their ideas were very similar, coming from two different sources, and ran contrary to the decision I would have made had I chosen to "go it alone." They opened my eyes to a new perspective and I changed the path I was on. In retrospect, I am sure they are right. I am so glad I drew from their knowledge.

Think about it this way. Would you rather have a brilliant leader running your organization who knows more than the average man, or would you prefer a leader who doesn't know quite as much, but knows that he knows less and surrounds himself with counselors and other leaders who have experience and knowledge in many different fields?

The answer is obvious and says a lot as to how we should live our lives. It doesn't mean we don't think for ourselves, and it doesn't mean we can't be confident leaders, but it does mean we always remain flexible and teachable, drawing on the wisdom of others.

Do your best to find people who know what you don't and pick their brains when you need advice — especially in the important decisions of life. Connect your brain with other brains (good, functional ones) and see if wisdom doesn't spring forth.

There are people who have already been where you want to go and people who know things you don't know.

Use them.

Dr Seuss, signing off.

THE ROOT BEER OF AWARENESS

2010-03-04T08:59:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I crave root beer.

When I say "crave" I don't mean, "a root beer sure would hit the spot." I mean, pregnant-woman-attacking-a-pickle craving.

I can't explain it, but every now and then — about once a year — I've just gotta have some root beer. I'm confident it's hormonal: some kind of weirded-out, male, menapausalistic oddness. (I made that word up.)

I've found that when I have these cravings, they are always connected with a certain mindset, and it isn't good.

The mood and cravings might last a week or ten days and during that period I find myself not caring about much. I think:

"So what?"

"Does anything I do really matter?"

And "life would be so much easier if I'd just give up on ministry."

If nothing else, I want to "get away from it all" during those times. I'm irritable and find it difficult to tolerate others.

The nice thing is, I have been able to make a clear connection between my lousy moods, and that desire I have for a frosty mug.

Sometimes it's not easy to recognize our moods, but a little self-awareness goes a long way. Nowadays, alarms go off when I think, "mmmmmm - root beer."

"Be careful there, H, check yourself out."

I've learned not to make big decisions during those times. I've tried to watch what I say to others. And most importantly, I've learned to wait it out. If I hadn't, I would have moved to Thailand and become a dive instructor years ago. But, instead, I wait. The feelings (and cravings) soon pass, and blue-sky days soon return. They always do.

You might not crave root beer, but most of us have clear warning signs when things aren't right.

It might mean realizing you are an all-out grump in the early mornings or late at night, in which case, you should tread carefully during those times.

It might mean, especially if you are female, there are times in your monthly cycle that you are more emotional, or downright mean. Be aware, and check yourself during those times. Realize your emotions are stirred up and put off angry outbursts or fits of depression until later. Chances are, whatever you are feeling/thinking will not be as intense with a little putting off.

If you continue to revel in the negativity, hopelessness, and even bitterness that can come so naturally at certain times in our lives, the problems will carry on and on, invading even moments that should have been better. But if you learn to recognize the psychological and physical symptoms that come with "down" times you can avoid reactions that can cause long-lasting problems.

So nowadays, when I really, really want a root beer, I serve one up and enjoy.

And, I keep my mouth shut, putting off important decisions and conversations until later.

NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART V *

2010-02-16T09:25:00.003-06:00

* To catch up with prior postings on this topic, see the links below.

We've already discussed that the Universe is expanding and this is good evidence that it had a definitive beginning where time, space, and matter came to exist in an instance. But how does this evidence do so?

To see it clearly we're going to have to take some steps back in time.

If the Universe is expanding today, it means tomorrow it will be larger than it is today, taking up more space. (Space that, probably, is created as it expands.)

That means, yesterday it was smaller (took up less volume), and the day before that, smaller still.

So, if we jump back a week, a year, ten years, the Universe compresses.

Again, I'm not going to get into how long ago this happened, but at some point, the Universe was incredibly dense, and by "incredible" I don't mean, "dude, that's amazing!" I mean "beyond comprehension."

If density = mass/volume, as the volume of the Universe decreases (which is what happens as we move backwards in time) then the density of the Universe approaches infinity.

If you understand limits, which is what we are describing, the value of the density of the universe will never actually become infinity, it will just approach infinity.

But the problem is, as we've already discussed, time had a definitive beginning. At some point,moving backwards, that last second between time and no time (t=1 and t=0)ticked away (or sprang into being, as we are moving backwards in time.)

If I've lost you, imagine it this way.

Have you ever seen the game where two people stand a certain distance apart and one person is told to cut the distance between the two in half?

Say they are 100 feet apart. Person one would move 50 feet toward person two.

Then, to do the same, person two would move 25 feet toward person one, cutting the distance in half again.

Person one would then move 12.5 feet, and so on.

Technically, if the two continue to cut the distance in half, they should never actually touch, only become really, really close to touching.

The problem occurs when the two become close enough where the girth of one becomes more than half the distance between the two. If person one is 30 inches wide from front to back, any movement within 15 inches of the other will cause them to touch. The rules of the game break down.

(If you really want to be pedantic, and measure, not from the center of the person, but from the outer rim, the laws still eventually break down, but not until half the distance between the two becomes less than the smallest real particle. But, either way, the rules of the game become impossible to obey.)

At the moment of creation, this is exactly what occured, the rules of math and physics fail. They break down and become nonsense.

Scientists have come up with a clever way to describe this moment that science fails to describe - the moment when nothing became everything.

It's called the "singularity." It's that last, backward second ticking away, where density goes from a limit approaching infinity to an actual infinite and the laws we depend on no longer apply.

For interesting reading, google "singularity" or "singularity and creation."

What you'll find is, there's a whole lot of talk, and not a ton of science. Sure, there's science between t=0 and t=1, but at t=0, everything breaks down and a there's a lot of speculation. The arguments turn from physics to metaphysics, from "what is?" to "what is beyond what is?"

At t=0 time, space, and matter came into existence where they did not exist before.

Or, to translate a well known Bible verse:

"In the beginning (at t=0) God created the Heavens (space) and the Earth (matter)."

---

Here are the URLs to catch up if you missed it:

Nothing Became Everything Part 1: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-i.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 2: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-ii.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 3: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2010/01/nothing-became-everything-part-iii.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 4: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2010/01/nothing-became-everything-part-iv.html

I WENT TO VENICE TODAY.

2010-02-02T17:25:00.005-06:00

I went to Venice today.

And here is what I saw:

The church was thronged in every part; veiled nuns were marching up and down the aisles, bearing lighted candles, while the atmosphere was filled with the perfume of burning incense. Priests dressed in gorgeous robes performed the service before the high altar.
Suddenly, a deep silence prevailed, out of which a solitary, mournful, yet sweet voice, was heard singing, far up amid the arches of the cathedral. Soon another was added, the music gradually became more distinct, as other voices mingled, until nearly three hundred singers, accompanied by the organ, and a full band of music, swelled the grand chorus, making the service sublime and impressive beyond description.

---

Yeah, you may have guessed it, these were someone else's words, and someone else's experience. But today, they were mine.

The passage is from A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a record of one woman's journey throughout Europe and Asia - published in 1872. The book smells musty and the pages crackle when I turn them. I found it at a flea market.

So, why am I sharing this with you.

One, because that passage brought me joy - I've seen the cathedrals of Europe and I can imagine the power and tranquility she experienced. And feeling that passing joy, I thanked God because I know He is, and always has been, the source of joy. Moments of happiness were His idea. So next time you feel a moment's joy, even the smallest bit, make sure and include Him. Thank Him and share the experience with Him. He will multiply it when you do so.

But secondly, I want to point out the power of reading.

Through books I can get inside the mind of Abe Lincoln, discover the fears and triumphs of the world's greatest missionaries, and receive financial advice from the very wealthy. I can escape to the cathedrals of Venice, the hidden places of the Amazon, and to the fish markets of Japan.

My dad use to tell me "God doesn't count time spent fishing against ya'."

Not the best theology in the world, but amusing.

I do think, however, that maybe along with fishing, God has an affinity for reading and for those who do so.

I'm convinced, many times God frowns at video games, TV, and the like, but there is something about curling up with a hot drink and a good book that makes God smile.

Looking for something to do?

Read a book.

Not looking?

Too busy?

Step away, and read a book.

SERIOUSLY? WHAT'S THE POINT?

2010-02-02T08:22:00.004-06:00

Why do I blog?

Is it because I want people to see I'm a good writer, or think I'm really smart?

Maybe, just a little bit, sometimes.

Is it so people will think I'm really cool because so many readers follow the blog?

I don't think so, but that could be in that beady little heart of mine somewhere.

Is it so people will, hopefully, someday partner with me financially and send money my way?

I'd be lying if I said that didn't enter my mind from time to time.

But really, what's the motive?

Each of these little beasts I mentioned will rear it's motivational head at times, but I'll tell you why I blog. It's because of something I believe.

It's because I believe time is running out.

It's going quickly ...

and everything is coming to a close.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, doom and gloom, end of the world, repent lest ye perish, blah, blah, blah ....

That's what people think when they hear, "time is running out."

But regardless of what people think, it's true. We don't have much time.

Judgment day is a reality and could come soon, but regardless, our lives, as individuals, are a passing breath that is on the exhale and the world is changing radically. For a wake-up call as to where America is currently heading, check out the national debt clicker HERE * - but that's a blog for another day.

So when I write a series on NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING, is it so I finally get to use my Physics degree and impress you with my knowledge, or is it because of a desperate hope that someone, somewhere, will realize there is a powerful, intelligent, God governing the Universe and He is preeminent?

(I'll get back to that series soon.)

I hope, above all else, that as many as possible will come to worship Him.

How about you?

Why do you go to work, go to church, invest your money, drop the kids off at soccer camp, or pursue a degree?

Yes, we have to live our lives.

Yes, weird motives will always interfere.

But, this thought must remain at the forefront of all our activity: This world is going, going, gone, and fast. It's the next world that counts.

Ask God to make this real to you. (No, really, ask Him, right now.) He will do it, and then, do what Paul says in Col 3:2 and "Set your mind on things above and not on earthly things."

It really is all coming to a close.

Be ready and help others do the same. Nothing else matters.

* To copy and paste, http://www.usdebtclock.org/#

NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART IV

2010-01-19T06:55:00.003-06:00

So what did Einstein see that convinced him the Universe had a beginning?

In the last few weeks we've discussed the idea that the Universe sprang forth from nothing. If you want to catch up, the links are below.

Last week we talked about the "cosmological constant" of Einstein and how he later called it his "biggest blunder" when he viewed the truth for himself through Hubble's telescope.

But what did he see that convinced him to abandon his fabricated constant and embrace a Universe with a definitive beginning?

The short answer is red shift.

Have you ever been sitting at an intersection when an ambulance or police car approached from behind?

If you have, you know the pitch of the sirens changes as the vehicle approaches, passes, and drives away. This is the Doppler effect and it has to do with how the waves are compressed or stretched out depending on the speed and direction of the object emitting the waves.

The Doppler effect works for light waves as well and results in red shift (a shift in the red direction of the color spectrum) and blue shift (you guessed it; a shift in the blue direction.)

Based on the direction of shift, an observer can determine whether a distant bright object is moving closer or further away.

In the case of the Universe, it is expanding - everywhere - and Einstein saw it himself.

Sure there are some instances of individual objects emitting blue shift, but across the vast spectrum of the Universe it is overwhelming in the examples of objects that are red shifted, or moving away. Our Universe is moving in an outward direction, at a speed it will never be overtaken by gravity.

When Einstein observed this with his own eyes, he was forced to conceed, He had been wrong. The Universe had a beginning.

So we've seen the "what" that Einstein observed, but they "why" as to how this convinced him is a blog for next week.

Stay tuned.

---

Here are the URLs to catch up if you missed it:

Nothing Became Everything Part 1: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-i.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 2: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-ii.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 3: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2010/01/nothing-became-everything-part-iii.html

NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART III

2010-01-05T10:11:00.005-06:00

In the weeks before my Christmas rest we discussed the concept that the Universe had a definitive beginning. (For those who wondered where ON TARGET had vanished to, I took Christmas off. For those who didn't notice ... yes, you've hurt my feelings, but just a little.)

Here are the URLs to catch up if you missed it:

Nothing Became Everything Part 1: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-i.html

Nothing Became Everything Part 2: http://hlhussmann.blogspot.com/2009/11/nothing-became-everything-part-ii.html

Today we're gong to talk about Einstein.

Einstein was a brilliant guy. So much so that his name has become synonymous with high intelligence.

If I say, "Let's face it, you're no Einstein" I obviously mean, "You're not too smart."

But, Einstein blew it big time when he theorized the Universe had no beginning.

When he developed his theory of gravity in the General Theory of Relativity he found out the Universe was either expanding or contracting. He didn't like that at all. He wanted it to be static (neither expanding or contracting - we'll talk about why that's important in future weeks.)

So, he developed what he called the "cosmological constant." Some have called it a "fudge factor" but it was a constant included in his equations that essentially altered the result and allowed a mathematical description of a static Universe.

But later, when Hubble discovered the Universe was indeed expanding, and Einstein viewed the proof himself, he recanted and eventually described the cosmological constant as his "biggest blunder," thus admitting the Universe had a beginning.

Next week we'll talk about why Einstein's Theory of Relativity is so important to theists, but for now realize; perhaps the greatest mind of all humanity tried to describe a Universe without a beginning and failed.

Einstein was not a theist in the traditional sense, but neither was he an atheist. He argued vehemently against either moniker.

What he did seem to believe, however, was the Universe had a beginning. Which is, again, one of many arguments in favor of a theistic, and ultimately Christian, worldview.

NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART II

2009-11-30T11:01:00.003-06:00

Time had a beginning.

It has to be so.

If you missed it, last week I wrote NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART I. You can see that HERE.

At some point, prior to creation, there was nothing. (Though this is where it gets confusing because prior to creation there was no such thing as "prior" at least not in a way of which we can make mathematical sense.) There was no time, no space, no matter. Then, suddenly, there was everything.

Don't get too worked up about "when" did this event happen. That's a debate for another day. The point is, it happened. Everything came out of nothing.

In future weeks I will talk about how time, space, and matter are co-relative. One cannot exist without the other. If we can show time had a beginning we can show matter had a beginning. If matter had a beginning, space had a beginning.

Today I'll focus on time.

The particular argument useful for this is one leg of the Kalaam Argument, associated with medieval Christian and Muslim scholars, but recently popularized by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig.

That leg of the argument goes something like this:

"The past couldn't be infinite because if it were, we would never reach today."

Think about it this way:

If the universe is one week old it would take 6 days + 1 day to arrive at today.

If a hundred years old: about 36,499 days + 1 day to arrive at the here and now (excluding leap years.)

If a million years old: 364,999,999 days + 1 day to arrive (again, no leap years.)

But, if the universe is infinitely old, it would take an infinite amount of days PLUS ONE DAY to arrive at today. Impossible. There is no such thing as an actual infinite.

Because we are experiencing "today", we know the universe had a beginning. Again, "the past couldn't be infinite because if it were, we would never reach today."

The Universe had a beginning and the Christian worldview maintains, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth."

NOTHING BECAME EVERYTHING PART I

2009-11-17T07:11:00.005-06:00

The Universe had a beginning.

In the coming weeks I will discuss several ways we can know this (Don't freak out. We'll get there.) But I am going to jump ahead a bit to the question:

"What caused it?"

Obviously, as Christians, we believe the cause of the Universe was God, but is there anything in science that backs this up?

As you'll see in the next few weeks, the Universe sprang forth, in a flash, from nothing. Zilch. Zero.

When I say nothing, I don't mean empty space - there was no space.

As Geisler and Turek quote in I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Aristotle defined "nothing" like this: "Nothing is what rocks dream about."

Modern mathematics and astronomy describe an original state of material nothingness - no time, no space, no matter. And from that nothingness came everything.

So how?

How did the universe instantly spring into being from nothing? What was the cause?

There are only two alternatives. Only two "things" can exist outside of time, space, and matter. They are:

- An abstract concept. An abstract concept would be like the number seven, or "architecture." Both of these can be described as "things" but they are conceptual in nature.

- An unembodied mind. An unembodied mind is just that - a mind, or intellect, without a body.

Because we know in the beginning there was no time, space, or matter, we know one of these two "things" had to be the cause of the universe.

But, only one of these is a candidate. Abstract concepts cause nothing. They are, by definition conceptual and non-causal. They can describe, but they cannot explain. "Seven" never caused anything. (Well, except when seven ate nine, but that's a lame joke I'm gonna avoid.)

The only candidate for the cause of the universe is precisely what theists have been saying all along - a mind without a body - a spirit.

So, if we can show the Universe sprang from nothing, we can also argue the cause had to be a spirit, which lines up perfectly with Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God ...."

Showing that nothing became everything will be our focus for the next few weeks.

Stay tuned.

(Thanks to Dr. William Lane Craig for describing this argument.)

THE WELL-PLACED "BUT"

2009-11-12T07:55:00.004-06:00

How would your life be different if you had total control of every thought?

Think about it. (Heh!)

No more worries, no more discouragment, and no more unnecessary anger.

And, it would change your behavior too.

If you thought, properly, before you spoke, wouldn't you treat people better?

If you thought accurately about self-destructive behavior, wouldn't you change that behavior?

If you thought correctly about God, wouldn't you worship Him more passionately?

The way we think is important and the Bible instructs us, in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

We are supposed to control our thinking.

It is possible you know. If it wasn't, God wouldn't ask us to do it.

But how do we accomplish such a near-impossible task?

There's several answers and the most important is reliance on God and surrender to His Spirit. When we let Him lead, our thoughts fall in line.

Another is a consistent immersion in His Word. When our mind is transformed (Rom 12:2) our thoughts change.

And while you work on those two areas, here's another tip that will help.

Use the word, "but."

The correct use of this little word can change your life forever.

Here's what I mean:

When you find yourself thinking something you know you shouldn't, immediately cut yourself off and throw out the word "but." Then finish the sentence.

Some examples:

"My boss is a jerk ... BUT ... maybe he has pressures at home I can't relate to."

"That girl is, just, wow ... BUT ... she's not an object. She's God's daughter."

"I am sick of this cold ... BUT ... God is a healer and it is leaving me."

Do you see how, with a negative thought, the word "but" will take over and send you in the right direction?

Christianity and negativity are incompatible. Start using the word "but" today and see if it doesn't change your thoughts.

SAY "YES!" TO SLAVERY

2009-11-02T08:28:00.005-06:00

"I will form good habits and become their slave." Og Mandino

You are the the summation of your habits.

Everyone has habits. Some are good, some are bad.

I habitually get up from bed between 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM. For quite a long time, my first acts of the day were to go downstairs, make some coffee, and sit at my computer, checking my favorite websites. I picked up guys off the waiver wire for my fantasy football team, and I looked for great deals on woot.com and slickdeals.net.

But, since reading Mandino's book, The Greatest Salesman in the World, all that has changed.

Now, I make my coffee, go to the couch in the living room, and take some time to be quiet. I read the Bible.

Then, when I'm done, I head to my computer and do the other stuff.

It might not seem like a huge difference, but I am committed to making it a habit. It's a good one.

Changing our habits is, in some ways, difficult. By definition, a habit is ingrained in our everyday life and comes naturally.

But, in other ways, the process is simple. Introduce new behavior and stick with it. It takes about 30 days for a habit to take root. So for a month, be committed and force yourself. After a month you'll probably be on autopilot.

What are some areas Christians should be habitual?

--Going to church:

Sunday mornings shouldn't entertain the question, "Will I go to church today?" Instead, I go. It's what I do. It's a good habit and I am that habit's slave.

--Reading and applying the Bible:

Pick a verse at random from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, and you will see the importance of memorizing, relishing, and meditating on God's Word.

When do you habitually read?

One easy way to develop this habit is to form a "trigger" - something that prompts you to open that Bible.

For me, that trigger is my morning coffee. It is becoming ingrained in me that:

Morning coffee = Bible time.

For a family I know, one of their triggers is meal time. They always open their Bibles and read a short passage before they eat. Much like many of us pray before meals.

Whatever it takes, develop triggers that lead to cracking open the Book.

--Sharing Jesus:

Sometimes, when I go through a drive-thru, I will ask the worker, "Is there anything I can pray for you about?" But I do this sporadically. Instead of doing it sometimes, why not make it a habit where EVERY time I ask?

---Encouraging others:

Whether it's calling your mom once a day, or regularly complimenting friends, using your mouth to build others up is a great habit to have.

It's obvious this is a partial list, but I wanted to spur your thinking. What are some habits you need to develop, and what are you going to do about it?

You are going to be a slave to something. It's unavoidable. Let's be people who are slaves to what is good.

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31

DID JESUS GO TO HELL?

2009-10-21T10:26:00.005-05:00

I remember as a young boy, growing up in the Lutheran Church, reciting the Apostles' Creed.

There was a line I always wondered about. Speaking of Jesus, it said, "He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again."

In the last week I've received two emails asking about this and I've always wondered myself, so I've been doing some homework.

I don't normally believe in issuing disclaimers, as it weakens the power of an argument, but this deserves one: I am not sure about my position here. I'm treading in areas I don't consider myself an expert and I could easily be wrong.

There.

I said it.

Now let's get rolling.

From what I'm coming to understand, there is a difference between "the grave" spoken of in Scripture (Sheol/Hades), and "Hell" - the lake of fire that is the final destination of the condemned.

It seems Sheol, or Hades, is the place the dead wait(ed) for judgment, whether Heaven-bound or Hell-bound.

Matthew 16 indicates that in Hades (Stop thinking "Hell" when you hear that word. Instead, think "bus stop for dead folks.") there are separate areas for the soon-to-be-saved and the soon-to-be-condemned. The saved apparently kick back and relax, while the condemned are in flaming torment. There is a "great chasm" between the two that cannot be traversed.

Ephesians 4:8-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-20 indicate Jesus, after dying on the cross, went there.

What did he do on arrival?

He preached (1 Peter 3).

And He left, taking the saved with Him (Ephesians 4).

So the confusion comes because, more often than not, the words Sheol or Hades are translated into "Hell" in most modern Bible versions and in the traditional Apostles Creed. We rarely make the connection with Hades being the place Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Noah hung out until the crucifixion. But a more accurate modern translation of the Creed reads, "He descended to the dead."

Remember, the Old Covenant didn't complete salvation. These guys sacrificed animals, awaited the Messiah, and sought after God, but they were never born-again. And without being born-again, no one can see the Kingdom of God. The crucifixion hadn't happened yet, the resurrection was yet to come, and once-and-for-all atonement was not yet available.

But, when Jesus said, "It is finished" the work was done. Salvation became available for every man, woman, and child - whether dead, alive, or yet unborn.

I tend to believe when Jesus descended, He went to that bus stop - the "waiting for salvation" side - and told everybody, "here's what you've been waiting for. Let's go."

So the short answer is, no, Jesus didn't go to Hell. He went to a bus stop and picked up his kids.

That's my current take on it anyway, but if you didn't read last week's blog, you should check that out HERE because it's okay not to have all the answers.

This issue of Jesus, Hades, and what in the world went on after the crucifixion is interesting and important, but it certainly isn't a key doctrine of Scripture.

"In essentials, Unity. In doubtful things, liberty. In all things charity." -St Augustine

ATTACK OF THE POSSUM

2009-10-16T07:42:00.009-05:00

It was early this morning - still dark. My wife was snoozing away and my child was curled up in his crib. The red letters on the clock read, "3:30."

Scratch, scratch ... thunk!

Something was in the closet.

Something alive.

I went to investigate and opened the folding panel doors. Three feet away was a possum. I couldn't see it well in the dark, but it was unmistakable. The long snout and whiskers, and especially the thin, rat-like tail, gave it away.

You'll probably think I'm making this up, but I'm not.

I grabbed a broom nearby and thrust the handle toward the creature. I'm not sure what I was trying to do, but I sure wasn't going to let it make camp in my closet.

I'll never forget what happened next.

It charged.

It came after me, scratching and clawing at the wood floor, and sent me scrambling across the room. I tried not to yell because I didn't want to wake my family, but inside I was freaking out.

Somehow I ended up next to the bed and knew the thing had hidden there. But, before I could decide what to do, it was after me again.

It came out from under the frame and started nipping at my bare feet.

I was jumping around from one leg to the next trying to keep it away, but it was relentless. I kept trying to hit it with the broom, but it moved too fast.

And that's when I woke up.

It was early this morning - still dark. My wife was snoozing away and my child was curled up in his crib. The red letters on the clock read, "3:30."

It had been a very weird, and surreal, dream.

I walked downstairs to the bathroom trying to process what just happened. It was a mix of "was that some sort of deja vu?" and "what is wrong with my brain?"

I mean, how is it my dream started at the same place I was in reality? And what part of my brain sends viscous rodents after my toes in the middle of the night? Why can't my brain be nice? Does my subconscious self hate me?

It had me curious about what happens in that skull of mine.

I don't know much about my brain. I can't answer the questions about why I had that dream. Where did it come from? What's the link between my subconscious and my conscious mind? Or if you want to be deep, do my conscious thoughts determine who I am, or is the subconscious world, or the invisible world more real.

Weird stuff, and I don't have answers.

Yeah, mostly it's an entertaining story, but I do have a point.

Modern skeptics love to prey on Christians' lack of understanding in certain areas.

They find a few pivotal questions that almost always stump Christians, and they hit those hard:

"How can God be three in one? That's logically inconsistent. It's impossible."

"If the 'Noah and the Flood' story is real, why do we see certain species of animals confined to particular geographic areas, some of them islands? If they all migrated from the ark, we should see species radiating out from there. That's not what the fossil record shows."

These are only a couple, but there are more, and Christians get hammered all the time.

But the implication behind these questions is, "If you can't understand every facet and nuance of your worldview, your worldview is invalid."

That implication is, of course, false.

The ability to comprehend something in its entirety has no connection whatsoever with its reality.

My dream is a good example. I don't understand every part of it, but what I do know is the dream occured. There is enough evidence to convince me without me understanding all the details.

It is the same with Christianity.

Yes, some questions are difficult to answer. Some may be impossible.

But that doesn't cut into the truth of Christianity as a whole. The evidence is there that makes it intellectually viable, even without total understanding.

So the next time a skeptic tries to corner you with difficult questions, ask them, "Do you have dreams at night?", "Where do they come from?", "What makes you think they are less real, and this life is more real?"

If one can't give solid answers to these questions it doesn't mean there is no truth to the concept of dreams. It just means there are facets of dreaming we can't hope to understand.

In the same way there will always be facets of the infinite God and His work on Earth, that we just can't wrap our mind around.

But don't freak out. That's what we would expect from a God who knows all and is all.

DO I OR DON'T I?

2009-10-08T09:33:00.002-05:00

It's difficult to discern between serving God with passion and having personal ambition of the selfish kind.

If I give to charity, have I done so because I love God and I love people? Or, have I done so to make myself feel good, to satisfy my guilt, or to try and win God's favor?

Or, more importantly, if I question my motive for doing so, should I give at all? It can be tempting to refrain from doing what is right when we suspect wrong motives.

If I am invited to speak at a church that I know will give a generous offering, should I decline so I don't have to worry about greed?

Should I refrain from talking to a stranger about Jesus because I have Christian friends nearby? What if I think they'll be impressed? If I keep my mouth shut, I won't battle the pride.

Even worse, what if I am sure my motive is impure? In the previous example, what if I know I wouldn't share Jesus if my friends were not around?

There are all kinds of situations where the action is good, but the motive may be awful.

So, how do we respond?

It's important to remember that the battles of right and wrong action, and the battles of right and wrong motive, are separate battles.

We must let God change our hearts and motives. But we must also choose to do what is right regardless of motive. Even when pride is a part of the motivation, we must still choose right actions.

Give the money.

And, let God make your heart generous.

Do whatever you can do to get the Word of God out.

And, learn to thank God for opportunities, even those with no other reward (an offering, the praise of people, etc ...)

Tell people about Jesus.

And, decide you don't care who is or isn't impressed.

In short, do what is right and deal with motives separately.

Build a big church. Grow your Sunday school class till it overflows. Tell as many people as you can about Jesus. And give away a whole bunch of money. These are right to do.

But while you do, submit your motives to God. Humble yourself before Him and tell Him, "I can't do anything without you. Help me. Keep me humble."

He will honor you when you do so. (And yes, it's okay to want that. :) )

"I COULDN'T KILL MYSELF."

2009-09-29T08:32:00.003-05:00

It never gets completely comfortable approaching a stranger to share the Gospel. So, it's nice, every now and then, to run into another believer.

This Sunday I was in a Walmart in Maysville, KY and approached a guy staring at a rack full of DVDs. I struck up a conversation and asked him about his spiritual background.

He said he had been a Christian for eight years, so I asked him "How did that happen?"

His story surprised me.

Eight years before he had been depressed and suicidal. He decided to act, and put a gun to his head.

When he pulled the trigger, there was a click and nothing else. The bullet had jammed.

Shaken, he put the gun away.

The very next day his grandmother called him.

"Chris ... I think you need to go to church with me today."

He did so, and the rest is history. He dedicated his life to Jesus and has walked with Him since.

I encouraged him that his testimony is powerful and he should share it with as many people as possible - which he said he would do. I wrote down his mailing address and will send him a copy of my book.

I share this story with you for a couple reasons.

1) Use your testimony.

Few have a testimony as dynamic as that guy's, but everyone's story is important. Look for opportunities to tell your story as often as possible.

2) To encourage you.

God is still alive and active. He does signs and wonders.

What are the chances of that gun jamming at that particular time? And for his grandmother to call the next day?! Wow! God is still doing stuff. The next time you wonder "Where are you God?" (And we all think this sometimes, right?) Remember the story of Chris, the guy at Walmart who had tried to blow his brains out but God intervened.

We serve a living God!

HELLBOUND CHILDREN?

2009-09-22T09:01:00.003-05:00

Most Christians believe the following:

1) Every person is born in sin.(Psalm 51:5)

2) The eternal destiny of unrepentant sinners is Hell. (Rev 21:8)

But does this mean babies go to Hell when they die? Infants? Toddlers? Teenagers?

It's a serious question and one that tends to stump Christians.

There is a short answer that can be easily remembered.

In 2 Samuel 12, King David's newborn baby becomes very sick and after seven days, dies.

In verses 22 and 23 David says, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept ... But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." And we know from Psalm 23:6 that David expected to spend eternity, "dwell[ing] in the house of the Lord forever."

This man, known as a man after God's own heart, did not believe children went to Hell when they died.

But is this answer enough to reconcile the top two points?

Michael and Debi Pearl, in To Train up a Child, give the best teaching I've read on this topic.

They argue that while children, "go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies (Psalm 58:3)" God does not impute this to them as sin.

When a child is born, they are completely dependent on mom and dad for everything - food, shelter, a clean diaper, the works.

They are also born with certain God-given compulsions - to taste, smell, see, explore, touch, and hear. They have a natural desire to see what is pretty, to touch what is soft, and to taste what is sweet. While they mature, these desires and passions continue to grow. In the meantime, they learn to manipulate their surroundings to get what they want. They kick, they cry, they roll, they scream. "Pick me up, feed me, look at me. What could be more important than me!?"

This kind of behavior might look like rebellion or sin, but it isn't. It is acting on natural impulses to meet natural needs.

But, the "root of all sin is found in the runaway indulgence of God-given desires." It is the healthy, natural desires that God has given that are also the substance of future sinfulness. Thus, it is fair to say we are "born in sin."

The authors state that "Life is designed by God to be a spiritual womb, a place where moral development begins after birth and continues throughout life." Just like a fetus in the womb is not physically complete, a baby, at birth, is not morally complete.We are enamored when a two-year-old interrupts our conversation to tell a story, but frustrated by the same in a twelve-year-old. The birth of moral accountability is a process.

At some point, the moral center will be developed to the point of accountability. This is commonly referred to as the "age of accountability" which is, in my opinion, poorly worded. Accountability, in Scripture, seems to be a state of being more than an age. It has to do with the awareness and embracing of rebellion.

James 4:17 indicates it is "knowing" we ought to do good that makes us accountable.

When the Israelites refused to move in to the Promised Land, God punished them, but made an exception for the "children, who do not yet know good from bad. (Deut 1:39)"

At some point each child will face his or her own, "tree of knowledge of good and evil." And so far, everyone (except Jesus) has "eaten." When this happens is not clear, but that it happens is certain. Romans 3 is right when it says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

But children, or mentally handicapped people, who have not developed to this point of accountability are not held responsible for their sin.

As with every person, we must not spend our time trying to figure out who is, or isn't going to Heaven. But rather, we must be faithful to insure every person hears the message we declare, that all are sinners and there is no other name under Heaven by which man can be saved.

Read more about that HERE.

REALLY? THAT'S HIS NAME?

2009-09-15T09:24:00.005-05:00

I met Evangelo Evangelos near a refugee camp in Brussels, Belgium.

Yes, that's his real name - well, at least it is now.

A former Muslim, Evangelo became a Christian when, as he tells it, Jesus began to appear to him in vivid dreams. When he converted he lost everything: family, friends, all he held dear. But he knew he had to tell people about the Gospel. He changed his name to reflect the change in his priorities. From then on it was all about reaching people and he planted himself near that camp where Muslims from all over the world flee when persecuted. He has started a church a block away.

His isn't the only story I have heard about Jesus appearing to Muslims. I've heard lots, even from Muslim students at Murray State.

I received this email from a Christian missionary friend today (Sept 15, 2009.) It is worth passing on:

"Tonight is a very important night on the Islamic calendar. In Arabic it is known as Laylat al-Qadr in Iran it is called Shab-e Qadr in Turkey it is called Kadir Gece. In English we refer to it as The Night of Power. It is the time of Ramadan – the Islamic month of fasting – when it is believed that the Quran was both first revealed to Mohammed, and revealed to Mohammed in its entirety. It is a time around the world when Muslims, even nominal Muslims, will gather in the mosques and in their homes and pray and read verses from the Quran. Some of the more devout ones will not leave the mosque at all for the final ten days of Ramadan. Some believe that if they pray earnestly enough on this day that God will give them whatever they ask. In Turkey we expect to see the mosque across the street from our house filled with people – especially at the final call to prayer.

"My friend, this is the time that most Muslims are seeking God with all of their hearts. Would you take a few moments today to pray that they would find him? Would you pray that as they pray to Allah for peace, that the Prince of Peace would reveal himself to them in dreams and in visions? Would you pray for the believers throughout the Islamic world that they would be able to effectively share the love of God with them and to tell them that God is present for them, not just on one special night, but whenever they call out to Him? Would you do your best to fast a meal or two and spend that time in prayer instead?"

Please take time today to pray Jesus will reach the Muslim world. Pray He raises up key people in Muslim communities, people like Evangelo, who will boldly proclaim the one true God and His Son, Jesus. Pray their eyes will be open that God is intimate and not distant.

We desperately need God to move throughout the world of Islam and targeted prayer with bold proclamation is the key.

Will you play your part?

WHEN YOU FAST ...

2009-09-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

In Matthew 6:16, Jesus said to the crowd, "When you fast ..."

He didn't say "if" He said, "when."

He assumed Kingdom-minded people would fast.

If you read into His words, you see, "I take it for granted you are people who fast. There's no need for motivation, only practical instruction. Here are some tips."

When Jesus is confronted as to why His personal disciples don't fast, He says, pretty much, "They don't right now, but they will when I am gone." (Mark 2:19-20)

The religious people of the time naturally assumed fasting was a discipline practiced by God-fearing people. And Jesus didn't argue with them. He just said there is a time and place for fasting and a time and place for feasting, or celebrating.

I remember the first time I heard about fasting as a spiritual discipline.

I invited a friend, Andy Anderson, to eat lunch and he said, "I can't. I'm fasting."

"Huh? Seriously? What are you talking about?" I was clueless.

"Somebody told me I should try fasting and every time I feel a hunger pain I should think about God."

That seemed pretty simple to me, so I tried it the next week. I attempted to go 24 hours without food - only juice.

I failed.

About 20 hours into the fast I broke down and had a big steak dinner, with baked potato, rolls ... the works. You'd think I had been starving for a week.

Since then I've learned it really isn't all that hard. With the right mind-set and some discipline (one of the huge rewards of fasting) it is possible to do much more than that.

So, apart from "thinking about God," what are the benefits of fasting?

There are a lot:

-Empathy and understanding toward the hungry.

-Self-control. Nothing says "death to self" like volunteering to give up food.

-A focus on prayer and meditation. We spend a whole lot of time eating. Fasting frees up hours a day.

-Invisible rewards. In the same passage Jesus says, "when you fast," He also says God will see you and reward you.

-Power. Scripture seems to indicate fasting, when combined with prayer, does things nothing else can. It brings freedom.

While I don't have time to go into all the particularities of fasting, I wanted to encourage you. Make it a regular part of your spiritual life. A good schedule, in my opinion, is fasting one day out of every week. Once a month, dedicated 2-3 days in a row. And once a year, do something more extended.*

You may be like me. A whole day seems impossible. Start small. Skip lunch, find a place at a local park, and pray. Our culture tells us we must have three square meals a day or we will shrivel up and die. It's just not true. (And most of us have plenty of "energy" (read - fat supplies) to burn. It's not as big a deal as many would believe.

If this idea is new to you, I recommend reading up on the topic and discovering more. If you, at one time fasted regularly, there's no better time than now to start again.

*I realize there are some people who, for medical reasons, may feel fasting is not an option. In some cases this is true. Please consult a doctor before attempting to fast. Sometimes it is a convenient excuse and other times it is legitimate. Either way, everyone can fast. If your doctor says fasting is not an option, try a "bland-food" fast instead - nothing but plain oatmeal, boiled eggs, and grilled chicken with no spices or sauce. Mmmmmmm, sounds fun, doesn't it?!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PREACHERS GONE?

2009-08-25T08:28:00.007-05:00

I love old books.

There's something about a book from the 18th century that gives a sense of awe. The musty smells, the brittle pages, and the etched drawings do something for me. As an author, I think about the sacrifices people made to get their words in print. They didn't have word processors or printers. They didn't even have ball-point pens.

I wonder if I would be a writer if every letter required a dip in ink.

I doubt it.

At home I have a collection of books that date between the mid 1800's and early 1900's. It's not a large collection - It takes up about a third of my fireplace mantle - but I love it. One is a collection of sermons, in German, from Martin Luther.

If there was ever a fire at my home, there's only a couple things I would grab before those books became a priority. They are prized possessions.

So, when I was in Spain and saw the personal library of missionary Jacob Bock, I could hardly believe my eyes.

In his living room he had about 3 bookshelves filled with antique books - all Christian.

Fox's Book of Martyr's was one that caught my attention. Phillip Schaff's entire 7 volume set, The History of the Early Church was another. But more amazing were the books along a single shelf.

I'm guessing he had a total of 15 shelves - 3 bookcases with 5 shelves each.

On the right hand case, three shelves up I found them - an entire row of antique books on a single subject - open-air preaching.

It was book after book on the "why to's" and "how to's" of street preaching. There were biographies of men who hit the streets contantly, proclaiming the Gospel in public. They were people unafraid of men's opinions and willing to put their lives and reputations on the line for the Gospel of Jesus. If my math is correct, that means about 6.7% of those books were about open-air preaching.

Compare that to Christian books today.

There is a Christian bookstore about 2 blocks from my home. Now, I don't know for sure but if I were a gambler I'd bet a lot. There probably is not a single book on street preaching anywhere to be found. It would probably be difficult to even find one in the computer catalog. Though, if we searched long enough we might find comments in some books about how street preachers "do it wrong."

You know why?

I can hear it now. An author approaches an agent or editor: "Here's my book on street preaching."

The person's response: "Sorry, not interested. Evangelism doesn't sell."

And the editor would be right. People won't buy it. And people won't buy it because we've got our priorities all messed up, as individuals and as churches.

Where have all the preachers gone?

From the beginning of Christendom people have preached. They've proclaimed. They've gone door to door.

What happened?

We are so concerned about keeping the peace we've degenerated to a church without passion for God's greatest passion and without the heart and means to take the message to the streets.

We must get back to the message. So, we must get back to the streets. That's where the people are.

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army said, "No sort of defense is needed for preaching outdoors, but it would take a very strong argument to prove that a man who has never preached beyond the walls of his meetinghouse has done his duty." And George Whitfield said, "I believe I was never more acceptable to my Master than when I was standing to teach those hearers in the open fields .... I now preach to ten times more people than I should, if I had been confined to the churches." (Pastors, take note.)

But how do we do that?

"We" as a church don't do it until "we" as individuals step out.

You must lead the way. As the people go, so will the church.

Does that mean every Christian should be a street preacher? Of course not. But it does mean many should that aren't. And everyone can do something.

We, as Christians must make outreach our priority. We have to lay down our pride, let go of our fears, and proclaim the transforming power of Jesus to the world. We have to let go of our love of security, soft beds, and constant recreation. It starts with me. It starts with you.

There are always going to be Christians who stay nestled in their homes. Don't let yourself be one of them. What will you do today to reach the world?

COMMUNION AND GOD'S BRILLIANCE

2009-08-17T06:37:00.007-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was preaching at a conference overseas and joked around with someone in the audience. I was trying to be funny, but apparently failed. as I found out later.

Two days passed. The conference put on a "creative worship service" where various tables were set up. At one table, people would journal. At another, they would draw a picture, and at another they would pray.

One table was set up with bread and grapes and a sign that said, "take communion with someone."

I was sitting in the back of the room when the guy I had joked with approached. "Will you take communion with me?"

It surprised me a little. I didn't know him well, but I was glad he asked.

So, we took communion and prayed with each other. When we were done, he told me, "I wanted to talk with you." He told me I had made him angry when I said what I did, but he wanted to let me know he forgave me. I explained I was just trying to be funny and had no intention of hurting him. I apologized.

We talked about it one more time that week and it ended well. We were able to clear the air and have stayed in touch since.

I was thankful he approached. Imagine if he hadn't? He would, forever, have this "weirdness" about me, and I would, forever, have no idea it was there. But, because he opened up to me, the slate was wiped clean. I believe we ended the conference as closer friends than we would have had the event never happened.

I say all that to say that God knows His stuff. He knows what He is talking about.

One principle taught throughout scripture is reconciliation between people. When someone wrongs you, try to make it right. If you've wronged another, make amends. It doesn't teach this because God is a tyrant. It does so because He knows the best way for people to live and work together.

There are so many areas in Scripture that, to the natural mind, just don't make sense and this is one of the biggies. When we are hurt we want to hold onto the pain and even use it as a weapon against the one who hurt us. But remember, 1 Corinthians 12:25 says, "the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." God's way is best. Our way will fail.

I know it wasn't easy for him to approach me. He probably would have preferred to keep to himself. But instead, he chose to follow God's principles and I am thankful.

Is there someone in your life that has hurt you and they don't even know it? Have you wronged someone and never made it right? Trust God and make the effort today. He is in the business of reconciliation, and has chosen to partner with you. It might not be easy. Everything within you might say, "no, no, no" but when God has His way the impossible becomes possible.

Will you obey Him in this area? Will you approach someone and say, "Can we talk?"

YOUR GOD IS EVIL!

2009-08-07T06:47:00.006-05:00

"What about the crusades?"

'What about the buying and selling of slaves?"

"What about the Salem witch trials?"

"If all these terrible things happened in the "name of Jesus" why should I be a Christian. Your God is evil."

These are relatively common objections to Christianity, but ones that can be dealt with. An easy answer can be illustrated no further away than your local bank.

Bank tellers handle a whole lot of money.

I know, it sounds obvious, but notice, specifically, the word "handle."

In training, bank tellers deal with money and part of that process is simply handling. They get a "feel" for the thickness, shape, texture, and size of real currency.

This, of course, helps in recognizing conterfeit bills that might come down the line.

There are so many different ways of reproducing currency that trying to familiarize the tellers with all the fakes would be useless. For every fake there's another kind of fake.

It's the same with fake ID's. For the police, or even a bouncer at a bar, the easiest way to spot a phony is to be thouroughly familiar with the real deal.

While there are many obvious implications in our spiritual lives, the point where our topic is concerned is that in many, many areas of life, counterfeits and fakes are common.There have always been, and will always be wicked men who take a good thing and corrupt it for personal gain. Why should Christianity be any different?

Counterfeits have no bearing whatsoever on the legitimacy of that which is counterfeited.

So the next time someone says, "I can't believe in Christianity because of the Crusades," a reasonable response would be to challenge them: "Should I get rid of all my money because there are so many counterfeit bills out there?"

Ditching Jesus because of the crusades is like ditching your wallet because of the existence of counterfeit bills.

For more on this topic, Go HERE.

DEVASTATED

2009-07-30T11:45:00.003-05:00

"Devastated by cheating where do I go from here God?"

Those are the words submitted to Google Search a few weeks ago that led someone to my blog site.

Since that time I have been communicating with someone else whose brother was recently murdered. This person is having a hard time coping.

My wife comes home from work most every day saying, "You won't believe what I read on Fox News today." It's always a story about someone who lost a son, a daughter who was trapped in a closet for three years of her life, or some other terrible, terrible situation.

We live in a world where people are hurting and hurting something fierce.

So, how do we deal with pain?

If I'm devastated by cheating, what do I turn to for relief? If my brother died, my dad abused me, or my biological parents didn't want me, how can I cope?

There is no easy answer. And any attempt to do so always comes off as trite or worthless. All the pad answers seem to do nothing.

But there is one response mentioned multiple times in scripture that will help, if not a lot, at least a little.

I remember hearing the story of my good friend Rita Hendley that centers around the death of her only son, Timothy.

Timothy's death was beyond painful for her and her late husband Jerry. She was crushed when he died at a young age.

But she tells how she received what can only be described as supernatural help during that time.

If I remember the story accurately, she took some time to be alone. She went off to a bedroom by herself and chose to obey Romans 5:3-5 which tells us we are to "rejoice in our sufferings."

Despite her pain, in the middle of the most intense agony she had ever experienced, she began to praise God. She told God how great He is. She raised her hands to Him and worshiped. She sang to Him, and even danced. She made the difficult choice to move beyond her pain and into the presence of God. And she says that God showed up. Somehow, beyond her own understanding, there was a warmth and a peace that came over her that was unexplainable. She went from crying out in turmoil to crying tears of joy as she rejoiced in God and expressed thanksgiving for who God is and for the wonderful years she had with her son.

After that, the road was still hard. She had to, day by day, seek God. And step by step she let God comfort her along the way. But doing the opposite of what she felt - saying "thank you" when it didn't make sense to do so, helped her.

I can attest to the power of those verses in Romans myself. In 1991, when I was "devastated by cheating" in a relationaship important to me, those verses were an anchor that kept me grounded. Much of the pain I experienced seems foolish now, but in the middle of it all, I needed help, and when I chose to rejoice in the middle of suffering, God showed up. It doesn't mean we are thankful about the painful circumstances. It just means we are thankful within the painful trial.

There are many things in Scripture that don't make sense in the natural.

"When someone hits you on the cheek, turn to him the other."

"Love your enemies, do good to those who mistreat you."

"He who desires to be great must become servant of all."

None of this makes sense to our carnal minds, but each is true nonetheless.

Rejoicing in suffering is the same. It is a truth. Rejoicing in the midst of pain might seem impossible, but if you will trust God, He will be faithful to arrive in time.

Are you experiencing pain that seems impossible?

Take time to rejoice. Be thankful. Tell God you trust Him.

He won't let you down.

Click HERE for more articles on suffering.