I am not a literature buff by any stretch, nor am I a poet, but one challenge I encountered at our church’s Men’s Retreat recently was to connect with God in a unique way. So I read and reflected and wrote a poem. It is reflective of what Christ has been doing and trying to do inside of me since I became a Christian, but I’ve only begun to come to grips with it. Please enjoy.

Who am I

     He sows His own

     Sorry for the hiatus in the blog-o-sphere. Things have gotten back to normal, whatever that is, around here. My family and I have been praying for peace and guidance concerning some specific opportunities. We would love your prayers as well.

     The week after July 4th I hopped on a plane and headed out to the bustling metropolis of Elmira, NY. I was the speaker at Transform Camp at the Chambers Wesleyan campground. I have learned a great deal about myself and what it takes to be obedient when preaching the word.

     This last few days I have worked up the nerve to watch and dissect all 5 messages from that week. I am much better at tearing apart rather than building up when it comes to my own speaking. So I heeded some wise advice from my wife and a few close friends to try and not be too harsh on myself.

     In case you want to tear apart night 3 here is the link

     And just so you have some context here is a breakdown of how the days went.

Monday: The first thing I noticed was that it was triple digit hot right off the plane. And we tried to cool of at a “family” restaurant by the airport, only to get a free concert by the kitchen workers as they busted out Baby Got Back and other hip hop “classics”. The food being barely edible was another bonus. But that night was the toughest to preach. I was talking about God’s holiness and wrath towards our sin. The kids were exhausted from all day heat and jumping like crazy for a 25 min worship set. So, I mostly saw blank stares and fanning hands. I felt the roughest about that night, but we had to set the foundation for the rest of the week.

Tuesday: More heat and a new threat…FLIES.  The garbage from the previous camp which hadn’t been taken out coupled with the campground being surrounded by a cattle farm created a Exodus like plague of flies. The camp had a strict no PDA rule, which the flies disobeyed blatantly. That night we were in Ephesians talking about justification by grace through faith. It was a much better night since I preached up front before the music and the kids got to respond in worship. This kept it from being so hot for everyone.

Wednesday: This was the first day I had to teach a seminar. It was on manhood. It was a fun and valuable time exploring Jesus “manning up”. That night was about adoption into the family of God. Told some strong stories and the kids really responded by seeking out counselors to pray with them. It may have been the most immediately relevant message of the week.

Thursday: Basketball tournament on the blacktop at 3pm…no bueno. But scoring a triple double muy bueno.  Too bad I only dropped 2 or 3 buckets and nearly wiped out just walking up the court. Beholding Christ in 2 Corinthians was our topic…lots of background info, but we had the most honest time of worship of the week in response to the message.

Friday: Last day of sleeping on a plastic bed with 300 flies dive bombing my lips like Pearl Harbor. Last day of sweating all day including IN the shower. Had to share some more practical thoughts on living by the Spirit and not by flesh. Thought it might be a rough night since the music came first, but after some convicting opening silence the students zoned in to listen.

Saturday: Leaving camp after a baptism service which was the first one at youth camp in their history…finally a meal in air conditioning by the airport. Almost ate the hamburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches for the buns…you heard that right. But settled for something less deadly. The flights home were good. Got to share stories with a lady in the army and a college student returning from a summer in France with his mother.

But the best moment was seeing my wife and little boy as I came up the escalator. I missed them so much and I felt like I was home in the middle o the worlds busiest airport, because they were there.

In summary, the article addresses a trend in America. The church as we currently do and historically have done it is only attracting roughly a shrinking 40%. While the growing 60% is not interested in the “Come to Us” style of church.
This poses a dilemma for our American churches. We seem to be reaching a significant percentage of culture, but it is a percentage that is diminishing, some say alarmingly quick. While we may be hitting that target, we, as the article suggests, are missing the majority portion of our culture. This portion believes in a God and respects Jesus as a guide on their spiritual journey of self discovery. It seems the church is at a crossroads. We have built a church culture based on attraction, but we are attracting fewer people. Again, this is the argument the article builds.

I just want to lay out some thoughts to start the conversation. First, culturally, what do we value? Because what we value generally determines in what attracts us. Culturally:
1. We value SIGNIFICANCE. We want a meaningful role in a larger story.
2. We value TRUTH. We want someone to shoot straight and not hide from our questions.
3. We value HEALTH. We want it when we see vitality and life in something.
4. We value AUTHENTICITY. We want something real and to see it lived out in a real way.
We may not live these things out fully, but these things draw us to them.
Now, to the church. Rather than bash the American church or start from a premise where we assume the church is failing I think it is good to just as some questions. As the church:
1. Do we value reminding our world we are in the depths of the ultimate story written by the ultimate author? There is no greater mission than playing our part in the summing up of all things with God to make all things new. (Ephesians 1:9-12|Revelation 21:5) Are we showing only in Christ are we truly significant?
2. Do we value preaching truth with clarity and conviction? Or are we just preaching things we know will draw a crowd or interest. Are we really communicating the nature and character of God, as revealed in Jesus, and His kingdom? Or are we just giving good advice which has no power to transform our hearts to obedience? (Romans 10:14-17|Galatians 3:2-3)
3. Do we value making healthy disciples or converts? We should be excited anytime someone publicly receives Christ. But are we spending all out energy and resources on getting people saved? Isn’t that just the first step? Shouldn’t we be just as celebratory about someone overcoming a dark sin or by families restored by Christ? How are we intentionally making healthy disciples or families for that matter? Is our Discipleship at the core of what we do…or is it some other ministry run alongside as some optional “extra-credit” for recent converts? Do we make everything about the Sunday morning experience or some event? Is that the best way to make disciples or converts? Or are we empowering our church to live as resident missionaries in their homes and communities (as the primary function of the church?) (Matthew 28:18-20 | Ephesians 4:11-13)
4. Do we value our Integrity over out Image? In Matthew chapter 15, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus by claiming he is breaking tradition. But Jesus turns it around and in verses 3-5 he reveals that the Pharisees were using religious language to withhold caring for those in need. They wanted to “look” holy to the outside world. How much do we value “looking holy”? On one hand, we work hard to create seamless productions eliminating distraction. We proclaim excellence and quality, but are we genuinely and authentically worshipping? On the other hand, we stay as close to our traditions and denominational ties as we can. We use all sorts of religious language and never really live the meaning of the words we throw around. Is this authentic? Or is it a cover up to keep things safe for our huddled mass (by the way cancer grows in a huddled mass…food for thought) I think we need to value our integrity of worship and life riddled with ups and downs, more than the image we display…the culture can see through our facades.

I am not bashing or cutting on one style or the other. I don’t think the way we are doing church is wrong, perhaps incomplete. I don’t know the answers, butI am just asking tough questions in light of a harsh reality. I do believe the answer for our culture is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I firmly believe our church culture needs to radically rethink how we make disciples. Can we, the church, be authentic, truthful, healthy, and a place to find significance? Now can we do it as a people on a mission? Can we exist, thrive, and be excellent in living out the Gospel, as a people of God who are constantly surrounded by the growing 60%? Wasn’t that the original intention?

[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WFEqGvOEX8]

Some of this may come from a father-deprived upbringing. I had men around, but were not exactly concerned with “fathering” me. I don’t blame them as that is a daunting task as I am finding out. But I am so excited about the great calling of being a father and deeply committed to restoring in my son what was failed in me. And it is worth every second. Daddy loves you, Taylor.

It could be in part the tradition I came to know Christ in…a “holiness” tradition. There are many well meaning pastors and teachers who were so adamant about teaching holiness as a “crisis event” that it left me feeling completely inadequate. I felt like i had not yet arrived. I have no doubt they meant well and they are far smarter than I will ever be, but in their teaching they place this burden of a second grace that purifies our intention. Well here I am left struggling with my sinful flesh and, what I’ve been taught, “unconverted desires”, so my struggles seem to be my own fault.

So I just want to offer some hope for the holy yet discontented. It may seem, at first take, our situations are hopeless or that we don’t measure up. Jesus has a different perspective, God’s view of us as his beloved children. Because we are too focused on ourselves, Gof has to gently and sometimes harshly remind us thay all we are should be about Him. God knows our salvation, or “holiness”, has to be worked out with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12-13) He knows we are left on this earth with a rotting corpse of flesh. He knows submitting to the authority of Christ (in his discipline 1 Peter 1:14-16) and recognizing our position in his family as sons and daughters of God (1 John 3:1-2) will bring us assurance that we are accepted, loved, and that he is not done with us yet. He tells us that because we are his children we will feel a greater weight over our sin. The greater our veiw of God will give us a diminished view of ourselves and our circumstances. This is not to devalue us, but to show his supreme worth and power to finish, in us, what he began. This should lead us to comfort that we have as God’s kids.

I leave with a quote from John Murray.

“Indeed, the more sanctified the person is, the more conformed he is to the image of his Savior, the more he must recoil against every lack of conformity to the holiness of God. The deeper his apprehension of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love to God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more conscious will he be of the gravity of the sin that remains and the more poignant will his detestation of it…Was this not the effect in all the people of God as they into closer proximity to the revelation of God’s holiness?”

The context is that Jesus just made a disciple out of 2 demon-possessed men. The power of God was made known through changed lives. This wasn’t some dramatic public conversion. It was men who met the real Jesus and were changed forever. The whole city came out to meet this life-changing Jesus. They heard what God was up to from the herdsmen who lost their financial means when Jesus ant the demons into pigs.
The problem was when the city gathered they wanted to meet this spectacle. Some were probably upset and some were astonished. But likely they wanted to see something dramatic or incredible take place. The herdsmen told the city about the changed men rather than dead pigs.
Jesus had no intention of putting on a show. It would be easy to see the whole city coming to Jesus as a success…a mighty move of God or a revival that many of us would pray for our own cities. Jesus didn’t see it this way. To him, the success was a disciple was made and God was glorified by this new life.
I believe there are many pastors and churches that are discouraged because they don’t see a city-wide impact they expected. And there are other churches that can attract a whole city to its events, but are not making disciples. I have nothing against big events or praying for a city to come to Christ. I believe those are important. I am, however, warning against measuring your success in ministry by your events.
This passage was an encouragement to my heart in that Jesus sees this as a successful visit to the region of Gadarenes. Let us seek to fulfill the great commission by making disciples and watching those disciples grow and reproduce new disciples. God will be glorified by the new lives and a city will be eternally impacted for Christ. Maybe we are a part of a great revival already taking place around us…we just need to see its greatness through the eyes of Jesus.

So I am speaking at a camp in July.  I have spoken at youth camps before.  But this time it feels different.  I am not spending all my time preparing for a series of witty, funny, emotion-driven, or manipulative messages.  The theme of the camp is Transform.  Webster says it is to make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of something.  2 Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 12:1-2 are key texts in understanding transformation (the process of transforming) The word “transform”, used in these texts, in the original language was the same word we get “metamorphosis”.  I have been studying the book of Galatians recently and Paul uses everything from harsh language, to doctrine, to great theology to expose a lie that had permeated the very core of the Galatian churches, Judiazers “legalists bent on making christians (especially gentiles) obey the Jewish law to complete their salvation.  They did not trust in the moment of Justification and process of Regeneration which God gives to believers in Jesus.  I believe God will use this book to open up to us, at this camp, some areas where we have believed lies and been given bad teaching on how to truly be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for me and my family as we study, pray, live, and speak the gospel out loud to souls in need of Jesus.

So big changes lately. Finally moved out of our house and to a cool little apartment. I really love this area. You never know how much stuff you have until someone else helps you move. Big thanks to all those who helped us. My wife loves her 7 min commute instead of close to 90 min. We are excited about what God has coming up next even though we have no ideda what it may be.