Spiritual Thoughts

Beattyville, Kentucky

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I’ve just returned from a week in Beattyville, KY.  I took 28 high school students there for lots of reasons, but I suppose the overall #1 reason was to serve those in need.  And while we did certainly do that, I believe that each of our hearts were served as well.  Each person who went on that trip returned changed in some way, perhaps in ways that won’t be overtly visible for some time.  Let me tell you about some of the things I did, saw, and learned…in no particular order.

I learned that I don’t like driving in West Virginia.  With apologies to my senior pastor, Jerome Hancock’s home state, I just can’t enjoy driving through hills like that on curves like those behind the wheel of a 15-passenger van while pulling a trailer full of luggage.  In our long caravan of vehicles, I was definitely “the slow one” of the group as we navigated those curves.  But you know what? I’m used to be “the slow one” in most contexts.  If you know me personally, stop laughing.

I love watching teens serve others.  All week long, I saw high school students give of themselves in a myriad of ways.  From painting, to repairing fire damage on a home, to installing lattice to protect small children on a home’s porch, to entirely replacing an unsafe porch, to cleaning up “the ravine” which was basically a dump set on the side of a steep hill, to playing with and laughing with children who exist daily in deep and desperate poverty, to restoring dignityand  honor to overgrown cemeteries where they walked among the headstones, noting the names and especially the ages of those who had died, to sitting and conversing with nursing home residents whose visitors are few and far between, to loving the people of an entire town while spreading the hope and love that God has for every creature.  All week long, I watched high school students work together to accomplish whatever task was in front of them; and not begrudgingly, but with enthusiasm.  Read Ephesians 6:7 and know that these students fulfilled it to the letter.

I learned that going “over there” shouldn’t be that different from staying “right here” when it comes to our perspective on serving, loving, and blessing those around us.  Mission trips do so much good for “that” place and “those” people who live a safe distance away, but the beautiful honor of God shines even brighter when we begin to live unsafe and gracious lives right here.  Its easy to bless a stranger somehow.  Its tougher when we’re called (and we are) to selflessly bless those that we see everyday.  There’s more risk involved, more accountability, and more scrutiny as they inspect our integrity.  But didn’t Jesus say that “you’ll be my witnesses and JERUSALEM, Judea, Samaria…” and isn’t Jerusalem (first on the list) really representative of “home” or “where you are right now”?  Often times we’re more comfortable going to “the ends of the earth” (last on the list) than we are going across the street.

I also learned that if you encounter a bear, you shouldn’t play dead, run away, or turn your back on the bear.  The week before our arrival in Beattyville, a man was mauled by a bear that was still on the loose.  So we received frequent reminders as to what to do should we encounter a bear.  The jist of what you’re to do when you see a bear is to “get big”.  Put your arms out, stand up straight, and make yourself look as big as possible.  Because what bear doesn’t like a challenge?  Thankfully, we never saw any bears.  If you’d like to see the bear we didn’t see, click here.

Another experience I had for the very first time was getting hit with a hammer in the chest.  Somehow God protected me from serious injury, but there was a split second that I thought “This is it. I’m gonna die right here in this backyard in Beattyville, KY.”  Thankfully, as you can tell, I’m still very much alive.  Long story short, one of our students was doing EXACTLY what I had told him to do, but on one of his full and robust swings of the hammer, he completely missed his target and since I was standing right next to him, the business end of his hammer swing found the right side of my rib cage.  Needless to say, he felt more than bad about it.  To him I’ll say again (because he’s beating himself up): You know who you are, and I COMPLETELY forgive you.  It was an accident, so really there’s nothing to forgive.  But to help ease your mind, I forgave you the instant it happened.

I learned a great synonym for prayer.  Prayer is a “longing”.  No matter if we are longing to be close to God, or longing for help in some way, or longing for a physical healing for a loved one, or longing to express our raw emotion to God, or longing for wisdom in parenting or some other area of life; how many times have I uttered a prayer without a sense of longing?  How many times was it just words and not heart?  The Bible tells us to “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires (the longings) of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)  When I pray, I will be mindful that I’m conveying the longings of my heart.

I learned that pity alone is pointless and useless.  Look up the word “pity” and you’ll find this definition: “a feeling of sadness because of another person’s trouble or suffering, or the capacity to feel this.”  Believe me, there were plenty of opportunities for sadness this past week in Beattyville.  But if you looked around, sadness was actually quite hard to find.  The emotion of sadness was only a brief stepping stone that led our group to action, which brought change, which brought blessing, which brought gladness.

We had a wonderful week away in Beattyville, KY.  We loved the people that God loves, we were blessed by those people probably even more than we blessed them, and we drew near to God and to the concept that every person we saw is the object of God’s eternal affection.  This point was made most clear as we celebrated communion on a mountain top Friday morning.  As students and leaders took their turn pinching a piece of bread (the body of Christ) from the loaf and dipping into the bowl of grape juice (the blood of Christ), I listened to Bobby and Josh who were holding the bread and juice say to each person, “The body of Christ, broken for you.” and “The blood of Christ, shed for you.”  It struck me anew that if we could line up the entire population of earth, some 6 billion humans and have them each take a piece of that bread and dip it into that juice, and utter those words–it would be true for every one of them.  The body and blood of Christ was broken and shed for every person on earth.  If that’s true, then aren’t I called to treat every human with the grace of God that has been so freely shown and given to me?  Anything less puts me in the position of judge and decider as to who receives God’s grace and love–a position God never intended me to fill. 

My sole call and purpose is to love, bless, serve, and give myself away to others to this end:  “That they may see my good works and glorify my Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

Fireworks and I…

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There are certain things in our culture I don’t understand the appeal of.  Two of them are parades and fireworks.  I don’t see the point.  I’m not trying to be a jerk here, believe me.  I’m just sharing my opinion. 

But just a little while ago, we returned from a July 4th fireworks display at our local county fairgrounds, having been invited by some friends to come along.   After a great cookout and laughter at their house, we all piled in the cars and caravaned over to the fairgrounds.  We meandered through the thick crowds until we finally found an open patch of ground to lay our blankets and unfold our chairs.  As darkness fell, we laid back on the ground, looked skyward and watched fireworks.  And you know what I thought when they were over?  I thought, “Yep, those were fireworks.”

I know, I know.  I can already hear some of you screaming at your screen, “But you’ve never seen the fireworks in MY town!”  Or maybe you’re thinking I should see the fireworks in New York City put on by Macy’s or in Washington D.C. over all those historic monuments, or in Boston where they thought up the ridiculous idea of having a live symphony orchestra play music synchronized to the explosions.  You’re thinking, “Jerry, you shouldn’t make up your mind until you see THAT.”  Maybe you’re right, but I’m guessing that you’re not.  To me, fireworks are fireworks.

What I DO love about the fourth of July is the freedom that we’re celebrating.  I can do without the explosions.  Give me a good piece of cheesecake and I’ll be just as happy–no, happier.  What I DO love about it all is the fact that we’re stopping and remembering what makes this nation so great: freedom.  Freedom that allows me to speak my mind, even when its something you think is idiotic, like my view on fireworks.  Freedom that lets me write a blog like this to share my thoughts on anything under the sun.  Freedom that affords me the greatest privilege I have as an American citizen; the freedom to worship the God I love so desperately; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The God who cares enough about me to save me by dying on a Roman cross in my place, all while I was still sinning against Him.  The God who right now is both on His throne in heaven AND residing within this frail, flawed, faulty, and often faithless jar of clay I am. 

So I think about freedom on this day of the year more than any other.  I think about both my grandfathers and my dad who served proudly, heroically, and honorably for this great country.  I owe to them and to all service men and women an unpayable debt of gratitude for their gift of freedom.  Before them, I remember those who fought and died in the Revolutionary War, and the great minds and hands the crafted the Declaration of Independence which is perhaps one of the greatest if not the greatest document in all of human history.  I think about them and my freedom and how we are connected.  I’m thankful to live where I do, to be who I am, and to know what I know.  I understand that to be an American is not just a lucky break for anyone born here or immigrated here.  It’s a solemn responsibility to live up to our ideals, to handle our freedom with care, and to make the most of every chance we have to improve ourselves, both individually and collectively.

As much as my mind has been on the idea of national freedoms today, I must admit that I am also in thought about the words of Jesus regarding freedom as well.  Jesus spoke those very well-known words in John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  Free from what, though?  What is Jesus referring to here?  Here are a few things…

1. Freedom from sin’s power.  As a willing recipient of God’s forgiveness and grace, I am also in the position of having been freed from sin’s grip and power.  I am now free NOT to sin.  I now have a choice.  I am no longer enslaved to the power of sin in my life any longer. 

2. Freedom from sin’s penalty.  Imagine yourself convicted and on death row.  Imagine your execution day quickly approaching.  Imagine waking up the morning of the day prescribed by the courts for your death.  Imagine hearing the sounds of the guards shoes as they approach your cell.  Imagine hearing the sound of the key slide into the lock of your cell door, turn, and release the bolt holding you in.  Imagine looking up to and hearing the guard tell you that you are free to go.  Your debt has been paid.  You are free. 

3.  Freedom from sin’s guilt.  Satan is a trash-picker.  He spends lots of time going through the trash of your past and bringing things back to your attention, even things God has forgiven you for.  He will keep you paralyzed in guilt and shame while Jesus only wants you to experience freedom.  Not only freedom from guilt, but freedom from having to pretend any longer.  Knowing that you are accepted by your Creator, you are set free from having to earn the acceptance of anyone else. 

There is much more to say, but I hope that this has encouraged to to live fully in the freedom that comes from Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul, the redeemer of your eternity, and the purchaser of your freedom.

Westboro.

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I was relaxing for a few minutes late tonight; unwinding in an armchair, unaware that I was about to be appalled by a documentary that was spotlighting the deepest type of hatred a human being can have; that of another human being.

I watched in horror as the program “20/20” did a brief news piece on a church with the name “Westboro”. Perhaps you’ve heard of this church.  They are well known for their picketing and demonstrations in places like funerals for fallen soldiers and where they will be in direct public opposition to homosexuals, Jews, and other subcultures of our society.  They spew their message of hatred, claiming to speak for God and rightly upholding God’s Word.

The most disturbing aspect of the brief documentary was the use of the children of this church as pawns in their agenda of hatred.  7-year-olds and younger standing with their parents, holding signs saying things like “God Hates Fags”, “Jews Killed Jesus” and other unspeakably hateful words. 

And in the midst of this news piece, I found a ray of hope and a cause to celebrate.  The producers of “20/20” spotlighted a daughter of one of the married couples who are members of Westboro Church.  Her name is “Lauren” and she at one point questioned the teaching of hatred, and pointed out a hypocrisy in the Westboro Church.  She was quickly ostracized not only from the congregation, but from her family as well. The ironic thing was that Lauren’s attitude was so much more Christlike and biblical than those who cut her off for not believing the Bible.  She was compassionate, forgiving, and gracious toward her parents and her former church who continued to be cold, unwavering, and pious toward her.

When I teach from God’s Word (and I do regularly), I challenge the students to search the Scriptures for themselves.  To never EVER “take my word for it.”  I urge them not to believe something simply because they’ve heard me say it.  

To my own children, I gladly welcome them to search for and learn about and investigate other “religions”, (though I hesitate to call Christianity a religion), because I know and have learned for myself that God’s truth can stand on its own.  Scrutinize it, inspect it, test it, dissect it, do whatever you’d like to do to it, and it will come through completely intact.  It’s not the truth because I believe it, I believe it because it’s the truth.

And I cringe, to put it mildly, anytime I see “Christians” (though I’d never call the members of Westboro Christians) are represented by a small group of nut jobs who stand on street corners for no other reason then to spout hatred.  Its reprehensible and nauseating.  But I must say that I’m thankful to live in a country where nut jobs are free to say whatever they like.  How ironic that they stand and picket and protest at the funeral of a soldier who died defending their freedom to protest at his funeral.

“Beloved, let us love one another.  For love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God.  If we don’t love, then we don’t know God because God is love.”  1 John 4:7-8

What the church in Westboro fails to do is what God does perfectly and continually…he loves me and you, His creation while abhoring the sins we commit.  He looks at those who love Him and sees the righteousness of Jesus, and at those who don’t love Him with compassion, patience, and a willingness to forgive and restore.  Nowhere in the Bible am I, as a lover and follower of Jesus, commissioned to hate anyone at anytime for any reason.  Search the Bible cover to cover and you simply will not find anything that even slightly resembles the sanctioning of hate-speech toward those who do not embrace God and His grace.

And so I am compelled to pray for those connected to Westboro.  I believe that the grace and love of God is strong enough and broad enough to reach even them.

Delete the Llamas

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I was working on a new blog post, minding my own business when all of a sudden my sister who lives in CA sends me an instant message, trying to reach my Mom who is visiting us for the weekend.  Apparently my Mom asked my sister to take care of her “farm” in “Farmville” for her.  My sister apparently had a pressing question that needed an immediate answer.  And as it turned out, the answer was “Delete the llamas.”

So, here I am finding myself a go-between for two virtual farmers talking about where to put the “market stand”.  It seems that a market stand is more important than llamas, at least in Farmville; at least on my mom’s farm.

I should say here that not only do I not have a farm of my own, I don’t understand the phenomenon of Farmville.  On top of that, I tend to mock those who do.  As I’m typing this blog, I keep getting interrupted by having to be the messenger of my sister’s maniacal questions and my mom’s nonsensical responses.  “Move the fence.”  “Kill the chickens.” “Put the donkey by the tractors.”  “Replant the lavendar.”

Are you kidding me?!?

There are some things we’re just not meant to understand.  But many people have a hard time accepting that.  As humans we demand answers when things don’t make sense to us.  Especially when we feel a wrong or an injustice has happened.  When the scales don’t seem to us to balance, we quickly cry “foul” and demand an explanation.  And since God is the biggest thing we can think of, we often point our finger of blame at Him, and insist that He explain Himself.

Long ago, my dad taught me that above every human being’s head is a steel bar.  Anything below the bar is our business, our responsibility, and within our grasp to act on.  Everything above the bar is God’s business, God’s responsibility, and ultimately God’s prerogative.   And so when we have a situation in life or a question that seems to not make any sense to us, we tend to try and stick our head into God’s business and put our hands into what He’s working on.  And consequently we end up with a splitting headache from banging our head into a steel bar.

Let Deutoronomy 29:29 be a guide for you when you’re faced with unanswered (or unanswerable) questions:   “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

On many occasions, I’ve counseled people who were frustrated, wearied, bewildered, and even angry at God because of a situation they were in where they couldn’t make sense of what was happening and why.  And I have many times directed them to this verse.  I know it’s a verse that demands trust and faith, but that is precisely what God is seeking to foster and cultivate within us through the difficulties we face.

So, the next time you are faced with a crisis and everything seems upside-down and inside-out, making no sense, trust God and His ability to handle the things that belong to Him.  And while you trust Him, you handle the things that are within your grasp to handle. 

And stay below the bar.

My Bus Station

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I’m going to launch this site with a frightful admission.  It’s a confession to you that I fear will sound quite egotistical, or even self-glorifying.  I can only say that I in no way intend that to be the case.  If you know me, you know that.

I have been in student ministry for 16 years now.  I have spent most of those days on the front lines of mentoring, investing in, connecting with, influencing, and leading both students and adult leaders alike.  This life all began in my second year of college when I officially accepted God’s call on my life to full-time student ministry.

Upon graduation, I felt a deep sense of purpose, confidence, and even bravado.  I stepped into my first ministry with passion, fire, and determination to let the world see, no–BEHOLD the glory of the pioneering youth pastor I thought myself to be.

So, for the past 16 years, I have been doggedly seeking to be the best at everything I do relating to ministry.  And as I have grown older, I have begun to wonder more and more about what real difference I’ve made in anyone anywhere. 

And as I tried to stumble through an illustration that could explain what’s been going on in my head and heart, I shared with my wife the mental picture of a bus station where I feel that I am and have been for quite some time.  A bus station where I watch people in ministry come and go, departing for destinations far more significant than mine, with more appeal than mine, and with more shine than mine; all the while wondering when is it going to be MY turn to climb aboard a bus, or worse yet, did I MISS the bus I was supposed to get on?  I have always suspected that there would be a bus that would take me to greater influence, broader horizons, and even *gulp* more notoriety.

And even as I am floundering through these thoughts, my wife gave me a different perspective; a much better one.

She said, “But the way I see it, YOU are the bus station.  And God has brought you a constant stream of students like buses in and out of a bus station.  They’ve come in contact with you and gone out from your ministry to be who God made them to be.”

Is it any wonder why I’m so crazy about this woman of God?

I don’t know that I’ll instantly stop wanting greater impact, broader horizons, or *gulp* more notoriety.  But when I think about blessings, I need to remember that God usually blesses those who aren’t doing it for a blessing.  God blesses those who are humble, content, and grateful for who He is and all He has done.  And THAT is what I need to allow God to work on in me.

Who Is God? (Part I)

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the existence, location, nature, character, and point of God. The student ministry I lead is about to begin a series of messages called “Who Is God?” I hope that this question opens a dialogue that brings anyone involved into a deeper thinking about God; whether He even exists, what He is like, what He is doing, and why any of it matters.
And since my blog is a place where I sense a relative freedom of thought, and a place where I usually feel unfettered from the expectations of others, I decided to use this space as a virtual whiteboard of thought. So, buckle up for free-flowing craziness to ensue.
First of all, after stating the purpose of this series of messages I need to spell out what I am convicted must be conveyed. I have whittled it down to 4 main points, each with its own set of subpoints. I’ll try and get through as much as I can here because quite frankly, I’m sitting typing on a couch and I can literally feel my forearms screaming for more support.
The first thing that must be established is that God is knowable. Not entirely of course, but the fact remains that we can know God. He has revealed Himself far too clearly for that not to be true. (Romans 1:20) The knowledge that one can know God is intrinsically hopeful, I feel. But only if we are in a right understanding of who this God is. And that must be clearly defined; not from opinion, but from Scripture. What does Scripture say about God? Essentially, what does God say about God?
We must establish that God is eternal. That one fact is the foundation of all else that God is. Unless God is eternal, He can not truly maintain all of His other attributes. The problem is that eternality is one of the most comfounding concepts for the human mind to comprehend. The word “forever” rolls off our tongue, fills up love song lyrics, and fits nicely into our vocabulary, but eternity as a reality is one that eludes us. The simple reason for that is that everything we do, everything we see, everything we experience is all within the boundaries of time. There’s a watch on your wrist, a calendar on the wall, a day that begins and ends, a lifespan of weeks, months, and years. We are completely restricted by time and space. Therefore, we cannot truly fathom the scope of eternity. We can come close, but even our best efforts leave the most studied mind stretched and worn. In a word, God is “timeless.” He exists in the perpetual present. He said to Moses when Moses asked God’s identity: “I AM.”
In addition to being eternal, God is holy. The holiness of God can never and must never be overstated. God’s holiness is central to His character. His judgements, His actions, His decisions, His blessings, His will, and all He is and does flows from His holiness. Consider this: In the realm of eternity right now, there are heavenly creatures encircling the throne of God and we are told that they never stop saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” It is notable that they do not say, “Lovely, Lovely, Lovely”, “Good, Good, Good”, “Mighty, Mighty, Mighty”, or “Merciful, Merciful, Merciful”. While all those are also true of God, it is His holiness that is extolled for eternity. His holiness is literally the anthem of eternity.
We must quickly follow up “holy” with “all-powerful”. Psalm 33 tells us that God breathes out the stars of heaven. Have you looked up recently? And that’s just the stars you can see, not all the stars that exist. And if you think our sun is the biggest star there is, think again. I dare you to research some of the biggest stars in our galaxy. Then consider the fact that God breathed those out; simply spoken from His mouth. God is powerful. All power begins with Him and all power returns to Him. Despite the ego of the human race, it is a laughable thought to think that you and I come anywhere near the power of God.
Next, we need to understand that God is loving. Not merely loving, but the Bible says that God IS love. The love of God is so powerful that He allowed you and I to choose Him or reject Him. Think of it: if God had not given us a choice, then we would not be capable of love at all. By definition, love chooses. Love is not merely an emotion, but rather a decision and a commitment. And it is the love of God that drives His decisions toward His creation. The clearest message by far that God is loving is found in the gift of Jesus Christ. For a sinful, dying world that was rejecting Him, God sent Jesus to be born, to live sinlessly, and to die in our place. I find my mind locking up even now to even begin to think about how I can convey with a keyboard the depth of that kind of love. It simply isn’t possible. God’s love is revealed through the greatest offer possible: eternity with Him.
*I returned to this blog and complete it weeks later; in fact after the series “Who is God?”  It was a powerful time together in the Word, and not only were the above qualities covered, but more than that.  We wrapped up the series with “God is: Gracious”.  Awesome series.  Each message was recorded, so if you’d like a copy just contact me.