15 minutes

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I ran into a couple men the other night. These guys are in my small group on Friday nights, and we’re a big part of each other’s lives. One guy who will remain unnamed, named Rob was mentioning my blog and how I’m (as he said) “on fire right now” as far as writing blogs on a more frequent level. He went on to say that he not only enjoys reading my blog, but recommends it to others every chance he gets. While I was absolutely gratified and humbled to hear those things, I was also challenged. I don’t think Rob (oops, I mean Mr. Unnamed) meant to challenge me, but nevertheless, he did.

I just looked at the clock in the bottom right hand corner of the computer screen….(you just looked at yours, didn’t you?)….and I saw that I have now about 15 minutes or so left before I have to head out the door. I’ve got some errands to run before heading into the city of Richmond to shoot a video where I will ask strangers on the street basically two questions:
1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Christian”?
2. What words do you think should be synonymous with the word “Christian”?

None of this will be scripted, so it’s going to be interesting no matter what. I’m looking forward to this little social/spiritual experiment. While I’ll try and remember to follow up on this with another blog soon, I’d like to take a stab at what I think people will say, generally speaking (including stereotypes which of course are stereotypes for a reason)…
Christians are…
–hypocritical/a bunch of hypocrites.
–“holier than thou”.
–all about rules and what you can’t do.
–people who don’t know how to have any fun.
–judgmental.
–narrow-minded and bigoted.
–intolerant of other people’s view besides their own.
–out-of-touch with reality.

Here’s what I HOPE I hear…
Christians are…
–people who love others unconditionally.
–agents of positive change in their communities.
–pictures of grace and humility.
–those who leap to the aid of the hurting and defenseless.
–more concerned with people than rules about people.
–willing to love the unloved.
–forgiving.
–an example of what a life is like when God is clearly present.
–obsessed with Jesus and devoutly living out His love.

These are just a few of my thoughts before I head out the door with 2 minutes left to grab my stuff and hit the bathroom one more time. I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts on “What is a Christian?” And if you are a Christian, is there someone who isn’t that you’d be willing to ask this question to?

Table for Three.

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I just started reading “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. I quite enjoyed “Crazy Love” several months ago when I read that, and I’ve heard Chan speak at a conference I attended years ago, so I figured “Forgotten God” was pretty much a can’t-miss. Boy…

If you’ve ever seen “Extreme Home Makeover” on television, you know the one that takes a deserving family, sends them on vacation, tears down their house and builds them a new one in 7 days? 9 times out of 10, when they reveal the house and the family walks in for the first time, someone in the family says something to the effect of: “This is exactly what I wanted.” or “It’s like they read my mind.” or “This is so me–this is just my style!” or “How did you get it so right?!?”

While, I’m not finished “Forgotten God” yet, I can get a sense of the emotions that birth the comments those homeowners give. It’s not that I wrote the book in my head before he wrote it on paper, its just that I (so far) not only agree with what Chan is saying, but am moved to internalize it and make something of it. I’ve read plenty of books. Good books by good authors. But this one seems to be…..I don’t know. Something else.

Chan just asked a question that spawned this blog post for me. The answer to the question is what is to follow. Here’s the question. I’ll write it just as he did:

“When was the last time I undeniably saw the [Holy] Spirit at work in or around me?”
My immediate answer was: “Today at lunchtime.”

I’d been looking forward to today’s lunch appointment with a good friend and fellow youth pastor named Joel. I first met Joel last summer through a mutual friend of ours. I asked Joel to consider being our guest speaker at last fall’s discipleship retreat. He did and it rocked.

But before the retreat ever happened, I met Joel for the first time at a Chipotle 15 minutes from my house. Did you ever meet someone and almost instantly feel like you had found a friend? That was Joel.

So like I said, Joel came on our retreat and God really used Joel to speak to us that weekend. And we’ve kept in touch ever since. Not long after our retreat Joel invited me to speak at his youth ministry’s discipleship retreat. I told him I’d pray about it, but my prayer was pretty much like, “God if you don’t split the sky open or dry up the ocean, I’m doing this thing.”

Through no fault of anyone, the retreat had to be cancelled. I was bummed to say the least, but as it turns out, Joel and I don’t need a reason to get together. So, today at lunch, with no event to plan, no logistics to work out, and practically nothing to actually do, we got together for lunch.

As Bill Cosby said, “I told you that story to tell you this one.”

We sat there today at lunch, having stuffed myself silly with twisted chips, salad, butter rolls, and chicken strips with fries. Well-behaved Joel had a salad. But as we talked (non-stop), I got the undeniable sense that there weren’t two of us at the table, but three. Matthew 18:20 says plainly, “Where 2 or 3 gather together in my name, there I am with them.” And when I say undeniable, I mean undeniable. It was obvious to both of us that God had orchestrated stuff way beyond us. What Joel shared from his heart and current situation touched my heart and encouraged me deeply and I can say humbly that what I shared with him was beneficial to his spirit, too. (Actually I can say that humbly because I’m not sure it had much to do with me!)

Joel is a dear friend and as close as we were before today’s lunch, I’d dare say we’re even closer now.

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While I’m fairly certain that not many people except my Mom read my blog, (and she’s iffy) I’d like to take a chance and ask the same question of anyone reading this….

“When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me?”

Click comment and share.

Jesus reclined.

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

I recently posted a status update on my Twitter and Facebook accounts. It simply said “Wasting time is a sin.”
Here’s the problem. It’s an undefined statement. No wonder a few people were uneasy with it.

After all, what does “wasting time” look like? Something I see as a waste of time might be something of critical importance in your life. And vice versa. So, I confess it was an unfair statement, at least the way it was made.
But let me tell you why I wrote it. And why I’m not letting it go. It’s because I believe it. It’s because wasting time is a sin. It’s because I’m going to be held accountable for how I spent my life, and what I did with the time on this earth I’ve been given.
But what about that subjectivity that says wasting time for you isn’t wasting time for me? Here’s a clear, concise, and rock-solid answer; a few of them, actually:
“To him who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
So, no matter who you are, there are “right things” to do. And my “right things” aren’t going to be the same as your “right things”, right? I just have to make sure that I’m all about the “right things” that I should be doing.
Or take a look at Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
See? We’ve all got appointments to keep. God appointments. And I suppose that “wasting time” would be anything that keeps you from the “good works” that God has for you to do.
Finally, take a look at the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:16:
“…making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
So again, “wasting time” would be anything that keeps you from “making the most of every opportunity.” And believe me, I find these words as uncomfortable as anyone else. But I also find them compelling, and challenging, and a clear directive for living life not merely breathing in and out, but living with my flawed life in God’s perfect hand.
And in case we’ve never met, let me assure you that I’m no legalist. I’m not someone who, when it comes to the issue of “wasting time” for example, is going to say “Don’t watch TV. That’s wasting time. Don’t sit still for too long. That’s wasting time. Don’t walk slowly. That’s wasting time.” I wanted to clarify that because I think I’ve seen people who seem to think that way.
I’ve always believed that we as Jesus’ followers are actually not very good followers; not out of of blatant disobedience, but rather what we’re prone to move faster than Jesus is. And by definition, a follower must not go ahead of the one he/she is following. At the moment you do, you stop being the follower and you become the leader. I think we move faster than God intends, at least most of the time.
The truth is, I believe we serve a slow God. And when I say slow, I mean slower than we’d like for Him to be; not slow as in incapable or lacking in any way. Think about it. When you pray and ask God for something you want an answer. Usually now. When you have an expectation of God, your time frame is typically going to be a different plain than His is.
My favorite parts of Jesus’ ministry is not when He’s healing, or feeding, or teaching, or walking on water, or calming seas, or cursing the pretentious, or restoring lives. My favorite parts of Jesus’ ministry is when he’s “reclining.” And He’s often found in a home somewhere reclining at a table. So was Jesus reclining a waste of time? Obviously not.
And speaking of Jesus, aren’t His followers excited about His return? Aren’t some of them actually living on the edge of their seats as it were, with anticipation for His triumphant return? Aren’t we chomping at the bit to see the glorious revelation of the King? Consider this…
“For a thousand years in Your sight is as a day gone by…” (Psalm 90:4)
When did Jesus ascend to His throne in heaven? About 2,000 years ago, give or take. What does that feel like to Him, according to this verse? Two days. So, while we’re wondering what’s taking Him so long, He’s thinking “What’s the rush? I just sat down!”
Okay, long blogs lose people (or so I’ve been told) so I’m going to wrap it up for those who are still with me. One more verse, found in 2 Peter 3:9…
“God is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
So, what is it that wastes time? It is neglecting the “right things”, it is turning away from the “good works” and it is whatever causes us to miss “every opportunity” to share God’s love, God’s blessing, and God’s grace to those around us; no matter where we are or what we’re doing.

The Discipline of Happiness

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Some might read this and call me out, based on semantics.
Go right ahead.

They’ll read it and say, “Oh, you meant joy when you said happiness.”
No I don’t. I mean happiness. I know the difference between happiness and joy.
Let me start off by saying that as far as I can understand the Bible and God’s promises, happiness is never promised by God. And I get nauseated when men leave their wives for some you-know-what or wives divorce their husbands on the grounds of “I need to find happiness” because “God wants me to be happy.” Gimme a break.
No, God wants you to be HOLY. Happiness is a by-product of holiness, NOT the other way around. When am I closest to God? When my spirit is most like and lost in His. When is He most pleased with me? When I am closest to being mistaken for His Son, Jesus.
So, confession time: I struggled with coming in to work today with a good attitude. I know people think pastors should always be gleeful and skipping, but guess what? We don’t do a lot of skipping.
And when I find myself a bit pouty or grumpy in my spirit, I find that it really boils down to me saying to me: “Be happy.” And not just once, but repeatedly. And I’ve found that I’m winning the fight against myself. Good news, because I’d rather win than lose. And I’m winning.
The term “discipline of happiness” has been floating in my mind today. Now, as you can tell I fully acknowledge that me being happy isn’t topping God’s wish list. And the discipline of happiness is exercised when I allow God’s Spirit to lead me from wallowing to worshipping.
Because in the truest practical sense, what good does wallowing do? What point does grumpiness serve me? What perks do I gain from a negative attitude?
Share your thoughts. I’d love to hear them.

"And then he died."

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*The following blog post was originally started on Dec. 30, 2009.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of reading through the Bible in a year. It seems like a silly goal. Its like saying, “I’m going to the gym and I’m gonna work out like crazy and I’m gonna get huge.” Okay. Great. But what’s the point? I guess I’d always thought that I’d rather read a page and understand it then read a thousand and not remember any of it. But that’s just me. That is, until recently.

Don’t laugh at me, but I’m in day TWO (yes, I know) of a through-the-Bible reading plan. And I’m already struck today by four words repeated in Genesis chapter 5: “And then he died.” The majority of the chapter tells the story of the number of years lived by Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh, Lamech, and Noah.

After telling how many years each one of these men lived (and little else about their lives), each paragraph ends with “and then he died.” I can’t think of any better engraving to have on my tombstone. Jerry Varner: 1973-_____. “And then he died.”

It was a reminder to me that death is so not what we view it as. Death is such an uncomfortable topic to us humans. For me, its because it represents the ticking timer each one of us have that is directly connected to our to-do list; both have-to-do’s and want-to-do’s. And when that timer is up, there are no more to-do’s, but just one last ta-da!

“And then he died” is a great statement to keep in the forefront of life. Not as a morbid reminder of the temporalness of this life, but as a reminder of the imminent commencement of the next. “And then he died” is penned much like “And then he got up from that chair and moved to another room.” So matter-of-fact.

And I don’t care who you are, what you believe, where you live, or what you do. I defy anyone to come up with an issue that weighs more than the issue of eternity. And not to be dismissive, but I won’t even engage the thought that eternity doesn’t exist. That, to me is a non-sensical argument. No matter what your convictions (or apathy) toward the existence of God, the idea of death, the questions surrounding the afterlife; one thing cannot be ignored, and that is the fact that you and I will die and at the moment of our death, we will move from this life to __________. To fill the blank with the word “nothing” is to live in the deepest, most dangerous kind of denial. And its far better to face the blank now than later.

So since there is an eternity, what will it be for you? Ask most anyone in America what they think will happen when they die and you’re more than likely to get some variation of this response: “Well, I think that I’ll go to heaven.” And when you ask them “Why do you think that you’ll go to heaven?” you’ll hear something like, “Because I’ve been a pretty good person. I haven’t done too many things wrong. I haven’t like, killed anybody or anything. So, yeah. I think God will let me in.”

That, my friends, is a crap shoot at best.

Leading the Lady

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There are so many pluses to not having cable. We’ve been a year and a half without cable and by and large, its wonderful. One of the biggest differences we notice is during the 2 Christmas seasons we’ve been without cable, our kids are at a loss as to what they want for Christmas, because there aren’t any commercials telling them what they want.

But on days like today, being snowed in and not too much else to do, being without cable means having only a few channels to choose from. Earlier today I found myself watching a ballroom dancing competition. Never seen one? Let me break it down for you. People who look like they have too much money get dolled up to go and watch other people dance. It makes about as much sense as watching someone fish, in my opinion.

Each pair of dancers has a number that they wear (worn by the man since he has more clothes covering him). They go through a series of dances such as the Fox Trot, the Two Step, the Samba, the Cha-Cha, the Jive, etc. And while they dance, a bunch of old people stand around with clipboards and score the dancers dancing. That’s pretty much it.

But no sporting event would be complete without commentators. And one comment made by a commentator struck me in a way that made me think about Jesus. Go figure.

I forget what particular dance the dancers were dancing, but I remember the commentator saying, “The man’s job is to really show off his lady.”

Jesus came to earth for so many reasons. But chief among them are reconciliation (of creation to Creator) through forgiveness of sins (accomplished on the cross), and for setting an example (through sinless living). And now that He is done His work on earth and sits at the right hand of God the Father, He is still at work by the power of His Spirit within us. And Jesus’ chief objective is now to “really show off His lady”.

The scriptures teach clearly that the Church is the “bride of Christ”. Christ Himself being the bridegroom is absolutely in love with His bride. And there will be in our future a great wedding feast where Jesus will present His bride to God the Father (Jude 1:24). And not merely to present her, but to present her “without fault and with great joy…” (In fact, the very same charge is given to husbands, in respect to their wives! Men, read Ephesians 5:27.)

But as I watched those partners spin around that dance floor today, I was reminded also of the partnership we share with Jesus. As His bride, we are to follow His lead, understanding that only when we follow His lead are we truly allowing Him to fully “show off His lady.” Imagine an uncooperative dance partner and the stumblings and fumblings both partners would have to endure if the one who is supposed to be led isn’t willing to be led!

Where in my life am I uncooperative to the leading of the bridegroom? Where am I out of His step? Where am I keeping Him from doing His best to “really show off His lady”?

No Tears On My Pillow

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I spent this past weekend with about 100 others from our church who joined about 400 others at the VA District Winter Retreat. It was a great experience for all who came along. Not only did our teens have a blast skiing, snowboarding, waterparking, and tons of other cool stuff, but we also had a great spiritual experience together as well. It was such a blessing to hear from students about what God was speaking to them. I was encouraged to see many of our students engaged in worship of the King with a new level of abandon and awe. But as any retreat attendee will tell you, life at retreat and life at home are often 2 diametrically opposed realities. Or at least they USED to be.

In the early days of ministry, the challenge we used to face as we return from retreat is to somehow “harness” the experience; to somehow take the experience from there to here. But the longer I’ve been in ministry, the more I’ve committed to some “post-retreat” thoughts. Here are a few of them:

1. God meets us at our place of expectation, whether they be high or low.
2. Retreats, by definition, are not meant to last. Neither are the feelings they invoke.
3. To live life like you’re on retreat is to miss the point of the retreat.
4. Retreats are used for the ultimate outcome of a strong advance (this is the same principle used in battle situations). If there is no advance, then the retreat is actually a loss of ground.
5. You must keep retreat memories from becoming the standard by which we measure God. God would much rather us be “imagine if” and “what’s next” kind of people; not “remember when” kind of people.

Needless to say, we had a fantastic time at retreat, and we’re poised to take faith steps into what God is leading us into for our student ministry. Those who come along will be blessed. Those who don’t will be spectators to a blessing rather than participants.

After any retreat, you’re just plain wiped out physically. I slept like a log last night. That is, until 5:30 a.m. I was awakened by the sound of dripping water. Not from the showerhead. Not from the bathroom sink. Not from the raingutters outside. It was coming from the skylight directly above my bed. The rain was dripping right next to my head onto my pillow. You can bet I was definitely awake instantly! I hopped up with an imagination that had already decided that my roof was about to cave in. I ran to the closet to grab a towel to lay down on my pillow, because after all, if my roof is going to cave in, I certainly didn’t want any debris on my pillow. Ridiculous.

So, I laid the towel, still partially folded, onto the right half of my pillow where the drip was happening. Then I sat there and stared at it, because what’s more effective at stopping a drip than a stare? Ridiculous.

Then I did something that to some might seem a little less (or a little more) ridiculous. I decided that I would pray. I’d go to God about this situation. My wife and I had already scheduled a guy to come next week to repair an exterior spot under our bedroom’s bay window where a small bit of wood rot had softened the siding. My imagination kicked back in and decided that not only would he also take a look at the skylight, but that he would discover that the entire roof would have to replaced. While I do have some money in the bank, if you think I have enough saved to buy a new roof….well….ridiculous.

So I prayed.

“God, You’re my Lord. You’re the One who is trustworthy. You’ve been rock-solid faithful to me when my faithfulness to You is often flimsy at best. You have been so good to me, God. I have never wanted for anything. You’ve never not met my needs. You’re just so good. God, my roof is leaking. I know that there are TONS of other more important things in the world than this right now. I know that if we made a list in order of importance, this need would probably rank near dead last. But God, You don’t operate that way. You’re not the God who says ‘Get in line and I’ll help you when I get a chance.’ God, your help, like your grace, is immediate. You care about the things that concern me because I care about the things that concern You. So God, I’d like to humbly ask that you give me wisdom in how to handle this leak situation. Would You please direct me as I take some faith steps with You? I don’t know what to do, but You do.”

Then I heard God speak to my heart.
He asked, “Jerry, do you trust Me?”
I answered, “Yes God. I trust You.”
He said, “Jerry, get back in bed.”

So, I did. I got back in bed and instead of fretting about what to do with my roof, I enjoyed 2 hours of the most peaceful sleep I’ve had, under the protective canopy of the hand of God.