jesus

Figuring It Out

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Have you ever been in one of those escape rooms where you and some friends are locked in a room and given an hour to figure out how to get out? There’s typically some scene or theme that you’re immersed in while you’re presumably surrounded by clues, objects, and mind puzzles that–when solved–reveal exactly how to escape the room, and you’re challenged to emerge victorious over this kooky scene in 59:59…59:58…59:57…59:56…59:55…

I’m not great at all in those escape rooms. Setting aside being locked in a room and unable to escape, my focus goes instead to the people I’m with, what they’re doing, and what they think about how to get out of this stereotypical science lab, old-timey apartment, or pirate ship…wherever we may be trapped.

If you’re reading these words and you’re a follower of Jesus like I am, you can probably finish this statement by Jesus–it’s one of the final things He instructed His followers to do: “Go ____ _______ __________…”

Did your mind fill those blanks in automatically? If not, it’s okay. Keep reading. What you read might shed some light on those in your life who know what goes in those blanks.

I want to point something out that I’m sure I’ve brought up before. And if I haven’t done this clearly in the past, I want to invite a serious consideration on your part and an actual response to what you’re reading here. You can leave a comment below, text me, call me, or email me. Seriously.

So here’s the thing I want to point out: Even though Jesus told us clearly to make more disciples in the world, He left out the “how” to make disciples. Have you ever noticed that? It was almost as if He told us exactly what He wanted His followers to be doing while He’s gone for a quick break to sit at the right hand of God the Father, just before His return for His followers–but never specifies how He expects us to make disciples. Does that seem odd to anyone else?

We have nothing to go on but the example He set. (Good thing that’s enough.)

So for the rest of this blog post, we’re going to take a close look at the how. How did Jesus conduct Himself throughout His public ministry? These observations will shape the blueprint by which we live our daily lives. I understand that this is granular and in some places nebulous or perhaps redundant, but I also think it’s so very important.

Here’s the scene on the Mount of Olives those approximate 2,000 years ago:

Jesus: “Therefore go and make disciples.”

Disciples: “Okay. But how?”

Jesus: “Figure it out.”

Obviously, I’m taking some liberty with the actual interchange there, but without a clear manual handed over to the followers of Jesus in that moment, they were left to simply figure it out. What they knew of Jesus, and the promise of the coming Holy Spirit would have to be enough. Good thing it was. And is.

What do you know of Jesus? Take a minute or two right now and think it through. Make a mental (or actual) list and get as specific as you can. List the things you know for sure about Jesus. Once you do that, ask yourself: Where is the chapter and verse that goes along with each of those items on the list? Or have I simply made assumptions or believed what’s been told to me or handed down by tradition?

If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re only going to emulate the image of Jesus that your mind and heart hold. You cannot do otherwise. So who is He? And more to the point: Who is He to you?

My list: Compassionate. Methodical. Articulate. Authoritative (but in a comforting way). Tender. Firm. Relaxed. Unhurried. Flexible. Powerful. Purposeful. Loving. Focused. Gentle. Caring. Giving. Merciful. Approachable. Wise. Lovingly confrontational, Welcoming. Willing.

Those are just a few of the words that come to my mind when I think of words to describe Jesus. He has been all of those things in my life, as well as throughout the gospels.

So through the power of His own promised Spirit living within me, it becomes entirely possible and probable that as I live my life, I exhibit these traits as well. Not all of them perfectly at every moment, but as I continue to submit my life to Him, I am incrementally growing in all these ways. And as I seek for my life to be one that makes disciples, I am able to more clearly “figure it out” day by day.

Answer this: What’s the “how” of making disciples, in your view?

Closer to the pin

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

I love golf.

Hang on. Let me back up.

I love the idea of golf.

Yeah, that’s better.

I used to play a fair amount of golf, back in the day.

Actually—hold up—let me modify that statement:

I used to play golf when my golf-loving Dad would invite me to play with him.

Yeah, that’s definitely more accurate.

Some of the things I can appreciate about golf are:

  • It’s never the same game twice; you’ll literally never take the exact same stance or swing the same way twice.
  • It demands focus. And I mean FOCUS to do it well consistently.
  • It’s as much mental as it is physical. (I hear some of you jeering that it isn’t really that physical, and that’s okay.)
  • It interacts with nature, which as we all know can be brutally unpredictable. Winds, grass length, tree branches, water, and light all play their part in making up every swing of the club.
  • There’s an etiquette embedded in the game. Did you know men must wear a collared shirt when they play? The three key words to acceptable golf fashion are “neat, clean, and comfortable.”
  • It’s a game that encourages teamwork, but ultimately, the outcome is up to me.

There are more reasons, but you get it. I want to share something I learned about golf years ago, and how I define success in golf whenever I play (I don’t play much anymore, but would love it if invited. Hint Hint).

One day I was out golfing with my Dad, and since he is a much, MUCH better golfer than I, he took every single shot to heart; as if every shot he took was determining whether he’d wear that famous green jacket or not. If I recall correctly, we were, that day, on an unremarkable golf course in Winchester, VA, where I was living at the time. He was visiting and, of course, brought his clubs so we could spend the day on the links.

As time went on, I could see his frustration rising. You see, golfers have this thing that happens where one bad shot can very easily give birth to another bad shot. String a few bad shots together, and you’re suddenly someone who has no right holding a club. Take it to its logical conclusion and you’ll see why some golfers resort to wrapping their club around the nearest tree trunk. But no one can argue with their passion, I’ll say that.

So as I recall, I stopped my Dad mid-tirade and made a suggestion. “Dad, how about we redefine what a good shot is?” We instantly both agreed that our new definition of success for any shot we took would be “Closer to the pin.” (For those of you who aren’t golfers, the “pin” is the flag that sticks up and out of the “cup”. And the “cup” is the technical name for the hole you’re trying to ultimately get the ball into.)

So there we were, on some random fairway on some random golf course on some random day in Northern Virginia, with a new vision of what good golfing looks like, right in the middle of our game. The cloud hanging over us broke up, the wind was suddenly sweeter, and the overall mood turned weightless. It was a decision we made together that instantly changed the game.

Christians, let’s be honest. Many of us need to let go of some of the rigidity of religion that has caused us to view it as a score-keeping regimen rather than a fiery relationship born out of and rooted in grace. In other words, we ought to tear up the scorecard we’ve been clutching.

Each day, ask one simple question: Am I closer to Jesus today than I was yesterday?

That’s it. And use your honest answer to that one question to calibrate your heart, decide your trajectory, and fuel your passion for Him and Him alone.

“But wait….there’s more!”

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There’s often a disparity between what I know and what I feel. They don’t always line up or even agree.

If I based my existence and daily decisions on my feelings, I’d be living a very different life indeed.

If you want to dig into the issues of emotions, experience and evidence as I wrote about a couple of years ago, feel free to click here. But I’d like to take us in a slightly different direction this time.

The most often asked question in scripture that is asked by humans to God is, “How long, O Lord?” This is a question that indicates discomfort, maybe even distance, and maybe even disenfranchisement. When we are in a situation that we’d rather not be in, the fuse of our patience typically shortens as we seem to bear up under the weight of whatever it is we’re facing. Even when we sense/feel God’s strength, we are not immune to wondering just how long this situation will last.

By contrast, the most often stated command given by God to humans is, “Do not fear.” It isn’t that God is dismissing our discomfort, but rather He is reminding and recalibrating our hearts to the truth that the present reality is not the permanent reality.

There’s always going to be more to the story. Always. As those catchy lyrics to that song go: “If I’m not dead, God’s not done.”

But feelings and facts can sometimes conflict with one another, can’t they? In fact, feelings can more often be a busted compass leading us in the wrong direction. Here’s the thing: While most people believe that God exists, not nearly enough people view him as personally interested and invested in who they are, where they are, or what they’re dealing with. So the only other option is to go it alone (or with other human friends) and use your human feelings as your guide. Can you see now why we’re a mess?

Imagine instead for a minute that the God who made the universe and stars in our galaxy is the same God who made you, your hands, your eyes, and your feet. Imagine that because He made you, He’s keenly interested in who you are, where you are, what you’re doing, and how you’re doing. Imagine that.

If God is not only real but personal, well, that changes everything. If God is personally interested in what your today holds, then you’ve got everything He is and every ounce of His powerful presence making the difference in your life. You can throw away that busted compass and instead rely on the higher, better, stronger, wiser, ever-present God who refuses to simply let you flounder and figure things out based on your feelings.

With this new reality, you move instantly from scraping by to walking on water. You move from having to muster up human strength to accessing God’s might that cannot be depleted. You get to leave behind fearful thoughts like “What if _____ happens?” and instead walk in the confidence that says, “Even if _____ happens…” and know that God is not merely near you but WITH you. And not merely with you, but FOR you.

I believe the “more” of what we all want is found in extracting ourselves out of natural living and planting our hearts in supernatural realities.

These are thoughts I simply wanted to set on a table and invite you to come and break bread with me and talk about. Leave a comment below for others to share, or feel free to text me. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

  • What role does fear play in your life?
  • What role do feelings play in your decision-making process(es)?
  • What difference does God’s personal presence and interest in you make on a practical level?
  • How do you imagine God to be? What do you think His thoughts of you are right now? Why?

Mission: Day 1

/ jerrythinks / 3 Comments

I find it helpful to imagine that it’s my first day on the job. I do this on a regular basis in order to reframe my perspective on what I’m doing and why. If you’ve never tried this, I recommend it as a regular exercise. As anyone would (or should) on their first day anywhere, I like to ask questions like:

  • What is it we’re hoping to accomplish as an organization/company/group of people?
  • What has been done in the past that has sought to move us toward accomplishing that mission, and how was it successful or unsuccessful?
  • How is “success” measured here? Is that the best metric?
  • What blindspots have developed in those who have been at it for a while?
  • What “sacred cows” exist that I need to be aware of, if any?
  • What has not been tried yet? Why not?

Today is Monday morning after Easter (Resurrection) Sunday. Jesus’ followers should probably look at today as “Mission: Day 1.” If you know the story of Jesus’ resurrection, you know that He stayed around for around 40 days and continued to show himself and taught people about His Kingdom. (Acts 1:3)

What we see in his disciples right after Jesus’ resurrection though, was that they went back to work. (John 21) Changed internally by the life-altering reality that their rabbi was back from the dead, it doesn’t (at least at first) seem to make a huge difference in them. Let’s chalk it up to adrenaline or perhaps allowing their new reality to sink in. So, no judgment here. I’ve learned that most people’s default setting when they’re not sure what to do is to do nothing. I get that.

What are we to do today, the day after we celebrate the most incredible, miraculous, history-shaking, unparalleled event that humanity has ever known? Outwardly, is it just another Monday? Probably seems so. But inwardly (making its way out), it’s Mission: Day 1.

The news of Jesus’ resurrection spread as you might expect. He revealed Himself in resurrected/glorified form to hundreds, maybe thousands of people, before He ascended into heaven. So the fact of His resurrection was not merely tabloid fodder. This was the actual reality of the situation: A man had been crucified in front of a huge crowd who all watched him die, proven to be dead, put in a sealed and guarded tomb, and was now alive and walking around.

So, if you’re one of this man’s followers, what do you do on Mission: Day 1? Do you tuck this nugget of news under your hat and simply live as you did before? Or do you celebrate the widely-known fact that your Rabbi is the death-conquering Messiah and Lord?

Honestly, I’m not sure why the disciples went back to fishing after Jesus had been resurrected. But I do believe there’s something there for us to learn. They weren’t in denial of Jesus’ resurrection. They were simply integrating this new reality into their lives the best way they could. Probably trying to figure out for themselves how to live in this new world where their best friend is now the resurrected King of all kings.

Here’s my guess: They probably looked at people radically differently than they had before. Every person they saw was now in one of two categories: The “knows” and the “doesn’t know”. Let’s consider this.

Stop wherever you are right now. Look around. Look at the movement of humans around you right now. What are they doing? How do they appear to you? What do you imagine they are thinking? What do they know about Jesus? Do they know? Are they a “know” or a “doesn’t know”?

I don’t know how to tell you how to let them know. That’s really not my thing to be concerned with. My desire here is not to trigger any emotion in you as you read these words. My desire here is simply to invite you to imagine that it’s Day 1 of this new reality, and that there are still people who don’t know.

Go back up to that list of questions toward the beginning of this post. Now, Jesus followers: Imagine they’re applicable to this new resurrected reality we are all now living in. How would you answer them?

What’s good?

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It’s Monday of Holy Week and I’ve (again) recently been asked this year the question that seems to emerge every year during Holy Week: “Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?”

Rather than launch into some deeply theological or academic answer (you can find a plethora of those on the intrawebs), let me share with you what I hope amounts to more of a personal, internalized response.

When I think of Jesus, I must always keep in the forefront of my mind that He is God incarnate. That is, God in human flesh. By the way, that’s as theological as this post will get. God became flesh in order to satisfy His own demands for holiness and a holy sacrifice. Why was a sacrifice needed at all? Because the Creator will not tolerate not being fully united with His creation. The perfect sacrifice of the perfect Savior created a perfect salvation that is perfectly accessible to any and all who will believe.

Because you and are…well…imperfect, we couldn’t have provided that perfect sacrifice on our own.

So Jesus humbled Himself by taking on the flesh of humanity and came to live among us. As He did, He gave us a clear reflection of God’s Kingdom and all that it entails. He loved, He taught, He shepherded, He healed, He put justice and righteousness on display, and He willingly crescendoed His earthly ministry with a one-two punch that defeated sin and death for all time.

The cross Jesus died on wasn’t a new invention. The Romans had perfected this method of execution. They didn’t invent crucifixion, but it’s fair to say that they nailed it. Pun intended.

So when we think of Jesus, we must always keep His mission central. Jesus didn’t happen to fall onto the cross. He didn’t get himself wrapped up in the wrong crowd and thereby found Himself on the wrong end of the law, and hanging on a cross. This wasn’t a curveball in His mission. It WAS His mission. Jesus wasn’t a victim as He hung on that cross. This was the script from the beginning. The cross was precisely why He came at all. For Jesus, the cross was Job One.

The hours that Jesus spent on that cross were prepared and planned out millennia beforehand. Read Genesis chapter 3. All of eternity had awaited this crushing blow that Jesus delivered through His death.

And all of creation was the recipient of grace through the shed blood of Jesus’ death on that cross. No one is left out of the invitation to come and take the gift that Jesus offers through the work of the cross. The thief that hung next to Jesus wasn’t just a random or mildly interesting addition to the story. No, no, no. The thief is all of us. The guilty given grace. Jesus said to him that day and it echoes for us today: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Still wonder why Good Friday is Good Friday? Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Since God’s holiness demands a holy sacrifice, what hope do I have in attaining holiness on my own?
  2. If God, through Jesus, provided the necessary sacrifice to forgive my sins, what is keeping me from receiving that gift through faith in Jesus alone?
  3. As a forgiven child of God, how can I set my heart on the good news of Jesus’ sacrificial death on my behalf? Who in my life needs to be told or reminded of His love for them?

I trust that as we move through Holy Week, our hearts will be set on the cross of Jesus and the Good that was done there. I’ll finish where I started: there are other explanations as to why we call it Good Friday, but when it comes to the saving of our souls, I’d argue that none matter as much.

What astounds me?

/ jerrythinks / 2 Comments

Living a life of following Jesus is to live in a certain tension. Well, not just one, but one in particular I’d like to think about and talk about with you.

The core beliefs of someone (like me) who has chosen to accept Jesus’ invitation to “Follow Me*” must live within the tension of the life-altering truth of the gospel that is both familiar and yet foreign.

Familiar because we live and breathe this gospel truth every day. It permeates every part of our daily lives. There is nothing that is untouched by the transformational grace of God. Every thought, question, wrestle, word spoken, confrontation, conviction, relationship, concern, interaction, and every type of decision we make is changed dramatically in the light of Jesus’ love, life, death, and resurrection. It can’t be otherwise. For it not to be this way is to perpetuate what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls “cheap grace.” This is the catastrophic belief (whether conscious or subconscious) that God’s grace is readily available without requiring any effort or sacrifice from the believer.

And it is this true and real dynamic of faith that creates the connecting link between a familiar gospel and a foreign grace. Let’s now unwrap the foreign side.

Follower of Jesus, I’m addressing you and us together. We must not ever allow the familiar story of Jesus to become so familiar that we do not marvel at it endlessly. The gospel accounts recorded for us so beautifully, no matter how many verses our highlighters glide over, must never become bedtime stories that lull us to sleep. Rather, the life and love of Jesus is the awakening agent of who we are and all we are. The grace of God must always be an astounding and confounding truth that we simultaneously embrace and yet still struggle to embrace. It is in the wrestling that we find the fire. To become complacent in this is to set the gospel on a shelf in our minds and hearts, only to collect the dust of impotence and ineffectiveness. When we do this, our churches are filled with complacent critics rather than wonder-filled worshipers.

Many years ago, I read a book that I think I’ve mentioned on my website many times. It’s a book called “Dangerous Wonder” by Mike Yaconelli. I want to recommend it to you. And while you’re picking up that one, you may as well grab its follow-up, “Messy Spirituality.” These two books served as a tour-de-force in my spiritual life, inspiring me with a faith that is unfamiliar, scary, unpredictable, revolutionary, and was exactly what my heart needed to move from a performance-based religiosity to a grace-based love affair with Jesus.

Christians crack me up. At this writing, we are two days away from what we refer to as “Palm Sunday,” which ushers us into Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy (Silent) Saturday, and, of course, Resurrection (Easter) Sunday. Of course, Easter is the biggest holiday on the Christian calendar (sorry, Christmas) due to the reality that we are celebrating the fact that Jesus rose again from the grave, conquering sin, hell, and death. And no, that’s no rumor or myth. Maybe you’ll consider the words of an Oxford professor:

“I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”

—Thomas Arnold, Professor of History Oxford

It is for me, and should be for you, that the resurrection of Jesus is validated and verified fact. If it is (and it is), what level of marvel and wonder do we meet it with? When we consider the cross, do we callously utter the words “Well, of course, He did. I knew He would” because we have the luxury of the full story? If the onlookers at the moment of Jesus’ death were able to form the words “Surely this was a man of God” (Matt. 27:54), can we assume to do no less two-thousand years later? Are we so familiar with the story that we no longer stand, mouth gaping, at the door of His vacant tomb?

What astounds me? What astounds you? I fear we may have lost the edge of our sense of wonder at the cross. I fear we may be taking the empty tomb more in stride with the spring-time season than a life-shattering, moment-by-moment, dead-in-your-tracks truth that keeps us living passionately pointing to that cross and that tomb. Lord Jesus, would you bring us back to your cross and your tomb and refill our minds and hearts and decisions with the kind of awe that is due such a beautiful and miraculous gift, bought for us by the shed blood of Jesus and the authority put on full display by a stone slap draped in empty grave cloth?

May we not treat this next week as an annual occurence, but as a daily celebration what cause our hearts to cry out in wonder, because we’re astounded at the depth of love God has shown us through Jesus.

*Jesus said, “Follow Me” in the following places through the four gospels:

Matthew 4:19

Matthew 8:22

Matthew 9:9

Matthew 16:24

Matthew 19:21

Mark 1:17

Mark 2:14

Mark 8:34

Mark 10:21

Luke 5:27

Luke 9:23

Luke 9:59

Luke 14:27

Luke 18:22

John 1:43

John 10:27

John 12:26

John 13:36

John 21:19

John 21:22

Oh, and another thing…

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I had the privilege of preaching yesterday at Southside Church. I was delivering a message as part of a 7-week series called “Big Questions” and yesterday’s message answered the question, “Does God really care about me?” I know this is a biased statement, but I’m not sure how you could have heard that message without being fully convinced that you are indeed cared for deeply and desperately by God.

For all that was shared during our time together, there’s far more to share. I just thought I’d throw in a “p.s.” of sorts to act as further evidence I can personally present to you that not only does God care about your soul, but He cares about your day. Every minuscule detail of your daily life is in his full view. God cares about what’s going on in your mind right now.

Let me take you back about 20 years or so. It was summertime, and the high school mission trip I was leading as the youth pastor was quickly approaching. My wife and I have 4 kids, and at that point, they ranged from toddler to early elementary school age. So here I was, the dad/youth pastor, going out of the country and leaving my wife to deal with these four little humans who need her constantly. Wanting for that time away to go as smoothly as possible for her, I had a long list of things to get done before I left for that mission trip, things that I hoped would make for a less difficult time of being separated.

I’m happy to report to you that I got all the things done on my list. Well. Except for one. My son Crews had a battery-operated remote control racecar that he loved to play with. The problem was that the metal antenna that extends from the controller (that controls the racecar) had broken. I had hoped to get a replacement antenna before leaving. But I had failed. I felt bad about it because it would’ve allowed him to enjoy playing with that car while I was gone.

Before I continue, let me repeat what I said a minute ago: God cares about the smallest details of your daily life.

So, now I’ve been out of the country for several days, and it’s my last day of this mission trip. It’s a Sunday, and I’m getting myself ready for church. I’m getting dressed and pulling on the khakis I packed to wear that day. As I get them on, I feel something in the pocket. I reach into the front pocket of those pants I’d be wearing when I see my son later that day. And can you even guess what was in that pocket?

I kid you not. That very antenna right there. I have no logical human explanation of how it got there. I have simply come to believe and be convinced that God put it there. I truly believe that God, this Good Father we have, cares deeply about the things we care about.

So later that day I was reunited with my family and was able to give my young son the thing that would allow his racecar to race again.

By the way, I took that photo this morning. I’ve kept that antenna for all these years as a reminder that God cares deeply about what’s going on in my life right now and always.

Now, let me add that as time has gone on, the truth this story taught me has evolved and grown. I don’t merely think that God cares about things like little boys’ remote control cars, though He clearly does. I also believe the “why” because God’s care for us is this:

God cares about the things that we care about because He’s inviting us to care about the things He cares about:

So that situation that tempts you to feel like you’ve been forgotten? He’s there.

That problem that seems to have far more question marks than exclamation points? He’s there.

That relationship that feels beyond repair? He’s there.

That situation at school with that teacher no one likes? He’s there.

That frustrating person at work that no one likes? He’s there.

That issue that you seem to be at odds with people over? He’s there.

That hurt you have that you’ve been hiding from others? He’s there.

The dream of a future that still seems unfulfilled? He’s there.

Because…

That coworker who always seems negative? It’s because of pain and He wants you there.

That neighbor who doesn’t know your name yet? He wants you there.

That person you see who’s always eating alone? He wants you there.

That acquaintance who clearly has different spiritual views? He wants you there.

That cashier who seems beaten down and never seems to smile? He wants you there.

That hungry family who can’t seem to catch a break? He wants you there.

The overlooked, marginalized, and vilified of our culture? He wants you there.

God is caring right now about what you care about because He wants you to care about the people He cares about.

Okay, so if you still need convincing that God cares for you, then read each of these verses:

  • 1 Peter 5:7
  • Psalm 23
  • John 3:16
  • Isaiah 41:10
  • Romans 8:31
  • Psalm 121:5-8
  • 1 John 4:16