Luke 2:10-11. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!
I was fascinated by this video from Penn of Penn & Teller fame. Not familiar with them? They're a comic/magic duo that have been touring for over 30 years, a career that now includes television shows and movies. Penn claims to be an atheist, and often his comic material is a mockery of Christian faith.
Penn is quite the talker. He's never stumped. Never at a loss for words.
That's what makes this video so fascinating.
This time it seems he is.
Did you hear it? A guy who is flat out resistant to God and defiant in his resistance asks a huge question: "how much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell someone about it?"
Wow.
Ouch.
His response deeply challenges me. As a person who loves Jesus, I want to be more bold and more knowledgeable in my faith - I want to engage more.
YET, I don't want to be a jerk about it. No one responds to that.
That's why Jesus told his followers to "be as wise as a snake, and as harmless as a dove" (Matthew 10:15-16).
It seems to me that too often: (a) we skip over one of those directives, entering the arena with a lack of wisdom or a lack of grace, or (b) we choose to not engage at all. Neither of those are an option in Jesus' mind. And neither of them should be an option to us.
Am I too afraid of being politically correct that I don't tell others that a truck is barreling down on them, or bigger yet - that eternal life IS possible?
Do I care for people enough to not only tell them, but to tell them in a way that communicates grace and love?
Am I relying too much on showing my faith and not verbalizing my faith?
Why does an atheist guy understand this better than many Christians?
This morning at 9:36am, The RCA Dome in Indianapolis was imploded. The city has built a new stadium right across the street as a home for the Colts, as well as a large capacity venue for other big events in Indy.
I was actually in the stadium on three occasions:
In 1991 I watched Penn High School lose a state football title to Ben Davis.
In 1992 I attended a Promise Keepers Conference with 60,000 other men.
In 1999 I listened to Billy Graham live at a Crusade.
It's always awe inspiring to watch a structure of that size come down. News crews arrive, crowds gather - even cheer - as a towering icon is reduced to rubble. Brick and mortar that took two full years and $82 million to build. The site of large scale, televised events for 24 years. Taken down in under 20 seconds.
Or was it?
The truth is it takes a long time and many steps to take a building down. Plans have actually been in motion for several years. Under the radar, streets have been restructured. Traffic rerouted. Furnishings moved out. Charges put in place. Every safety measure implamented. Then...the button pushed, and it all comes down.
Every day we see leaders fall, marriages destroyed, and lives broken. And we sometimes think it happened in a "moment of weakness". Wrong. That's just the big moment it all comes down. The truth is, decisions after decision have often been in motion for months, if not years. Under the radar, temptation has been given into. Lines have been crossed. Foolish steps justified. Habits formed. Until one day, the "button is pushed", and it all comes down.
The steps you and I take today, lead to what we will experience tomorrow. Steps of faith, godliness, righteousness, selflessness, love, personal growth - these lead to building something beautiful. Steps of pride, envy, selfishness, deceit, giving in to the flesh - these lead to a time when it will all come down.
Check out the video below to see the dome implode. But remember: Nothing of great worth is built in 20 seconds. And nothing of great value is taken down in 20 seconds. You're looking at years of steps that led to a moment it all came down.
Galatians 5:25. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
It's a great question. Yet a tough one to answer for some.
Well a friend of mine out in Portland sent this today. It's a fascinating test that I found to be remarkably accurate in identifying the hero in your life. Try it yourself.
1) Pick your favorite number between 1-9.
2) Multiply that number by 3.
3) Add 3 to that number, then multiply by 3 again.
4) You'll get a 2 or 3 digit number....add the digits together.
5) What number did you come up with?
Ok, now Scroll down to see the answers..............
The name next to your number below is your ROLE MODEL:
1. Hillary Clinton
2. Nelson Mandela
3. Donald Trump
4. Billy Graham
5. George Bush
6. Gandhi
7. Brad Pitt
8. Bill Gates
9. Jeff Bell
10. Mickey Mouse
I know....it's amazing isn't it?!
No...don't try it with a different number. Just trust the test! And wow, I'm truly humbled... :)
Hey Elkhart Campus - tomorrow morning (Saturday) is GCC's Second Saturday. Know what that means? It means you need to show up at at the Encore Theater at 8:30am!
Why? We're going to band together to pack boxes. Lots of boxes! Boxes full of food and other items to be given to over 800 families in the Elkhart Community that desperately need them.
Oh - and bring the kids, too. They'll love putting items in boxes with you while they learn the values of volunteering and serving others.
Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday morning, huh?
See you there at 8:30am.
Matthew 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..."
Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?"
The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
My wife is going to be so proud of this post. And shocked.
Leslee is a HUGE Christmas music/Christmas season fan. She loves snow, she loves decorating the house, putting up a Christmas tree - the works. I on the other hand...I'm really not a ba humbug or the big ugly Grinch, I just typically don't feel a great deal of energy for Christmas stuff. (ok...I'm not talking about the birth of our Savior here. I mean the decorations, etc. - so no lectures)
But...this year has been different. I've been in more of a Christmas spirit than any year I can remember. Why? I'm not entirely sure. So don't get used to it. :)
So to celebrate my new found joy in all things red and green, I thought I'd share my favorite Christmas CDs of all time.
Oh, and favorite Christmas song? John Lennon's version of Happy Christmas (war is over). Favorite Christmas hymn? Joy to the World
And please, share away: what are your favorite Christmas CDs? Hymn? Song?
Elf - The Soundtrack. Not only one of the funniest Christmas movies ever (Will Ferrill just cracks me up in this role), the soundtrack is awesome. Fun, upbeat mix of old and new Christmas songs, including Leon Redburn's version of Baby, It's Cold Outside. Classic.
Russ Taff - A Christmas Song. Amazing voice. Smooth, jazz style of favorite Christmas classics. Hot chocolate, fireplace, and this CD. You're all set.
Jim Brickman - Christmas Romance. Brickman is an absolute master on the piano. He can tickle the keys to Christmas songs that usually annoy me (ie - Do You Hear What I Hear?) and melt me with them.
Harry Connick, Jr. - When My Heart Finds Christmas. The classic crooner. I've always been a huge fan of Connick, Jr. He has a few Christmas CDs out now, but this is my favorite.
Last Saturday our Elkhart Leadership Team gathered for a Christmas Dinner celebration.
Our Elkhart Campus is blessed with some amazingleaders - I'm so thankful for them, so proud of them. These are men and women who love Jesus and are committed to the cause. They lead their teams with excellence: I trust them and their leadership fully in the crucial roles they fill.
They're also incredibly life giving people. They're just fun to hang out with! We couldn't dream of doing what we do in Elkhart without them.
Pictured above from left to right (and area they lead):
Jeff and Leslee Bell Kipp and Angel Hollingsworth (Roadies) Chad and Tammy Root (Event and Admin) Jerry and Renee Stroud (Children's) Kurt and Sandy Reiners (Local Missions) Todd Hollingsworth (Roadies) Brian and Vicki Young (Pastoral Care) Justin and Nicole Moyer (Connection/Guest Services)
Click on the picture to enlarge...good looking group of people! :)
I'm so jazzed to teach a Journey class this month at GCC. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we'll kick off a two-week series on Contentment, connecting what the New Testament writer Paul had to say on the topic with the realities we're experiencing today.
In addition to my class, there are two other great options to choose from:
Kathy Guy - "Lies We Tell Ourselves" Bob Laurent - "Spiritual Disciplines: Service"
We had a huge turnout last night as close to 300 people braved the cold for our Elkhart Campus Christmas Gathering. This was our first time to gather as a campus outside of a weekend service since our launch in October - and it was awesome!
Our kids performed and sang for us (way to go Brad Miller, Patti Harris, and Renee Stroud!)
We sang favorite Christmas carols (thank you Trace Rorie!)
We enjoyed coffee, cookies, and great snacks (thank you Tammy Root and many others!)
We celebrated the birth of our new campus this fall, and the birth of our King and Savior.
We met several new friends to the Elkhart campus.
We thoroughly enjoyed a great night of community and celebration.
Several times last night I just stood by myself in the back, capturing the moments. I watched the many people I've already grown to love, appreciate, and respect play keys roles in making the night happen. I watched teachers who have invested deeply in our children cheer for the kids as the performed and sang. I saw people who are not the same people they were six months ago - their lives have already been impacted and profoundly changed by new faith in Jesus and new connections with his church. I watched people who have pulled together for a common cause enjoying life with each other, genuinely.
This is the church at it's best - an engaged, inviting community of people that point others to the God they're so crazy about and so committed to.
Leslee and I love Granger Community Church. And we love serving and sharing life with the amazing people of our Elkhart Campus.
It's not often that I sit down and read a book in a single setting. But this week I picked up Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and did just that.
The book centers around this idea: what if you received an invitation from Jesus to sit down and have dinner? What would that conversation look like?
My first response before cracking the book? This sounds hokey. Just being honest. But I was wrong. It's a great read I intend to read again.
Here's my observations:
At 100 pages, the story moves quickly and is an engaging read.
I love the presentation of Jesus with a focus on his humanity. Often we focus so much on his divinity that we miss the humanity. He's presented as an intelligent man of strength and confidence, yet a man of grace and humility.
The guest Jesus invited (Nick) is clearly cynical, almost hostile toward Jesus at first. It can be rattling to someone who follows Jesus, but it begs the question: if I received an invite in the mail today from a guy claiming to be Jesus who wanted to buy me dinner, would I buy his 'act'? Wouldn't I see him as a fraud, out of his mind...at least initially? This guy claims to be God...it usually doesn't end well for people who follow those kind of guys - (can you say Jim Jones?) Here's the kicker: We're so familiar with the story of God becoming man that sometimes we forget how beautifully absurd it truly is.
Jesus doesn't convince his dinner guest that he's God with any magic tricks or super hero stunts. He does so with logic and a review of historical facts, coupled with acceptance and grace.
This would be a great book for someone exploring the Christian faith, or a seasoned Jesus follower needing that fresh view of the intimate relationship God longs for with his creation.
Thanks Mark Beeson for picking such a thought provoking book for our breakfast gatherings.
"Our character is that internal, overall structure of the self that is revealed by our long-run patterns of behavior and from which our actions more or less automatically arise. Character is revealed most of all in what we feel and do without thinking."
GCC-Elkhart meets every Sunday (9:30am and 11:30am) at the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart where I serve as the Campus Pastor. I love what I do and the community I serve.
This blog serves as an outlet for campus related information and updates, as well as my thoughts on the journey God takes us on. Oh and sometimes I like to brag on my kids here, too.
Celebrate the story...
Every day we see leaders fall, marriages destroyed, and lives broken. And we sometimes think it happened in a "moment of weakness". Wrong. That's just the big moment it all comes down. The truth is, decisions after decision have often been in motion for months, if not years. Under the radar, temptation has been given into. Lines have been crossed. Foolish steps justified. Habits formed. Until one day, the "button is pushed", and it all comes down.
It's a great question. Yet a tough one to answer for some.
Hey Elkhart Campus - tomorrow morning (Saturday) is GCC's Second Saturday. Know what that means? It means you need to show up at at the Encore Theater at 8:30am!
Last Saturday our Elkhart Leadership Team gathered for a Christmas Dinner celebration.
It's not often that I sit down and read a book in a single setting. But this week I picked up Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and did just that.
