Do I really look that suspicious? Really? Somebody thinks I do. It all started the other day when I had to stop by Wal-Mart to pick up a few basic things. I wasn’t inside too long before I was checking out and then heading out the automatic doors into the parking lot; however, as I exited the store, an armored truck guard must have also exited at the same time as me through the doors right next to me. We were now walking kind of parallel to each other. I finally noticed him because he was eyeing me. At first I did not realize who he was, but as soon as I saw him carrying a bag (probably full of money) and sporting a gun, I assumed he was not your friendly Wal-Mart greeter. I think what threw him off was the fact that I reached into my back pocket to retrieve my phone, but he must have assumed from my lighting fast moves that I was packing heat! His step quickened and the heavy truck door was thrown open and he disappeared into the great unknown…keeping his eye on me until the very last moment. The only thing that could have possibly made me look suspicious is the fact that I have a beard and was wearing a TOMS Shoes hat because all thieves have beards and wear hats!

I really hate it when people look at me suspiciously, especially when I know I haven’t done anything wrong. If I have done something wrong, that’s a different story. In my opinion, Christians are often on the suspicious list.

In your opinion, what makes Christians look suspect?

Like a good little nerd, I was reading the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic magazine. The article, simply entitled Redwoods: Super Trees, speaks about the value and beauty of redwood trees, which have the potential to be the tallest trees on earth. Although the article addresses issues such as saving the trees and other conservation efforts, the author also writes about a unique process in the forest between the older trees and the second generation trees called release. The writer, Joel K. Bourne, Jr., describes this phenomenon for the reader by saying, “With their high tolerance for shade and ability to sprout, some redwoods can sit almost dormant in the shade of their elders for decades. Yet as soon as a dominant tree falls or is cut down, breaking the canopy and allowing new light to enter the forest, the suppressed redwood springs up with new growth” (October 2009 issue, p. 38).

As soon as I read this statement I paused and re-read it again; it was one of those moments in which I felt as if God was providing a spiritual application to an earthly illustration. In my lifetime I have seen many “elders” and “dominant” leaders pass off the scene which has opened up the forest to many of the “suppressed” (I don’t mean this in a negative way) leaders. For many years, some of you have stood strong in the shadow of an elder who provided shade and protection, but now it is time for you to step into the light and “spring up with new growth.”

I believe Paul wrote some similar advice to those “suppressed” leaders who were getting ready to assume the place of their elders, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:12-16, NLT).

Are you ready to step into the light?

On Tuesday, October 27, 2009 I had the opportunity to attend IMPART at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. The eight hour trip from Ohio was well worth it for the “conference” as well as the time I was able to spend with my parents and both brothers who also live in Charlotte. This one day event was full of surprises, stories, staff, and stirring of the soul. Let me break it down.

Surprises:
Steve Fee showed up and played a few songs and then gave everyone a free copy of his new CD, Hope Rising. That was an unexpected surprise! I must say…hearing Glory to God Forever live was inspiring. The third session with Pastor Steven Furtick included a very special guest, Perry Noble from NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Hearing them interact about ministry was very helpful.

Stories:
Throughout the sessions, Pastor Steven shared the story of Elevation Church and how God has used their ministry in the city of Charlotte. His stories were especially near to my heart since I grew up in Charlotte. In just three and a half years, God has done some incredible things through Elevation and those stories were invigorating for me.

Staff:
The volunteer staff was AWESOME and the paid staff were available throughout the day. Those who attended the event had full access to the people who make Elevation what it is. You probably don’t get that at many other conferences.

Stirring of the Soul:
There is so much I could share here, but I’ll only highlight a few of the things God hit me with during the four sessions:

• Three essential core values which should be a part of the church: Audacity (faith), Honor, and Generosity
• “We want to be known by what we are for, not what we are against”
• Act on the vision God has shown YOU.
• Say it until you see it
• True vision is holding onto what you cannot see yet
• Don’t think too small
• Our generation must restore honor to the church and that starts by honoring God
• Honor men of God, the word of God, and other ministries
• Respect is earned, honor is not
• Excellence is custom designed
• Simplicity enables excellence
• Build for what God is going to do
• Momentum – you don’t create it, you just ride it
• I prepare, God blesses
• Embrace the pain that lies between you and God
• There is an emotional, physical, and relational cost to your calling

“The locals are pretty nice around here,” I thought as the tall, elderly man standing at the door awaited our family to enter the store. I smiled and he spoke to me right before allowing us to pass through the entrance. At first I could not understand what he said because he was a “low talker.” No puffy shirt, though (only Seinfeld fans will understand)! “Excuse me,” my wife responded. “Don’t you know how to use the left hand turn lane?” the man inquired. His words made no sense and I must have looked confused so he provided further details of my supposed infraction. “I was turning in here right behind you, but you cut me off,” he continued. My wife quickly spoke up, “We’re not from around here. We’re just visiting from out of town.” Her answer did not seem to satisfy him so he mumbled something else and walked into the store. Now I know why he waited at the door for us. He wasn’t interested in welcoming us, but in making sure we were aware of the “code of conduct” in his town. Maybe I did do something wrong, but he saw my license plate. He knew I wasn’t familiar with his town.

I wonder how many people will visit churches this weekend and feel the same way?

As a side note, I figured that he may have also been an embittered Michigan football fan who was still nursing some wounds from Ohio State kicking their rear-ends this season. Just sayin…

What was I writing one year ago? Click here to read Trapped in a Room with a Fly

Saturday was full of adventures for our family, but nothing was quite as exciting and exhilarating as our search for a bird bath; of course, I am being sarcastic. My wife came up with this brilliant idea of purchasing a bird feeder for our backyard as well as a bird bath to bathe the winged creatures. We visited our local PetSmart and immediately found what we needed, but the bird bath was a little expensive, in my opinion, so, we decided to check out a couple stores across the street but had no luck. Instead of returning to PetSmart, Leah and I thought of some other stores which may carry bird baths, but no success at any of those either. After driving around for well over an hour, we returned to our starting point and purchased the bird bath. I told Leah, “For all the time it took us to gather these things for the birds, it better attract eagles, hawks, vultures, condors, and penguins!” So far we’ve had no flying fowl quite that size – just a couple sparrows and some robins. I still have my fingers crossed for some bigger birds!

Over the last few days our entire family has enjoyed watching as the feeder has attracted a handful of birds. Although the feeder has not initially brought as many birds as we had expected, we know that time will bring more. We are convinced that the key to attracting more birds is to offer them something which sustains life.

The modern day church has many avenues to “attract” people; however, it must not forget that its first priority is to offer hope and life through Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Been to the mall lately? If you have, I’m sure you are very familiar with the kiosks lining the middle of the walkways inside endeavoring to sell you items such as Dead Sea minerals for your nails, facial products for your acne, and a new cell phone plan to replace your current one. All of these products are good and fine, but the people selling them can be… (how can I be nice?) persistent. I have a friend who affectionately calls them “mall stalkers.” Neither my wife nor I have mastered the art of avoiding these young “entrepreneurs” trying to sell us stuff we really don’t want or need. Without success, we have attempted the following methods: 1) avoiding eye contact, 2) walking close to the wall while avoiding eye contact, 3) power walking past the kiosk, 4) pretending to not hear their calls, 5) waiting until the kiosk worker is preying upon another unassuming passerby and then running past, and lastly, 6) yelling at our kids to create a distraction. Alright. We have not tried the last one, but I think we may.Today, my wife fell victim to one of the kiosk products; however, it wasn’t out of coercion, but choice. Yes, you read me right. My wife willingly surrendered herself to the kiosk gods. Why? They were selling merchandise she needed. Things seem to work so much better when a person receives something that they know they need, instead of only receiving something simply out of intimidation. I’m afraid, at times, the church has become the dreaded kiosk where those outside are avoiding eye contact, power walking past, or pretending to not hear the message of the church. Instead, the church should become a place of hope where weary souls can find the One they need, who is Jesus.

A couple times over the last few weeks, my kids have been in this bad habit of opening the car door before it has come to a full and complete stop. For some reason, I always go nuts when they do this because I can just picture one of them rolling out of the car and underneath the back tire…my wife would kill me for forgetting to lock the door. She is a religious door locker. The only time I lock the car doors is when I see a man (or woman) walking close to my car whom I don’t think I can take in a fight…which is most people. Getting back to the whole “opening the car door while the car is still moving” thing, I have attempted telling them the most horrifying story of the kid (who really doesn’t exist) who fell out of the car in an effort to scare them, but it didn’t work. I think I’ve determined what possesses them to open the car door prior to the car stopping – they are racing to be first…first out of the car, first to the garage door, first to do this, first to do that. Everything is in an effort to be better than the other.Are you familiar with this race? You want a bigger house, nicer car, larger bank account, and more clients so that you can be better in comparison to your friends. You are willing to go to great lengths for your kids to be #1 in their sports, academics, and other activities so that they can be the talk of the school. Even those in ministry get caught up in this race…bigger buildings, more people, and greater prestige. At the core, there is nothing wrong with building big buildings or attracting more people; however, when a leader does all of this for the sake of being better than the church down the street, his motives are wrong.Let’s quit trying to open the car door before the other and instead maybe try opening the door for someone else for once…after the car has stopped, of course.

Parking lots can be dangerous. Consider being in the car with me a couple weeks ago while I was exiting a parking lot via the designated vertical lane when suddenly some guy in a big, white SUV barreled across the parking lot horizontally. If I had been a few feet closer, he would have rammed right into the side of my little car sending me into next week! The horrible thing is that this guy was completely oblivious to the fact that he almost t-boned me in front of all the patrons sipping their coffee in Borders. The nerve of some people! Then, to make things worse a few days later I was at a 4-way stop and I swear on a stack of Bibles that I was the first person to arrive there; however, some idiot, jerk, or clown (as my dad used to call bad drivers) punched the gas and went right in front of me. I always try to scare people when they do this by also punching my gas and pretending that I am going to ram the side of their car. Good way to get shot…the bird. To make a long story short, I have decided to give up driving. Really. There are a few people on the road who shouldn’t have a license and they have ruined my driving experience.

Although the first part of the story is true (those driving incidents really did occur), I am not giving up my driving privileges. Yes, there are a few bad drivers on the road, but I refuse to allow them to ruin my daily travel.

There are also bad people and experiences in the church, but you should not allow a couple of negative individuals or experiences keep you from church.

There are very few things which made my dad angry, but someone flipping him the middle finger got his blood boiling. I vividly remember two separate times in high school when an ignorant driver flipped him off. Usually those who “shot the bird” were young whippersnappers who thought they owned the road and were too cool for their own selves. Little did they know that sticking up your middle finger at my dad awoke giants in him that you prayed would stay asleep. After the exposing of the infamous middle finger, my dad would begin closely following the finger-happy driver which sent great fear into the acne-faced high schooler behind the wheel. I was always relieved that the drivers would eventually lose my dad through mad driving skills or we would finally talk some sense into him.

Recently, we had to sit down with our own kids and explain to them why sticking up your middle finger is rude and unacceptable. Apparently one of Ty’s friends at school had discussed flipping the bird, but Tyler had no clue what he was talking about so he came home and asked us. I appreciated his willingness to talk to us about his questions. Usually a discussion of this nature will cause our younger daughter to come up with a creative question of her own. Yesterday (several weeks had passed since our last middle finger conversation) Lexi asked, “Is sticking up your middle toe the same thing as sticking up your middle finger?” She was not trying to be funny…she just had a legitimate question.

At this point in their lives, my kids still ask Leah and I about things of which they are unsure. I am truly grateful that they trust us enough to bring their uncertainties in life. I believe we all need people like this. In my opinion, the church (and its leaders) should be a welcoming place where people are permitted to bring their questions and uncertainties without fear of judgment or rebuke. When these questions are asked, it gives the church (and its leaders) the opportunity to expose people to the magnificent character of God and His perfect word.

If you live in Ohio, tomorrow (November 22, 2008) is a particularly exciting day. The annual Ohio State vs. Michigan college football game will be played at noon and will be witnessed by over 100,000 fans that are willing to brave the elements in hopes that their team will prevail. Millions more, who may be smarter than a fifth grader, will watch the game inside the warm confines of their home. I will be one of those. I must be honest…I am not a huge college football fan. I know…horror of horrors. How can I live in Ohio and not be a football fan? I actually prefer the real football, the world’s sport – soccer! I welcome the smart aleck comments because I am not ashamed to admit that I am more excited about the Columbus Crew playing in the MLS Cup on Sunday night! Go Crew!Seriously though, I seem to always catch the Ohio State vs. Mich**** game because of the extreme anticipation and intensity which defines this game. Even though Michigan pretty much stinks this year (sorry, they do), anyone can win this game. Record means nothing. It’s all about pride and bragging rights. These players will give their all and hold nothing back. The fans will be going nuts (in the cold, mind you) and millions of eyes will be glued to their television sets with sweaty armpits and palms as if they were the ones playing the game.

And you know something else which is amazing about tomorrow’s game? The labels which we have learned to put on people – Democrat or Republican, black or white, rich or poor – will not matter. Ohio State fans will forget about the differences they have with each other in order to accomplish a greater purpose – rooting their team on to victory.

Do you think the church could learn something from a football game tomorrow?

Addendum – I had to force my eight-year old son to wear his Ohio State jersey to school today (it is college football day). I have properly taught him to be a Duke Basketball fan, but I had to explain that daddy is not proud of Duke Football. I also did not want him to get beat up!