Tag Archive - Spirituality

Recognition

March 18, 2009 in Bible, Family, Spirituality with 5 Comments

My son Gavin is 4 months old today. His latest development is that he is now able to recognize Michelle and I. When he does, he gets a giant smile across his face, his nose scrunches, and he lets out his current version of a laugh. It is just about the greatest thing in the world. There is so much power in it. When he does it, I know that he is acknowledging that he trusts me, that he’s comfortable around me, and that he likes me. There isn’t much that can compete with the feeling that we get every time he recognizes us and responds.


And it’s got me thinking about two questions along these lines of recognition:

  1. Does the world recognize those of us that call ourselves Christian without us having to tell them? I mean, do they feel we are Christian because of the way we love them? Do they sense the Holy Spirit in our life and realize something is different? Do they trust us? Or do they only know what we believe because we verbally tell them? I hope people can recognize Christ in my life before I tell them.
  2. Does God recognize those of us that call ourselves Christian? I’m reminded of Matthew 7:21-24. Do we try and convince God through our words or actions that we are His follower or do we live in such a way that our dependence on Him is proof of it? Have we turned God or the Bible into a tool for us to advance our own intellect and egos or do we humbly submit to Him in every area? Are we actually following Him or expecting Him to keep up with us? Does God trust us? I hope God can recognize me as His follower without me trying to convince Him.

Spam Evangelism

March 10, 2009 in Blogging, Church, Preaching, Spirituality with 56 Comments

In light of my post last week where I interviewed the author of The Shack, I’ve again heard the ongoing battle of how we approach sharing our faith. Recently, I’ve heard different people talk about the damage that can be done by the book. So I want to take the opportunity to voice my concerns with evangelism on the opposite end of the spectrum.


There was an interview that World magazine did with author and speaker Mike Bechtle. In it, he coined a term called “spam evangelism” that I think nails a lot of the current styles of “spreading” Christianity today whenever we try and do it outside of a relationship. He shared a personal story to make his point:

“A college classmate decided to walk down Central Avenue in Phoenix at lunchtime and ask women to kiss him. He wanted to see how many people he would have to ask before someone took him up on it. After being repeatedly cursed, ignored, and slapped a couple of times, the 98th woman gave him a kiss. Using the logic of spam evangelism, he might say, ‘It was worth it, because I actually got one person to kiss me.’ I wondered about the other 97 women who might be more hardened than ever, more suspicious, and more wary of men approaching them on the street. In the same way, I think a lot of unbelievers have been hardened by aggressive witnessing technique.” – Mike Bechtle


Let’s just say that the biggest factor that pushed me into full time ministry was the desire to get the other “97 people” to give God and the Church another chance after being burned by the Spam Evangelism. There’s real meat out there, and it tastes terrific. But it means that you must take the time to earn the right to share your faith with someone.

Guest Blogging

February 23, 2009 in Guest-Blogging, Spirituality with 6 Comments

I was asked to write a blog on prayer for Central’s brand new prayer website. I called it “Coke Prayer vs. Seed Prayer.”


Click here to read it.


200 Pomegranates

February 10, 2009 in Reading, Spirituality with 3 Comments

I just read Shawn Wood’s first book, 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One, and found it to be an encouraging read. Shawn is one of the teaching pastors at Seacoast Church. I’ll admit, I think that the book starts slow and I even thought his main premise was a bit of a stretch. But, as I got into it more, I think he explains his point well and leaves you thinking of your life in a new way. This book would be great for any person who ever feels that their life is full of things that seemingly don’t make a big difference (don’t we all feel this at times?)

“It is a very lonely place to be when you realize that if you didn’t show up tomorrow, the world, your home, your workplace, and your community would be exactly the same. It is during those lonely moments that we all realize, despite all of the wealth we may accumulate, despite the power and prestige we may gain at work, and even in spite of how much we may love God, our most basic desire is to have some influence on our world. When we feel that we are not having this influence, our inner two-year-old comes out and we demand any attention we can get.”



Is There Saul in You?

November 13, 2008 in Bible, Reading, Spirituality with 3 Comments

I’m reading the book, A Tale of Three Kings, in preparation for speaking at Central’s high school winter retreat in January. It’s a story about Saul, David, and Absalom. He talks about the prep time that David had after being annointed the next king but before actually becoming king. The frustration and testing that David experienced is something all of us can relate to at times.

“He [Saul] breathes in the lungs and beats in the breast of all of us. There is only one way to get rid of him. He must be annihilated. You may not find this to be a compliment, but at least now you know why God put you under someone who just might be King Saul. David the sheepherder would have grown up to become King Saul II, except that God cut away the Saul inside David’s heart. That operation, by the way, took years and was a brutalizing experience that almost killed the patient. And what were the scalpel and tongs God used to remove this inner Saul? God used the outer Saul.” – Gene Edwards


We all have moments of frustration with people in our lives and usually we focus on them and their flaws. If you are in any type of leadership role for your job, you can no doubt think of decisions that have been made that you disagreed with and you probably had your own biased take as to why that was a bad decision. But maybe God is actually removing those things we hate in us through them? I know I’ve got some Saul in me. So I think I’ll focus on that instead of others.

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