Mindful Sojourning

“The church is to be set apart (sanctified) not by possessing a special religious piety but by participating in and manifesting the perfect eternal love of God.” – Greg Boyd

I was talking with a student last week who told me he didn’t like Christianity or the Church because we were so divided and lazy. I proceeded to to tell that was old news and he should check out today’s headlines. Over 13,000 people from almost every different denomination and affiliation joined together in Atlanta, GA this month to not only worship God but to discuss how they can be the hands of feet of Jesus in their communities through their churches (Catalyst). They also joined together to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the rest of the world (143 Million Campaign). And in January nearly 20,000 college students will join together in the same city to do similar things (Passion 2010). Events like these are uniting the church and setting us on the right track.

I dare you to read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7); the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37); the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-30); The Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:31-46); the Adulterous Woman (John 8:1-11); and then contemplate the high priestly prayer of Jesus (John 17).

I believe Christ’s joy is made full when we participate and manifest His perfect love, which John tells us should be done in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). There are so many churches and people who have begun to live this out that it truly excites me. If you have not yet joined the revolution I encourage you to do so.

I said I would never be one of those parent who thought they had the most amazing child in the world. I’ve heard so many people say, “I know it’s probably just because he’s my son (or nephew, grandson, bff’s son, etc.) but I really think he is the greatest (cutest, most adorable, funniest, etc.) kid ever.” So I told myself I wouldn’t be that guy. Well it happened yesterday morning. I was playing with Safari and she was so adorable that the words “you are the best daughter ever” slipped out of my mouth. I don”t care how biased my words sound because I am so much in love with her. She is amazing and she has stolen my heart.

After playing with her I realized I had said the forbidden statement. So I started to think about it for a while. My daughter is the most amazing daughter in the world because she is my daughter. Every other parent thinks their child is the greatest because he or she is their child. All of our love is devoted to that child. For many of us we are capable of feeling this way towards a few children. Some have 2-3 kids others 9-10 kids, and many parents are able to love each of them the same. But God has an infinite mind and infinite love and therefor has the ability to love each of us as if we were the only child He has. From God’s perspective you are the most amazing child in the world.

I’m not sure if this is making sense but right now there are nearly 7 billion people on earth according to this website: http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop. Because of God’s infinite mind He is capable of loving each one of them as if there were nearly 7 billion individual persons in Him loving each one individually. My daughter gets in trouble and has to sit in time out, but she is still the most amazing girl on the planet in my eyes. In the same manner God may have disciplined you or sat you in time out but He still thinks you the most amazing thing He has created. Your God rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17):

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

The Psalmist say’s that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). God loves you and has sent His son to reconcile your relationship to Him. There is nothing Safari could ever do that would relinquish my love from her forever. She is mine and I rejoice over her just as my heavenly father rejoices over me. Be blessed in knowing that God desires to rejoice over you.

Let’s serve Jesus together.

I’ve heard it said once you hit 30 you are now over the hill. My brother sent me a text this morning asking how the view was on the other side. I know for many hitting 30 is a sad moment in life, but if I can be honest I’m pretty excited. For whatever reason I feel as though my life is just getting ready to start. Lord willing I have four more decades of fruitful labor, then a decade to share my experiences and wisdom gained with anyone who will listen, and maybe a decade or two of telling absurdly crazy stories that make sense to no one. If I have my way I’ll be mauled to death by a gorilla at the age of 79 attempting to save my wife as we’re serving some unknown people group in the middle of Africa.

The decade that was.

The third decade of my life was absolutely amazing! So many things happened in the past 10 years. I gave my life to Jesus, got married, had a child, graduated school, began ministry, and so many other things. I have been able to travel all over the Western hemisphere loving on all types of different people. I’ve been loved on by some pretty amazing people as well. I have also been humbled in many ways. I figured out I don’t know as much as I think I do (even now). I have shaken off the chains of chauvinism, racism, hedonism, judgmentalism, and many other -ism’s that previously kept me from loving everyone.

I’ve met some pretty amazing people along the way as well. People like Eric Vogel, who is bold enough and willing to tell me when I’m acting like a moron. Silvin Galiza and Mike Colon, who are always willing to encourage and pray with me when I’m down. Lighten Nagao, who showed me what hard work, sacrifice, and love looks like. Momma D, who lives a life totally focused on the love of others. Steffon Staley, who helped me get off the ground after I gave my life to Jesus. Stephen Walters, who taught me how to laugh and act stupid for pure enjoyment. The McCrory’s, who showed me how to live a life totally focused on Jesus and family together. The Turners, who express love even when they don’t even mean too. And many others.

Family may be the word that has meant the most to me over the last 10 years. The church gave me a type of family I never experienced before. My o’hana from the Aloha Church showed me what it meant to live in community as family. Others accepted my family into their own when times were tough. I joined Robin’s amazing family. And my relationship with my family, especially my dad, is better than ever!

The decade that may be

Today I stand at day one of a new decade in my life with great excitement and expectation. I am less than two months away from meeting my first son and sit at the brink of of what I believe will become an amazing ministry in Chi Alpha. Robin and I hope to have 2-3 more children after our son is born as well as adopting as many as God allows us. I hope to have a ministry filled with people who love the Lord and are willing to live inconvenient lives for the sake of others. Hopefully I will open a coffee that doubles as a place of ministry and community service. And I would like to write at least one book, but secretly I’m praying for 2-3. These are just a few of the many goals I have for this upcoming decade .

As for this up coming year

The introduction of our son is the most exciting thing on the horizon. I pray him and Safari get along well and that he transtions  into this world without any significant problems. Outside of family, my main priority for this year is to get to 100% of my ministry budget so that I can start focusing my full attention on ministry and the vision God has given us. I extended my deadline once, but the national office will not allow me to do it again. I have to be at 100% budget or I will not be allowed on campus, so please pray for me! Other goals include the completion of a marathon, triathlon, 30 books, and as much surfing as possible. I also plan to visit my friends Matt and Jamie in Portland, Juan in Seattle, Joe and Hannah in Vancouver, the Aloha Church, my family in Kansas, friends in Missouri, and many others. I’m also going to a church planting conference in Orlando, FL in April where I hope to catch up with my old friend Dan. So yes, I’m excited about year 30 and whatever God gives me after that!

Thanks for your willingness to read my reflection on what was, is, and will be. Thanks for being a part of my amazing life.

Last night we were on our way back from Skyline Drive and decided we wanted to grab dinner. My wife asked me what I wanted to eat and I told her it didn’t matter to me-”whatever makes you happy.” She explained that because it was my birthday it was “whatever makes you happy.” So in even more clever response, I told her that my greatest happiness came in seeing her truly happy. I’m especially happy when I see her life filled with joy in response to a choice I make or something I do for her. I know this sounds super cheesy but it is seriously the way I try to live my relationship out with her. I have found the more I die to myself and live for her the more joy I find in life.

At the foundation of John Piper’s theology is what He calls Christian Hedonism. The basis of this belief is that God’s ultimate desire is to see us filled with joy. In order to experience this He does whatever He can to ensure that we are blessed and filled with joy. His greatest moment of joy is each moment we are joyful. To make these moments more frequent He does everything He can to give as much of Himself to us as He possibly can. Enter Jesus on the cross and the Holy Spirit within us. Simply said God is the greatest being or essence in all that exists, and to make us most joyful He has to give us the best, Himself.

This may sound arrogant but if it is true, than it is true. If God is truly the most loving, powerful, gracious, merciful, and knowing being to exist than nothing could make us more joyful than to possess a piece of Him. Same goes in your marriage. To your spouse you are or were at one time the most amazing man or woman they know or knew. True submission to one another, is the submission to each others desires and their desire ultimately is you. So every decision you make should be to bless them or make them happy. And the greatest gift you can give them is you. Your time, attention, and love. This reciprocated will lead to a blessed and joyful marriage.

Ephesians 5:1-2, 15
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…

What should you look for when looking for a mentor or someone to follow? When looking for a mentor I have always looked for a person who is willing to make inconvenient sacrifices in their life for others. I’m not concerned with what a person is saying until I see what they’re doing. Who sits on the throne of their heart?

This is also how I seek churches and pastors to follow. It is difficult sometimes to find a good church or a pastor whose teaching I trust, but every once in a while I hear of a story that draws me to a church or pastor. This past week I heard one of these stories.

Some of you may have heard of National Community Church led by Mark Batterson in Washington DC. They have been meeting in the theaters of Union Station for 13 years now. A few weeks ago they got a message that Union Station was breaking their contract with the theater and shutting the venue down. This means that NCC no longer has a meeting place on Sunday mornings. I’m sure Mark and the staff is experiencing all kinds of anxiety, confusion, and frustration as the church wonders where they are going to meet going forward. But here is where the story begins.

Mark Batterson and NCC are out of a venue to meet and will need to come up with a new plan. They meet on capital hill and real estate is not cheap. I’m sure the congregation is emotional and it makes sense to start gathering financial resources to look for another place to meet. But instead of looking at their own problems, NCC and Mark Batterson took up an offering for the employees of the theater who will now be with out of a job during a tough job market.

Wow! This is inconvenient Christ-like love. NCC and Mark Batterson showed why they are people worth following. Mark you can be my mentor any day. You can read NCC’s ongoing story here. You can also listen to NCC’s weekly message (podcast). Please pray for them as they wait and listen for what God is up to.

I pray their inconvenient love may serve as an example to all of us.

Serving Jesus together.

**NCC meets in several theaters throughout DC. The only location to be shut down was Union Station.

As I mentioned yesterday, my grandmother lived with polio most of her life and was unable to have children so they chose to adopt two daughters. When I discovered this I asked my mom if she ever thought about finding out who her real parents were, and she answered by saying her real parents were my grandpa and grandma. Neither her nor my aunt ever had any desire to know who their biological parents were because of the love they received from their parents.

During the funeral Pastor Wade made an incredible observation that I had never thought about. My grandfather was renowned for being an honest and compassionate man in town. Like I’ve said, he was the mayor, a mechanic, the finance director at church, a person who served meals on wheels, and held many other positions. Pastor Wade commented on how neat it was to see a man who was respected and revered by so many in the community, find even more respect at home with his family.

I have met many people in my days of ministry who are revered and respected in the community, but have very little respect at home. For whatever reason many people, including pastors, turn into different people when they walk in the front door of their house. Some how they manage to put on the face of a servants heart outside the house winning the respect of many, but demand service inside the home and lose the respect of those closest to him or her.

Are you one of these people? Do you put on the face of a servant at work, in church, or out in the community, but then do a 180 at home and demand a slave out of your spouse or children? Jesus talks about similar issues in Matthew 6:1-6 when he tells his disciples not to do thing in public just to be noticed.

I encourage to always seek to win the respect others whether in your home or in the community by serving them all. Be the same man or woman inside the home and out. Pastor Wade explained how the love his wife and two daughters had for him revealed that my grandfather was a true man of integrity.

You to can be a person of integrity and win the hearts of your spouse, children, and community. You may realize in the moments and they may not always respond the way you hope, but in the end they will see your works.

May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you as you seek Him with all your heart.

Soon after my grandfather and grandmother started dating, my grandmother was diagnosed with polio. If I’m correct, this would have been in the early 50’s and at this point polio was a very serious disease. In fact, my grandmother was quarantined in the hospital for a period of time and not even her mom was allowed in to see her. No one really knew what the future would hold for her but there were many uncertainties.

As I think back to this moment in their lives, I wonder what was going through their minds. What would be going through my mind? They were both young and both had the world in front of them and then all the sudden the future seems to close a little for one of them. Reflecting on my grandfathers position there were a few options he had. There was little commitment in this relationship because they had only been dating for a short while. Polio had many uncertainties to it, and he had his whole future in front of him. I think about how easy it would have been for him to side step the whole issue and gently break her heart. By gently, I mean throwing her heart off the roof of Sears Tower. But that was never my grandfather. Instead of choosing what may seem like the easy road to many, he saw this as a challenge they would face together. He knew it would be difficult, but he knew it would be devastating for her to face it alone. He loved her too much.

What would you have done is his situation? Would you have the willingness to face a life of uncertainties with someone you love? It sounds romantic, and it is, but when you face these situations in real life how do you respond? I see too many people today who would rather throw a person’s heart off the Sears Tower than be the source of strength to their life.

It may have seemed at the time that my grandfather was losing the future that was before him, and it may have seemed as though he would become the strength that would allow my grandmother live. But as time would tell, my grandmother became the wizard behind the curtain of this successful man. Together they owned and operated the most trusted mechanic shop and service station in town, he was mayor of his town for 14 years with her working as his personal assistant, and they raised two daughters that absolutely adored their parents.

Jesus once said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” My grandfather did not lose his life. By leaving behind any selfish ambition in life, he gave hope to another persons life and together they gave life to many.

How about you? Can you be a life giver? Can you stand in the waves of adversity holding onto the hand of someone you love? Or will you choose your own life only to lose it in the end?

Many people came together yesterday to celebrate the life of a man with integrity. Integrity was the word of the day. What will be the word of the day when your life is celebrated?

I got a phone call from my mom this Saturday saying that my grandfather only had a few hours to live but it is Monday morning and He is still with us. Ed Blake is simply the greatest man I’ve ever encountered. And no this is not the sentimental statement thrown around by people when their friends or family pass away. Those who know me can vouch that I’m not one to make sentimental halfhearted statements . For better or worse you’ll always get what I think unless I choose to just stay quiet, which is something I’m getting better at with time.

The rest of this week I hope to reflect on the legacy my grandfather has left, but today I want you to reflect on what I just said, “this is not a sentimental statement.” We live in a world today where no one is bad and everyone is going to be with the good Lord at the end of their life. I don’t mean to irritate any wounds of lost loved ones today but at some point we have to meet reality in the face and realize death is inevitable, and our legacy is what it is. Have you ever sat in a funeral and listened to everyone speak of how great a wonderful a person was, but in your mind you’re thinking, “yeah right.”

Last winter at a retreat, the ones who put the event together asked the wife of the guest speaker to write a quick note introducing him. In the introduction the wife explained how great of a man her husband was and she end with this statement, “he is the real deal.” If you were being introduced what would be your concluding statement? Would others truly be able to say that you are the real deal? Or would they give a sentimental halfhearted statement? Take a moment and think about this, if you could write the legacy of your life what would it be?

The death of my grandfather will be a sad time, not because he has passed away but because all who have known him will have truly lost a great friend. My sister said it best, “he is my best friend and I don’t know what I’ll do without him.” Realize you are the only one capable of making your legacy a reality. Will your grandson call you the greatest man or woman he has ever known? Will your granddaughter call you her best friend?

May the good Lord bless you with a Spirit of humility and sacrificial love for the rest of humanity. God bless.

**I don’t want to insinuate that we should look towards the negative side of a persons life at the time of their death. Life is a blessing from God and every child is dear to Him, even the ones He loses. We should be very reluctant to cast a negative portrait of a person and their life.

While I was reading a commentary yesterday I came across the idea “organic suffering.” The writer was suggesting that suffering was the prelude to glory, salvation, and/or life. What a profound thought. So often we ask the question, what good comes out of suffering? And often times the suffering is on such a massive scale that it is a legitimate question. But if taken on the smaller side in our personal lives, then we can see the beauty of it. In the midst of Paul’s suffering others found strength. His suffering was organic in others glory, life, and salvation.

However, often times our suffering creates growth and strength in us. You have heard it said, “That which doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger.” My response to such a saying is yes, but only if we channel through a proper means. And can I suggest to you the means is the cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross we see that our God can truly identify with our suffering. We see His intense suffering, but we also see His mercy and grace. In the midst of death He was still blessing and forgiving. If we channel our sufferings through inner strength of ourselves, what we are really doing is we becoming hardened and cut off from anything we think can hurt us.

James tells us in his letter, that we should consider it nothing but pure joy when we face trials and tribulations because such things test us (James 1). Such testing builds perseverance and eventually maturity and completeness. He goes on to say that if we lack anything to ask God who gives to all. If you are in the midst of struggles, I encourage to ask God for help. But be encourage because suffering is the prelude to life, salvation, and glory. us