Of Clean Belly Buttons and Other Important Issues

So the other night as I was giving Emma her bath she said, "I want some soap in my hand." When I asked her why she said, "So I can wash my belly button." I thought that sounded reasonable so I gave her some soap and she proceeded to give her belly button as thorough a cleaning as one can give an umbilicus (look it up-or just use context clues).

Now I was certainly proud of her desire to have a clean navel. But here's the problem-that's all she cared about washing. Her sole focus was on her belly button. And don't misunderstand, I'm not opposed to clean belly buttons. In fact, I'm a big proponent of belly button washing. But if all one washes is the belly button, one can hardly call oneself clean. Which brings us to the point.

Sometimes followers of Christ are guilty of this same type of misguided focus. We place all our attention on a certain area and neglect other things that are equally important. Jesus confronted this very problem (misguided spiritual focus, not belly button washing) in Luke 11. He confronts the Pharisees with these words from verse 42. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." Jesus says, "You guys are focusing all your attention on one area and are so neglecting all the others." And it's important that we not miss this. It's terribly easy for us in our lives to focus all our attention on a few areas. And usually these are outward things, outward displays of our righteousness. Or said another way, a list of "don'ts". And there are certainly some things we should avoid. Problem is, we focus so intently on these "don'ts" that we ignore the "dos." There is so much more to following Christ than outward rule keeping. Jesus wants us to deal with the heart issues. We get it backwards. We want to deal with outward actions and not focus on the inward realities. But here's something that is just as true as anything I can say-God is more concerned about who you are than what you do. Here's why; I can do all the right things and still be unrighteous. If I've never repented of my sins and trusted in Christ alone for my right standing with God, I'm just a Pharisee. I'm just going through the motions. But if I focus my attention on who I am-my thoughts, my desires, my emotions, the inward part of my being-if my attention is there and I am constantly seeking to surrender these to God, guess what happens? It affects what I do.

Again, don't misunderstand-Jesus didn't blast the Pharisees for tithing; He blasted them because they were doing this and not dealing with justice and the love of God. If I'm not inwardly who I should be, then what I do is worthless. And so Jesus says, "Don't focus so much on the one that you ignore the other." Following Jesus isn't an either/or kind of deal. It's a both/and life. I'm not going to choose between either one thing or the other. I'm going to do both to the glory of God. And I'm going to do both with a heart that is surrendered to the will of God, and completely taken with a desire to see King Jesus glorified in my life.

So is it bad to wash your belly button? I should say not. But if you only wash it and nothing else, you can hardly consider yourself clean. And in the very same way, if all my focus is on outward rule keeping and I ignore inward purity then I can hardly call myself obedient.

Father, thank You for caring about not just what I do, but who I am. Thank You for providing a salvation that can change me completely-not just outwardly, but inwardly. Forgive me for focusing so much on what not to do that I neglect what I'm supposed to do. Forgive me for acting like a Pharisee sometimes, and neglecting the weightier matters of Your law. Help me to bring you glory in everything, and help me live in total surrender to You. Amen.

Heaven is for Real

Here's book review numero tres.

Ever wonder about the reality of heaven? I know all followers of Christ claim to believe in such a place but to be honest, we often view it as more of an abstract idea rather than a literal, physical place. In Todd Burpo's Heaven is for Real, though, heaven isn't talked about as an idea or a dream. It's presented as an actual place. And the amazing thing is that all the information was gathered first hand-by the author's 4 year old son.

When Colton Burpo was 4 he underwent emergency appendectomy surgery. And several months afterward, he began to talk to his parents about what he had seen when he went to heaven. As his parents began to talk about this experience in more detail, they were shocked at what they heard. Colton was able to describe things he had seen and people he had met in amazing detail-including long deceased family members he had never met.

Now any book that purports to tell of an 'out of body' experience is always met with much skepticism-especially by me. But after reading this book I have to confess that I was blown away. The descriptions offered by this little boy are amazingly accurate, and line up with the record of scripture. Having said that, this isn't a theology book. It's a book that recounts the visions of a 4 year old boy. But again, all that he says matches up with scripture.

I found this book very encouraging. It's so easy to take the reality out of heaven, when in fact there's no place more real than heaven. This book makes you long to be there, to see loved ones that you've lost; and most of all, to look upon the One who gave His life to secure your place there. Read it with an open Bible and with a large grain of salt-but I'd encourage you to read it nonetheless.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Transforming Church in Rural America

And we're off with book review #2.

As a pastor I'm interested in anything that will help foster growth in the church. And as a pastor of a church in a rural area, the title of this book was intriguing. The content was even better. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a better church-growth book. And the reason is that this isn't a typical church growth book. It isn't full of flow charts and diagrams (nothing wrong with those things-they can be useful tools); and it isn't just a rah-rah time for the author to pat himself on the back. This book is a challenge to pastors everywhere-a challenge to believe that God can use your church, in your community to do great things for His glory.

The book begins with the author's story, which is a fascinating, compelling account of how he was led from large church in an urban area to a much smaller church in a not-at-all urban area. And in a conversational style, he explains the things he did as pastor of his church-the things that worked great and the things that were spectacular failures. It's as though you were sitting down for a nice conversation with a friend who says, "This is what we've done; this is what worked for us. Take and use whatever works for you."

The author includes many specific ideas (always careful to state that he isn't recommending you do exactly what he did, but that you find what will work in your area), and several links to videos and documents that can offer further assistance.

There's tons of good stuff in this book and I would recommend it to anyone.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the www.booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. I did so because I liked the book!

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

So the other day I signed up at booksneeze.com. They send me books, I review them. Pretty sweet deal. Here's my first review.

"These are devastating times: 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, one billion are hungry." So begins Max Lucado's latest offering, "Outlive Your Life." If you're familiar with Lucado's work, the subject matter might be a bit of a shock. In books like “A Gentle Thunder” and “When God Whispers Your Name”, Lucado primarily encourages his readers. In this book he seeks to challenge them. In his warm, gentle style, Lucado helps open the eyes of Christians who are far too often blind to how the rest of the world lives. Using the early church as his reference point, Lucado helps us see just what an impact these 1st century Christians made on the world around them-not just from a spiritual viewpoint, but from a physical viewpoint as well.

Unfortunately, when you discuss how the church can minister to the physical needs of the world, objections are often raised; usually they sound something like, "The most important thing we can do is preach the gospel!" And on this point, Lucado is very plain; the most important thing the church can offer the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But at the same time, when we have opportunity to minister to the physical needs of those around us, we should.

Lucado's book reads quickly and his point is simple; if God created us to make a difference, shouldn't we be making that difference? He skillfully handles this potentially thorny topic without lecturing or condescending. He simply points his readers to the truth of God's word and lets them choose for themselves. This is a challenging book, but a highly recommended one as well.

Disclaimer: In accordance with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission,I am required to mention that Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review. Sending me a free copy in no way is compensation for, or a guarantee of, a positive review.

Of old razors and other things that shouldn't be forgotten

So the other day I stumbled across a website that trumpeted the values of shaving like a man. Not with disposable, fancy pants razors like some people use. And not even with the cartridge refills. No, this author was a proponent of old school razors. And considering how expensive cartridges are, and how badly disposables irritate, I decided to give it a try. I remembered that my grandfather used to have a really cool razor (not pictured above-but the one I have is just like it; only way better, because it was my grandfather's), so I called mom. She found it and brought it to me.

Now the website had also warned about the dangers of using such a razor, especially if you're used to disposables. So I carefully lathered up with shaving cream (yes, I used a brush for that-I'm old school all the way, baby) and gave it a go. And you know what? I think I got the best shave of my life. My face was about 16 kinds of smooth-and I didn't even nick myself. I can't tell you how happy I was with the results, and how proud I was at myself for not severing my carotid artery in one, clean stroke.

But the point of this post isn't to brag on myself for avoiding self-mutilation. Using the old razor actually got me thinking about how sometimes, older is better. Gramps' old razor is way better than any of the new stuff I've used; and believe me, I've just about used it all. His razor is better for the environment-rather than buying new cartridges each month, or using disposable razors that will pretty much never go away, all I waste is a small blade. In fact, I could even recycle it if I really gave a hoot about the environment. Point is, sometimes older is better. That's true with razors and it's also true in our walk with God.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus says the LORD: “ Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls." God instructs His people to ask for the 'old ways', i.e., the ways of obedience to Him. We live in a world that is always looking for the next new thing, the next great thing. And to be fair, I suppose that's always been the case. But we're always on the lookout for the next new thing; especially in the church. Go to the bookstore and see how many books you can find that all seem to have the next big idea, the next new thing to try. People snatch those books up as quickly as they can, try some of the ideas; and a few months later are hungry for the next new thing.

Now don't misunderstand, there are times when churches need to make changes. If you think the only music that honors God comes from a piano, you're wrong. If you think the King James Version is the only Bible worth reading, you're wrong. If you think "the blacks" ought to stay in "their" churches and not bother us in ours, you're wrong. Some things need to change. But some things need to stay the same. There are some old paths that we ought to never turn away from: paths of obedience and holiness and prayer and personal times of devotion with God's word. Those are old paths-but they are good paths. God's word promises that when we walk in these old paths, we find rest for our souls.

Could it be that the gnawing hunger in our souls, the craving that we interpret as a desire for something new could actually be filled by something old? Could it be that, rather than calling out for something new, our souls are calling our for something as old as our faith itself? Let's don't turn away from the old paths. Again, I'm not suggesting churches and Christians should never change-of course we should. But there are some things we ought never change; our commitment to God's word, our commitment to sharing the gospel through our words and our actions, and our commitment to personal holiness. Seek the old paths.

Father, thank You for loving us and saving us. Thank You for laying out the path for us to walk. Help us never deviate from it. Help us to commit ourselves, with all that we have, to staying on the paths that you've set for us. Help us to be flexible in our desire to reach others, but help us to be rigid in our commitment to not turn from what You've called us do, and who You've called us to be. Amen.

Love for the Law?

When I was a kid there were things about my parents that I absolutely loved. I loved that we spent time together, that dad would take me hunting and fishing, that they were both so encouraging and loving to me-so many things to be thankful for. But there were other things that I wasn't so thankful for-specifically, the rules they laid down for my brother and I. Seriously, what kid is grateful for the boundaries parents set? As a parent myself, it's interesting to see that tension again; and it's strange to be on the other side of it. Once I was the one grousing about the rules, now I'm the one making the rules. And needless to say, the kids aren't exactly thrilled about it. In fact, when Lily had reached the wise age of 5 she once told me, and I quote, "This house is like a jail." I swear I'm not making that up. Kids don't like the rules mom and dad lay down, do they?

And kids aren't the only ones. Adults have just as much disdain for rules as kids. For example, who is thrilled about the speed limit? Who gets a tingly feeling in their leg when they have to yield to oncoming traffic? Who gets all giggly when they are paying personal property taxes? We don't like rules.

All of which brings me to the point of today's post. In Psalm 119:47-48 David says something peculiar; "And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also will I lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes." See what he said? Look at the last part of each sentence again. David says that he loves God's commandments. Twice, in fact, he declares his love for the commands of God.

What's so radical about this is that he doesn't declare his love for God's word-many of us would gladly make that same profession. Richard Holdsworth said, "There are some parts of the will and word of God that even ungodly men will be content to love...all men gather and catch at the promises, and show love to these." That's not really out of the ordinary. Everybody loves to take hold of God's blessings. But David is declaring a love for God's commands; and as I read that I couldn't help but wonder, "Do I love God's law?" Do I love God's law so much that I worship Him for it? Do I worship Him for His commands in my life, the rules that He demands I live by? And I know that the answer is 'no.' I want to worship Him for the blessings He gives me, and rightfully so. But I ought to be able to worship Him for His commands as well. Anyone can worship God for the 'things' He gives us. But only as we grow and mature in our faith can we worship Him, can we 'lift our hands' to Him for the law He has given us. And I think the key to doing this is that we have to change our perspective regarding God's law; we have to look at it differently. Let me share with you some reasons we ought to worship God for His law.

First, it shows us our need of a savior. In Galatians 3:24, Paul says that the law was a tutor that brought us to Christ, i.e., the law shined the light of God's holiness on our lives and opened our sin-blinded eyes to our need. We wouldn't know the standard God has for us had He not revealed that standard to us-and that standard is His perfect law. We ought to worship Him for Hi's law because it shows us our need; it drives us to our knees, breaks our pride and our self-worth and causes us to call on the name of the Lord-and whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Second, it teaches us about God. The 10 commandments are essentially God's self-portrait. It shows how we are to live by showing us who God is. We are to avoid taking murder and theft because God doesn't murder or steal. We are to abstain from bearing false witness because God doesn't bear false witness. We are have no other gods before us because there is no other god before our Great King. The law of God teaches us about the nature of God; that He is holy and righteous and just and loving and merciful and absolutely perfect. God wants us to worship Him in truth-the law demonstrates for us the truth by which we are to worship Him.

Finally, the law shows me how to please God. We understand that we are saved by grace through faith; not because we keep the law so well, but because we are unable to keep it and in repentance and faith we cry out for mercy. But after the divine transaction takes place God expects us to keep His law. Not to maintain our salvation, but to give evidence of our salvation, to bear the fruits worthy of repentance. The law is our guide-it shows us how God expects us to behave, how we are to interact with others, how we are to think and talk and move and live. And as we keep this law, we are become progressively more like Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said, "Where holy hands and holy hearts go, the whole man will one day follow." As we discipline ourselves, and surrender ourselves to obedience to God's law, we are made more like Jesus.

What an incredible blessing it is to have the law of God-we ought to thank Him for it, we ought to worship Him for it. And we ought to commit ourselves to being obedient to it.

Father, thank You for the perfect, eternal law You have given us. We acknowledge our inability to faithfully keep it; we admit to you that we fail daily. But we also know that You promise forgiveness when we confess our sins to You. And we confess that we are sinners and unable to walk in perfect obedience. But Father, our inability to perfectly obey doesn't indicate that we don't love Your law. Rather, we worship You for it. We thank You for revealing it to us. And we pray that You'll strengthen us to more faithfully obey Your perfect law-not because we want to earn salvation, not because we want to earn Your favor-but because we want to be like You. Continue to remake us into Your perfect image. Amen.

Finish Well

So according to news reports coming out today, Brett Favre is going to retire. Again. But this time it's for good. Or maybe not. But one thing we can be sure of is that he's possibly telling his teammates in Minnesota, and the Vikings ownership, that he's done. Maybe.

The Brett Favre saga has become something of a summer ritual over the last few years. And whether or not he'll return this year is unknown. But one thing that is known about him is that when he finally hangs up the cleats for good, he'll go down in history as one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. Love him or hate him, he was always fun to watch. And when he leaves, he'll take some impressive records with him. Brett Favre has thrown more touchdown passes than any other quarterback. He has won more games as a starting quarterback, and started in more consecutive games than any other player at his position-285. To put that into perspective, Favre hasn't missed a day of work in 18 years. In addition, he's thrown for more yards and completed more passes than any other quarterback.

All impressive stats, right? But you wouldn't have figured he would have turned out this way based on how he began. Favre was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons, a pick that the coach at the time didn't want made on Favre. And his first year stats were less than dismal. His first pass in the NFL was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. And his stats for the entire year were just sad; 5 attempts, no completions, 2 interceptions. But obviously, Favre bounced back from this start and went on to become one of the great ones.

What's the point of all this? It reminds us that how we start isn't nearly as important as how we finish. I know that's a cliche, but guess what? It's true. It's true for football, it's true for business, and most of all, it's true for our faith. What matters most as we follow Jesus isn't how we start, it's how we finish.

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus said these remarkable words: "He who endures to the end will be saved." Now don't read over that too quickly. Read it again, and consider what He's saying. Jesus doesn't say, "He who is a member of the right church will be saved. He who gives the most money, or lives the most morally upright life, or has the most dramatic testimony will be saved." He simply says that those who endure will be saved. What does that mean? We have to finish well.

The most important thing in following Jesus is following Jesus. Everyday we have to get up, deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy. Just a daily death to ourselves. A daily surrender to the Lordship of King Jesus. He who endures will be saved.

I've heard many preachers say something like, "If you can go back to a time when you trusted in Jesus, you are saved." Friends, that's not what Jesus says. He isn't interested in a time in the past. He says, "He who endures to the end will be saved." If you trusted Jesus before, you'll be trusting Him now. If you gave Him your heart in the past, He'll have your heart in the present, and in the future. Doesn't mean we won't have times when we stumble into sin or turn away for a moment. But true followers of Jesus will always return to Him. And the promise is that all who endure will be saved. As followers of Jesus, we must finish well. Did you have a rocky start in your walk with Christ? Don't worry about it. Jesus is much more interested in how we finish than how we started. At the end of the day, when we're in the presence of Jesus, it won't really matter how we started, will it? All that will matter is that we finished the race, that we fought the good fight-not perfectly, but consistently. And when we bow before our Great King, when we fall before Him in adoration, basking in the glory of His splendor, all that will matter is that we endured to the end. My friends, let's finish well.

Father, thank You for loving us. Thank You for saving us. Thank You for Your infinite patience with us. Even though we stumble and fall, you continue to lift us up, to give us strength to endure. Help us to finish well. Help us to serve You consistently. Your word is clear-if we endure, we are saved. Give us the strength to endure; and when we can't walk, carry us into Your presence-for Your honor, and for Your glory. Amen.