Follow the Leader.

I remember as a kid playing follow the leader and really enjoying the game. It was fun because the leader always made you do stupid stuff as you marched around the playground. I used to love to try to become the leader. I wanted my turn to make everyone jump when I jumped, make everyone run when I ran, crawl when I crawled. We never really stop playing the game though. In High School we follow the leader, rather it is the star athlete or the musician playing to sold out arenas we chase the leader. As adults we look for the "successful" business person or the best dressed soccer mom to lead us. We even tend to do this in "church-life". We look to the mega church and try to follow their lead. We tend to find a model we like and copy it expecting the same results as the leader was getting. Why do we play these games as children? We look back on them and realize just how ridiculous they are. I remember one time in particular playing follow the leader and being the leader with about 15 people and getting quite and unexpected result. I remember walking through the parking and balancing on the curb. I had reached the end and took two long jumps on the flat ground. The entire line jumped as I jumped. I was able to do this with ease since i was on flat ground. Problem was they weren't. There were bodies everywhere. People fell to the right, left and everywhere. The drama queen of the group just knew she broke her ankle and was going to be paralyzed. Thankfully there were no permanent injuries, in fact no injuries that persuaded us from playing the same game the next day.

Those jocks we looked up to in High School now play armchair quarterback, the musicians that played to sold out arena's are now playing Bar Mitzvah's and karaoke bars. The "successful" business man no longer is "successful" and the soccer mom is still wearing the same sweats that are no longer in style. The mega church has changed their model 3 times and we are still on the original. They are on the flat ground and we are still trying to balance and walk on the curb as the jump off. We jump anyways. The result is the same as it was back when we played in school. Some come away unharmed but we leave a trail of injured, bleeding, scared people trying to figure out how they lost the game.

When we played follow the leader we were unaware of the world around us focusing on the individual rather than the the inventor of the game. God started this game and has played the game throughout history. Moses followed the cloud of fire, Jacob across the dessert, Abraham, to name a few.. Jesus assumed the responsibility when He told the disciples "follow me". First we need to be looking to Jesus to fill the spot of line leader. Not some plan, some person, some model, the American Dream, or even our comfort. Sometimes following the Line Leader is hard but when we follow, He wins.

Super Villain

Darth Vader, Sabretooth, The Joker, Magneto, Skeletor, Green Goblin, Lex Luthor, all guys we love to hate. On that list for many church goers is one more name. Judas Iscariot. The man who betrayed Jesus with a simple kiss. We seem as the Super Villain of scripture. There is no one else throughout the Bible who committed a more heinous crime. We put him in a class with Hitler, Stalin, and Hussein. Surely not one of us could be so selfish that we would betray Jesus with a kiss. Would we?

Of course not...We fill our sanctuaries every Sunday, we sing our songs to Him, we even give when the offering plates are passed. We are doing our religious duty. We even bring a friend to church for the Christmas message and will bring a can of food or two for the pantry when needed. We read our Bibles, we even offer up our prayers when we remember. We worship the resurrected Savior every Sunday!

Judas walked with the living Savior for three years. He attended the miracles. He probably handed out some of the bread and fish at the feeding of the five thousand. He attended religious feast with Jesus. He would have seen the people being healed.

The book of James encourages us to not only listen to the teachings of Jesus and scripture but to also let them become an outpouring in our lives. James does not tell us to hide behind some corporate banner as a way of following Jesus but to personally take an active role in living out the teachings of Jesus. James even goes as far as to say that "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:20). If we are going to call ourselves Christ followers how closely are we following? Are we following at a safe distance in order to make ourselves feel clean but yet still keeping Him in sight. Lord allow me to follow so closely that I get the dust your feet kick up all over my face.

Maybe we won't betray Jesus with a kiss but are we not betraying Him with our hollow worship. Are we betraying Him as we chase after the American dream while children in our own cities sleep in alley ways and cars? I wonder how it feels when we walk by the man laying in the street? I wonder how it feels as we scrape the excess off our plates and a child dies of malnutrition? Must feel just like Judas kiss!

Super Massive Black Hole

I never realized how much I need people in my life. I enjoy being by myself sometimes. Always have had great people in and out of my life but never realized how valuable they are.

Can't believe it's been thirteen years. Thirteen years ago a Super Massive Black Hole was opened. Never realized the influence people have on you until you want to share dreams with them and you can't. I love dreaming. I don't really think they are dreams though. More like visions of what the future should be. Some of them scare me. Some of them excite me. None of them ever leave me. I miss the days of sharing them. I get to share them with my wife. She dreams with me but I miss sharing them with two people. I want to bring others along. They were suppose to be making these dreams a reality with me. Now I can't even talk to them. I know they are in a better place but that doesn't close the hole left behind. I'm not angry, just lonely. Not hurt, just jealous.

She will never hear me teach. She won't see me coach. She won't see my son shoot a three or block a shot. She won't see him change the world. She won't see Peyton dance. She will never hear her sing.

He was going into ministry with me. We were going to change the world. He could have coached my son. We would have started a church.

Now there is a hole where they were. Sometimes the dreams bring back memories. Sometimes they bring pain. Other times dissapointment. Wonder what it would have been like.

Tears of pain and joy cloud my vision but it's the brokeness that distracts from the dreams.


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Paperweights & Jewelry

As I prepare for what has become the most intimate of "religous holidays" for me I can't help but wonder what it was like that night 2000 years ago. What would it have been like to wake upon that Thursday morning? How many times have we heard "if today was your last day what would you do differently?" or "if you only had 24 hours left what would you do?". As I look through the accounts of Christ life I do not see Him trying to fill His bucket list. I don't see Him doing anything out of the ordinary.

I do not believe it is by accident that we do not find anything out of the ordinary on Christ last day. He did what He did everyday; pouring Himself out into the lives around Him. That evening he ate dinner with his 12 closest friends. We have managed to mess this picture up. It wasn't just a quick meal. It was a feast, a celebration.

Imagine the pain that Jesus felt as He sat their knowing this would be His last meal with His friends. How much easier would it have been for Jesus to shelter his friends from the upcoming ordeal?

That is what is so amazing about that night to me. Jesus came to be with humanity. He came to see, taste, touch, hear, and feel all the things we do. But, not only did He want to experience those things for us He wanted to do it with us. He brought along this odd pairing of friends for the ride of a lifetime. What if we were to do the same? What if we are meant to bring the people in our lives into our lives?




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Designer Baggage

I enjoy shopping. I know that I will lose manpoints for admitting this but I have extra to cash in so I will be fine. I don't even mind just shopping for clothes for my wife.

However I hate shopping for purses or bags. How many different black purses can there be? They all serve the same purpose. On a recent trip I was stuck in the middle of the purses. Both sides of the aisle were lined with black purses. Big bags, small bags, shiny bags, cloth bags. Bags everywhere. $20 bags, $400 bags. But they were all bags. They all do the same thing. They all were designed to accomplish the purpose. We have put designer names on them and marketed them to the masses.

Driving down the road I passed a First Baptist Church, a Catholic Church, Lutheran Chuch, Methodist Church and a community church. I began thinking of the purses. So
many choices all designed to accomplish the same purpose. We have put cute names on them and attempt to market Jesus. What if we threw out all the labels and just followed Jesus? What would this place look like? No more competing over a share in the market. No more hiding behind a tag.

On earth as it is in heaven...These labels won't make it to heaven. They will remain here among all the other things we have added to Jesus' teaching.

A Bird Without Wings

I usually don't pay attention to politics. Honestly can't remember too many times that I was in a political conversation that really cared about. I am not saying they aren't important. I am not saying that there are not things I am passionate about that end up in the political arena. For the last month all I have heard about is this healthcare reform bill. Honestly I am sick of hearing bout it.

I have friends who identify themselves with the right, others the left. I have heard all the arguements. I DONT CARE. Be left, be right, be for it, be against it. Does it really matter?

. We as Christ followers have done a good job of diverting the attention away from us. I wonder how the story of the Good Samaritian would play out in America today.
Maybe it would be the church walking past the illegal alien because he didn't pay taxes, then the doctor walking by because of lack of insurance. Finally, the 18 year old person comes by and helps? Maybe we wouldn't have to worry about the Healthcare Bill if we lived like Jesus.

Dreams

I love to daydream. I never had much of an imagination as a kid. Had more fun blowing up my G.I. Joes than pretending to save the world. Found it awkward playing cops and robbers. Never pretended to be the king of a far away land. That was then this is now.

I find myself constantly dreaming. I mow the yard and all the while I am working come up with plans for a non-profit that will provide shoes for the homeless. I dream of turning the world I am apart of inside out. I dream of writing a book. I dream of buying run down houses and fixing up helping struggling families get on their feet. I dream of a day when we see value in taking care of our neighbor. These are my dreams everyday.

The dreams I have at night aren't so fairy tale-ish. At night reality creeps in and chokes out what I want my reality to become. My thoughts are filled with images of the world we live in. The reality of the battle we are in sets in. I wake up and lay in fear. The images fail to escape me.As I sleep I don't envision heaven on earth but it is a hell in my head. The battle rages. I awaken in fear and the battle continues. I try to wipe the thought from my memory but I can't. I try to play the hero in my dreams but I fail. I know as I close my eyes the turmoil begins. Forces wrestle for my thought. I fight off sleep until the point of exhaustion. Reality sets in and the battle isn't against flesh and blood but rather a spiritual beings fighting to distract me from the dreams that are the desires of heart. God help me!

As I lay my head down I once again dream of heaven on earth. An upside down earth where everyone has shoes, a home and a book. The nightmares may come but that is not my dream or the reality to come. The reality is I may do some of those things, may not. But I can't be robbed of my dreams in this war.

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