Lies, they are all lies… They are the whispers that distort what we know to be true and good… and they bombard ours minds. If we listen, they completely change our outlook on life. They speak not out of peace but horrible conviction. They proclaim the opposite of who we are in Christ. Beloved. They breed dissatisfaction with our relationships and our possessions. These lies would have us make rash decisions out of negative emotions. They leave us angry, hurt, and distrustful of ourselves, our family, and God…

Do I believe in Satan?

Yes.

He is the father of lies and he loves to destroy lives through lies. He will tempt us to despair. I fear we listen to these lies more than we realize. Why else do so many people cut? Why so many drown their sorrows in their vices of choice? Why so many broken homes and wrecked marriages? These extreme actions have at the root of them a simple lie… to see ourselves and others in a way different than how God sees us.

Satan is the father of lies.

But our Father in Heaven is love. 1 John 4 tells us this.

Love beats out lies.

Love overwhelms.

Loved is who we are.

But how are we to dispel those whisperings in our lives?

Jesus Christ

“Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!” – Before the Throne of God Above by Shane and Shane

May you not be broken down by lies but lifted up closer to the Son by a Father’s love. Avoid the whispers of doubt and condemnation. Trade them for declarations of praise for Savior who broke through all the lies we could ever listen to.

God Bless,

How do you minister to a generation of unchurched youth and young adults who have been jaded by religion? You start off with an apology…

I am sorry, I apologize
not for who I am, a Christian,
but for all the lies
carried out under the guise of my Savior,
Jesus Christ.

We have all been hurt,
we’ve all been offended
at one time or another
by some religious folks,
with good intentions.

So first I’d like to say
I’m sorry to you atheists for the way
some have treated you, reviled you,
and argued you to the ground,
instead of having open conversation
and letting love abound.

And if you’re gay
I’m sorry to you too
You see it’s been some of my brothers and sisters who,
have not treated you well
condemning all of you to Hell.
And not showing, indiscriminately, a love that’s contagious,
acting more like Satan’s spawn then
Jesus who came to save us.

I apologize to women who throughout church history
who have been relegated to staying at home
with no voice of their own.
But in Christ there is neither, Jew or Greek
neither Slave or Free
neither man or his sidekick.
All are equal
and are under the same
the Name who is above all others names.

To my Catholic friends I am sorry
for those that want to throw you out.
You have a pope, of which I don’t agree
but that doesn’t mean you’re so much different than me.

I’m sorry for war,
specifically done in Jesus name.
Jesus said who lives by the sword
will die by the same.
How much more shame to the ones who killed for His fame?

I’m sorry to the poor,
Jesus said watch after you when He left
there are so many of you yet,
and He won’t soon forget the actions of His followers.

I’m sorry for those Christian movies, music, and art
some being poorly constructed works
with the name of Jesus at the heart.
I thought we were to do
everything to our best,
but is our best not as good
as the best of other men?

But I’m not sorry and I won’t apologize
for my belief in a God who sees through all our lies
through the messes that we make
through the pain that we cause
and still loves us just the same
just look at His son!

For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Its this thought that I claim
that we love
everyone no matter at what stage of life people are.

And I’m not sorry for
the millions who came before
and the millions who’ll come after
who have lived humble lives,
faithfully followed Christ,
and have changed the world forever!

I’ve never liked the story of God calling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It seems foreign and barbaric that God would ask someone to do such a thing. But perhaps there is more to the story than the blurb which we all know. Let’s back it up a few verses.

“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” – Genesis 21:33-34

Seemingly dull, but there is a world to explore here in these two small verses. Is Abraham calling on the name of the Lord before he journeys to a pagan land or is he just trying to appease his Diety before running off to Vegas for the weekend? I don’t know. Yet going to the land of the Philistines carries a connotation in itself.

Remember the story of Samson and Delilah? This beautiful woman lured Samson into giving up his position before the Lord.

She was a Philistine.

Remember the mighty warrior Goliath whom God’s people trembled before?

Philistine.

The Philistines were rich sea merchants. They mastered the skill of making purple dye, an expensive commodity at the time. And they worshiped many gods… So they were rich, mighty, technologically advanced, and sexy… No wonder God wanted to test Abraham’s faith upon his return!

The grass always looks greener on the other side. Human instinct gravitates us toward glitz and glamour, toward bigger and better, toward rich and sexy. And without warning and without our own cognizance these things become what we value is most important to us.

God desired to see if Abraham succumbed to the temptations. So He tested Abraham by asking to give up that which was most important to him, his son. God wanted to see if spending time in the land of the Philistines has changed Abraham’s heart, if it had compromised his faithfulness.

It did not.

You know how the story ends. Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice his son when an angel stopped him. Then Abraham looked and saw the ram God had provided for the sacrifice, the ram which was stuck in a bush by the alter.

Abraham remained faithful. He passed the test.

Will we?

Following Christ and being faithful to God costs us what we hold most dear, at the very least we must be willing to give it to God. And what we hold most dear is easily influenced by the world around us. So maybe we ought to call on the name of the Lord more like Abraham, firming our hearts lest they by tempted away by what’s seems bigger, better, stronger, richer, or sexier. In the end, it is only God that satisfies.

When God tests your faithfulness, will you pass….?

God Bless,

We hear that the Gospel is good news, but is it really good news? Or is the way we are telling it not good? I hope you have a Happy Easter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwARhX2dirc

A beautiful day serves to declare the glory of God!

“God is not angry with you.” This was one of the simplest yet profound things I’ve heard this weekend.

So much is packed in that small sentence, so much relief…

God does what we often are not capable of… separating what we do from who we are.

We sin.

We make mistakes.

We hurt people.

We hurt ourselves.

We wrap our actions into the way we see ourselves, but God doesn’t.

God isn’t angry with us, but what we do. We sin. But who are is God’s creation. And let me tell you, God loves His creation…

I grew up with religious self condemnation, always thinking God was mad at me. But can a parent ever really be angry with their child, or is a parent’s anger over their child’s decisions?

Casting off my assumption of God’s cantankerous emotional state towards myself has been hugely liberating. I hope that for you.

God is not angry with you, rather He loves you deeply, enough to really want you to make better decisions.

God Bless,

From what I know about God, He likes LEGOs…

Some of you may think that God likes Hot Wheels more, or maybe G.I Joes (or for you girls “Barbies” but I have a strong aversion to even having the thought that God likes Barbies.) It all depends on the way you understand God…

The God I believe in likes LEGOs, not because they were my favorite toys growing up (literally, growing up half of my room was one large LEGO fort) but because I think the concept of LEGOs captures who God is at a deep level. God’s “will” allows for you to be creative!

I believe that God asks His creation to participate in furthering creation. I believe God gives us a big box of LEGOs and invites us to “have fun and create!” God gives each of us instructions to get to what He designed for us, but allows us room to add and change that plan. The God I believe in allows for my mistakes and encourages me to enjoy the process as I decide to put this thing called life together. And the Holy Spirit as the Master Builder gives me direction when I get off course or when my design is headed for failure; but ultimately God lets me make of my bricks what I decide.

Others believe God likes Hot Wheels. He gives you a wrapped up car; it’s fancy but it’s static. It doesn’t change. You can make it go fast or slow but you have no control over what that car looks like or does. It’s just there. These people believe God has one plan for your life, and that’s that. You have no control, and you always risk getting off track thereby disappointing God.

Still others believe God likes G.I. Joes or Barbies (shutter). You can buy lots of play sets and customize their equipment and accessories, but your action figure or doll is always going to be the same figure. You can adapt it but only in variations. Some people believe God has His will for their lives, and that “will” can accommodate some changes, like bigger guns or prettier dresses. But, though you may dress it in different ways, it’s always the same will, just maybe with a plan A or B.

But I believe God likes LEGOs. He has a direction, sometimes even a specific design, but allows His creation (me) to, in turn, create.

Which do you believe about God?

I will say this, understanding that God allows you to create, certainly makes big decisions easier because God is big enough to accommodate all of your possibilities.

(I miss my LEGO collection!)

God Bless,

It also is amazing the “stuff” people say too, and not in a good way.

This morning I was prompted to get up in the middle of a chapel and to put in my earphones as I walk to my car. As I stepped out of the building, I placed my iPod on shuffle, wondering what was to happen next. Now you must understand I’ve been dealing with horrible criticism from people so steeped in their sin, they only want to justify their actions. Talking against about porn on the internet is a touchy issue. Oh the internet… (Watch that video here.) So honestly, I sat in the back on chapel just to not be seen. Though I know that video was right, the backlash had me just wanting to hide…

But as I pressed play on my iPod, a strange song came on, “Your Mind Is Made Up” from the soundtrack of the movie Once. I thought, “this is novel.” I mean I like that song, but at this point I’m thinking I’m crazy for feeling God was wanting to talk to me through song. Then there was this verse…

You see
“You’re just like everyone
When the shit falls, all you want to do is run… away
And hide all by yourself
When you’re far from me, there’s nothing else”
(click here for the song)

WOW… One, God used the word “shit” to talk to me. Second, it was completely accurate. I’m running away just like Elijah did in self pity after besting all of the false prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). God used that verse like a holy kick in the rear to me, as if to say “Stop running away every time following me get tough!”

It is amazing the stuff God says when we take the risk of looking ridiculous to really listen…

I’m listening now.

God Bless,