Question: What do you call a police car at 11:30pm on I-285?

A PACE CAR.

 I just got back from Atlanta.  I ended up driving in a pack of cars on the Southeast side of I-285.  The speed limit is 55.  Everyone was going a little faster to keep from being run over by the cars behind them.  The surprise was that they were only doing 7 mph over the speed limit (instead of the usual 20 mph over).  As we came around the curve near Flat Shoals Road, I saw a police car exit from the interstate, and then I realized why we were all going “slow”.  As soon as the car pulled off, the pack increased their speed.  Less than a minute later, the entire pack of 20 cars were small red lights on the road ahead.

Isn’t it funny how the culture is so focused on doing what they think is the “right thing” only when we might get in trouble?  This is the reason that our police cars act as pace cars.  And, this is the reason people freak out if they discover that I’m a pastor – gravitational surges cause cigarettes to magically drop to the ground, beer bottles amazingly disappear from table tops, and suddenly *@#*#!# or even *%#!@*#* no longer accurately describes how someone is feeling.

So, let me set the record straight…I do not have any special connection to God that others do not.  I am not a spiritual tattletale that God uses while he’s “gone” to keep an eye on things.  I am not a holy hall monitor that is waiting to turn your name in to Saint Peter’s office so you’ll get detention.  What you do is between you and God.  He sees better than anyone.  He convicts better than anyone.  And, He alone deserves your attention.

Now, I certainly don’t mind carrying on conversations with people that are sober and don’t smell like a forest fire…but don’t change your daily life on my behalf.  Whatever God asks you to do…do it…and don’t worry too much about what I might think.  I’ve got enough problems of my own…I’m not sitting back watching your life in hopes of catching you doing something “really bad” so I can tell on you.

Worship: quiet obedience or loud praise?

So, I’m reading in the book of Ezra right now (it’s a pretty intense Old Testament book with a lot of history, an incredible story, and a lot of insight into the Jewish people).  Yesterday, I was reading in Chapter 3.  The people are trying to rebuild the temple so they have a place to worship God (unlike now, God was really only worshipped in one place).  After they get the altar rebuilt, they begin to give offerings and sacrifices to God.  Three times, it’s written that they are carrying out the commanded rituals that God had designed.  This quiet obedience is their way of showing God that He (and He alone) has their attention.

Then, later in the chapter, they get the foundation of the temple laid and the people are overcome with emotion.  Their response?  Singing.  Loud singing.  Loud singing that could “be heard miles away.”  This loud praise is their way of showing God that He (and He alone) will get their affection.

Same people.  Only days or weeks apart.  Totally different responses to an amazing God that deserves to be worshipped.

The point?  Sometimes it doesn’t matter HOW we worship, as long as we give God our full attention and affection.  I hope today is an incredible day of worship for you.

Well…I’m Tired

It’s been a great day of hanging out at Youth Middle School with the teachers and faculty.  Tonight, I’ve got an evening with my family (in town for my grandmother’s funeral) and then I will crash into bed…I’m tired!

Thank you to everyone for the kind words since my grandmother died on Tuesday.  I really appreciate it.  We are doing very well…this has been the most unique “grieving period” I’ve ever experienced.  I am learning a lot about what it means to celebrate a person’s years with us instead of simply mourn the end of their time here.  At first it seemed really weird (and even a little “dysfunctional”), but now I’m seeing a lot of positive parts to this strange process.  Tomorrow we will have a small memorial service for the family, followed by a big family lunch.  It will be good to see everyone after so many years.  And, it will be great to have some time to talk and laugh and cry and just be in the same room with one another.

As far as the time spent at the Middle School, let me just say how much fun it is to be with people with no strings attached.  If you’ve missed the first three Starbucks Thursdays, make plans to be part of our last one next week.  You won’t regret it.

 Have a good afternoon and a great weekend!  See you Sunday at Church At The Grove!

Friends make ALL the difference

Early yesterday morning, my grandmother died.  She was 91.  She was a follower of Christ.  She had only been really sick for about three weeks.  She died in her room at the nursing home, so at least her last week was not spent in a hospital.  She had medication for her pain, so she did not suffer.  And, even at 3:00am, someone was sitting with her, so she did not die alone.

It has not been a huge time of grief for me.  She had a full life.  And, now, she is experiencing eternal life.  So, “grief” in the typical sense of the word is not an emotion that I have been completely overcome by.  I appreciate all the kind words I’ve gotten from many people over the last 24 hours.  But, the most incredible phone call I’ve gotten was from one of my best friends.  Within 2 hours of when I got the news of her death, my best friend left a voice message on my cell phone.  “Craig, I heard about your grandmother’s death.  I’m sorry.  You don’t have to call me back unless you want to.  I just wanted you to know I’m praying for you.  Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”  That was pretty much it.  Simple.  To the point.  Not requiring anything from me. 

In the Jewish culture, they call this approach “Sitting Shiva.”  In that culture, the “Shiva” period begins on the day of the funeral and typically lasts for seven days.  During that time, friends gather around and simply hang out.  They react directly to the person who lost a loved one…they tell stories and laugh if the grieving person wants to…they weep with their friend if that’s what the friend wants to do…or they sit in silence if that is how the person wants to respond to the loss.  Their words are short and simple.  They don’t offer “solutions” when there aren’t any to be offered.  They don’t carry on the awkwardly long conversations that we typically engage in at funeral homes.  “Being there” is their biggest gift to their friend.  What an incredible way to handle death…surrounded by friends.  Friends make ALL the difference in the world.

Little League Coaches…be careful how you lead.

This morning, the basketball team I help coach lost our game.  A week ago we lost the game we played, too.

The difference was that today’s game was an absolute joy to play.  Our girls played awesome.  Our defense was strong.  Our offense was persistent.  Our opponent’s defense was strong, too.  And, our opponent’s offense was phenomenal.  Their coach loves the game and loves the kids.  He has taught them well and they are a pleasure to compete against.  Today, we were outplayed.  But, the girls played their best and they had fun…those are my only two rules for little league sports…so it was a great game.

In contrast, last week’s game was horrible.  Our girls played well last week, too.  The defense was strong and the offense was persistent.  Unfortunately, our opponent had some terrible coaching…including a coach that taught his team a style of play that was underhanded…too agressive…and full of illegal screens, pushes, and charges.  The referee was relatively new and the many of the penalties were on the opposite side of the court from her view…very difficult for her to call.

So, here’s the real problem with last week’s game…what do you do in a league with a rogue coach?  You can’t be upset with the girls…they are only doing what they’ve been taught to do.  You can’t be upset with the referee…she can’t see everything.   The only person you can really be frustrated with is a coach that decides it doesn’t matter what you teach your team to do (legal or illegal) as long as you win.  What kind of coaching is that?

So now, the head coach of our team and I are left with an unfortunate dilemma.  What do we do when we face this rogue coach again in a week?  Do we tattle on the coach by telling the referee and the league director?  Do we talk to the opposing coach to inform him that it’s illegal to use moving screens where you use two of your girls to push a defender out of bounds (as if he doesn’t know)?  Or, do we teach our girls how to “fight fire with fire” and use the same illegal moves?  Obviously, the last idea is not an option…but sometimes it’s tempting.

Here’s my point…if you work with kids and are investing time to teach them any kind of sport…please be careful how you lead them.  First of all, let your only rules be that they play their best and that they have fun…they’re kids.  Secondly, teach them that at this level, winning is more about the development of character than the final score.  And finally, keep in mind that teaching your team how to play “dirty” affects them long-term, affects their parents’ acceptance of this “style of competition,” affects your opponents, and affects the entire league you are part of.  Basically, don’t be a jerk.  Teach your team how to play the game…but teach it right…nobody wants to put up with your junk.  If your team outplays us, we’ll congratulate you and your players at the end of the 4th quarter.  If you teach your team to mauls us, push us out of bounds, beat us up and makes the experience miserable, we’ll probably just write about you on our blogs and tell our teams that we don’t want them to ever act like “you.”  It’s your legacy…your reputation…your choice.

40 Days…No Food…The Story of My Fast

Day 0   A new year has arrived…and I’m really looking forward to it.  I will start my year with a return to a spiritual discipline that has been forgotten in my life.  Starting tomorrow morning, I will give up food for the next 40 days.  I can’t wait to see what God will teach me and prepare me for.  I’ll keep you up to date as I go, but I won’t publish anything until the end.  Happy reading!

Day 1   12 hours in and I’m doing great.  I started this morning like I do every morning of an extended fast…a bottle of water, 1 cup of grape juice, a multi-vitamin, and a vitamin C pill.  For lunch, I’ll have 2 bottles of water and 1 cup of grape juice.  For dinner, I’ll repeat the lunch menu.  And, I’ll wake up and do the same thing for the next 39 days.  Why?  That’s a little more complicated than the “how.”  I’ll explain it over the next six weeks, but for now, I’ll give the first reason:  for the last two months, I’ve really come to believe this is what God wants me to do.

Day 3   Whenever I do an extended fast, day 3 is typically a tough one for me…and this one is no different.  By this point, your body is out of food, your mind is out of energy, and it begins to set in that this is going to be a long process.  At the same time, the excitement begins to build as you approach the end of the day and you realize all that God might do through the rest of your fast.  God, these next 37 days are yours…break me, teach me, change me.

Day 5   I typically hate Day 6, but this time it came a little early.  I don’t know all the science behind it, but about this time, I think your body goes into “starvation” mode.  It figures that you are never going to feed it, so it might as well shut down.  Exhaustion hit this afternoon…I’ll be better by tomorrow night.  By the way, the second reason for the fast are some family issues I’m trying to figure out.  Amy’s got some health things that are confusing the doctors and I’m praying that one of them will be able to figure out the headaches and numbness…it’s got me pretty concerned…you tell yourself not to think the worst, but let’s be realistic…the worst is basically all you can think about.  So, I’m asking God for some answers…maybe He’ll reveal some.

Day 7   Right on schedule, I’m feeling great.  My body has switched over to “survival” mode and has begun to feed on itself (I already know the jokes…man, that’s got to be like a Las Vegas buffet).  As I understand it, my body is releasing chemicals that actually help it feel good.  My mind is alert and clear.  And my heart is focusing on the third reason for the fast:  Church At The Grove is at a pivotal point in it’s ministry…we are kind of like the Israelites who just came out of Egypt.  God has given us a vision to change this part of the world through an environment that lets people explore faith at their own pace, relationships that allow people to encounter a feeling of community and connectedness to others, and discussions about spiritual things that allow us to extend God’s love to others (that vision is our Promised Land).  I believe in the next six months, we will make decisions (or not make decisions) that will ultimately decide whether we reach the “Promised Land” or whether God withdraws the offer and we fall back into the life that nearly every other church is in.

 Day 9   Things are going well now.  Today, God has showed me two more reasons for this fast.  First, we have had several changes in the church as some people leave to go find where God wants them to be right now.  As they go, I wish them well, but it still makes you question what you’re doing when some say that it’s not for them.  Secondly, I figured out that a couple friends really need me to fast right now.  It’s funny how God times things so that as we’re doing one thing to obey Him, He’s got all sorts of plans beneath the surface.  Fasting now and knowing some of what they need me to pray for allows me to pray for them with a little more focus than usual.

Day 11   One of the things God does in a fast is to break any areas of pride in your life.  He’s doing that with me right now.  Yesterday afternoon was a pretty rough time for me.  I broke.  I don’t think that’s unusual for a fast (this happened to me last time I did a 40-day fast).  Your mind, body, and heart get weak and you just break.  Fortunately, when I broke, I had my family around and not really anyone else.  When you break, you really just want people there who are completely committed to you.  So, thanks to them.  By the way, sorry if my breath stinks for the next couple days…it’s all part of the process of your body dumping physical toxins…and it’s not that fun.  Fortunately, it only lasts for four or five days.

Day 13   Yes, the “toxin dump” is officially underway.  My tongue remains a constant shade of gray.  My breath is bad enough to drop an elephant mid-charge.  And, my feet stink…really bad.  Mentally, God is rebuilding me a little bit and I’m beginning to think clearly again.  Russ and I had a great time meeting with Terry Little (our mentor) and talking through some of the journey we’re on right now with Church At The Grove.  God is doing some pretty cool things beneath the surface right now…could He be preparing things for something big He has planned?  I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.  I’ve been praying that God would show up in a unique way in my personal life, my family’s life, my friends’ lives, and in the life of the Church At The Grove community.  I believe He’s going to do that.  And, I just wonder how we’ll respond.

Day 16   Sometimes, when you fast, God makes you more aware of the cool things He does all around you.  I’ll write more about this some other time, but as I was working in my mission field this morning, a little girl that I’ve been reading to for about 4 months spoke to me for the first time.  To hear her voice (a “still, small voice”) was one of the most amazing things that has happened in months.  God is at work – sometimes through the whispers of a child – all around us.  And, if we’re not paying attention, we’ll miss it.  I’m just glad I didn’t miss this one.

Day 18   More health things to pray for in my family:  My grandmother is very sick…I was able to visit her in the hospital for a little while this evening.  And now, all I can do is pray for her.  On a positive note, we spent some time with friends this evening that we have built a relationship with for the last year or so.  It’s pretty cool to enjoy some time relaxing with friends who aren’t wrapped up in religious junk…and friends who know enough about you to treat you normally eventhough you’re a pastor.

Day 22   By the way, in the craziness of the weekend (with my grandmother’s health, my evening with friends, and the “no-snow” snowstorm), I forgot to write about how the fast is going.  Last time, I had a real issue with hunger about day 19.  This time, it hit a couple days early and lasted for about 3 days.  The end of last week was miserable when it came to hunger pains.  Fortunately, God is faithful.  He met my needs, kept me focused, and got me through it.  I’m much better now.

Day 23  Yesterday, I spent a couple hours with about 40 other people in the area for a morning of prayer.  During this time, we prayed for the churches in the area, the people in our communities that don’t know Christ, and ourselves.  During one part of the prayer time, we had the opportunity to spend some time “confessing” our sins to God.  When I was 13, I asked God to forgive me of my sins and to save me from spending eternity separated from God.  He did it.  However, that doesn’t mean that I never sin anymore.  So, each day we still need to spend some time with God asking Him to forgive us for our stupidity.  There were some areas of my life that I haven’t dealt with over the last couple years.  These areas basically boil down to pride.  It wasn’t fun, but it was good to be able to identify that issue and ask God to help me learn to rely on Him and not myself.

Day 26  Two days ago, Russ Butcher (the pastor of Church At The Grove), left for a week in Africa.  I will miss him around the office, but I will be able to pray for him with a little more attention than normal.  He has said that if one person will decide to follow Christ while he is there, it will make it worth it.  So, I’m praying for that 1 out of 1,000.  And, literally, they will be in a village of 1,000 people and NOBODY is a Christ-follower.

Day 28  Our community group was great tonight, but unfortunately, it was obvious that I wasn’t eating.  Until now, there’s only been about 10 people that have known that I am fasting.  Now, there are six more families.  I hope they weren’t freaked out about “fasting.”  For many of them, it is a new concept.  But, the conversation was good and I think I was able to answer a few questions they had before we moved on to other topics.  I love my community group…I hope yours is going well.

Day 30  Well, as a side effect of the fast, I have lost a lot of weight…enough that I was able to wear an XL team t-shirt for my daughter’s basketball team photos.  It was still a little tight, but since they didn’t have any 2X coach’s shirts, I’m glad I could wear the XL.  By the way, if you are considering using an extended fast as a diet plan…don’t.  There are much better ways to lose weight.  However, if you ever plan on doing an extended fast, get ready to get a few new clothes in smaller clothers.  P.S.  I haven’t weighed in months so I don’t have any idea how much I’ve lost.

Day 33   Last time I fasted, Day 30 was tough for me physically and mentally.  I think the reason is that your body has adjusted to no food by that point and you mentally know that you can make it the last 10 days…you just don’t WANT to.  You want to stop the fast…eat a gigantic meal…and tell yourself that there aren’t that many people out there that have ever fasted this long, so God should just understand.  Unfortunately, if you know that God said to fast for 40 days, you know that you need to follow through….maybe He wants you to learn something on Day 39 and you’ll miss it if you stop early.  Well, this time, that difficult day was TODAY.  To be honest, I would love to quit right now.  It’s not that I need to quit.  It’s just that I WANT to quit.  But, there’s only one more week.  “God, help me finish what I started.”

Day 38   This week has not been a great one physically…we’re all sick.  Spiritually, it’s been pretty incredible.  I had a great time at YMS on Thursday (if you haven’t been to Starbucks Thursdays, you need to come…but there’s only 3 left) talking with some of the teachers…God is allowing us opportunities to “walk” our faith out in front of people…to love on people with no strings attached.  And that, my friends, is worth celebrating.  There have been other things that have happened too…some realizations of some rotten attitudes I’ve carried with me for a couple years…some stressful situations that I’ve had to figure out how to rely on God to solve.  Basically, as I come to the end of the fast…I’m glad I did it.

THE END   So, what have I learned from 40 days without food?  I don’t know yet.  Along the way, I’ve had several situations come up that required extra prayer…sometimes I devoted extra time to praying for those things…sometimes I forgot.  Over the last month, I’ve had some really good days of spiritual growth…and some pretty pitiful ones.  During this time, I’ve had some days where I hardly thought about food…and others where I would’ve loved an entire sackful of Krystals followed by a dozen Krispy Kremes.  One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that very few things in life are truly necessary (food isn’t even necessary every day)…and God can be trusted to provide everything that is necessary.

Did I take full advantage of the fast to learn everything I could about God?  No…in fact I honestly think I wasted at least half of the 40 days by relying on my own will power or strength or a couple spoonfuls of Trappey Bull’s Louisiana Hot Sauce (the most enjoyable way to boost your sodium levels when your body runs low).  But, on the other hand, maybe this fast will turn out like my last one…where God taught me more after the fast was done than He did during the fast itself.  Who knows?

Well, that’s it.  That’s my story.  As Solomon said, all we must do in life is “honor God and obey His commands.”  Three months ago, God lead me to give up eating for 40 days.  I obeyed His commands and I hope I honored Him with what I learned during that time.  I’m now more willing to trust Him, more willing to follow Him, and more willing to rely on Him.  I hope that willingness will be lived out more clearly in the months to come.  I hope you’ll be able to notice the difference.

NOW WHAT?   All you can eat chinese food buffet, right?  No way.  I had a good friend of mine that ended a 20-day fast with three plates of fajitas…he was sick for days.  I prefer the slow approach to ending a fast…I’ll take the next week eating mainly vegetables and fruits.  Then, I’ll introduce some meats.  Next, some dairy products and finally, grains.  By the way, if you’re interested in attempting a fast for 1 day or longer, Bill Bright (the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) has some great information about fasting on www.billbright.com/howtofast.  Mr Bright is no longer alive, but his heart to teach believers to fast and pray continues to change lives.

“Thank You Jesus”

A couple days ago, I was tucking one of my kids in for the night.  We had read our Bible story and prayed and I was pulling the covers up for her as we talked a little about what was on the schedule for the following day.  Before I could leave the room, she very sleepily asked for a drink of water.  So, off I headed to the bathroom to get a little cup of water.  When I  returned, she took a sip and laid her head on the pillow.  But, as she tried to thank me for the water, she accidentally said, “Thank You Jesus.”

Obviously, I’m not Jesus…nowhere even close.  But, her little comment reminded me of something:  my job as a father is to be the closest representative to my kids of what Jesus is like.  That’s my job/goal/responsibility:  to live my life in such a way that when my kids begin to ask what God is like, they can look at the way I treat them and know about His character and His love and His heart for them. 

If you’ve got kids, you have the same responsibility.  You are to be the primary teacher/example/illustration of what God is like.  I know that’s a hard thing to do…actually, it’s impossible.  But, we’ve still got to try.  Are you willing to truly invest your life in raising kids who know about God because of your relationship with them?  I hope you’ll join me in this impossible adventure.

And the question is: Do you say something? Or not?

So I went to the Post Office the other day and the lady at the counter ahead of me had a big Wal-Mart price sticker on the back of her jeans.  And the question is:  When you’re in a situation like that, do you say something? Or not?  I stood there for a minute watching to see if anybody else noticed.  If they did, would they say something.  It was silent…maybe I was the only one who saw it.  Or maybe I was the only one who cared.

Obviously I had to tell her…you can’t walk through life with a price tag on your pants and have people NOT tell you…not if the people care anything about you.  I’ve been in that position before…a zipper down…a mustard stain on my shirt…a piece of brocolli stuck in my teeth…and nobody says a word.  It’s hard to go through even a couple hours of life without knowing the truth.  Wouldn’t it be great if someone would just say something?

So there are these people all around me…at the Post Office…at Wal-Mart…at my kids’ school…that walk around in life without knowing the truth that I know.  And the question is:  Do I say something?  Or not?  I stand there for a minute (or longer…sometimes weeks or months at a time) to see if anybody else notices that they’re spiritually empty inside.  But often, there’s only silence…I’m sure I’m not the only one who sees it…but do I care enough to do anything about it?

I’ve got to tell them…they can’t go through their whole lives without knowing the truth of a God that loves them.  I’ve been in that position before…daily life without God…no hope…no peace…but somebody said something.  Actually, over the course of several years, I had a couple people that built a relationship with me…let me ask questions…let me explore Christ at my own pace…then at that “perfect moment” they were there to say something.  It was then that I began my life as a follower of Christ.

My prayer for today:  God, as I go through life today, help me see people as You see them.  Help me speak when you want me to speak and help me remain silent when You want me to be silent.  But, most importantly, help me remember what it was like before I knew You.