Getting embarassed by your Father

Two weeks ago at Christ Church we had our eleventh annual Christmas Cantata.  This year marks either the fifth or sixth year (I have no idea which) that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the production.  Of all the years the message of this program resonated with me the most, because I think it had the most application to life in general, and not just Christmas.  The theme was that we only have three gifts that are acceptable to give to God: our lives surrendered, our hearts made tender by His love, and our praise for all that He is and has done.

            However, after two weeks of thinking about it, it is not this theme that has most deeply penetrated my mind and heart.  Instead it was a moment right after the first “show” involving Pastor David Janz.  He was thanking the people who made the production possible, then paused and said, “For this old trombone player, the best part of this cantata and biggest thank you I have is that I got to share it with my daughter, Katie.”  This sentimental moment drew all of the requisite and appropriate ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd (as well as the glares and embarrassment from the aforementioned daughter). 

That moment of fatherly pride has wedged itself into my brain and stayed there, because it was a model of our heavenly Father.  That night I could feel Him saying, “My greatest enjoyment from this show was the chance to share in it with you, Jonathan Smith, my son.  Thank you for making this Director very happy.”  He wasn’t just saying that to me, He simultaneously said it, by name, to David and Katie Janz, Sam Wagner, and every other member of the choir, orchestra, and audience.  After all, He is God and can talk to as many people simultaneously as He pleases.

Whenever you do something in your life that brings God praise, credit, or awareness from others and/or yourself He does the same thing as Pastor Dave, “I am so proud to share this moment with my child.  I love her (him) more than words can say.  Thank you for making me a part of your life!”

Receiving love and acknowledgment from the Maker or Everything makes me react the same way as Katie: complete, bashful embarrassment at the recognition.  God can even handle the glares.

Merry Christmas!

A Blunder in the Backcountry

On October 2 I had the opportunity to take a walk with God as a part of the fantastic bible study Experiencing God.  I have done the study once before and the walk was probably the single most powerful experience I had during the entire study, so I was very much looking forward to a repeat performance.  How many of you know that God very rarely does repeat performances? At the point in my life when I did the first walk I only heard from God when he would shout into my spiritual ears and I had my hearing aids turned all the way up.  Now, only because the grace of God which is still at work in my life, God has taken to speaking to me in more subtle ways, so in order to find Him I still need to seek him with the same level of effort, which is all my heart. (see Jeremiah 29:13)

With great expectations I stepped out of my car at the Kennerdell Tract of Clear Creek State Forest and prayed, “God anything that happens from now until I return to the car I will attribute to you.”  As I was walking along I kept expecting to see something huge and amazing.  I repeatedly saw interesting and fun things, but not the big thing I wanted.  Eventually, I got to a path I had never seen or heard of before and followed it quite a ways down into the Dennison Run ravine.  When I had gone as far down the trail as I had time to go, something caught my eye on the ground; bending down I picked up two acorns.  I had seen acorns upon acorns on my walk so far, but these were completely different.  First of all, they were incredibly oblong for acorns.  Their shapes more closely resembled, as best I can compare them, to elongated grapes.  Their color patterns were also unique.  The first was all brown, but at one time it had a very large cap on it that prevented the color on almost half of its body from fading, resulting in a great “tan line.”  The second looked like a piece of candy corn.  It had a brown end, a large yellow band around the middle, and a red tip at the other end.  I put them both in my pocket, turned around, and finished my walk still expecting God to show up the way I expected him to.  You already know how this story ends don’t you?  You guessed it! At the end of my walk those two acorns were the grandest thing that I had encountered.

I know what you are thinking: “Jon you told us a story about acorns in the woods.  What’s the point?” You see, I almost missed the point too, until I went back and considered that trail’s name.  I had been walking down, I kid you not, Blunder Trail.  I had given everything to God that hike and He made sure I would only go so far down Blunder Trail, find what I would not have been able to find anywhere else on my hike, then bring me back out of the woods to my small group session where I would share what I had found.  God said that day, “Jon, I love you.  Remember that at one time your entire life was a walk down Blunder Trail. Now I am taking those things you only would have learned at your lowest and furthest points to bring glory to me.”  What is it that God is using from your trip down Blunder Trail to bring about His glory?

Indefinitely Remaining Stationary

            As a youth director I am sure of the fact that I am going to be asked some questions that are hard to answer.  One of those questions I have already been asked more than once by some of our youth is: “How do I find/know what God wants me to do with my life?”  This question is especially hard to answer quickly and concisely.  The implicit expectation in this question is that whatever it is that someone will be doing they want to be successful, while doing meaningful, work.

            The best quick and concise answer that I have come up with so far comes from Jesus (always the best place to start) in John 15:5: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (ESV)

            What God really wants you to do with your life is abide in Him so that He can simultaneously abide in you.  When you abide in Him you will be successful (bear much fruit) and what you do will be meaningful.  

You know that the world around us is full of people not abiding in Christ while still doing plenty of stuff, so Jesus did not mean you can literally do nothing without Him.  Instead, you can do nothing that is transcendental.  You can do nothing for Him or His Father, Kingdom work, which as Christians is the only meaningful work.

            So what’s the point?  It is: if you are not abiding you aren’t really looking for the answer to, “How do I find/know what God wants me to do with my life?”  In fact, if you don’t begin abiding, you can’t find the answer.

            Abiding is defined by Webster in his original 1828 dictionary as “to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely.”  I love the term indefinitely that he tacks on the end there.  It implies that you don’t know how long you will be there, because guess what?  You don’t!  When you choose to become a Christ follower and abide in Him, you give up your right to determine where you go, what you do, and when.  You are to indefinitely remain stationary in Christ.  Then He will show you what you can do for Him, and it will be Christ abiding in you that makes your work successful and meaningful, because you can do nothing.

The Office Door War

Julie has been a part of my life for a long time. She is the mother of one of my best friends. She was the "mom" on my mission trip crew. She is even the only person in this world that can out-cough my mom. Julie is also the reason why I can't go in to work on Mondays.

You see, Julie is the financial secretary here at Christ Church, and we share an office. Thank goodness we don't share a desk or I think I would have to work at a pew in the sanctuary. Anyway, with the finance "office" aka desk & computer in the same room as the youth desk & computer Monday mornings are tricky if I'm around because that is when she needs to concentrate on reviewing all of the financial information for the week.

This "conflict" has led to numerous go-rounds about who's office it really is. Every time Julie comes into the office now, regardless of what day of the week it is, I always make a show of packing up my stuff and saying "I have to leave now, I'm now in the finance office." Luckily, Julie is a great sport about all of this and plays right along.

A couple weeks ago, I changed the plates on the door around because they are mounted one above the other "Youth" and "Finance." I started placing the finance plate above the youth, and Julie keeps changing them back.

All too often I feel like I am doing the same thing with the door of my heart. When I am in "youth pastor" mode I make sure I get to my heart's door and put "Jesus" in the top slot and move "Jon" to the bottom. Way too often though, after I am out of "Youth" mode, and am at home, out with friends, driving in traffic, or whatever situation I get in I very quickly change the plates around so that Jon is back above Jesus. Why do I do that?

I have screwed up way too many times in my life, and so have you, to keep placing myself back on top! The more I stay connected everyday to my Father though I find that my stays on the top of the "Office Door War" are both less frequent and shorter in duration. Ultimately I long for the day when "Jon" is permanently nailed into place on the door below Jesus, and my wife, and others, and yes, even Julie. Where is your name plate on the door of your heart?

YOLO

What is eternal life?  What does it look like?  It obviously doesn’t end, but when does it begin?  The most obvious answer that comes to mind immediately is that it is spending the forever-future with God in heaven.

All Christians believe (or at least should) that the answer to those questions are in the Bible, but is it ever dealt with directly and clearly or are we left to piece it together from clues in different places?  Thankfully we are told directly what eternal life is.  The answer is found in John 17:3.  Just to review, John is the author of the book, not the star/hero/focus of it - that would be Jesus.  If you have a fancy, gold-edged, don’t-take-that-on-your-camping-trip version of the bible, then every word of John 17:3 is in red, meaning that Jesus aka God is saying it (so good luck telling me I am wrong later):

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

No streets of gold, nothing about after you die ­­­____ will happen and nothing about singing with the angels.  Does that mean there won’t be any of that? No, Jesus has told us he is going to prepare us a place, but that is not the eternal life that is given to us.

Let’s have a quick English lesson:  if you knew something it happened in the past, if you will now someone that occurs in the future, and to know something is happening right now.  By those rules of grammar, our eternal life is happening right now!  When you have accepted Jesus your eternal life begins at that moment!  It is still happening now… and now… and now.

Now think of a friend that you know.  What does it take to get to the point that you know them as well as you do?  Do you spend time together?  Why do you spend that time together?  Not because you have to, that’s for sure!  It’s because you care about them and want to spend that time together.  What happens if you try to make plans to spend that time together but it just doesn’t work out that day?  Do you just send them a unhappy emoji and wait for a few months before you feel really guilty and cry at their door begging forgiveness?  Absolutely not!  You just try again the next day, and the next day.

Why do we act one way with all of the people we know as our friends but treat God completely different? We know them by loving them, caring about them, spending time with them because we care and love them, and we try or (brace yourself) work on that relationship.  But when it comes to knowing God and Jesus, which is what eternal life is according to Jesus, we act the exact opposite.  Whose idea was friendship anyway?  How have you been caring, trying, and spending time with Jesus? 

Are you living out your eternal life right now?  Remember, if your eternal life is happening right now, #YOLO takes on an all new meaning.

There's Just Something About a Truck

Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:1-5 - “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

A really good friend of mine finally brought home his pride and joy to show off to all of us.  I wish you could see just how proud he is of his 1964 Ford F-100.  If you saw this thing driving down the road however, you would not be so proud to be seen in it yourself.  There are at least three different shades of paint on it, all of which are very faded because they are all sanded down, and there is not one speck of anything shiny of new on the entire vehicle.  The passenger door is opened on the inside by winding down the window with a pair of vice grips and opening the door from the outside.  I am also very sure that the smell of mothballs is so strong inside that truck that you can smell it two cars back while driving down the road.

You should see Matt’s eyes light up as he tells you all about his truck though.  “There is not a speck of rust on this thing!”  “Look under the body. Look! Is that not the cleanest you’ve ever seen the bottom of a vehicle?!” “There isn’t anything wrong with this vehicle mechanically.  All I have to work on is the cosmetic stuff.”

I love that our God looks at us in the exact same way that Matt looks at that truck.  Don’t get me wrong, most of us, especially me, have way more work required than just cosmetic stuff.  My point is, when the Father looks at you He can see the full restoration that is in the works.  When someone looks at your life and says, “What a piece of junk,” God says “They are my pride and joy.”

The ugly side of that equation, and part of God’s ongoing overhaul on my life, is that I am all too often the person looking at others and only seeing the peeling paint, rust spots, pitted chrome, and vice-grip window cranks of their lives and determining that they are not of much value.  I am sorry to say it.  I pray every day that God will finish His work in me. 

What rust spots do you have that need God’s restoration work?  I pray that He will go to work on them today.

Lessons from a Tape Measure

Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

 

The other day I was hanging pictures on the wall of our new house.  The one wall had a measurement that came to however many inches and 7/16.  I wanted to center the picture on the wall and did the math to halve the distance, coming up with however many inches and 7/32.  When it came time to measure it out on the wall to mark the placement I just rounded to 7/32 up to ¼ and said, “That’s close enough.”  So if you come to my house, one picture is not truly centered; I just won’t tell you which one.

            All too often I have the same attitude with God when He wants me to give Him all of some particular area of my life (not to mention all of it in general).  I give him everything except for that last 1/32 of an inch and say, “That’s close enough.”  In truth, I am usually saying anything within a foot is close enough.  God wants us to give him all of ourselves, even that last 1/32.

Judges 6:14-15 NLT

¹⁴ Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

¹⁵ “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

 

The other day I was helping my friend Jason put insulation into the house that he is building.  During a break we went up to his porch, where he had a Remington .222 rifle for shooting groundhogs. 

I said, “How old is this thing?  I can tell it’s old but it looks really good.”

“I don’t know,” he replied, “but I know it’s old, because my grandpa used it to hunt deer.”

“That’s a pretty small caliber for hunting deer,” I said.

“My grandpa always said, ‘It’s not too small for where I shoot them all: right between the eyes.’”

All too often I tell God “No way! That’s too _______.  Guess what?  Not for Him.  He has a perfect plan for every situation.  Every time He shoots it hits right between the eyes.

 

Fabreeze, the Law, and Friendship

If you were a good Christian what behavior in your life would you not have such a problem with?  What do you think about when you look at this area?  What do you imagine God thinks when he looks at this area? 

What do you think is the purpose of the commandments in the Bible?  Contrary to what you may have thought their purpose is not to be a checklist of things to either do or not do.  The purpose of God’s commands is not to use them to get ourselves out of the mess we are in; it is to show us just how useless it is for us to even try to get out of that mess.  If it wasn’t for the commandments in the Bible that attempt to describe God’s perfection, how else would we know just how corrupt and horrible we really are as people?  Think of it sin in terms of dirty, stinky laundry; God’s law is not the way we are washed, it is the smell test to determine just how nasty we smell.  (Romans 7:7-13) 

The way we end up using the commandments as a checklist is as Fabreeze to cover up our stink.  Instead of realizing we are completely unable to fix ourselves we just try to change the way we act.  If we just check all of the boxes on the spiritual checklist we will be clean.  That may fool others for a while, and even ourselves, but sooner or later that cover-up wears off and the B.O. that has soaked into the fabric wears off.

Think back on that area of your life that you said you are struggling with.  When you look back at your Christian journey is that what you see?  Every Christian tends to see all of those times when they have failed to measure up to the “does and don’ts” of the Bible.  But how does God look back at your Christian journey?  What is it that He sees?  He sees and remembers nothing at all regarding your failures! (Isaiah 43:25) When Jesus, who is 100% God, died on Good Friday and was resurrected on Easter, He handed each person in the world the ability to erase their failures from the mind of God, if they would only believe that Jesus died for them.  We define being a “good Christian” by looking back on our lives and not seeing any sin. The good news that God offers to you is that he already sees your life that way!  YOU ARE A GOOD CHRISTIAN!

Now I must ask, is that the ultimate goal of Jesus?  Would you believe me if I said that it wasn’t?  The ultimate goal of our Savior goes way further than the miracle of washing us clean of our sin.  What is the ultimate goal then?  The ultimate goal of Christ’s death and resurrection is to include us as part of the Framily of God.  Jesus accomplishes this goal through the Holy Spirit, sent by Him to live in us when we accept Jesus.  (John 14:16, 17; Romans 8:14, 16)  Remember the fact that you already are a good Christian as you read the New Living Translation of Romans 5:11:  “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” 

What is the mental picture that you have when you think the word God?  Does this mental image make it easy to relate to God as a friend?  Have you ever thought that the reason God seems so remote is that you haven’t ever let Him finish His work from Easter in you?  God is not waiting for you to fix the problems in your life before He will have anything to do with you.  God does not hear your prayers for help and think, “When will she/he ever get it right?”  No, God hears from you and thinks, “I love talking with you so much!  I want to be involved in everything in your life, but unless you bring it up first, I won’t barge in, because I want to let you be your own person.”  Take the risk of relating to God as your friend.  You will not find Him to be the taskmaster in the sky you have been afraid of or angry with; He loves you and cannot wait to wrap His arms around you today and every day.

 

Who You Are and Who You Aren't

Before you read any further, take a time-out and answer these questions a few different ways:  “Who are you?” and “Who aren’t you?”

John the Baptist was different.  Everybody in Israel knew it.  People came from all over into the middle of nowhere to hear what he had to say and be baptized by him.  Baptism was a strange thing for Jewish people to be doing.  Baptism was used in the process of converting people to Judaism; they confessed their sins, went under the water, and came back up washed clean from their impurity.  He was so different that the church leaders came out to see and hear for themselves what was going on so they could approve or disapprove of what he was doing.

When the priests and Levites talked to John they wanted to know one thing: “Who are you?”  Why this question?  Because embedded in the answer is the reason for everything he does and says.  Think about your answers to the question “Who are you?”  Is it possible to find the reasons for what you do in your life from those answers?  Consider your answers regarding who you aren’t: do they reveal something of your life also?  The answers to those two questions are observable in your behavior every day.

People will be drawn by our behavior and ask us who we are, if we are living our lives as Christians in the way that God wants us to.  Think about who it was that questioned John.  Do you think that it was intimidating for him to go up against priests and Levites?  In Jewish culture priests and Levites from Jerusalem are the equivalent for us being questioned by the FBI.  When somebody questions you about your faith it is most likely not going to be comfortable or easy; it may even cost you friends and social standing, or whatever form your own version of wearing camel hair in the desert would be.

As a Christian you will also be subjected to a number of stereotypes.  Name some of those stereotypes before you go any further.  John experienced this too.  Each time the priests asked him if he was somebody specific they had a set image of what John would be like in their minds if he said yes.  You have to be ready to answer those people honestly about whatever they are accusing you of.  The Bible says to be transformed by the renewing our minds (Romans 12:2), and a very meaningful and necessary way to do that is by being able to answer those who question your faith.  You will be able to show them exactly what you are NOT.

Because John had the ability to show the priests and Levites exactly what he was NOT, he baffled all of their preconceived notions.  This left the door open for him to explain exactly who he WAS.  He claimed that he was the voice from Isaiah 40:3 that cried, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  John living out his relationship with God the Father gave him his life’s purpose.  God showed him who he was, who he wasn’t, what he was supposed to be doing with his life.  If you would do the same, God will give you those same things.  Trust Him and talk to Him REGULARLY and you will hear his voice. 

Keep in mind that John kept doing the last thing that God told him to do until he heard differently.  He baptized saying “Christ is coming, but I don’t know who he is.”  After he met Jesus, John’s ministry changed to pointing people, even his own disciples, toward Jesus.  In the end our ultimate mission will be the same as John’s.  So what is it in who you ARE, who you AREN’T, and what you DO that is pointing others to Jesus?  Or maybe there isn’t anything about your life pointing towards Jesus, and that is why you don’t have anybody coming out to see why you are different from them.  Go out every day and prepare a way in the wilderness of this world for the Lord, starting with the one in your own heart and then moving on to someone else’s.

 

Seeing the Son in the Sunshine

     The time of year that Easter falls is entirely fitting.  A few days ago it was nearly eighty degrees and completely cloudless outside, and today it is thirty-three, snowing, and completely sunless.  Completely unpredictable and untrustworthy, but the inevitable march toward summer proceeds underneath all of that.
     Compare the weather of Easter with the experience of Christ during this time.  A few days separate a crowd in a burning passion, giving glory to God with their entire being and a crowd whose hearts couldn't be any colder towards an innocent man.  That Palm Sunday two of His best friends were some of the loudest voices in the procession, a few days later the only thing they voiced was their aversion to Him.  And in this modern day we sing and call out "amens" on bright Sunday mornings, but the thoughts and actions we take during the nights of our week bring a different tune to the ear of our Creator.
     Despite all of this duplicity towards Him, the grace and love of the Son marches on without ceasing, like the Sun towards the height summer, ushering in the new life of spring.  Look out on the budding trees and flowers this week and offer you heart in praise for the new life that we have budding inside of us, pointing toward the promise of an eternal summer in the full glory of the Light of the World.

Have you ever been on a scavenger hunt?  This past Sunday in at Christ United Methodist Youth we went out on a vehicle-born scavenger hunt to seek a list of items.  My favorite definition of “seek” is “to try to find or gain by any means.”

While out on a scavenger hunt, in a vehicle, as part of a group, there has to be certain strategies in place for a team to be successful, including communication, cooperation, and attentiveness.  If whoever has the list refuses to communicate the items to the rest of the team, how would everyone know the objective?  If the driver decided to drive only where they desired, how could the rest of the group contribute? If other members of the group knew the location of items to be found and refused to offer them, would the group have any chance of winning?  It takes a relationship for the goal to be accomplished.

If it takes communication, cooperation, attentiveness, and relationship with others to be successful just in a scavenger hunt, why is it that we think that we do not need these things when it comes to the rest of our lives?

                Let’s talk about seeking from a different angle.  In our everyday lives, what is the first thing that we do whenever we want to know an answer?  Don’t we go straight to Google?  What happens whenever we don’t find what we are looking for within the first two or three pages of results?  Usually we stop, even though there are one hundred twenty-nine more pages in the search.  Does three pages on a Google search count as “trying to find or gain by any means”?

                A similar thing happens among unbelievers when they are confronted by painful problems or intense challenges in this world about which they want answers.  Do they turn to the idea of a God that cares about them and their problems?  Is it in any of our hearts to turn first to another believer who is strong in their faith for advice?  My first instinct has always been and continues to be “I can handle it myself.”  Barnes & Noble has an entire section in their stores with a sign that says those words; the sign is just more cost effective when it says “Self-help.”

                I am convinced that the self-help section of the bookstore is the Google or Wikipedia version of dealing with deep-seated Spiritual problems in our lives.  The God who created us and loves us more than we can possibly imagine wants us to turn toward Him and try to find Him by any means possible.

                When we finally give up all of our own ways to figure out our problems and focus on God, guess what happens?  Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  We are told what will happen when we finally let go of our selfishness and trust that God means what He says when He says it. (aka Faith)

The combination of faith and seeking God always works out because of another of God’s promises, found in Hebrews 11:6.  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  He REWARDS us!  Does he give us what we ask for? Does he remove all our problems and pain? No, He does better than that!  God gives His presence to us, and remains with us throughout our problems and pain.

                So I ask you again today, are you wasting your time looking for your answers inside the vehicle that is your life?  Is your life stuck somewhere between a Google search and the self help section of Barnes & Noble?  Or are you daring enough to go into your everyday life and seek after the God who wants you to find Him, experience Him, and live with Him each and every day?