Best Resolution Ever! 2014

I won't lie.  I typically have pretty lame success with my New Year's Resolutions.  Not only do I struggle with following through with them, but even in coming up with a resolution I do pretty poorly.

Sound familiar?

My resolution usually ends up looking more like a shopping list for a scarcely-stocked pantry:  For 2014, I'd like to do everything better that I didn't do so well last year, or ever, for that fact...  Here we go New Year!

Yet this year feels different.  I'm not entirely sure why, with a fairly mediocre track record, I suddenly feel qualified to share my 2014 resolution so resolutely, in addition to sharing some recommendations for others on setting good resolutions, which follows below.  But this is what I'm being led to share, so here's to 2014!

Setting Your New-Year Resolution:

• Limit yourself to only 1 (and no sub-parts!)
• Consider attitude-related or qualitatively measured goals rather than numeric goals
• Consider resolutions that will have more positive affects on others more than just yourself
• Consider resolutions not so private you can't share with anyone.  Share-able goals easily become goals a whole group of people can set together, and they also lend themselves to friendly accountability much more easily.
• Consider a goal that is faith related.  God loves to help you grow for His glory!
• Set your resolution and map out some steps you'll take to help you get there!
• FINALLY:  spending thousands of dollars on your resolution rarely has a direct relation to how likely you are to accomplish your goal.  Instead, consider routinely using the display treadmill model at the store rather than bringing it home to hold your laundry and unfinished craft items.  

What's MY 2014 New Year's Resolution?  It's simple:  to share with more people outside of my vocational setting my story of who Jesus is.  

Want to join me and have the same resolution?  Post on my Facebook page that you're joining me.  We'll do this together!  

More to come!  See you in 2014.

Jason <><

The Lighter Side

Sarah and I have a handmade felt Christmas calendar on our wall that my mom made for my family.  I loved being the first to the calendar when I was a kid, earning the chance to take the felt figure out of its numbered pocket and stick it to a Velcro patch on the tree.  It was exciting to see the tree fill up as we got closer to Christmas.

I have to laugh about how I approach the tree now.  I'm usually up a little earlier than Sarah, and so it is typically my privileged to place another felt figure on the tree.  But I've noticed my enthusiasm doesn't quite match that I had as a kid.  Although I am still thrilled to get closer and closer to our birth celebration, with every new figure on the tree I often wish we could slow down the days and that it would take longer for that tree too fill up.  Additionally, the tree serves as a sort of time clock, ticking down to the largest worship service of the year.  This morning our tree reminded me there's only one day standing between us and one of the best moments of the year!

And so, we approach Christmas.  And as I personally prepare for the day, I cling to John's gospel, where in the very opening lines, we are reminded about what this all means:

Love has come to earth.  Love that heals, grows, corrects, directs, redeems, hastens, interrupts, and embraces.  And that love, when given birth in our lives and actions, becomes the light that shines into the darkness, the light that shines a pathway from God to us, a light that shines real, pure, and brilliant life into our world.  (selections from John 1:1-18)

Let each day be full of light, even when the darkness feels twice as strong.  Merry Christmas!


More to come!

Jason <><

A Party of the Heart

Last Friday Sarah and I hosted our annual staff party at our place.  I love getting together, if for no other reason, just to eat great food and get swept up in laughter, conversations, and games.

But I am even more thankful when the party becomes more than just a fun evening, especially when it involves company unrelated.

It's my firm belief that when planning a party, the host should plan easy outs for guests along the way in case the evening would go best for a shorter length.  Not every get-together needs to last for hours in order to be a success.  Sarah and I were sure to plan some of those outs in our evening.  After dinner and the gift exchange, I handed out our small tokens of appreciation to everyone and said my sincere thanks to a beautiful team.  After the thanks followed that moment when anyone wishing to leave could have easily done so without any hint of discomfort or abandon.

But on Friday, no one made a move, and the evening continued with laughter and sharing, until it actually got a little late.  As Sarah and I said our goodbyes and shared with each other about how great the evening was, we reflected on the beauty of the family we have in the staff and their families.  It's an honor to be a part of such a great team.

I imagine the disciples and Jesus were familiar with what this felt like, and most likely, to even greater extents.  The value of their time together went far beyond having a good time or a good laugh.  I imagine they too saw how God called them together, bound them tightly, and shaped them as one body with an unbelievable, life-giving task.  I imagine over time they too felt a tremendous care and compassion for each other that assured them that no matter where Jesus was, that God would always be present in their midst.

Here's to a great staff!


More to come!

Jason <><

Best Part of Christmas

Although Monday mornings are my preferred writing time, with Christmas in the air, anything goes!  Plus writing this evening has given me some good material!

I dined out with one of the Disciple Study groups this evening as they wrapped another year of studying.  Reclining in our seats after feasting on some of the city's best Mexican food, I asked my nearest table companion what he enjoyed most about Christmas, or what was most meaningful to him.  

His reply was that when he was younger, it was capturing the excitement his children exuded--watching their joy and their antics in pageants or unwrapping packages.  Now that he's older, the best part is getting together with his family.  

"How about you?" he asked.  I should be more prepared to answer the questions I so casually ask others.  Slightly stumped and unsure, in my deep-thinking, philosophical tendency, I paused, then replied:  "You know?  I think one of the most meaningful parts of Christmas is the gift of anticipation."  

Although many choose not to, I personally prefer to spend the entire time from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve preparing, looking forward, and imagining the moments I know are soon to come.  The gift of anticipation leaks into every routine, every conversation, and most activities.  Because I'm anticipating that brief moment when all is still and calm (although not necessarily perfect and full peace) and the gift of love and redemption is at its fullest, I find that I begin living what I am looking forward to in advance.  

Ultimately, anticipation is what leads us to the practice of finding and knowing hope.  And so as we live into and beyond this current holiday season, I invite us to anticipate the things that are next, the things that God gives us to celebrate, so that they can begin to shape the living of all of our lives.  

More to come!

Jason <><

Fooled Me!

There are some delightful and somewhat quirky things Paul wrote about to the churches he cared about and shepherded.

I specifically have to laugh as I read through Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth, because although Paul left an incomparable, un-matched legacy, he too had his moments of pastoral quirks!  In this second letter, we get a view into just how much Paul cared about this church, just how sensitive he was to the little things, and just how intimately involved he was in their daily lives and attitudes.

All the way through the letter, Paul responds to the pains and grief the church has caused him, in addition to the complaints they have made against him.  Particularly, in chapters 10-12, Paul defends himself and works to validate his ministry--eventually to the point that he lays out an entire history of his sufferings, sacrifices, and woes.  As I read, I'm reminded that there are few times for pastors and others when this is actually appropriate.  But, I'm thankful he had a lapse in better judgement, because of the lesson it teaches us:

Not everything is going to go well just because we have devoted ourselves to a life with and serving Jesus.  Paul acknowledges this and even refers to himself as a fool, willing to play to fool's part for the life he has chosen to live.  

If we truly desire to follow God and live into the ministry He has called us to, we can't expect it to be entirely successful.  So many times, we see the results of our work as the desired outcome God has called us to.  But more than anything else, God desires that each of us join Him in our heart and soul over the course of our lives.  In the meantime, we will fail and make mistakes, and not everyone will be pleased with what we do.

But if we have our eyes and hearts set on the goal of Jesus, many other things simply won't matter.


More to come!

Jason <><

Have it All!

They were the kind of words that clear away fog so heavy we don't know it existed until it was gone.  Ever heard or read those words?  There are times we get so ingrained in an attitude or practice we are no longer aware we're believing or practicing them.  But by the grace of God, something finally comes and shakes us hard enough to clear the fog.

I was reading recently about two approaches we have available to us that determine A TON about how we live, talk, laugh, and worry:

We live with a scarcity mentality, or we live with an attitude of abundance.

I'm guessing many of us are living in world of scarcity, but don't realize it.  I'm sad to say that to some degree, when I first came across the thought, I found I was living more of a life of scarcity than I realized.  I was letting my life be dictated by a practice of holding tight!  Here's what I mean:

While most of take quick glances of our lives, see how busy we are, how much we pour our lives into things, and assume we're living into some sort of abundant, and possibly overwhelming life, we may be living into it with fear, rather than confidence.  

A life of scarcity, no matter how much we give, pour into others, or participate, stands on these grounds:

• The best days have most likely already passed, let's just make the best of the rest.
• Sure, be generous, but don't just go all out.  Otherwise there won't be enough for later.
• Everything bad is likely to happen as soon as tomorrow, in the blink of an eye.  Hold tight today!
• God was so good to us before that we can't just go on asking for more miracles.
• This is wonderful, but I'm bound to hit that wall anytime now.

A life lived upon abundance, however, has these subtle differences:

• The past has been great, but the best days ares surely yet to come.  Things can get better than this!
• I've always had enough, and there's always more coming!  God is limitless.
• Rest when you need to, work when you need to, play when you need to, let God do the rest.
• Things could get tough, but that won't stop me from letting today be great.
• God hasn't really even begun to show His sovereignty; wait until He really starts working!
• The more I give, the more this life, this faith, this world makes sense and means something!

The choice is ours.  Abundance or scarcity?   One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty (Proverbs 11:24).  

More to come!

Jason <><

Washboards Wreck Cars!

I watched a Myth Busters episode in which the idea of square wheels was tested.  The theory was that forward momentum, if the velocity was high enough, would assure just as smooth of a ride as round wheels.  In other words, if the vehicle traveled fast enough, it would stay level in the air rather than going up and down with the hard angles.

It didn't work because the vehicles could never overcome the initial shocks and blows created by the hard tires.  BUT, the theory stands to be true.  Even though every car tested eventually fell apart, the vibrations reduced drastically the faster the care went.

From this single episode, I have worked on developing two life practices.  One is to go faster rather than slower over the washboard-carved Nebraskan country roads so as to stay on top of the ruts instead of sinking into them.  Sometimes it works..

The other practice is applying this theory to life, faith, and leadership.  It's easy from moment to moment to sink into the ruts of a "washboarded" life, ministry, and faith.  But Paul reminds us to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).  In other words, let the momentum of your goal to encounter Jesus overcome the tendency to sink into the ruts--float over the setbacks that otherwise seem absolutely detrimental to the things we care about!

Yet, if this didn't work for the vehicles that were literally shaken to pieces, why should we as humans give it a go?  Because cars don't have Christ to hold them together as they gain momentum.  Humans DO.  Jesus is not only waiting at the end; he's bear-hugging us all along the way.


Keep the faith, keep looking forward, keep pressing on.  With Jesus, the sum of life is always greater than the parts!


More to come!


Jason <><

Sitting in the Back

Yesterday someone said that the worship from start to finish made it one of the top 10 at Horizons.  It was powerful!  And the best part is that it was good because it came from a whole community of passionate leaders.  The Worship Team put together a very insightful set of songs, our Veterans stood so that we could thank them, Sister Jessy broke and blessed our hearts with her testimonies, and Susan Sapp delivered a message and testimony that spoke directly to most of our hearts and situations.

It was all so good!

Another blessed part of yesterday was that I had the chance to visit the DZ hallways and the Fusion students, and I also had the chance to worship.

During the service, many of our personnel for the day will stand toward the back of the worship center so that they are vigilant and prepared to respond when needed.  I had the chance to stand with a group of them and simply hear God's words enter into my heart.  I also had the chance yesterday to see Horizons, the church that I love and serve, in full motion, holding and engaging the very Spirit and breath of God.  It affirmed in my heart that this is Jesus' church, Jesus' body in the living world.  I sat in awe of this dizzying encounter with what God is doing all around us and within us.  And I affirmed how little it has to do with me, and how much it has to do with what God is doing through me!

Sister Jessy continually said yesterday again and again:  "I don't know how to put into words what I see, but every time I come here, I see you and there is something very special going on here.  I see you and I see Jesus in you.  I see Jesus in you!"

Even from my view, sitting in the back, I too could see Jesus!  Thank you God for being at Horizons the very thing that brings our hearts to life!  Amen!


More to come!


Jason <><

Slips through Our Hands!

I am often reminded that the sole reason our churches and our entire faith lives exist is to serve, honor, draw near to, and exalt Jesus.  In the depths of what that all means, it's a very worthy pursuit, and it fulfills all other needs in the process.

But it's easy to find ourselves going in other directions.  Sometimes it's difficult to comprehend or feel like we really have a clear picture of what it means to put Jesus first in our lives.  Other times it just seems a little elusive.  One moment, we may think we have a pretty clear picture or grasp, and the next we're scrounging around on the floor again, wondering where we dropped Jesus.

Last week while on my planning retreat, I came across Paul's words in his letter to the church in Corinth.  What he says doesn't necessarily solve all things, but it certainly helps us refocus.  Paul says "...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and from whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live" (1 Cor 8:6).

Simply put then, we live for God--to draw near, to love as He has called us to love, to do and to refrain as He has asked, and to share.  And the only way we can start this, do this, or fulfill this is through Jesus who brings us to life in the tender, yet bold ways that he lives in us.

I lift this up today for any who read and feel like Jesus often slips through your hands.  Maybe we'll get a better grip!


More to come!

Jason <><

Trunk 'r WOW!

Were you in the tiger suit, the adult Raggedy Ann costume, or the big black cape??

Once again the Horizons community had a blast at its annual Trunk 'r Treat party!  Adults and kids fully costumed, with elaborately decked out trunks handed out candy to well over 600 kids.  Including accompanying adults, Horizons served over 1,000 of Lincoln, offering a fun, safe, and thrilling evening of fall festivities.

BUT Trunk 'r Treat is not really even about the candy and the costumes or the church giving it out for free.

It's so much more!  This is where people who may be largely unfamiliar with church get to be face-to-face with those who LOVE church and Jesus who gave His life to breathe it into existence.  It's not about dutifully filling a spot in the parking lot for the success of the event.  It's about letting the joy and the gratitude we have for life wrap us together as a church dressed up in the oddest combinations of costumes.  And it's about letting that joy and gratitude we have because we have been given real life flow out of us in the shape of love that others can see.  It's about showing others that we all can be okay in the arms of Jesus, even when really hard things happen.

It's about sharing our broken but lively-beating hearts with a community of broken hearts yearning to beat with life again.

Trunk 'r Treat is for the name of Jesus!  Did you miss this year's event?  Don't miss your next opportunity to join in.


More to Come!


Jason <><

Bigger Ears!

They say that a person's facial effects, specifically the nose and ears, never stop growing over a person's lifetime.  What a bizarre set up.  Why just those things?  Why do they need to keep growing at all?  I suppose if anything has to keep growing, it's better that just a couple things do rather than the whole head.  But it really doesn't make much sense.

I'm sure more than a few might be wondering why on a Monday morning, the thought of ears and noses is first on my mind.  There's a good reason.

I'm reading Isaiah currently, and today I landed on one of my favorite verses:  Isaiah 30:20-21.  Leading up to this verse are many instances of God intervening in the lives of the wayward peoples and nations.  There is much said of the destruction and discipline that God chooses to deploy in his anger.  From this we have to imagine there is a great deal of panic and fear in the hearts of those as they witnessed all this destruction.

But this what God says in the midst of it to bring peace to the faithful:  "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.  Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

I know that I can hear that voice fairly clearly already, but I cannot express how eagerly I desire to hear it even clearer, with even greater frequency.  This is my constant prayer.

So if it means that my ears need to grow a little larger in order to hear God's voice speaking in through the chaos, let them grow...  Let them grow!  Here's to bigger ears!

More to come!


Jason <><

3 Lessons from the Spartan Race

Most of Saturday was spent covered in mud, running, and celebrating with friends.  A question many ask is "Why would anyone really want to spend a lot of money running through mud and barbed wire, just for the fun of it??"

Good question!  It was worth it; here's why and what I learned:

1. I'm Not as Strong as I Think:
   Sure, everyone standing at the starting line believes they're truly Spartan-Tough enough to conquer the race.  We all imagine we'll breeze through the obstacles if we have the right "go-getter" attitude.  But as I approached my first set of slippery monkey bars, or my first 300 lbs tire to flip, or the 20 ft rope to climb, I realized I was not nearly as tough as I thought.  It's good to be reminded of our limits and the need to ask for help--especially when it comes to tires...
   
2. I'm Stronger than I Think:
   And in the same token, everyone is secretly standing at the starting line wondering if they'll have what it takes to make it through even the first obstacle.  Sometimes in life, leadership, love, and other challenges of the heart (including Spartan races), we can actually benefit from no longer thinking about the challenges and festering over the worries, and simply just do it.  I had no idea I could climb that rope until I rang the bell, or that I could do many of the other things until I just jumped in and did them.  I think most people, even after just finishing the race in general, learned that they are stronger than they first thought--in the race and in life!
   
3. Getting Messy May Be the Best Way:
   I think the goal for many at the race, as well as in life, was to get through the course without getting too muddy, or without fully submersing in the mud.  That's admirable, but sometimes, our efforts to stay neat and clean in the midst of life means we also keep from getting fully into situations that can teach us much, give us life experiences, and that can reach to the depths of our protected hearts.  After a few cool dips in shoulder-high mud pits, I figured that getting messy was part of the day.  And so I did--to the point that mud continued to ooze out of my eyes hours after the race.  And today, I'm reminded that getting messy in the rest of life might also be the best approach.  

Of course there are other lessons to learn from this, but these were the first that came to mind.  Here's to life and living in ways that help us simply enjoy being alive!  

More to come!

Jason <><

Littlest Fish in the Sea

I went fishing this weekend, and it changed my life.

When I was a kid, my dad literally fished the love for fishing out of me.  We'd spend 9 hours of hot summer days in a boat with no sun cover, in a lake with no fish (seemingly).  We'd agonize over the "catchless" day  until my dad would finally reel in the lines and agree to get out the skis.  Water skiing was much more my idea.  I could do that for 9 hours any day!

And so, on these long days in the boat, the stage was set for my responses to my father's unending invitations to go fishing over the years:  "No thanks Dad.  But we could do something else!"

As my years have begun to go by, and as I move fully into my vocation, my own family, and my own household, I see my world around me constantly building speed and intensity.  I once believed the faster and more intense, the better.  But more recently, the idea of sitting in one place with little to do or watch, accomplish, or overcome sounds more inviting than ever.  Somewhere along this realization, the idea of fishing came into my mind.  To spend a day fishing, sitting by the water, rubbing worm guts on my jeans, hoping for hours to feel a tug on the line and sharing lazy conversations with my dad began to sound more like a dream come true.

To my dad's surprise, one day mid-summer of this year, I called him up and said that we needed to schedule a fishing trip.  "Really??" he asked.  "What do you want to do?"  I told him my dream.  Although still a little confused, my dad quickly started making plans.

It took a while to make the day happen, but finally we went fishing.  It's late in the season to be fishing, and without a boat, we were told not to get our hopes too high.  We were the only fishermen on Branched Oak for most of this last Friday.  It was windy and a little cold.  But my dad and I were kings of the world for a day!  AND we caught tons of fish!!  Some of them (most of them) were bait-sized, but most all of them, especially the bigger ones, put up good fights.

It was a beautiful day.  We talked, laughed, got lures stuck on invisible, underwater debris, forgot to eat lunch, and got worm guts all over our jeans.  It was perfect, and it offset the trajectory of my life just enough.

Sometimes it's the littlest fish that matters the most--even if that little fish is a day at a windy lake catching throw-backs with your dad.

My recommendation--take some time to do the things you would otherwise look back and regret not doing.

More to come!


Jason <><

Bee Stings, God.

When I was young, a bee stung my finger while I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  My mom later told me that I nearly caught the bee in my mouth.

Regardless, long after the pain and tears of that sting, I maintained an exaggerated fear of bees.  When I saw a bee, I would bolt and run as fast as possible.  My 3rd grade colleagues once witnessed my bee-avoiding skills during a P.E. kickball game.  I never made it to first.

It's taken me quite a while to get over the fear of bees, but the old wisdom remains true:  "If you don't panic, the bee won't either."  Now when a bee comes near, I have learned to be quite calm.  It's fine.  The bee is curious.  It'll leave, or you'll figure out what to do when the bee decides otherwise, is what I coach myself about in those moments.

But let me tell you how God fits into the picture.  My reading for this morning was in Isaiah 7.  Ahaz is the King in Jerusalem at the time, and he learns that Judah and Ephraim are against him.  King Ahaz panics, but the prophet Isaiah reminds him in verse 4, "Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid.  Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood..."  and then concludes in verse 9, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

This for me was a huge reminder of how we are to trust God in a way that ties in well with the bee lesson.  When the "bees of life" come swarming--not even necessarily threatening to sting, but simply in the area out of curiosity perhaps--we are reminded not to panic, not to be afraid, to trust God and keep our eyes on Him.  It's in the moments when we flinch--if even just for a moment--that we do foolish things, flail our arms, and get "stung."

God is saying "Don't flinch.  You're okay."


More to come!


Jason <><

Called to Love, Easy to Hate

This weekend was great for riding my bike, so I made it a point to ride as many places as I could.  It turned out there was more than just exercise I would get out of my rides.

As I pulled my bike up to a large business on Saturday, I realized that I'd have to walk right through the employee break area where workers took their lunch and smoke breaks in order to get to the bike rack.  At that moment, there were 10 or so crowded around 2 tables.  Conversations were centered around discontent and malice toward supervisors, disliked co-workers, the "system," and rude customers, and ways to cut corners in the work environment.  There were quite a few cigarettes burning, and I caught a couple sneers as I intruded with my bike toward the rack.

To be clear, I'm not complaining about or labeling the group I encountered.  I paint this picture to explain the situation better.  There I was on a leisure day off, riding my bike for exercise and enjoyment, pushing myself not to drive--with no (major) worries about family needs, overdue bills, or unrelenting supervisors--strolling through a circle of hard workers with hard lives, who may not ever have the ability to dedicate a significant part of their off-days on exercise, leisure, and recreation.  Simply put, we clearly represented, at least on the surface, two vastly differing groups in that moment.

I walked into the store shrugging my heart.  There's little that can be done quickly to disrupt those stereotypes and tear down those walls in those moments.

But, as I returned to my bike to leave, I was immersed in a conversation that began the quick work of traversing lines of separation.  I was able to go around the back of the circle this time to unlock my bike and strap my helmet on.  Two young men were teasing a woman about still acting like a little kid all the time on account of her story of being distracted most of her workday by a juvenile event taking place outside of the store.

Quickly, the lives around that circle began to emerge as the girl replied, "Yeah, but I never really got a childhood.  I had to raise me and my sister when I was real young.  So I guess I'm trying to get my childhood now."  Another, who had not been teasing the girl earlier agreed, "Yeah.  Same for me.  I hated my home, and my step-dad hated me.  But what do you do?  You want to leave.  But where you going to go?  You just raise yourself and get out--say see ya!"

In Luke's gospel (6:32), Jesus asks "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners love those who love them."  This falls directly in line with the 2nd part of the greatest commandment to love our neighbors, and Jesus' insistence that we love our enemies.

It's easy to look at those who are different from us, identify all of their faults in the blink of an eye, and build barriers of dislike up against them.  But it's not what we're called to do.

Instead, we are called to love those around us, those different from us.  After all, it won't be but a heartbeat after our first blink and appraisal that we begin to see who we and those around us really are.  Underneath the things that make us ugly always lie the things that make us human, beautiful, and more similar than we first imagine.

Let us be called to love!

More to come!

Jason <><

Maturity Won't Cut It

Especially as a pastor, but for all people of faith as well, maturity and balance pay off tremendously in most situations.  When we find maturity and balance in our lives, we find ways to respond and act in calm, reflective, and wise ways.  We make good decisions, love more consistently, and endure hardships in healthier ways.

But sometimes maturity just won't cut it.  Especially in our relationships with God.

A tragedy has recently struck deeply into the heart of Horizons and its connected families that will take much time and prayer to pull us through.  At my first hearing of this loss, just as any I hear about, out of maturity, I begin cancelling out my prayers to God.  I need to be mature about these things:

I can't tell God I understand it was this young man's time to go.
I can't tell God how mad I am or how unfair this is.
I can't ask God why He wasn't there or didn't protect this person.
I can't tell God I know that this is part of His plan.
I can't question what God's plan in all of this is or why it wasn't someone else.
I can't threaten God that He'd better make sense of this.

These are things we find ourselves saying and asking when we are young in our faith, in our beginning relationships with Jesus.  But as we grow, we move from those responses to deeper responses.

So as I prayed last night, I eventually found myself with only one response:

God, be with us all and give this man's family strength, peace, and understanding.


That's all I could find permission to say.  And in the moment, I realized it was insufficient.  It was a great start, but in many ways it lacked the fullness of my heart's true position.

It was then I realized how my maturity in my approach to God won't always do me much good.  How are any of us supposed to grow in true, honest, and deep relationships with our creator if we're holding so much of ourselves back--in the name of maturity?

God was waiting last night, listening, sitting with me, and saying, "don't you dare just share the stuff with me that fits.  Give me all of you."

So last night, as I went to God concerning the loss of a good friend, a former member of Horizons, a great dad, and a gentle husband, I dropped the maturity approach and let God have all of me.

That's where relationships are born.  That's what God desires more than anything:  all of us.

"Don't be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.  Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).


Jason <><

Broken Back Together

Just about the same time we think we have it all put together and that things are going great is when it seems God chooses to impart some of our greatest periods of growth.  Know what I'm talking about?

Lately, a theme in my conversations when talking with peers and friends has been "brokenness."  Although it can be a little startling for others to hear about my cracks and crumbles, it's a good theme for life and isn't necessarily the same brokenness we have when completely falling apart.  It's more of a brokenness that moves a person forward and takes him or her to a greater sense of wholeness.

To be clear, only Jesus causes this kind of brokenness.  I love how the disciples experienced and struggled through their own periods of brokenness that brought them to greater wholeness.  In Luke's gospel (17:14-20), Jesus returns from the mountain top to find a man asking Jesus to cast a demon from his son.  The same man also reports that the disciples couldn't do it when they tried.  Later, the disciples ask Jesus "why couldn't we do it??"  Jesus tells them that their faith has not yet grown to that sort of maturity.

In the short scheme of things, this makes sense.  I imagine it's a tricky and difficult road to travel that leads to equality with Jesus.  I haven't met any who have actually made the entire journey.  In many ways then, the disciples' question is a no-brainer.  You failed, dear disciples, because you're not Jesus.  And that's okay.

BUT, here's where we begin to see the greater picture.  We have to remember that this failure to cast out a demon occurs after the disciples are sent out 2 by 2 into the surrounding towns to heal, cast out demons, and tell people about the good news.  This failure event happens after the disciples come back from their journeys reporting all sorts of successes.  In this regard then, it makes complete sense that the disciples are wondering why they were not able to perform yet one more simple exorcism.

This is where we see the brokenness that brings the disciples closer to wholeness.  Even after several successes, Jesus chooses to break them from those successes and cause them to go even deeper into their faith.  At a moment when the disciples should be pros at healings and exorcisms, they instead appear, once again, as complete novice beginners.  What we trust though, is that in this return to what surely felt like the first days of following Jesus, the disciples indeed grew in their faith understanding.  Jesus didn't want them to stay where they were.  Jesus didn't want them to get stuck having only a moderate sense of faith.  He knew they needed to go deeper if they were truly going to be the early leaders of the church.  And the only way to get there was through the sort of brokenness that he could offer.

So I celebrate the brokenness of this period of life--suddenly feeling like I've begun at the first step of ministry once again, seeking God's direction for the kind of leader He wishes me to be for the future of His church.  Of course I can't wait for the wholeness to commence, but we may never be able to measure the time it takes to grow in God's likeness.


More to come!

Jason <><

"gNOme" Better Way to Celebrate!

This week's blog is a day late for two very important reasons:  1.  It was Labor Day, and although it's not necessarily a religious holiday, seeking moments of rest, making time simply to be, and being thankful for the work that God has given each of us are spiritual pursuits I think are important.  2.  Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a clear choice to make to not to get stuck on the computer the whole day.

It was a good day to be alive, and a good day to celebrate being born.

But today I write, not only to reflect on Labor Day, but to reflect on inviting others to celebrate what God has done in our lives--even when it involves changed plans and GNOMES!

I'm the kind of guy who tends not to toot his own horn too loudly, mostly out of the fear I'll honk it excessively and make a spectacle out of my own self-worthiness.  Because of it, I've tended to let awards, special achievements, and other milestones simply happen in my life and only involve people who already want to be involved.  Especially concerning birthdays, I'm not the kind of person to make sure everyone around me knows that my birthday is coming up.

While this may be a good practice in humility, it's not always the best.  SOMETIMES, we actually need to let people know so that we can celebrate together and have a reason to be joyful.  So I've been working on this a little more.  I actually took a couple extra measures this year to let people know that I was turning 33 soon.  I didn't make it a big deal, but took the chance to share.  I'm glad I did, and NOW I share the results of such measures.

1.  My sister, not wanting me to miss any ounce of my special day essentially planned a surprise birthday party for me at my parents' house in Norfolk.  It was the kind of surprise party that it wasn't a secret, it was simply something she forgot to tell me about.  We found out a couple days before, shifted our plans, and had a wonderful time with family--celebrating my birth and how great it is that God has given me 33 exceptional, love-filled years.

2.  Several awesome friends and people from the church took a moment to send me a little note to wish me a great day.  AND, some of them even went to the extent of decorating my office with OVER 50 GNOME AND LEPRECHAUN figurines, which are currently either staring or smiling at me right now, as I write (see the picture).  What a great way to celebrate a birthday!!  (the funny thing, it wasn't the youth or the children who did this!)

Thank you God for giving me life, for letting/causing me to share it with so many, and for giving us a chance to celebrate!


More to come!


Jason <><

I am What I Eat

I am the very things I eat.  I am style, I am music, I am Bible, faith, and belief.  I am superhero prequels and sequels and repeats, I am normally abnormal families, I am bling, convenience, the latest technology, happy hours and buy-one-get-one-frees, I am super-sized for the regular price, pride, fear, wisdom, and love.  I'm pretty well rounded, and I look pretty good--maybe a little cluttered.  But I ate it, and I am!

It's hard to imagine a world that wasn't evaluated by what impact it has on us or by how much we liked it.  That's who we are and how we work, isn't it?

I go to a movie because of how satisfied I'll be when I'm done.  I eat food based on the same practice.  I choose who to follow on Facebook and Blogger based on how much I like each and how much my choices may say to others about me.  If something doesn't appear to be good to me, pleasing, or otherwise beneficial, I won't eat it, buy it, watch it, listen to it, read it, share it, or recommend it.  My clothes are purchased based on how good they'll make me look as well as promote my style and my status rating.  I take advantage of many things, not because I want or need them, but simply because the very act of taking, buying, eating, consuming them makes me feel good-regardless of what they are.  I seek to experience things simply for the sake of getting to experience them.

It's nothing new to us, but perhaps it's an interesting perspective on our consumer-driven society that causes us to wonder:  what exactly would our world look like if not driven by consuming based on the resulting satisfaction?  How would we be able to make choices?  How would we know if we found a good church?  How would we know if a show was worth tuning into next week or a restaurant worth our returning to?

Could we function?  What other form of measurement would we use?  To be clear, while I do make daily efforts to live a life of holiness in regards to Jesus and the scriptures, I am no saint, and I ain't no purist.  But I think it's worth considering the alternatives:

What if we evaluated the use of things based on their capacity to enrich others' lives?  What if we watched, read, or listened to things depending on how capable they were of bringing honor to God?  What if I simply ate meals because I needed nourishment?  What if I sought entertainment in the hopes of meeting a need for spending time with those I loved?  What if I didn't simply shop for things because shopping feels good, but instead only made purchases on a need-based approach?

Maybe my life would be boring.  Maybe my faith wouldn't have so much to do with me, and more with God.  Maybe I wouldn't develop as many special interests.  Maybe I would be more concerned with quality than quantity.  Maybe I would be able to see who God was without worrying about why he hasn't met all my needs yet.  Maybe I'd feel more complete.

Just a thought.

ALWAYS more to come!

Jason <><

Pop [ped-Bubble] Culture

In the event that we have fallen into the trap of being too harsh or critical of our current culture and society, my thoughts today are shaped around the effort to share a couple things that are actually pretty great about what's going on in the pop-culture world:

1. Popped Bubbles - Significantly more so now than many times in our history, it is cool to mix, cool to welcome.   Many of the lines that once divided and segregated our society have been disrupted.
   
2. Hot Fingertips - Don't have access to an encyclopedia, an ivy league education, or the daily newspaper?  Don't sweat it:  from recipes, to (fairly) accurate facts, to diagnoses and remedies, to reports, journals, and newspaper articles, it's now online.  It's all at your fingertips now.
   
3. I-Can Courage - In spite of a rocky economy and major shifts in production and employment, today's younger generations have more courage, confidence, and assurance that things will work out favorably than any other generation.  Can't beat that if you're looking into the future!
   
4. Rolls Unrolled - Whether or not it's even cool or trendy, we're saving rolls and rolls of paper per year because of bill-pay, e-mail, and other conveniences.
   
5. Famous Walls - The walls that stand between hopefuls and future stardom have crumbled.  More now than ever, through the use of personalized technology, anyone can get in front of someone who may have connections to fame.  And even when that doesn't work, all a person really needs to do is strike a nerve with the world, and their video, blog, or other production just may go viral by the end of the day!
   
6. Miracle Street - Our health and healing technologies are making leaps and bounds, not to mention all the ways technology aids the basic operations of the healthcare world.  My entire last visit with the doctor was conducted with an i-Pad and a stethoscope.
   
7. Word on the Street - The number of people reading the Bible has exploded recently, nearly tripling, because of how accessible it now is digitally.  

This isn't an exhaustive list, by any means, but it's helpful to see the bright side of life as it is as well. Otherwise, it's far too easy to develop a sense of unrealistic sentimentality that wishes the world were restored to "the way things used to be" or that wishes the world would simply hurry up and straighten out all its problems and be perfect.  

So here's to today!

More to come!

Jason <><

Uh-Oh! A "Catchy" Culture!

Yesterday's sermon was recorded and is available here!  It was striking to see the affect of yesterday's message on all of us.  I had many messages from people saying "Oh no!!  I feel so awkward getting on Facebook and Pinterest now.  I feel so convicted by today's teaching!"

Not only that, but I too, on my drive home yesterday, had that moment of panic:  "Oh no!  I'm convicted too. Life on Facebook might look quite different for me now as well!"  But it's amazing how quickly the world of popular culture regains our allegiance no matter how hard we try to make changes.  Ultimately, as I finally got back on Facebook last night, it was pretty challenging to adopt new attitudes and approaches mentioned in yesterday's message:

Who's the Greatest - Part 1 (08-11-13)
Who's the Greatest - Part 2 (08-11-13)

What I know about culture is it is a fascinating and complex thing.  It's as difficult as faith to understand and navigate.  It's as influential as salvation is on the course and actions of our lives.  It's as present as God and God's Spirit in our world and daily lives.  So what do we do with it??  How do we live beyond it?

I've been to Africa twice for extended periods of time.  Each time I returned, I felt as though I was coming back to a former world with a brand new bag of fond practices and attitudes I picked up in Africa that I hoped to keep alive in my life back in the states.

But each time I returned, no matter how hard I tried to maintain aspects of my African life in the U.S., those practices slowly drained away--especially the ones most counter-cultural or in opposition to the rest of the world's ways.  Culture is strong, and doesn't really appreciate rebellion.

So here we are as faithful people, working to live lives that are different from the ways of the world, working to be more like Jesus than the pharisees and scribes.  Here we are trying to make the world a better place through faith and help set the world free through Christ.

But it's difficult, because we don't realize how strong our competitor is.  Culture seems gentle and anonymous, but the truth is it is more powerful than we imagine.

Paul invites us to "be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Cor 16:13).  In the midst of such strong influences in our lives, let our prayer be today that the Spirit will give us the strength we need to stand strong!  Let us find ways to cling to God and celebrate the ways our lives are being changed, elevated, and made to reflect God's light and love.

More to come!


Jason <><

Pop Thoughts: "A Meaty Subject"

There's just no way to get all the subjects of pop culture into a short sermon series.  So I've decided to take some time in my blog to look at trends, influences, and events that won't get covered on Sundays.

It seems harmless enough, and even kind of cool.  We've finally reached some of the futuristic visions that Star Trek, Epcot Center, and thousands of other Sci-Fi influences of the 80s and 90s dreamt up.  Today's big news:  scientists have finally succeeded in their efforts to create completely synthesized meat.  The burger, cultured out of lab grown muscle cells, requires no animal cultivation or slaughtering, offers a much leaner, cleaner serving, and is what many say may be the answer to both starvation in underdeveloped countries and future instances of overpopulation.  Goodbye dear cow.

Beef without a cow?  Cool.  Cool because it's amazing to see how far the human race has come; cool to see how smart we are.  Synthesized beef isn't simply an isolated achievement.  Every development of this scale implies further advancements in other fields, for other intentions:  cancer research, HIV/AIDS research, etc.  Who knows how this new technology will affect the rest.  Amen for that and the ways we have channeled our resources, time, and intelligence into outcomes that help others in the world.

But where do we draw the line?  It was once a pretty big deal when we found a way to put meat in a can and sell ultra processed meat parts at ultra low prices, only to find out now that these new and affordable conveniences may be some of the very things that are killing us.  Often in our world it seems like we're so busy creating alternatives to problems that we forget to look at what is causing them.  We may be far better off going upstream a little, rather than simply addressing the results.  Ultimately what I'm talking about goes far beyond synthesized meat, canned food, plastic in everything, and other late food trends to even bigger things.

So many times we simply want to fix our world and create easy bandages, rather than get at the heart of our issues.  In my opinion, the solution to overpopulation is not simply to find ways to make food artificially, just as the resolution to marital strife should never be infidelity, just as large amounts of money poured into an economy is not likely to be a lasting resolution to poor spending, saving, managing, and investing practices.

Furthermore, God has never promised or offered a world without pain, struggle, hard work, or sacrifice until we are fully redeemed through Christ in the end.  Paul tells us so many times that we should see the true blessing that is offered to us in our struggles.  And yet, we consistently work to find ways to relieve ourselves of such things:  hard work, pain, struggle, challenge, rejection, sacrifice, etc.  Instead, we may be better off embracing our challenges and pains and listening to them, praying about them, and finding ways to grow closer to God and be witnesses to his glory.

In closing, maybe easier really isn't the answer to all our problems.


More to come!

Jason <><

What if Mondays Weren't Crummy?

**Subscribe to my blog!  You'll enjoy weekly stories, updates, and theological musings!**

The "Best Week of the Summer" is over, and the buzz from a record-breaking 497 kids, 250+ volunteers, 16 decisions for Christ, and 21 Bibles given out is still lingering everywhere in the church building and hearts.

Sunday worship was awesome as well!  God blessed the message and brought several guests to Horizons.

Praise God!  Everything is going great!


But then there's Monday.  As a general rule, I like to like Mondays.  It's the freshest day.  Everything's new, it's so far away from Sunday, and it's the day that sets the pace for the rest of an adventurous week.

However, Monday can also be pretty heavy.  The weekly cycle starts over.  All the things that are left over from Friday are waiting for me.  All the goals for the near and distant future reemerge on my weekly list.  The message for Sunday looks so fuzzy and undeveloped.  Who knows what unforeseen events will come along.

Monday clearly wants to take away all the good things of yesterday and last week.  This Monday in particular is offering cool weather and rain as if it were early October.  and so, in spite of my rule, I'm not very fond of this Monday.


It would be easy to wish and pray Mondays away.  It's tempting to ask that this day and the weight of it no longer exist.  But I don't dare.

Paul writes to Peter saying “But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly” (1 Peter 4:13).  So instead, I'll rejoice in Monday!  If it weren't for Monday, I wouldn't be so sharply and deftly reminded to go to God with all things and invite Jesus to join me for another beautiful, powerful week of ministry.  If Mondays weren't a little rough, I wouldn't have the chance to witness how the Holy Spirit sustains us in all times, working on our behalf for the kingdom.

In conclusion:  Mondays are crummy, and I LOVE THEM.  Amen, and bring it on week!


More to come!

Jason <><

Holy Church of VBS!?

If Horizons ever needed to change its name, perhaps the title of this post would work!  "Holy Church of VBS!"  Some would LOVE the new name, while others might ask  if its a little TOO focused on the children. Adults need to grow too!

The good news:  VBS may be for children, BUT, VBS is for adults just as much!

I don't simply mean that adults need VBS because they secretly love to sing and dance and play games and have snack time.  It is totally true, and VBS offers exactly that for most of us who otherwise live in a very serious, high-pressured world of productivity and responsibility.

BUT, what I really mean is this:  the Biblical voice of Luke gives us a famous impression of the early church in his book recording the Acts of the Apostles (Acts), which is by far the most referenced New Testament scripture for casting the vision for the church.  In Luke's description, he writes "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:46-47).

So many times we try to encourage today's church by repainting Luke's description, urging those in the church to pick up this life, these practices.  That's what the church should be like--even today!  But so many times, we feel it a bit too far outside of our norm, or we simply can't see how to get there.  Often we never make it there.

Yet, as I was looking around yesterday and soaking up the miracles of the opening day of VBS, I saw EXACTLY what Luke described happening right before my eyes.  That is why VBS is for adults!

1. There were tons of volunteers all day long, pouring their time and hearts into getting things ready.
2. There is a family style dinner for all volunteers before the doors open, and I watched as the BOB grew full of families and volunteers eating together, at tables, on the floor, and anywhere they could find a spot.
3. 401 children poured into the worship center, along with 200 volunteers, and Jesus' name was shouted at the top of our lungs as we praised a living, life-saving God.
4. People laughed, worked together, cared for each other, wiped away tears, held hands, and caught up with each other as the night progressed.
5. Leaders led and shared and directed and helped put God's plan into action, for the sake of helping lead others to Jesus' salvation.

THIS is the early church!  I'm not saying Horizons is the perfect example, but I am saying Luke's example is alive, and Horizons has found a beautiful piece of it!  

VBS IS FOR ADULTS!  It's something we need in our lives and church far more than we can imagine!  Praise God for VBS, the energy pouring into Horizons, and for the lives that are being changed because of it!

More to come!

Jason <><

Sometimes a Slow Learner

On a fairly regular basis I make it a point to stay out of the office for a morning or afternoon and hang out at a coffee place instead.  It's a good habit to have as a church leader.  But I'm always envious of the working professionals I see while I'm there who will stroll in, meet a friend or co-worker, and actually have coffee with that person or group.  What??  Who has time to get coffee AND enjoy it as well?

Just last Sunday the teaching was on the value of community and the practice of NOT doing life in solitude.  Once again, Monday rolls around, and I'm busy eating my words--alone at the coffee house.  Of course, I refuse to preach on a teaching that isn't directed at me as well, so this isn't all a bad thing.  But ultimately, it's still clear I have some learning to do.

It is important for me to be more community minded.  I need to be more focused on collaboration.  I need to find time to develop a network of similar professionals and seek out mentor relationships.  God is making this increasingly clear to me.

But sometimes I'm a slow learner.  Although I'd love to see what it's like to visit with friends and professionals on a regular basis at a coffee house or over lunch, I still haven't grasped the deeper value.  "How can I be a good leader if I'm spending all my time chatting with friends?"  I secretly wonder.

I'm clearly missing the point.  But at least I know that I'm not getting it.  The whole point of collaboration and working and living in community is that life and church and marriage and most any other thing we can consider are all meant to be shared initiatives.  Jesus never said, "If you work really hard and shut the rest of the world out, there I'll be as well."  Instead, Jesus says, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).

The point is that there is significance in our efforts to be with one another, and Jesus assures us that as we draw together, he also will be there, side by side, contributing to the work of our hearts.

Of course there are times when we need to be alone.  Writing a blog while a friend sits at the table isn't the most successful approach.  But there are tons of other things that would be far more blessed if they weren't done alone.

So here's to drawing near to others!  Let's get going.

More to come!

Jason <><

One-Year Wonder!

Today, July 8th marks my one-year anniversary at Horizons!  My appointment began July 1, but my first official day in the office was July 8.

It's been quite a year.  A beautiful, challenging, and adventurous year to say the least!  There has been much growth, many miracles, and tons of love to witness and live within.  Thanks to God for all these things, and thanks to God for so many good people being a part of this year in BIG ways.

Here's just a glimpse of what God has caused in just a year:

1. Attendance has increased, there have been great crowds on holidays, we are seeing tons of new faces
2. Financial blessings/miracles to the church no one could have imagined
3. New adult classes were offered for marriages and those with aging parents
4. Disciple Bible Study classes doubled over the year
5. A new HOME Group team was formed, along with 3 new HOME Groups
6. 2 new staff people have joined us
7. Well over 130 Bibles have been given out 
8. Several building improvements have been made
9. The Atrium hastransformed into a villa setting
10. 27 students were confirmed
11. Record numbers were hit in DZ
12. There has been drastic increases in our Project Hope support
13. The prayer path was completely renewed by the youth
14. Concert on the Hill raised over $12,000 for a Horizons/Lincoln family in need
15. 2012 VBS had record attendance and raised $1,800 for backpacks!
16. Teacher Blessings Sunday, Volunteer Celebration Sunday, and a Sunday in the Community all happened!

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  People are growing in their faith!  Lives have changed, been renewed, set in better directions.  Friendships have started, and Horizons people have supported each other in tremendous ways, in very challenging times!

Sometimes we expect things to happen overnight; and we are certainly asking for God to do even more.  BUT, look what God has ALREADY done literally overnight!

As Sarah and I reflect over our time at Horizons, we have often found ourselves in tears of joy and awe, seeing how God has decided to use us, and seeing where God has decided to put us.  To this we say Amen! and "Okay God!  That was year 1.  What's next??!!"  Join us to see What God will do next!  Thanks God!

More to come!

Jason <><

Love Got All Over!

I wonder if Peter knew how big of a deal it would be for ages to come when he carelessly, daringly got out of the boat and tried to walk on the water to Jesus. 

He probably wasn't thinking that his actions would surely turn into valuable lessons for others, including a church that hadn't yet even been born.

He was probably thinking:  "Man, the rest of these guys are never going to let me live this one down," hoping they'd soon forget his cries for help as his feet left the surface and went plummeting into the depths of the water. 

But no one forgot.  It's a great story!  Thanks Peter for not thinking about all the risks--embarrassment and possibly even drowning--before going on your 5 step adventure.  Thanks for not doing the smart, wise, well thought out thing.

Of course there's great value in wisdom and thinking before we act, but not always! 

 Yesterday, Horizons got out of the boat and attempted to walk on the water to Jesus.  Unlike Peter, instead of taking a few steps and sinking, we made it pretty far!

It was as though it actually worked--just not nearly as well as when Jesus did it! 

We got out, went into the community, and shared as much love with others as we could.  We picked up trash, handed out water, listened to people, gave away vouchers for concessions, and simply learned the names and stories of those who have lived hard lives.  Sure, our numbers were a little lower than usual.  Some things didn't go quite as planned; a couple connections were missed.  Some struggled to find significant value in the day.

BUT, it worked!!  The only difference was that rather than walking on the surface of the water, we managed to splash our way to Jesus in knee deep water, still finding something solid to stand on, but surely not a neat trip. 

But it worked!  We made it!  I received several e-mails and messages yesterday about the miraculous things that happened, conversations that were had, and love that got poured out.  It worked!

And although it may not have been nearly as pretty as we'd hoped, in all that splashing around, we surely still got a whole bunch of love all over the place--even if, like Peter, we had/have no idea how big of a deal it was!

More to come!

Jason <><

A Memoir to Marriage!

My wife Sarah and I celebrated our first anniversary this last Sunday the 23rd!  It was awesome to share it with the church and take a moment to look back at all the year has held.  I thought it only fitting that I share these thoughts today:

Marriage.  It's that thing that we do.  Or that we at least try.
Some know it's not for them.  Some wait what seems an eternity.
Most of us jump right in, ready or not, to a life of living with another.
Marriage is grand and beautiful, it is wild, it is hard, it is work.
Some say it's bliss and the best--all about the romance and burning desire.
Many agree it's more about friendship and teamwork than hearts on fire.
So we each join our friend, get to know our friend, and do life with that friend.
Of course we're always hoping for a little "hearts on fire" here and there.

But sometimes we don't see the rest.
Marriage is also faith.  It is relationship.
It is hoping that there is something stronger keeping two together than the mere efforts of two flailing human hearts.
Engaged couples usually look at me blurry-eyed when I tell them:
God has to be first in your life together.
But it's true.
Marriage is about joining God just as much as we join each other.
It's only God that gets couples through the rough moments,
Through the surprises.  Through the never-thought-it-would-happen-to-us times.

Ultimately, as the two of us looked back, being married one year,
We saw how marriage at its best blends it all together:
Marriage IS a beautiful thing when it is
Faith and relationship with God,
Friendship and teamwork,
Hearts on fire and romance,
When it is fun, hard, challenging, rewarding,
When it surprises and blesses,
When it takes all we have, and gives us all we need,
When it is too stubborn to quit and too foolish to know better,
When it keeps saying yes, even when no is so much easier.

I believe this is what God had in mind--possibly with marriage and a  lot of other things too!

Here's to one year with my wife.  Thanks Sarah, thanks God, thanks family, friends, and church for holding us up, in prayer, and together!  And now...here's to day one of an entirely new year!


More to come!

Jason <><

Never Had a Friend Like This!

It's a clear theme of God's word, but it's not our favorite.  We like grace, mercy, love, salvation, but rarely do we jump for joy at the idea of obedience.  We live in a free country.  We believe in democracy.  We believe in free will. We value choice and options and no contracts.  Obedience seems to go against most of those freedoms.

Yet we are reminded in Deuteronomy as Moses prepares God's chosen people to live in an ever-lasting relationship with him that "It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must serve.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him" (Deut 13:4).    

Eventually we figure out a way to work this obedience thing into our faith lives, but it's rarely the foremost feature of our faith.

But obedience might be more a blessing and gift than we have imagined!

We've all been through the spiritual droughts--the ones that leave us dry and withered after a season of spiritual fullness and closeness to God.  In the drought, nothing feels as good, as powerful, as inspiring.  God doesn't seem as close either, and we wonder what went wrong.  This is the place where many of us get thrown off the trail altogether and never get any further.

That's when obedience kicks in and comes to the rescue.  It doesn't feel like it's rescuing us from anything at the time.  It mostly feels like it's locking us into this dry, lifeless place in our faith forever. But there's way more to the picture we often don't see.

While it's true that obedience doesn't swoop down like a superhero to save the day, it does keep the source of goodness flowing, and it keeps the lifelines open between God and us.  Furthermore, it honors God.  We can scarcely comprehend how much obedience means to God, but it's huge!  If freedom is at the top of our value list, willingly giving it to God and trusting that there's something ever greater than autonomy cannot be overlooked!  It's essential to our growth.

So, while all of this obedience stuff is going on and we're painfully trudging along in our practices of going to worship, reading the Bible, praying for others, loving others, and cutting out some distractions in our life--as if it just might kill us--God and our friend obedience are planning a banquet for us.

It's impossible to predict God's timing, and difficult to discern when we finally, really get the point.  But we must believe that the drought doesn't last forever and that there are really good things on the other end.  After all, the banquet being prepared is a life with God that blows us away with each breath.  It's the original spiritual high combined with a solid, wise, unshakable foundation.  It is good.

So while we groan along with our wretched friend Obedience, wondering if it's worth it or perhaps whether it's all just a hoax, remember that Obedience may just be our best friend and most worthy companion on this dry, painful road.  At the end of the drought, we come to find that our time spend being obedient is NEVER just about being obedient.  It's about getting ready to join God in even greater things through that relationship being established with Him!

Happy obeying! :-)


More to come!

Jason <><

No Way?... No Way!

Ever felt like you have nothing left to give?  Ever felt like there's simply no way forward in your day or your situation?

I get the feeling that the way our world works and the way we push ourselves, we often feel like we're totally worn out by the end of the day and that there's nothing left to do but get through the rest of it.  I've been there before.

When we feel all we can do is simply "get through it," the thought of giving more, or giving anything to anything or anyone outside of our main "getting through it" goal seems absolutely absurd.  There's no way that's going to happen!  Not now...

But, it's no surprise there's little room for this kind of thinking in God's kingdom.  God's wisdom in Proverbs reminds us that "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty" (11:24).  


This challenges me quite a bit when I'm feeling like I have nothing left to give.  But this wisdom also reminds me I am to that point often because it's been a while that I have given to someone or something else that has nothing to do with my own needs or concerns.

Do we ever truly have nothing left to give?  NO WAY!  

When I find I have nothing left to give, I often find that I still have a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, a praying heart to give.  And when I give, I find that my own heart begins to open up to all sorts of new opportunities and directions and God's unending abundance!  That's when it gets good.


More to Come!

Jason <><

If it Weren't for Them!

I love bubbles--trying to blow the biggest, the most, and watching them silently float into the air completely defiant to gravity and brilliantly displaying rainbow swirls as the go...

But, more so than many times in our history, it seems we are preferring to live our entire lives in bubbles.  We've embraced the rugged, self-made individual, the world of personal devices, the craze of heightened needs for privacy, the wildly popular need for 1 person per 5-seat vehicle, the need for separate homes, tall fences, and dark curtains.  We've even shifted our entire concept of faith and religion to the individualize, personal, and solely internal.

Sometimes it's great to have a little time alone, to have some personal space.

But there are times I fear we've taken things too far.  There are times when I am absolutely sure that if my own bubble hadn't been broken, I would not be here today!

Why I'm sure of this:  2 weeks ago the house I lived in while in Bellevue was vacated, and Sarah and I were faced with the task of getting my house that had been poorly kept by a renter back into shape for a sale.

We scarcely knew what we were in for:  deep cleaning, wall painting, rebuilding, replacing, steaming, shining, sweeping, digging, mowing, cutting, wiping, drilling, dusting, ripping up, laying down, refitting, etc.  For the last 2 weeks, it has consumed so much of us.

BUT, this is where I thank God for keeping our bubbles popped!  Within a heartbeat, Sarah's and my parents showed up with tools, ideas, energy, solutions, love, and the willingness to put in some long, sweaty, back-aching hours.  Within minutes, old neighbors I had scarcely seen in months showed up asking to help mow, help throw away, help fix.

It was beautiful.  Sarah and I looked around and were blown away by the community that surrounded us and gave away their Memorial Day weekends to be with us and love us.  We could only imagine what it would have felt like trying to go through that all alone.  After all, that's our first reaction in this world.  We desire to be tough enough all by ourselves.  We'd rather not let anyone help us.  We don't think we need anyone.

But we realized that the opposite happens when you let your bubbles pop:  we get to go through life together.  We get to hold each other up.

Opposed to our worldly view today that says "I'm afraid to help you because if I do I may not have enough to take care of myself," God encourages us to live in a world that says "I know not one of us will ever have enough, but together we'll always have enough."

My prayer today is that God takes tiny needles and pops the bubbles of our lives that keep us isolated.  My prayer is that we'll be connected in ways we'd not have the chance otherwise!


More to come!

Jason <><

Only if it's Powerful

Horizons has seen some pretty beautiful, miraculous things happen in the last couple of weeks, and when they happen, the house is PACKED!

Most recently we celebrated and prayed over 9 graduates who are a part of Horizons, and in the next service, we welcomed and baptized 27 young students into the next HUGE phase of their Christian lives.  There were no empty seats.  The Holy Spirit was buzzing.  In that moment, we all remembered what this whole church thing is about.  We remember how powerful, enlivening it is!

In a few short words, I can sum up the day as awesomely beautiful.  I loved it.  Most people there loved it too!

In fact, many people said excitedly during conversations:  "It is my wish that we would always have this kind of energy and crowd!"

I agree!

In fact, what we know is that people come--family, friends, those who aren't always available on Sundays, and others--because they either know or trust that something BIG and POWERFUL is going to happen that day.

People get so excited about it they make sure others will be there too.  Few want to miss these things.  We all want to catch the moments when God shows us and completely changes our lives.

BUT, here's what I say:  God shows up EVERY Sunday.  Prepared to do and actively does BIG and POWERFUL things in our lives.

We simply need to trust it, believe in it, and anticipate it.  Every Sunday can have that kind of energy and that size of crowd.  We simply need to show up and bring others along with hearts prepared to see it.


Here's YOUR invitation:  prepare to show up Sunday with an expectant, open, and excited heart.  And INVITE YOUR FRIENDS (and enemies too (although you may not want to sit right next to them))!  Tell them Jesus (not the pastor) is doing BIG things and that they should come and see!


See you Sunday!


Jason <><

Drenched

A week full of adventures will leave a person soaked!  I'm still dripping, and hoping not to dry off anytime soon.

It was an unusual week.

Derek, Nicole, and I spent Thursday through Saturday in Tacoma at a conference, remembering how to do love.  Through a lot of whimsy, trial, and error, a person can learn to love again.  But it doesn't happen before first falling in and getting soaked in God's love.  By the time we left, few dry spots remained!

Sunday, we asked for God's blessing as seniors stood before us, ready to take on the world as new explorers and missionaries.  It's difficult not to get splashed by the hope, determination, and confidence the graduating youth possessed as they received their blessings.  They were filled and ready!

A quick half hour later, 27 confirmation students came forward to profess their faith, state their desires for even deeper relationships with Jesus, and to be drenched by God's blessing and confirmation.  I've never seen as many bright eyes filled with so much excitement, energy, and Spirit!  By the end of the service, 27 students stood before us, drenched in their baptisms and reaffirmations, full of life.  This is life that only God gives us!

By the end of the second service, I was as wet as the confirmation students.  They were standing to either side of the baptistery, waiting for their final blessing.  There I stood, still knee deep in the baptistery.  The water was warm, but my heart was warmer.  There was no way I was ready to get out.  So I stood still and from the water I gave the final dismissal.  I should have told everyone not to dry off too quickly!

So I got soaked this weekend.  I'm hoping not to dry off too quickly, or at all.  Soaking in God's love and new life makes everything more beautiful, and it makes loving others much easier!

More to come!

Jason <><

Worlds Collided!

When our personal worlds collide, we experience new life, new adventures, lots of learning, and often a great deal of emotion--from painful tears to joy-filled laughter.  Jesus intended for all sorts of worlds to collide, no matter how unlikely it would be to work out!

This weekend Sarah and I went to Broken Bow to celebrate her brother's graduation.  We were excited to make the trip and enjoy being in Sarah's hometown.  Our weekend, however, was accompanied by a wonderful twist!  We invited my parents to the ceremony, and it worked out that they were also able to come the night before to help out and be with us.

I've heard the stories of feuding family trees, blowing in gale force winds.  I've seen "Meet the Parents," and "Meet the Fockers," and so on...  It seems ttrue in our world today that the In-Laws often just don't mix well.  I wasn't terribly concerned about both of our families being in close quarters, but Sarah and I, with grins on our faces, wondered together what it would be like.

Short story told, the weekend was wonderful.  My parents brought out the best of their desire to visit, share, laugh, and simply enjoy a lot of conversation.  Sarah's parents also brought out the best of their hospitality, stories, and time.  Sure, there were some quirks along the way and a couple awkward moments, but it ultimately was wonderful!

Jesus took all sorts of different worlds and made them collide.  He brought heaven and earth together, the Law and faith together, the religious and the spiritual together, the righteous and the sinning together.  He brought health to the worlds of the lame, he brought crippling truth to those whose worlds were stout with pride. He mixed tears with laughter, death with life, and differing hearts and peoples.  He collided all sorts of worlds, and although there were plenty of awkward and even painful moments, God's world is a far better place when our worlds learn to collide!

Don't hide your world away.  Let it collide!


More to come!

Jason <><

New Friends!

No matter where we are, if our hearts are open to God's leading, adventures and surprise encounters are surely in store!  Sarah and I were reminded of this last weekend in a wonderful way.

Sarah had just finished her first year of Physical Therapy school, and we agreed that we needed to do something to celebrate.  So we booked a couple evenings at the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City, where neither of us had been before.

We had our special dinner, used the pool constantly, walked the trails, toured the mansion, and just about everything else imaginable as well.  It was a great opportunity to share some time together, laugh, and learn a little more--just the two of us.

But God must have decided toward the end it was time for us to find some friends on our adventure.  It was early evening of our second night, and we both decided to take advantage of the wine tasting, as the trip simply wouldn't be complete without at least sampling the local flavors.

Within a heartbeat of walking up to the counter, God introduced us to our new friends.  As I reached to hand my glass to the server, a friendly voice said, "Look at all those bracelets!  I want to hear about each one of them."  And so our evening began.  We tasted small sips of local wine, and I told small hints of the stories wrapped around my wrist.  We found out that our new friends were celebrating their 39th anniversary, that they live very near to us in Lincoln, and that they had many stories of their own to tell.

Before we knew it, our mini tasting events were over, and our new friends had invited us to dinner with them in the lodge.  We had planned to eat pizza and play cards alone in our room that night, but we felt that God was nudging us forward.  "Sure!" we both belted out.

Although there were several favorite parts of our evening with our new friends, there is a particular favorite that is especially worth telling.  When Sarah and I are on vacation or spending "couples" time, it is my foremost duty to be husband and friend, even before being pastor.  So I actually make it a point not to tell people what I do in Lincoln until directly asked.

As we prepared to begin our meal, one of our new friends offered to bless the meal.  (I think I was planning on it, but didn't want to seem too eager.)  It was a beautiful, deep, polished, gentle prayer.  I was enjoying it.  But right in the middle of it, the husband's wife said cheerfully over his prayer, "Okay now, let's wrap it up Billy Graham!"

The prayer ended, and I thanked our friends for blessing the food.  The husband said he was happy to, and for some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.  His wife though, hoping not to offend us, remarked to her husband, "Yeah, but how do you know they're not Jewish!  We don't want to scare them away!"  We all chuckled, I assured them I wasn't Jewish, and we went on with the evening and stories.  It ended up being quite the night of stories and laughter, and I eventually revealed my Pastor identity.

Thinking about this part of the evening in particular makes me smile.  I admire our new friends.  They were willing to approach us rather than stay inside their own private world.  They invited strangers to join them for dinner.  Then, without pause, they put their faith out in front and asked for blessings over the meal.  They did this ALL before they knew anything about who either Sarah or I were.

Our friends provided such an easy example of what it means to be the hands, heart, and feet of Jesus in the world:  approach, invite, share, and love--all without any prerequisites or fears of rejection.  I look forward to sharing a meal at some point in the future with our new friends.  But just as much, I look forward to making NEW friends, using the beautiful example provided to us last weekend.  And so I say to each of us:  go and make some new friends and see how easy it is to share Jesus' life with others.


More to come!


Jason <><

Dare I Say "Spring?"

The seasons are finally, sort-of, changing from winter to spring! Clearly the change is a welcomed event.  Who could pass up on spring?

But I think we need to be careful about being held captive by the seasons.  The last thing I want is for any of us to get caught up in any season, and thus a period of our lives, where we spend more time wishing and hoping for another time than we do appreciating and enjoying the present time.

In order to avoid this, for me, when it snows, I love it.  I have to.  When it's cold enough to freeze the hairs in my nose when I breathe, it has to be a beautiful and delightful thing.  Likewise, when it's 109 and sweaty at 9, it's great; just as the dust clouds of dying leaves and bleak-becoming grass is something not to be missed!

But let's be honest:  spring is such a good thing.  Sarah and I bought and planted flowers on Saturday, ate lunch in the grass, and went jogging together.  This morning I was able to read scripture in the morning sun again, and we had cereal in the same place later.  I can't help but think that this is one of the best times of the year!

BUT, before I get caught up in the season too much and cling so tightly that I might be ruined when it comes to a close, I return to my previous stance:  it is good to be in this season.  God blesses us with opportunities in this time that come at no other time.

So, let us all be thankful for this season and live into it to the fullest.  But let's also not get so caught up in it that we are held captive by it.  Let us also look forward to the hot and sweaty days, the days of swimming pools, camp outs, fireworks, the perpetual smell of sunscreen and BBQs, and the excitement of Kingdom Rocks VBS!  We can't get there unless we finally let go of spring at some point!

Jesus clearly teaches us the same:  live in the season, love it, grow from it, and be prepared to move into the next.  After all, the church would've never come into being had the season for the Body of Christ to cover the face of the earth not come!

Here's to spring!! (and to summer, fall, and our glorious Nebraska winters!)

More to come!


Jason <><

Only in Dreams

Most of us have dreams at night that speak to what our subconscious minds are processing while we rest.  Some of us have dreams that are visions spoken by the Holy Spirit to our hearts while we restore our nearness to God.  Many of us dream while we're awake as a way of setting our hearts and souls on the things that we see could be rather than simply living in the world that already is.  I've been dreaming quite a bit lately, and my dreams have been teaching me much.  So I share.

Recently, I've been dreaming about being in churches I've never visited, praying at weddings, swimming in deep pools I  can't get out of, and of hunting for worms with my dad before a fishing trip.  Those of you who have already begun to analyze my psyche, good luck!

But I've also been having other dreams about the realities that could be, and many have begin to share their dreams of the same nature with me.  It's breathtaking to see what God continues to lay on our hearts.  The truth is that the future is only what we are willing to lay boldly and faithfully before God so as to bring him honor.  But, in the midst of this, for anyone who wishes, chooses, or feels forced into a life of pragmatism, dreaming can feel daunting; forecasting the nonexistent future can be a staggering task.  I sometimes fall into that category.

But here's what I know:  when I am out in the community and I see the results of others' dreams, I have to stop myself from concluding that it is a fluke that something like that came into being and that things like that simply don't happen like they used to.  The truth is that when we combine our dreams of God's glory with the  hope of Jesus' promise, we will find an unstoppable force that often succeeds, regardless of the climate surrounding the dream.  Anything is possible with God.

And so, as we dream, I am reminded that the only way we can see our dreams to honor God become reality is if we already begin to live our lives and model our faith behaviors on the belief that the dream has already come true.

I believe that God asks us of this when we are encouraged to ask Jesus anything in his name:  dream to honor God, dream big, and live as though those dreams are already reality.


More to come!


Jason <><

Fun at the Auction

What does one take home from an action fundraiser?  Just this last Sunday (the 14th) Camp Oasis, a local church camp managed by Horizons' Susan Samuelson, hosted an annual dinner and auction to raise funds for campers fees and summer programming.

The evening is all about changing lives.  Mine was changed as well last night!

To start with, the only other fundraiser auction I've ever been to was last year's Concert on the Hill where we  auctioned items to support Jim Unger and his family.  That one seemed to go pretty well for a newbie like me.  I got what I wanted, had a little competition, and paid a price I was comfortable with.  With that one experience under my belt, I confidently marched into last night's bidding with a stride of assurance.  Let the fun begin!  I said to myself.

There were a couple differences in last night's auction that changed the results of my second auction experience that I didn't pick up on until later.  The first was that our bids were marked by numbers rather than by name.  No one would dare outbid the pastor.  But outbid someone else's number?  Of course!  The second was that I was surrounded by a much different crowd, most of whom I didn't know and who didn't know me.  That meant I didn't know what was "hot" and what was "not."

Ultimately, I went to the tables and found two items I thought were surely high-desire items:  a specialized therapy pillow with a revolutionary water bladder inside of it for firmness control, and a 30 day boot camp certificate with a high dollar value.  As I placed my bids, I thought surely these items will be fun to bid on.  We'll see how high they get driven up.  I was pretty sure, depending on the bidding appetite of the crowd, that I'd either walk away empty-handed, or perhaps with one of my items, if I was lucky.

Apparently, my lucky number 24 was more like the shepherd's staff in Moses' hand than it was the rancher's hand of oats to a group of horses.  The moment my number went down on the bidding sheets, the seas parted, and NOT ONE other bid went down on either of my items. I should have bid on the grill and the 20 fillet mignons!  I thought, as the host announced that all table bids were final.

I then texted my wife, who was unable to join me, to announce proudly that I had just spent 3 times our pre-agreed amount at the auction.  Gulp...

But here's how it turned out:  Sarah laughed and reminded me that all of this is to promote Jesus' name to children and bless a local camp.  I immediately felt better and held my head rather high as I went to retrieve my new pillow and boot camp certificate.  Praise God!  Let Jesus' name reign.

And so, with 4 liters now tucked inside of my new pillow, I had the best sleep I've had in a while, with much less neck pain.  I have no idea what the boot camp will be like, or whether I'm really qualified to attend, but I'm sure I could use some greater exercise disciplines, and perhaps I'll be able to share about my faith and church while I'm there!

So here's to God's anointing of my hand and my lucky number 24, and here's to God's miracles and the unhindered passion that flows through Camp Oasis and it's staff!

More to come!!


Jason <><