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 <><