Master of Joyful Critique

As Sarah and I prepared for our wedding, we noticed a particular pattern emerge that we laugh about now, but that challenged us quite a bit at the time.  Sarah would share a grand idea for the day with excitement and energy, and I would respond with the details that would need to be considered, that would usually lead us to conclude the idea wouldn't go.  Sarah would remind me she wished I would just be excited for once, and I would reminder her my role was to do the critical thinking that would keep us safe.  We understood this, but it wasn't working.

We jump ahead (almost) a few years later now, to the "buying our first home together" event.  Once again, Sarah shares her excitement and dreams about the home we both have agreed is our top choice, and once again, I respond with details to consider and reminders of reality.  And once again, my poor wife reminds me, "I know the details, but I'm excited.  Can you be excited with me?"  After hearing this on a few different occasions, I realized I needed to make a crucial change.

I come from a family of critical, grounded, and careful planners and thinkers.  As a rule in my family, our excitement for something needed to be equally matched by a list of cautionary points and reality checks.  That's how we knew we were moving forward in a wise, un-impulsive manner.  In general, this has served me very well in my personal, professional, and faithful life.  I recommend the practice to anyone who seems to have big ideas, but often ends up in messes instead.  

BUT, the practice of always offering overly-careful critiques and the need to minimize risk at all points can be equally as damaging as being too frivolous.  It runs the risk of killing the Spirit and minimizing God's blessing to a mere equation of risk and probabilities.  

I have most clearly learned this in the last week as we consulted our families for their thoughts on the house our hearts have locked onto.  Their opinions are crucial to us.  As our families came to see the house, we received mixed reviews:  some loved it, and others reported notes of caution and details on potential concerns.  We looked into the concerns and resolved nearly all of them.  Yet, the opinions of caution hadn't changed much, and they were weighing heavily on our decisions.  It was at that point I found myself uttering these words, "The details check out.  It would be nice if everyone could just be excited about this."  

Then it clicked.  I heard myself saying about others the very thing Sarah had been saying to me.  It's good to be critical and ask the tough questions.  It's good to dig into a decision with a keen eye.  But living in that world entirely will kill both the human and the Holy Spirit.  I was doing just that!  Contrarily, if we live solely by the book, we need to find the life of whimsy and welcome it.  If we live solely by the moment, we need to find the life of discernment and welcome it.

So now that Sarah and I both know the details of what we're up against with the house we like, I have learned the delicate art and joy of just dreaming and imagining.  It's wonderful.  I don't have to worry about the costs of things or the actual plausibility; nor do I even have to worry about things we talk about ever coming into reality.  We'll figure those things out as we go, as the Spirit leads.  

Until then, we'll dream; and it's wonderful!

More to come!

Jason <><

Growing Up

Most of last week Sarah and I were in Denver.  Sarah was there with some of her classmates on a "girls retreat," and I was there for my winter Alumni Board meetings for my seminary.

Usually when I head to Denver in the winter or fall for my board meetings, I conveniently find time to head to the slopes or tackle a 14er (a mountain reaching over 14,000 feet in elevation) while I'm there.  Both skiing and climbing are my passions.  I dream about skiing more consistently than any other theme in my dreams.  It's what I do, it's something I feel I'm particularly good at, and these trips are typically the only chance I get to ski or climb each year.

But this trip turned out differently.  I chose not to go skiing.  It was amusing watching my usual skiing buddies  who still living in Denver struggle with my decision.  "Are you sure?  I can get you a $40 lift ticket!  You can borrow a pair of my skis that should fit perfectly.  I'll drive; you don't have to worry about that.  Do you just want to go back-country skiing and not pay the lift prices?..."  Choosing NOT to ski is pretty out of character for me.

But I gave them my reasons, and as I heard myself sharing, a particular delight came over me.  I realized I was making really good, healthy, and wise choices, even if it meant giving up something for a season that has been central to my identity since I was four.  I was taking care of myself and my family.  In that moment I was feeling awfully grown up!

These are the reasons I didn't go skiing this year:

• Sarah and I will be purchasing a house this spring.  If we're truly committed to this, we need to let our savings show that.  It may be small, but $300 extra went into our house fund this week!
• Life for Sarah and me is often quite intense in Lincoln, and simply moving from one intensity to another was going to be unhelpful.  Simply slowing down and being with friends appealed much more.
• Sarah has only skied once before and wasn't terribly interested.  Actually spending time with my wife rather than leaving her for the slopes was a choice I really needed to make.
• The temperature high on the slopes for the days we were there was projected to reach -2 degrees Fahrenheit.  Enough said. 

Although I had yet another skiing dream just last night, I'm still thankful I had the insight not to go this year.  There will be other times and days yet to come, and Sarah and I benefited from the time together.  Amen!

More to come!

Jason <><

Broncos, Where did You Go?

I grew up a Broncos fan.  I'm still a Broncos fan.  I'll remain a fan even now, after the game is over.

Of course I won't pretend to know anything about the internal game or challenges a team faces in a Superbowl situation, under that sort of pressure.  But as I watched the Broncos fall apart yesterday, some thoughts came to mind:

• Although a Superbowl game is a little more polarized in terms of who wins and who loses, in many ways the Broncos' and Manning's loss remind me of how so many people perceived Jesus' activity among the same way we do Manning's.  The primary reaction during the game in the group I was with was "I think the Broncos forgot to put this game on their calendars."  How many of the Jews and Pharisees were also thinking the same thing with Jesus?  They constantly asked for signs, wondered when the revolution was actually going to start, and asked why he wasn't saving himself if he was so powerful.  For many, Jesus didn't seem to show up to the game.  I think many might feel as though he isn't showing up to the game now either.  I'm pretty sure the Broncos didn't choose to lose yesterday so they could make a deeper, more profound statement.  But I'm also pretty sure that Jesus DID and DOES.  It's up to our deeper-discerning hearts to see what that statement and activity is.
  
• As I made direct, eye-to-eye contact with Peyton Manning during the game, thanks to the assertive close-ups from the camera crew, I wondered what it felt like to be the man shouldering the win or loss of the game, and what it would be like today for him (the day after).  How do you wake up the next day?  Where do you go?  Who do you talk to?  Who, what, where do you avoid in an effort to maintain some sort of dignity and composition?  It's true most of us don't regularly find ourselves in one of the biggest single sporting events of the year.  But many of us DO find ourselves feeling as though we're shouldering the weight of the big win or loss when it comes to our jobs, our families, our finances, our health, etc.  As a pastor, the thought of losing the game is one of the most terrifying fears.  Yet, each of us is called to keep our dignity, embrace our losses, and find solace in that pain, knowing it has not cost us our whole life if our lives are in Christ.  But I often wonder, where does a person start when trying to keep this truth?
  
• Lastly, I realized toward halftime I shouldn't have made fun of the Seahawks yesterday (Feb 2) in my message.  Revenge is too sweet for some to pass up.  Oops.

More to come!

Jason <><

Words I Can't Say

Yesterday Tera and Chad Blahak came up to share their story and struggles along their journey to having a family.  They witnessed to the heartbreaks of infertility and miscarriages, to being angry with, yet trusting God, to trusting each step they felt they were called to take, and to God's eventual responses to their needs in His time.

Simply put, it was a beautiful Sunday.

What I love about these moments just as much as I love what is said in particular is how God works through those stories and words.  They affect us greatly, give us powerful insights, help us grasp truths we otherwise begin to doubt, and encourage us by knowing we share similar stories with others.

What I also love about these moments is the reality that no matter how eloquently I may try to profess the same truths that others do in their Real Life stories, there are some things I simply can't say to the same affect.

Am I complaining?  No!  I'm marveling.  This church is a community.  This church is comprised of the leadership and teaching of many.  God doesn't give only one person the ability to speak His truth, but rather He gives it to many, in particular forms.

Ultimately, we each contain a unique and powerful piece of God's truth within us and within our stories that no one else can say, teach, or share as we can.  The more we can share and hear each others' stories, the more powerful and present the full truth of God's love will be.

SO!  Speak up!  You have the words within you that no one else can say about who Jesus is in our world today.  Tell this story to the world around you and let others catch another piece of who God IS.


More to come!

Jason <><

Simple as That!

In a moment neither Sarah nor I were exactly anticipated, we both came upon today in a bit of surprise.  So far 2014 has been busy for both of us, and neither of us had talked much about Martin Luther King Jr. Day and what that meant for our calendar lives.

It was a delight to wake up this morning reporting to each other that we did not in fact have to go to school or work.  Amen!  So we took advantage of the day catching up on some quality time, which had already run into a deficit since the turn of the new year.  What did we do with our precious time?  We went shopping.  

And it was some of the best shopping we'd done recently because we were able to be together!  

But, this day hasn't been beautiful just because of that.  It's important to share the rest of the story.  Today is a day we pause to remember and pour fresh life into the dreams, pain, progress, and equality represented in a man and leader.  What King stood for and believed in continues to be of vital importance in our world today, and we are fortunate to have our history and our story marked with his courage.  

I didn't hear all of it, but on our way from store to store, I caught a brief comment from a radio DJ reminding us that among many other things, King taught each of us the lesson of not giving up on things we believe in.  We all need that reminder and encouragement today.

And so, as if Jesus himself were speaking to me, I have been reminded not to give up on the things I believe in.  I believe in my faith, the One who sets me free, who gives us life, and who directs our steps to things that really matter.  I believe in the covenant I made with my wife and the importance of spending time together as a way of both witnessing and honoring God.  I believe in the call God has given me to serve him, and the direction God has given me to lead a beautiful people, church, and ministry.  And I believe in the need to share the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ with all I have the chance, in the hopes that His life will also fill those around me.

I believe in these things, and I will not give up!  Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day!  Thank you God.

More to come!

Jason <><

Don't Look for Awesome, Be Awesome

Who doesn't love being awesome and being a part of something awesome?  It feels good to walk into a space or be around people and get the sense that EVERYTHING is in order here or with these people.  It makes us feel good, our trust levels increase instantly, and we're much more willing to be a part of wherever we're at or whoever we're with.

But the reflex action of latching on to awesome things can hurt our growth if we're not careful.  Here's what I mean:

The more we continue to follow or trust only the things that are already awesome, the more we run the risk of lessening our creativity, self agency, and capacity to lead as God has called us.  We run the risk of migrating toward a greater population of followers rather than leaders.

Here's the setting we find ourselves in, and what happens to us along the way:  In life we often create lists of the things lacking in our situations--the things we believe we need to find in order to be complete.  We want what we want, and because someone, somewhere is offering it without requiring our hard work or participation, we begin to believe that our true quest in life is no longer to be creative and productive, but rather, to be seekers and needers, looking for the next thing that will satisfy our shortcomings and holes in our souls.

The problem?  Because we're so used to having things handed to us, we often forget that we have the powerful gift to build and create the future we have been called to seek.  We forget that our hands and minds are useful, healing, and strong.

The problem?  We lose our agency and freedom in exchange for the spoonfeeders are offering us and to which we become subjects.  We need them, and we suddenly realize we have no choice but to take what they give( unless we're brave enough to move on in search of the next feeder before we starve).

The problem?  We lose the in-dwelling of God's Spirit and Jesus' life-giving redemption that are borne within us and instead constantly beg from above for God to come and care, love, and protect us.

So I say, love awesome, but don't need it.  Learn from awesome, but don't depend on someone else to create it.  Be and create awesome whenever and however you can, just as God has given us each the ability to do so.

More to come!

Jason <><

I Knew That Guy!

The other day I posted on Facebook that we often make Jesus more of an idea than a person.  I think it's helpful to remember Jesus actually lived and breathed and treaded the dust of the earth just as we do.

Let's put it this way.  Most of us have lost a good uncle, brother, father, grandfather, husband, son or other loved person in our lives.  It's easy to tell others what that person was like, recall stories, talk about what he or she stood for, embrace what made him or her come alive.  We can tell about the best things, the most frustrating things, the way he or she laughed, and about how he or she died and what that was like.  Ultimately, we can proudly say, "I knew that guy!  Yeah, that sounds like something he'd say."

Why don't we do this with Jesus?  He too lived and breathed and loved, told stories, and lived for something.  We have plenty of stories of our own and from countless others about how his life affecst our lives.  Much of what he stood for has already been put in a book!

In reality, the only differences between that guy and Jesus is that Jesus came back to life and lives today in the hearts of the people and in the Spirit of God, and that Jesus, being of God all along, has even cooler stories to tell than your great uncle.  (I may be simplifying a tiny bit, but the point stands.)

So why not tell those stories?  Why not tell about That Guy Jesus, who lived just like any other?  Most would say it's because Jesus still seems too hard to really know, given that he's not really here anymore in human form.

And I guess, to that point is my point exactly. Get to know That Guy.  Learn about his stories.  Invite him to reveal himself to you today.  Let the stories roll!


More to come!


Jason <><