The Church Isn't Supposed to Be Inspirational

America's Got Talent should be renamed to "America's Got Inspirational Stories."

Our family watches every summer, living and dying with the performances of our favorites. As the show progresses, the talent takes a backseat to the stories:

• The deaf woman who sings. 
• The violinist who's losing feeling in his fingers. 
• The comic who's stuttering issues make a 90-second set a challenge. 

As this year's show was just starting, auditions were already being pushed for next year.
Because theses inspiring stories will fade.
Many Twitter and Instagram followers will eventually "unfollow."

Inspiration is really just a feeling, and feelings are fleeting.

(OK...this one is pretty good)

Pre-marital counseling with a starry-eyed couple starts as I ask them to define the word love. After allowing them to ramble a while, I finally help them out: "Love is not a feeling. It's a commitment."

Inspiration isn't a commitment. It's a feeling.
Churches and pastors cannot be ok with simply making worshippers feel something.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Notice scripture is not meant to inspire, but to convict.
Inspiration is fleeting.
Conviction is forceful.

A memorable turn of phrase or inspirational quote can support a lesson, but the church cannot allow those to be the lesson. To do so elevates human wisdom and turns the Bible into nothing more than proof texts to be cherry picked in support of whatever we want to say. 

God did not leave the church behind to inspire. He left it behind to make disciples. That's a hard work and undoubtably it is also an emotional work. But we cannot allow ourselves to be driven by the mental sugar rush of emotions or we will find that when the real trials come, we have no solid truth to stand on.

The church must declare the truth of Scripture. 
The truth of Scripture is what changes our thoughts, words, and actions. 
As a Bible teacher, allow the scripture to speak louder than your own notions. 
As a Christian, don't merely look for inspiration. Accept the conviction of scripture knowing it is the very Word of God that prepares and upholds you for every situation life can throw at us. 

Fight the Idea, Not the Individual

"Old buddy, that's politics-after 6 o'clock we can be friends; but before 6 it's politics." 
-House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D) to President Ronald Reagan (R)

John McCain's passing this week reminds us once again that political rivalries are less serious in Washington than between two random, politically-opposed people on Facebook.

Hours after McCain's passing, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer proposed renaming the Senate Office Building in McCain's honor, a Republican. In our politically charged environment it seems impossible that political opponents could also be friends. 

Clearly not every person across the aisle has a bestie, but there are more than you might realize. We've been reminded of numerous odd political friendships during the memorial this week:

• George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
• John Boehner and Barack Obama
• Michelle Obama and George W. Bush

While they disagree on fundamental issues, it doesn't prevent their ability to be civil and even friendly! As Christians, we must be models of both standards and civility.  

"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable..." 1 Peter 2:12

We must learn how to disagree without disregarding someone. Clearly I want to see politicians who will stand up for their principles, but the mission is to fight conflicting ideas, not individuals. 

Let's speak our mind. 
Let's disagree respectfully.
Let's represent Jesus and truth well as we seek to love those we disagree with the most. 

If God Knows the Number of My Days, Why Run?

Does God know when you will die? 

The simple answer is yes. Psalm 139:16 says,
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So if God could literally display a calendar for all the days of my life, then why should I take the time to run for my health?

This question is one of perspective. 

God KNOWS when I'm going to die.

I have NO IDEA when I'm going to die. 

Yet I know certain choices can accelerate the process: 

-Drug or alcohol abuse

-Overeating

-Lying in the middle of I-90 in downtown Chicago around 5pm.

God's omniscience means He knows all the choices I'm going to make, including the choice to take better care of myself. I have good reasons to run. 

I run to honor God with my body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I run to stay ready to serve God and others (1 Tim 4:8)

I run to encourage others (Hebrews 10:24)

God once told King Hezekiah he would die soon and to set his household in order. But Hezekiah refused to merely accept this fate. He cried out in tearful prayer for God to grant him more days. God responds in 2 Kings 20:5-6, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you...and add 15 years to your life." God then revealed a treatment through the prophet Isaiah that healed Hezekiah's sickness and displayed that God is not anti-medicine. 

Did God know Hezekiah would pray? Yes

Did God know Hezekiah's prayer would grant him 15 more years. Yes

Did Hezekiah know any of this? Nope

Therein lies the point. Just because God knows the number of my days, doesn't mean I fail to take responsibility for my life. Certainly, not every runner is granted a long life. But if living healthy could potentially extend my time with my family, make me more useful to serve God, and prove 13.1 miles isn't an impossible goal, why not give it a shot? 

Head back over next week as the late Senator John McCain teaches us how not to be a jerk...

Lessons From the Race

Saturday was pretty awesome. 

After the disappointment of knee surgery a few years ago, and a lot of hard work, I finally crossed the finish line of my first half-marathon.

Running has taught me a lot.
Running in a pack of 2500 people at the Madison Mini added a few more lessons.

1) Run YOUR race

"let US run with endurance the race that is set before US." Hebrews 12:1

The first three miles were pretty bunched up, but our personal paces began to spread the field. A few times I would try to pace with a faster runner, but I gave up that strategy pretty quickly. 

The only person I was competing against was myself. 

Hebrews reminds US to run our race. That means both the general race for all Christians as well as the race of God's specific will for each of us. Faster runners and more faithful believers can be an inspiration, but forgetting to run your race in the meantime will likely lead only to defeat. 

2) Be an encourager

"encourage one another and build one another up" 1 Thess. 5:11

10 cheer stations along the course provided us with hydration and adrenaline! My tired body perked up around the 9 and 11 mile marks with shouts of encouragement and cups of gatorade. The Madison Memorial Girls CC team above got my vote as the best cheer station. The Super Mario power-up mushroom sign was epic!

Encouragement is powerful. 

It doesn't take a lot of encouragement to keep us going, whether it's a challenging run or life situation. When we feel broken down, encouragement can build us back up! So don't wonder if that person could use a little encouragement...just treat them like you wish they'd treat you!

3) Celebrate your wins

"at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem [the people came] to celebrate joyfully." Nehemiah 12:27

This is my favorite picture from race day. When I told my wife I wanted to run the Madison Mini, she jumped in for the 5K race. Numerous times she's downplayed finishing the 5K in comparison to my race, but I wouldn't hear of it. She doesn't love running, yet did the work all by herself to have her best pace of the summer!!!

It's not a sin to celebrate.

The work of Nehemiah and his people in restoring the broken down walls of Jerusalem had been hard work, and what's the point of working hard if you're not going to celebrate the accomplishment? It's not prideful to celebrate a milestone and we would do well to celebrate more!

Whether you're running the race of the track or of life, I hope these lessons are as meaningful to you as they were to me. Check in next week as I share a bit on the subject of "If God knows the number of my days, then why run?" 

Sometimes You Gotta Dig

What did Indiana Jones teach me as a child? 

1. Fear of snakes is completely healthy. 
2. Nazi's were a real superstitious bunch. 
3. Always stop after the third movie. (Still can't believe I paid real money to see Crystal Skull)

The draw of Indiana Jones was the idea of uncovering something that had been buried far too long and was simply waiting for discovery. Christians must also be willing to take on the same work. 

God called the prophet Ezekiel to a dig of discovery, but it wasn't an exciting find. God reveals a small hole in the temple wall and commands the prophet to dig it open and climb through. He enters to find the elders of Israel worshipping idols and false gods within the walls of God's house. 

Then God said to Ezekiel, "You have seen what the (70) elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us.'" Ezekiel 8:12

Here are some quick takeaways:

We need to dig. When we see a hole in our spiritual house, we need to be willing to admit the damage and work with God on the restoration. 

We need to be honest. God sees everything. When we find the damage, we must admit to God both the sin and the cause. 

We need to be swift! Israel had failed to respond to God and their idolatry grew out of secret places into the open where many were deceived. Failing to repent immediately can only lead to further sin. 

Dig in prayer. Be honest about what you find. Respond swiftly to God's conviction. He doesn't expose our sin to destroy us, but to redirect us! 

No Girls Allowed?

Southern Baptists are considering questions about women's roles for ministry in fresh ways. I was asked to share my own journey on this subject in the Illinois Baptist recently. Here is that article:

https://ib2news.org/2018/07/26/no-girls-allowed/

The Difference Between God's Plans and God's Purpose

"What if my dreams do not happen? Will I just change what I told my friends?"
-Twenty One Pilots from "We Don't Believe What's On TV"

We spend too much time looking for God's plans.

It feels like I've spent years looking for God's plans, merely moving from point to point while failing to discover a bigger picture. My wife and I constantly quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 through times of uncertainty, and we have discovered God consistently has plans for our lives even in the most difficult circumstances.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him
and he will make your paths straight.

So I was content to move along the path, believing God for each step.
But in the journey, I forgot about reaching a destination.

I realize my primary goal is not to find God's plans. My primary goal is to live out my purpose.

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

This is not a promise of God to grant every sin or every whim of every heart.
Taking delight in the Lord comes as we make ourselves more pliable in His hands. We grow in our relationship with Him and we discover our purpose. The desires of our heart mirror His desires for us.

God has made me a teacher. That's His purpose.
Right now, God has made me a pastor. That's His plan.
God's plans are always to shape and mold us as we learn to delight in Him and embrace the desires He has placed within us. Understanding this purpose fuels our dreams for what can be...if we don't fall to fear.

One day, I'd like to be a college professor, teaching students to love and apply the Bible. In the meantime, I see how His current plans are growing and stretching me into my purpose.

• Joseph was an Administrator...yet he spent time as a prisoner.
• David's was a King....yet he spent time as a shepherd.
• Peter was an Evangelist...yet he spent time as a fisherman.

Don't be afraid of your dreams. God has made you and knows what gets you motivated and where you are most useful. Keep seeking the plans of God. Put your trust in God. Take your delight in Him, and watch his plans help you to find the purpose your heart has been longing for.