Christianity

Christianity / Dave (personal) / faith / jesus / life — No Comments
17
Aug 10

It’s never enough

No matter what we do, the reality is that it’s never enough. We will always come up short somewhere. Things can always take an unexpected turn for the worst. As a former atheist, I bore the burden of everything on my own. The goal was always to be the best. There was no one who remembered those that came in second or finished last. I lived in that world for almost 38 years. I was always trying to outdo even my own self.

When I first came to comprehend the reality and awe of the voice of God, I was not at some low point. I had accomplished much and had the respect of many. Money talked and I was able to speak pretty loudly for many years with my dollars. When God spoke to me, I didn’t need a savior to rescue me. For me, it was coming to know a sense of purpose and finding a place of rest. When it suddenly became about God’s will and not about my work there was such a sense of relief. No matter how high I climbed, there would always be another rung to reach up for, but in God I knew I no longer needed to keep reaching. Through Christ I realized that it was okay to be where I was at–no climbing up or need to step down. Finally, I could find comfort in who I was and where I was. It wasn’t about me or how others thought about me. Instead, my life became an empty canvas that was being transformed into something of beauty through the effortless God that I came to know and trust with my life.

I’d like to say it’s been smooth sailing ever since I put my faith in Christ. It’s been quite the opposite actually. Life has been challenging to say the least, but I know it’s to fulfill my greater purpose. I still find myself working to overcome obstacles through what I know to do–those things that have helped me find success in the past. Many days I wake up thinking that if I can just make a few more dollars today, how much easier my life would be. If I could just strive a little harder to be a better person things would go my way. It’s never enough. It’s never ever enough.

I have to stop running on the wheel like a hamster and going no where. I must look at things differently. I should see things with the eyes that God gave me, rather than the eyes I used to see the world before I knew him. I have to get away from scratching my way to success and rest in the love and comfort of the One who called me his son and forever changed my life. Being human is hard, and thankfully it’s only temporary.

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Christianity / book review / diversity / evangelism/outreach / multi-cultural — 4 Comments
4
Aug 10

Book Review: Not Like Me by Eric Bryant

Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing A Diverse World is a reprint of Eric Michael Bryant‘s previous book titled Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. I did not read the first release so I am not sure how it is different, but I do know that in the form of Not Like Me, this book is like gold! There is so much in here to take away and apply that it could easily take me a year (or probably more) to get through all of it. Apparently, I’m not alone as Eric has provided small groups resources and teaching materials from the book’s website: http://notlikeme.org/.

Pastor Bryant shares his own personal stories and incorporates a lot of humor in a way that helps break down defenses and makes us want to connect with this book in a more personal level. It’s exactly the type of thing Bryant advocates for us as Christians–and as the church–to do with those we encounter outside of Christian community. He calls us to help overcome the Christian stereotypes that unchurched people tend to have of churched people. In doing so, he wants us to understand that we must hold others in a new light–that which does not include judgement. As Eric writes, “We [Christians] have created an environment where we are seen as judgmental, irrelevant, mean, and hypocritical.” and “We should not be surprised when people who have not surrendered their lives to God live differently [than we Christians should].” In order to see this happen, Bryant’s answer is to practice “the art of woo.” It is through this “art of woo” that Pastor Eric unfolds a story of how we might learn to develop diverse communities, resolve conflict, overcome bitterness, create a better future, and even heal our fractured world. “Wouldn’t it be amazing,” Eric asks in the introduction, “if as followers of Christ we found ourselves as part of the solution in our divided world rather than as part of the problem? In the end, don’t people matter most?”

Sharing stories and ideas on realizing diversity within the church and reaching those that do not know Christ in a relevant way, Not Like Me is a training manual of sorts. It’s a book written by someone that has accomplished all that he offers to teach us. As a pastor and influencer of Mosaic–a diverse and amazing community that seeks to follow (and be more like) Christ with services that are in various locations such as a nightclub–Eric Bryant is someone who lives what he preaches. His heart for seeing diverse communities of Gospel love, compassion, and grace is big. Eric gets why it’s important to celebrate cultural diversity and why the church must be about loving others more so than becoming a shelter filled with Christians trying to escape from the world that doesn’t know Christ.

Thanks to Zondervan and Eric Bryant for allowing me the opportunity and privilege of being a part of the Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing a Diverse World blog tour. It is with great passion and enthusiasm that I will continue to refer to the pages and apply the things that Eric graciously shares for communicating and building community with those around me, especially those not like me.

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Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 1 Comment
25
May 10

What you see is what you get…sometimes

Having lived as an atheist during the first 37 years of my life, I have to admit that I had a burning desire to always be right. Even when I was wrong, I somehow had to find a way to prove myself correct in some aspect. I always had the last word. Almost 6 years into my life of faith in Christ, I take a different perspective. I don’t have to be right anymore. Specifically, I don’t care if others think I am wrong if I know I’m right. I can walk away and let them think I’m wrong. I don’t have to win the argument, nor prove that I’m smarter than someone else. However, this Scripture is something I struggle with:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” –Luke 17:3-4 NIV

You see, when I read certain passages in the Bible it seems to tell me that there are times when I should point out the wrongdoing of others. However, it’s hard to do so without coming across as more-righteous than another and that’s a place I really don’t want to go to anymore.

With that said, I must admit that there are times when people do something out of ignorance. It’s prejudicial, racist, condescending or even blasphemous and I want to reach out and tell them how wrong it is, but 99.9% of the time I just let it go. Unfortunately with me, what happens is that I tend to hold the words or actions of another against them. I won’t be fake and act like I’m okay, but I’ll just choose to avoid the situation and not make a big deal. When I find people say something, yet have their actions reveal something else it’s hurtful and difficult for me to accept in silence.

People aren’t always who they say they are and usually it isn’t revealed in what they say, but instead in what they do. I want to call them out on it. I feel like I have Biblical ammunition to support my case. In the end, I just offer grace and hope that they’ll learn that they are transparent and at some point their words will be revealed as meaningless. I guess I hope that this reaction will be the conviction they need to correct themselves. I just believe that God is there to take care of these things and rather than make a bad situation worse, I’ll let God deal with it in other ways.

My new position finds me feeling weak at times. I come home and kick myself for not standing up and saying something some times. Whether it’s right or wrong to take the high road, I do my best to keep the integrity of my faith and beliefs intact. Some days it’s hard though.

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Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 5 Comments
13
May 10

The clothes make the man!

Funny story, but I ended up wearing a tie to go out on an interview yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve worn a tie in over 2 years. For fun, I posted a picture of me in the tie right before my interview and it’s gotten more responses from people than any nature or family picture I’ve ever posted before on twitter or facebook. Who knew my clothes would have made such an impact!

One of the things I noticed while I was preparing for my interview was how different I felt wearing dress clothes. I was confident and ready to impress. Not that I’m some kind of fashion model in my tie, but that I felt like I was ready to face any question or situation the interviewer would throw at me and knock it out of the park. I was ready. It was the clothes. Had I been dressed in casual attire, I feel as if I would have given casual answers. My mindset was being dictated by how I was dressed.

As I noticed all of the commentary going on about the photo of me in a tie, it got me to thinking about another set of clothes and how they made me feel. As a Christian, I have been taught that I have been clothed by God in righteousness and salvation. Lately, this suit hasn’t made me look good. It isn’t the clothes, but it’s the wearer of the clothes that needs to clean up. You see, I’ve gone through some experiences that have negatively impacted my spirit and outlook. It’s caused me to succumb to a lot of pessimism and negativity. Regardless of the clothes I am wearing, my attitude and language has been one of feeling defeated and without worth.

In Isaiah 61:10 we read about the clothes we’ve been freely given:

I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.

Do I realize that no matter what clothes I may physically put on to start my day, I always have on a suit of salvation and a robe of righteousness? The simple answer is, no I do not always realize this. I have accepted the beautiful wardrobe Christ has given me, but I wear it with a sour attitude and an unappreciative expression.

How about you? Do you always remember that you are as dapper as groom in his tuxedo or as stunning as a bride in her jeweled tiara? God wants us to remember this and to be forever thankful for his grace in our lives, as he shares his grace through us for others.

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Christianity / Dave (personal) / faith / jesus / worship — 2 Comments
22
Apr 10

Love is to risk…

Saw a tweet from Exponential yesterday from my friend Jenni Clayville:

“LOVE is to risk. When we play it safe, we aren’t being like Jesus.” –Alan Hirsch

It caused me to reflect on how often we (his disciples) see Jesus in so many different ways. Some may say it’s a reflection of the various aspect of Jesus as he goes about meeting our needs or calling us closer to him, but I would disagree. I think regardless of how we feel Jesus is speaking to us, we always think of it from his perspective of loving kindness. However, in reality, Jesus was a risk taker and game changer! He challenged the authority and even the traditional rules of the holy sabbath day. Jesus was rarely in a place that would be considered safe. So, if we are truly following him, then if we find ourselves in safe and comfortable places, is Jesus really just one step ahead?

I’m reminded of the Nooma Video titled Dust. It’s titled Dust because back in Jesus’ day rabbis had followers that walked with them everywhere in the hopes that they would learn some great piece of wisdom. Rumor has it that they followed so closely that even while going to the bathroom a rabbi could expect a disciple to be at his side in fear of missing out on something if he weren’t there. They had a saying back then:

“May you be covered by the dust of your rabbi.”

Which in essence meant, may you so-closely follow in the footsteps of your rabbi that as he walks, the dust that gets kicked up from his sandals covers you. Pause for a moment and process that. Take any of the gospel accounts of Jesus that you can think of and imagine following him that closely. You’ll realize that Jesus was a very dangerous man in his day, and he has called us to follow him into those areas as he covers us in his holy, loving, empowering dust.

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