March 24, 2011

Lately I've been asked the question what's the difference betwen justification and sanctification.  So I thought I would post about those differences and help someone that may be struggling with this very important topic. Understanding the difference between justification and sanctification can be as important as understanding the difference between salvation and damnation. Rightly dividing between the two is of crucial importance. When you understand what they are, you can then draw a line in the sand and say, "This is what saves. This is not what saves."

Justification is the work of God where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner so the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the Law (Rom. 4:3; 5:1,9; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). This righteousness is not earned or retained by any effort of the saved. Justification is an instantaneous occurrence with the result being eternal life. It is based completely and solely upon Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and is received by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification. Otherwise, it is not a gift (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, we are justified by faith (Romans 5:1).

Sanctification, on the other hand, involves the work of the person. But it is still God working in the believer to produce more of a godly character and life in the person who has already been justified (Phil. 2:13). Sanctification is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone. The justified person is actively involved in submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly (Gal. 5:22-23). Significantly, sanctification has no bearing on justification. That is, even if we don't live a perfect life, we are still justified.

Where justification is a legal declaration that is instantaneous, sanctification is a process. Where justification comes from outside of us, from God, sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Bible. In other words, we contribute to sanctification through our efforts. In contrast, we do not contribute to our justification through our efforts.

Does this mean that those justified by grace can sin as much as they want?

Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it?"

1 Thess. 4:7 says, "God has called us not for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification."

The Scriptures teach us that we are to live holy lives and avoid sin (Col. 1:5-11). Just because we are saved and eternally justified before God (John 10:28), that is no excuse to continue in the sin from which we were saved. Of course, we all sin (Rom. 3:23). But the war between the saved and sin is continuous (Rom. 7:14-20) and it won't be until the return of Jesus that we will be delivered from this body of death (Rom. 7:24). To seek sin continually and use God's grace to excuse it later is to trample the blood of Christ underfoot (Heb. 10:29) and to reveal the person's true sinful, unsaved nature (1 John 2:4; 2:19). (Other verses worth checking out are: Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; and 1 Pet. 2:21-22.)

What the cults do with justification and sanctification

The cults consistently blur the meanings of the two terms and misapply the truths taught in God's word. The result is a theology of works righteousness, of earning their salvation which only leads to damnation. This is because by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified (Gal. 2:16). Man cannot contribute to his salvation (Gal. 5:1-8). Man is sinful and even his best deeds are stained and filthy before God (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, making a person right before God can only be God's work (Gal. 2:20).

Typically, in cult theologies, a person is not justified (declared righteous in God's eyes) until the final day of judgment when his works are weighed and a reward is given or he is found worthy of his place with God. Thus, a person with this errant theology can not claim 1 John 5:13 as his own which says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Contextually, "These things" refers to loving God, being obedient to Him, belief in Christ, and eternal life in Jesus. Therefore, 1 John 5:13 can be considered a test. If you are believing and doing the right things, then you will know if you have eternal life. Can a cultist know he has eternal life? No. He cannot. But a Christian can.

People in cults don't understand the difference between justification and sanctification. Therefore, they must depend upon a cooperative effort with God to have their sins forgiven which is, essentially, combining the filthy works of man (Isaiah 64:6) with the holy work of God. They don't mix. They can't. Hence, salvation is by grace through faith, alone. To believe anything else is to miss salvation.

For more clarity on this subject and others visit http://www.carm.org/ for a deeper look into theology and Chrisitian Apologetics. This post is not orginal to me but can be found at http://carm.org/justification-and-sanctification.

                                                                                                               February 15, 2011

A hush… No soft tones or even a whisper, but silence. A silence that lasts for far more than a night. Days, weeks and even months of wonder have left their stain. Wonder that resonated with the question of, "When  would I hear His voice again?". It is part of a journey that I contend every believer in Christ muddles through at some point or another. Its result is different for many and its purpose is even more mysterious for the truthful. The “Why’s?” and the “What for’s?” are inevitable in this season, but the answers remain so often left in the silence.

For the past six months I’ve been as silent on my blog as God has been with me. The sense of emptiness in the air has been suffocating at times and fascinating at others. And for those that truly know me they have witnessed my emotion and at times have wrestled with my responses. Many have prayed with me, however if honesty is present my omission is that many were simply praying for me. It has been a sort of tit-for-tat reality with me lately. Sadly, the idea of thinking that He doesn’t want to speak with me leads to the harmful nature of thinking that I just won’t speak to Him either. Selfishness that is rooted in pity is an ugly sight to behold, but it’s real.

Over the past seven months I have lived on the Big Island of Hawaii with nothing more than responsibility to a job. It is a job that for the most part I understand fairly well. I know the details that are involved and the requirements that it places on me, but nonetheless it has been a job. This job started with an unction that very few would understand. An unction that compelled me to leave a church that we were allowed to found, create and invest our lives in. Unction to leave a people that held our hearts and travel to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and start over. It was filled with confirmations of scripture and the affirmations of people that found their way into our lives. It was clear and yet far from comfortable. To many it was risky and audacious. To me it was just simply about obedience.

However, all that confirmation came before the silence. It was like hearing the voice of God right up to the moment that air filled the cabin of that Boeing 717 moments before deboarding on the runway of Kona International Airport. No warning, no reason, no explanation. I don’t have the privilege of saying that I handled this season of silence well. It’s more like this season has handled me. There have been better days than others with some moments of joy sprinkled throughout. Yet if I was asked to describe it with one word it would be relatively easy for me to do so… hard. I can hear you all the way from the Mainland, “It’s real hard to suffer in paradise” or “Stop whining already, you live in Hawaii.” The fact of the matter is that paradise without the voice of the Father is worse than years in the dessert with it.

This past week God showed me that Nehemiah lived in this silence for four months. With a heavy heart and a broken spirit he waited for God to open a door for a movement of His Spirit. For four months he prayed and fasted wondering what God would have him do. Desperately desiring to be more than a cup bearer to the king, he waited through the silence. We don’t see why it took four months nor do we understand what God was doing during the four months. The fact of the matter was that Nehemiah had an obligation to wait as patiently as he knew how knowing that any other course of action could cost him his life before the king. Nehemiah was brought to a place of understanding that regardless of what he thought he could accomplish in his own heart, his dreams were pointless without the hand of the Father being upon him. History shows that because of an edict formally signed by the King eleven years prior there was absolutely nothing Nehemiah could have done without the king’s permission. Not only did he need the king’s permission he needed his blessing. This blessing would have to go beyond the approval of an idea, but would require the resources and support necessary to accomplish it.

Did you hear that? That was the sound silence makes when it breaks after a long pause. I’m finding that silence breaks when there is willingness, and maybe even desperation of sorts, to place God’s voice above the voice of our own personal pursuits. God’s showing me that my plans and ambition are being thwarted by the need for Godly blessing. It’s understanding that my job isn’t about me or my thoughts of glorified pursuits, but about God’s Kingdom being furthered for His name, not mine. It’s finding room for Him to move and accomplish His desires in me and through me. It's waiting, trusting, praying, and seeing the moment to testify on behalf of the one true King.

                                                                                                                 October 21,2010

It’s quite. My wife and children have all gone to bed and I find myself in a place, that I hate to admit, is all too familiar. I promised myself that my blog would be a place of honesty, a place where I would express the hardest parts of my journey. So instead of having another private entry into my journal tonight I thought I would write about the messy reality of a pastor’s heart on this road less traveled.

See for those of you that might be stopping by for the first time you might find this a bit unnerving. It’s OK if you feel that way because it makes me, the writer, a bit uncomfortable. See, I’m in a season that pastors never like to talk about. It’s like I pledged some secret fraternity that has an unspoken rule. It is a rule that discourages honesty about our passion for God’s Word. Well, maybe that is a bit misleading. It is less about my passion for the Word, but more about my lack thereof. You see my heart at times experiences a seasonal change like the Fall leaves as months that pass by in the mountains of Colorado. This season in my journey is not one that you want to meander through and take snapshots to hang on the wall. This season comes with a hundred excuses, excuses justifying my lack of desire for God’s Love Letter to me. Excuses that fumble off the tongue like a young school child when asked to turn in the homework that they forgot to complete. There continues to be this nagging tug at my heart like my son’s holding onto my pant leg in a busy supermarket. A tug that says slow down and be with the Father. However, my routine is less disturbing than my heart’s desire. The essence of what I’m saying is my soul is dry and the bucket that one lowers into the well keeps hitting the bottom producing a resounding sharp echo… “Clank”.

Now ask yourself, what could be more useless than a dry well? It’s not like you can simply turn a well without water into something useful. I don’t see this being a HGTV special where they come in and do a makeover on some fancy Victorian home. We’re talking about a deep hole in the ground that is nothing more than empty. Empty and missing the very thing that gives it purpose, water. So why would I tell you, my reader, this? Well, I’m guessing that there are people out there that have felt this very same thing before and have thought to themselves, “There must be something wrong with me.” Or, “Maybe God doesn’t love me as much as He used to.” It’s not like I’m trying to avoid His Word. I’m not looking to run from Him or trying to conceal some secret sin issue that I’m unwilling to address. Right now I’m in a season that His Word doesn’t seem to be alive and active. There’s a silence in the air.

Now I’m not so naïve as to assume that the Word is not alive and active in spite of my inability to see it right now. God is on the move regardless of my spiritual or emotional inability to recognize His voice on the pages of His Word. I’m speaking more about the lack of passion to be in the Word. I personally believe that every believer goes through these seasons whether we talk about it or not. This post isn’t to justify this place or even make sense of how I got here. I’m writing to acknowledge this season and that this heart still has a propensity to wonder into places that have walls. Walls that seem to trap the way I think and walls that seem unforgiving as they move in to create this smallness to His presence. These walls create a place where the rope leading out seems to be just out of grasp. There is light in the distance as I look up from the bottom, but it’s damp in the darkness.

There is hope that water will once again touch these walls and consume the presence of this place. There is understanding that this bucket that seems empty will once again rise up with a purpose. There is knowledge that it will rain again and this season will change like the spring taking from the presence of winter. For now however, I will continue to reach for a rope that today seems out of my grasp. I know the days ahead will produce something different. How do I know? I’ve been here before. See I don’t think this is strange or contrary to the life of a believer. I know the ebb and flow of our journey. The question is not, "Why am I here?” The question is, "How long am I willing to wait upon His Word to drink the water again?" It brings to mind an old song that my dad used to sing when I was a kid. “Spring up ol’ well within my soul. Spring up ol’ well and make me whole.” Maybe that song writer understood me…

                                                                                                              October 14, 2010

The emotion on the front end of taking a risk to follow Christ is much different than the emotion you experience on the back end. Many will never understand what I’m talking about. For those that have given up a dream or ambition to follow Christ in His purpose for their life understand the emotion that I’m speaking of. This emotion rests in a place where there are a thousand questions about our futures. It’s a place that is foreign and uncomfortable because it’s produced in our lives when we give up our ways in exchange for His. It is not comfortable. It is not always joyous and it is defiantly not easy.

The questions of "why" are met with silence. The ability to see beyond tomorrow is void. Everything is new and strange. You’re met with an overwhelming tension between what you've known and loved with the reality of a calling to love and invest yourself into something different. I don’t think it’s anything new. It’s a tension that goes all the way back to the first church. I see it in the pages of Jews being sent to influence Gentiles and Gentiles going to the Jews. Its image is overlooked in the fine details on page after page of people reaching into the lives of people that were unlike their own. To stay in Jerusalem would have been easy, but Samaria?

It’s an amazing thing when you find yourself being thrust into the deeper realms of scripture. See Acts1:8 has taken on a whole new tone and significance to me. I just thought I understood the “uttermost parts of the world” bit because of a mission trip here and there. I thought I had a glimpse of a diverse culture that the “Samaria” reference stood for in our church speak. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Diversity is not truly understood when you are in the majority. Diversity is only understood when you are faced with a reality that you are the minority and the knowledge that you will continue to be. That is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it does give you a deeper glimpse into the cost of reaching your “Samaria” or the “utter most parts”. I’m finding that this knowledge is another tool that my Redeemer is using to bring me into a deeper reliance of who He is. This kind of education strips us down of the self-reliance and pride that our Jerusalem’s tend build up within us. There is nothing more sobering than being in place that sees no value in your accomplishments somewhere else.

This place of reliance on who He is can be a good place. It can be a place of intimacy with the King. It can strengthen us. It can prepare us for a journey that can blow our minds and speak to our souls. It can change us. However, it has to start within the heart and emotion of who we are. See the emotion that we tend to make the choice to step out and follow our King with so frequently changes when our pursuit takes us through Samaria. Our emotion begins to change when our expectations are altered. Our emotions begin to speak with more reality in our lives than our God. It’s a dangerous place to be, hence the need to address our dependence on our Father. My emotions are God given, but so is His Word. What I choose to listen to more will greatly alter how I see my God. He continues to speak into me… “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding, but in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

                                                                                                                  August 29, 2010

I have never reposted a blog of another writer before.  It is highly unlikely that I will again, however Dr. Moore's perspesctive on this matter is spot on with my heart and concerns.  To read more from Russell D. Moore you can find him at http://www.russellmoore.com/2010/08/29/god-the-gospel-and-glenn-beck/ .  Dr. Moore is the Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  I'm glad to see that people are willing to stand up and speak to this issue.

"Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.

The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, of course, is that Mormon at the center of all this. Beck isn’t the problem. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I’m quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the “Tea Party” or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.

It’s taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined “revival” and “turning America back to God” that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.

Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good (which would have, by necessity, been nuanced enough to put us sometimes at odds with our political allies), we’ve relied on populist God-and-country sloganeering and outrage-generating talking heads. We’ve tolerated heresy and buffoonery in our leadership as long as with it there is sufficient political “conservatism” and a sufficient commercial venue to sell our books and products.

Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah.

Leaders will always be tempted to bypass the problem behind the problems: captivity to sin, bondage to the accusations of the demonic powers, the sentence of death. That’s why so many of our Christian superstars smile at crowds of thousands, reassuring them that they don’t like to talk about sin. That’s why other Christian celebrities are seen to be courageous for fighting their culture wars, while they carefully leave out the sins most likely to be endemic to the people paying the bills in their movements.

Where there is no gospel, something else will fill the void: therapy, consumerism, racial or class resentment, utopian politics, crazy conspiracy theories of the left, crazy conspiracy theories of the right; anything will do. The prophet Isaiah warned us of such conspiracies replacing the Word of God centuries ago (Is. 8:12–20). As long as the Serpent’s voice is heard, “You shall not surely die,” the powers are comfortable.

This is, of course, not new. Our Lord Jesus faced this test when Satan took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and their glory. Satan did not mind surrendering his authority to Jesus. He didn’t mind a universe without pornography or Islam or abortion or nuclear weaponry. Satan did not mind Judeo-Christian values. He wasn’t worried about “revival” or “getting back to God.” What he opposes was the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of the world.

We used to sing that old gospel song, “I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.” The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.

Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any “revival” that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a “revival” of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.

It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.

And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer."

                                                                                                               August 25, 2010

Well, I’m back at it again after taking some time to adjust to a new season of ministry here in Hawaii. Many may think that living in paradise is all anyone could ask for, but what the common tourist fails to understand is that this is a community unlike any other. It’s different. To the common mainland perspective it is a bit strange or even dysfunctional at first glance, but that does not detract from the fact that genuine community exists within this unique cultural paradigm.

You see a “Community” is defined by the group of people, who have common cultural, ethical and religious beliefs, living together in a particular local area. The people can also form a community if they have any other virtues in common, like a common profession, a common language, common goals of life, etc. the term Community is widely used to evoke a sense of collectivism. It’s no different here. The culture thrives on community here at a rich and deep level. Matter of fact the Hawaiian language expresses a strong sense of community. A term that resonates with me is one that plays out in the community beautifully and that term is ohana.

From an outsiders perspective they would see ohana as simply meaning family. However, here ohana carries a sense that family is a place to feed each other and to be fed, as well. One of the Hawaiian proverbs recorded by the venerated Mary Kawena Pukui is ‘Ike aku, ‘ike mai, kōkua aku, kōkua mai; pela iho la ka nohana ‘ohana -- "Recognize others, be recognized, help others, be helped; such is a family relationship." Yet there is a deeper understanding that you will quickly grasp if you spend time with people here. Ohana is more than just family. It’s an understanding that within the family or a community of families no one get’s left behind. There is value placed in each and every member of the family or community unit. It’s a beautiful display of how God sees us.

Scott Peck says it well when he wrote, “There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.” I’m staggered by the understanding that this is the very sentiment that encapsulates the original intent and design of the church. Not just the church here in this small part of the world, but globally. The church was commissioned with this sense of understanding that we are to bring the gospel to the least of those within our community or family. That takes risk and vulnerability. Have we lost our way? Have we become willing to leave certain people behind for the sake of our agendas or our unwillingness to be vulnerable?

Groucho Marx was recorded as saying, “I would never belong to a group that would accept someone like me as a member.” My prayer for our time here would be to reach into a culture and communicate the love of Christ in such ways that the Groucho Marx’s of the Pacific Islands would find a place to belong. I’m still a firm believer that people don’t have a problem with our God, they have a problem with our churches. Lord help me to lead with the conviction and tenacity to create a deeper understanding of ohana in the life of your Bride. May I be vulnerable enough to take the risks that would allow us to see Your glory displayed here and beyond. Lord help me to understand that the life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.

                                                                                                                    July 18, 2010

You know there had to be moments in scripture that we don’t fully grasp nor do we really even catch a glimpse of, but you know they were there in the backdrop of people’s lives. There were moments in time where great men and women of faith had to have their last day. We don’t see them or read about them and we really don’t have much understanding of the depth and grief that came along with them. However, I have no doubt that there was a bittersweet and even painful last day with many of the people we see in God’s Word. It was that last day spent with the people they loved before moving toward a deeper call in the relationship with their God.

I’m talking about a last day like Moses spent with his family or friends before heading to Egypt to convience the Pharaoh to let Yahweh’s people go. Or the last day Nehemiah had with his people of prayer before he left to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. There was a morning in which Joshua had to wake up and realize that today he would move through a difficult moment of leading God's people into the promise land all the while realizing it would be without the voice of his dear friend and leader, Moses. There are moments in scripture where people had to experience a last day in the life they knew or even loved before God could use them in His divine plan of redemption.

Can you begin to imagine the last morning Abraham had with his son before heading up the mountain toward a soon to be altar or Esther in her last day of fasting before having to approach the King uninvited; knowing it could have cost her everything, including her life? There had to be moments in the lives of these great people that mirrored my morning. I woke up around 5:30 with a deep sadness that today would be my last day of worship with people that have held my heart. It was like I got punched in the stomach realizing that this was really happening. I thought I understood the gravity of this season when I told our church family that the Lord was leading us to Hawaii. I was wrong. I thought the day the movers showed up to load the truck with all the boxes of stuff was the real kicker. Wrong again. I now realize it’s worship that has brought me together with these dear people. All along it's been the preaching of His Word that has bound my heart with His people. It’s spiritual you could say.

Now I’m not trying to compare the emotion or confliction that I have with leaving my ministry here in Denver, CO with these moments in scripture, but none-the-less this moment is real for me. Its days like today that force me to realize that there have been people long before me that have been called into deeper walks of faith who had to leave lives they loved behind. It’s realizing that in order to pursue the upward call of Christ we must be moving forward and that doesn’t always allow us to remain in the same places. That’s what makes being a Christian so hard. Faith and obedience calls us out of places of comfort. Our pursuit of our King calls us to walk in places of great unknowns. It’s what makes it simply hard at times to draw near to Him. The reality of it all is that being close to God is not only hard at times, it’s also painful.

Today we worship with some dear friends for the last time on this side of glory. It’s my last day and once again I don’t write for you the reader, I write for me. As badly as I want this day to be over at 7:30 in the morning I also want to remember how I felt about it. You see people often ask me how I measure success in ministry sadly because we have a tendency to measure the success of things by numbers or dollars. I’m writing to remind myself that I should be measuring the success of ministry by the depth of relationship I have with His people. Success is not whether we have seventy-five, a hundred, or even a hundred and fifty today in worship. It’s about this. It’s about knowing Him more. I believe with all my heart that there is a community of believers that know Him more because of our time here. Success is about drawing close to Him and His people. Yet sadly enough the relationships that make a ministry so healthy and meaningful are the very thing that make our last day here hurt the most…

                                                                                                                     July 8, 2010

Eight years. Eight years ago I joined hands with Justin and Melissa West, Suzie Kramer and my bride to embark on the greatest journey of our lives. This journey took us into the community of Green Valley Ranch to pour our hearts and souls into the lives of a people that would bless us abundantly. This journey to plant a new church in Denver, CO would at times wreck me with conviction and bring tears of joy as we witnessed the victory of fathers and mothers coming to know Christ intimately. The countless hours of pouring our lives into the people of HVC and this community have left an indelible mark on my soul. Yet, God has once again moved and with a sovereign and divine hand He calls our family to say goodbye.

I never thought for a second that my heart and future would not be consumed by the life of this precious body of believers. I’ve cried with couples in their homes as they fought for their marriages. I’ve prayed over countless individuals that have stepped out in faith to step onto the mission field as they shared the love of Christ. I’ve counseled people through addiction and hopelessness to see the Holy Spirit move them into a season of freedom and joy. I have been blessed to see the work of a big God take hold of the hearts of mothers and fathers to now see Him ushering their children into the Kingdom of God. We’ve witnessed over a hundred precious souls walk through the waters of baptism. Hope Valley has touched the soils of places such as Fiji, Belarus, Brazil, Mexico, Slovakia, Iraq, and the Samoan Islands. We washed clothes and cooked meals in the heart of New Orleans after tragedy struck. We gave sacrificially when the call came to work with teachers in our schools and families without food. We gave our time every year to take breakfast to the street corners and gifts to the doorsteps of our neighborhoods. Whether it was Christmas or Thanksgiving we saw the smiles of hurting families receive food or gifts when they that thought the holiday would bring hopelessness and fear. Whether it was a free car wash or a simple conversation over coffee God left His fingerprints on one life after another with His grace.

Today as I pack boxes to prepare for the movers that arrive in two days I struggle to really believe this is happening. The question of why has definitely plagued me. I don’t want to go, yet I’m aware of His call that resounds in my soul. My time here is complete yet my heart rests with the friends and families of this dear place. The voices of this place have shaped me and taught me immeasurable principles of truth and love. I’ve learned through countless mistakes what grace looks like by my God and his people. This has been my home. These have been my people. This has been my life.

There is understanding in His Word that proclaims that His ways are not our ways. His desires are not always my desires, yet my heart longs to make His desires my own. I have to grasp the reality that to be called a child of the King means I have to willing to follow Him. I struggle with obedience being greater than sacrifice. I wish my excuses carried more weight, but they simply fall short as they did with Moses standing in the presence of a burning bush. Some might find it trivial that I’m struggling to move to Hawaii to start over with a new people and culture, but those people don’t understand the depth of relationship that I’ve been blessed with. The children that I’ve come to love and see as precious to my own family will grow up with another a pastor. There will be weddings; there will be funerals of people that have been part of my family and my life. Soon there will be another voice speaking into the lives of people that I, like Paul, call spiritual children of mine. They are true trophies of the ministry that God has blessed me with. There are many pastors that have never had the opportunity to truly be loved by their people, I have.

I don’t know who convinced me to give a six week resignation, but I’m now wondering if they had any idea how hard it is to have a long goodbye. Each day holds a different conversation or a moment that speaks to me. I’m thankful for each one, but each one is hard. I wonder how Paul felt each time he left a group of believers that he had pour his life into wondering if he would ever see them again? His letters take on new meaning to me as he wrote to people that he cared so deeply about. I truly believe this is what ministry is all about. This is supposed to be hard. For the pastors out there that leave church after church I’m sad they don’t understand a sadness that should come from their time with a people. My dear friend and co-pastor Kevin Miller has stated several times he’s just sad. Well, I can truly say I understand his heart. Grief is a funny thing. You want to avoid it, but you know deep down you can’t. I don’t want to, but at the same time I do.

Today I write for me, not you the reader. This is part of my grief. As well, part of my joy. I know that what awaits me will bring great hope in who He is and all the while a struggle in the journey itslef. It will be different and I’m thankful for that. I don’t want to replace anything. I want to experience the newness of my God with a new people. People that will have new journey's and yet people that will see a hope renewed in glorious ways. I’m thankful that my God considers me faithful enough to take what I’ve learned here and impart that to a people that are wanting more out of church and life. I’m ready for a new season of life and ministry, but first I must say goodbye….

                                                                                                                    June 16, 2010

I wish I could share what the Lord is doing in me right now. My world continues to be radically changed by His big hand. I'm emotionally spent and physically fatigued. I'm at a place where there is joy in the hurt of letting go of my dreams in order to know His more. I can't explain it all right now simply because there are still so many unanswered questions, but I'm grateful for the move of God in my life.

                                                                                                                    June 4, 2010

There are certain times when our understanding of what God is doing demands more from us than others. It is the grander moments when God is doing a new thing in our spirits and lives that there is excitement and yet trepidation. It's that nagging thought that we were meant for more.  Yet in those defining moments there is a reality that sets in that forces us out of our comfort zones. It makes us examine the comfort of our lives and the ease by which we exist in a Western culture. We preach about it more times than we can count, but actually doing something to address this comfort that dulls our senses to the move of God, well that is a whole other topic. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable and it’s not part of our natural makeup in my opinion. The question that resonates with me today is what am I made of when things get real?

See when things get real it costs us something. For each of us that something may be different. It may be a way of life or a financial standard of living, homes, reputation, friendships or maybe our idols. In many ways it is those things that we put before God in our lives that cost us intimacy with the King. There are moments when we talk a good game about being fearless and willing to follow God wherever He leads. It’s like Leonardo Dicaprio on the Titanic screaming, “I’m the King of the world!” However, if you notice he screamed that because he was in a place of great comfort. There was no storm; there was no water on the boat. But what are we saying when the water is ankle deep. When our ways of living and doing what we do are placed on the altar of sacrifice, what are saying?

Things can always seem exciting from a distance. A car accident gets our attention from a distance, but no one wants to be in the accident. How do we express our heart when we are moving in pursuit of our King and that pursuit has the potential of changing everything about our lives. Moses was there at the burning bush. Abraham was there with Isaac. The disciples encountered this in that moment with Jesus in the garden. It’s the difference between having head knowledge about God doing a new and glorious thing and actually being in the midst of the new thing itself. I think of Paul and Silas in the prison singing songs and praying before the earthquake or Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego on their walk to the furnace. Or even Daniel before he could smell the lions.

See many people bail on the “real” when it hits to close to home. Many people would rather look at “real” from a distance. They are normal. However, normal never changed the world. I’m not judging those that live in the normal. If I did I would have to admit that I’ve been normal at times in my life as well. I’m talking today about my personal journey to know my God in a personal and intimate place that costs me my idols. I have found a holy discontent in my spirit with normal, today. That doesn’t mean that it won't come roaring back like a race car in the Indy 500 tomorrow. That’s why I hate living by emotion. It changes the heart and distorts the voice of God and yet at times it is the mechanism that God uses to capture the heart of His people. Emotion without the Word of God is a dangerous thing.

Today I want to be in that place that a good friend of mine refers to as the “stupid zone.” It’s that place of living in Christ where we move so far outside the normal that if God doesn’t show up we simply look stupid. It’s in those places that God has the opportunity to be God. It’s where He proves just how big He really is. Many of us never see how glorious our God is cause we see “real” from a distance. I want more from the gifts and purpose He has placed within me. Lord, I’m ready for the “real”…. at least for today.