Golf with dad

I just returned from my annual golf trip with my dad and ten other guys. This trip actually started with five of us 16 years ago (And yes, for those of you who know anything about golf, five is a horrible number of guys to take on a golf trip).

Some highlights of the trip:

*Our foursome had just finished the ninth hole. We were waiting on another foursome to tee off on the tenth. We're standing there watching as a serious golfer steps up to the tee. I mean this guy looks the part. $80 golf shirt. $200 golf shoes. $400 driver. You know where this is going. He takes a mighty swing and whiffs! The ball falls off the tee and rolls for about two inches!

Even though we've all had this happen to us before, we're all doing our best to not fall on our backs and crack up laughing . . . Priceless.

*Billy called to tell us that he would be late for the first day's tee time. He and his dad, Ben, were standing in the front yard getting ready to leave on the golf trip. Billy's two daughter's, Dakotah and Hannah, come out and kiss Billy and Grandpa Ben goodbye. Dakotah and Hannah get in their car and pull out of the driveway . . . they don't stop to look to see if anyone is coming . . . Billy and Grandpa Ben are watching this surreal moment . . . A truck is coming down their neighborhood road at 60 mph. WHAM!!! Dakotah and Hannah are spinning in circles inside their totaled car. The pick-up truck sheers off a telephone pole and comes to a stop. Billy and Grandpa Ben run to the car and then to the truck . . . everyone is fine. Life is fragile. If anything would have happened to those two little girls, we all would have turned around and come home. Everyone okay and friendships like that . . . Priceless.

*My dad, who is turning 70 this year, steps up to a putt on number nine. He arrogantly boasts, "I'm going to drive this ball into the back of the cup to win the match for us!" And then he drives a 15 footer into the hole! 15 years of golf trips with my dad . . . Words cannot express . . . Beyond priceless . . .

A "Dee Dah Day"

I love the story that author, John Ortberg, writes in his book The Life You’ve Always Wanted. He writes, “Sometime ago I was giving a bath to our three children. I had a custom of bathing them together, more to save time than anything else. I knew that eventually I would have to stop the group bathing, but for the time being it seemed efficient.

Johnny was still in the tub, Laura was out and safely in her pajamas, and I was trying to get Mallory dried off. Mallory was out of the water, but was doing what has come to be known in our family as the Dee Dah Day dance. This consists of her running around and around in circles, singing over and over again ‘Dee dah day, dee dah day.’ It is a relatively simple dance expressing great joy. When she is too happy to hold it in any longer, when words are inadequate to give voice to her euphoria, she has to dance to release her joy. So she does the Dee Dah Day.

On this particular occasion, I was irritated. ‘Mallory, hurry!’ I prodded. So she did—she began running in circles faster and faster and chanting ‘dee dah day’ more rapidly. ‘No, Mallory, that’s not what I mean! Stop with the dee dah day stuff, and get over here so I can dry you off. Hurry!’

Then she asked a profound question: ‘Why?’

I had no answer. I had nowhere to go, nothing to do, no meetings to attend, no sermons to write. I was just so used to hurrying, so preoccupied with my own little agenda, so trapped in this rut of moving from one task to another, that here was life, here was joy, here was an invitation to the dance right in front of me—and I was missing it.”

I love that story because I have the same tendency to get so busy that I “miss the invitation to the dance.” I misplace my priorities thinking that the things in life that really matter are the things that I accomplish—the things I can “check off” my to do list. And in the process, I miss the “Dee Dah Day” moments.

Not long ago, Lee Ann Womack had the hit single, “I Hope You Dance.” In the chorus of the song she simply makes the statement, “And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance . . . I hope you dance.” And by the way, God encourages the same thing: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24)

Do the “Dee Dah Day!”

Invaluable

I spent yesterday morning with my mentor, Wess Stafford, in Colorado Springs. Wess is the President of Compassion International and has been mentoring me for about the past year and a half.

Wess recently celebrated his 30th year working with Compassion. The past 14 have been as the organization's President. In 1977, when he started with Compassion, the annual budget was 5 million dollars. The 2008 budget will be 341 million! Certainly a lot of money, but consider that they are now caring for more than 900,000 children around the world! In the short time that I have been meeting with Wess that number has grown from 700,000 sponsored children.

Every time I meet with Wess I come away filled with new nuggets of wisdom, a desire to be a more godly leader and a profound passion for children on the margins of society. This trip was no different.

Wess shared with me that when his daughters turned six years old that he began taking them on trips with him each summer. One daughter at a time. They would travel together to one of Wess' speaking engagements and after he was finished . . . it was fun father and daughter time. Now that his daughters are grown, they remember those trips as some of the most important times in their lives. My daughter Tabitha is eight, I've got to start doing that.

Wess travels a zillion miles a year, all around the globe. And he flies coach class. Flying first class would make the travel a whole lot easier (and much more enjoyable). He told me that if he flies first class then many others in the Compassion organization would begin flying first class . . . and consequently Compassion's overhead would go up. Less money to the children. Wess is a very tall man, but his heart is bigger for the children than it is for his own comfort.

I was up at 4:30 A.M. to catch my flight to Denver. Got in bed at 1 A.M. after returning home. Time spent with Wess . . . invaluable.

A new category in our budget

My wife, Julie and I, were able to put a new category in our budget this year. Each month we set aside $200 to serve people. The $200 is above and beyond our tithe to our local church home. It's simply used to love people the way Jesus would love them.

And it has been a blast!

Most of the time we give gifts anonymously (like the gas cards and grocery cards we recently gave to a family going through a tough time). Other times, like today, we were able to love our neighbors. Their mom died a couple of days ago and they're not involved with a church. So we took them a couple hundred dollars worth of food and flowers (You know, ham and stuff).

I'm certainly not sharing this with you to say, "Hey, look at us!" I'm telling you because this is one of the best "Jesus things" we've ever done. I'm telling you this to encourage you to consider doing the same.

Thank God I'm not a woman?

I've discovered some very cool stuff in my study time this week.

In the days that Jesus physically walked this earth, the Jewish rabbis had a particular prayer that they would pray virtually every day. It went like this: "Blessed art thou, O God, for not making me a Gentile, slave, or woman."

Nice, huh ladies?

What I discovered this week is that the rabbis weren't bashing the Gentiles, slaves and women. They really were simply thanking God that they were men . . . and for good reason.

They were thanking God because Gentiles, slaves and women were not allowed to participate fully in the community of faith. If you remember, in the Temple, there was a court for Gentiles, and a court for women. Both with restricted access into the Temple . . . restricted access into God's presence.

Then along comes Jesus. And Jesus values Gentiles. And slaves. And women.

The Apostle Paul (a Jesus follower) writes in Galatians 3:28, "Now, there is neither Gentile or Jew, slave or free, male or female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus."

The Apostle Paul, as a rabbi, would have prayed the prayer, "Blessed art thou, O God, for not making me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman," most every day of his life . . . Until he had an encounter with Jesus.

It is no accident that Paul uses the same three groupings . . . no Gentile or Jew, no slave or free, no male or female . . . He knew the prayer, but he knew Jesus' heart even better. He knew that Jesus came to usher in a new community.

It took about 200 years to break down the barriers between the Jews and Gentiles (read the book of Acts). It took more than 1800 years to break down the walls between slave and free. How long will it take for the church to break down the walls between male and female?

An open apology

I can’t apologize for all Christians but I can apologize for the way many of us Christians have a tendency to misrepresent Christ. I’m sorry for the bumper-stickers that tell you “I’m not perfect, just forgiven,” and then we drive like a bat out of hell. I’m sorry for a pamphlet left on the table that tells you how to get to heaven instead of leaving an appropriate tip. I’m sorry for being so involved in “church” that I make no positive difference in the community. I’m sorry for preaching that God created the earth and then not really taking good care of what He created. I’m sorry for signs that are held at rallies that say “God hates fags.”

I’m sorry for the crusades—holy wars that were decreed in the name of Christ—that were simply excuses to accumulate wealth.

I’m sorry for horrible inquisitions, using every imaginable form of torture, to help the church maintain its political power.

I’m sorry that the church condemned scientists as heretics because they presented differing views from what the church taught.

I’m sorry, that for centuries, the church not only condoned slavery but was heavily involved in the slave trade.

I’m sorry that a large portion of the church turned a blind eye to Hitler’s attempted genocide of the Jewish race.

I am painfully aware that many people view Christians as arrogant and unconcerned about their opinions. And for that, I am sorry. I’m sorry that, in so many ways, we have failed to live like Jesus . . . but maybe it all begins with an apology.

Mother's Day

If you have had a child throw up while in bed with you . . .
If you have changed a diaper and wondered what in the world that child ate . . .
If you know how to make at least three different kinds of macaroni and cheese . .
If you know all the words to Itsy Bitsy Spider, I’m A Little Teapot, and The Alphabet Song . . .
If you have purple ketchup in your refrigerator . . .
If you have watched Finding Nemo, The Wizard of Oz, or any episode of Veggie Tales more than ten times . . .
If you have ever wanted to call an exorcist . . .
If you have ever wanted to kill the merchandiser who put candy next to the cashier at grocery stores . . .
If you have read Goodnight Moon for at least 14 consecutive nights . . .
If you have ever said, “Because I said so . . .”
If you have ever made Play-Doh, tasted Play-Doh, or picked Play-Doh out of the carpet . . .
If you have ever used your own spit to clean your child’s face . . .
If you have ever stayed up half the night praying . . .

Thank-you. And happy Mother’s Day.

Gray hairs and hip young guys

I spoke in Cincinnati last night at a fundraising banquet for the Christian Evangelizing Fellowship. There were probably about 200 people in attendance of which 70% were gray hairs. Now, I love being around older people who are still growing and living and loving for Jesus. In fact, at the table where Julie and I were seated, we were with some seniors who were committed to making a difference.

There were also some very hip young guys in attendance who are trying to plant churches in the inner city of Cincy. Very challenging. I love the vision these guys have.

Right before I got up to speak, this quartet sang a "special number." I know they love Jesus, but it was a lengthy ballad sung to a sound track. Very tough.

As I was preparing to stand up and speak, Julie wrote me a note: "Preach to the boys." It's amazing the wisdom our wives can give us in time of need.

So hopefully I encouraged some young guys to take Cincinnati for Jesus. And hopefully I encouraged some wonderful gray hairs to keep growing and living and loving for Jesus.

Porn Pastor

I spent the weekend with Mike Foster, affectionately known as the "Porn Pastor." Mike co-founded xxxchurch.com, a ministry dedicated to loving people in Jesus' name who happen to be involved in the pornography industry or who struggle with the use of porn. More recently, Mike has developed another web-based ministry: theporntalk.com. Theporntalk.com is an amazingly useful tool designed to help parents talk to their children about sexuality and the damaging effects that pornography can have in their lives. (By the way, the average age that children experience porn online is 11 years old.)

Mike and I have become very good friends over the years. He is a cutting edge emerging leader and more importantly, one of the most committed Christ-followers that I know. Here are some of the takeaways from my time with him:

*Buy the Daughtry CD. Great rock and roll.

*Tell as many people as I can about theporntalk.com web-site.

*Read Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

*Subscribe to the podcasts, This week in technology and formiproject.

*Check out the magazines, Adbusters and Mental Floss.

*Watch the television show The Office.

*Go to a Coldplay concert.

Check out Mike's blog at www.ethur.org.

Jim and Casper

Jim & Casper Go To Church is the title of a newly released book by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. Jim is a Christian writer and Matt is an atheist. Jim and Casper visited dozens of churches across America and then wrote about their experiences. And they are brazenly honest.

Every church leader should read this book. Actually, every Christian should read this book. It blazes light all over how we can come across to those outside of the church. And we need to hear what it says.

With all of that said, there are a couple of cautions. First, Jim and Casper review some very high profile churches; Willow Creek, Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, etc. And as I was reading what they wrote I found myself reveling a bit in the criticism. Kind of like, "I knew they weren't that good." And then I found myself repenting and praying for God to use those churches and help them be all that He desires for them to be. Secondly, 98% of the people that visit a weekend service at church are invited by a friend or family member. Friends and family members that meet them at the door and walk with them through their first time church experience. Jim and Casper walk in pretty much cold. And because of that, their church "experience" is very different.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Jim and Casper:

"Non-Christians--they're real people to us, not targets. I think of it like this: They're just like me, except they're not currently interested in Jesus to the same degree I am." --Jim, the Christian

"I can't really tell what this church stands for, Jim. Is it helping people or growing the organization? Is it community or religion?" --Casper, the atheist

"We need to emrace the ordinariness of our lives instead of pretending to be something that we're not. When we practice leading with weakness rather than strength, we let God be the strong one." --Jim, the Christian

"Giving isn't really giving until it interrupts your lifestyle." --Eric from Imago Dei

"People are more and more comfortable talking about their spirituality and less and less comfortable talking about beliefs or religion." --Jim, the Christian

"I'm not trying to go overboard in 'keeping it real.' But tell me why I should join a movement that preaches love and equality and one body but for two thousand years has itself essentially resisted the very change it preaches about? It makes a good case for being an atheist if the very people who claim to be serving God and obeying him aren't doing what they say he's telling them to do. What kind of religion is that?" --Casper, the atheist

"The question that just came up for me again and again--having read more than a few pages of the Bible--is this: What does the way Christianity is practiced today have to do with the handful of words and deeds uttered by a man who walked the earth two thousand years ago?" --Casper, the atheist

"I am very comfortable asserting my faith and my hope and my confidence that Jesus is God, but I will not say that I know he is God in the way I say I know there is gravity. I hope the story I have bet my life on is true, but neither Casper nor I will know for sure until both of us are dead. Atheists are very surprised when they hear me say this and wonder why more Christians can't admit these things." --Jim, the Christian