What's Wrong with the Church?

As I prepared for my sermon on "The Importance of Community" I came across some great teaching by Jonathan Edwards a Theologian from 1700’s. He wrote a book called, Thoughts on Revival. Not one of his most popular books, but in it he talks about what has killed spiritual revival and even church community. And to sum it up, what kills revival or church community is pride, more specifically, "spiritual pride." It really stepped on my toes and has challenged me to a higher standard of living; I hope it does the same for you! Enjoy!

So rather than quote exactly what he said, because his verbiage is from the 1700's, I contemporized some of his points for us to consider.

1)Spiritual Pride – makes you more aware of others faults then you are of your own.

Spiritual Humility- makes you far more aware of your own faults than others.

“Pure Christian humility causes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, to make the best of it and to diminish their failings; however, he turns his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself and to take much notice of everything that aggravates them.”

– Jonathan Edwards

2) Spiritual Pride – leads you to, when you speak of theirs faults, to have contempt and distain when you speak of others faults. An attitude of Superiority.

Spiritual Humility– leads you to speak of others faults only with grace, grief and mercy.

3) Spiritual Pride – leads you to quickly separate from people who have criticized you or those you've criticized.

Spiritual Humility– leads you to stick with people even through difficult relationships.

4) Spiritual Pride – leads you to be dogmatic and sure about every point of belief you hold.

Spiritual Humility– leads you to be flexible, teachable, and gracious of what others believe while understanding you could be wrong.

I do agree with Jonathan Edwards here that "Spiritual Pride" is a killer of revival! It's a killer of relationships, not only with others, but with God too. The Bible says that, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." I need grace, don't you!

It's important to remember that we, the church, are the only 'Jesus' some people may ever encounter, and if we are cocky, prideful, arrogant, and judgmental and act all superior, it's not going to help reach people with the love of Christ. I think it's worth noticing that sinners, like notorious sinner, i.e. prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves, and adulterers flocked to Jesus because of His love. If He was all judgmental and always pointing a condemning finger at them they NEVER would have wanted to be around Him. I personal hope and pray that notorious sinners - like prostitutes, strippers, drug addicts, IRS employees (j/k), etc. flock to Mercy Church! I really do!

Additional Scriptures for further study:

Hebrews 3:13; Romans 15:14; Romans 12:9; John 17:20-24; Romans 15:1-3; Matthew 27:46; James 3:18; James 4:1-12

The Whole Gay Thing

I received an email from a gay friend and church member today that I feel touches a little on the heart of how the homosexual community feels when we Christians act like we do towards them.

Here is what is so hypocritical and two-faced; when I was a young seminary student I struggled with lust, but because it was "heterosexual lust" my friends all high fived me, and supported me, even when I stumbled and fell, which happened a lot. Why? One reason is because they struggled and fell as well! Or that is was a more "normal" struggle in their book? Not totally sure. I never felt like an outcast for my struggle, I never felt judged or condemned or rejected from the church. I could sing in the choir, be in leadership, participate however I wanted in the reindeer games! BUT a good friend of mine, who was also a seminary student, was struggling with lust too, but it was "homosexual" lust. And when he decided to come to his "Christian" friends for prayer and support, they all ran! All but me, I stayed. It just didn't seem like Jesus to run away. But everyone else completely cut him off, and even made fun of him, calling him "sissy," as well as spreading gossip about him. It was, and is despicable! If I’m honest often, I feel that how many Christians (so called) have treated the homosexual community is downright evil, and I believe that Jesus is embarrassed by it.

Side note; don’t read into what I am writing here! I am not talking about homosexuality being sin, or not sin. To me, that’s really not the issue (not saying it's not important or even an issue, it's just not MY issue right now); because if it is sin, then we should treat the homosexual sinner just like we treat the heterosexual sinner and if it’s not a sin, then what the hell. My divorced friends are treated with respect, and they were given the right to divorce and it’s clear in scripture that divorce is a sin, Jesus even said so. So come on people, there are people to reach for Christ can we stop trying to go after the homosexual like it's some catchy disease. 

Just my opinion, lump it or like it, I honestly do not care!

 

Dear Pastor Timmy,

 

This week has been a stark reminder of why I stopped going to church 20 years ago!! Seriously. I hate the self-righteous, sanctimonious hypocrisy and hurtful, hateful speech that comes out of the mouths of so-called Christians, who think THEY are being persecuted by the homosexual agenda.

Let me fill you in on a little secret: There is NO homosexual agenda!! FOR REAL!! Don't tell anyone, but trust me, I have been one for 50 years, so I should know. All we want is to be loved and accepted, and perhaps some equal rights. Is that so wrong?

This week, however, in the midst of my distress and sadness, I found solace. I found hope. Because I have two remarkable pastors who started a church based on LOVE.

Ten years ago, you both were SO young. You must have been AFRAID. But you followed your hearts and did what God asked you to do. That took COURAGE. That took SACRIFICE.

I'm SO impressed. I know it can't be easy. I know you don't earn a lot of money to raise a family. I know you get a lot of crap, regardless of any stance you voice publicly. But you continue to rise above the fray and return to that foundation of LOVE.

The tiny mustard seed you planted continues to flourish and has uprooted ALL of the mulberry trees you have faced along the way.

Long story short: I don't care about the frickin' chicken!!

I love Mercy Church.

I love Timmy and Jana Gibson.

I love Jesus.

I love life.

Thanks for ALL you do ... and keep doing it!!

Don't Look Down

I used to ride motocross when I was living in Texas back in 1998-2002. And I loved it! I had one struggle though; I was slow in the corners. Not only was I slow, but when I would crash, it was in the corners.  It wasn’t until a motocross friend of mine who actually rode on the pro circuit back in Jeremy McGrath days gave me a little helpful instruction. He said, “Timmy keep your head up when you come into a corner and look up … look where you want to go, don’t look down at the front tire.” Sure enough, I got on my bike and came flying into a corner, kept my head up, looking forward, looking where I wanted to go … and bam, I flew in and out of the corner faster than I had ever done before.


I later realized how applicable that instruction was to my personal everyday life as well. Many times in life we find ourselves looking down; down at problems, down at people issues, down at discouragements, down at society, down at our own faults, down at our shortcomings, down at our past screw ups, down at our so-called failures and we miss out on the life we could have if we’d only look up. It seems so simple, just like the simple instruction my friend gave me that helped speed up my lap time considerably, but true.
 

CHALLENGE:


Check yourself, are you, like so many of us looking down and missing out on a better way? If so, make the simple adjustment, look up and move forward faster in achieving your dreams!

Vulnerability

One of the things most feared in life is not the fear of being alone, but rather being vulnerable! See, if I let you into my heart, you might not like me; therefore, I keep that all zipped up.

I think ‘vulnerability’ is possibly the biggest roadblock to two people achieving a vibrant healthy relationship. How can anyone really know someone if they don’t really know them? And how can anyone know you when you are not vulnerable? And how can anyone really love you if they don’t even know you? They can’t! I think we may hide so much that we aren’t even sure who we are anymore.

I recently celebrated 18 years of marriage, and although we’ve had a fabulous and even passionate marriage, we’ve had to really work on this whole ‘vulnerability’ piece. There’s no better way, for me, to share this than to just give you an example of vulnerability in action.

EXAMPLE:

I don’t like asking for sexual contact. I just want Jana to want me. And if I’m honest, to really want me ALL the time! (Just sayin’ -- it’s a guy thing!!) And when I “want it,” I want Jana to just know it sub-consciously without me having to ask. Women do this all the time, too … expecting a husband to just know what she wants when she wants it without her having to mention it. But it doesn’t work that way. Back to my example ... So often when I didn’t get what I wanted, I would pout and stew about it. Until finally, I got vulnerable and had a great talk about it. I learned to be vulnerable and ask. It was difficult for me to be really vulnerable with my sexuality and share my feelings, needs, wants, desires, etc. Scary place!

What about you? What things make you mad or upset because really you are afraid to just be vulnerable and talk openly about it?

Side note: When someone is being vulnerable with you … LISTEN with both ears and be very sympathetic and empathetic to really HEAR what they are sharing! Your relationship will go to higher heights! I promise!!

Blinded By Our Past

I am not sure if this picture is to mean, Blinded By Truth, or Blinded From Truth? For the purpose of my blog post here I am going to pick the latter.

Too many times we allow our past to dictate our future; our future attitudes, future successes, future behaviors, future beliefs, etc. What have you allowed your past to keep you from achieving? Obviously our past can also serve as positive, but unfortunately I have witnessed too many times that our pasts have served as a crutch that cripples us and even keeps us from reaching our childhood dreams.  

So maybe you are wondering, “how can I know if my past is keeping me from achieving my dreams?” (dream relationships, dream job, dream life, etc.) Easy, if you feel that’s something is missing, or if you seem to circle the same mountain … like in relationships for example - maybe you start dating, but something always falls apart and it just seems that love is just out of reach, then maybe there is some past beliefs that is hindering you. If you typically feel that you are right and everyone else is wrong, you might be blinded … actually I would say that you of all people maybe be blinded most of all! People that are always attempting to correct others, fix others, counsel others often become blinded by their own shortcomings in the process. I know, I have been there! If you have a sense of unhappiness or unrest, then maybe it’s time to deal with your issues from the past.

So what do you do?

1)      Seek answers from God. Bible says that we should, “ask, seek, knock…” So do it!

2)      Seek guidance from a good counselor. I have done this, and have found them very helpful in self-discovery.

 3)      Read books on the subject of personal development, or whatever particular area you may be struggling with.

4)      Be honest with yourself. Ya know, you could be wrong! You may be doing things wrong. You may be thinking wrong. I know, it’s hard to believe, but it could happen!
 
5)      Ask a spouse or close trusted friend for honest loving feedback. I know, this is scary. But if they love you, I mean really love you they will want to help you overcome your blind spots. Many times those close to you have you figured out, but they don’t feel welcome to share, or frankly they don’t want to hurt your feelings, as well as they love you and are gracious and don’t want to seem judgmental … so they keep their mouth shut. Some of my favorite people in my life have been the ones who weren’t afraid to point out my faults. Praises don’t help me! Correction does. Don’t get me wrong, I want praises just as much as the next guy, but if that is all I ever get then I am no better for it! Tell me the truth, when I ask for it. It’s only valuable and trustworthy coming from trusted close friends. It’s like trying to correct someone else’s child … doesn’t work!     

6)      Listen. Genuinely be open-hearted to hear where you might be missing it. Sometimes people are telling us stuff all the time, not directly, but indirectly. Listen.

7)      Be Humble. The humble shall inherit the earth. To me a humble heart is a heart that is willing to take responsibility for any wrong action, as well as being able to say, “I was wrong, forgive me!”

TRUTH: The harder it is for you to say; “I was wrong, please forgive me” is the indication of just how much pride is in your heart.

10 Dating Mistakes Men & Women Make

1)      They give to get.

2)      They care more about what’s in it for them.

3)      They are looking for someone to make them happy.

4)      They are “Too Fast Too Furious” when it comes to sex.

5)      They try to impress, rather than just BE impressive.

6)      They are emotional immature aka “Moody Jerk”.

7)      They think more about being served than serving.

8)      They keep secrets. (I believe in total and complete honesty)

9)      When there is a problem they point the finger, rather than reflect on how they may have contributed aka “Blame game”.

10)  They get desperate and don’t jump ship when they should. (If he/she isn’t right for you, don’t waste your time on even one more date! Just walk away)

I will expound on each of these points in another blog, I am no vacation and the sun is coming out and it’s my last day on the beach ... gotta go! :) 

Let me know if you think of any I’ve missed!

What We Fear Most About Dying

What is it that people fear most about death? Great question huh? We do everything we can to keep death at bay. Pills, potions, organic foods, yoga, exercise, etc. All in an effort to stay young as long as possible; but death will come to us all, hopefully later rather than sooner.

I am not blogging about death today, but rather what plagues us in death; is it the fear of the unknown? Yes maybe. Is it fear of being gone from what and those we know? I would imagine yes, because that is what I don’t like feeling. Is it fear of leaving loved ones behind? Yes, I believe so.

I read in a book that the greatest fear in death is “being forgotten.” Wow, hadn’t really thought of it like that, but makes sense to me. I know I want to be remembered. I want to leave a legacy. I don’t want to be forgotten. I want to be remembered, not only by my family, but my friends, and if the truth be told I want to be remembered by the world. Maybe that’s a little ostentatious (or whatever the appropriate word for thinking I am worth remembering because I think I am so awesome) but like I said, I am just being honest. I want to leave a mark on this world in a major way.

Now, let me be clear here, I don’t want to be known for just anything. I want to be known for being and doing great things that ultimately will contribute to this world being a better place. For example, if I am remembered as the guy who loved God, his wife, his kids and those God has chosen to put in my life, that’s awesome! But I also want to be remembered as the guy who helped people have better lives, better marriages!

For those who love me and know me, don’t worry I haven’t received some, “you’ve got 6 months to live” message from the doctor or anything, I promise. I just have read a couple books about people in their last years of life and it has made me think about my own life. I plan on being around for many years, hopefully until my late 80’s, or maybe even 90’s! It would be cool to live to 100. Anyway, all that aside … I would image you, like me, want to live a life that matters and a life that is not soon forgotten.

So what am I trying to say in this blog? Simply that we should live a life that matters, a life that is memorable so we won’t have to worry about being forgotten in death.

Challenge: Live a memorable life!

Finding Peace

(My current view)

There is one thing I see the world needs more of, and that's peace. I am not talking about just 'world peace,' like no more wars, though that would be great too, but peace in the hearts and minds of men (women too). We are so fretful, fearful and worried about many things ... it's enough to drive people crazy, and it does. Like the song says, "God is great, Beer is good and people are crazy."

I am currently on vacation in Destin, Florida, which is where I've gone (along with my family ... can't imagine going on vacation without them) every year for the last 18 years! The ocean brings me much peace. I do feel that God may live near the ocean.

I have been experiencing more peace in my life lately, and I have been pondering on why that is... I don't know for sure, but I have a common denominator to what brings more peace and that is MORE TRUST. It seems the more I just trust God, and the people God has put around me, the more at peace I am. I mean if I really am trusting God, what is there to worry about? Really? I mean if I am trusting that God is with me, leading me, guiding me, loving me and only wants what is good for me, then we're good and I am at peace.

Too simple, right? I know I like to 'think' things out of making sense sometimes too! It's that human nature side of me that wants to complicate everything. Peace is not that complicated, at least for my own peace ... peace with others is a whole-nother issue. But I am only responsible for my own peace at this point and for the purpose of this particular blog entry.

So my challenge is to TRUST more fully, and peace will come!

Philippians 4:6-9 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Top 10 Things To Completely Change Your life

Philippians 4:8 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” – NLT

1) THINK good things about yourself and others.

2) WRITE good things about yourself and others.

3) SAY good things about yourself and others.

4) BELIEVE good things about yourself and others.

5) WATCH things that are good, uplifting and encouraging.

6) LISTEN to things that are good, uplifting and encouraging.

7) READ things that are good.

8) DO things that are good.

9) PARTICIPATE in things that are good.

10) Be AROUND others who are engaged in GOOD THINGS.

*Excerpt from a message I preached on June 3, 2012 @ Mercy Church

When is it Right to Have Sex?

If there is ever a subject in church that receives lots of heated debate, it’s the topic of “sex before marriage.” When does a relationship meet the standards of a committed relationship? Is it ON the actual wedding day just after the ceremony? Or after you cut the cake? Or is it after the first dance? Or after rice, or birdseed is thrown on you? Is it on the engagement day? What about when you decide to move in together? We all want to know, because we want to have sex as soon as possible.  

What is a committed relationship, really?

I remember going to a youth camp as a kid, and they had brought in a special speaker specifically to address the “Love Waits” message of abstinence. I am ornery, always have been, and kept thinking I wanted to corner the speaker after his talk and ask, “So, did you wait till you were married?” I can guess with some certainty that he didn’t. Like most of us. Statistics alone prove this out. Now I am not saying that it makes it right because everybody is doing it, I’m just sayin.

So I guess the question is: When is it right to have sex?  

As I am typing I am thinking to myself, why in Heaven did I decide to blog on this topic?! Ha ha! I can give you the easy answer that most pastors give, and that is to say, “Just wait until you are married.” See how easy that was? But I think it could be a bit more complicated than that, honestly!

Now, let me be clear, I feel that to wait till the marriage day is God’s best way. I really do! I feel that having premarital sex can, and often does, muddy the water (complicate things) in a relationship. But here is what I feel is absolutely wrong, and I am not embarrassed or reluctant to say it, and that’s casual sex. Having sex with just anyone and everyone because you had one too many beers or because you are horny is not good. One night stands, multiple partners, and casual sex are all killers to you ever building a long-lasting, healthy relationship. And I think -- I’ve never read this anywhere but feel it is true -- that this is one of the causes of so many failed relationships. We don’t even know what it is to be committed anymore, I mean really committed … like till death do us part kind of committed.

Now I’m not stupid! I realize people are going to do what people do, and my little blog isn’t going to change the world’s sexual behavior, BUT it may just change YOU and at least get you to stop and think about how you are living and what you might need to change to have the relationship you’ve always wanted.

I personally believe a person isn’t even close to being ready for sex until they are ready for marriage. I mean we all thought we were ready when we were 16. But we weren’t! Then we thought we were ready in college, but we weren’t! Anyway, I know this puts a kink in many people’s lifestyle and they are now wondering, “So now what do I do?” Ha ha!

Bottom Line:

There are no easy answers, and it’s really tough to stay sexually pure! Trust me, I remember those days all-too-well. But here is my advice, wait to have sex until you have found that special person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. (FYI, typically that doesn’t happen until AFTER college! And it for sure isn’t happening in junior high or high school … I don’t care what the little punk tells you! He is an idiot!) I can promise you this, if you do this you will not regret it, but you will regret living like sex is no big deal, because it is a special gift that God gives to a couple committed to spending the rest of their lives together!