Not a Fan

FAN OF…

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:13:07 +0000

Recently, I was at a funeral home visiting some folks from our church. As I was walking out, I noticed that in another room a funeral was getting ready to start. It was very small. Only a handful of people were in the room. A pastor friend of mine happened to be doing the funeral, so I asked him about it the next time I saw him. It was for a man in his late 60’s. He told me that the total funeral attendance was, “seven—including the corpse.”

Then he added, “Only three people wanted to be there.” When my friend was trying to understand this man’s life, trying to get a sense of the legacy he was leaving behind, he asked the few who showed up some questions.

What kind of father was he? Silence.

What are some touching stories that you remember? Silence.

What are some words that describe him? Silence.

Do you know if he had any relationship with God? Silence.

What did he care about? Tractors.

That was this man’s legacy. He was a fan of tractors.

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?

03-12-09(19:30:34)

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:30:35 +0000

GRACE CITY

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:15:48 +0000

This weekend I had the privilege of speaking at a really great church in Las Vegas. It’s called Central Christian Church. I’ve preached there eight or ten times over the years, and I’ve always loved a picture that hangs on the wall of the Lead Pastor’s office. Here it is:

It’s inspiring that a church located in Las Vegas—a place with the world-famous nickname “Sin City”—has the courage and faith to put the words “Grace City” above such an infamous skyline.

Whenever I’m at the church, they assign someone to me to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time. I hadn’t met the guy I got this time; he looked new. In the first few minutes of talking to this man, I discovered that he was a pastor on their staff and that he runs their recovery ministry. After he told me a little of what he did I said, “Well, we’re all in recovery in one way or another. What are you recovering from?”

Then this pastor, who is about ready to get his Masters degree from a local Seminary, said, “Well I’m a recovering meth addict and sex addict.” I’m not sure if my response was appropriate, but the first words out of my mouth were “That’s awesome!” He knew what I meant. What I meant was, “God’s grace is awesome”.

I love preaching at this church, because when I go there I’m the one who is challenged and deepened in my understanding and appreciation of God’s inspiring grace. The people there know the grace of God in a way that I’m still trying to learn. Most people there have a story of brokenness—we all do. But what I’m learning from the people of Central is that those stories don’t need to be told in shame, because the tellers won’t be indicted or judged. Instead, these stories of brokenness are shared almost enthusiastically, because they testify to God’s great grace.

Romans 5:20 reads…where sin increased, grace increased all the more. The more we understand our own sinfulness, the more we can delight in God’s grace.

God, my heart is sin city.
I am prideful.
I am selfish.
I am lustful.
I lack self-control.
I spend more time annoyed with people than loving people.
May your grace increase all the more. Let me live in a place called Grace City.

Postsecret.

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:03:44 +0000

I steal my kids’ Halloween candy when they’re sleeping.

What’s your secret that you’ve never shared with anyone?

There is a fascinating book called PostSecret. It even has an accompanying website. If you want to check it out, know that it’s for mature audiences only. Here’s how it started: a guy named Frank Warren printed 3,000 postcards that read, “You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Reveal anything—as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before.” He left them all over—in subway stations, art galleries, libraries, everywhere. Slowly, he started getting responses.

Take a look at some:
1. I think women who don’t wear makeup…are lazy.
2. When I’m mad at my husband…I put boogers in his soup.
3. I’m afraid of women who wear Capri pants.
4. Every time I get my toenails done, I want to kick the girl doing them in the face.
5. I hate people who “reply to all” on emails.
6. I give decaf to customers who are RUDE to me!
7. I wish my father had forgiven me while he was still alive.
8. Sometimes I wish that I was blind, just so I wouldn’t have to look at myself every day in the mirror.
9. Finding god is proving difficult.
10. I haven’t spoken to my dad in 10 years…and it kills my everyday.
11. When I eat, I feel like a failure.

There’s one more PostSecret I want you to look at.
This is the very last one of the book.It reads:

“I’ve told all my secrets, and now I feel free.”

There is something freeing about taking what has been in darkness and dragging it into the light. That’s especially true when it comes to our sins. The Bible says in the book of James that when we confess our sins we will be healed. I’ve discovered that one of the biggest differences between fans and followers is confession. Fans tend to live with secrets, not wanting anyone to find out who they really are or what they struggle with. Followers walk in the light.

I can tell that one of the most significant factors of me going from fan to follower was the daily practice of posting my secrets before God.

…if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

- Jesus

23-11-09(13:04:50)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:07:39 +0000

21-11-09(21:31:25)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:27:54 +0000

22-11-09(23:53:02)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:26:54 +0000

22-11-09(23:55:11)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:26:27 +0000

22-11-09(23:56:15)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:26:05 +0000

22-11-09(23:57:54)

tdomf_c07e4 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:25:46 +0000