Tonight is our final night of our 2010 teen camp. The end of camp is bittersweet for most of us. We have had one incredible week in one of the best places in the world to be in the summer. Everything is just right-- spiritual environment and emphasis, some of the best people anywhere, wonderful weather, and a beautiful place! It is a little taste of heaven. It is a refreshing bubble for all of us. Yeah, we know that we have to go home, and we love being home, being with our loved ones there, and being about all the things we are doing there. But, ending is always a little sad. We quickly become one big family at camp. We grow attached to each other. It’s a “mountain top” experience.

So ending in some ways is bitter because we want to hang on just a little longer—maybe just one more day and maybe another month for some. But the sweetness is found in what happens here and the fruit that will come from it in the lives of the teens, the adults, and our churches over the next year. We see kids bloom here. While they are well-supervised and watched over (about one adult to every two teens), they are expected to be mature and to self-discipline themselves. They have to take care of their own clothes, remember things, and do all the things mommy does for them at home. They are really more mature here.

They become free to worship and express themselves. They are more affectionate. They are more open to listen and to share. They laugh a lot. They bond with other teens and they bond with the youth workers. They are challenged intensely in their walks with God. They are well-supported and much loved here. And, as well all know, those who give the most get the most. All the adults will tell you that we are the most blessed for being with these guys. We see lives changed. We are loved up on. We are played with. We are treated with great respect. We learn from the youth ministers, youth workers, and the other adults here. And, we learn tons from the teens themselves. We watch the Holy Spirit work in their lives in visible ways.

Tonight we’ll have worship at 7 p.m. followed by a wrap-up challenge-sermon by Kale. There will be the final group discussions after that. Then there will be a bonfire celebrations with s’mores and mores (sorry, couldn’t resist). We’ll go to bed for a quick rest and get up and plan to leave at 3:30 a.m. The kids will be able to sleep on the buses and the adults will look enviously through tired eyes wishing we could sleep that way again!

This year’s theme was about making good choices—ultimately the right choice in choosing to make Jesus Lord—but also all our other choices. Our time here again confirms that we, as churches, made the right choice to again invest the time, resources, and money, as well as some of our finest leaders, to bring our teens to Colorado to help make disciples among those that aren’t and to help mature those who already are.

You have a fine bunch of teens and you should be very proud of the way they gave themselves to God this whole week!

This year we’ll be doing teen Sunday at Wylie Northeast on Sunday, August 1, the first Sunday after we get back. Teen Sunday will be held at Northeast in Garland on August 8. That will allow the teen praise team to be in both locations to lead the church and teens in some of the songs that were used in worship here. These services are certainly not just for the teens and arguably are more for the others in the churches. These kids come back with a contagious condition—they are excited about God. So, make sure to be there and bring teens and others with teens so that they can see that at our churches that we are dedicated to truly making disciples of teens and teaching them to be obedient to God in every way.

We’ll be returning tomorrow evening arriving at the Northeast building in Garland. My best guess is we’ll be there in the nine o’clock range, but it could be earlier or later depending on how long our stops are. As usual, the kids will have a chance to call you when we’re about an hour out so you won’t have to wait long, nor will they have to wait long for you. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow.

If you hang around either of our churches, you will eventually hear talk about teen camp. To some extent planning goes on year-round. The Youth Ministers throw around ideas for themes and so forth for the next year often before camp is even over. Any changes in dates and so forth have to be considered so that reservations can be made. Dates are announced early so that teens and their families can make plans around them. For most of the teens and the youth workers as well as other adults that go to camp, teen camp is a highlight of the year.

I’ve been doing camps and retreats my entire 36 years of being a Christian. I started helping lead and plan camps almost from my first days of being involved in ministry. These camps have been for college students, college age adults, young professional adults, teens, congregations and groups of churches—all kinds. I’ve been around ministers and heard descriptions about all sorts of camps. Each set of camp leaders will have an underlying philosophy. Unsurprisingly, many seem to work from basic assumptions of the way camp has always been. And, for teens it usually centers on fun, practical joking, funny entertainment, and which guy is “liking” which girl. However, I don’t think these camps are altogether bad because many ideas have emerged from such camps of how to instill in teens the Spirit of Christ and His way of living. But, as in everything we do, we plan from our vision, mission, values, and strategic objectives. Thus, if you look at our camps (teen, children, college or congregational) you will see many of the same basic components that you would see at other camps and that you may remember if you ever attended a Christian camp. I think the real difference you would find is in the spirit of our camps.

John and Kristy have done a wonderful job developing upon the threads of insights I’ve tried to hand down from my years. But, they’ve taken it so much farther than I ever did or even could have. They are so uniquely gifted and were so specifically called to lead our teen ministry in its inception and on toward its present maturity. I’m really amazed at what they’ve been able to get done. And, they’ve shared the load with a bunch of awesome youth workers and have passed the torch to more ministers, including Joseph and Kale. Sean is directing his third camp this year and he has done an outstanding job by building on the past experiences! It just keeps getting better.

Here at NEXT camp, w first try to turn teens’ hearts to God in a way that their lives will be changed for eternity (our vision). Second, we are here to make and mature disciples to the glory of God (our mission). We believe teens are also the “church of today” and that they are capable of making serious commitments to God. We believe that they often simply “live down” to our low expectations of them. We want to expect great things for them. We obviously have teens that have made their commitments to God and are already on their journeys toward maturity. But many others haven’t though—some because of age and others because they’re just getting started here or come from marginally Christian homes. Third, we work to teach our values—the values we believe Jesus held. You can read all of these on Goddeal.com website. We preach and teach the Word to them.

To accomplish these objectives, we begin with exemplary adults and college students to lead the teens, beginning with our youth ministers themselves. We believe character is more caught than taught and therefore we want people of great Christian character around the kids. The most important character trait of Christ is sincere love. The people that lead our teens are loving people, or they won’t be leading our teens for long. We want people that believe in teens’ abilities to be real disciples. We want leaders with great visions for adolescents and that possess the ability to communicate it to them well. We believe that what goes on between lessons and sessions is probably more important than what goes on IN classes, sermons, small groups and so forth.

A typical day involves waking at 7 a.m. (or earlier if they want) followed by prayer time in the cabins and rooms at 7:15 a.m. The whole camp group meets collectively for a morning wake-up activity at 7:30 a.m. This is designed to be fun as well as active to help everyone wake up and even get some blood moving through the bodies. Some of it is pretty funny! Breakfast is at 8 a.m. followed by an adult Bible study and discussion led by Ronnie. The teens simultaneously have individual quiet times. The quiet times are written ahead of time laying out the overall camp theme as well as the theme for each day. Through this assigned time we work to teach the teens to have personal quiet times—times of solitude alone with God.

At 9 a.m., we gather in the chapel for a time of praise and worship followed by a sermon. This sermon is usually intense, covers lots Scripture, and lays out the day’s theme. After the sermon, pre-assigned small groups meet with some assigned discussion and application questions from the sermon and about the day’s theme. Groups are generally assigned by age and gender. At 11 a.m., we all come back together for “big game” time. We usually have four big games, and the teens are divided into mixed groups and are sent to a different game each day. This year the games are dodge ball in the gym (guys have to play with their off hands), Frisbee golf, speed ball, and shaving cream whiffle ball and kick ball. At noon we gather again for lunch, followed immediately by a mandatory daily rest time. At 2 p.m. we meet back at the chapel for one of the favorite camp activities—walk-and-talks. Sean and Kristel carefully pair up each girl with another girl and each guy with another guy. Youth workers are included in the mix being assigned to visit with specific teens. Much thought and prayer goes into these pairings which are designed to help teens learn to have helpful spiritual conversations, both speaking and listening. Connections that last through the year are often made during these walks.

Canteen is at 3 p.m. John and Mary Ann McWilliams are the camp “mom and pop” and they take care of all of us. They keep bottled water on ice for the kids all day (well, there’s also soda). They have healthy sorts of snacks available most of the day and at canteen they throw in a choice of candy. After canteen up until 5:15, when dinner is served, is free time. There are multiple activities the kids can choose from. We do encourage them to be active and sociable during these times. They can go play dodge ball or volleyball in the gym. There’s a supervised climbing wall in the gym too. Most days we have the indoor swimming pool available. Also, there’s archery (and John McWilliams to instruct), Frisbee golf, supervised zip-line, and this year a group is playing a fun game that’s filtered over from FOCUS called speed ball. Lots of the teens just hang out or rest. This time is used as shower time by lots of the campers.

Dinner is at 5:15 followed by a briefer free time. Most nights we meet again collectively at about 7 for a lively praise and worship followed by an evening sermon. We’ve had baptisms two nights at 6:30, and we took the annual group picture last night at 6:30. The evening sermon is more of a testimonial sermon to bring application to the day’s theme. Small groups meet again after the evening time to process and apply what’s been experienced. Lights are to be out by 10:30 p.m.

Lots of ministry goes on between all the different things we do in groups. Youth workers watch out for loners, stragglers and strugglers, trying to help them however we can. Leaders are keen to notice and are available to kids who are looking for some personal help. We always have some “lost puppies” at camp that come from not-so-good home lives. We work to respect kids’ and families’ privacy, but we also work to draw kids out and minister Jesus’ truth into their lives. We work to really listen to them. We work to build bridges and help them make plans to help them serve Christ when they get back home.

At NEXT camp we see our church vision in action—teen hearts are turned to God and their lives are changed. However, every adult youth worker here would tell you that it’s the same with them. Again as one young guy who is at our camp for the first time told me, “This camp is seriously about God.” To God be the glory. Pray for our teens and the teens around the world. We fight for teens and say to the prince of darkness concerning our own, “not this one; not this time!” And, we mean it about each and every one of them. Our prayer, petition, and goal is for us to not lose one of our teens!

Camping has surely changed. I am sitting in a lodge room at my laptop writing this blog that I will post as soon as I finish via the wireless network of the camp itself. We’ve come a long way technologically!

I’m not the best historian, but I believe we started taking our teens to camp our first summer as a church in 1998. If memory serves me right, we went to Camp Christian out on the western slopes near Glenwood Springs, Colorado the first two years, 1998-99. That was with a group of youth ministers that Eddie Howard and his teen ministry were partnering with. We began doing our own camp in 2000, conducting it at Glacier View Camp above Boulder, Colorado. It was beautiful but was just too far for us to drive to in a day. In 2001, we conducted our camp in central New Mexico, but it just wasn’t Colorado. So, in the summer of 2002 we began conducting our camps at Golden Bell Christian Camp about 30 miles west of Colorado Springs. That is 13 teen camps, if I have my history correct. It has been an incredible run too!

Our camps have grown with our church and our church has benefited greatly from these camps. Gosh, I’ve benefited greatly from teen camp. We’ve learned a ton being up here over the years. I believe God has changed the hearts of those of us that have been here, and I believe that has changed the heart of our whole church. We have learned more about intense worship. We have learned more about tight-knit spiritual community. We’ve been enlightened in greater ways to the Holy Spirit’s work in the body of Christ. We’ve learned so much more about discipleship. And, our teen camps have been at the core of implementing our strategic objective of building from the ground up. Our experiences up here in Colorado have helped shape and define our church as much as any other single thing we do.

But still, most of all, we’ve learned about and from teens. Yesterday we took the kids on our annual fun-day. Again, we went to Buena Vista to a river raft company, Noah’s Ark. About 80 of the teens and adults went white-water rafting. About 30 went on the mountain rappelling. As we were going through all the preparation once we got there, I couldn’t help noticing what wonderful teens we have. And, they influence our guest teens in such a powerful way as well. We just have so few problems at our camps. It is certainly a testimony most to the families they come, but it is also a testimony to the church communities they come from. It is surely a testimony to the incredibly dedicated team of youth workers that minister Christ to them on a day-to-day basis back home too! The college students and adults that come along with them to help out at youth camp is also an impressive team of disciples.

One of the first things I was noticing about the teens this year was how well-disciplined they were out there in the parking lot. For a group of over 70 teens of all ages, we can get their attention without the typical whistling and yelling that is so common with large groups, especially outside with all the other noise. They just simply do what they’re asked to do with such little hassle. Another thing that hit me was just how serious they are about God. When it’s time to worship, they’re just into it. I was on a walk and talk with one of our fairly new 7th graders and asked him if he’d been to a Christian camp before. He struggled with what to say and then finally said, “Yeah, but not like this one.” I asked him how this one was different and he noted how while we did indeed have fun like the others, this one was seriously about God.

Last night I was watching teens sing “I’m Counting On God”, a particularly exciting and “active” song, and I just had to stop singing and be amazed by them, and keep from crying as well. For an old minister who’s spent his life dedicated to making disciples, and being regularly frustrated with the woeful lack of excitement in the church, this is the closest thing to heaven.

I’ve gotten to personally see how John and Kristy and the NEXT team have built this ministry brick-by-brick for 12 years. They have since used their experiences to take the reins as leaders of the Wylie Northeast Church plant. In 2008, John appointed one of his leading youth workers, Sean Hanlon, as our camp director. We not only didn’t lose a beat, but it just got better each year as it always has done. Further, we’ve gone from one youth minister to four! Sean and Joseph Carothers leading at Wylie and Scott Dugan and Kale Worsham leading in Garland is an example of the power of dedicated discipleship. And, that doesn’t tell the stories about the godly, talented, devoted, and well-training cadre of youth workers that unite to make our youth ministries work. When you look at FOCUS, you get to see the fruit of NEXT throughout as so many of our teens walk into FOCUS ready for leadership. They have especially been at the heart of the building of the Collin College ministry.

From my vantage point, I get to directly see the fruit of the dollars and the dedication of a church committed to fighting for its kids. I get to witness what we decided to do so long ago in building from the ground up. I tell you this because I want to say one more time, kudos Northeast Church! And, as a dad, as a church leader, and as a church member, I want to personally say “thank you” for taking a dare of sorts—a dare to invest money and heart in the long-run too. How many Springjitas have we had now? How many thousands of dollars have we raised at these annual church-wide events to fund our ministry and camps, buying everything from banana pudding to amazing vacations (often at grossly inflated prices)?! How many times have the elders said “no” in any way to the funding and resources needed to drive the ministry? (precious few!) How many times has the church opened its collective pocketbook to “make it happen”? How much love, respect, and support have the guys and ladies that lead this ministry been given? (lots!) And, how many adolescent lives have been turned to the Lord forever?! Only God knows and that’s ultimately why we do it in the first place!

No one thing assures teens will grow up deeply devoted disciples. Home-life is vital, but we have some great examples of teens that overcame some less-than-advantageous home conditions to be awesome Christians. Worship is important. Weekly groups are important. The regular love and support of adult youth workers is critical in discipling teens. Great Christian friends are also vital. But, it’s when you give teens all of that you are truly fighting for them. Our goal is to not lose one of our kids. And, clearly our whole church has set out to do just that! Thank you.

So, please know that camp is going great. Trip up went very well. Sean spoke when we got here on Sunday night on “The Choice is Yours”, challenging the kids on the overall camp theme about making the right choice for Christ. Great kick-off for one of the most challenging talks after a long day’s drive. Eddie Howard spoke Sunday morning on “Don’t Look Back Once You’ve Stepped Over the Line”. Well, for those that know Eddie, it was typical Eddie. Great teaching. Kristy and Krystal gave a presentation of two 80 year-old women giving their testimonies. One had chosen Christ as a teen. The other one had the chance but was lured back by the world. Very compelling.

JVR took on another one of the tough talks Monday night after our fun-day trip. The kids did great though and JVR demonstrated why he was called by God and the church to lead a church planting. He spoke on the topic, “Don’t Let Up, Back Up, Give Up or Shut Up”. He did great. The whole evening was incredible moving. Scott Dugan spoke this morning, Tuesday, on “Keep Your Focus Clear”. Scott has learned that lesson well and he communicated it very well. Also, the Praise Leaders, Garrett Davis, Kristy Von Runnen, Sean Hanlon, Austin Freemon and Sirak Asfaw are just doing an incredible job leading worship.

On an additional exciting note, one of our own little guys is not so little now, and Kale Rowe was baptized into Christ Sunday night. Further, after our group picture, we’re heading back over to the pool for the baptism of Carly Zach, one of our newer teens.

Abortion has been a hot topic since I can remember. I was getting ready to start to college in March 1970 when the Roe versus Wade suit was filed, and I was a junior in January 1973 when the Supreme Court decision was handed down legalizing abortion. I actually remember hearing about female students who performed their own abortions with clothes hangers and such. These were unsubstantiated as far as I know, but I mention it just to say I’ve been hearing and thinking about this my whole adult life.

Having been in ministry now for about 35 years, I have encountered quite a few women and men as well who had previously been involved in an abortion of an unwanted child. In a couple of instances, the man actually opposed it, but the woman had gone ahead with it anyway. Everyone that I talked to regretted ever having it done. My heart goes out to anyone who did things in their youth that they live to later regret, in some instances bitterly. I feel nothing but compassion and mercy for them. Now I’m well aware that the numbers of people who’ve been involved in abortions that I’ve known represents a small sample. The fact is that most people who are in a counseling session with a conservative Christian minister will not likely be indicative of the whole population of those who choose to have abortions. But, nonetheless, I do have some insight into the hearts of people doing it.

I find abortion personally repugnant and unbelievable. I think I understand those who’ve chosen it. However, I can certainly be opposed to something without being condemnatory of those who have been previously involved in such. My problem though is with those who are well aware of the brutality of abortion and then defend it! I have written an article on abortion that describes my personal convictions pretty clearly, I think. That article has not only stirred up people who are pro-abortion, but the article has also incurred the wrath of a couple of anti-abortion individuals I heard from who didn’t feel it was “telling people the truth from the Bible”. I just happen to think there’s a lot of Scripture being used in the debate that wasn’t intended to be used in application to abortion. These verses surely shed light on the subject but aren’t really addressing the subject at all. I think Christians ought to be the most honest, forthright people in the world, especially in our use of Scripture. The article I mention appears under the article section of this website if you’d like to read it.

The question I want to pose here is this: Why don’t those people who fight so vociferously for the “rights of women to choose” concerning their own bodies (meaning their fetuses), fight equally for those same women to have the right to pay a doctor to kill the women themselves. I’m talking about legalized euthanasia, defined as mercy killing. Euthanasia is allowing individuals to be put to death painlessly. It is allowing people to die by their own accord or perhaps by the decision of some other responsible party.

Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT for legalized euthanasia. I find duplicity in the right-to-choose position because of this, and it is seems to me just outright disingenuous. How can so many fight so strongly, and with a clear conscience, for a woman to have the right to have a doctor kill her fetus, but seem so silent about the fact that she does NOT have the right to have a doctor kill her. I mean if one is so “pro-choice”, considering those who don’t agree to be hindering women’s rights, shouldn’t they be equally assertive over her right to euthanasia. So, the Supreme Court rules, and advocates forcefully defend, that a woman should have the choice over her own body in that she can euthanize her living fetus, that is in fact not a permanent part of her body at all but just a temporary dependant, but she doesn’t have the right to actually have the life of her own body legally ended.

And by the way, I understand that there are modern forms of euthanasia that are truly “merciful” in that they just allow people to go off to sleep and not wake up. A pathologist and right-to-die (right to choose) advocate, Jack Kavorkian, was sent to prison from 1999 to 2007 for doing just this. This kind of mercy-killing is in sharp contrast to the cruel, clinical and brutal ways the lives of fetuses are often ended in abortions, and especially in late-term ones. And, the doctors who perform these cruel procedures do so under the protection of the law and at the insistence of the pro-choice crowd. I’m constantly astounded by this inconsistency. I’ve never heard this whole point even addressed. Go figure.

Silence is golden I suppose when a point shows an inconsistency.

Since I shared the poem I recently wrote for mothers on Mother's Day.  I have had others request copies of a tribute I wrote to wives and mothers a couple of years ago as an updated Proverb 31.  I thought I'd share that as well for those who enjoy such:

A woman of the noblest character is a rare beauty. Her value is immeasurable. The man she marries is blown away by her because with her he lacks nothing of value. She is his greatest blessing for as long as he has her. She is incredible at shopping for the best deals, and her ability to work endlessly for those she loves is amazing. She is like a freight train or semi loaded with wares as she returns home with her goods for her family from her latest foray at the grocery store, mall, or first Monday Trade Days.

No hour is too early or too late for her when she is working and providing for her family, those she loves, or those in need. She can find a great deal on a house, buy it, sell it again, and use her earnings to start a business or make an investment. She knows how to get what she wants, and pity the man who tries to stand in her way.

She works hard and is strong. She sees to the affairs of her family and her volunteer efforts, and her light always shines brightly. In one hand she holds a spoon for preparing dinner, and in the other her cell phone, talking to someone back at the office or planning rides for the kids to church or school activities. But, she still has room in her house and in her heart for the hurting, the lonely, the outcast, the poor, and the messy and often obnoxious friends of her children and husband.

When it rains, at the door, there are umbrellas and raincoats and warnings about catching colds. When it snows, there are coats and hats and scarves and gloves and snow boots that appear magically for each. Her home is decorated with the best she can get and she wears the most beautiful clothes she can afford. And her hair and shoes lack for no attention.

Her husband gets far too much credit for what he does, for behind him is the lady that is the true backbone and heart and soul of the family who takes care of so much so that he can often focus on so little.

She takes a job, runs an office or a department or a business, or teaches a class, and her bosses don’t know how to run it without her. She has untold strength and dignity and she is fearless toward what may come. The words that flow from her mouth are always wise and loving and soothing and unselfish.

She is ferocious in protecting her family and she has no time for laziness. Her children will look back on the endless house she spent driving them to soccer and basketball and music and youth group. They will remember the countless birthday parties and Christmases and Easter mornings and vacations and sleepovers, and one day they will look back on it with the deepest appreciation and thanks. Her husband knows in his heart who is the real hero, and he knows that no amount of time or words or money or gifts can repay the debt of love he owes.

Other women may do awesome things, but the godly wife and mother surpasses them all in the contributions she makes to all humanity. The youthful charm of the young lady is wonderful, but it can be so deceptive. Gray hair, facial lines, a pound or two too many, and a sagging tummy reflect a deeper and an inner beauty that is earned on the anvil of life and is brought on by sacrifice and worrying about the well-being and futures of her husband and children (rather than resting, playing and working out), by carrying and bearing her children through stretching and discomfort and even pain, by countless hours of chauffeuring in city traffic and sitting at endless and sometimes awfully boring sporting and music events, by waiting outside of Best Buy or Circuit City after midnight on cold winter nights to get one of the first copies of the newest game system or video game, by working a little extra to help pay for her husband’s new boat or car or big screen TV, by caring and fretting a little too much, by praying a little too long, by committing to too many activities, and all in all by trying too hard for too many who often appreciate it far too little.

Yes, youthful charm and beauty fade all too quickly, but the beauty of the woman of God only becomes more real and shines more brightly in the eyes of those who look at life through the heart of Jesus. Yes, it is the mom that is to be praised by everyone because she is the launching pad for all good lives and she is all too often only left with the burn marks of the blast-offs.

So, give her a just reward—enjoy the decorations, laugh too loudly at the events she plans, ooh and aw too long on Christmas morning at the gifts she’s found, hold her hand a little too long, hug her a little too much, kiss her too often, buy her too expensive of gifts, spend just a few extra minutes or hours or days too many, and give her a little too much credit for once for goodness sakes, and shamelessly brag on your wife and your mom before the whole world who has put the high price tags on things that cannot compare to her priceless value!

Following is a poem I wrote in tribute to all mothers for Mother's Day 2010:

I may not top the bell curve in math as lots of others might.
I may not win a championship or win a major fight.
To those and many others too, I may seem to play second fiddle,
Because I’m a part of the side-line class, the mettle in the middle.

But neither will I fall to the bottom of the curve in English or in Reading.
A higher voice is what I hear, a voice that’s worth my heeding.
No Chaucer have I lately read but I have “Hey Diddle Diddle,”
I am a master mother though, the mettle in the middle.

I may never have kicked a soccer goal or left a court to cheering.
I heard my own quiet fan urging me on, His cheer I’m always hearing.
He bade me drive the car for those who played when only little;
He cheered for me when none others did, the mettle in His middle.

My prom days long gone, my younger beauty fading.
I washed the clothes and fixed the hair while others did the dating.
I manned home base, becoming too a master with the griddle;
Others outside posed for pictures prized, while I live in the middle.

My mate drives off to work you see, his value seen in money.
I drove the kids to the doors of school, said “Have a nice day honey.”
I picked them up each afternoon; at home I scarcely piddle;
My husband’s greeted at the door, by the mettle in the middle.

The energy that I expend is never priced as oil and gas is,
Because it comes from another source, my energy source is His.
My victories are His you know; it really is no riddle;
The strength of everything that’s His comes from the mettle in the middle.

When the day is through and the years passed by, and the cream risen to the top;
And they’re all in bed, or at ventures sweet, my quiet work doesn’t stop.
On my knees I pray, important words I say, my thumbs I never twiddle;
Because the world’s held up and together by the mother in the middle.

“Mettle” comes from “metal” you may know, words of strength and great endurance.
The strength we place in everything to give us such a great assurance.
So to those who top the measured curves, I won’t play second fiddle;
For it is mine that is the strength INSIDE, the mettle in the middle.

Does anyone else notice all the enticements and lures of churches these days? There are all sorts of catch phrases and promises being given by churches: contemporary services (the kind of music YOU like), great children’s programs (we’ll get them out of your hair and we’ll teach them about God for you, and indoctrinate them while we’re at it), ministries for all ages (we’re a well-stocked storehouse designed to meet your every selfish craving), upbeat preaching (we’ll tell you how wonderful you are and we’ll never offend you; we may even promise you riches), and, of course, a picture of the pastor and perhaps even his beautiful wife (we’re beautiful, friendly, popular people too!).

Can you even imagine Jesus doing that? After a careful reading of the gospels, can you really imagine Jesus approving of this commercialization of his church? I know I can’t. Yes, it’s tempting to think it wise to “get people to church” so that we can get them saved and then perhaps even make disciples out of them. That’s just not the way Jesus did ministry. And, Jesus is what done-right-looks-like! He is the truth. While his methods are certainly culturally and generationally adaptable, the underlying brilliance of his methods to accomplish what he wants cannot be improved upon. Remember God’s words: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9). Get it?

Israel ultimately completely lost its footing with God when it demanded a king, in imitation of the surrounding Gentile nations. There were probably lots of reasons for their demand, but for sure pride played the major role. They wanted the pomp and grandeur a kingship would bring. They wanted parades signaling military victories and most importantly their national power. They wanted to be a part of something powerful and big. And, they rejected God in doing so. That’s how God saw it anyway, which is most important, I believe.

I believe the early church lost its footing with God in its compromise and later identification with Rome. Certainly it’s understandable. But, it’s still not right. They were persecuted and oppressed. I’m sure they thought that if they could get Rome on board, then they could win a lot more to Christ. And, Rome was pressuring them to conform by insisting on the standardization of beliefs and practices (obviously for control) and franchising churches with all the hierarchal control that would entail. They gave in eventually.

Today, churches are imitating American corporations. In doing so I fear we’re losing our footing with God too. We design grand strategic plans for growth and advancement. We’re in a land grab with new “campuses” and church-plantings that are just like the wonderful parent-church, name and all. We pipe in sermons from the wonderful senior-pastor who is the only person that is qualified to speak in such a grand scheme. We buy jets and cars and organize important conferences to inform the rest of the world of the secrets of our success that we personally discovered so they can jump on the band-wagon and get on the bottom-floor of the new opportunity. We target market and position ourselves against the competition (those who are not like us and are thus at least imperfect and perhaps not even as saved as we are). Then we write books to signal our success and we put our church name and our pastor’s name and picture up everywhere and tell everybody how good we are. Is that not an insult to the humility and meekness of Christ?

Can you imagine Jesus allowing the apostles to advertise a “healing service” on a billboard trumpeting his power? He mainly told them not to tell anybody. Can you imagine him allowing them to advertise his ability to feed the masses free? Can you imagine an ad for a 30-minute happy service? Can you imagine John the Baptist, whom Jesus commended at the time as the “best yet” so to speak, putting up a billboard for people to come out to his nice, comfortable, happy-service?! And, always over in only 30 minutes lest it intrude on your busy schedule on the Lord’s Day. Or come Saturday night if that’s more convenient on your weekend recreation calendar.

I can’t. What are we thinking? Why do we put up with this? Why do we go to churches that do that and why don’t we ask them what they are up to trying to lure selfish people with the promise of indulging them?

I was discussing with my son and co-minister, Brandon, a current billboard near my home of a church with a name that is so culturally appealing and with the happy faces of the pastor and his wife seemingly levitating diagonally into the picture from the bottom corner. Wow. That will bring in the disciples. And, it is a great precedence for new disciples.

Yes, we’ve gotten too smart for such appeals as Jesus made--if you want to follow me you’ll have to deny your selfish little self and start bearing a cross of sacrifice and pain and follow me every day. Or, unless you give up everything you have you cannot be my disciples. Yeah, I know Jesus didn’t always start there, but he did with the rich young recruit who told him his spiritual law-keeping resume. “You lack one thing. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then, come follow me.” This would have been one “sharp” leader candidate for our churches today and we certainly would want to offend him with all of his giving potential. He might even give enough money for us to afford a billboard with MY picture on it. And think of the books he might be able to get published with my picture on them too. With those kinds of members I can either build an empire or take over one. Jesus responded to the apostles informing him how he’d offended the important Jewish leaders with, “Leave them alone.”

I know this may seem cynical. But enough is enough. I’m embarrassed. I’m glad churches are reaching out. I do understand the healing and helping nature of our Christian ministries and how we have to find ways to reach how to the needy, the hurting and the bedraggled. Some of our churches do more for more people in a week than I’ll do in my lifetime. But that doesn’t make anything else okay. This is all of our church and Jesus is Lord of all of us and the world is watching. We’re still one family. We’ve got to work together here.

Church growth now seems often more fueled by money that it is by the Holy Spirit. Our ministry work is designed for “unschooled, ordinary” folks. It is built upon widows’ offerings and churches who gave out of their poverty. And, it was never designed to be merchandised by those who dream more about being CEOs than about being “scum and refuse” servants after the model of Jesus and Paul and John the Baptist! And the church was never intended to be a business. Can you imagine me putting a sign up in my yard trying to recruit the neighborhood kids to move into my home because of how friendly my wife and I are, because of all the amenities and indulgences offered, or because of how well-know, large, and popular we are?! I can’t, but that’s seemingly what we do when we try to recruit others with our boasting.

So let’s stop it already and start trying to magnify Jesus up-front and not trick people into coming and then trying to make disciples out of them. To quote the all-wise Forrest Gump, “That’s all I’ve got to say about that.” Not.

There is one more thing: if we ever put up a billboard, I’d want the by-line to read, “Come visit us when you’re really serious”, otherwise, don’t bother. And, if you ever see any ads with my picture on them, go ahead and throw up and then come and get me some serious professional help because I will have lost it, or sold out.

The start of a New Year is a traditional time for making New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you made a few for this year. A resolution is a resolving to do a thing. Being resolved means to be decided and determined. However, sadly many if not most of what we call “resolutions” are really just illusive wishes.

I believe the problem starts with an one’s lack of any real, long-term vision. Even as we grow in Christ, often that vision is at best cloudy and unfocused. Hence, resolutions become random, reactionary, short-sighted expressions of weakly-willed wishes. “I will lose 20 pounds.” “I will exercise three times per week.” “I will read my Bible daily.”

But when any action step (resolution) becomes its own vision, true spiritual and intellectual myopia has indeed set in. We are in need of the “Laodicean salve” for our blindness (Rev. 3:15-18) and/or a new set of spiritual lenses to bring the world back into proper focus.

In our cursed condition, we tend to simply let the world impose on us and our children a bad vision of what done-right-looks-like. For instance, we as adults strive for the “American dream” with all its ill-defined, and deceptive “security” and materialism. And, perhaps our kids labor slavishly to look like the latest all-too-sad-clown with his pants down around his knees and perhaps singing or listening to music that you’d see as obscene if you could understand the so-called lyrics. Or, maybe the vision is a sad, pitiful super-model who is border-line anorexic and who uses drugs to keep her face and figure properly gaunt. Or, the choice of vision might be a highly-overpaid individual who has laid his/her life and talents at the altar, not of Baal, as the ancient Jews did, but at the altar of Ball—football, basketball, baseball, soccer, etc.—a modern, more fashionable idol of “enlightened” man.

Humans are not designed to be driven by action steps; we are clearly designed to be moved by honest, meaningful visions of where we need to be and what we need to become. Just watch anyone for a moment when they’re unaware they’re being observed and you can tell something about that person’s vision for the moment and perhaps for his/her life.

And, sadly that vision is usually fairly reactionary and short-sighted.

A book that impacted me early in my Christian walk was a little fable called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I have a framed poster hanging on my church office wall right now depicting it. I had it hanging on my apartment wall when I got married and my wife had it framed for me as a wedding gift. I have always found it inspirational. Written by Richard Bach in the early 70s, it was immediately a best-seller and it is still in print today. The book is about a sea gull who became bored with the life of the typical sea gulls scrumming for food. Jonathan rather learns and perfects his flying ability. And thiis passion for high-flying brings his expulsion from the flock of beach-dwelling crumb-eaters. However, learning to soar into the skies, he meets other gulls who’ve learned the art of flying high. Finally he meets Chiang, the wisest of the gulls who mentors him in the higher existence. Ultimately, Jonathan returns to teach other birds about this higher existence.

The book is probably more humanistic than spiritual, but it is an apt allegorical effort to demonstrate again what the greats have tried to tell us. It demonstrates what Jesus, the greatest of all, was and is trying to tell us—that there is life on a higher flight path here that leads to a much superior existence in heaven. You want to be a low-flyer scrounger competing for the crumbs the world throws out, or do you want to be a high flyer that seeing the big picture lives out her/his grand destiny.

Bach’s work was perhaps a more modern expression of the work of the Greek philosopher Plato. Plato expressed the challenge and distress of enlightenment and “high-flying” in his classic Allegory of the Cave found in his larger work, The Republic. The allegory is a fictional account of a dialogue between Socrates, Plato’s teacher, and Glaucon, Plato’s brother. Socrates describes a scenario in which a group of people were bound in a cave and allowed only to see the wall of the cave in front of them. Behind them is a blazing fire and between them and the fire is a walkway on which people walk with all sorts of things on their heads, casting shadows of such on the wall of the cave directly in front of the line of people. As well, the only the people could hear were the sounds from the walkway echoing off the wall. To those chained in the cave, the shadows and faint echoes represented their reality. It was all they knew.

However, a prisoner is freed and allowed to turn to see the scenario playing out behind them. At first, blinded by the intense light (blazing campfire) previously unseen, after some time of adjustment, the freed man is able to see the association between the fire and images on the walkway, thinking at first that the shadows were the higher reality. Eventually however, the freed one realizes that indeed the fire is the source of light and the images on the walkway were the source of the shadows themselves. The prisoner experiences an even higher reality when taken to the surface, and after some additional adjustment to the even brighter sunlight, is able to see the models of the images on the walkway illuminated by an even greater light. (continued in Part 2 by same title)
 

The dilemma comes when the man remembers his community below locked in a dark, dim world of only faint echoes and fleeting shadows. However, the man will realize that he himself is the enlightened one. He sees that the community below is still living in darkness and ignorance, and if he returns to the community whatever respect or honor he might otherwise receive there would be meaningless because of their unenlightened condition. One can surmise what the response would (usually rejection of course) be by the vast majority of the community if the man were to go try to tell them about what they see as reality is only dark shadows. And further what would happen if he tried to describe for them what true, enlightened reality really looks like—how much brighter and beautiful is the true light and its revelation of the “real” objects above. Sadly, most will not only reject but scoff in resentment (as happened with Christ himself).

The Allegory is meant to describe Plato’s view of “forms” in the “spiritual” world. These forms are the pattern for and are represented by the lower levels of reality in the physical world, i.e. trees, rocks, etc. Forms are the ideals behind the ideas. What the perfect “thing” is and how it is defined.

I know this is heady and philosophical. And while I believe any truth, such as Plato’s, can only reveal the ultimate truths of God, I believe there is a “form” for each one of us. The ideal me. What me done-right-looks-like. What my destiny is when God makes all things new and grants me the perfection that I was created for and which will be granted me finally.

But, in the meantime I find delight in striving with God to grow to that form. To have any lasting, positive effect, all resolutions, goals, and actions need be designed as steps toward that final vision of me-done-right. And, that looks like God. That’s what the Spirit is working to make happen—“we…are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). Jesus said we were to “Be perfect…as [our] Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). So, we look to Jesus because we can see him in our minds eye through the gospel revelation, and Jesus is “the exact representation of [God’s] being” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus is the vision and thus we are urged to, “…fix [our] thoughts on Jesus” (Heb. 3:1). He is the vision that will ultimately empower and drive any good and right resolution that we might make. But, only if that resolution takes us closer to being as He.

Jesus is what done-right-looks-like, and as Christians the Spirit is indeed “forming” him within us (Gal. 4:19). So strive to see him. And strive to see him formed within ourselves. Get a solid visual, as best you can, of what Jesus looks like as the living, human expression of the essence of God. Then above all resolve to yield to the Spirit’s work. Resolve to seek God with all your heart. Resolve to yield to that within you that longs to do good, right and lofty things. Then design and write out small, incremental steps in that direction. Keep sighting yourself to that image of Christ that is ever being completed and perfected in your heart.

Enjoy the journey and live in expectation for your ultimate ideal—the real YOU—to be finally realized when Jesus does his final “deal” on you!
 

Growing up we lived way out in the country. There were no street lights, we had no property lights, and my dad would not allow a light to be left on in the house at night. It got really dark, especially when there was no moon. And, I was really afraid of the dark. And for good cause!

You hear said that “there’s nothing to be afraid of in the dark”. That’s just a lie anyway, and in my world there were indeed things to be afraid of in the dark. My brothers. We had a seniority system in our house. And as the youngest of eight children, I had none. Hazing was alive and well in our family system too. The younger ones just needed to be teased and scared some to help them “toughen up” and grow up. As a boy, I guess I especially needed “toughened up”. Sleeping in 90 degree heat in the summer without a fan or air conditioning while fighting off mosquitoes wasn’t enough, I suppose. And sleeping in a bedroom where you could about see your breath on cold winter mornings was not enough to get that toughening done either I surmise as well. I needed hazed. We all did, of course. And, believe me, I got hazed.

I “slept around” (that means I hadn’t been assigned a bed yet as far as I remember) in our house until I finally was assigned a bed with my two brothers closest in age to me. It was a full-size bed and we got really close. One of the brothers was just a year and a half older and we were about the same size (Jack for those that know me). The other was about eight years older than I (Tom, for those that might know him). Tom was one of the two middle children in the family. He’d been “toughed up” really well himself by the two oldest brothers in the family! From the stories I heard it was clear he learned how to torment, I mean haze, from two of the best. And learn well he did.

Let’s see, we had the Tingler. The Tingler was an extremely frightening “thing”. My brother had seen a scary movie by that name. This was some sort of vicious spider kind of creature that did awful things to people. He lived in our room, under our bed (as did other particularly vicious beings and creatures). Now even if we’d looked for him under the bed, which we didn’t, we couldn’t have found him in the mess that lay there. But the Tingler was alive, active, in our bedroom, and to be greatly feared. It was always a wonderful source of torment, when older brother needed.

Then there was the “Middle Man”. This was a very evil person who lived under our bed as well and lived solely to torment me when I managed to get to sleep in the middle. I had wrongly reckoned that in the middle I’d be protected from things that would come into our room via the door (and things indeed did come in through that door to get me). I’d also be protected from things that might burst through the window and/or screen to get me if I slept on the inside next to that window. Hence having no seniority whatsoever, I slept closest to the door in the summer (away from any possible breeze) and closest to the window in the window (when it was cold of course). And, you think I’m lying. I’m not. I woke up a few times with the cover frozen to the window on the inside! (Just before I walked to school barefoot in the snow.)

Because of seniority my oldest of the two got first choice of sleeping position, my favored brother just older than I got second choice, and I got no choice. Hence, my older brother slept away from the window in the cold and next to it when there was any hope of a slight whiff of wind in the heat of the summer. He also got a favored position with the covers as well. So when I told on them to my mom and she made them let me sleep in the middle to be shielded from the lurking evil on one side by my 30-pound brother (I’m not joking either) and by my teenage brother on the other (boy, was I safe!), you guessed it, the Middle Man would show up every time! The main evidence was a hand coming up from the top of the bed trying to “get me”. (Why the heck would a hand want me in the first place, huh?) If I closed my eyes it would reach over my face, and then it’d then disappear when I opened my eyes. I would finally move to the undesirable side each time and then he’d leave. I knew the hand was my older brothers as the smell was unmistakable, but it was still scary. He was scary!