Jesus & Mexican Food

I had a cool God experience this week.

On Tuesday night, Rob and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants. As the waiter seated us, my eyes fell upon a man and woman sitting in a booth across the room.

I need to tell that man that Jesus loves him, I thought to myself. I dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, assuming it was just my own stream of consciousness. I looked at my menu, munched on chips, and chatted with Rob. But then, there it was again…

Tell that man that Jesus loves him.

Throughout the meal, the thought kept returning to me stronger and stronger until, finally, it dawned on me what was happening: the “thought” was actually the leading of the Holy Spirit. And He was asking me to speak to this man!

So now, I had to decide whether or not I was going to act on what I was hearing. My heart started racing. I got butterflies in my stomach. And for a few minutes, my rational mind took over. I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn’t act on what I was hearing, such as:

1.  Maybe I was making this up and God wasn't speaking at all

2.  The man will think I’m crazy

3.  “Jesus loves you” is such a simple, obvious statement that there’s no way it could be helpful…and the man will think I'm crazy

4.  It will inconvenience me…and the man will think I’m crazy

But as I sat there eating my nachos and mulling it over I came to one, overarching conclusion: God was asking me to take a step of faith and I needed to be obedient. After all, “faith” means you don’t know what the outcome will be. “Faith” means that you do it even though you’re scared.

So, I shared all of this with Rob, and together we came up with a plan. We decided to break the ice by paying for their meal. So, Rob instructed the waiter to bring him the couple’s bill. After a few minutes the couple finished eating, got up from their table, and walked past us toward the exit.

“Excuse me,” I said. They paused and looked at me. “I wanted to let you know that we were the ones that paid for your meal. And I want to tell you why we did…”

“Oh, thank you!” they both exclaimed at the same time.

I turned my attention to the man and said, “Sir, this has never happened to me before, but I really felt strongly that I should tell you that Jesus loves you.” I went on to explain a little more about the love of Jesus, and that we had bought his meal as a demonstration of that love.

The man listened intently, and then with a big smile and eyes glistening he shook our hands and thanked us. The woman gave me a huge hug and said, “This means so much. You have no idea what you’ve done. He really needed to hear that.”

I will never know what impact those words had on this man. Maybe he just got a terrible diagnosis, or lost his job, or was depressed. Or maybe he was just wondering if Jesus was real. All I know is that it was absolutely thrilling to step out in faith in order to be used by God in another’s life. I can’t wait to do it again.

Mali Music

A few days ago Rob and I were watching TV and just happened to catch the performance of a new R&B artist named Mali Music. As I listened to him sing his breakout hit, "Beautiful," I was totally moved. I felt my spirit soar -- like I was sitting in church or something. Rob must have also felt it because, just as I was about to comment, he said, "This guy has got to be a believer. It just seems like he's worshipping."

So I did a little research and discovered that sure enough, Mali Music is a gospel artist that has recently crossed over to secular music. And he has absolutely exploded onto the R&B scene. He has joined the ranks of other Christian artists like Lecrae, Paramore, and Switchfoot in choosing to take the gospel beyond the confines of the Christian music genre to a secular audience.

So, this week's blog is short and sweet. I love "Beautiful" and wanted to share it with you. I hope it causes your spirit to soar, too.

(To listen, click on the picture. If for some reason it's not working, click on the link below it.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QnBylFZpVk

The Real St. Patrick

On Monday we will once again commemorate the most famous Irishman who ever lived. No, I’m not talking about Bono, although I would be in full support of having a day dedicated to him. I am speaking of the man we venerate by drinking green beer and pinching each other: Saint Patrick.

Folklore about Patrick abounds. One legend says he chased all the snakes out of Ireland. Another says his walking stick magically grew into a living tree. But, I think the truth about him is even more interesting.

Patrick was born in 387 AD in Britain. At the tender age of 16 he was kidnapped by pirates, taken to Ireland, and forced into slavery as a shepherd by the cruel king Miliucc. For six long years he wandered the Irish hills, utterly alone.

In his loneliness, Patrick began to call out to God. There was no one else to whom he could turn. As Patrick spent his days and nights in prayer, his loneliness lifted and in its place settled an assurance of God’s presence with him. Over time he developed an extraordinarily close relationship with God and a rock solid faith.

Eventually, Patrick was able to escape Miliucc’s grasp and make his way home to Britain. But this is not the end of the story. Incredibly, a few years later Patrick made the brave decision to go back to Ireland to evangelize the very people who had enslaved him. He became a missionary, traveling throughout Ireland and sharing the gospel wherever he went. The Irish people warmly welcomed him, eagerly receiving the good news of Christ. He was so well-loved that, upon his death, the nation made him their patron saint.

Patrick discovered his calling in a very interesting way: through being exiled. He had to live for a time in a state of forced absence from his country, his home, and his family in order to get to know God better. The Bible is full of similar stories of the exiled: Abraham followed God’s call into a strange new land. Both Moses and John the Baptist lived alone in the wilderness for years. David and Elijah had to hide out in caves because their lives were in danger. With each of these men, as with Patrick, God used the pain and loneliness of exile to draw them to Himself and develop spiritual maturity.

Perhaps today you are finding yourself in a place of personal “exile.” Maybe you are newly divorced, or jobless, or away from the family that you love. Or maybe your exile is more internal – a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose. Could it be that God has allowed this time in order to draw you closer to Him? Maybe God is busy doing a deep work in you to prepare you for your calling and, when it is over, you will have an exciting new sense of purpose and emerge ready to make your mark on the world -- just as Patrick did.

Millennials & the Church

Meet the Millennials. Born between 1981 and 2000, the Millennial generation is the most recent to hit adulthood, and make up one third of all Americans.

The most technologically literate generation yet, Millennials practically emerged from the womb texting on their mobile devices. They tend to be liberal in their politics, skeptical of institutions, and global in their worldview. On top of all this, Millennials have a strong need that can be summed up in one word: authenticity. They’re not interested in slick, airbrushed, or “new and improved.” They want real. They want organic. They want genuine. Whatever it is, they need it to be authentic.

Millennials are also leaving the church…in droves.

In fact, the American church is experiencing what author Dave Kinnaman calls a “dropout phenomenon” among an entire generation of people in their 20s and 30s. Studies indicate that the majority rarely or never attend church. So is the American church teetering on the brink of irrelevancy? The situation is actually better than it appears.

Louie Giglio
Photo credit: Huffington Post

In an interview with the Christian Post this week, Passion founder Louie Giglio said that many young Americans are hungry for the gospel. “They may be leaving a more traditional church,” he said, “but I don't think they're walking completely away from Jesus. I think a lot of students right now, young people are walking toward Jesus.” (He said some other good stuff, too…Read the full interview here.)

I was so pleased to read Giglio’s words, because they described my own experience with Millennials. It seems to me that many are searching for spiritual depth and intimacy with the person of Jesus. There is a desire to experience God’s power and presence, and these things seem to be lacking in their local church. In its place are what they perceive to be shallow programs and slick productions that run counter to the raw authenticity that Millennials crave. In a recent article, “Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church,” CNN blogger (and Christian Millennial) Rachel Held Evans wrote, “We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there...We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness.”  Likewise, in a recent survey conducted by Kinnaman, literally millions of young adults answered that they agreed with the statement, “God seems missing from my experience of church.”

Perhaps Millennials’ innate drive for authenticity is a God-ordained instrument designed to help the church return to the authentic roots of the Christian faith, including greater intimacy with God that combines Biblical truth with the power and presence of God. And the plot thickens as we take a look at where we are in history: every 500 years, the church goes through a massive reformation, and we are right on schedule for the next one!

Could it be that Millennials are actually the revolutionaries of our age, those who God is raising up to be the next reformation generation? Time will tell, but I believe they are.

Gay Marriage: Earning the Right to be Heard

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, this week a federal judge declared the ban on gay marriage unconstitutional in the state of Texas. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia of San Antonio made the ruling as a result of a suit brought by two same-sex couples. 

the couples who sued - Phariss is on far right
Photo credit: NPR

I learned through the local news that one of the couples, Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes, live in the Dallas area. They were interviewed on WFAA in Dallas on Wednesday night, where they reflected on their 17-year relationship and their excitement about the ruling. Then Phariss said something that broke my heart. He explained how he knew he was gay as a young boy, and because he thought God didn’t love him, often went to bed at night hoping he wouldn’t wake up. “Now,” he says, “I realize that God didn’t make me gay to hate me.”

Later in the broadcast, the news posted some of the public’s Twitter responses to the interview. One responder, presumably a Christian, tweeted that the couple would surely “burn in hell” for being gay. I literally winced as the anchorman read the words aloud.

I couldn’t help but see the irony created by these back-to-back statements. “God didn’t make me gay to hate me.” “Burn in hell.”  On one side you have a person who wants reassurance that he is loved by God even though he’s gay. And on the other side you have a person who is supposed to be an ambassador of Christ’s love to a lost and hurting world. Sadly, the opportunity to speak up in love was instead squandered on cowardly words of hate. 

I believe in the Biblical model of marriage as being between one man and one woman. And I am saddened and dismayed to see the erosion of Christian morality taking place in our nation. But, it is also my firm belief that much more than just morality needs to be restored. What our nation needs the most is the love of Christ. 

All of us – gay or straight – long to know God’s love. Who will tell them if not us? How else will they know unless we show them? 1 Corinthians 13 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (vs. 1-3). This passage explains that, no matter how right we are, if we don’t have love, we are just one big percussion section – a shouting din in the ears of the culture. It is not enough just to have the truth on our side. People need to know that we care. Do we? Do we just want to take potshots from a distance, or are we ready to roll up our sleeves, get out there, and love people to the point that it changes the world?

It's time we ask ourselves the question: do the gay people in our lives feel more loved by God as a result of being around us? Or less? If the answer is less, then I'm not sure we've earned the right to be heard. 

American Idol Gets Spiritual

Ok, I admit it. I still watch American Idol. Every year I say to myself, That’s it - I’m over it and not watching this year. And I said that again this year. But like my bowl of leftover Valentine’s candy, it keeps beckoning me, and I keep returning to it, moth to a flame.

Photo credit: AP images

The show made a few changes this season – a new judge, new studio, new format. But, as I tuned in on Tuesday night, they announced a change I never could have anticipated: the addition of a spiritual advisor. And not just any spiritual advisor, but a Christian minister.

The decision came about because David Hill, one of the show’s overseers, was struck by how many of the contestants come from faith-based backgrounds. "I thought to myself, wow, it must be really tough to go to this intense competition - and this show does change lives - and if you're used to being in a church-based organization, that would be a huge adjustment," Hill told USA Today Sports. 

So he had an idea: hire ministry leader Billy Mauldin and wife Julie to be chaplains to the contestants. Billy is president and CEO of Motor Racing Outreach, a ministry to NASCAR drivers, so he is used to helping people under immense pressure. He said their purpose is “to be there for the people, be present, help with the spiritual side of life and some of the struggles they may deal with as they’re going through the competition.”

And it sounds like they've been a big help. Hill said, “I told the contestants that Billy and Julie were people who understand competition and would be available to talk. The response was incredible. A large percentage made appointments to sit down and talk to him – and not only the contestants, but even some of the producers. It’s working beyond my wildest dreams.”

As I watched American Idol introduce the Mauldins to the world on Tuesday night, I about fell out of my chair. What’s going on? I thought Christianity was considered archaic, uncool, and passé in popular culture? But sure enough, here it is on prime time TV. It seems our nation is kind of a confusing place right now: prayer is not allowed in schools, nativity scenes are banned from courthouse lawns, but the gospel seems to be alive and well in Hollywood.

As I wrote in my post “God is on the Move” a couple of weeks ago, our nation is experiencing the beginnings of an historic spiritual renewal. I believe this story serves as an exciting example of how the gospel is going forth in new ways. As the renewal builds steam, more and more we will be seeing the Lord’s transforming presence pop up in completely unexpected places.

The gospel cannot be squelched, contained, or legislated away. God promises that He will continue to prepare a bride “without spot or wrinkle or blemish” until the day of Jesus’ return. So, if the gospel is blocked in one area, He will make a way for it somewhere else. 

It’s exciting to see that very thing unfolding on one of the biggest shows on television. Maybe I will keep watching after all.

Just Love God

“…He will quiet you with His love…” Zephaniah 3:17

Below that verse in the margins of my Bible are these words written in my own handwriting:

God wants you to have a passion for Him more than He wants you to follow His laws!

The quote is a paraphrase of something St. Augustine said way back in the fourth century: “Love God, and do as you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.”

I still remember the day I sat at a church retreat in east Texas in 1995 and carefully wrote down the quote. The reason I remember it so vividly is because those words caused an epiphany, setting me free from a mindset that I had to perform in order to earn God’s love. That day, God quieted something in my soul: a restless anxiety that convinced me I needed to strive in order to be accepted by Him.

Like Augustine, now I realize how completely free I am in Christ. He loves me, and there is nothing I can do (or not do) to change that. His chief desire is simply for me to love Him back. This idea puts a whole new spin on obedience. He wants my love, not my performance. So God’s love is not a reward for my obedience. My obedience is a response to His love.

But sometimes I forget. I go back out into the world that is all about beauty pageants, sales commissions, and stars on a chart, and I become re-convinced that I must earn God’s love. Like a cat with a bird in its mouth, I return, drop my dead works at His feet and full of anxiety ask, “NOW how much do you love me?” And, as always He soothingly replies, “As much as I always have.”

And I find my restless soul once again quieted by His unconditional love.