LeBron James is Changing the Nature of Truth

LeBron James is changing the nature of truth. During the NBA Finals this year LeBron James a Professional Basketball player made the statement "I feel confident because I am the best player in the world."

"

 If he says I am the best basketball player in the world does that make it true? By what standard does he measure that? By his own standard? By Commentators Standards? Has he played against every basketball player in the world? On which day is he the best? What about when he has an "off" day is he still the best? Has he ever lost a one on one with anyone? And when did he become the best player in the world? Did it just happen? You see where I am going with this? Statements like this I believe are changing the nature of truth. The way something is verified as truth is if someone that our community values says it, then it becomes true. And if other people who our community values as important also verify it like color commentators or ESPN Analyzers, then it stands as a true statement. Pontius pilot actually asked Jesus the same question, "what is truth?" Right before he nailed Jesus to the cross for claiming to be the truth. Truth is a hard thing to nail down in our culture. LeBron James is right about one thing, One person is the best player in the world and HE is the truth. Jesus said of himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." This one verifiable truth stands the test of time. Jesus is the best player in the world, he has given his life to prove it, he has more followers in human history that anyone ever, and His word has stood the test of time. We can't say that for LeBron James. He can't even win a Championship in his last two tries. Maybe if he were the best player in the world he might be able to win a championship, but oh basketball is a team sport, but I digress. I think I'll stick with Jesus, his track record is a little better. I am pretty sure that I can trust him. His truth stands the test of time a little bit better than LeBron's truth.

This is a cultural phenomenon that we as the Christian community should resist with everything that we are. As Jesus people we resist...

Pride
Opulence
Greed
Lies
Worldliness
Power

On the other hand we are countercultural with values such as... 

Humility
all Sufficiency of Christ (Jesus is Lord)
Generosity
Benevolence
Truth
Holiness
Meekness

When we live these values we will be a city on a hill, a sweet fragrance that the world will notice. The nature of truth is changing in our culture, but for the Jesus follower the nature of truth NEVER changes. We are a people that give ourselves wholly and fully for the one who gave Himself fully for us. If we could boil Christianity down to a single thing it would be Jesus telling us what it takes to be a disciple of His. In Mark 8:34 Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the sake of the Gospel will save it." That is the truth of being a Disciple of Jesus. I am so glad that I serve a great savior not just great, but sorry LeBron He is the greatest player in the universe!!! Here is an old video, but a great one that explains further the greatness of Christ.

Cultivating Curiosity in the Name of Christ

Pastoral ministry requires a person to be curious and genuinely curious about other people. Over the years, I’ve found that ministry required me to be curious about people, and early on in my ministry, I noticed I was genuinely uncurious, arrogant and proud.

A mentor pointed this out to me. It was hard to hear, but it was the best thing he could’ve done for me at the time. I went with him on a weekend retreat where he was the speaker. On our way there, he said to me, "You interrupt people all the time."

I was shocked. He said I had interrupted his wife at dinner at least a dozen times. They were looking at each other, thinking, “Who is this guy; what is he doing?” He offered to observe me over the weekend and let me know what he noticed by the end of our time ministering together. 

At the end of the weekend, he told me he felt I cared more about myself, and what I wanted to say, than about other people and what was on their minds.

This hurt to hear, but it was so eye opening. I realized I needed to overhaul my pride, and my lack of curiosity. I needed to flex my selflessness muscles and genuinely begin caring about people’s souls, interests, passions and needs. James, the brother of Jesus, has this wise advice for us: When we’re tempted to speak first in any situation, we need to choose first to listen, understand and ask questions.

Are you curious, or are you self-important, arrogant, and proud? Here are a few ways to discern where you need to grow:

1.       Do you come into groups of people and begin immediately to talk about yourself or what's happening to you?

2.       Do you, like me, interrupt people when they’re in the middle of a sentence or thought? Do you rush to interject your opinion, tell a story about yourself, or somehow promote yourself?

3.       Do you ask questions of people? Do you seek to get to know people beyond surface level?

4.       Have people ever made these types of comments to you: “you talk too much,” “you interrupted me,” or “you’re not listening”?

5.       Do people seem to pull away from you after a while, even people you had considered a friend?

In order to become deeply caring and curious people, we need to be transformed by Jesus. For me it is happening as I submit myself to the direction of the Holy Spirit. My wife has also sharpened me; she knows my struggles and challenges me. "You aren't listening," "you’re interrupting," she will graciously point out.  

We can also grow by asking other people who are close to us: "Do you feel listened to by me?" "Do I have any blind spots in my character?" Our culture is head over heels for celebrities, starved for information about the rich and the famous, but our Christ call us to minister to the poor, marginalized, hurting, unpopular, and unfamous. Christ is calling his church to be genuinely curious about those that cannot repay you or return the favor:

“(Jesus) said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just’” (Luke 14:12-14).

Let us with fresh vision obey the words of Jesus, and with great curiosity, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, “and you will be blessed.”

The Opposite Way: Study on the Beatitudes

The Opposite Way: Week 5

Open: This Kanye West quote is the essence of hypocrisy and arrogance, not to mention the Rolling Stone cover below. He said in a Time Magazine interview...
“My goal all along was to be praised and talked about until I reached a level of total contentment with who I am and where I belong in the world, and on Friday night of last week, I reached that level,” said West, standing outside the screen door of his home in a pair of khaki slacks and a plain gray work shirt. “I finally feel satisfied and whole as a human being, which means I can stop being a famous pop star now.”
“So I just want to say thank you to everyone who bolstered my self-esteem by showering me with so much acclaim,” added West, sweeping some dust from his front porch. “Because it worked. I’m good to go.”

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.' (Matthew 6:1-13 NIV)

1. The Opposite Way is sincerity in giving
To be sincere givers we have to practice it. Give stuff away to your best friends. Swap your favorite thing with one of your close friends. What are you doing so that the grip of materialism is being broken in your life? You won't break the power of materialism by getting and keeping more stuff for yourself.

2. The Opposite Way is sincerity in prayer
Prayer is to be done authentically. Not with lots and lots of words or repetition. Just telling God what you feel and what you need, and how holy He is and how thankful we are

I got a phone call from someone recently with a wrong number. This guy who called me was looking for Marco. It was pretty funny how he thought that Marco had to be at this number.  He called back several times asking for Marco. I guess he thought he might all of a sudden get through to Marco by talking a lot.after telling this guy four times that he had the wrong number to check it and not call back again he started to text me asking for Marco. Here is how the text conversation went...

Caller: did u took marcos sell phone? Oh I sorry dis wrong number
Me: No I didn't "took" Marcos "sell" phone. This has been my cell phone number for two years you might want to go talk to Marcos and ask him what his cell phone number is. Please don't call back or text this number anymore
Caller: Half shortie call. Me
Me: STOP texting me "half shortie" or whatever
Caller: I sorry..nu 2 da sell phones..dis wrong number. Dis not marcos sell? Sorry
Me: NO STOP TEXTING ME or I call the cops
Caller: I don't nead no po pos comin round hear. I Ben pressing wrong number SORRY mista

In prayer we don't just keep talking and eventually get through to God like this guy who called me.  He kept trying to talk and thought that through his talking more he would get through to Marco. With God it is much different. We must pray in sincerity to ever draw near to Him. 

Here are some things to pray for...
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV)

Take a moment now to pray and thank God for how great he is. Tell Him truthfully, and authentically how grateful and thankful you are for what he has done for you in Jesus, and thank Him for how He blesses you everyday.

Ramen Noodles Chicken Flavored Pride

Ramen Noodles Chicken flavored Pride

I used to love ramen noodles! I still kind of love Ramen noodles. You put them in hot water for a few minutes, and you add the powder and you have yourself some awesome chicken (flavored) soup. But alas I am older now and the days of backpacking, living on pennies a week, and late night exam cram sessions are over (at least for a little while).

So, I caught myself today looking through our sparse cupboards for something to eat for lunch. I found an old stack of ramen noodles packed away behind a box of really out-dated dates (sorry some puns just happen). And so I cooked them. As the water was boiling I said to myself, "self, aren't you past eating Ramen Noodles?" it was a moment of pride before I put the noodles in the water. Is this the season of life that I should be eating a few packs of year old Ramen Noodles? This is where the deceitfulness of pride comes in. It lulls you into thinking you should grow out of certain things because you are better than that. Pride says you are better than that when in truth we are not better than anything or anyone In this life. It is written about many times and many places in the Bible, but never more eloquently by Paul in Philippians...
"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross." (Philippians 2:3-8 NLT)
Here is the tough balance not thinking I am better than Ramen Noodles, and also looking out for your own interests as Paul says here. I must confess, I lean almost always ever to the wrong extreme of self love and preservation, pride and arrogance. God would you help me/us to lean more toward the example of Christ. Help us follow Christ example in all things as it says "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Not try to have, or strive, but "you must". Lord I am so sorry when I think I am better than that thing or person. If you are willing you could pray with me this very dangerous prayer of humility. It goes like this..."Jesus, please humble me". But be ready the dangerous part is that he will answer that prayer, so be ready to be humbled, and maybe I should be ready to eat Ramen Noodles for a while longer. Who's with me?

Fighting Un-Humility

Ever since I was a young man I have fought Un-Humility. Then I memorized Philippians 2:5-8. "Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross." after reading what Jesus did (Son of God) I then realized that I was a really proud person. Pride in anything. Anything I could get my hands on to wrap my pride into. Sports, school, my smashing good looks although my hair is washing down the shower drain daily, or anything that I could boost my Un-Humility. If it smacked of pride I liked it. I still like it, but everytime I read this passage again I realize the true depths of lowness I can sink to in the area of pride, and how sick it really makes me. And so my first post will be one of Humility. I will seek in this blog to relentlessy pursue the mind of the Humble Christ. If you promise to pursue it with me. Thanks for reading and hope it inspires you, empowers you, and most of all imprints you with the mind of Christ. Blessings!