My Thoughts on the Election: The Apolitical Response

With all the hoopla surrounding the election, I can only guarantee one thing. The winner will disappoint you at least some of the time. I’m not really sure I could vote for anyone with a clear conscience so this year I am nominating my own candidate:
Jesus Christ

Here are the reasons to elect to follow Jesus this year (And every year).
1. He’s the only candidate who has never lied to you.
2. He’s the only one who can actually deliver all the things the other candidates are promising you, since what they are promising are the blessings of God.
3. He’s the only candidate who actually knows everything that is going to happen.
4. His way leads to the life you really want, not just the life you think you want.
5. He’s always right.
6. He hasn’t run one negative ad.
7. He values truth more than His political party. Come to think of it, He doesn’t have a political party.
8. He wants what’s best for every person on the face of the earth, and He actually KNOWS what that is.
9. You can have access to Him, 24/7/365
10. He loves you and knows your name.
11. He will never steer you wrong!
12. He sacrificed Himself for you.

Now you might think I’m being a little facetious here, but I’m not. I don’t believe most politicians lie so much as I believe they promise us the blessings of God, but God alone decides who and what He will bless. If we want to be a nation blessed by God there is no substitute for following God and we do that by following the teachings of Jesus.

Am I suggesting a write-in Jesus campaign? No, that would eliminate the votes of Christians, which would only make matters worse. Am I suggesting that you don’t vote? No and for the same reason. What I am suggesting is that you do is throw away your political party affiliation and pick up your Bible. Compare the lives of the candidates to the teachings of Jesus, pray and ask God who He would have you vote for and vote for that person. Then pray for the person who wins, believing that God is in control and gives us the leader we need or deserve, whether that is to bless us or to punish us ’til we turn back to the Lord as a nation and get back to living lives that demonstrate that we follow Jesus. Living to the glory of God and our neighbor’s good.

This year, vote for whoever you believe God wants to lead the nation and elect to follow Jesus.

By the way this doesn’t just apply to elections, our families, our churches (especially our DENOMINATIONS) and every individual also needs to elect to follow Jesus.

Also if you think you’d like to wear this on a shirt, click the image.

A Great Article and an Amazing Video

Relevant Magazine Online ran a fantastic article called “Is There a Place for Creative Christians? Please take a few moments and check it out. Here’s the link.

One contributor to the article was Linnea Gabriella Spransy. I had not seen her work before but it is amazing. She shot a video of the making of one of her pieces, which I found mesmerizing. At the risk of being too derivative, I may have to try this technique in one of my future videos.

Have you found your place as a creative Christian?
Tell us about it in the comments.

In the trenches…

A friend of mine and I were having a discussion the other day. He is a Christian but does not have a “home church.” He was telling me of listening to a message online from a church he has attended a few times. The message was on the tithe which he felt was in error as it did not take New Testament teaching into account. I am not sure where I stand on that. I get where he’s coming from on one hand, (God owns and deserves everything) but on the other hand I know how many churches struggle financially because the members of the body do not even come close to the tithe. I found myself getting too emotional in the conversation because as a pastor, I need all the help I can get. Believers foregoing corporate worship is a sore point with me.

Yet part of me understands it. A wise man one told me that ministry is easy, except for the people. It’s true we come together with lots of baggage, rough edges and wounds and we often manage to hurt each other. We have difficulty coming under authority, humbling ourselves and forgiving. All those traits are relational time bombs waiting to go off. Yet I maintain the answer is not to give up gathering for corporate worship.

I guess the thing that hits me the hardest is the fact that while I acknowledge that in some ways the church is broken, I also feel a call to do my part in fixing it. For that, I don’t need people who will wander in as consultants, tell me what’s wrong with me and then bounce out of my life again. I’ve been pastoring the church of the revolving door for too long.

Don’t tell me what’s wrong with my church, or even how to fix my church and then walk away. That’s not what I need. I’m not infallible and I do make mistakes, but I don’t need a consultant and I don’t need a critic. I need some folks who will climb into the trenches with me, come to the word with me and hash it out with me, battle by my side and help me. I need people who care about the vision God has given and the Kingdom of God enough to get their hands dirty. Your idea may be perfectly valid, you may even be right, but don’t expect me to change anything I do in the name of God before you show me with your faithfulness that I can trust you. Don’t give me an idea or something to do unless you are willing to put your own effort behind it, and for pete sake, don’t tell me I have to do something because God told you I do. The people I trust most are the ones who will join me in the trenches.

Funny my friend would tell me the church is not the building, it’s the people and he would be right about that but I don’t believe that the church will ever be fixed from the outside. I believe the church is a body that needs all the parts to function. We can’t amputate ourselves and really make a difference.

Plug back in and join us in the trenches.

My Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project is Done

As usual I wanted to do a project that would share the Gospel. From their list of approved themes, I chose the theme Villains and Heroes, because as any long-time reader of this blog knows, I believe all heroes are patterned after the attributes of Jesus. I did this very simple project to show what some of those attributes are. I hope you like it. This project was a lot of fun and if you have a spare $25, I heartily recommend giving the next one a try.
For more information on the Sketchbook Project go to http://www.thesketchbookproject.com

Can’t see the images? Here are the links:
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv1.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv2.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv3.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv4.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv5.jpg
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http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv8.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv9.jpg
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http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv11.jpg
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http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv16.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv17.jpg
http://www.amokarts.com/hnv/hnv18.jpg

Dry Bones Live

I got the inspiration for this video some time ago when reading the book of Ezekiel and the vision was rekindled by the song Spirit Wind by Casting Crowns. In Ezekiel 37, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to a valley full of dry bones and when he does, God breathes life into them. It’s the same way for the Church today. There are days where we forget who we are, We walk around this world dry and dead and in desperate need of God to breathe life into us again. This video is a reminder that God wants to do just that for us.

Here is the video set to the music that helped to inspired it, Casting Crowns’ song Spirit Wind from their Album, Come to the Well.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge Twirl

Well it’s kind of amazing sometimes how things work out. Yesterday I posted a piece I call Continuum of Life. My wife was in the hospital the last two days (she’s recovering nicely, by the way) so this morning was the first I had seen this week’s IF challenge, of the word Twirl and I was kind of amazed by how much it related to the piece I just did. Here it is.

(Can’t see the image? Click here.)

The basic point of the piece is this. Life is a continuum. Good and Evil, right and wrong, etc. are opposite ends of the continuum. To go toward one is to turn from the other. To turn to God is to turn away from sin and to turn to sin is to turn away from God. If you find yourself going in the wrong direction, the best thing you can do is turn around. That’s what the word repentance means, to turn around. Repentance is a good thing that can turn you in a good direction.

The thing is, for most of us, including the staunchest of believers, we don’t just turn around once and head in the right direction, we turn around and around and around, which is kind of what it means to twirl, isn’t it. The good news is, thanks to Jesus Christ, his sacrifice on the cross, death burial and resurrection, we can always turn back to Him and He will always welcome us. He loves you and He wants you back. No matter who you are, no matter what you have done. You can always turn around.

The trick for us all is to stop twirling, turn in the direction of good and keep moving forward. Jesus can help you do that. Ask him to help you.

Make one more “right” turn, toward Jesus and stop twirling.

An Illustration of Life

Sometimes we make life out to be so darn complicated and when it comes to right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteousness, it’s not difficult at all. I got this illustration on my prayer walk one morning and I think it sets it up very nicely:

(Can’t see the illustration? Click here)

For the believer (at least) it’s pretty much this simple—God and sin can’t coexist. Therefore sin and God, good and evil, righteousness and sin are opposite sides of the same line, the same continuum. This means to go to one is to turn your back on the other. The two paths will never meet. To turn to God is to turn away from sin and to turn to sin is to turn away from God. Yes it really is that simple.

The problem is that we (even the strongest believers) find ourselves going in the wrong direction and often and that is NOT okay. Praise be to God there is a solution. He gave it to us when He gave us His Son Jesus Christ. Remember life is a continuum, you’re headed either in one direction or the other. So if you find yourself headed in the wrong direction, all you need to do is turn around. That turning around is called repentance.

Which direction are you headed? If you’re going in the wrong direction, the solution is really easy.

Turn around.

11-22-63 and Time Travel

I’ve been wanting to post this for a while but I wasn’t sure how to proceed. One of the gifts I received for Christmas was Stephen King’s new novel 11-22-63. It was 849 pages and I read it in right around 2 weeks. It’s an amazing page turner, though I should warn you there is a fair amount of foul language and some sexual scenes that will be off putting to some readers. (For me it was kind of like this is such a good story and you really didn’t need to put that in there, but I digress).

The problem with posting this blog is it’s almost impossible to do it without giving a spoiler. Nonetheless, I will try. I’ve never been a fan of horror, which is why I’ve never read Stephen King before. It’s not a horror book. It’s a book about time travel. The main character in the book finds a portal back in time to 1958 and he is sent back on a mission to save President Kennedy from assassination. What makes this a unique story is he can continually go back to the future and reset things if something goes awry. Sort of like a reset button on history. The book is amazingly well written and I wish I could say more than that, but I can’t without being a spoiler, so I am going to switch lanes.

What’s so appealing about the idea of time travel? I mean hundreds if not thousands of books have been written on the topic. Why? I think it’s because of regret. There are events in most of our lives that we wish we could do over. (If you don’t, congratulations or stop lying to yourself, you decide.) The idea of being able to go back in time and change something is very appealing, but would it be wise?

The main character in the book gets caught up in a situation, a choice. Does he do the right thing for his for himself at the cost of the world or does he sacrifice what he desires most for the sake of the world? It might be a tougher choice than you think.

The thing is, life doesn’t have a reset button and even if it did, it would probably be a mistake to push it. The tough stuff in our lives makes us stronger if we let it. The bad choices can give us the wisdom to make better choices in the future if we let them. The hard things in life can change us for the better if we will let them. The reason for this is there is a God, who is never surprised by any situation, always knows what He is doing (and what we will do) and has it all under control. We can’t travel back in time, but we can trust God with today and give Him tomorrow.

Time travel is impossible. The Bible says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” That means we only get one life so we need to use it wisely. I believe the best thing we can do is offer that one life to God and ask Him to be your Lord and savior, loving Him like He loves you and following Him through this difficult life all the way to the end. He’s the best guide and the only one who knows the way. He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you. Secondly, there is another promise, a promise reserved only for those who love God. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In other words, all the pain, all the mistakes, all your past sin, everything in your life, good bad and ugly, when given over to God can and will be used by God for your good. He is faithful, He will do it. I know this because He has done it for me.

The only way we can travel through time is forward, one day, one minute, one second at a time. So give this moment to God. He won’t let you down.

My Bride

I hope you’ll indulge a little personal reflection. Below is an image of the happiest day of my life.

We thought we had it all figured out, but we were so young. I’m 48 now, I’ve been married over half my life and I’m here to tell you we didn’t have a clue. It was so much harder than either of us could have imagined. It was also so much better.

Let me tell you about my bride. We met when I was 22 and I was a mess. I had spent the previous three years drinking my problems away and she was far too good for me. Good thing she didn’t know that. She helped me through my troubles, helped me get sober and got me to go to church for the first time in over 10 years. She was the one who led me to Christ. She’s given me two great sons, walked me through a heart attack. She was the angel that feared to tread when this fool wanted to rush in on too many occasions to count and as a result she saved me from a lot of problems. We’ve weathered a lot of storms together. I’ve often preached this life is a battle and I have a lot of friends, including some pretty tough guys, but there is no one I would rather have had by my side in this battle than her.

She’s been my voice of wisdom (of at least she’s spoken up when I was ignoring the Spirit), my sounding board, my strongest human supporter, my wife, my lover and my best friend. I love her more each day. I’ll be with her ’til God takes me.

And guys that’s the thing. The hearts and flowers of romance and the mountain tops are wonderful and we have had plenty of those times, but it’s the tough times that forge the bond. If we had left the tough times break us, we would have missed the wonder of an amazing life together. Too many people bail just when it’s getting good. The key is really simple. The Bible says “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” It’s you, your mate and Jesus, hold on to each other tight and press on together. The family is God’s main building block in society and, as a result, it regularly comes under attack. Don’t quit, press on (unless your spouse puts you in physical danger).

If you’re not married yet, this is what you’re looking for. Someone who will stand by you in the tough times and love you regardless of circumstances. Follow God’s plan. Live God’s way. Build on Christ’s foundation and weave your three strand cord.

Part of the reason I posted this today is to ask you for prayer. My bride is having surgery tomorrow. It’s routine. She should be out by Saturday and we’re believing God for speedy recovery. I should be fine and totally confident. I trust the Lord, but she’s my bride so I’ll take all the prayer I can get. Please keep my wife Dawn in your prayers.

How Do You Stay In God’s Will?

It’s not rocket science…

Seriously, we all seem to act as if it’s so hard to find out. Oh maybe the specifics are. Maybe the long range goal is hard to find or the way there is hard to achieve, but when it comes to day to day life, it’s pretty simple. Look at what’s coming next and do the next right thing.

Incidentally, that is also the way to reach your goal. Look at the opportunity, ask if it will help to take you where God wants you to go and if it is…

DO IT!

Ephesians 5:15 and 16 says: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.