Thursday, January 28, 2010

John-- The Disciple Jesus Loved

Alright, I have to start by saying, Dominos is better than it was, but it is not good enough that I crave it. The crust was great and the toppings were good, but overall it is an average Pizza.

Now let's get to what is on my mind. I have not blogged for a while because I have been writing a study guide for the next teaching series we are doing this year. It is a study through the gospel of John. It will last until December of 2010. My goal is to post the weekly study every week throughout the year.

Sunday is just an introduction to the gospel of John. About 15 years ago I was blessed to hear Brennan Manning speak at a Youth Specialties Convention. I have never forgotten the picture he painted of a relationship Jesus had with one of his disciples. The disciple was John and the relationship caused John to refer to himself as the disciple who Jesus loved.

Jesus has just told them someone is going to betray him. John 13:23-25 says this, "One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, 'Ask him which one he means.' Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, 'Lord who is it?'"

In Brennan Manning's book, "Abba's Child" he calls John's encounter with Jesus a defining moment in John's life. He feels so comfortable around Jesus that he reclines back with his head against Jesus' chest. Do you know what he heard? He heard the heartbeat of Jesus.

How many times have you gotten close enough to someone to listen to their heartbeat? John is close enough to Jesus that he gets to hear the heartbeat of his Messiah. The disciple whom Jesus loves writes about his encounter with Jesus. He does not write as a historian. He does not write for his own gain. He writes the gospel of John so that we can know his best friend. He writes so that we can fall in love with our lord. He is in tune with the heartbeat of Jesus.

Spend some time reading through John. Discover the testimony one man gives of his encounter with Jesus. As you read you will begin to realize John is not the only. We all have the opportunity to call ourselves the "disciple whom Jesus loves." Let's all get in tune with the heartbeat of our Lord. It is time we recline aginast the breast of Jesus and hear his heartbeat.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Ordering Pizza Later

I consider myself an expert on Pizza. I love Pizza, it is one of my favorite foods. If I am in a new city or town and I have a chance to choose the style of food for dinner, I will often ask, "What is the best pizza in town? I don't want a chain, I want some local place that is considered the best pizza."

My favorites from around the country are:

Myles Pizza in Bowling Green, Ohio
Ginos East in Chicago (stuffed pizza of course)
Mac and Bob's Pub in Salem, Virginia
Baldo's Brick Oven Pizza in Greenpoint (Brooklyn), NY
Moma Santas in Little Italy, Cleveland, Ohio
Giovonis Pizza in Grayson, Ky.
Gioninos Pizza in Northeast, Ohio (Tallmadge)
La Rossa's Pizza in Cincinnati, Ohio

I would love to hear some of your favorites.

The reason I am talking about Pizza though is because of a commercial I saw the other day. It was a Dominos commercial. I personally have not had a Dominos pizza forever. You know why? Because their "crust taste like cardboard and their sauce taste like ketchup." This is what people were saying about Dominos.

Now Dominos took a risk and decided to change everything. Watch this video:

Now what if the church would be this serious? What if we listened to what people were saying about the church and why they did not see the church as an important or effective part of their life? Would we be able to accept the brutal facts and present Jesus in an authentic way so that the world would fall in love with him once again?

Is it worth the risk to allow people to see the real Jesus or are we better off staying the same?

I'm ordering Dominos later. I will let you know what I think.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Is this all there is to following Jesus?

I logged on to Facebook and noticed an update from a friend. The statement prompted the question: "Is this all there is to following Jesus?" This is it? Christianity defined by this moment in the week?

The statement is a sign of why we (Christians) are being defined as a religion and out of touch with the real world. I have to be honest if this is all there was to following Jesus, I am not sure I would participate.

I have to fight everyday this being the only motivation for doing what I do. Mainly because it is not very motivating. Yet everyday people try to drag me back into the game of just doing church the same way it has been done for the last century or more.

Jesus taught us to do much more than this, he taught us to be the church. He taught us how to live in an authentic relationship with God outside the confines of tradition, a building or even a common place. He showed us how to be the church hanging out with real people who have real issues and are searching for an abundant life, something better than what they are experiencing now.

I am not being critical of my friend, I think in ministry it is something which needs to be done. I am not bashing it, I am just rethinking what the main thing for a follower of Jesus may be.

OK, here is the status post: "Monday.....the start of our march toward SUNDAY....and another day of fellowship and worship."

Any thoughts?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Spectator or Participant?

As people are trying to decide to call it "twenty-ten" or "two thousand ten" I am trying to decide what 2010 is going to look like. I know that we can't predict the future, be we can make choices that influence the future.

If you are like me, I am tired of the status quo. I sometime sit back and wait for God to change things. I pray for God to change my heart to be more like His. There are moments I feel like God is really about to do something big. Then the time passes and nothing big really happens.

I think it is because I have a habit of being a spectator of God rather than participating with God. It is easy sitting back and asking God to move, but when you don't move with Him don't expect any grand results.

Let me give you an example. I pray for God to help me with weight loss. It is one of those things I truly commit to prayer often. I just seem to get fatter. What is the deal? The deal is that I do not rely on Him to help me, I just want him to take the weight off. If it was that easy I guess there would be millions of people who would jump on that weight loss plan.

I can ask Him for encouragement, conviction through the Spirit and discipline. But I still have to move myself. So I set a goal of losing 2 lbs a week. I am going to journal about it and make God a big part of my lifestyle change.

We have to stop asking God for help and then do nothing. We have to stop just watching God and we have to start participating with God.

What things have you been asking God to help you with lately? Are you spectating or participating? Let me know.