Boxes in the Garage...

I feel like I've been given a gift.

When I was younger, I found this really old guitar.  It was virtually impossible to tune the thing and I didn't know how to play it, but I was determined to learn no matter what.  After months of building callouses and muscles in my fingers, I finally was able to play a few tunes.  The guitar had an awful sound and would never stay in tune.  It was annoying.  But I learned.

My parents knew about my tendency to move from one thing to the next - without sticking to it.  They had given me piano lessons early on - and that was a dismal failure.  One of my many problems is that I've always been interested in a million things.  When I was younger, I had ADHD when it came to hobbies.  

But they watched me with this old crusty guitar and saw that I was actually sticking with it.  So, on my 17th birthday, they bought me my first real guitar.  It was amazing, especially compared to my other piece of crap that I'd learned to play on.  I kept playing and getting better.  It was a discipline that didn't seem difficult.  

I remember hearing this Michael Penn song around that time and thinking, "If I can ever play that song, I'm done."

Well, years have passed, and the song was learned.  Looking back, that was a good gift - one of the best that I've been given.  I didn't take it for granted.  I used the gift - it wasn't wasted.

And yet, there are other gifts that end up in the garage before they're opened.  Gifts that are in boxes in the garage.  Unused heaps of nothings.  Waste. 

I've been given the gift of time.  Time to work on life things.  Health. Direction. Life.  Goals.

I just don't want to waste it.  I don't want to throw this gift in the garage and forget about it.  Not live it. I don't want this to be a wasted gift.  Yet I know my tendency...

I've definitely wasted a lot of good gifts in my past...

Jer

What does "Jesus is the good news" mean?

I've spent a lot of time in my blogs pointing out what the gospel (good news) is not, and then I point to Jesus.  So, that's got me wondering....hmm...when I write "Jesus is the good news"- does that create confusion??  What the heck does that mean?  I think if I were to hear that statement years ago, I might not understand what the heck I was talking about.

Well, let me try explain.

How we see the good news comes down to our view of God.  Is God (Jesus) good enough to stand on His own, or is the good news all about what He does for my personal benefit?  Is "who He is" good enough to be THE good news?   Is His character good news for me - and the rest of humanity? (regardless of my eternal destiny?)

For many people, He's not.  The gospel is turned into a set of bullet points that lay out "the plan" of God's redemption.  And often, people inside (and outside) of the faith community begin to see the good news as only "fire insurance" (or some such lessening of the Gospel), which virtually makes the Christian life an ineffective way of living everyday life.

I believe - in truth - that He is THE good news!  God alone IS THE GOSPEL.  Outside of how I see Him - how I might perceive Him - He is good!  I wonder how many of us really believe that??  Or see that?  I think that if we spend all our time on the ethics of the Bible - or the rewards of the Bible - or the warnings within the Bible - it's very easy to miss the character of Jesus.  He is truly wonderful.  He is better than anything I could ever hope to describe!  No words can even come close to how great He truly is.  As so often happens in these blogs - and even in my mind - these words PALE in comparison to how wonderful He really is...

Yet somehow we've turned the gospel (good news) into a formula of personal reward.

The plan of salvation is PART of the gospel.  But it's only a sliver of the Gospel - which is the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the Gospel.  How well do you know Him?

He is Savior.

He is also King.

He is a friend of sinners.

He has ALL authority in heaven and earth.

He is the suffering servant and the wounded healer.

He is the cursed one (on our behalf).

He is the redeemer.

He is the reconciler.

He is the conqueror of death - the resurrection.

He is love.

Christ is life!

All good things come from Him.

And He holds ALL things together.

Gosh - and so much more - and more - and more!!!  I guess that's my point though.  If God (Jesus) is just a plan of salvation - then that's limiting His goodness to our personal reward.  He is SOOOOOO much more!!  And I'm not so sure I emphasized SOOOOO enough.

Take the time to get to know Him.  It will be worth it, even if you don't get a clear picture of His goodness immediately.

And why wouldn't you want to?  Why wouldn't you want to know someone that amazing?  THAT good?

It can't hurt.  Getting to know Jesus isn't gonna make you any worse for wear.  Test and see if what I'm saying is true!  Who knows - maybe I'm trying to manipulate you into believing a fairy tale.  Go dig deep and see if it's all true!  Don't believe my words - go read the gospels!

I'm confident that when you come to know the gospel (Jesus Christ), you'll not only see how wonderful He truly is - but you'll also come to find that He has a TON to say about us - who we are - what we're worth, etc. - and that secondary good news is ALMOST as good as the Gospel itself.

I wonder if that cleared anything up?  haha.

Have an awesome day!

Jer

Caught in the Act

"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:6-7)

One of the most well known stories about Jesus is his interaction with the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:1-11)

The religious types were trying to trap Jesus, so they brought a woman caught having sex with someone that wasn’t her husband. In our day and age - that’s a pretty common type thing - but in that culture - marriage was really sacred (within the religious community - it was extremely sacred). The Hebrew Scriptures said that such a woman was punishable by death from stoning (the men would pick up stones and throw them at her until she died). Quite a brutal way to die actually - and I’m sure the woman was terrified when she was placed in front of this country rabbi. She thought she was a dead woman.

So, here ya have Jesus caught in the middle. He was known to be compassionate and loving - and yet - He was also a Rabbi who followed the Law (instruction) found within the Hebrew Scriptures.

The religious crowd thought they had caught Jesus.

If he let the woman go - then He would show that He didn’t take the Hebrew Law (instruction) seriously. If he allowed them to kill her - he would not be perceived as loving and compassionate - and many of his followers would be disillusioned.

There’s so much in this story - and actually reading the account in John does a much better job than what I can describe.

But there’s part of the story that is coming to light for me in a new way - that I’d never seen before - until recently. And what’s crazy is that within this very common Christian story - there lies within in it such a controversial piece. I’ve never heard anyone (from the pulpit or otherwise) point it out.

Here’s what could cause controversy within the story:

The woman caught in adultery never came to Jesus on her own will. She didn’t ask for forgiveness. She didn’t confess her belief. She didn’t join a group. She didn’t become a Christian. haha.

She was just caught. And she wasn’t caught by Jesus - she was caught by others. And there was no repentance - at least from what we can tell from this account. In fact - she was literally in the middle of her “sin” right before she was placed in front of Jesus. She wasn’t seeking Him. She didn’t do anything to get “right” with Jesus - God. She didn’t do anything be be good - or be a better person. She did nothing. Nothing.

Why is that so controversial?

It’s at her “worst” that Jesus says “then neither do I condemn you.”

She hadn’t repented. She wasn't seeking Him. She was fearing a death sentence - and believed she going to die - but there was no plea for mercy or second chances. She hadn’t figured it all out. There’s no mention of her doctrine. There’s no mention of her “role” as a woman. In fact - she was there unwillingly. This was the last place she wanted to be.

Jesus does such a good job at loving her in that spot. Humanity picks up stones to throw at the down-and-out (the “sinners”) while Jesus distracts the self righteous with finger painting in the sand - and makes everyone take a gut check at their own soul before revealing that He doesn’t condemn. John 3:17 supports idea this as well. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Why are we so quick to condemn? I wonder.

Why are we so quick to believe that Jesus condemns when the scriptures so often reveal the opposite?

Why do we think we have to say the right things - do the right things - know the right things - in order to be "right" with God - when so often the bible tells stories that contradict this type thinking?

And why don’t people ask more of these kinds of questions? I don't get it.

It's should be pointed out that Jesus does say "Go now and leave your life of sin." Sin meaning - rebellion to God - or - not esteeming God (putting Him in His rightful place).

But - our sin was condemned by humanity on the cross where Jesus died. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor 5:21

Humanity condemned sin to the cross by killing the only righteous person who has walked the earth - God Himself. Soon after, God conquered death by rising from the grave to a new life - a new day. The problem with "sin" (broken relationship with God) is over - finished. God is greater than sin!

So, why don't we live that way? Maybe a better question is: do we really believe this? Do we really believe that the problem of sin is finished?

One pastor I heard said it best, "You're more sinful than you think you are. Get over it!" I love that. Sin is done - taken care of - whether we participate in that or not. We have peace with God the Father through Jesus - period. We just - so often - don't live that way.

What if we did live that way? What if we saw other people the way Jesus sees other people - with the loving eyes of grace and mercy? He doesn't seem as concerned about the things many church folks are concerned with. Don't you find that strange?

Well - don't take my word for it - go read the gospels again. See how He deals with sinners. Look for the controversies. Ask questions!! It's worth the time and effort - you might even be set free from bad doctrine.

You have permission to ask questions about God and the bible. If God really is God - He can handle it. Seriously. Part of loving God is loving Him with your mind - He gave it for us to use!

But - that's a whole other subject. ha!

I wonder what it would look like - if - when people reveal their worst - we responded like Jesus - and said to them, "...neither do I condemn you."

Have a great day!

Jer

F'ing Earthquake!

"Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose." Acts 16:26

When I was in high school, every other word I spoke was a swear word. I think this habit formed when I was in Jr high - all in order to feel cool - or maybe to make me feel older, I don’t know.

I also remember saying swear words before I knew what they meant. This is funny to me now - but - when we’re kids - we’re so clueless... I had my mouth washed out with soap on more than one occasion. I got caught swearing outside my parent’s house multiple times (I have an obnoxiously loud voice - grrr). I was one smart cookie!

My senior year in high school, I started hanging out with some new friends. All of these friends were Christians and they never swore - or hardly ever swore. It’s awkward when you’re the only person in your group swearing - so I learned to not swear as much when I hung out with them. One of these friends never swore at all - ever. I had never heard anything vulgar come out of his mouth - not even once. It was weird.

One day - while playing tennis - we made a pact to stop swearing. I think we chose to do this because swear words were never really honoring to other people - and we were learning how to love - taking those first innocent steps. We made a pact that if a person swore - every other person got to hit the arm of the offender as hard as they wanted. There were 5 of us in the group - that’s four hard hits for every offense.

Looking back, this wasn’t really fair. I was the perpetual swearer. I think my friends wanted an excuse to hit me. Needless to say, my arm had many bruises over the next couple months. But - I have to admit - it worked. I actually did stop swearing. I’d replace F#%& with Fudge or Frick - or some other less offensive word. It didn’t have the force of a good swear word, but it still worked.

Flash forward three years.

I really had stopped swearing (except in cases of extreme fear or “stubbing my toe in the dark” moments). At the time, one of our friends was an exchange student in Germany - another was at Pepperdine - and the other three of us were back home in the foothills - near Sacramento. We decided on a whim, one weekend, to take a road trip to Malibu to see our friend at Pepperdine.

That weekend, we visited all over the Los Angeles area - and there were many side stories along the way (example - window shopping on Rodeo Drive - I mindlessly gave a bum some of my change and my Pepperdine friend said, “Jeremy - that bum was dressed better than you!” - and he was right. ha!) - but there’s one story that has stuck with me as if it had happened yesterday. On one of the last nights of our trip we visited Disneyland, and one of our good female friends from San Diego joined us at the park.

We did the usual fun stuff - had an amazing time - and stayed until the park closed. The four of us got in our car to drive back to Pepperdine. I don’t know the roads down south, but we found ourselves driving parallel on a freeway with our friend from San Diego - Kristen. I think this might have been after a quick Denny’s run, but I can’t quite remember. All I remember is driving parallel with Kristen at around 1:30am.

To give a visual - I was sitting in the backseat of my car behind the driver. My buddy Bil was in the front seat driving (he was older than all of us and we trusted and looked up to him). Gregg (our Pepperdine friend who I’d never heard swear) was in the passenger seat giving directions. My other buddy Chuck was sitting right next to me.

I don’t recall who said it first - if it was Gregg or Bil - but one of them said something to the effect of, “Sometimes - don’t you just wanna swear?” And we all talked about it and kept flirting with the idea of swearing - without actually swearing. I think it was Gregg that might have said the first bomb. “I F’ing (using the real F word) wanna swear right F’ing now.” - something like that.

Now - mind you - I had never heard a swear word come out of Gregg’s mouth - ever. This was about the funniest thing I had ever heard! Suddenly we were all saying every swear word we had ever known. I’ll never forget this moment until the day I die - Chuck is sitting next to me and Kristen is driving parallel to us - and she‘s got the biggest smile ever - and is waving at us - and we’re saying things like “See ya later B^$#%!” And all sorts of derogatory language. She can’t hear us, of course - but we were laughing soooooo incredibly hard as we cuss her out. Chuck is flipping her off under the window - and she can’t see it. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Serious tears streaming down my face. My stomach muscles were hurting. I’m laughing now - thinking about it.

Kristen drove on towards San Diego, and we drove towards Malibu. We went on a swearing rant for a while longer, then Bil suggested that we each get one last burst of swearing before we stopped. So, each of us, in turn went on one final rant. What was interesting to me is how many time fudge and frick kept creeping into my swear infested rant. We laughed and finally finished.

Then Bil said - “Hey - let’s pray.” haha. Again - so funny - thinking back. Praying after swearing - not something I’d ever imagined. I remember Bil’s prayer - as Chuck and I snickered in the back of the car. He said something like “God - thank you for the fun and laughter - and we didn’t mean anything from these words. Just give us a sign or something if you don’t want us to do anything like this again - and forgive us if we went to far.”

I remember the "thank you God" part - the forgive part - and the “sign” part of the prayer. We drove the rest of the way to Pepperdine and went into Gregg’s dorm room to sleep. I was exhausted from a long day and my stomach actually hurt from laughing so hard earlier - I was dead tired. I slept on the floor - Bil was on an upper bunk - Gregg in his bed - and I think Chuck was also on the floor. We were out by around 2:30 or so.

At around 4:30 am - the room we were sleeping in began to shake violently. Bil immediately woke up and started yelling “Earthquake - I think it’s an earthquake!” My first immediate thought was that it felt like Star Tours in Disneyland. Gregg and I were up - but I think Chuck was still sleeping - but then finally work up from the commotion. I do think something hit Chuck in the head, but I don’t recall exactly. The earthquake subsided and we were all wide awake. I’ll never forget looking outside the dorm window and the usual glow of light from LA was gone. It was pitch black - from the power being out.

We honestly didn’t know if this was the “big one” - in terms of the big earthquake that is possibly going to happen someday. It was actually a terrifying moment - in some ways - even though we were ok.

Turns out this quake was later named the Northridge Earthquake. There were fatalities and injuries - and it was all pretty crazy. That sequence of events is still hard to believe.

Did this happen because we swore? haha. I seriously doubt it. But, it has given me pause when I do want to swear - and that’s the truth. It's possible that God knew we'd be in that moment (that was already destined to happen anyway) to give us a sly wink wink. God - after all - did create humor - in the midst of this very tragic world. Laughter during a very tragic moment - for sure...

And - let's be honest - life is hard. We can either laugh at it - or cry. Sometimes we need to do both - with some swearing on the side. This is my story anyway...

The most eye opening moment in that journey was something that Bil had picked up on that I hadn't yet - which has taken me forever to learn. In the midst of our junk - our crud - our "sin" - God is right there with us - even when we're blind to Him. And in the midst of our junk - He is love - loving us - laughing and crying with us - He is always there.

And a simple prayer can remind us that we're not alone in this seemingly dark world - where Earthquakes can seem to ruin the party. The good news is that His love is so great that sometimes Earthquakes can even break the chains that bind us - and lead us to freedom.

I can think of one such earthquake the led to the freedom for all people. The one that happened on that wonderful - and horrific - day that Jesus died on the cross. "It is finished." - we are free...

But - wow - that earthquake day in 1994 - to this day, that is one of my favorite memories!

I don't swear often - rarely actually - but...sometimes it just feels appropriate. Y the L not, right?

Have a great fucking day! haha.

Jer

Fan Mail!

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1

This was an interesting piece of fan mail I got a few months back. Kinda caught me by surprise. Anyway - makes me laugh thinking about it now. Turns out - the guy who sent it (thru FB) was wasted when he wrote it. But - sometimes the truth comes out in those situations (from his perspective - of course). haha. Anyway - can’t keep this one to myself. It’s too good. ;-)

Jer

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Hey whats goin on you fat piece of shit. You probably don't remember me but I sure as hell remember you. You used to be my middle school/ high school youth group leader about 7 or so years ago at ????? Church in ????? (which has now sold out to ?????? to become ??????). You fuckin waltz out on us like the 3 or so other people after you. You had your own personal interest in mind and not God. Speaking of god, thanks to you and others like who put thier own interests and ambitions above your "god", I've walked away from the organized religion cuz douche bags like you fuck it up and corrupt it. If there is a god I'm sure as hell that he doesn't appreciate people spreading his word and then bailing out when something better comes along. I only found you cuz ur "friends" with some (not all of them) people I know. Do them a favor and tell them that ur a fuckin liar and cheat and get out of their lives before you negatively affect them. All you do is brainwash our heads and move on to the next group of suckers. You, your wife, and her loser brother who seemed cool. I still remember the faces in our youth group, do you? By the way, I didn't see you at our graduation from ????. You really are a Jer"K". (And yea, I remember that faggot ass story you told us). Eat shit and die.

-------

(My Reply)

Wow.

Well - first of all, it'd be nice if you got your facts straight. I didn't waltz out of (name of Church) - they let me go. And it surely wasn't over "personal interests in mind" cuz I continued to do ministry for basically no pay for the next 7 years - still doing it today. I've always been around - and I've always been doing youth work - but the Church didn't like the way I was doing it, because I was trying to reach the lost - kids that weren't going to church. They wanted to take care of their own.

Faulty fact number two - I don't give a rats ass about "organized religion" - it's Jesus I point to. I don't tell people to follow me - but to follow Jesus. If people get that wrong - if they look at my faults and cry about how their life went to hell - well - that's not my fault. I'm just a faulty dude pointing away from myself and towards the goodness of Jesus. I surely didn't bail out because something else better came along - I'm still doing the exact same thing as I was 7 years ago. If you have a bone to pick - go pick it with the Church leadership 7 years ago.

And brainwashing? Wow. If brainwashing means - use your own head - your own brain - to seek the truth in Jesus - on your own - apart from what I say about Him - then - yeah - I guess I brainwash. Cuz I always leave it in the other people's court. I don't give a crap what you believe about me. And it's truly a shame that you missed the message of love that is totally independent of me - that God has for you.

All I hear is a hurt little kid who is full of hate. Someone who took something really personal that wasn't even about him. Did ya ever think to ask that maybe I was the one that got hurt in that whole situation? You have no clue... But, it's all about you, isn't it? Wow. Just wow.

And - let's see - 2010 - you graduated at “name of HS”? I sang at that graduation with two High School students. Or was it “different HS”? I was there too. I've gone to every graduation for the last 5 years at “1st HS” and “2nd HS”. Without getting paid. Without it being my job. Without the support of "organized religion". And “Jr. High School” graduations as well. Yeah - that's my own interest. Yeah - that's me waiting for something better to come along. Going to High School and Jr. High graduations - the MOST FUN THING EVER!!! You got me pegged.

And you throw in the "eat shit and die" crap in the end. Are you still in Jr. High? That rant sounded like a temper tantrum from a little kid. Amazing.

One of the things you should do before going and spouting your mouth off is to get the facts. The easiest thing you could have done was email me this question: Why did you leave seven years ago? It wasn't cool and I would like some answers.

Maybe there could actually be a dialogue instead of mindless blah blah blah. This is what happens when people rush to judgment. Every thing you told me was judgmental. Just from what I read - you're judgmental. You sound like the "religious" one to me...

And it's fine if you don't ever like me. I'm ok with that. I really do have a ton of faults and junk in my life - and I'm sure I've pissed more people off than just you. But - just because the messenger is faulty doesn't mean the message itself should't be taken seriously. Sorry if my crud took away from the message.

Hope God opens your eyes - and hope His love penetrates your heart.

----------------

Haha! Have a good day!

Jer

Back

It's been a while since I wrote - and there's lots of reasons. But - regardless of the reasons (school, work, breathing, etc.) - I think I wanna try my hand at telling some stories - true stories - of life experiences. I think stories are more fun than just pointing things out. Well - let's hope. Anyway - more to come soon. Hope all is well...

Jer

Do Nothing Gospel

"Son, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:5)

Got to reflect a little on the paralytic story found in Mark recently. In the story, the friends bring the paralytic to a house where Jesus is teaching. They couldn't get inside the place because the crowd was so large, so they went on the roof, dug a hole, and lowered the paralytic on a mat to the feet of Jesus. Jesus sees their faith and says to the man "your sins are forgiven." And then there's this controversy about how God could only forgive sins. So - to prove who He is - Jesus heals the man. The man gets up - walks out of the place in front of everyone. There's lots of amazement - all that. And there are a million angles in the story that I've heard about for years and years. There's leadership principles. Team Work. The divinity of Jesus. The problem of sin. etc.

But one of the things that was louder in the scripture this time (as I went over it) was how the paralytic did nothing. The only thing he did was to agree to be put in front of Jesus. That's it. (Actually - we're not even completely sure of that!) He did nothing at all. He didn't say any words. He didn't say a prayer. He didn't call Jesus Lord. He didn't do anything, except get near Jesus. I think that's interesting because a lot of Christians believe you have to say certain words - etc. Like - "Do you believe God died for your sins and rose from the grave?" - that's a common standard I've heard over the years - to get "right" with God. In this story - that doesn't happen at all. In fact, Jesus hadn't died yet - no cross - no resurrection. And - the paralytic said nothing. He was just plopped in front of Jesus. Bam - forgiven. I just find that interesting.

Another thing that I noticed is that the healing itself was more of a proclamation of who God is rather than the man getting the perfect answer to his "request" (which was never spoken - at least - within the scriptures) The miracle was about Jesus - not about the healing itself. It told the story of who God is - the person of Jesus. I find that interesting too.

Jesus has the power to forgive sins (even prior to the cross) and to break the laws of nature with healing because He is God in flesh.

Maybe we should spend more of our time trying to get closer to God rather than desiring the power of God. I know, at least for this story, the proximity of the paralytic ended up in a healing. More important - it led the paralytic to a restored relationship with God.

Maybe instead of figuring everything out (and trying to "do" the right things) - we should just get to the feet of Jesus (get close to Him) - and see what He does. He is good - and He's the good news.

May we learn how to drop our opinions, knowledge, and agendas and simply get close to our Savior (who is already by our side). As the scriptures say, "let us fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Heb. 12:2)

Have a great day!

Jer

Top Ten Best Moments of 2011

If you've watched or read the news in the last couple of days - you're bound to have seen some top ten lists. So, I decided to make a list of my own. This was a rough year, in some respects - but not without some great moments. Looking back - I'm just grateful. Here's to 2011 being over! And, here's also to start of a brand new year!! May this New Year - for all of us - be the best year yet! Woohoo!!! :-)

10. Young Life starting at a new school - This year we started a new Young Life club at a new school. First year Young Life clubs are difficult, to say the least. But - at least it’s started, it’s out there. We have a lot of work to do - but the hope that this will become a tradition at the new school for years and years to come. Some of the best specific moments so far? - Making video commercials, entertainment night, Caroling before Christmas, our very first club at a barn. Can’t wait for what’s to come.

9. New design and bedroom set - My place used to be a wreck. Not only was it a mess, it was hardly at all decorated. When my brother got married, he gave me his bedroom set. Now - where I live is more like a bed and breakfast place. I love it! It just adds a peaceful feeling that was seriously lacking before. Where there was chaos - now there is order. It’s amazing what that can do to a person’s mood when getting home. The miracle of the thing is that I’ve kept on it. This was definitely a good moment of 2011 - and even great for just plain life in general. Who would have thought that making a room nice would be so awesome?

8. Mac Book Pro - I’ve been a PC guy for a long time - since the days of Windows ’95. My most recent purchase of a PC was in 2006. But - then came the game changer. The iPhone. I got the second gen iPhone (after the razor) and my world completely changed. Comparing the iPhone to the Razor is like comparing a bicycle with training wheels to a Hummer. I’ve had the 3g, 3gs, 4, and now the 4s. In that short time, I’ve watched Mac go from a joke to the only game it town, really. This year, it was time to get a new computer (I couldn’t edit simple videos on my PC because it was way too slow). While still expensive - I went for the 13’ macbook pro - right at the time the Lion was introduced. I’ve loved it - and I’ll never go back to PC (well, in the near future at least - I thought I’d never get a mac ten years ago). I love the gestures, I love the ease of use, I love the compatibility with my iPhone. I love iPhoto - and a million other little things. This was definitely a great moment in 2011.

7. Lock In - I usually dread Lock-Ins - and to a certain degree - I still do. But, the great moment for this Lock-In was the perseverance of our Wyldlife team. I hadn’t done a Lock-In for over ten years. My team forced me to do it, and they were right. It was a great success. A Lock-In is basically an all night party for Jr. High kids. We designed the program a lot like the camps that we do for Young Life. Our Wyldlife club was a challenge last year. We started with 3 Jr. High kids, and 12 or so High School leaders. We stayed at the number through January, February, and March. Three kids. It never grew. Different kids too, not the same kids. No retention - nothing. It’s very odd have a Wyldlife club with three kids. But - we plugged on. We changed a few things. We kept believing - and - we started to grow. Our Lock-In was the culmination of a pretty difficult year - and we had 60 Jr. High kids attend it. Our weekly club attendance went to nearly 30 a week at the end of the year. That’s a huge growth - and an encouragement to keep going - to persevere. Not only that - our program team had a lot of fun prior to the Lock-In. We made videos (with that came the realization that I needed a new computer) and spent a lot of time putting everything together. It was a lot of fun. And very tiring. But it was a great set up for this year. Oh what a difference a year makes! Looking forward to what’s gonna happen this next year on the Jr. High campus.

6. Mountain Lodge - This was a great moment for multiple reasons. One - comb killer returned. That’s an old game I used to play in the 90’s that cracks me up. Everyone lies on the ground - heads together - in a circle. One person throws a comb (usually a brush actually) up in the air - and you’re not allowed to flinch as it falls back to the ground, usually on someone’s face. If the person flinches - they get slapped in the leg. Ha! great entertainment! Lots of good memories too - even of a broken arm of one of my friends (long story - but great memories). I also skied for the first time in 8 years - without getting injured. Board games - Catch Phrase - the tunnel - all of it was great!

5. Three Wyldlife Leader retreats - (Jan)Any time you mix the Mystery Spot, the Beach, learning about God, a gorgeous forest, Mr. Toots, and friends - it would be hard to not make it to a top ten list. I have some mixed feelings about this trip, but outside of that - one of the best trips of the year. Seeing High School students wrestle with the scriptures - and actually critically think, well - for me - there’s not much better. And to do it away from home in a beautiful location - even better. (Nov) Tahoe retreat - mountains, Catch Phrase, snow, and scriptures - another great time to be together. An offering of hope for the coming year - I can’t wait. (Dec) - I got to be a fly on the wall for our neighboring Wyldlife team’s leader retreat. It was amazing to witness some of my former football players with their bibles in their hands - really diving into the Great Story. I think about these three retreats and wonder if I could ever spend my time doing something more important. Well, maybe - but I guess we’ll see on the other side of eternity.

4. Started writing - I’ve always wanted to write - I just never have. I’ve found it’s a lot more difficult than my imagination would like it to be - as is anything worthwhile, I guess. I started writing on this blog - I think back in February (maybe Jan., I’d have to check) and it’s been fun. It’s kinda a diary - really. Hopefully it’s been helpful to the few who’ve read it. I have no idea. It’s been helpful to me though. I also started writing on a project that seems like an impossible mountain to climb. I started way back in March - and am only on the fourth or so chapter (with none of them being complete - though close on some) I’m basically diving into the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith - and trying to explain them to High School friends. I think this might be impossible - but I’m giving it a try anyway. Subjects like atonement, trinity, sin, “in Christ”. Yeah - impossible. But - I read some of it the other day - and it’s turning out better than I could have hoped. I need to test it with my High School friends though - my eyes are different than theirs. Anyway - it’s been a joy to write - as frustrating as it is most of the time. I hope to continue writing to my dying day. We’ll see.

3. God stuff - This is all over the board and very broad - but I’ll go to two specifics. One - theology. My eyes have opened up this year in what I think are some good ways. I’ve realized how schizophrenic my faith used to be - and how difficult it was to defend contradictory ideas about God. It’s been fun this year disecting my ideas - and understanding what steps I took to lead me in certain directions that often led me to being more lost than found. God’s goodness was a definite theme this year, even though I don’t get it a lot of the time. But - that became an anchor point for me - a lens that I look through in all areas of theology. The second was God’s incredible timing. I have some amazing moments that are His and mine - that are near miraculous. I think of CS Lewis saying “When I stop praying, coincidences stop happening.” There were a lot of timely moments this past year where my soul needed help - and God showed up. I’m so grateful for God’s hand in things - even when it’s almost imperceptible. He doesn’t just love us with words - He never abandons us - and is always faithful - even in our everyday lives.

2. Brother getting married - This was a highlight for me this year. It was so fun to see my brother so happy. And to be part of another family - one that’s culturally so different from our own. I also got to see my first Asian Elvis - and it was AWESOME! The whole day was great - spending time with family was wonderful. This wedding was one of those precious moments that will be treasured forever, even when some move on to the next life. And the cool thing was that I realized it at the time - this was one of “those moments” where you look back and don't forget a moment of it. I remember my brother after his divorce - how difficult it was for him. It was nice to see a ray of hope - that things in life can be restored. It was a good reminder for me that the harsh rain from a dark storm allows life to thrive when the sun shines again. Now I'm hoping for kids...(for him - not me!)

And the Number ONE best moment of 2011:

1. Malibu - Canada. This, by far, looking back, was the best time of the past year. From the moment we left on 2 busses, to the moment we returned - there wasn’t a bad moment on the trip. The drive to Oregon and the ice cream shop - staying the night in a gym - then off to Vancouver Canada - and the coffee shop - spoons extravaganza. Arriving at Malibu - water-skiers with flags in hand. Having lost 55 pounds since the last time I had gone - it was sooooo much more fun. From the obstacle course to the ropes course - to all the activities - I could participate instead of just observing! And our cabin times were the best - all of us guys processing our lives together - and learning about the high value God puts into our lives that we are so often unaware of - so good! And on the way home - one of our leaders doing stand-up comedy - one of the funniest things ever! I laughed hard. I shed tears. I smiled a lot. I was amazed at God’s beauty. I was stunned by His presence. Surrounded by friends. This trip might be one of those ten best in a decade.

It's fun looking back. But - now onto the future! May God bless you richly this coming year! Cheers to a new start!

Have a great day!

Jer

Quiet Time

I always have a little morning coffee run - pretty much every morning - before I start my day. It's meant to be a quiet time - and often it is - but I have to admit, sometimes I just read news stories on my iPhone, look at ifunny pics, or catch up on Facebook. It's still a quiet time, but it's not so "spiritual" as I make myself want to believe. Yes, I admit - everything is spiritual - but, let me say it this way - it's usually not as spiritually focused as I imagine it to be, if that makes sense.

Today - though - I thought about Jesus' baptism. I've been thinking trinitarian thoughts a lot, partly because I'm writing about it, and the baptism is one of the few glimpses of seeing all parts of the trinity at work at the same time.

But - that wasn't where my mind went today.

In the beginning of the bible - in Genesis - the Spirit hovers over the water. This is during that creation poem. Water was a big deal in the Bible. It represented the line between life and death. God above the water represented life.

Jesus - later on in his life - would walk on the water. He was above the water - much like the Spirit that hovered over the water. The symbolism is pretty obvious if you know what water represents. This is one of the many ways that the scriptures reveal that Jesus represents life - Christ is life.

But - in the baptism story - Jesus is submerged into the water. It's the one exception in the gospels where Jesus is submerged - life into death. I guess I never really thought about it before - from a symbolism standpoint - but this foreshadows His life's movement towards death. On top of that - after the submersion (baptism), the Spirit - like a dove (representing peace) - descends upon Him. And then the Father says, "This is my son, whom I love, in Him I am well pleased."

This little episode in Jesus' life, in a way, is a foreshadow of the entire gospel. Jesus dies on a cross - gives us peace with the Father - and the Father reveals His love to us kids.

It's amazing how often the whole gospel is revealed in the little moments of Jesus' life. The baptism is pre-miracle, pre-ministry, pre-cross - it's before everything. And yet - there it is. Jesus submerged into water (death), Spirit descending onto Jesus (atonement - peace), Father revealing His love.

It's amazing how consistent God's love truly is.

Anyway - some cool thoughts on the way home from AmPm - with my coffee in hand.

Have a great day!

Jer

Spring Cleaning before Christmas...

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:17

There's something about cleaning my home that makes me just feel better about life. I wonder why it takes so long for me to actually do it though? If I cleaned a little bit at a time, the work load wouldn't be half as long - nor half as disgusting. I'm 90% done with the bathroom right now. 10% of nastiness to go - good times...

Bathrooms are awesome - until you have to clean them. And - wow - my gag reflex - not good. But - I find that I wait until it's seriously ridiculous. Yet - I'm always surprised when I look behind something I haven't set my eyes to in a long time and discover the definition of nastiness. Yep - I'm such a guy.

I tell myself - clean a little bit everyday. And - I'm all in at first. Then, I just forget about it. The next thing I know - months have passed - and back to nasty. The most trafficked areas get cleaned, but the less trafficked, not so much. And then it's Spring cleaning to do all over again.

I wonder why we do that with God too? As in - confessing our sins. God knows everything, and technically He doesn't need us to confess every little sin we do. He might not need it, but I think we do. Confession is more for us. God already forgave all our sins at the cross - ALL of them. Even future sins. So - that problem is over and done with. However - the scriptures do say that we should confess our sins - multiple times - even though God already took care of them two thousand years ago. I wonder why? Maybe because confession is like a spring cleaning of the soul.

I think it might be a lot like cleaning my bathroom. God has forgiven us. He purchased our soul with His life, death, and resurrection - but we get dirty - and more dirty - until maybe we're even nasty. While - positionally - we are completely a saint in Christ (God's grace covers ALL of us) - we get dirty with our lives - and we often need a cleaning. For many of us - we wait too long - and we need a deep cleaning.

Sometimes I take for granted that I'm forgiven - and I don't confess. And sometimes it's not that I don't think I need to - I don't confess more from avoidance. Kinda like cleaning my bathroom. And I think that might look like God peeking behind the less trafficked areas of my life - and saying "Wow - there's cleaning to be done" Sometimes He shakes things up in order that I might fall to my knees and say "clean me now." And, for some reason, I'm always surprised when it gets to that point.

So - for me anyway - I'm going to try to make that a daily part of my prayers. "Here's my nastiness God - clean me up." Because - I know I can't do it by myself.

The great thing is that after I've showered my soul with God's grace once again, I really do feel better about life. May the same be true for you too.

Have a great day!

Jer

Persuasive Living

I'm really thankful for a debate class that I took in college. The professor didn't care what we believed or what our interests were - she just loved teaching us how to debate. This has helped me a lot in life - not just to debate - but to think through what information is being presented to me.

In a typical class, there would be an assignment which might look a little like this: I would be given an issue with two opposing sides, and I'd have to be prepared to argue either for or against the issue. I wouldn't know what side of the debate I was on until I got to the podium. I'd walk to my podium and the professor would say - "Ok - you're for argument A," then point to the other student and say, "And you're against argument A."... And then we'd debate.

I had to be able to debate well on either side of the argument - or look like a fool. This was a real challenge to a lot of students. How does one argue against something they believe in?

It helped me a lot - it changed the way I see and approach a lot information that comes my way.

I also remember having to identify what kind of arguments people used. There were a lot of different ways to persuade. Emotional appeal, exaggeration, slippery slope, identification, endorsement, logical argument, etc.

I hear a lot of this in the political arena - as well as the religious arena. Everybody's arguing. Everybody wants to be right - to be correct.

But - when I look at Jesus - He does the opposite. There's not a lot of arguments in His storytelling. There's just stories. And - as He walked around - He seemed to dissuade people from following Him, rather than convincing them to. His invitation is actually ridiculous - if you just look at it with sober judgment: "Deny yourself, take up the cross, and come follow me." Who would do that, unless there's something behind what He's asking?

And then there's the cross. I've wondered about this in past posts - but - follow the stream of thought for a second. IF Jesus was indeed God - the creator of everything - then He was the most correct person to ever have lived. And, if He could do anything He wanted because He had ALL power, then why didn't He just prove how right (correct) He was - and how wrong everyone else was as His hands were getting nailed? He could use fire - or light - or do something crazy that you might see in a video game. But, He doesn't. He just takes it - and ends up dying.

I mean - think of it. God in flesh - hanging on a cross? He could have easily gotten out of it. He calmed storms, healed diseases, raised dead people. He has complete control. And, yet, He hangs there on a cross and says things like - "Forgive them, for they know not what they do" right before He dies.

Here's my point. Christianity - following Christ - whatever you wanna call it - is NOT an argument. But - somehow people have turned following Christ into one. I think Christianity is less appealing when it's turned into an argument. When I hear people arguing for Christianity - I want to argue the opposite. I hear some of the most ridiculous statements coming from pulpits - and many well-meaning Christ followers. If I can shoot tons of holes in their arguments - and I'm a believer - what must the unbelieving world think?

Yet - at the same time - nothing that I have witnessed is more inspiring than a life lived with the love of Christ. I've seen people that are truly amazing - all because of a life-changing moment with Jesus. The fruits of the Spirit are the best evidence of God's amazing love within His people.

And - the scriptures. They are truly brilliant. And they don't reek of argument. They point to a man that was murdered and then make a claim that that man was God in flesh. But the scriptures don't argue for Him, they just seem to present Him. I mean - there are statements that you can turn into arguments, don't get me wrong. Saying a man is God - that's an argument - for sure. But - the scriptures don't try to persuade the audience one way or another. Jesus is just presented, and we're left to decide.

If God's going to be persuasive - Jesus gives really bad arguments to follow Him. Crosses, death, people will hate you, give everything you own, - all while not worrying. And so much more. Yet - people follow Him. And millions have given up their lives for Him. It's pretty crazy - from a purely marketing standpoint.

It's hard for me to live a life that's not an argument. I feel like I've been trained that way. I'd rather be known for the love I gave to people than the things that I know. Yet - that's not how I live my life, for the most part. When I look at that standard, I completely fail.

And those - oh - few times that I do see clearly - it's not long before I find that I've lost my way again. Grrrr...

There's no wonder I need a Savior. I'd be hopeless without one.

Jer

Blogs

It's kind of fun to look back at some of the blogs I've written.

It's a bit like looking at a past me. It's what I was thinking about - or processing - at a different time in life. It's fun to revisit.

But I say "kind of fun" because some of the blogs are just not that good. Ya never want to read something you wrote and cringe. I don't want to erase them (even though it would be easy to do so) because that's just where I was at that time in life. They're a little written record etched in time. However - bad is bad.

But not everything I wrote was horrendous (ha!). Many blogs are way better than I would have thought. I'm actually surprised that I wrote a few of them. Going through them - it's like searching for the diamond in the rough. Every once in a while - it's not a cringe that crosses my face - it's a "Wow." That makes me glad at this endeavor.

Some blogs, I can tell, were written at a particular time in life - so they almost have that diary feel to them. Many are way too long. It's hard to be concise. Oswald Chambers is more and more my hero - in the writing realm - cuz he could write a page long message with depth that nearly unreachable. If I could copy his length, and get half his depth - that'd be a good blog. So - I'll keep trying.

Someday in the future - this too will be a diary blog. I wonder how I'll see it a year from now - or ten. My future self will read these words someday. That's pretty weird to imagine.

Well, to my future self: I hope you're not cringing - hope this one's more of a "wow" than a "what was I thinking?" I doubt it'll be a wow or a cringe actually. It'll be more like a - "hmmm...that's kinda cool." I can hope anyway...

I'm gonna try my best to keep writing - even though I realize that some blogs will be cringe worthy. I'm not gonna be able to help that completely. But I hope more and more will become "Wow" worthy. Guess we'll have to wait and see...

have a great day!

Jer

Politics...

"Throwing the baby out with the bath water..."

This is the season of politics. I'm not a big fan of writing about politics - it's such a divisive topic (not that religious writing isn't). But - I'm pretty passionate about God topics - not so much with political speak.

However, I have to mention a pet peeve that I hear over and over again - from both sides of the aisle - that I don't want to ignore. The fear-mongering from both parties is a bit ridiculous. And the crux of the pet peeve comes down to stereotyping - or maybe generalizations would be a better word.

Right leaning people believe "government" is the problem. Left leaning people - "Wall Street and Corporations" are the problem.

What both sides miss is that there are actual people behind the "evil" scheming. Government - and huge profit businesses are run by people.

Government doesn't make decisions. People do. Government does not create problems - people do.

Corporations don't make decisions. People do. Corporations aren't greedy. People are.

I have friends that work in the government. They're awesome people - and try their best to make this place a better place. I know business owners that do the same with what they have worked for - amazing people both.

However - for whatever reason - when my mind just hears "government" or "corporations" - I tend to think of dark rooms and scheming. The reality is that this is just not the case. The propaganda machine is very effective and really does influence how we think. But illusion is far from reality. Actual people are the backbone of both corporations and government. And people make good and bad decisions. Here's a couple good ones I've witnessed from both business and government...

McDonalds. I don't know anyone in that corporation. I don't endorse their products (except for their friggin' fries - yummmm). But - I do recognize that they do wonderful things - and they're flexible to change. They have Ronald McDonald charities - look it up - it's awesome! And - after "Super Size Me" - the movie - they changed a lot of how they do business. People made those decisions. The public has the power to change how people run corporations and do business. Real people that make real decisions. Could they make some better decisions? Probably. Is everything perfect in their model? Probably not. But that's not the point...

I have a friend who works in the CCC (California Conservation Corps). He's awesome - and is helping a "lost" generation by giving them a job - and skills - to further their lives and careers. He's not taking advantage of the "system" - and is far from being a leach. In fact - his career is an honorable one - more honorable than most. A real person made this "government program" to help real people. And real people benefit from it. Is there government waste in the program? Probably. Is it a perfect government run program? Probably not. But - that's not the point either...

I guess the point is this: actual people break stereotypes and generalizations.

We can talk about motives - and good vs. bad - all that. And those are good discussions. But - that's not the point I'm trying to make. Stereotyping and generalizations come out of ignorance, not intelligent thinking.

Let's see if this hits it:

A person can HATE the Catholic Church because a group of their priests molested young boys.

Blaming the institution for the acts of a few - there's a HUGE problem with that line of logic. The Catholic Church had NOTHING to do with molesting boys. People (priests) did. And other priests (bishops) covered it up. People were the problem.

It'd be like saying "All teachers are bad" because one teacher molested some kid in some town.

Ummm...no.

YET - I hear it over and over again - with "Government" and "Corporations" and "Wall Street" (not about molesting - that'd be weird. I hear people making generalizations that create ridiculous fear laden arguments that lead people to make mind boggling conclusions). And no one's ever called out on it. It's sooooo annoying.

I made that mistake about God once. I thought all "Christians" were idiots due to a handful that were - and that God was irrelevant because of that. But - I was wrong. Dead wrong.

So - I guess I just wanna give a word of caution for those entering into this political season. Watch out for generalizations. And watch out that you don't make them. Just be careful in believing everything you hear.

There's that famous phrase:

"Ignorance is bliss."

Well, it might be bliss for some - but it's annoying for the rest of us...

Have a great day!

Jer