The talk I hear is this: Christians are claiming that God is winning football games for them and Tebow’s success if proof there’s a God. The other side counters that God must be pretty shallow if he lets Christians suffer in other parts of the world while he wins football games in America.

Both arguments are completely idiotic.

Here’s my take. I don’t think God gives a crap about football. What I think God really cares about is bringing his creation, people, into a relationship with him. God wants us to know him and he wants to love us and us to love him. And if God is doing anything through Tim Tebow right now, he’s making his presence known. Not by winning football games, but through the words and actions of one of his creations.

I think when you look at it that way, then it becomes clear that God is also working every bit as hard in places where Christians are having a tough time. When I went to Ethiopia a few years back I saw this first hand. People in absolute poverty having their spirits lifted and hope instilled in them because they were learning about Jesus.

So my fellow Christians, if you’re gloating over won football games, knock it off. You’re totally missing the point and screwing up the message. Take this opportunity not to say “believe in God and you’ll win the playoffs”… but take the time to share what the gift of Jesus really means. It means a relationship with our Creator. It means forgiveness, personal fulfillment, peace, compassion and love, in all circumstances.

America is selfish. We’re like spoiled children constantly stomping our feet and screaming about things we think we deserve. And when we feel somebody else has something we want, we will do anything to get it. We slander each other, we cheat, we bend the rules, we make back room deals, and if that doesn’t work, we sue each other. And often we don’t seem to care what the fallout is. We don’t care who will be hurt, because we “deserve” to be “happy”. We’ve “worked for” it. This selfish attitude threads itself through all economic classes, all races, all political parties, and even religions.

Why is this? I think it’s because as a society, we simply don’t know who God is and what he planned for us to be. Many of us claim to know, but often we just twist that knowledge to suit ourselves. I think if we really cracked open the bible and just read the simple teachings of Jesus, just as they appear on the paper, and then put that into daily practice, the world would change dramatically.

Here’s a passage from the Bible that I think sums it all up:

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Which of us can say that we are truly loving? This is the world view we should be striving to imbed into the American culture. And if we can do that, everything else will sort itself out.

Here’s the link to the article in the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/us/24iht-currents24.html

I think the biggest reason not to buy into any of these ministries that focus on the end times is because, in my opinion, that’s not what Christianity is about. It’s not about wanting to get the hell off this miserable rock and go somewhere “better”. It’s not about gloating over your impending rapture on billboards that simultaneously damn  your un-believing neighbors (Although the guy who keeps letting his dog crap in my yard is almost certainly going to hell and I’d love catch him so I could tell him the error of his ways).

So what is Christianity about? I believe Christianity is basically about Love. God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for each other. That’s really what every story in the bible demonstrates in some way.

I mean, look at Jesus. Jesus is an amazing guy, really. He comes onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere. He doesn’t run for office. He doesn’t raise an army. He doesn’t start any businesses. He spends all his time teaching, healing, and showing compassion and love towards people nobody else will. (Oh yeah, and he rose from the dead. That was pretty awesome too.) But when asked what are the most important of the Ten Commandments, he boils it all down and says to love God and love each other. Do that and you’ve got life pretty much covered. Such a simple message, yet so big that it completely changes the entire course of history. As the great prophet St. Huey Louis said: That’s the power of love.

So didn’t Jesus say a bunch of stuff about the end times? Yeah, there’s a few paragraphs on it, but I find it interesting how he does it. He purposely does not give a date. Actually he can’t give a date because he said even he doesn’t know it! Only God does. Instead he simply tells us to always be prepared for his return, meaning we should not sit and try to figure out when Dad is coming home so we can screw off until 10 minutes before then. That would be our normal tendency wouldn’t it? No, he says we should live moral lives, 100% of the time. That’s the lesson here and it’s a lesson taught out of love and concern for us. The end of time is not a threat, it’s just a fact, and so Jesus merely tells us to do what’s right, every day.

So if Christianity is all about love, why are so many Christians such jerks? Well, I can’t explain the actions or words of people. I think people are motivated by many different things. But I do know the actions and words of Christ, because they are written down for us. And below I’ve included some links for those who are so inclined to read for themselves what Christianity is really about. I guarantee there are no threatening billboards involved.

The Book of Matthew
The Book of Mark
The Book of Luke
The Book of John

The book is a daily devotional that pairs bible verses with some life lessons learned by Head during his days with Korn and now as a clean and sober Christian. I just went through the first day and it’s pretty cool stuff.

To me it’s Amazing to hear stories of God’s redemptive power and forgiveness. Here’s a guy like Head who’s “living the dream” yet is fully chained by his addictions. He’s freed by the power of God in his life and completely forgiven of some pretty heinous behavior. That’s the power of our God. This book provides a daily reminder of just how powerful and good God is.

Check it out.

Michelle and I had a great weekend ourselves. We went to Las Vegas for the weekend.

OK, so are you totally judging us right now? Oh yes you are. Deep down, you’re thinking how wrong it is to go to such a sinful place as Las Vegas on the holiest day of the year. Several people have looked at me screwy when I told them of our plans. And honestly, when I first booked the trip I felt the same thing….. and then I got over it.

It’s funny how quickly we can let ourselves get strapped by legalism. The Pharisees were really good at following rules. Many churches have built entire empires based on following certain rule sets. Legalism is how we estimate our closeness to God. It’s how we decide if we’re “OK” and it’s how we know who the “bad” people are. Yet Jesus saved his most scathing rebukes for those who were most strapped by legalism.

And here’s the deal; Until I was 30 the ONLY time I ever went to church was on Easter (and Christmas). So I asked myself; Was I a “better” Christian then? And then I began thinking; Does God keep a scorebook on church attendance? And if he does, is one Easter worth more than 51 regular church services? And if so, how long will it take me to catch up now that I’ve blown off a really important church score day? Do you see how ridiculous this line of thinking becomes?

I think it’s important to remember exactly what God wants from us, and that is a relationship. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so I would remember to go to church once a year on Easter. He died so that our relationship with God could be repaired, and so we should be actively pursuing and enjoying that relationship every single day, not just on popular holidays.

As I sat there and reflected on my time working with these kids and heard the stories of others, I learned a few important things and I’d like to share some of that.

I’ve been tutoring kids now for about 8 months. I didn’t realize it had been that long until last night. When I first got involved, it was really just because I had the time. I’m not a teacher. I haven’t had any exposure to grade school kids in quite some time since my daughter is now an adult. But I saw that there was a severe shortage of help, and I knew I could make the time. So I signed up.

One thing many of these kids lack in their lives is adults who are consistently present for them. And so the first lesson I learned, before I even started, was that I was going to commit to doing this and I would not quit. Period. Even I turned out to be a sucky tutor, the kids would know that without a doubt, every single Wednesday, the sucky tutor would show up!

The second lesson I learned is that you can’t impact these kids overnight. I don’t know what I expected really when I first walked in to that classroom. I think I probably expected to walk in and be some great figure of authority and change lives within the first week. Yeah, not so much. The first couple of weeks a kid named Jorge really pushed my buttons. Stomped on my buttons actually. Disobedient, disrespectful, cocky. The kid pulled my arm hair as hard as he could one day! But again, I was determined to stay the course. If he was going to try and break me, he was going to have to work a lot harder than me! Eight months later, Jorge always asks me to help with his homework. He wants to learn to play drums. And the other day when he couldn’t come for some reason, his little brother told me that he wanted him to tell me “Hi” for him. So we’ve finally broken through the trust barrier, and that took months. Some of these kids take years to reach and most we may never know what effect we’ve had in their lives. But that’s part of just doing what we’re called to do, and letting God take it from there.

The last lesson I’ve learned is that YOU will be impacted by serving, and probably more so than the people you seek to impact. These kids have had a huge effect on me, not only because of their individual situations, but also because of their resilience, and their genuine desire to be good people. I’ve also been tremendously impacted by watching my fellow tutors serve because we each have our individual set of life circumstances, and seeing their commitment week after week, and hearing their stories, inspires me to be a better person and to do more than I ever thought I would be doing. And it’s that feedback loop that lifts you up as you lift up others that is the amazing thing about serving.

So it was a great night hanging out with everyone, though I ate WAY too much, but hey, that’s what celebrations are for, right?

We need to cut that crap out.

The fact is, we have no idea who’s going to heaven and who’s not. We really don’t. Unless somebody kyped a copy of the book of life and posted it on the internet, we really don’t know. We do know that Jesus said; “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” and so we should take that to heart in our own lives. But when it comes down to it, it’s not our place to make judgement calls about others, it’s God’s. He is the only one truly capable of administering justice.

I was listening to Genesis on my iPhone this morning and I noticed a few amazing things about God’s justice and about his grace. In the story of Adam and Eve, he gives them a paradise and tells them to stay away from the a particular tree or they will die. Eve promptly eats from it anyway and so does Adam. So what does God do? Does he kill them? No. “But he said”…. , no, he doesn’t kill them. He administers justice by kicking them out of the garden and making life difficult on them. But he doesn’t kill them. One thing I find fascinating is that as God is kicking them out of the garden, He makes them clothes. What’s that about? They are SINNERS, let them make their own damn clothes! Yet God makes them clothes to protect them. Even in their disobedience, He still cares about them and he still is with them.

So then they have a few kids named Cain and Abel. Cain is kind of a jerk and gets jealous one day and kills his brother Abel. So what does God do? He kills Cain right? Eye for an eye, right? No, he administers justice by banishing Cain and making him a wanderer, but he doesn’t kill him. And here’s the kicker. Cain is afraid somebody out in the wilderness will kill him for what he’s done, so what does God do? He puts a mark on Cain so everyone will know they had better leave him alone or God will punish them 7 times as hard. WHAT???? Seriously? This dude is a murderer! Let him get his due! Nope. Don’t touch him, because God still loves him; Still cares about him; Still protects him.

Wow.

I think our capacity to really understand God’s love and grace and justice is just so limited. It’s so narrow. It’s so black and white. Yet God is big and he sees things on such a large, broad, complex level. He is the sovereign judge because He’s the only one capable of fairly administering justice. This is why Jesus said we have no right to judge. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”.

So before we go taking it upon ourselves to condemn Ghandi to hell, let’s remember who ultimately has that say, and who doesn’t.

In my discussions and in some articles I’ve read from his detractors, what I can surmise is that Rob Bell isn’t “properly” preaching the gospel. Specifically he doesn’t talk about Jesus and our need for a savior “enough”. He doesn’t warn enough of the fiery dangers of Hell that us sinners rightly deserve.

And so he’s a false teacher.

Now, I fully believe that we are all sinners. I fully believe that Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins in order to reconcile us with the Father. But interestingly enough, for the first 30 years of my life, that story never got me to go to church. It never got me to seek out God. It never got me to serve others. Why?

I don’t think that ever sunk in because I was a pretty good guy really. I worked hard, I took care of my family, I taught my kid right from wrong. I simply did not feel like some awful, horrible person in need of a savior to be perfectly frank. And I think that’s a common mindset.

I think there’s also a portion of the population who has simply been beaten down by life. They’ve been convinced that they are failures and they are no good. They’ve been abused and taken advantage of and they are hurting. And we’re going to tell them that not only has life screwed them, now God is going to kill them unless they first admit how awful they are?

Think about how that sounds to the uninitiated.

What finally “turned” me, was a Pastor named Steve at Clovis Hills who presented me with a new image of God I had never really seen before. A God that loves us and wants the best for us, RIGHT NOW, here on this Earth. A God that created us for a bigger purpose than just working jobs and buying stuff. A God that wants us to reach out and help others. A God that wants us to be content, and fulfilled, and loved. A God who’s burden is light. That’s the message that made me begin to trust God with my life. That God I could buy into.

Now, did I then begin to understand my own sinful nature and the importance of Jesus in my life? Yes I absolutely did. I fully believe that is a crucial component of our faith. But it was the initial message of hope, and promise of contentment and security in God’s love that lit the fire in me to begin with.

I share this to make a simple point. That maybe guys like Bell and other pastors who are routinely accused of “misleading” the flock are not misleading at all. Maybe they are guys who are simply reaching people on the level of life they are at. Maybe we’re all different, with different life experiences and different temperaments. Maybe to reach each of us, God presents the many facets of himself to us in different ways, in order to reach us where we live.

What I’m proposing is; What if God is so much bigger than the “five step plan to salvation” we’ve come up with? And what if, with our arguments over “how” the Good News should be shared, we’re actually getting in his way?

Bell just released a new book called Love Wins. The book caused a major rift in the Christian community because in it Bell questions a lot of the current mainstream thinking on subjects like heaven and hell and what happens when we die. You see, in many Christian circles, you’re not really supposed to ask any hard questions, or if you do, you’re not supposed to question the given answer. Many issues have been decided already and you’re kind of just supposed to accept it. When you ask too many questions, people who are supposed to love you, attack you and call you a heretic or call you weak. I suppose their God is not big enough to stand up to a little questioning.

And that’s why I love Rob Bell. Rob Bell is a thinker, a questioner. He’s a conversationalist. He doesn’t come across as some guy who claims to have this god thing all figured out. His style is to propose a thought, back that thought up with biblical evidence, and then ask what you think.

And so I ask, what’s wrong with that? Isn’t God big enough to stand up to a little questioning? Isn’t His truth strong enough to shine through some thoughtful debate? The problem we have today is the same one Jesus had 2000 years ago with the Pharisees. There’s an establishment of guys that have worked very hard to formulate what they believe and build their ministries. A guy like Rob Bell comes along with some questions and they get all uptight. As if everything they’ve worked for is going to come undone. Honestly, I’d question how much God is with you if what you’ve built is that fragile.

At any rate, I liked his book. It’s thought provoking and encouraged me to look at God as someone much bigger than the nice little marketing presentation I get from the mainstream church. I won’t go into a bunch of detail about it here because I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that Bell is thinking. But that’s what makes the book good. It’s causing me to think deeply about what I believe and why I believe it. It’s causing me to dig into the Bible for myself and either validate or reformulate my thinking. That’s a good thing.

So I say check it out. It’s only $9 on Kindle so if you completely disagree with everything Bell says, it’s not a huge loss.