Thankful . . .

For the 412 Family...

Adopting Jobs

I was sad to hear about the passing of Apple Founder and president, Steve Jobs. I always had such great admiration for the creative genius. One of my friends and mentors had an Apple poster in his office with a picture of Buzz Aldrin on the moon with a simple phrase on it: "Think Different." I was impacted by this simple little slogan/ marketing campaign that Apple started years ago and am thankful that there are those in this world that Think different.

I had never heard the story about how this man who changed the world was adopted at birth. His mom was a college student who decided that she couldn't care for her baby and that it needed to go to a couple who were college grads with bright futures. Well- things didn't go according to her plans and baby Steve ended up in the arms of a young couple who were simply wanting a baby. You can read about it from Steve Jobs' perspective here- A Story of Life. His parents were not the most impressive people by the world's standards. His dad never graduated high school and his mom never graduated college.

But one thing they did well: Think Different.

It's amazing to think about how this young college student's decision to think differently and not abort her baby has changed the global landscape. Here's a snippet from the article:

"As you plunk away on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook, probably even to tweet about Jobs’ death, remember that the choices we make for LIFE may really change the world. 56 years ago it was Steve Jobs; 56 years from now, it may be the man or women who cures the cancer that took Jobs in the end."

I am so glad that someone decided to Think different and not abort her baby. And I'm so glad that a young couple decided to Think different and adopt a little boy- Steve Jobs.

And I'm so glad that God Thinks different than us and has acted differently on my behalf as well.
"In love God predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ..." Ephesians 1:5

When the worst day of your life is the best day of your life

Only Jesus can make the worst day of your life the best day of your life. 
Don't believe me? Ask the woman from Samaria in John 4. Essentially, here's what happened... 


Location: A well-known water well outside of a town called Sychar. The woman who sleeps around approaches the well where Jesus is resting. 
Jesus: Can I have a drink? 
Woman: Seriously? Why are you talking to me? We shouldn't be talking like this.
Jesus: If you really knew who I was (God) you would understand that we need to talk. And if you listen to me, you will forever be changed. 
Woman: Okay, let's get started.
Jesus: Well before we do that- go get your husband. He needs to hear this too. 
Woman: I'm not married.
Jesus: You've got a point. You've only had 5 of them and the guy you're sleeping with now isn't your (or maybe it was "YOUR" emphasized) husband. Good point. 
Woman: Whoa. How'd you do that?! It's clear that you're a holy man. Where can I go to get right with God?
Jesus: You can do that right here. Right now. God is everywhere. Just talk to Him. 
Woman: I know that one day God will come and will make it clear to me how I can know Him.
Jesus: Lady, it won't get any clearer than this. I am God. Even someone like you can talk to me right here. Right now. 
Woman: Holy water-well, Batman! Stay right here!
Jesus: (Smiles) 
Woman: (runs into Sychar, where she has a terrible reputation) Everyone! Come meet a man who knows all of my junk- He said it out loud- and He still loves me! Can this really be God!?!? My worst day just became my best day!


Only when you admit that you are jacked up will you ever begin to grasp the love of God. Only when you admit your sin will you be able to be blown away by the love of a Holy God. Only Jesus can make your worst day your best day.


Will this be the best day of your life? 
Romans 10:9-11

I'm not quite sure how to say this, but . . .

"Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell—dead."

Judges 5:27


I think I could have said it in not quite so many words. Just sayin.

Nehemiah

Reading Nehemiah today.
Encouraged by this man of God:

My imaginary conversation (1-sided) with him.

Chapter 6 - "Okay, Nehemiah. People want to kill you and destroy your credibility and all that you are laboring for. That's pretty serious. What are you going to do?"

Chapter 7:1-4 - "So . . . the news isn't getting any better, Nehemiah. Your people are vulnerable to being attacked by your enemies. What are you going to do? It's about time you hit the panic button!"

Chapter 7:5-73 - "Seriously?! You're making a list!? A list of everyone who is with you!?"

Chapter 8 - "Seriously?!! You're reading the Bible out loud to everyone??! You really think that's gonna solve everything? Wow, Nehemiah. That's clever."

End of Chapter 8 - "Okay. Point well taken."

Nehemiah was courageous. He did some crazy stuff and I wouldn't have wanted to mess with him. Perhaps the most courageous thing he did, though, was that he actually believed that the Word of God was exactly what was needed to sustain, provide, and protect the people of God.
I'm hoping to be like Nehemiah- and trust the Word to produce fruit & perseverance in our people's lives.


The guy from Kenya- his name is Nehemiah. Probably a different Nehemiah than the one in the Bible- but his name is identical. Boom. Relevance served.

"Christianity is about being, not doing."

I hear it quite often. It is perhaps one of the most popular phrases that Christians like to say today in the church. "Christianity is about being, not doing." Normally it's said in a defensive posture as soon as expectations are placed on someone. I've run across this phrase a few times as we have changed the way that we do church membership at 412. According to popular Church culture, Church Membership = Acceptance. Be a Christian and just . . . be.

Praise God that this is true when it comes to our standing before Him! We do not have to work in order to be accepted by Him. But the truth is that once we have been "Justified" before him, it's time to joyfully go to work. The Christian faith is a faith that works. You cannot even gloss over the New Testament and come away with a message that says "Christianity is about being, not doing." As a matter of fact- you might come away with (if you are just skipping through it) the exact opposite: "Christianity is about doing." It's about humbling ourselves, submitting ourselves to each other, praising God, sharing our faith, defending our faith, cherishing the Word of God, and loving our wives as Christ loved the Church. It's about loving our enemies, sharing with those who have need, encouraging others, obeying God, serving the church and speaking the truth. It's about ceasing to lie, steal & curse. It's about getting rid of rage and anger, bitterness, slander & gossip. It's about forgiving others. It's about imitating God. And God did not simply "be." He always showed us that he loved us by doing something for us. We have a God that works. We have a God that not only is, but does.
See Romans 12 and Ephesians 4-6 if you don't believe me.

Justin DeYoung just posted a very helpful blog today- and he reminded me that I must not confuse the way in which I became a believer (by faith alone) with how I am to live my life as a believer (by faith, yes, but with works as well). These works that I do are ONLY a result of my standing before God through faith in Jesus Christ. So in one sense, yes, Christianity is about being, not doing. But when we use it as a defense against raised expectations for Christians to behave like Christians, we lose sight of the Scriptures.

So there are too errors that we far too often embrace:
1. If I do enough good things, God will accept me.
2. If God has accepted me, I don't need to work anymore.

One error is deadly. The other is dangerous.

Let's avoid both and praise God for justifying us before Him through our faith in Jesus, and let's continue to praise Him by working to make His name known to a watching, unbelieving world.

Who would follow Christ the King?

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Small & quiet,
Weeping, riding.

Wou would follow
Christ the King?
Homeless & humble;
Friends fleeing.

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Stripped & beaten;
Leaders rejoicing.

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Pierced & broken;
Women weeping.

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Cold & lifeless;
Creation groaning.

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Dead & gone;
Lovers hiding.

Who would follow
Christ the King?
Alive & well,
Breathing! Speaking!

I will follow
Christ the King.
Here forever!
Loving! Freeing!

Confessions of a Pastor

Hello. My name is Kyle. I am a pastor. And I am a quitter. Quitting became easy for me growing up with 2 older brothers. Playing tag with older brothers and neighborhood friends was all-too-often a demotivating experience. I sometimes get the urge to quit on God. This urge to quit is an issue that all believers have to deal with in life. One of the most tiring games is chasing God.
Does it ever seem like God is up in Heaven playing around with you and screaming "Tag! You're it! No tag-backs!"? One of the Church's most Godly saints and Church Fathers, Anselm, had similar thoughts about God. He wrote:
"Oh Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you...
My heart longs to see you, but your face is too far away.
I want to have access to you, but your presence is inaccessible.
I want to find you, but I do not know where you are.
I love to seek you, but I do not know your face.
Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you.
You have created me and re-created me,
All the good that I have comes from you, and I still do not know you.
I was created to see you, and I have not accomplished that for which I was made."
Chances are, if one of the giants of Church history like Anselm struggled with the chase, you will too. Maybe that's the way God intended it to be. The Bible is full of men and women who lived their whole lives reaching for an invisible God. The Christian life is based on the invisible. I think one of the keys to maturity as a Christian is to shift our focus from the visible to the invisible, from the seen to the unseen.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

The writer of Hebrews lets us in on a secret to the chase: God will let Himself be found by those who seek Him with all their hearts. Jesus came to earth to help us in our chase. God came out of "hiding" and allowed Himself to be seen, touched, heard, and embraced by those who were tired, distraught, wounded, forgotten, lonely, and sincere. So for those who are tired, lonely, abused, neglected, depressed, and distraught- don't give up seeking Him out. He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. And what is the reward? Himself.

Check out Hebrews 11-12:3 if you're ready to give up in your search for God.

What do you do when you are snowed in?

Many of you have asked me, "Kyle, what do you do when you and your family are snowed in?" To this I tell them- "Double Dream Hands." Check it out:

What message do you sing?

I have to admit that I love me some hymns. This has not always been the case. I used to think they were outdated and irrelevant, but the more I grow in my knowledge of Christ, the more I love these age-old songs. There's something different about the hymns. And no, it's not that they are different because they are boring or lame. That may be your opinion. The hymns are different because they have a lot of depth. If it's true that 80% of the congregation's theology comes from the songs that they sing, then it's important for our songs to be Biblically accurate and to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of the most popular songs on Christian radio ("Safe for the Whole Family") may be catchy, but many of them are not Biblically solid or Gospel-declaring. Sometimes this kind of a music-culture can create people just like the songs- catchy and fun, but not very well-grounded and rooted in the the Scriptures.
So, what's got me thinking about this today? A hymn called "Jesus Saves" (written in 1882). The tune just somehow popped into my head and I've been reminding myself today that Jesus saves. See that it so wonderfully declares the Gospel- the Gospel that says we've been saved by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that this good news will not only redeem Christians but all of creation. I can't think of a better message to sing with the Church.

Here are the lyrics:

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea; echo back, you ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves;
Sing in triumph o’er the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free; highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Philippians

Trip Lee- To Live is Christ
I have a lot of respect for Trip Lee and Lecrae for being gospel-centered and even expositional in their rap/hip-hop music. From what I understand, their concerts are an awesome testimony to the power of the Gospel. Check out the vid:

Psalm 32- the best Psalm ever written?

It is told of Martin Luther that one day being asked which of all the Psalms were the best, he made answer, Psalmi Paulini (Psalms that have an Apostle Paul flavor), and when his friends pressed to know which these might be, he said,

"The 32nd, the 51st, the 130th, and 143rd. For they all teach that the forgiveness of our sins comes without the law and without works to the man who believes, and therefore I call them Pauline Psalms."

-Luther's Table Talk