Being a Christian-Living With a Target on your Back

Okay, I'll be up front about this. I don't always like to be the guy who turns everything he sees into a spiritual metaphor. Or the guy to get the one-up on my buddies by "Jesus Juking" them (turning a mundane statement into a surface level religious dig). Maybe the snap, crackle, pop of my Rice Krispies reminds me of the voice of God? Maybe passing out candy in a parade reminds me of how I should treat those who have needs? And yes, I'll even be the guy who loves sports and has run the Christian sports metaphors into the ground. Life has a lot to teach us and sometimes the wide world of sports is great for allowing us to learn from the decisions of others. And that has happened again...and as a Christian and a blogger, I am inclined to share these insights with you!

This basketball season, everyone was caught up in the drama of the super team that would be the Miami Heat when they signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to give Dwayne Wade the supporting cast he'd been needing for a long time. They opened their season against the East's top team, the Boston Celtics. I don't know that any season opener in recent memory had as much anticipation and hype as this one. The Heat lost that game by 8 points and though they won a few games after that, it took them a while to get rolling. They were hardly the automatic super team everyone assumed they would be. Why was that? These were three perennial all-stars. They were an easy lock for the most talented team in the country. So why would they have trouble winning? While there are a number of possibilities (team chemistry, no really dominant center, etc.), I think the main factor was that they set themselves up to be the team to beat. Essentially they began the season with a target on their backs.

When LeBron made his dramatic exit from Cleveland and did his national "reveal" as a primetime show on ESPN, he left a wake of angry Cleveland fans. Not only that, but casual fans who were maybe on the fence about King James now found themselves despising him rather than paying him homage. The Miami front office shamelessly attempted to buy a championship in a way that would make the New York Yankees proud. The consequence of this blatant stab at the integrity of the game (whatever that is at the professional level anyway), was that now they have become the arch-nemesis of every team in the league. Everybody wants to bring their A-game when the Heat comes to town.

Somewhere the other day, though, I was watching something on ESPN...maybe it was on my favorite sports talk show Mike and Mike...and it hit me. The debacle that the Heat created by becoming more of a circus and less of a sports team is not entirely different from the life-change that occurs when one becomes a follower of Christ. You see, in every person, I believe, there is a cynic. And there is a certain deviant joy that comes when we find something to be different from the way it was marketed. Whether it was an expensive dinner entree topped with a Kraft single instead of real cheese, a sports team that was bought instead of built, or a person who told the world he was a follower of Christ only to fall flat on his face; human nature revels in watching things implode. There is an indignation associated with seeing people stumble. And for the believer, the clock is ticking.

What's so cool about all of this, though, is that nothing gets past Jesus. In John 17:13-19 he is praying in his final hours before his arrest. He tells God how the world has hated his disciples because of their relationship to Him. And he asks the Father, not to take them (us) out of the world, but to protect his followers (us) from the Evil One.

So have you ever felt like a marked person? Like a Christian with a target on your back surrounded by skeptics who are standing in line to see you take a dive? Maybe someone's waiting to see you lose your temper. Maybe they want to see you say something bad about someone. Maybe they are waiting for something much more drastic. The fact is, if the people around you know you are a follower of Christ, some of them are in the boat with you, while others are standing on the shore waiting for the boat to capsize. But we can take heart knowing our Savior was aware of this in his final hours on earth. He was preparing to be arrested and crucified and what was he praying about? He was praying that we would have strength to stand against all those who "hate us". I think that's pretty cool. What do you think?

Why Pushing Christ Out of Christmas May Not Be Such a Bad Thing

It's Christmas Time. We are right smack in the middle of the dog days of retail consumerism at its finest. This is the time of year when "paper or plastic" isn't about the sacks (perhaps you call them bags) used after the purchase, but rather the method of payment during the purchase. In America, the average person spends $750 on Christmas. When you think about all of the children who have no income and all the poor who may be baking or making gifts rather than purchasing, that leaves a much smaller segment of the population that actually does the purchasing. For this group, $750 is well on the low side.

This is also the time of year when we Christians get up in arms about how we are not keeping Christ in Christmas. Some of us send emails pointing out all the stores that are saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and how we should not shop at those diabolic

al places. We demonize Santa calling him things like "Satan Claus" because he steals the true meaning of Christmas and hogs all of the yuletide cheer (even though his story is based on a real person who was a very selfless, giving individual). We get upset because courthouses don't have nativity scenes any more or that the ACLU has declared another biblical diorama to be an infringement of someone's constitutional rights.

So before I move forward, let me be clear. I am all for keeping Christ in Christmas. However, the fact that our Lord and Savior is being "kicked to the curb" by our culture, may not be such a bad thing in the grand scheme of things. Here's why I think this is true.

Throughout history, the church has blossomed in the face of persecution. It was the persecution of the Jewish religious leaders that caused the church to spread like wildfire from its infancy. And despite the efforts of Nero and several of his successors for the next couple hundred years, it continued to grow in light of an increasing toll of untimely Christian deaths. In modern times, the church in China is really growing despite persecution from opponents both inside and outside the government.

I do not intend to make the leap to say that our subversive lull into saying "Happy Holidays" is in any manner similar to, reminiscent, or comparable to any persecution that has happened to any Christian individual or group throughout history. In the grand scheme of things, modern American Christians have got it pretty good. However, time and time again throughout history, when people intentionally (or even unintentionally) direct themselves away from the worship of God through Jesus Christ, there will be a pocket of believers who will be diligent in their faith and will be adamant about keeping their traditions alive. But in order for that to happen, several things must be true.

1. Christians must be motivated by love of others rather than hatred of government, non-religious propaganda, and all things that don't specifically mention Jesus. A picket line may be a great way to get higher wages, but it's probably not going to lead anyone to putting their faith in Christ.

2. Christians need to embrace all of the good in the Christmas season. Despite the "credit cards gone wild", this is a very benevolent time of year. We must remember that God is often glorified even when things don't have his name on them.

3. Christians must not throw the baby out with the bath water. In our quest to be counter-cultural, let's do so in a way that holds on to the good traditions we have at this time of year.

So what does the future hold? If I'm still alive in 50 years at the Christmas of 2060 (at the ripe old age of 84), what will Christmas in America be like? Will I be riding up to a family gathering in a traditional car only to park next to someone else's flying car (remember when we all thought we'd have those by now)? Will there still be Christmas decorations on the houses? Will people still put nativity scenes in their yards? I don't know, but I hope so. But as long as our culture continues to move away from the worship of Christ at Christmas, we have an opportunity to do something different. I hope we make the most of it.

Holy Communion: Prayer, Posture, and Provision

Yesterday was Holy Communion at my church. Being the closest thing our church has to an associate pastor, I assist our pastor during the service by passing out bread. And while I can say that this is a time of prayer and reverence, my mind does wander off sometimes to things like the difficulty of getting car and tractor grease off your hands the day before the Communion service. But I digress.

I don't know how you do Communion (aka. the Lord's Supper, Euchyrist). In the United Methodist Church (ours anyway), parishioners make their way to the aisles and come down front to kneel. As each person kneels, they hold their hands out, empty and waiting to be filled with God's grace. The pastor or assistant hands them a small piece of a very sweet Hawaiian bread. The juice is Welch's and is served in small glasses that are sitting in holders at the kneeling rail. The sweet bread, I assume (I could not find any reason for it's use), is to remind us of the sweetness of God's grace. After each person has received their bread, they spend a few moments in prayer, then partake of the elements. We also take up a special Communion offering for a different cause each month. Instead of being gathered in a collection plate, that money is brought to the Communion rail.

In the churches where I grew up, we did it differently. We sat in pews and the elements were passed. We used unleavened bread to remind us of the humility we were to have before God. Also, the bread used in the Passover Seder (the disciples were observing this when Jesus led them in what we know as the Last Supper) was unleavened. So unleavened bread is probably more biblical. A small tray with relatively bitter, tasteless, unleavened wafers would come by and you'd have to grab one and wait until everyone in the auditorium had one. Then the pastor would say a prayer, and everyone would eat it. So you had this chalky, pasty, tasteless cracker floating around in your mouth. You would swallow...and swallow again...then try to work up some more spit to get the last of it down. After all, it was probably going to be at least 5 minutes before the tray of juice would come by. Then the pastor would read about Jesus passing the cup and the juice would come by on another small tray that's reminiscent of a Chinese Checker-board with little juice cups in the holes. You would nervously grab your little sip of juice (you wouldn't want to be the person who spilled the whole tray, would you?), and then have to sit there and hold it until everyone had their juice. When all the juice had been passed out, the pastor would say a prayer and everyone would drink, in unison.

There are pros and cons to both ways. And while I think the way I grew up doing it is a little more quirky, I don't think the current way is all the way there, either. After all, my daughter often wants to buy "Communion bread" and grape juice at the grocery store. Isn't Communion supposed to remind us of Christ's suffering? But I do want to say some things I do like about the way we do communion.

1. Prayer-In our services, once the pastor reads the Communion liturgy, the rest of the time is spent in silence. The only thing you will hear is the pastor or assistant saying essentially "This is the body of Christ broken for you and this is the blood of Christ shed for you." The time is not interrupted by your neighbor passing a tray or separate prayers from the pastor for the bread and the cup.

2. Posture-There is something very humbling about getting up from your seat, walking down front, and kneeling at an altar with your empty hands held out. It reminds us that without God we are nothing. We come to the altar waiting to be "filled up" with God's grace. John Wesley called Holy Communion a "means of grace" meaning that we receive God's grace through partaking of the symbolic elements of the "meal". I have often interpreted that to mean it's an almost "magical" experience, with which I disagreed. But if one's heart is in the right place, it is a means of experiencing God's grace. Without the proper heart, though, it's just a sweet snack at the end of the service. We can just as easily "go through the motions" by coming down front as we can sitting in our pew waiting for the bread and juice. But there is something about getting out of your seat and coming down front that demands a response.

3. Provision-We didn't do The Lord's Supper very often in my churches growing up. Sometimes we even did it in the evening service rather than in the morning. I'm not really sure why. But I remember it was always done to remind us of Christ's suffering and death. Now in the United Methodist Church, we do it once a month. It is done as a "means of grace". In other words, this isn't an afterthought reminder of something, but this is an integral part of our worship of God through Jesus Christ. It does remind us of Christ's death, but it also reminds us that God's grace is continually reaching out to us. I like that part. I also like that we begin with an actual loaf of bread that is broken. Not only does this represent Christ's suffering, but it also reminds us that we are one body, the church. I mentioned earlier, that I think the sweet bread may not be a proper reminder of Christ's suffering, but it is a great reminder of God's grace.

So how does your church practice Holy Communion, Euchyrist, or the Lord's Supper? What do you like about it? What do you wish was different?

Is Technology an Ego Thing?

The other day I was listening to a technology talk show on the radio...actually, I stumbled on it, but anyway, it was there. The topic of discussion was tech devices and how it is the nature of the technology industry for a company to release a product and to be working on that device's successor during or even prior to the release of the current device. This is where we get the concept that computers and tech devices are "obsolete" as soon as they leave the store shelf.

During the course of the show, a caller called in and was asking about the need to upgrade his current device because he was concerned that it wouldn't handle all of the tasks he required of it.

The host responded that most devices are suitable for most applications, so you will be fine with what you have unless it's an ego thing for you to have the latest device. He elaborated and said that there are some people who just have to have the latest device as a boost to their ego. It's a status symbol the way some people drive new luxury cars.

Now, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm hardly the poster child for the latest tech device. I am still running Windows XP on my laptop and I just recently got it back from having it tuned up and having the RAM increased because my 512MB wasn't enough for the programs I was running. I was also recently given an iPhone by a relative who has more cash flow than I do, but it will be another month before I can set it up with phone and data service.

But there are things sometimes that we feel we have to have because of our ego. Maybe it is a particular tech toy. Maybe it's a new car. Maybe it's a motorcycle or an ATV, or in my part of the country it could even be a deer lease. For my family, we are really trying to simplify our lives. We are also putting almost all of our extra income toward paying off debt. But that doesn't mean we don't have a bunch of stuff we don't need. We live in a pretty small house and a lot of my musical equipment (sound system, drumset, etc.) lives at the church where it is used regularly. I have some guns that were given to me by my father that stay in a safe. I also have lots of clothes that don't fit in my closet.

Matthew 6:19-21 says that we should not lay up treasures for ourselves where moth and rust destroy, or where thieves break in and steal. But rather we should store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

What are the things we feel we need to have to satisfy our ego? Is it an iPad? A car? A house in a particular neighborhood? How can we trust God to meet our needs when we don't get the things we think we need?

Christian Maturity Means Carrying Extra Weight

Last weekend, I spent three days and two nights backpacking in the mountain trails of Big Bend National Park. This was my first backpacking experience. The remote area we were camping had no water, and we were several miles from the Chisos Basin water supply. That meant we had to pack in all of our own water, as well as food and supplies. As I started up the path with my friends Tommy and Warren carrying my 50lb. pack, I began to realize that the extra weight on my back and shoulders raised the ante for my footing. Any person walking in rocky, mountain terrain needs to be sure-footed. However, carrying that extra weight meant that each step needed to be made with at least a bit of thought, otherwise the weight of the pack would cause me to stumble a lot easier than if I was not carrying it. As I began watching the terrain, I found that I was missing some of the amazing scenery because my head was down focused on the path ahead. Nonetheless, I continued to carefully calculate each step of my journey until I reached my destination.

While planning my steps occupied a large amount of brain power, I was able to spare a few neurons to recall a passage in I Corinthians where Paul is talking about having freedom in Christ. Apparently, there was some food that had been sacrificed to pagan idols that was being sold in the street markets of Corinth. Some mature believers were buying it and eating it with a clear conscience (after all, isn't all food from God, anyway?) while some younger in their faith were appalled by their actions (after all, it had been dedicated for worship of false deities, right?) So what Paul essentially says is that it is okay for Christians to eat this food, however, if there are believers who might have a problem with that, don't do it because it will cause them to stumble in their faith.

Last time I checked, modern Christians don't swing through the McDonald's drive-thru and order a #4 Pagan Sacrifice Special with fries and a Coke. But there are plenty of things of which we partake and enjoy that could potentially cause another believer to stumble. Maybe it's the occasional cigar or the bottle of wine on a special occasion. Maybe it's an R-rated movie or a guy who prays with his hat on. It could be that you enjoy the music of a particular artist which some might think is unbecoming of a Christian. (I'm not talking about perpetual sin, but rather things that Christians do that may be misconstrued by others) Regardless of what freedoms we have in Christ, mature believers are all carrying a pack...a pack filled with the expectations of younger believers who are hanging on their every move as examples of the Christian life. This extra weight means that Christians need to be careful what freedoms they exercise and the context in which they do those things. Extra weight means that it is easier to stumble, and each step should be made with caution.

So what freedoms do you have in Christ? What things have you done that have been perceived negatively by others? Do you feel like being a Christian means living in a fishbowl?

Social Media as Spiritual Discipline

Every follower of Christ knows (or should know) that this journey we are on is not one of accidental, whimsical, or random actions as we iron out this relationship with our creator, but rather it is intentional. I suppose perhaps one could coast through life without giving much thought to the disciplines of the faith, but it might raise some questions with other Christ followers who were more purposeful about the rites of their faith. I guess I would say this, if faith is a pinball machine, we should be more like the flipper than the ball. We should be doing the acting, rather than being the ones acted upon.

We call these "acts" spiritual disciplines, and they are pretty obvious to anyone who has spent at least a little time in church. Prayer, study of Scripture, and church attendance have for years been considered to be the important spiritual disciplines--and rightfully so. Another discipline that was always difficult for me was journaling. For a while I tried to journal and write down these "aha" moments I had when I was studying the Bible, but often it seemed canned and forced. I felt like every time I sat down with a Bible, I was supposed to have this mind-blowing revelation of truth and to be honest, it didn't always happen...not to mention the fact that my handwriting has been mistaken for ancient cuneiform. Also, I found that when I did journal something, I hardly ever went back to look at what I journaled. It just sat there in its nifty little book. The whole thing was frustrating and felt like in some strange way I was trying to earn my salvation.

But fast forward a few years. The internet and other technologies have taken over all facets of life. And for the longest time I heard about "blogs" but I didn't have a clue what one was. Then after the internet was established, social media came into the picture. Now everyone is on Twitter or Facebook and wouldn't you know I even have a blog. And what is my blog? For me, it's a journal. But rather than journaling every time I study and feeling like I have to write something, I try to be open for those teachable moments when God gives me those glimpses of who He is, then I sit down and write about it. Also, a blog can be shared with others, so maybe the things this spiritually dim-witted and hard-headed sojourner has learned can be of value to someone else. (side note, the blog is also legible because I can type rather than writing in my chicken scratch)

Some people do blog daily, like my online friend Adam McLane who has even written a post about how to blog consistently, which I highly recommend. His article has some great tips on ways he is disciplined in his blogging. If you have never had a blog, it is very easy to do. There are free blog sites (Wordpress , Blogger), where you can write your blog for free without paying any web hosting fees (such as this blog), or with a little web knowledge you can host your own blog on your own domain. In a blog of this type, all the copyright and content belongs to you and can be done for less than $100/year.

So what if you don't have a blog? Are you on Facebook or Twitter? Part of the Christian experience is the idea that we are on this journey together. We may go hear a sermon at church, but in a Sunday School class or a small group we have a chance to interact, discuss, and share our experiences with one another. Social media gives us that ability as well. As followers of Christ, who are we to keep the things we learn about God to ourselves? Surely, if God teaches us something, others will benefit from it if we are just willing to share it. So I want to offer some ways we can make social media a spiritual discipline.

1. Be intentional about sharing spiritual things with others. While we all want to update our status about how we are cheering on our favorite sports team or how we are proud of our child's good grades, be also willing to share what God is teaching you with others, even if it's just in a few sentences.

2. Be willing to pass on what others have learned. None of us have written the book on being a Christian, but there are a lot of other believers just like you and me out there who have been given some tremendous insights about God. Whether it's the pastor of a 20,000 member megachurch or your neighbor down the street, when these people share insights that they've learned about God, repost or retweet them so others can learn, too.

3. Be consistent. You don't have to blog daily like my friend Adam, but be on the lookout for things God is doing in your life and try to share those things on a regular basis. If I learn something while I'm not at a computer, I try to write it down somewhere so I can remember to write about it next time I sit down at my desk. This allows me to share things on a regular basis.

4. Be yourself. I write this because part of social media is being who we are. So if we decide we are going to be more intentional about sharing spiritual insights, that doesn't mean we have to stop sharing about our life experiences, our thoughts and feelings, so that we can be the next Facebook guru who brings peace, comfort, and healing every day to all of our 178 friends. I think if all we ever post or tweet is Bible verses or quotes from great Christian thinkers it becomes a turn-off to those who are not on this journey with us and they begin to formulate opinions of us because we don't seem like we live in the real world. I think it's great to post things about how you are excited about eating at your favorite restaurant or how your favorite baseball team won its first playoff series in the history of the franchise, but if God is an important part of our life, shouldn't we be sharing what we learn about him with others?

So what are your thoughts? How do you use social media to share about what God is teaching you? Have you ever been turned off by someone who used social media for spiritual purposes?

Youth Ministry: Why I Quit Doing Hot Topic Lessons (mostly)

Youth culture is always changing. Every week or so, there is a new movement, social connection, video game, movie, behavioral trend, or teen cultural issue that makes youth workers like me scratch our heads. Whether it's emos who cut themselves, another teen's obsession with all things vampire from the Twilight movies, or being engrossed in the latest violent video games, there are constantly cultural patterns that demand a response from youth workers. In youth ministry circles, these are known as "hot topics".

I used to be one of those guys who felt the need to address every diabolical trend that came down the pike. And there was no shortage of fodder for lesson material. I might have been in a rut and not sure what I should teach for Wednesday night. Suddenly, I get an email from a leading voice in youth ministry about a cultural trend that was cause for concern. I might contact a few students to ask them if they'd heard of this. Then I did some research online about it. Then, of course, I would find a Bible passage that speaks to the issue (not the specific issue, but to the idea behind the issue), and then VOILA! I have a youth lesson.

But in hindsight, here is where I think I was getting it wrong. Youth culture changes so much that I think addressing these little issues is really getting to the symptom rather than the problem. My lessons were knee-jerk reactions to all the terrible evils floating around in youth culture and were attempts to steer my kids away from them, rather than showing them how to learn to navigate these issues themselves. If we mold our ministry around the concept of teaching students to avoid certain issues or telling them what to think or believe about those issues, what happens when they go on in life and are forced to formulate those values for themselves? Are they going to continue to ask, "I wonder what my youth worker would say about this?" Or, are they going to be able to articulate a healthy stance on the subject through a mature, faith-based world view? Another problem is there are so many things that could be seen as worthy of being addressed--TV shows, movies, video games, new things kids are doing at parties, things students are doing on social media, cell phones, new drugs, bullying... Where does the list end?

So in recent years, my approach has been to teach Scripture as it relates to modern culture. In this sense, I feel, I am keeping the horse in front of the cart. For example, we've had an issue in recent months with boys and girls struggling in their interaction with one another. While teenage interaction is usually awkward and unrefined to say the least, there are things that are appropriate and things that are not. Rather than doing a lesson on how students should interact with one another, I have been doing a series on the book of Ruth. Through studying Ruth, we get to learn about the Israelite culture and what social nuances were expected of the characters. We also learn how the characters worked within those social confines to communicate admiration for one another in a socially appropriate manner. Another thing the story teaches is how Boaz was attracted to Ruth because of her commitment to Naomi and to the God of Israel.

So in teaching Scripture, as opposed to teaching cultural issues, the intent is that we are laying a foundation that will be relevant not just to the areas of immediate concern, but that will have meaning throughout the students' lives as they make their journey into adulthood and beyond. To put it plainly, I prefer to teach Scripture in light of youth culture as opposed to teaching youth culture in light of Scripture. A good metaphor would be one of riding in the front seat with the students driving the car rather than driving the students to the desired destination. Through the Bible, we are giving instruction, but ultimately it is the students making the decisions. I do find myself doing topical lessons on occasion, but usually to break things up (this statement posted after Adam McClane's comment) a bit. Topical lessons do have their place in ministry. I just don't think they should be the main focus.

So what are your thoughts? Have you ever found yourself formulating a ministry around knee-jerk teaching? When and how often do you do "hot topic" lessons?

Crises, Christ, and Coffee Pots

A couple of months ago, my wife surprised me by buying me a new coffee pot. We had one, but I hardly ever used it opting to just wait until I got to work and get a cup there. The old pot didn't really get the coffee warm enough, so it was just easier to wait until I got to work.

But after she got me the new pot, I realized something. Now, I drink more coffee. This new pot warms the coffee better and it's more pleasing to drink. You see, I always thought I didn't drink much coffee at home because I could get it at the office. But the truth was that I didn't drink it at home because the pot didn't work very well.

As I thought about this the other day, I realized how faith in God has been sold many times like a new coffee pot. People are taught that if they just put their faith in God that all their dreams will come true, they will not have any more financial troubles, and hardships will be a thing of the past. I think this mentality has caused a lot of people to abandon their faith in God because honestly, they "signed up" under false pretenses. Life gets a little rough, and people just chuck it like an old coffee pot. When I went through my divorce, I came to grips with this mentality. As I was growing up in my faith, somewhere along the way I grew to believe that if I just followed God and put my faith in him, that life would be a cakewalk. Then at 22 years old, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was up against something that was beyond my control and there wasn't enough praying or church-going I could do to stop it.

I was at a crossroads. I could have abandoned my faith in God because, after all, it didn't work. It didn't shield me from this hardship. It didn't give me immunity from life's problems. It didn't even make the situation less painful. So what value was it? Well, what I've learned about faith in God is it's not immunity from life's hardships, but rather, it's the thing we cling to when the hardships come. Jesus said in John 16 that the believers (us) in this world WILL have trouble, but we can take heart because he has overcome the world!

So, hardships are a normal part of living in a fallen world. If life is getting rough, take heart. Christ has overcome the world. Just don't abandon your faith and toss it. A coffee pot can be replaced, but there is nothing in this world that can take the place of the love of God.

Guilt, God, and the Green Police

The above commercial is from the ad campaign for Audi's new clean diesel car line. The premise is that the "Green Police" are out scouring the land for environmental infractions. Of course, the Green Police have nothing on the driver of Audi's cleaner running diesel. While the commercial is a humorous look at what environmental consciousness has become, people at Audi want us to believe that we need to buy this car to make all the environmentalists happy.

Believe it or not, this post is not about environmentalism. I have blogged here before about how environmentalism is a slippery slope because when we begin to do one thing to help protect one aspect of the environment, we often create more problems in another area of the environment. For example, the chemicals required to run the batteries in hybrid cars are a rare strain of elements and compounds that are only found in certain areas of China. But the point I think this ad makes goes far deeper than caring for the earth. I've said before, if someone can make you feel guilty, they can have control over you. That is essentially what has happened with the environmental movement. Propoganda in our society has made us feel guilty for using plastic bags at the grocery store, and for driving our V8 pick-ups and SUVs to work and back. We should feel guilty about taking a slightly longer shower, even though we really felt like we needed it, and we didn't unplug that cell phone charger because it was in an outlet that was just a little bit harder to get to. I'm not saying we shouldn't be conscientious of the environment (as an outdoorsman and a part-time farmer, I consider myself to be quite an environmentalist), but I think some people want to take the guilt factor to a whole new level.

Over the years, I have noticed a thread of thought in Christianity that we as Christians are called to live in guilt. We are supposed to constantly beat ourselves up because we are not there yet and we have so far to go. This plays into the idea that we should serve God because it's our "obligation" to serve him because of what he did for us on the cross. But I think rather, we should serve God knowing that following God is the best possible way we can live our lives, regardless of how it turns out for our careers, our pocketbooks, and our social goals.

The first century church at Galatia had received the message of the gospel, but there was a group of legalistic Jewish Christians called the Judaizers who were teaching what Paul called a false gospel that basically said that in order to be a good Christian, you had to keep the rites and laws of the Jewish faith. Paul tells them in Chapter 5 that they were set free for the sake of freedom. That passage applies to us, too. We have been set free!

So does guilt have no place in Christianity? The Holy Spirit, and those who are speaking in its power, are called to bring conviction that we may be made more into the likeness of Christ. So guilt is a necessary part of becoming more like Christ. And we should never lose sight of that idea that we are imperfect sinners in need of work. But a faith that is lived out in a spirit of guilt is no faith at all. We will tiptoe through this world in the fear that we are going to offend the spiritual equivalent of the Green Police. "How can I lead a Bible study after all I've done?" "How can I host a home group? I can't even be a good husband and father." "There's no way I can lead that ministry. I still struggle daily with a lot of junk." Living in guilt prevents us from being the people God has called us to be. So let us deal with the conviction from God, then move beyond our guilt-driven obligatory faith and let us rather, live in a spirit of freedom and victory.

Why Evangelism and Discipleship are Inseparable

I am currently serving in the United Methodist Church and have found that in the last four years philosophy of ministry has changed to some extent. Having come from an evangelical background to a mainline denomination, I have notices some stark differences between the way we approach different things, particularly evangelism.

What I've noticed in attending ecumenical events since I've begun working in a mainline church is that any time an event is planned where there may be non-believers in attendance, there must be a concerted effort to present them with the message of the gospel (specifically the idea that Christ's death and resurrection demands a response from us) hopefully causing them to repent of their sins and give their lives to Christ, putting their faith in him as their Lord and Savior. This is not a bad thing at all, so don't think I'm being critical of it. But there are a few problems with making anything specifically evangelistic.

1. With all the effort put into the presentation of the message, there must be an equally concerted effort on follow-up with the new believers. Unfortunately, this is rarely ever done effectively. Young believers are given a commitment card where they are asked to put their church home if they have one. And are otherwise left to follow Christ on their own until a pastor, youth worker, or another believer comes alongside them to get them plugged into the church. This should be a seamless transition, but in over ten years of ministry, I don't think I've ever seen it work well. You can also read a great post by my friend Tim Schmoyer about his struggles with outreach events.

2. New believers go to these outreach-focused events and think everything else in the church or ministry is just like that. Then when they show up to a normal Wednesday night youth meeting without the great band, the lights, and the videos, they are very disappointed. Then they feel like they've been a victim of a bait and switch coupon circular where they were lured into a store for a great buy on a great product only to find they only had two in stock which sold out the first day of the sale.

3. Edification of existing believers must be sacrificed to meet the needs of those who are curious about faith. I have heard some preachers say that every message preached ought to point to the gospel. While I agree with that, I think it gets off track when we put "the gospel" in a box. Making every message point to the fact that Christ died for our sins and we should put our faith in him to be saved will eventually sound like a broken record. While that is the primary tenet of the Christian faith, the fact is the "good news" is so much more than that. So a message can be directed at mature believers and still point to the good news of Christ.

4. Events that are focused primarily on bringing the lost to Christ can be designed to be emotionally manipulative and leave little room for the Holy Spirit. I've been to events where the gospel is presented in some dramatic fashion using vague terminology and a lack of specific criteria where every person in the room could have easily been made to feel that their status with the Almighty was lacking and in need of repair. Maybe some strong guys broke some stuff. Maybe some fantastic athletes shared the message that you can do "all things through Christ." Maybe a great story teller told the most dramatic, captivating rendition of a Bible passage. Maybe there was a band playing the same three chords over and over for 30 minutes lulling the audience into a trance and people start going down front just so they can go home soon. Maybe every head was bowed and every eye was closed and the person who had been made to feel guilty lifted their head, then later walked down front, talked with a stranger, filled out a card, and went home feeling just like she did when she arrived.

5. We equate lots of people coming down front with lots of conversions and spiritual change. I think there is a difference between effective evangelism and giving a good sales pitch. Unfortunately, I've found myself trying to "help God out" by making a dramatic sales pitch for the gospel. And some people do it very well, and the aisles are flooded with teary-eyed spiritual derelicts. But then after all the cards have been filled out and everyone is ready for the next day of work or school, has anything truly changed?

So what is the answer? Am I saying we should not be evangelistic? Absolutely not. But I am saying that we should not separate evangelism from discipleship. When I look back at Acts 2 and read where the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer, I notice that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. While we don't know what specific teachings they were studying, I have a feeling that if the only tenet they studied was the idea of saving faith through belief in Christ's resurrection, their congregation would not have lasted very long. And remember, this was at a time in history when literally the whole world had not heard the message of Christ. If there was ever a time to be specifically evangelistic, it was then. But they devoted themselves to the entirety of the apostles' teaching.

Another hint is found in the writings of Paul. He refers to mature and immature believers and those who are young in the faith. He also refers to those who are non-believers. He encourages Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. He writes in Ephesians 4:11 that "some are called to be evangelists, while others are called to be pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of the ministry." While those evangelists have their place, their ministry is ineffective without the pastors and teachers who can nurture those young converts in their faith. Look at the encounter of Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch. There were no showy gimmicks. There was no worship-band-induced trances. There was no preaching of guilt and eternal damnation. Philip simply was obedient to the Lord and met the Ethiopian where he was. He was already seeking. The Holy Spirit was already at work, Philip was just being available.

The message of Christ really speaks for itself. We should be more concerned with introducing people to it and less concerned with embellishing it to make it appealing. Then, when true conversion occurs, we know it's the work of the Holy Spirit and not the work of our indulgence.

Fantasy Football? What about Fantasy Christianity?

It's fall again and pre-season football is in full swing. We've even gotten through the recent annual tradition of waiting on Brett Favre's decision to return to football. It's like a $16M professional sports version of Groundhog Day, waiting for Punxsutawney Brett to see his shadow. And while I'm excited about the pre-season hype for my Dallas Cowboys, I'm also excited about another season of Fantasy Football. This is my third year playing and I'm hoping for a great draft.

If you're not familiar with Fantasy Football, it's pretty simple. I have a "team" made up of a number of offensive players (quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, tight ends, and kickers (sorry linemen)) who are all from different NFL teams. As these players play each week, I get points for their performances-6 points for a touchdown, 1 point for every 10 yards of rushing or receiving, 3 points for a field goal, etc. There are more players on your roster than what you are allowed to play each week. So the trick is to play which players you think will perform well in a particular match-up. And with the miracles of modern technology, the computer automatically tracks the stats and points for you. Each week you go head to head against one of your buddies and at the end of 12 weeks, the best fantasy players make the playoffs.

But as I contemplated all things fantasy sports, my brain wandered to the idea of "Fantasy Christianity" and what that would look like. And the more I thought about it, the more I think it's something that unfortunately already exists. I've not played a down of football since 9th grade, but through Fantasy Football, I live vicariously through "my" players without ever so much as putting on a pair of cleats. Just as I am not actually playing football, I think many of us sit on the sidelines of the Christian faith, letting others do the work, while we miss out on the blessings of serving others. What I mean by this is that we live our Christianity out vicariously through our pastors, staff members, and missionaries whom we may support in various ways. All the while there is work to be done all around us. We go to church on Sunday and see how our fantasy team has been performing. Our pastor reports that he had a great visit with a new family who is joining the church soon-that puts some points on the board. A missionary comes to thank the church for the support we give monthly and shares of all the great things going on in a different part of the world, and our fantasy points just keep rising! Some youth lead the church in worship and we are swooning because of our connection to all these fine ministries.

But is that what the church is all about? Just show up on Sunday and see how our "team" is doing? What about all the opportunities during the week to love and serve others? James says that actions must accompany our faith. I know I do not do all I can to make the most of every encounter I have with people. I also know even as a staff member, that I sometimes guage my spiritual health based on my church's fantasy points, and not on my individual performance. So how do we avoid Fantasy Christianity?

I suggest these three things.

1. Don't compartmentalize our lives. In other words, try not to have church friends, work friends, family friends, etc. We will all have different circles with whom we interact, but it is important that we don't act differently around each group. This allows our faith to impact everyone we encounter, not just our "church friends."

2. Determine our spiritual gifts and find ways to implement those in our daily lives and in our church lives. The Bible lays out numerous spiritual gifts in the New Testament that are personality traits we all have. Once we understand how God has wired us, it makes it easier for us to serve others in ways that are natural to us.

3. View Sunday as a celebration of what God has done in the rest of our week. Hopefully God has placed people in our path that we can help or impact. Let Sunday be a day when we can pray about these relationships and celebrate the ministry we have in them.

Have you ever caught yourself playing Fantasy Christianity? What would you do to help people get off the sidelines and into the action?

Following Christ-Is Conversion a Point or a Process?

Today, I read a really thought-provoking post from @gavoweb on Twitter. The article was entitled "I love Jesus, but I'm keeping my stripping job." The article recounts an apparently true story of some Christians who protested a strip club and the dancers who responded with a protest of their own. After the smoke had cleared, apparently two of the girls had "accepted Jesus in their hearts" but were going to continue to work at the Foxhole Club as dancers.

This post hit a nerve with me because it speaks to an issue I've wrestled with over the years. In sharing Christ with others, at what point does true conversion occur? Growing up in church, salvation was always a black and white issue. Once you put your faith in Christ, "what fellowship can light have with darkness?" . But the older I get, and the more I realize how far I am from being the person that Christ wants me to be, I'm not so sure. I've shared before my thoughts on evangelism, as it relates to spiritual growth, and how I see it more as the beginning of a process of discipleship, rather than a magical change that is literally instantaneous.

To make a metaphor of it, I'll ask it this way. Is putting our faith in Christ a dot on a map, or is it merely us finding the right road we need to be on, on that particular map-the road that leads to Jesus? Paul speaks of justification-justified before God through the work of Christ-but he also speaks of sanctification-being made into the likeness of Christ.

So which is it? Is the power of the Holy Spirit so great that when we put our faith in Christ we instantaneously become a new creation? Or are we just baby disciples learning to find our way and learning to take off the grave clothes of our old lives? The Apostle Paul had a pretty profound conversion. There was no gradual process for him. But we know that some of those whom Paul brought to faith in Christ took a little longer to come around. In Philippians 4, we learn of two ladies who evidently were entrenched in a pretty stiff quarrel.

So what are we to make of all this? Well, I do know this.

1. A lot of services that are called evangelistic really do nothing more than make a bunch of baby Christians and there is not much done to follow up and help these young believers grow in their faith.

2. It's not my place to question whether or not a person's faith in Christ is true or not. Last time I checked, it was only God who knows a persons heart.

3. While I may not know whether a person's faith is real or superficial, I do have a call on my life to spur others on to good works in Christ Jesus.

So what do you think? Is following Christ a one-time miracle, or is it the beginning of a life-long process? Can a stripper be a Christian and still keep her job?

Commitment and the BIG MO in Youth Ministry

Summer is winding down and our youth group is getting ready to kick off our Sunday small group program in the fall. This program is not a new one, but we have taken the summer off since the majority of our students scattered like cockroaches when school let out--band camp, football camp, family vacation, going to stay with grandma for a week, etc. And so now we want to start strong and build consistency and momentum going into the school year.

I've been a player and fan of sports my entire life. The concept of momentum (the Big "Mo") is one that is debated among people in the sports world. Some will say that key plays during the course of a game have no effect on that team's ability to make more critical plays. Others, like me, though, believe that one key play can be a turning point. One key play can be what causes a team to realize they can actually score on the next possession, close the lead, and/or pull off the upset. Momentum is what makes it easier to push a rolling car than it is to push a car that is setting still (and is hopefully in neutral with nobody's foot on the brake!). So how do we get a new program rolling from a dead standstill? The answer is simple. Commitment.

I thought about how important it is that parents and students who participate in our program be committed from the beginning. For the first 4-6 weeks, we need to have everyone there. This is not the time for one last trip to the lake or that family vacation. (These things aren't bad, but they are detrimental to the re-establishment of any ministry program). I also examined the climate of the program, with and without the commitment of the students.

No Commitment:

Worship feels small, worshipers are timid

Adult volunteers are frustrated (waste of their time)

"Where is everybody?"

Discussion groups have little to no discussion

"Who else is coming?"

Boring

With Commitment:

More friends=more fun

Group discounts

Inviting visitors

Fun with friends

Discussion groups have more discussion

More relationships built

Worship is exciting

Students don't have to wait for the next big event to enjoy youth group

"I can't wait for Sunday/Wednesday night"

Synergy--The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

We live in a culture that doesn't honor commitment. With celebrities being known for being flakes and professional athletes whining over getting $4.5 million instead of $5 million, it's no wonder that commitment is not a mainstay of our students' lives. Some kids sign up for a sport or activity and decide halfway through the season they don't want to do it, parents often let them drop out. Or the kids join an activity only to have their coach or volunteer bail out because he or she doesn't have time. But I think commitment is important to God and should be to us.

In Exodus 16 the Israelites have been in the desert for several weeks and are running out of food. They miss the "pots of meat" and abundant food they had in the oppressive land of Egypt. So God provides manna (bread) from heaven that he requires them to gather daily. The crafty Israelites soon try to outsmart God and decide they will gather a surplus so they don't have to gather it daily. The Bible says that it became rotten and full of maggots. God wanted their daily dependence on him, and their daily commitment to trusting him.

Commitment in any ministry program can be a catch 22. You need active kids to get them committed and you need commitment to have active kids. So let's start this school year off as youth workers, parents, and students with expectations of being committed to our youth ministry this school year.

What is Our Motivation for Making a Difference in the World?

We are coming to the end of our summer blitz at the FUMC youth ministry. We have had two major mission camps and one church camp. Sunday morning during Sunday School, we talked about two types of mission projects. Hypothetically we said that we were going to do the exact same good deed for two different people. The first person would be grateful and excited about the work we were doing and the second could care less and would show very little interest in what we were there to do. So we made a chart with each job on one side and asked the students to tell how they would feel. So here is what we decided.

Should Christians Be Patriotic?

I know this post is late since America's 234th birthday was 4 days ago. But I've been seeing blog posts here and there (like this one and this one ) questioning patriotism. People also question whether or not it is right for us to sing patriotic hymns in church services and to celebrate our freedom. And maybe the overall climate of our country and our Christianity is changing. Maybe it's because many of us would rather riot in the streets over a soccer game than peacefully cheer for our team at a baseball game? Maybe it's because we would rather get our theology from U2 and Bruce Springsteen rather than those who have been more up front about their faith, rather than putting it under the guise of pop culture. Maybe we've become so politically correct that we are not being good global citizens if we think we live in the greatest country on earth?

Faith or Fake-What Does Our Faith Look Like to the World?

The other day I put my foot in my mouth in a pretty big way. It was the first day of church camp and I was sitting at the dinner table with a group of counselors and I noticed one lady had a very pretty ring on her finger. I made the comment, "That's a pretty ring" to which she replied, "Oh, it's fake. My real one is at home, but I didn't want anything to happen to it, so I got this one at Walmart before I left. See how it's turning my finger green?" Anyway, it was a funny moment as everyone at the table quickly found out what a horrible eye I had for jewelry. But what I thought after it happened was that the ring did exactly what it was made to do. That cheap immitation ring passed off as the real thing to the untrained eye.

I grew up in the age of Christian propoganda. I remember growing up and seeing shirts that read "Don't get caught dead without Jesus!" or spoofs of popular commercials like Reeborn instead of Reebok, or "Life is short, pray hard." And we had (still do have) Christian bumper stickers, music, movies, jewelry, stationery, books, and even breath mints. And for a long time I thought that these were the marks of a true Christian. I mean, what Christ-professing individual wouldn't want to advertise his or her faith in the most poignant, and fashionable way possible? But the older I have gotten I've not been as eager to literally wear my faith on my sleeve, despite the fact that it's a multi-million dollar industry. Because I know how I act sometimes and that I do things that wouldn't make my God proud--I mean, we all do. (Now, as a side note, I do have a closet full of free t-shirts that I've received from going to youth ministry events over the last 15 years). But would I wear a shirt that professed that I was a "bible-totin', scripture-quotin', devil-bashin'....(you get the idea)...believer, and proud of it?" Probably not. You see, it's not that I am not that way in the victory Christ has given me, but I am still very much aware of my humanity. I am a sinner saved by grace. And so while I may walk through life as a child of the King, I must remember that to the rest of the world, I am still that same sinner saved by grace. Honestly, I think it is narcissistic to think that people want to know how spiritual we are.

Galatians 5 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's a pretty steep list. I hope that I can try to be more like God in my heart rather than just promoting him on the outside with all of my Christian paraphernalia. It's my hope and prayer that we all reflect God with our attitudes and actions even more than we reflect him with our t-shirts and bumper stickers.

Tales From A Jesus Theme Park-A Different Kind of Faith

Last month, my wife Cindy and I got a chance to go to Orlando for a ministry conference. While we were at the hotel for 3 nights with the conference, we didn't want to let a trip to Orlando go to waste, so we decided to go out a day early and take in some of the city.

Celebrate Earth Day by Giving Thanks to God

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." So goes the first line of Psalm 24. In Genesis 1:20-31, and 2:8-17, we see the role God intended for people to play in the stewardship of creation. God made people so they could rule over the earth and animals as well as take care of them. According to the writer of Genesis, the earth was made first, then plants, then fish, then birds, then wild animals, livestock, and creatures that move on the ground, and finally...humans. There seems to be a hierarchy to the way things were designed. And the top of the list is us. And to quote Uncle Ben (not the rice guy, but Peter Parker's uncle), "With great power comes great responsibility."

But what has happened in our culture, as we take great strides to take care of the environment, we have, at times, created some new problems. If you are driving your car and realize you are across the yellow line and are headed in the wrong lane towards oncoming traffic, you can gently ease your way back into your lane, or you can abruptly jerk the wheel causing your vehicle to roll over, or go careening across the road into the ditches, mailboxes, telephone poles, and trees which were not meant for driving. Unfortunately, we have done a lot of the latter when it comes to the environment. Here are some examples of what I mean.

Most of us agree that increased dependence in fossil fuels is bad. Offshore drilling platforms are unsightly and do a lot do disrupt the delicate balance of life in the world's oceans. But once they are built, not only does life survive around them, but it thrives. By attempting to remove offshore oil rigs, there is a danger of disturbing new ecosystems that have developed around these drilling platforms.

Another attempt to reduce our dependence on petroleum has been the move towards corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel for vehicles. When government subsidies encouraged farmers of all kinds to start producing corn for ethanol it sent the food market into a tail spin. Corn that had previously been produced for feed purposes and human consumption was now being raised for ethanol production. Farmers who had been raising other crops were attempting to "cash in" on the ethanol corn market. The cost of corn-based feeds for livestock went up, causing prices to rise across the food industry. Another problem was that as more and more land in the Midwest was developed for ethanol corn production, it was being done in areas that had once been natural wildlife habitats. So attempting to help the environment, created a new problem.

Hybrid cars have been a very popular (pricy, but popular) attempt to reduce the impact that gasoline-powered cars have on the environment. However, the production of these vehicles requires the use of some very rare earth metals, many of which are only found in China. So as hybrid vehicle production increases, so does the mining and removal of these rare metals, creating another problem.

The good thing about all this is that we have become an environmentally aware society. While we don't have all the answers to reduce our impact on the environment, at least we are doing something. But I'm afraid in an effort to become good stewards of the earth, many of us (Christians included) have become earth worshippers. Rather than utilizing the earth and caring for it the way God intended, we have made a diety out of "Mother Earth". Some of us have vilified people for driving SUVs or building large houses (even acting out violently with criminal activity). At what point is acting out in violence good for any cause?

I consider myself to be an environmentalist. I absolutely love the outdoors. I love living in the country with my dirt driveway. I love seeing the birds and the squirrels and the occasional deer come through my yard. I don't mind so much when the feral hogs dig up the front yard, because I'd rather have that than live in a small city lot. I love being in the woods watching the sun come up and listening to the world come alive. I enjoy collecting the chicken droppings and putting it in my compost pile and eventually putting it on the watermelons and cantaloupes I planted a couple of weeks ago. I can't stand it when I go fishing and I see all of the trash people have left by the banks of rivers and lakes. I also hate paying nearly $3 a gallon for gas. The finiteness of earth's resources is a problem we should strive to fix. To think that many of our strides to help our situation have only created more problems is a sobering thought. And if humanity's efforts thus far have been somewhat futile, what are we supposed to do?

Earth Day is a good place to start. But how should we celebrate/observe this Earth Day? Why don't we start by giving thanks to the one who has created everything, both seen and unseen. Going back to Psalm 24, after stating that God made the world and everything in it and that he established it upon the waters, David writes, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord or be found in his holy place?" His answer to his rhetorical question is that the one who may ascend the hill of the Lord is the one who has clean hands, a pure heart, and does not lift his soul to an idol.

Let us celebrate Earth Day, not by worshiping the Earth, but by worshiping the one who made the earth and giving praise to him. Let's not get caught up in knee-jerk environmentalism where we do things just because they seem like a good ideas. Let us truly seek God and ask him how he would have us take care of the world he has given us. Maybe we should start recycling more. Maybe we should start walking more and driving less. Maybe we should purchase more biodegradable materials. But as we do this, let it be a spiritual discipline as part of the responsibility God has placed on us to be good stewards of the earth, not as an act of worship to our sacred "Mother". Let us give praise to the Creator of all things.

"Oh, God let us be a generation that seeks...that seeks your face, Oh God of Jacob."

Nike and Tiger-An Image of God's Grace

Several weeks ago, I blogged about what Christians can learn from the Tiger Woods press conference (the first statements he made after the scandal hit the media). Since it's obvious this Tiger Woods debacle is not going away any time soon, I suppose I will jump back in and see what it is we can learn from the rest of this whole thing-especially since the guy is more famous now than he was before we found out the number of mistresses he had on the side was in the double digits.

As part of the whole scandal, Tiger lost a lot of notable advertising endorsements from companies who felt he no longer carried an image of integrity that they sought to promote to their audience. But Nike chose to stick by him; a move that was questioned by a lot of people.

But in Nike's latest commercial is an image of God's grace. Now, Tiger is not a Christian. He has been very open about his Buddhist beliefs. But I think the way Nike has handled the situation shows us how Christians should speak the truth in love when someone has fallen from grace.

When I found out Nike and others were keeping him on board, I suspected they would sweep the whole thing under the rug and act like it had never happened. But the latest Tiger commercial has absolutely nothing to do with golf, sports, competition, or athletic skill. It is all about integrity and choices. It eerily puts Tiger's dead-still mugshot staring blankly into the camera with a subtle blink of the eyes to let the viewers know it's actually a video all the while a recording of his deceased father questions him about his thoughts and choices.

In the church, when our brothers and sisters make choices, we are called to speak the truth in love. This doesn't mean ignoring sin, it is acknowledging that sin, but also forgiving and calling others to receive God's forgiveness and renew their commitment to God. In Romans 5-6, Paul reminds us that the law was given so we could know what sin was. And that grace is directly proportional to sin. So as sin increases, grace increases all the more. But we should not keep sinning so that we receive more grace. A fall from grace is a time to acknowledge what went wrong and make a change.

This whole experience has been incredibly humbling for the world's greatest golfer. Sin does that to us, it brings us to our knees and for those of us who believe, it should bring us to the foot of the cross. How do you handle those who have fallen from grace? How have you been treated when you've made mistakes?