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The picture above reminds me that there is a time to gather and a time to scatter. There is a time to feast and a time to fast. It was taken at our last Tuesday morning Bible study. Who could have guessed what was to come! Know this…We WILL gather again, my friends. 

In these days, I feel my soul connecting to the Israelites who were in captivity in a strange land. They would ask God “How long?!” and “Why are you so far from our groanings?!” They would sit by the banks of the rivers of Babylon, where they were held against their will, and cry.

Psalm 137 tells it this way:

[1] By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
[2] On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
[3] For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

[4] How shall we sing the LORD’s song
in a foreign land?
[5] If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
[6] Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!

Don’t miss the fact that this Psalm was in the “Hymnal” of the Israelites. It was a song of worship. Worship is both more textured than we realize and it is more offensive than we realize.

What do I mean by that? 

Worship is textured. You only have to read the Psalms to realize that worship is not all happy, clappy. We can also worship God with our sorrow and our longing. We can do as the Psalmist and cry out to Him and then remind ourselves of the Truth about Him. Many times, the Psalmist moans about his plight TO God and then says, “But YOU, O Lord are steadfast.” Go read Psalm 13 right now as an example of textured worship. In these strange days, I encourage you to worship with all that is within you. If you are struggling with what to say, worship with the Psalms.

Worship is offensive. I do NOT mean that worship is rude and obnoxious. I DO mean that worship is a weapon in battle. It is a way that we move FORWARD in battle instead of curling up in the fetal position until the battle is over. In Old Testament battles, God asked the Levites to go to the front lines of a battle and SING to the Lord. Are you kidding me? No, I am not! Go read 2 Chronicles 20 right now as an example of offensive worship. In the New Testament, Paul and Silas worshipped while in prison. They were wrongly imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, chained up in a nasty prison, and I imagine they looked at each other and with a knowing nod, they launched into their favorite worship song to a faithful God who could meet them in prison or in temple. My favorite part of this passage is when it says, “And the prisoners were watching them.” Go see Acts 16.

My friends, we will meet again. We will gather soon enough. Let’s not squander this scattering. If God is sovereign, and He is, then we can trust Him now in our own version of captivity. There is beauty and sanctification in this forced fast that we could never find in our times of feasting. Let’s worship, not because the “prisoners” are watching, though they are. Let’s worship because God is sufficient. He is sovereign. He is good.

Also, last week we began the reading plan called Names of God. Each day, you read 4-5 Scripture passages around the theme of one of God’s names and then are given great insights and questions to ponder. What a powerful encouragement is has been to be reminded of the surety of God’s character during this time. I hope you’ll jump in with us. It is free online or $1.99 on the She Reads Truth app on your smartphone. Email me HERE if you are needing prayer or to talk through things.

Kindle afresh the work of God in you. It takes many small steps—carefully and patiently taken. Each step is worth it, no effort is ever wasted.

— Lindsay Schott

Recently, I spent some time thinking about Second Timothy 1:6, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you…” Which led to the question, “What in the world does that mean?” and, “How do I do that?”

Instantly my husband came to mind. No, I am not about to launch into a TMI description of our romantic life. My husband loves primitive camping. If you don’t exactly know what that means it means you camp with what you can carry on your back and that’s all. When he was in 3rd grade he asked his parents if he could take a trip into the woods alone with just his hatchet to see if he could make it. Their response was “We’ll think about it.” The trip never happened and I think his heart is still longing for that experience.

Anyway, my husband has educated me on starting a fire from scratch (so-to-speak). A fire from scratch begins with one thing: a spark. A minuscule, barely visible, glowing spec of energy. Blink, and you miss it. If you have a spark, you have a fighting chance at a roaring fire. Using a flint and steel, aim your sparks onto something that is incredibly delicate and dry. This is called tinder. Things like dried grass, thin bark, laundry lint, or cotton balls. The spark will burn into the tinder and will become an ember, a larger spec of energy. Flames will probably not be present. Hold the delicate collection of ember and tinder and then gently blow. If you blow too fiercely, the ember goes out, but by blowing slowly, gently, and patiently, your ember will burst into flame. Lay your flaming tinder ball down and add a few small, dry twigs called kindling and let them catch fire. Keep gently blowing. When your twigs are on fire add small branches or sticks, then add larger branches. And finally, when your fire is successfully burning up branches, add your logs.

Why do I share this detailed and tedious information? So you can start a fire from scratch and impress your friends? Absolutely, but something much more important; our relationship with God.

Sometimes, our desire for God, His Word and growing in Him is a spark, a minuscule, barely visible, glowing spec of energy. We expect that spiritually we should be a roaring bonfire already and our spark of energy is worthless. But focusing on a roaring bonfire is shortsighted. By only valuing the bonfire we ignore the small steps, patient working and waiting that had to happen before the bonfire. A bonfire is just a spark that was invested in and given time.

You may be despising your own spark right now. You may struggle with guilt that you are not a raging bonfire for Jesus. The thought of being at church during the week and studying the Bible feels tiring and overwhelming. You may hear a constant voice in your head saying, “You should be reading more, praying more, interacting with your kids or spouse more, volunteering more (more, more, more).” And at the end of the day your spark is diminished by the weight of all you feel you aren’t doing. So you leave it alone, embarrassed that you have just a spark; what use is a spark?

Your spark is bursting with unspeakable potential. But you must feed it. You must feed your spark, the fuel of God’s word and expose yourself to His presence. You must give yourself some patience and watch God grow your spark into an ember. Continue to nurse the ember in your heart, be patient and intentional and watch as love for God and His Word finally bursts into flame. When you are finally afire with a flicker of light, and others begin to notice, keep consuming His Word and His presence. Feed your fire. Kindle it afresh daily. Then all of a sudden, when you are years (yes, I just said years) down the road and you can’t imagine your life without the daily strengthening of His presence and Word, remember it started with a tiny, minuscule spark—blink and you’d miss it.

For now, don’t take on a log—find your tinder and cast your tiny spark at it. Ask yourself, “What is the next small step that I can take to feed the spark of God in me?” Be brave and go for it. Your spark of energy for God will be faithfully tended to by His Spirit and His Word. Trust that God can do this work in you and that He wants to.

Embers glow hotter, stronger and longer when they are grouped together. Consider throwing your ember in with others and growing alongside friends.

Kindle afresh the work of God in you. It takes many small steps—carefully and patiently taken. Each step is worth it, no effort is ever wasted.

If you have a spark, you have a fighting chance at a bonfire.

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY SCHOTT

We are the created, along with everything else we can see. In the Bible, the book of Romans says that God uses things which are made to clearly communicate His power and nature. The writer of Romans is talking about why the unrighteous person is without excuse because she has been plainly shown what God is like. She can see evidence in the trees, in the seasons, in osmosis, in the circulatory system, in storms…everything. So if the unrighteous person has been given eyes to see evidence of God in all things created, how much more should we, who have been made righteous, see evidence of God’s power and nature with each breath we take. An orchestra of reminders are everywhere for us. The Creator of all that we can see and everything we cannot see has set within the created fiber an ongoing vibration, a ripple effect surrounding each thing that continually sends out whispers and shouts about the power and nature of the Creator. The trees don’t try to do this; it’s placed into their “treeness” to remind us that God is.

The same is true of people. We also are the created. Without intending to, the Gospel can pour forth in movie themes, the brushstrokes of paintings, the plucking of a stringed instrument, the characters in a novel. We don’t try to do this; it’s placed into our createdness so that we unwittingly redound to God’s power and nature. The Truth leaps from pages and wafts through theaters and like liquidy tonal satin, it flows over the vocal chords of the most unlikely of creatures.

Have you ever watched a movie and had a visceral reaction to it and wondered why? This has happened to me in the oddest of places and I finally got to the point in life where I became too curious to stop wondering after the credits ran. I went to see the remake of the Lone Ranger a few years ago. It definitely got mixed reviews, but all I know is that in the dark of that movie theatre, my husband and two daughters surrounding me, I found myself working hard to hold back an outright sob when the Lone Ranger finally comes to the rescue. When the William Tell Overture began to play near the end of the movie, it was over for me. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Lord, what is going on here?! As clear as a bell, this is what I heard, “There is nothing new under the sun. The pure-hearted hero atop a brilliant white horse, coming to save the day and set all things right? Read the end of the Book!” Revelation 19:11 says, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” It goes on to say that on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” In the darkness of that theatre, my soul was resonating with the Truth that God will make all things right, He will set things in their place and He will do it when and how He sees fit, even if it seems too late to my limited sensibility.

Another time, I was minding my own business watching an animated movie with my youngest. An animated movie, for Pete’s sake! There it was. The Gospel pouring out of the mouth of Horton who heard a Who! The basic premise is that an elephant named Horton hears a little tiny sound from a little tiny speck of dust and realizes that there is another world he never knew about and now he can’t get anyone to believe him. The head of the jungle is a harsh and no-nonsense kangaroo. She tells Horton, “If you can’t see, hear or feel something, it doesn’t exist.” Enlightenment at its best! Horton is undaunted in his belief that another world exists even though he nor anyone else can see it. Two vastly different worlds have miraculously crossed paths. I was reminded that in this world, the gospel is foolish. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says it this way, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” To us, the “word of the cross” is the power of God. We don’t need consensus for this to be the Truth. We need faith. Horton reminded me that appearing foolish doesn’t need to move the needle for me. I know the Truth. That is enough to fuel me for the rest of my life in my desire to go to anyone who will listen so that they can hear me rant and rave about a world they’ve never seen, whose King has come to save our own.

Every time I hear the Italian song, “Nessun Dorma,” I get chills. If that ditty does not ring a bell, it’s usually the one opera song that even the non-aficionado recognizes. It’s the song that Luciano Pavrotti made famous. Youtube it! Intrigued by my autonomic response to the song, I began to investigate its meaning. The singer of the song has fallen passionately in love with a cold and cruel princess. She has threatened to kill him and everyone in her kingdom if she does not find out his name. Night is falling and he begins to sing this hauntingly beautiful song. The aria’s final crescendo proclaims “Vincero! Vincero! Vincero!” He is saying, “I win! I win! I win!” Before he ever does win the heart of the woman, he is declaring that he will be victorious. At the end of the opera by Giacomo Puccini, he does win her heart and declares his true name to be Love. That’s the Gospel. It’s Hosea and Gomer. It’s the Groom coming for His Bride. It’s Jesus shouting, “It is finished!” before He ever rises from the dead. It’s God coming for me, His beloved, while I was still a wretch. He wins! He wins! He wins! He gets what He comes after. He finds what He’s looking for. This Truth poured out of the mouth of Pavrotti. Each of us will have a time when all is dark and bleak. The scene in which you find yourself right now might be daunting. Let the chords of an Italian opera find you and remind you that God wins…every time.

It is easy to look around at a world that is sliding hopelessly into a morass and be discouraged and wonder where God is. My prayer is that God would sensitize you to His voice. His creation is hard-wired to tell you about Him, whether they mean to or not. He is speaking. The whole earth is repeating what He’s saying. Whoever has ears, let her hear.

FOR WOMEN WHO’VE EXPERIENCED ABORTION

If you or someone you know experienced an abortion, take a few minutes to watch this video.

If you struggle with feeling forgiven for any past choice, take a few minutes to watch this video. It is raw, honest and full of hope.

No matter what drove you to end a pregnancy, there are physical, psychological, and spiritual side effects you might not have anticipated. Feelings of guilt, shame, and grief become a heavy burden, and many women feel that they will never be free, that no one understands, and that God will never forgive them. But there is hope!

You might believe God has forgiven you for everything but your abortion. Or that He forgave you, but is still disappointed with you. Or that He will let you into Heaven, but has set you aside on earth and has no plan to work in and through you. You might have tucked this choice away, deep inside. The thought of talking about it feels impossible.

TESTIMONIALS FROM WOMEN IN OUR CHURCH:

“You might think you’re okay, but I promise that something will be fixed, even if you didn’t know it was broken.”

“If you are struggling with the regrets and shame from a past abortion or you can’t forgive yourself, consider reaching out to us. I lived like that for 24 years and it wasn’t worth it. God wants so much more for us. He has forgiven us, He loves us, He knows us and oh, so much more!!”

“I realized that I was not alone and even better than that…I was forgiven!”

If you have yearned for the peace of God’s forgiveness after abortion, talking to someone who has been there themself can be the first step to healing and wholeness.

For more information on getting connected with women who have been there and want to walk this road of hope with you, contact Marcie McClendon.

Galatians 5:1 says that freedom is the very reason Christ set us free. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie Schindler’s List occurs after Germany surrenders. Oskar Schindler is now considered a war criminal and has fled while the Polish-Jewish refugees he kept alive are standing on a train track, liberated, stunned and unsure of where to go. That scene strikes at the core of what many of us struggle with, what to do with our hard-fought freedom. We fumble around with it, abuse it, deny it, but the Bible says the whole point of freedom is freedom!

The first freedom we are offered is our liberation from the kingdom of darkness (God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14). He rescues us, redeems us, forgives us. He set us free!

Now what? Now we learn to live in this new kingdom, the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son. Most of us have carried so much baggage from that kingdom of darkness that we rarely get to experience the freedom Christ died for us to have. Every once in a while, I watch a show called House Hunters International. You will see a couple in a 17th-century villa in Italy and the woman will complain that the kitchen is just not as big as her kitchen in America. Or the man will gripe about not having a shower in the bathroom. I want to yell out at my TV, “You’re not in America anymore! Stop comparing!” Whether you are wistfully looking back at what was or just locked up in old habits or ways of relating, you will never get to fully drink in the freedom of your new Kingdom until you burn your ships and scream out, “I’m all in!”

My prayer is that you are set free. For some of you, that means salvation, letting go of religion or preference and becoming a child of God, a follower of Jesus. For some, it means beginning the process of no longer being identified by old chains. For others, it means finding your role in taking freedom to others, proclaiming this liberty to the captives all around us (Isaiah 61). My hope is that as many women as possible in our church and in our city will drink deeply from a big cup of Freedom. It was for this very reason that Christ set us free.

People of the Parkway,

Every year I get asked random questions about Halloween and our church’s stance on it so let me address some of the questions here. We recognize that people are at different places and we respect that fact so what I write here is an attempt to explain not convert.

Does our church do anything on Halloween? No, we do not take our clues from the culture nor do we seek to compete with the culture. Like technology, culture changes about every nine months so churches that take their clues from the culture are like dogs that chase their tail…they get a sense of excitement but never really accomplish anything. We see this as a great opportunity to engage our neighbors and acknowledge little kids who put a lot of time, thought and effort into their costume by answering the door with excitement and announcing, “Oh my, honey come quick, Spider Man is here!” If your religion doesn’t leave you room to be nice to little kids then you are a jerk and need to repent.

What is our “stance” on Halloween? I’m not sure we have a “stance” on Halloween but we believe that for most it is moms walking their kids around the neighborhood for thirty minutes to an hour and then calling it a night. I don’t think your kids are worshipping the devil if they go out and get free candy. While some people want to make a big deal out of the fact that it is also Reformation Day by dressing as Martin Luther and passing out religious tracts to little kids while lecturing them about the evils of Halloween, perhaps this is not the best night for reforming or redeeming. As someone once said, “Jesus came to redeem people, not things.” Therefore, we don’t need to try to redeem Halloween by having a stance on it or by hosting some lame “event” at the church to give Christians a safe alternative to the devil’s holiday. We prefer engagement over avoidance whenever possible.

Should we participate/acknowledge Halloween? This is a personal decision for everybody so decide what you are comfortable with and be okay with it without having to make some principled stand that everyone should adhere to. However, if you are going to leave the porch light on and give out candy to trick or treaters here are some things to keep in mind…

1. Buy good candy! Nobody likes candy corn so don’t even go there. Get the good stuff like Snickers, Milky Way, Almond Joy and Hershey’s. Nobody likes taffy either so don’t bother with tasteless goo wrapped in black and orange paper.

2. Smile when you open the door. Little kids just want candy so resist the urge to lecture them about the evils of this night. If you are so busy that you can’t enjoy yourself and be all there then let someone else answer the door. When I was eight, Mrs. Malloy yelled at us for ringing her doorbell on Halloween because she was on the phone to her mom. I never rang her doorbell again because she was a mean lady and I wanted no part of her, not out of fear but distrust. I wouldn’t trust a lady who made little kids feel bad on Halloween.

3. When you sense things are winding down or you are running out of candy…dump the rest of your bowl into the bag of a little kid and announce, “Yours is the best costume of the night and here is your prize!” After this, turn off your porch light and call it a night.

I hope this gives you insight into some of how we think. The Kingdom is about diversity and our people are all over the place when it comes to Halloween and I bless every one of them for their beliefs.

Be safe and enjoy,
Neil

People I Love,

Yesterday we prayed towards our experience with the two beautiful words interruptible and intentional as an essential part of mission. Because it is hard to fully unpack the reality that is embedded in those words I wanted to spill some words out here in the hopes of further clarifying and inviting.

To be interruptible is to maintain a posture towards the Holy Spirit that says I can be trusted and I want to be entrusted with what You want to see happen in all the circumstances I am a part of today. Every transaction, every encounter and every relationship is a medium for those around me to hear the message, taste the goodness and see the realities that only the Gospel produces in people.

On the other hand, to not be interruptible is to convey to God that what I am doing is more important that what You are doing. It is to waste your life constantly asking God to bless what you are doing without ever being included in what He is doing to redeem this world. Over time you lose confidence in your prayer life, God, the Church and the ultimate reality we refer to as Christianity because “it doesn’t work.” You begin to feel ignored by God instead of loved because He just isn’t blessing you like you’ve been asking. Eventually you erode into that Little League parent sitting in the stands cheering for your kids who still believe in things that you “realized” aren’t really real a long time ago. Nobody knows the depth of your cynicism but they do know you to be the person who critically evaluates everything the church says and does but rarely experiences any of it. You have to do this because if any of it is true, and it is, then what does that say about you or your life? Towards the end of your life you look back and realize that there are no Psalm 126:1-3 moments that still take your breath away. It is all explainable, predictable and dry and you mistakingly see this as evidence that you were right all along. When in reality, you weren’t right you just never were included. That feeling, my friends, doesn’t wash off in the shower or wash down with a glass of your favorite single malt. The Reality is that we are all invited, we just have to be willing to be interrupted.

To be intentional is to be deliberate, to live both with purpose and on purpose. To stop balking at the simple, clear commandments of Scripture as if we qualify for a hall pass on obedience when it comes to our morality and our money. Those people will never be trusted because they have proven themselves to be like ‘ol Jake Spoon from Lonesome Dove, “Much too leaky of a vessel to ever put much trust in.” Being intentional begins by realizing that, as we heard yesterday, “we’ve been entrusted with a message of reconciliation.” To have this bestowed upon us and do nothing with it is a tragic expression of disobedience that will not stop the Message from getting out but it will limit my exposure to and experience with things I was created for. Intentionality is not about skills, personality or opportunity. At the end of the day it comes down to our willingness. Our experience of the peace we all long for is directly tied to our willingness and our willingness is fueled by how we view the moment. The outcome is God’s responsibility, being faithful in the moment is ours.

Let’s pray for each other today as we seek to be both interruptible as well as intentional.

Seeking to become more of both,
Neil

People I Love,

As you know, our country has experienced a lot over the past few weeks and a few of you have reached out to ask questions, process your emotions and just have a conversation about what has happened, where we are and how we move forward. Here are some thoughts I have been processing. This is a long email and not for the faint of heart so read, reflect, and ask any questions it stirs in you.

First, what happened to George Floyd was a crime and those found guilty should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. There is no excuse or explanation for what happened so words beyond that feel clunky and verbose. A man put his knee on the neck of another man who was handcuffed and putting up no sign of resistance, and he kept it there for almost nine minutes. The offender was white and the victim was black which taps into centuries of unjust treatment of African-Americans in this country. I have no way of understanding what that must be like so I resist saying stupid things like, “I know how you feel” because I don’t. I can say, “I am sorry this has happened yet again” because I am. I do not feel any need to objectify the African-American community to assuage my white guilt because I do not have any. By “objectify” I am referring to the common practice of people from all races who, all of a sudden, are running out and “standing in solidarity with the black community” when the truth is, that until this happened most of them rarely encountered anyone from the African-American community. It’s just another pathetic example of people using another race to feel better about their own. Unless we take this conversation into a bigger context then it will stay stuck in the cul de sac of activism, accusation, and assumption which yields no real change. Al Sharpton will have a job and what we will see in the years to come is little more than different races taking their turn at the podium lecturing everyone else. As Winston Churchill once said, “The first task of faithfulness lies in understanding reality.” This is where the Gospel comes in.

Because I see myself first and foremost as a Christian, God and Gospel are preeminent over what I think or feel. Therefore, I ask myself, “How does the Gospel inform and what does the Gospel allow in all of this?” Here are some of the things the Gospel has stirred in me over the past few weeks.

James 1:19-21, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Too often when injustice like this occurs we use the wrong verbs to respond. We talk about “starting” this and “establishing” that when we should be saying “continue” or “as is my custom.” For the Believer the Gospel is the air we breathe not the fire extinguisher we access only to address a crisis. Yes, anger is a righteous response to injustice but destruction is not. How can you be protesting for racial equality by burning and looting a Target, the Apple store, Nike or a black owned business? What should we believe about your “protests” now? I am not saying don’t protest but I am saying that when your protest turns into a riot then your mic gets turned off and we can no longer hear you because you become increasingly harder to believe. This self-inflicted wound of self-defined “justice” keeps you from actually getting justice. Without the calibrating reality of the Gospel our anger easily turns into rampant wickedness.

Galatians 3:25-29, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” There is a glaring difference in what the world calls us to and what the Gospel provides. The world chants unity while the Gospel provides oneness, “for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Because of the oneness that is afforded us in the Gospel we are able to weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice as we live out the realities of Christ over culture. Last week I was pumping gas and an older African-American gentlemen was doing the same from the other side of the pump. During the process we looked at each other and shook our heads and smiled. He said, “Can you believe all this? Folks have gone crazy.” That led to a brief conversation which ended with me saying, “I am sorry this is happening” to which he responded, “Sir, you haven’t done anything to me so you don’t owe me an apology. We are going to get through this. You handle your business and I’ll handle mine. I am responsible for my life and you are responsible for yours. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.” It was so refreshing that I wanted to hug him but instead we shook hands and laughed. Is racism real? Yes. Is it a sin and do we condemn it? Yes. Are all races capable of racism? Yes. In the Gospel are we given the capacity as well as the responsibility to live differently? Absolutely.

Second, you do not want to live in a world governed by revenge instead of justice. Revenge blurs the big picture and blinds us to the path forward. We are hearing a lot of talk about defunding the police but someone with a clear head needs to pump the brakes before you invite either martial law or a mob mentality. Think about that last sentence while I define those two options. Martial law is “the imposition of military control over normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to a temporary emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed.” Yes, there are bad cops out there and there is also rampant corruption and we need police reform but that doesn’t mean we do away with authority and leave ourselves at the mercy of human nature. Do you really want to live in that world? The mob mentality means that whoever has the biggest gathering gets to be in charge. Just imagine what the looters did to that Target store in Minneapolis and then ask yourself this question, “If there is no authoritative presence (i.e. police) then what keeps them from coming to your neighborhood, your house, and doing the same?” In our haste for reform we need to be careful that we do not heighten everyone’s take on the Second Amendment and institute an arms race.

Third, we need to be mindful of our assumptive language that puts everybody in the same category. Broad generalizations of people groups tend to distort the truth and lead to misplaced passion. For example, right now it is easy to paint all police with the same broad brush. However, the fact remains that there are good, decent and consequential men and women in uniform who serve their communities well and deserve our respect. If we are not careful we will create a stigma around law enforcement which will lead to a catastrophic decline in candidates for this essential role in our society. Another example of assumptive language is the person who recently asked why young African-American men destroy their communities in the name of protesting. As shocking as that statement is, once you get over the shock and look closely what you will see is male, female, white, African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Asian-Pacific Islander and multiracial people looting stores because greedy entitlement is about the human heart not the color of your skin. Beyond that we need to see that there are different groups and different agendas at work in these protests. There are protestors who are peaceful people wanting to stand up for a just cause and be heard. There are looters who are common thieves who will take free stuff and believe it is their right to do so. As one women shrieked as she ran out of a store with an armful of merchandise, “I got stuff! I got stuff!” Yes, George Floyd lost his life and you got stuff. Injustice abounds. Then there is the presence of the terrorist organization Antifa who is there to tip the scale from protest to riots. While they march under the banner of anti-fascism, what they really are is a bunch of rich, white, trust fund babies whose parents gave them stuff but never spent time with them developing their character, whipping their butts when necessary and telling them, no, so they have lived their whole lives as a conflicted ball of self-hate, self-love and internal uncertainty. What they want is mommy and daddy’s attention. Having given up on that ever happening they are wasting their lives trying to get ours. Void of purpose, consequence or character they are now obligated to travel the country like a tick seeking nourishment from whatever civil unrest is manifesting at the moment. If these people were so bravely committed to reforming culture they would take off their masks and state their name and the demands of their cause. Better yet, run for political office where you have to spell out your platform so all the world can see that you are against everything and for nothing. They are not reformers of anything, instead they are a sad reminder that the price of bad parenting lingers long after the kids leave the house. Peaceful protestors who are seeking reform are drowned out by the shrill shenanigans of spoiled brats whose economic worldview is unsustainable. It’s not the world’s fault that your parents left you too much money that you are now plagued by insufferable guilt and are seeking to work out your forgiveness through activism. The world would be better served if you started a non-profit and used that money to fuel actual transformation instead of trying to maintain the facade of phony rage. Can anything be more pathetic than rich white kids glamming onto the suffering of the black community to promote their cause?

Fourth, there is the four foot view, the forty foot view, and the four thousand foot view and it’s necessary that we scale between each perspective in our thoughts and speech. Much of what I’ve written so far is the four or forty foot view so I will close with some observations from the clouds. Almost fifty years ago a German intellectual named Ernst-Wolfgang Bockenforde came up with what is known as the Bockenforde Dilemma which asks, “Does the free, secularized state exist on the basis of normative presuppositions that it itself cannot guarantee?” While we may not say it that way, this is the key question for our culture. Because we have done away with a Christian worldview we have no basis for the sanctity of human life, human rights, or any objective system of right and wrong. If there is no objective, unchanging, eternal standard by which all of life is evaluated then how can we know what is right? We can’t, we are just left with the small, insufficient residue of what is preferred as everyone does what is right in their own eyes. However, as a Christian who believes the Gospel I believe in the sanctity of human life. And because of that I believe that George Floyd’s life mattered, had meaning and value when he was conceived. He continued to matter as he grew in his mothers womb. He mattered supremely when he arrived on October 14, 1973. Therefore, it mattered that his life was taken from him on May 25, 2020. It is short-sided hypocrisy to insist that life matters only at death and not until. Perhaps if we, as a country, would acknowledge the sanctity of human life from the beginning it would inform and affect how we treat all people along the way.

Finally, the answer to Mr. Bockendorfe’s question is, “No, a secularized culture cannot exist on such a shaky foundation.” Therefore we need not just reformation but repentance; a turning back to the certain reality that we abandoned long ago. Until then we will live in a culture that is ruled by appetites instead of guided by understanding and in so doing we will obligate ourselves to our new ideas instead of God’s old ones.

Thinking in hope,
Neil

People I Love,

Thank you for your engagement with the teaching from this past Sunday. I continue to have conversations with different people who are processing what it means to be in Community and to that I say, “Keep talking, keep asking and keep leaning further into what God created you for.” I wanted to follow up on two specific things from Sunday.

First, I only said this in the third service but there has been good conversation around it so I wanted to pass it along to everyone. I don’t purposely withhold things from the first two services but when you preach multiple times it comes out in different ways. Anyway, here is what I said and what I want us to think about, “Many, if not most, of the sinful choices we make are rooted in our desire to create community or compensate for the fact that we are not in Community with anyone.” Think about many of the dominant sinful behaviors in our culture today (pornography, sexual immorality, lying, lust, greed, envy) and what you will see is that at the core they are our feeble attempt to create community for ourselves. Because sin is by nature transactional there is never enough left over to warrant our staying so we leave the encounter and are obligated to another transaction somewhere down the line. This introduces us to Cain-like lifestyle where we are left trying to piece together enough transactions to make us feel wanted, loved and accepted but it never seems to work. We are ever seeking but never finding. Over time we give up ever experiencing real Community and we settle into the life of a relational nomad, ever seeking but seldom finding.

Second, it is almost impossible for us to properly grasp the power of Community. Perhaps this history lesson will help give us perspective. When most people think of the book of Acts they think it was about a bunch of really zealous evangelistic Christians who told the world about Jesus when in reality it was about a bunch of Christians who loved each other and lived in Community towards each other. This compelling community is what became known as the Church. One church historian described it this way, “When pagans saw the way Christians loved each other, how they treated each other and how they enjoyed being together it was like a child looking through the window of a candy store.” This is my prayer for our church, that people would see the way we love and care for each other and then hear the door to the “candy store” swing open wide followed by an invitation inside.

Finally, two things I am very aware of when it comes to Community. Real community is hard work and it takes time to realize who you can trust and that you want to trust these people. Along the way it will get messy, there will be tears, woundedness and frustration but it always involves being in relationship with people who love you enough to bruise you now instead of watching you bleed later. I am also aware that Community requires each of us to do our part. No one person, no staff or group of leaders can create Community for everybody. Each of us has to look deep inside ourselves and ask if we are truly doing our part. By the time we reach twenty-five most of us have been wounded enough in relationships that the temptation is to opt for the relational trajectory of the restless wanderer because it feels safer. I’m here to say that it is not! When we choose isolation we then have to spend an inordinate amount of time convincing ourselves that we don’t want what the deepest parts of us longs for, the kind of connection that is born in and of Community. But we do, and we do want this sense of intimate belonging because it is part of what God created us to experience.

So, to all the Cains out there, the restless wanderers who feel as if you’ve done too much, been hurt too deeply or it’s too late I simply say, “The candy store is open. Would you like to come in?”

Taste and see,
Neil

People of the Grand,

I always welcome questions because they reveal what people think about, how they think and what they wish I thought about more. For example, yesterday someone asked me, “What kind of church is this and what kind of a pastor are you?” I’ll divide that one question into two answers.

First, what kind of church is this? Because I am a preacher, I will answer that with a story. Years ago when they began raising cattle in the Australian Outback they faced a dilemma of how to keep their cattle from running off. If they tried to build fence along the massive ranches they would spend all their time building and maintaining the fence line. Instead, they drilled deep wells as established places where the cattle knew they could get clean, fresh drinking water and while they are free to roam all over the vast outback they never stray far from the water because they know it to be their life source. Because of this truth, they never built fences. We think the same way about our church. We understand that we are called to dig deep into the sufficiency of who God is, as revealed in the Bible, and let people taste and see that the Lord is good. We are a church that believes in the sufficiency of God and the centrality of the Gospel. We believe in singing old songs that say things like “The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.” We also believe in singing new songs that remind us of our good, good Father as well. We believe Church is an organism that requires some organization but it is never just an organization. We are a multi-generational as well as a multi-ethnic church which means we have people of all ages and all nationalities because that is what the Kingdom of God is like. We also welcome the cynic, the skeptic, the curious, the Believer, the doubter, the religiously lost, the confused, the certain, the tired, the already as well as the not yet. That is the kind of church we are.

Second, I am not a certain kind of a pastor, I am just a pastor. I am not a cultural architect, directional leader, community advocate, life coach, political pundit or CEO. I am a pastor. I weep with those that weep and I rejoice with those that rejoice. I don’t read business books to find out what I should do next. I do pray, read the Bible, fast and listen to God and the other godly leaders around me. I work hard to help people understand the Bible and see themselves living the Life it describes. When they mess up and want to hide I go looking for them because having ninety-nine is fine but you always worry about the one who is missing when you are a pastor. Occasionally I say things that make people mad. While that is not my goal, it does come with the territory so I have to have thick skin. I also have a tender heart so that when little kids write me a note that says, “Pastor Neil, I’m glad you are my pastor” it makes me kind of weepy. Because there is a story behind every face, I hear lots of stories and one day I will die with their secrets. I care about my people and want what is best for them so I pray for them often. I lead, teach, cajole, admonish, love, encourage, confront when necessary, speak up, and keep silent. From the Bible, I understand that I am to fight like a soldier, work like a farmer and train like an athlete. I am a pastor.

Always ask,
Neil