Why You Probably Shouldn't Go See Deadpool...

Clearly, blogging on a regular basis is not one of my favorite things to do.  Having said that, I apologize if it only seems like I post about something that I'm fighting or standing against.  I believe it is more important to fight for things, than it is to always be fighting against something.  At the same time, I'm a youth pastor, and I don't feel like I'm doing my job, if I'm not helping parents make the best decisions possible for their middle & high school students.  So, as much as I will probably upset some of my teenagers with this post, I would rather help them challenge what they're comfortable with, than stand aside and allow the media & Hollywood to inject pure garbage into their hearts & minds.  They can be upset with me, hate that I potentially ruined their weekend plans, or be irritated that I gave their parents a good reason to care about what their watching - but for anyone that knows my heart, they know I'm not just out a "soap box crusade".  To me, this is more than just about whether or not a movie is popular, funny, or "cool", it's about whether or not we are pursuing the things that are unwholesome, unholy, and blatantly inappropriate, or pursuing the things that are worth standing up for.

While I am normally not one to post or send out direct movie reviews, I feel that this one particular movie deserves a fair warning, before it's too late.  Please understand, that it is not my intention to control or manipulate the choices that you make as parents, regarding what you allow your students to do and watch.  However, I do feel a great sense of responsibility to make you aware of the content of this particular movie, so that you can make the best possible decision for your family.

The movie in question is the Marvel Comics based film, Deadpool.  Trust me when I say, that this movie does not follow the normal formula for content & appropriateness, that the recent trend of superhero movies have in the past several years (most of which, I am a fan of).  In fact, this film is based on a character that is highly vulgar, violent, and inappropriate himself, even in the comics.  A quick look at the MPAA rating for this flick, should raise enough questions on it's own, as to whether or not this movie is right for any member of your family, especially children & teens.  The International Movie Database (IMDb) states that Deadpool is rated R for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity".  From what I have read and researched regarding this film, it was nearly rated NC-17 for the high amounts of inappropriate content.  Ryan Reynolds, who both stars as the main character, and also helped produce the movie, was trying to push the content to be as vulgar, graphic, & explicit as possible.

While many might argue that the "humor" (for lack of a better term) is witty, funny, & snarky - the continued & overwhelming usage of strong language, sexual innuendos, graphic violence, and explicit sexual content & nudity should be more than enough reason to stay as far away as possible.  In case you are wondering, I have not seen any pre-screening of this film, nor do I intend to watch it at any point in the future.  Personally, I find it offensive & inappropriate for my 37 year old self, let alone any of our middle or high school students.  While I am a huge fan of comic book movies & superhero films, this one isn't even close to being on a watch list for me or anyone else in my family.

Of course, you may personally feel different about this movie, and if that is the case, I can politely agree to disagree.  Like I said before, in no way am I trying to tell you how to be a parent, or what you should/shouldn't allow your child to watch.  I only want you to be aware of what's out there, and encourage some real-life conversation between you & anyone in your family that is interested in seeing this film.  How you choose to handle this, or any similar situation, is completely up to you, and I promise that you will only get support & respect from me regardless of any outcome.

Below I have posted the links to a few different movie review sites that are all geared toward families.  I typically go to www.pluggedinonline.com for movie content reviews, but there isn't anything available as of yet on their website.

https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/deadpool.html - here is a generic review covering the basic story line & content.

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/d/deadpool.htm - Here is a more detailed explanation of exact scenes & content covered throughout the movies.

http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/movies/deadpool-movie-review.html - here is one last, Christian review of the movie, with basic details of the explicit content.

If you are a student, wondering why it shouldn't be a big deal for you see whatever you want, please read through the reviews and content descriptions in the links, and tell me how any of that material is something worth spending time and money to watch. If you have any questions about these reviews, this post, or the movie in question, please do not hesitate to ask me directly via comment or private message.

Why I believe in equality...

Here we are again, nearly three years after the hearings on legalizing same-sex marriage began, in the middle of the same storm of arguments, debates, condemnation, judgment, anger, opinions, beliefs, & extremism that we faced the first time.  Now that a decision has been made, the line has been re-drawn, and we find ourselves being forced to choose a side.   There have already been some very good articles written/blogged so far, and my desire is not to compete with these articles, or to attempt to enter the heated debates happening all around us.  I simply believe that as a leader, it is my responsibility to attempt to explain why I believe what I believe, and help to clarify a balanced stance on the situation to those watching, listening, & following me.

On one hand, as Christians, we want to stand up for the truth of what the Bible teaches us about relationships, the institution of marriage, and this dangerous thing called sin.  At the same time, many of us find ourselves unable to reconcile the Biblical mandate to love others, with the cultural outcry of letting “love win”.  After all (according to the cultural argument), if we really believe in love the way we say we do, how can we refuse to love someone just because they are ‘different’ from us? Somehow, we have confused love (an unconditional commitment to selfless action) with an unwavering approval for every lifestyle & choice made by others.  Somehow, it has become the norm to be offended when someone who claims to “love,” will not accept our lifestyle choices or validate our feelings.  We scream “intolerance”, but it’s funny how “tolerance” is supposed to force me to conform to someone else’s beliefs, but not require any amount of understanding or sensitivity, to any of my opinions or perspectives.

As much as I am not a controversial person, and try to avoid anything that leads to an argument or debate, I also feel that as a follower of Jesus (not just as a minister of the Gospel) I am called to share, stand for, and point others to the truth in a loving & God-honoring way.  I do not believe that my stance is one of hatred, prejudice, anger, fear, pride, or a refusal to “change with the times”.  I personally see no difference between my struggles, insecurities, choices, & feelings – and those of any other human being on the planet.  All of us – regardless of race, preference, past, heritage, desires, hopes, religion, or sincere belief – are a product of relational brokenness & an inner capacity to feed our own selfish wants called sin.

I know that we have a negative reaction to that word, and many of us don’t like to be told that we are “sinners” – mostly because our pride doesn't want to have to admit that there is something wrong, or that we are inherently imperfect and in need of help & “saving”.  But the truth is that it shouldn’t take long for us to look around the world, and see that there is desperately something wrong with humanity. For all of our self-help & ‘evolutionary’ achievements, we are incredibly sick and self-destructive at the core of our being.  Whether it’s murder, adultery, lust, stealing, lying, deception, manipulation, selfishness, greed, gluttony, hatred, prejudice, slavery, molestation, or same-sex attraction – it all stems from a distorted & discolored view of all that we were originally designed & created for.

Will some people be offended at those statements? More than likely.  Will some people feel like I have completely attacked their entire identity & have ‘judged’ their entire belief system in the most non-loving way possible? Also, more than likely.  However, without knowing me personally, and knowing the actions and heart of love that go along with these words, all anyone can do is speculate at my intentions, motives, & meanings.  On a side note: this is main problem with attempting to debate, argue, & force people into agreeing with our perspectives over social media (or any means) – no matter what you type, no one can ever completely know what you’re saying, unless they can hear you say it.  All I can do is tell you that I don’t believe that anyone on the planet is evil, less of a human, or deserves to be mistreated simply because they feel they are gay, or are attracted to the same sex.  The reason that I disagree with the ruling of the SCOTUS, is not because I do not love members of the LGBT community, but because I believe in the original design, intention, & creation of marriage & humanity.  I can love, respect, & value any relationship with someone who is gay, the same way that I can with someone who has committed adultery, engaged in pre-marital sex, gotten a divorce (for the wrong reasons), or not upheld the Biblical commitment of marriage. 

Do I expect everyone to automatically see things from my perspective? No. Is it my goal to force every human to hold fast to my values & convictions?  No. Am I trying to force people into my views, and treat them differently if they refuse?  Also, no.  Do I desire everyone I know to find a relationship with the Son of God, Jesus, and follow Him with their entire being?  Absolutely.  Why?  Because I believe that the reason we all need Him, is that we were intentionally & carefully created to be in relationship with Him.  It's not my job to point out anyone’s flaws or shortcomings, or attempt to “fix” everyone I know, and make them be more like me.  Will my beliefs and convictions offend people, and often stand in opposition to their beliefs and convictions?  You bet they will.  But it won’t be because I’m trying to be a jerk & force my faith onto others – it will be because I have committed my life to following Jesus & upholding the truths & standards that I believe are His heart & intention for mankind.  That is a decision that I will never apologize for, and never be sorry for.

I hope that through all of this, you can still respect me as much as I respect you.  I hope that I have encouraged respect between you & the relationships in your life.  I hope, that as a Youth Pastor and a leader, I have shown how truth & love can co-exist, and why it’s important to value both of those things in the context of relationships.  I think it is possible to believe in the same things as you, but also believe in a deeper and greater purpose for your life, that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

I believe in equality, because we are all equally guilty of missing the mark of perfection, and being sinners separated from a holy & loving God.

I believe in love, because Jesus Christ freely laid down His life in order to redeem my sin & brokenness, and chose to embrace & love humanity – even though our choices & lifestyles were against Him.

I believe in freedom, because the sacrifice that freely made salvation available, allows me to find true liberty in the purpose, identity, & truth of God’s Word.

I believe in marriage, because the One who ordained & created the institution in the first place, had a holy & perfect purpose in creating man & woman to journey together, in finding their completion in Him alone.

I believe that my opinion, belief, & faith count just as much as yours does, and does not automatically make me a bigot, a racist, or narrow-minded.

I believe that we were never meant to find our identity in our sexuality or preferences, but in the God who created us in His image.

I believe that truth is absolute, eternal, and is an unchanging standard that we cannot update, alter, or disregard because of feeling, preference, or prejudice.

I believe that just because something is popular, legal, or socially acceptable, does not mean it is right. 

I believe that love won on the cross almost 2000 years ago, and continues to transform hearts & lives today in a way that no law or legislature can ever come close to matching.

My hope is that one day you might see why these things are important to me, and why they are worth believing in.

Pausing on Equality

There's obviously a lot of buzz going on this week about the Supreme Court hearings being done regarding marriage equality & same sex marriage.  With so many different opinions, view points, articles, arguments, & conversations going on, it's challenging to know how to handle things delicately and with grace & truth.  I'm not typically about drawing lines in the sand or demanding that someone accept my beliefs (which is not what this is about) - but with all the debate & confusion, I will stand up for what I believe & not be ashamed of it. 

It's not about hate, it's not about equality, it's not about even about love - it's about truth. I'm not AGAINST any one person or any group of people, but I am FOR an institution that was set as a standard for family & our culture. There's a reason that traditional marriage has been around forever, and there's a reason why it's supposed to be important.  Other people have done a better job at explaining the intent & core reasons for it, so there's no reason for me to reiterate them myself.  (but I'm not opposed to posting the links: thegospelcoalition.org)

This isn't about creating division or forcing an "us vs. them" scenario. I'm not trying to be louder, stronger, or more clever - I just believe that a + b = c, and that's the only equation that works. If you know me, then you know that I'm not a bigot, a hater, or intolerant. If you don't know me, then you can't judge my opinion anymore than I can judge yours. I'm not claiming that my color choice or symbolism is any more important than yours, but in a culture where it's so easy to just jump on a 'band wagon' just because it's cool - I think we need to pause, and think about what we're communicating.

A lot of people are seeing the issue just through the lens of love & hate, equal & unequal, right & wrong, fair & unfair.  Unfortunately, some arguments have only muddied the waters & have made it hard to be clear about the issue.  Standing up for marriage as one man and one woman, doesn't make me ignorant & it doesn't make me filled with hate.   Showing love to any group of people or lifestyle choice, isn't about compromising truth for the sake of compassion.  I can love & accept a person for who they are, without accepting their lifestyle or choices.  It doesn't make me argumentative or narrow minded just because I don't agree with someone. It is possible to stand for something without sacrificing love, and to voice an opposing view point without condemning the rest of the world.

The bottom line is, popular opinion doesn't make something truth, and what's true isn't always popular.  I'm not screaming, yelling, or demanding my voice to be heard over anyone else's - but this is my voice, and it's allowed to be spoken just as much as anyone else.

New Year's Resolutions

So, since it's been almost 7 months since i've posted on this blog, I thought tonight was a good time to pick it up again.  And why not start with a list of my resolutions for 2012....

1. Read all three of the Lord of the Rings books (i've already bought the Fellowship of the Ring).
2. Blog at least once a week.
3. Actually exercise this year and take advantage of my gym membership.... & elliptical.
4. Stick to the Devotional Bible that I got for 2012.
5. Make a budget & start a savings account....again.
6. Solve world thirst....or at least make it smaller.  :)

So there ya go - my list for 2012. Feel free to check up on me and ask how it's going!


What's on your list?

Logo redo

Same logo as the post below, but with a few face-lifts.  Share some thoughts, idea, etc.  Thanks!

Logo feedback

So a friend of mine asked me to play around with some logo ideas for his middle school ministry, "submerge".  This is the first one that I've really settled on, but I wanted some feedback on what others thought.

 

In case it's not completely obvious, the art above the text is actually the letter "s" in a different font.  I liked the way the "s" looked, but not the font in itself.   Anyway, that's what I have for right now - so bring on the feedback. :)

A quick thought about Foot Washing

Foot Washing tends to be one of those things we do around Easter to remember the servant's heart that Jesus carried into everything He did.  When He took the time to wash the disciple's feet before that last supper, I think He was doing more than just serving them.  


People didn't wear shoes back in those days that covered your whole foot - it was more like sandals.  I don't know about you, but I've walked down some dusty / muddy roads in just flip-flops or sandals, and it didn't take very long for my feet to be covered in whatever I was walking through.  I was definitely an act of servanthood for Jesus to wash off all of that dirt and mud from their feet.  But what if He was also saying something else through that act?  Perhaps He was also telling them (and us), that He would be able to wash us clean from anything we could ever walk through.  


You see, sometimes we go through some pretty nasty stuff: sin, heartache, confrontation, misunderstandings, relational tension, stress, etc.  More often than not, when we go through those things, we normally don't come out completely clean.  Sometimes we allow the small seeds of bitterness, unforgiveness, doubt, or hardheartedness to stay in out hearts.  Jesus is telling us that He can get all the mud and dirt off of our feet after we walk through something nasty, because (thankfully) He's not afraid to get His hands dirty.  


The same applies in our relationships with others.  When we go through conflict or tension or seemingly unforgivable circumstances, we need to be ready and willing to kneel down and wash the dirt off.  That is sometimes the only way to real healing & restoration.


That is what it means to be a servant.

Some Random Leadership Thoughts

This makes 2 days in a row. I may be on a roll....but don't hold your breath.

So, leadership...is a fun word...and can be even more fun (or rather interesting) to live out. I guess most people would say that there are only two kinds of people when it comes to leadership - those that lead and those that follow. If only it were that simple. If you've paid attention to any job or task-centered scenario, you should be able to see that not all leaders are equal. Some are great at leading, and well, some are just not so great.

I think there is more to leading than just not being designated as a "follower". Sometimes the best way to lead in a given situation is to do the best job at following. There are times when we should lead by position, and there are times when we should lead by example or influence. The truth is: the better you are at leading as a follower, the better you will be at leading as a leader. Just think about that for a few minutes.

Another thing that occurred to me earlier today, is that I sometimes (probably more often than not) tend to wait for a "cue" from someone else to let me know when I should do something or what I should do in a certain situation. I'm not just "following" when I do this, I'm also "not leading". That doesn't mean that I should take charge in every situation, but it does mean that I should stop waiting for someone else to set the pace or dictate my actions in a given scenario.

God has given me certain abilities and skills, not just as a leader, but as a person. If I want to be the best Mark that I can be, then I can't always wait for someone else to "set the pace". I wonder how much of the world (or even history) would be different if just one person had not waited to see what someone else was going to do, and instead just stepped out to do what they were going to do.

Just some food for thought.

I'm such a slacker!

I believe it's time to start updating this thing again. Instead of feeling like I have to post this enormously long blog, maybe I should just share those random, short thoughts that I get every now and then. At least it would be more often then it has been. :)

A Date With Destiny

Destiny is tested through challenges. The moment that defines you is never planned or scheduled, and you can't recognize it until after it has passed. All you can do is make the most of every opportunity & do what you know is right.

Believe it or not, this thought occurred to me during the latest episode of 24 (and what an amazing episode it was). Sometimes we can get so caught up in "life as usual" that we can miss the real opportunities for greatness. We fall into the rut of thinking that where we are in life is where we're always going to be. We may be fulfilled in what we're doing, but we can also still feel like there's something more - like we are content, but not fully alive. The danger lies in one of two extremes: we either become convinced that things will never change, or we are constantly looking for the next big thing - never being satisfied or focused in where we are at the time. Most of us either believe that we somehow missed the one & only chance to fulfill our destiny, or we are still sitting around waiting for it.

Regarding job positions, a wise man once said that we have to work like we'll be there forever, but realize that we probably won't be. There is a delicate balance to living by those words. It seems that the greatest opportunities are not the ones that we try to create, but the ones that happen to us when we least expect it. The point that I want to make, is that we more than likely will not know the day or time that destiny will come knocking at our door; we can't schedule it on our PDA. It may come out of tragedy, success, confusion, clarity, or out of left field. All we can really do is be ready when it does knock, and be willing to face the challenges that may seem insurmountable. For the characters that experienced this in last night's "24", they didn't know that their moments of greatness were going to come between 8:00 & 9:00am near the end of season 8. But when the moments came, they were willing to rise to the challenge. I believe because of that willingness, we will see them shine like never before.

When your moment comes, will you hide behind your situation and make excuses, or will you face the mountain before you, and show the world who you were truly meant to be?

Emotional Spirituality

Have you ever thought about how often people use the line, "I didn't participate in that activity (altar time, etc) because I didn't want my response to God to be just emotions."? Translation: "I was afraid of what God might say to me, or try to do in my life, so I let my insecurities keep me in my chair." I used to buy that line (I mean excuse) from people until I realized just how ridiculous it is. We say that we don't want our emotions to be the only reason (or one of the reasons) that we respond to God, but do we realize that God gave us our emotions and even made us to be emotional beings?

Seriously though, think about it. We don't want our emotions to interfere with our relationship with God, because we say that we don't want to make a decision based on just feelings. Yet, at the same time, we will let our emotions and feelings "invade" or even drive other relationships - ie: who we date, who our friends are, & how we treat people. If we let our emotions permeate other areas of our lives (with both good and sometimes bad consequences), then why do we single God out of those emotions? Are we afraid that we will over-commit to His love? Are we afraid that we will surrender too much of our lives to Him? Are we afraid that it will change our lives more than we really want?

Don't get me wrong, I believe that there needs to be balance in our emotions. We need to learn how to be emotionally mature and not give in to follow every single feeling that comes out of our hearts. We also can't exclude our relationship with our Savior when it comes to being "emotionally involved", when we let feelings be a part of every other area of life.

Our Faithful Father

I was reading in my devotional this morning (always a good thing) and it talked about the words that Jesus spoke in Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." This is the kind of openhearted love that God continued to have for His people, regardless of how many times they turned away from Him. When you think about the word picture that Jesus is giving us, it really is quite profound.

He is always longing for us to live under the "shadow (and safety) of His wings"; we are the ones who keep wanting to wander off and explore the wide world around us. We are looking for something to fulfill us, something to give us meaning and purpose, something to satisfy the void in our hearts. What we are missing, is that all of those things can only be found in the Creator of the Universe - the very One who longs for us to come running under His wings.

As I think about that kind of love, that kind of faithfulness, that kind of commitment & patience - I see Someone who is so far different than myself. I see qualities that I can't ever measure up to; a perfection that I could never obtain. The gap between who He is and who I am is so wide that it's almost overwhelming. Even though those characteristics are the kind of things that we are looking for in our Heavenly Father - the kind of things that we want Him to be - it can also be somewhat intimidating. Here's what I mean: when I see into His character (which is His holiness), and then I see how sinful and imperfect that I am, the difference creates a hesitancy in my heart. I want to go and draw close to Him and become familiar with that love & faithfulness, but at the same time I don't know how to respond to it. He is so much different (or transcendent for the theologically inclined) from me, that it's practically safer to just stay where I am. If I draw closer, perhaps more of my imperfections will be brought to light. If I get to know Him better, I may only end up seeing just how horrible I really am. If I can't compete with the degree of those characteristics, being near the One who is the very definition of them, will only make me feel worse. Or will it?

It is our natural tendency to shy away from something that we don't understand or can't comprehend. We think we are safer and better off if we just stick with what we know. The truth is, when we tear down the walls around our hearts & open ourselves up to the perfect-ness that is God, we definitely get the better deal. We get the security of being in a relationship with One who knows us inside and out. We get the assurance that His faithfulness and love will always be new every morning. We receive the kind of forgiveness and restoration that can only be given by Him. We receive a wholeness that is given by grace instead of worked for by our own strength. Although it may seem scary at first, the benefits & rewards of having that kind of relationship are well worth it.

I Hate Sin

This was something that I actually wrote out several years ago, but came across it earlier today. Since I haven't posted anything for a looong time, I thought I would throw this back out there. I wrote it after a friend of mine shared a struggle that he had been having.

i hate sin. i hate what it does to people. i hate that it pulls you in ever so "innocently" and then sucks the life out of you and leaves you cold and alone lying in a gutter feeling absolutely miserable about yourself. i hate that it brings out the worst. i hate that it makes you do things that you would've never thought you'd do. i hate that it destroys lives and shows no remorse. i hate that it shows no partiality and attacks whoever it can. i hate that we're so naive to fall for it.

i do however love that God's grace is more than sufficent and His love is relentless. i'm glad that He stepped in when we were weak and did what we could not do. i'm glad that He loves us more than we deserve. i'm glad that the deepest and darkest of our sin is but a pebble in the ocean of His mercy. i'm glad that love never fails.

"Crazy" Thoughts

I have decided to share a few of my thoughts from the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Here is my favorite piece of the first chapter entitled, "Stop Praying"

"Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him. Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?"

How amazing is it to realize that God is so huge, that we cannot possibly exaggerate Him?! Think about all the things in life that we try to make seem bigger than they really are: the line at walmart, the length of time we sat in traffic, the amount of work that we have to do, anything. We naturally tend to over-express something with words when we are trying to make people understand a certain situation.

But we can never over-express God; it's impossible!! Our words can barely even contain Him, let alone exaggerate Him. How amazing is it that we serve a God that is so great?

Take some time today and think about that.

The real deal on St. Patrick's Day

Anyone that knows me knows that I like to do things different from everyone else...sometimes to a fault. I have never been one to jump on a band wagon just because everyone else jumped on. In fact, there have been a few wagons that I jumped off of because they go too crowded. I tend to stay away from common practices that the majority follows out of habit or reflex. That is, until I find purpose and intentionality behind something. Then I follow something for a better reason then, "just because".

St. Patrick's Day has kind of been one of those things. I would occasionally wear a little green if I was in the right mood, but most of the time I treated it like any other day. Maybe it was just my way of refusing to conform, I don't know. This year I decided to try to find out why the day is celebrated and what all is behind it. So here's the brief summary.

St. Patrick wasn't actually Irish, but traveled to Ireland with a mission to spread Christianity. During the more than 20 years that he lived there, he gained tremendous favor with the people and won many converts. After his death on March 17, AD 461, the day was used to commemorate his life and work to the Irish people. It was traditionally a Catholic holy day where families would have the day off of work, go to Mass, and have a meal together. Believe it or not, pubs were even closed on this day (until the 1970's). There was a sanctity and holiness to this very sacred holiday - much different then it is today.

Although green is the color that is most attributed to this holiday, it was not the color that was associated with St. Patrick. Blue was his "officially assigned" color, and is still seen on ancient Irish flags and even on the uniforms that the Irish special forces wear today. The "wearing of the green" actually referred to wearing a shamrock: a symbol that St. Patrick used to explain the concept of the Trinity. It represented how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. St. Patrick's followers began the tradition of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

In fact, green was a sign of superstitious "bad luck" that had something to do with a folklore legend about fairies kidnapping children who wore too much of their (the fairies) favorite color.

So in my own "I have to be different" sort of way, I'm proudly wearing blue today (with a little bit of green). I couldn't find a shamrock to wear, but that's probably because I didn't really find all of this out until yesterday, and waited until the last minute to look for one. Sometimes I'm different just for the sake of being different; other times I'm different because there's a purpose behind it. As I have discovered a while ago, things tend to last longer when there's intentionality to support it.

I'm really bad at this!

Apparently I'm not as good at updating as I had hoped I would be. I have definitely had several "God thoughts" that would've been good to write out and share, but that's what happens when you keep putting things off....they don't get done.

In the past month I have: finished a book ("The Sacred Echo" by Margaret Feinberg), started a new book ("Crazy Love" by Francis Chan), changed offices, rocked out to a new favorite song, washed my car (like 3 times!), had a good chat with a good friend, fought for a new level of freedom, thought about my future, legally rode shotgun with Matt Murphy (and have lived to tell about it), been stressed about taxes, been ice skating, been able to use the phrase "I'm with the band", and been reminded why dogs are cooler than cats.

So that's the quick update from the life of Mark. Hopefully, the next one won't take as long.

Finally, an update!

I wish that I could say that the reason why I haven't blogged in a while is due to a period of deep, reflective meditation and such - but the reality is that I've just been busy...or lazy, depending on how you look at it. Whatever the exucse, I decided that it's about time for me to blog again.

A few updates off the top of my head: I finally got a newer car! Goodbye 1987 Buick Regal, hello 2002 Ford Focus. I find myself cleaning it all the time. If it wasn't so cold outside, I would probably wash it a little more often...or at least rinse it off. It's nice to have a car that you can actually wax if you want to (oh yeah, i want to).

I'm doing children's ministry now (comes with insurance). Actually Adelle is doing children's ministry; I'm just working in the office for her. It works out well. She does all the stuff that I don't like to do (cause she likes it) and I do all the stuff she doesn't like to do (cause i like it).

I'm reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality again, along with the rest of the pastoral staff. We've started meeting as an accountability kinda group and it's been great. It's good to be able to get together weekly with other people that help to keep you on track spiritually. Think of it as a way to re-center and re-focus your priorities every week.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the difference between Professional Christianity and Authentic Christianity. As easy as it would be to just throw it out there and say that it's a problem that a lot of Christians face. it's a little harder to bring it home. But if I'm honest with myself and with God, there's no way that I can deny how much I have been playing the game of Professional Christianity (PC for short- not to be confused with 'personal computer' or 'politically correct'). I pretty much have it down to an art form. I can play the game and convince everyone around me that it's all together on the inside, but the truth is something different. I completely don't have it all together on the inside: my spiritual life has been quite malnourished, my devotional life has been practically non-existent, and i find myself surprised that the "Christianity Auto-pilot" never kicked in and kept things running smoothly on the inside.

I certainly have not turned my back on God and walked openly into sin and disobedience, but I probably wasn't too far from making that leap. I had fallen for a classic Christian blunder - I had neglected my relationship with God, and all the disciplines that kept that relationship alive. Somewhere along the way I stopped pursuing Him - I just settled for being kinda close. It almost feels like after I stopped, He kept moving forward (attempting to lead me to a farther point). The longer that I stood still, the further apart we grew, until He became a distant figure on the horizon. I still recognized who it was, and every now and then would run a little closer to keep Him in sight. I was comfortable not being close to Him, just as long as I could still make out where He was - almost like a kid playing in the ocean, turning around occasionally to make sure that mom & dad were still in sight. I thought that playing in ocean (just doing life as usual) was more imporant than where He was leading me.

Defining the ECHO...part 3

So I'm obviously a major slacker, but I'm going to play the "it's the holidays" card and say that I've been busy. I decided that I'm just going to do the last 2 letters together - otherwise, I'll never get through this thing!

H - Historical Influence
History is written by those who take risks. Stories have never been told about people that played it safe and did things like everyone else. They have always been told about the ones who stood out, stood up, and stood strong for what they believed in. Someone once asked the question, "What does it mean to be a history maker?" I say that a history maker is someone who has influence that lives longer than they do. Are we only concerned with what people think about us right now, or are we thinking about the future? What kind of influence will we have on the generations to come? Will we have any? What will they remember about us? Will it be something worth remembering?

O - Ownership of Destiny
Only you can prevent forest fires. OK, maybe I stole that from Smokey the Bear, but the point is still the same. We are the only ones who can take control of our own destiny. We can't expect someone else to do it for us. Destiny is not something that will just happen when we wake up one day, it's something that we have to work at. If there's a dream/vision/calling in our hearts that we just know is a part of our God-given future, then we need to do our part to make it happen. It would be foolish for us to wait until "someday" to start living out our destiny. We need to start NOW. If we won't take ownership of our personal calling (whatever & wherever that might be), no one else will. All we will have is a life filled with regrets and missed opportunities.

Defining the ECHO...part 2

I've been out of town for the last week (NC & SC), so it has been hard to keep up with the blog. I decided to break it down into 4 parts, so no one has to read one really huge update. It's kinda like my favorite kind of books: short chapters helps the reading go by faster.

C - Courageous Leadership
"Courage is doing what's right, even when it's hard." We live in a culture that is filled with indifference and moral compromise. We must choose to stand up and do what is right, even when it's not popular or cool.

The choices that we make today will determine the people that we will become tomorrow - along with our habits, priorities, sins, etc. We need to make sure that we are making the right kinds of choices in order to insure that we are becoming the right kind of person/leader. I have come to the conclusion that culture, by nature, always follows something or someone. People are watching our lives to see if we are going to blend in with everyone else, or step out and lead. They are looking for leaders to follow - people to show them how to live and what things are important.

Which will you be? Do you have the courage to say no to your friends when they want to do something that goes against your values or makes you feel uncomfortable? Can you stand against the culture, against the majority, and do what you know is right? Or do you just go along with the crowd and pretend like nothing is wrong? You are either a part of the solution or you're apart of the problem - there is no middle ground.

Defining the ECHO

Now that I have officially preached what it means to live the echo, I can now publicly post what the letters stand for. I purposely did not include it in the last post, just incase someone might would have actually read about it before I got the chance to preach it (i'm weird like that).

E - Engage Life
"Every man dies, but not every man truly lives." Too often we treat life as something we just need to exist through instead of actually engaging in. Life is way too short to let opportunities, dreams, and experiences pass us by. As Christians, we haven't just been promised life, but life more abundantly - and we, of all people, should be taking advantage of the full life that God has promised us. To do otherwise, is to neglect a great gift from God. In a world filled with despair, doubt, apathy, and routine - we need to lead by example and really grab a hold of life and LIVE IT!

The words to a popular secular song say,
"If I traded it all,
If I gave it all away for one thing.
Just for one thing.
If I sorted it out,
If I knew all about this one thing.
Wouldn't that be something."

The life that God gives us is the one thing that is worth trading everything else for. The only way to truly experience life is by letting go of everything else. We were not meant to live mundane, average lives - we were meant to live life to the absolute fullest.