What is Worship?

Most people believe worship is that special hour on a Sunday morning when Christians gather to sing, pray and dig into the Word of God. While that is so very true, that hour is only 1/24 of 1/7 of our worship. Some of us believe we have this metaphorical click board and in order to worship, we are checking things off as “done”. I showed up on Sunday morning: check. I sang some songs: check. I put money in the plate: check. I’ve “worshipped” today.

But Jesus says if you are just checking boxes and your heart is not in the right place, your worship doesn’t even get to God (Matthew 15:1-9). See, true worship is a beautiful reflection of your heart toward God. So, with my heart in the right place, how do we express our worship to an incredible, amazing, awesome God?

Sometimes, we bow in reverence. There are times when I’m overwhelmed with what God has done for me and it puts me on my knees. Psalms 95:6, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

Sometimes we life our hands in adoration. In our culture, lifted hands can mean surrender or victory. When we say “yes” to Jesus, our surrender to him means we have the victory. See Psalms 63:4

Sometimes we offer a sacrifice of praise. “Let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name” Hebrews 13:15. Even when I don’t see him or feel him, I worship him because my worship is based on my circumstances. It’s based on his character.

My favorite reminder of what worship is and when I should worship is found in Romans 12:1 where Paul says, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Worship is an every day event, not just on Sunday mornings.

When I am doing my chores, I am worshipping. When I’m loving my spouse or raising my kids, I’m worshipping. When I’m helping my neighbor, I am worshiping. Worship is not confined to Sunday AM service but it’s every single day of my life.

We live a worshipful life every day of the week because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. We serve an awesome God. He deserves our very lives on Sunday, on Tuesday night, on Saturday morning. So, live each day in a worshipful posture to an almighty God. Blessings on the journey.

Signs of Indifference.

We have become a culture of “meh”. We can ask about any subject matter and our answer is “meh”. It’s an attitude of indifference. We have become individualists with no need to think about anything except that which WE care about. And it’s no different with church family and our spiritual lives. We have become spiritually stale and depressingly detached.

Jesus tells the church in Laodicea that they not only break his heart but turn his stomach (Revelation 3:15-16). There are a couple of things we can learn from that stale church full of “meh” followers of Christ.

One cause for spiritual indifference is the illusion of self-sufficiency. In other words, we don’t need anybody’s help, including Jesus. We are a nation who has everything, and yet, we have nothing that matters. Jesus says we are spiritually void.

A second cause of spiritual indifference are the distractions of this world. Jesus tells us in Mark 4, that the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things crowd out a real desire to follow Jesus.

So, how do I know that I’ve become indifferent? By what measure do I realize I’ve become someone who is not hot nor cold for my faith? Over 30 years of ministry has given me a few ideas to measure my life by. Here they are:

I may be more concerned with impressing people than living for God. Our social media really shows what we care about. We post pictures of last night’s dinner, our latest hair style, and our vacation but do we post prayers, or scripture, or how Jesus has effected our lives? We should be proud to proclaim our faith.

We may be more obsessed with life on earth rather than eternity. American life seems to be about gathering stuff and what I can get right now. Rather than focusing on our eternal life, we are busy outdoing the Jones’.

We may rationalize sin and live without truly fearing or respecting God. In our culture, we simply rename sin so it’s not as painful to hear. We call porn, adult entertainment; we call adultery, an affair. We begin pointing to others and saying, “I’m not as bad as they are” so the spotlight will hopefully fall away from us.

I may believe in Jesus but rarely share my faith. Do we not believe that Jesus is the answer? That he is the only salvation available? There are lots of ways to share the Gospel. Let me encourage you to use your social media as a way to tell others what Jesus has done for you.

We may turn to God only when we need him for something. Rather than seeking him every day, we call on him just when it benefits us. He becomes a tool to use rather than a God we worship.

Without realizing it, we wake up one day and realize we have become spiritually indifferent. We have become “meh” about Jesus and his church. So, how do I reignite the fire for Kingdom living?

I’d encourage you to pick ONE of the following items. Don’t do them all because you’ll end up doing none of them. Just pick ONE of the following and do it for the next 28 days.

Read God’s Word every day for the next 28 days. The Book of Acts has 28 chapters; Proverbs, in the Bible’s Old Testament has 31 chapters. These are just 2 of 66 options.

Or join a small group to attend every week to be with others who want to pursue God.

Or begin praying every single day for the next 28 days.

Or share your faith or something about your faith every day for the next 28 days.

Or discover how you can be more than a Sunday morning Christian by attending multiple church events over the next 28 days.

Now, why do I keep saying “28 days”? Because the experts say that’s how long it takes to form a habit. Do something everyday that requires faith…something you can’t do on your own. You and the Holy Spirit have got this. It’s time to change. It’s time to follow the Lord so closely his dust settles upon you. Blessings on the journey.

Here Come the Crossroads.

At the end of the movie, “Castaway”, Tom Hanks plays a marooned FedEx employee who has to fight for his life on a barren island. Finally rescued, he gets back home to Memphis, TN where he discovers everyone has moved on. At the end of the movie, he is literally at a crossroads in the countryside deciding which way to go.

A crossroads is where two roads intersect. Two different things come together. As followers of Jesus, we find everyday that different people cross our paths…we intersect with others. As Christ-followers, our call is to tell the story of Jesus and how He’s changed our life every chance we get. And any time people intersect with us is a great time to share our life with them.

Jesus tells two stories in Matthew 13:44-46. Both are about finding treasure. One person stumbles on the treasure accidentally; another person is intentionally seeking the treasure. Both give up everything to have the treasure and both end up with the treasure. Those of us who found Jesus either stumbled upon him or we intentionally sought him out. But either way, both ended up with Jesus.

And because we are disciples, we are called to help others find Jesus too. I believe the Holy Spirit creates space every single day of our lives to intersect with others and in those moments, it’s a great opportunity to share what Jesus has done for us. There are several ways we can impact others with our story for the cause of Christ.

One way is just showing interest in the other person. Have you every noticed in a group when someone becomes emotional and gets vulnerable, humans try to change the subject? It’s just uncomfortable to see someone’s pain when we feel we can’t do anything about it. But let me encourage you to lean into that moment. You can show real interest by asking questions. There’s something very powerful in asking questions rather than coming with data. Create space with others to grow relationally by asking questions.

A second way is intercession. Pray specifically for people by name. When you pray for others by name you tend to check on them differently, don’t you? We follow up by seeing how the situation has changed. It makes us think about them often and how they are doing.

Another way is watching for life’s interruptions. When someone’s life is unexpectedly interrupted, there is potential for life-changing dialogue. Moments when there is a divorce, a job loss, or a death of someone close creates space to come alongside people with the story of Jesus. In moments of a new birth, a marriage, or a new job creates moments to share Jesus.

Finally, just getting involved with someone by saying something to them or doing something. It’s often messy and inconvenient but sometimes, you are the best person to say something and interact. Sometimes, you are the answer to prayer.

The challenge is living each day with an open hand and open heart for those around you. Know the Spirit will cross your path with others whom you can share the importance of Jesus. You have the ability within you to help others see how important Jesus can be to them. Blessings on the journey.

Be an Influencer.

Country music has been in my family for a very long time. My grandparents wrote songs, cut records, and played on the Louisiana Hayride with Elvis back in the day. They influenced me to pursue singing country music in the early ‘90s. I cut two albums, played several township festivals, and went to Nashville once when I was invited by Charlie Daniels to be on his TV show. We have all been influenced in positive ways.

Jesus calls us to do just that. He wants us to go into the world and make disciples, loving on those around us like He loved us (John 13:34-35). And God showed us how to love close up and personal. He didn’t love us from a distance but came to earth and “moved into our neighborhood” (John 1 MSG).

Jesus also called everyone to an inclusive table. His Kingdom is not exclusive but anyone who will, can follow him. They are invited to the celebration feast. In Luke 14, Jesus is invited to a well-known church leader’s house for a party. Once Jesus is inside and looks around, he notices all the big names in town are present but there is no one there who isn’t popular or has a lot of money.

Jesus looks around and tells a story to the host of the party, reminding the host of what God is looking for in his followers. So in the story, the host invites everyone in town and everyone out in the countryside. The party becomes inclusive rather than exclusive. If you want to be an influencer for the Kingdom, you can’t pick and choose who you tell about Jesus or who you invite to the celebration. So being an influencer brings 2-3 things to mind.

One, being an influencer means being fully present. In other words, put down you phone and loosen up your calendar. You’ll be intentional with the folks around you and engage the people right in front of you. But to do that, you’ll need to be intentional and go into every day with your eyes wide open.

Secondly, being an influencer means loving uninvited and overlooked people. It means no matter the socioeconomic background, your skin color, your bank account, your political preference, or your theological bent, you love people for the cause of Christ. The people you might not normally pay attention to or you avoid are now on your radar.

Finally, being an influencer means going to unfamiliar and uncomfortable places. It’s hard to have a story to share when you decide to live inside your small, comfortable bubble. Jesus calls us to go far and wide to share our lives with others who need to know Jesus.

So, become an influencer for Jesus by stepping out. Remember we’ve been called to tell the greatest story ever. So many feel no value or purpose and we know Jesus can and will change all of that. You know what to do. Be an influencer. Lean into those right in front of you. Blessings on the journey.

In and then Through

Most things I purchase that need put together are met with a “jump right in” attitude. In other words, in typical male fashion, I don’t read the instructions. I just start putting things together but then wonder why I have a handful of screws left at the end of the project.

I can be like that too when it comes to what God wants to do through me. But to find my purpose, I first have to let him do something IN ME. I generally don’t want to wait around for God’s work in me because I’m impatient and stubborn. I’d rather just get to the thing he wants me to do.

The disciples needed some coaching in this area because they didn’t seem to get what Jesus was trying to do in them. They were not seeing the people in front of them Jesus wanted to help, teach, heal, move, and grow. The disciples saw those people as a hindrance…an annoyance.

Examples of this attitude are found in Matthew 14, 15 and 19 where Jesus is doing ministry for some needy people but the disciples are oblivious. “Just tell them to go away…” is what the disciples say in a paraphrased version. But God will eventually do something in the disciples so that later he can do something through them.

We need God to do that in us as well but we need to check our hearts. How does our heart line up with the heart of Jesus?

Jesus tells a story in Mark 4 about a farmer who sowed some seed. Some seed fell on the road, some in the gravel, some in the weeds and some on good soil. Good soil is where God wants our heart to be. But it calls us to some self-reflection to discover how we are leaning into the things God wants to do IN us before he can do anything through us.

Some hearts are like the hard road and the minute the seed is planted, Satan removes the seed. Maybe you’ve become hard and cynical toward a spiritual journey and how God has called us to live in his son Jesus. Some symptoms of a hard heart might look like you’re going through the motions just checking off a list. Some might develop spiritual apathy having no prayer life, no time in the Word of God, no community with which to travel. Some might have bitter resentment toward God, blaming him for your current position in life.

Some of the seed falls on rocky hearts. You’ve heard the message of Jesus and are happy about it but you do nothing to cultivate the seed and create deep roots. The minute any “heat” is applied from the world, you’re shaken and lose spiritual momentum.

And some seed falls in weed-infested areas. The seed breaks the surface of the soil but other things in life crowd out its growth. Jesus says things like the worries of this life, the lure of wealth and the desires for other things are what choke out spiritual maturity. We are unwilling to let go of the things that are opposed to God’s will.

So where are you? What does God want to do IN your life to accomplish his work THROUGH your life? God has an extraordinary purpose of you but you and I need to fully surrender to him and allow the seed to change us from the inside out. When we do, God will do something incredible through you. Blessings on the journey.

Focus on Telling your Story.

I love watching the Amazing Race reality show. Couples are pitted against each other in a race around the world. Many times, they are asked to go to a city, climb the highest building and look for a clue on the ground level. They are laser-focused in their observations once on top of the building. There are lots of distractions with traffic, a sea of humanity, other buildings but they focus on finding that flag.

Jesus is the same way with us. His focus is finding us and bringing us home. We belong to him. We are his. And that takes a selfless character…a person who is focused on others rather than self.

Martin Seligman, a well-known psychologist whose an expert on happiness has done research on the subject and found, “We think what will make us happy is focusing on ourselves…we actually become happier by focusing on other people.” I love it when science proves what Jesus has already taught us.

Jesus was a great story teller and in Luke 15, he tells three in a row to make a point. The three stories show Jesus sees you, saves you, and celebrates you. But in the first story, the shepherd (that’s Jesus) goes out to find the lost sheep. That’s focusing on someone else over your own needs and wants. He leaves the bulk of the group and goes out to find the one sheep that has wandered away. Once he finds that sheep, he lifts it up and brings it home. Then, he throws a party.

So what does this mean for us if we are called to imitate him. After all, we are his disciples and disciples want to look like their teacher. I believe it calls all of us to focus on the people in front of us and discover who has wandered and who needs Jesus in their life. Our call is to tell the story of Jesus and the story of how Jesus changed our lives forever.

As followers, we want to go and seek. Our desire is that others should also have the life that only Jesus can provide. So, who in your life do you know needs Jesus? Who do you know needs hope for a better tomorrow? Who do you know needs a companion that will walk with them until they come home to the shepherd?

Discover ways to share your story. Find ways to get connected to reveal Jesus’ story. Stories are powerful and it’s time to use our story for the glory of God. Blessings on the journey.

Calm Down.

If there’s one word I wish I could eliminate from the English language, it’s “hustle.” Everything about the idea of hustling rubs me the wrong way-- it seems incessant, unending, frantic, stressful, and all I can picture is a hamster running crazily on a wheel without really going anywhere. To me, rest is the opposite of hustle. When I think about rest, it seems peaceful, restorative, calm, and I picture an early morning by a still lake, still and quiet and beautiful.

I’m drawn to the idea of rest. My wife and I just returned from vacation in southern Texas. We enjoyed time with friends, walks on beach, playing in the ocean, and well, resting. I know the Lord desires that we would be still in his presence and draw near to him in worship, and more and more, I see the richness and value of resting in Christ.

Matthew 11:28 is a famous verse about rest: “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.”

Couldn’t we all use a little bit of rest in our busy, fast-paced lives where we are more prone to hustle than we are to really take a breather?

The Bible talks about rest quite a bit.

Bonnie Gray wrote an article called “How Embracing Rest Can Change Your Life” for Relevant and she shares what she calls “8 surprising ah-ha moments about rest in the Bible” that I found fascinating.

Here are 4 of the truths she shares:

1. “Rest is emotional honesty.” One of the things I love most about life as a Christ-follower is that Jesus never demands my perfection or my polished self-- he just desires my honesty and authenticity. I can come to him when I am weary, when I’m not feeling it, when I’m doubting or distracted or disinterested, and I can be real about all of my feelings and questions. When I rest at the feet of Jesus, I can be truly and completely honest with him and he will give me rest in return. What a gift that is.

2. “Rest is a return to your true identity.” I love the quote that Gray shares from Brennan Manning: “Defined yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.” Sometimes it takes stepping away from all of the other labels and roles and responsibilities to realize in rest who we truly are and who we are called to be-- children of a good and gracious Father. When we’re caught up in our work or our parenting or our volunteering and serving, we can lose sight of who we are at the core, and rest reminds us of that.

3. “Rest is radical and countercultural.” The world is obsessed with hustle, especially here in America. We’re consumed by the idea of the American dream, feeling like we have to work hard all the time and climb ladders and make goals for our lives to matter, but rest goes against all of that. Rest says that it isn’t what we do or get done that matters, but who we are, and who God is. It can be hard to hear his voice if we are always surrounded by the noise. I remember my mom giving me the advice during a particularly stressful finals week in college to “get out of the fray and pray” and those words have stuck with me even years later. It might go against the current, but rest will restore our souls and make space for us to hear from the Lord more clearly.

4. “Rest isn’t failure. Rest is spiritual intimacy.” I’ve often heard people say that they don’t feel like they can take time to rest, because it takes them away from what they feel like they need to be or should be doing. “Sometimes it takes greater faith and courage to admit we’re tired and we need to asses why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Gray writes. “God welcomes soul searching. He loves being with us on that intimate journey.”

We know that even if we love the hustle and love the work and responsibilities on our plates, we will burn out if we go nonstop. We know we need sleep, stillness, and slowness in our lives, but it still can be hard to carve out space for rest in the middle of all the busyness of life.

I love how Matthew 11 in The Message paraphrase of Scripture invites us into a radical, life-changing kind of rest:

“‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.’”

Let’s keep company with Jesus day by day, walking with him, doing our work with him, watching him as he shows us the best, healthiest, most beautiful ways of living. Let’s allow him to show us what true rest looks like as he showers us in his perfect grace and endless love. Let’s let go of the hustle for just a bit and remember that at our core, we are his beloved, and he wants to restore our souls. Blessings on the journey.

Dealing with "Needy" People in Your Life.

We’ve all seen the “adopt a pet” commercial with Sara McLachlan singing “In the Arms of an Angel” where the dog is shivering out in the cold, tied to a tree in the back yard. It really pulls your heartstrings, which is what they want. They want to emotionally manipulate you to give to their cause. That’s what needy people do.

You have needy people in your life and you can see them coming a mile away. You know when you see them, the conversation is going to be long, all about them and they will reveal how they are victim once again. It could be a family member who doesn’t have a lot of friends and expects you to fill that void. It could be a coworker who needs you to affirm and praise them for all they do. If could be a friend who always seems to be on the struggle bus.

And we do care about them. But when we pull back to catch our breath, we feel guilty because they believe we’ve abandoned them. Sometimes when we do feel we are helping them, we end up hurting them and us in the process. So, how do we love on people in our lives who are difficult to love?

Well, first, we are going to give strategically. We are going to give them a hand up rather than a hand out. That’s what Peter and John do in Acts 3 when they heal the lame man at the Gate Beautiful. So we ask, “What do they REALLY need?” verses “what do they want?" There is a definite difference between need and want.

For example, a friend came to me wanting to borrow $300 for his rent. But the week before, I saw them post a picture of a new tattoo. When I bring this up, they have all kinds of excuses. But I’m asking myself, what do they really need? So I offer helping to get the resume in better shape and helping them to find a better job than the one they have or I offer to sit with them to help them create a budget so they aren’t in this spot again. We are going to give strategically.

We are also going to serve wisely. Jesus served people his whole ministry and we are called to follow that example. But Jesus also took moments to say “no” so he could withdraw, connect to his Father, and get his cup refilled after pouring himself out in service.

During the safety briefing on every airplane flight, the attendant says, “In case of an emergency, if we loose cabin pressure, the oxygen mask will drop down. Put yours on first then help those around you.” See, you can’t serve others if your unconscious. You can’t say “yes” often if you don’t say “no” occasionally.

Finally, we are going to trust God completely with the story. We must recognize it’s God who brings change in people, not me. I’m just the vessel God works through to provide his love, peace, patience, and mercy. I’m never the answer…Jesus is the answer. Look, we deal with needy people everyday in our life. But the truth is we are all needy people because all of us need Jesus. Without him, our life would be chaotic and have no purpose. So we’ll close with a prayer from Psalms 70:5:

But as for me, I am poor and needy;

please hurry to my aid, O God.

You are my helper and my savior;

O Lord, do not delay.

Blessings on your journey.

How to Deal with Critical People.

We all deal with folks who are hard to love. People who seem to suck the life out of us. We will always have people who criticize us in life. No matter what you do, someone will want to tear into you. “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” That is attributed to Aristotle. He’s saying, you will always have critics. If that’s so, how do we deal with the critical people in our lives?

Often, you just don’t respond. That’s what Jesus did. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:23 that Jesus didn’t retaliate but left his story in the hands of God. As followers of Jesus, we want to imitate him. So like Jesus, we are under no obligation to respond to those who have critical words for us.

Now overlooking an offense is not the same as pretending it didn’t happen. To overlook is saying I know I could retaliate but I’m choosing not to do so. I’m not going to lose sleep over it or be bitter. I’m taking the high road and rising above it.

Sometimes, you do respond but do so carefully. Responding is not reacting. Reacting is emotional and knee-jerk. Responding is spirit-led. So wait before you respond. When you type out that email, don’t hit the send button until you’ve had some time to think about it.

Often I’ve discovered that those people who are my critics are that way because of hurt they have experienced in their own life. There’s a wound they haven’t recovered from just yet or something they don’t like about themselves that manifests itself in a critical spirit. So in moments when you respond to critics, act like Jesus and respond out of compassion and love, knowing most likely they are critics because of hurt in their lives.

Always, though, guard your heart because you never want to be the one with the critical spirit. Like Jesus, you want your words to be life-giving, not cutting. We’ve all been a part of conversations when we used words to hurt others. Many times, that critical spirit can be born out of hurt, ignorance, or pride. So what do we do to overcome a spirit of criticism?

We must become deeply grounded in who we are in Christ. Because I’m already approved by God, your approval really doesn’t matter. I can overlook criticism because I have a higher calling in Christ. You see, if I live by your praise, I will die by it’s absence. So stop being so offendable. Stop being so nit-picky. We are called to look like Jesus. His words are life-giving and so should ours be as well. Blessings on the journey.

What to Do with Controlling People.

There always seem to be people in our lives that are EGRs (extra grace required). As disciples of Jesus, we are called to love people…not just a few but everyone. So how in the world do we love people who are difficult to love?

The story in Matthew 16 shows us how Jesus handles people who are trying to control him. No doubt, you have people in your life who try to control you as well. So it seems important as believers that we look at how Jesus handled these types of difficult people.

So in Matthew 16, Jesus is telling the disciples how he will suffer in Jerusalem and die. But that he will be raised and conquer death on the third day. Then Peter tells Jesus, “no way will this happen if I can help it.” Jesus has revealed what God’s will is and Peter is looking at the situation through human eyes and wanting to control the situation.

How do we love those who want to control us?

First, know what you are called to do. Jesus knew this. He said repeatedly, he’d come to seek and save the lost. His calling and purpose was clear to him. You too have been called to live a holy, set apart life for God’s glory. You may feel called into a certain career or relationship and that could be true. But if you are not living into those areas of life understanding how you’re called to look like Jesus, then you are not living into your calling. Know how you’re called to live.

Second, know when someone is trying to control you. It’s what’s happening in our story. Jesus says God is calling him to die for humanity but Peter is saying, “No, no, no.” Earlier in Matthew 16, Peter had just won “Jesus Jeopardy” by stating Jesus was the Son of God. But in the next moment, he’s putting his plans ahead of God’s plans. Know when someone is trying to control you.

Finally, know when to draw a line in the sand. This is the hardest thing to do. We generally love and care for the people who seem to want to control us. But if someone is calling you to idolize their opinion and what they think over what God’s called you to do, it’s time to draw the line.

So if you don’t like a relationship you have that seems controlling, change what you expect and what you accept. Jesus told Peter he wouldn’t let Peter talk to him like that…it was inappropriate. And in your life you may have to say, “I care about you but I’m not letting you speak to me like that again.” Or “I love you but I’m not bailing you out again.” Or “I love you deeply but you can’t yell at me.”

What will happen when you do this? The controller will rear up, get loud and double down on their threat. It will be a difficult moment. It will hurt in the moment but it hurts everyday you live in a dysfunctional relationship. And once you realize you don’t have the power to control and God does, things will change for you.

Essentially, Jesus is saying in Matthew 16, if you want to follow me, you’ll never be in control again. Control belongs to God. Know what you want out of the relationship and create it like you know it should be. It won’t be easy but it will be healthier. Blessings on the journey.