A Mysterious Caller

I received an interesting call this past Saturday as I sat in my office, scrambling to put together a last minute promotional video for the upcoming BreakOut retreat. Most of the numbers that I typically receive calls from are already stored in my phone with a name to accompany them, but this call was different. As it rang, I picked it up to see a local number, with the first three numbers typical of cell phones in the area. Not knowing who it was, but still curious enough to pick it up, I answered. Upon my usual "hello" inquiry, the caller, in a gruff, booming, male voice, promptly asked if this was Greg speaking, and I replied in the affirmative. He then began to tell me his location, to which I quickly disregarded seeing as how I did not even recognize the man's voice, and he had not offered me any information that might lead to discovering his identity. I did, however, get the idea that this man was out in the middle of nowhere, or at least it seemed to me, as the street names weren't names at all, just numbers. This was further evidenced by the fact that he then mentioned being in the middle of several orchards. Which is not very common any longer within the true city limits. Still not gathering what exactly this man was doing calling me, and probably tipped off by the confusion in my voice, he continued by telling me that he had found the cell phone, from which he now was calling, alongside the roads previously mentioned. I had been the second attempt at making contact from the lost cell phone, directly after "grandma" hadn't picked up her phone on the other end. Finally gathering the reason for the call, I quickly told him that the number did not have a name associated with it in my phonebook, and the best I could do to offer any sort of help in the current situation was to find his (the caller's) location and collect the phone from him until I could find its owner. Just as the plan was in place, I heard the caller say to an unknown person some distance away, "is this your phone?" The unknown person's voice, unrecognizable and faint on my end of the line, replied somewhat sheepishly, "yah." Now, being fully into the scenario and interested to possibly find out who had left their phone in such an odd place, was dismayed to hear the click of the line going dead, and silence on the other end. I waited for a return call, to explain the story and give closure to this odd event, but no such thing came. To this day, I know neither the identity of the caller, nor the unknown owner of the cell phone. Suffice it to say that once again the phone is in the hands of the owner, and I am none the wiser on the events that led up to the call.

It is in our human nature to be curious and wonder about such things that we may possibly never know the true account of. God created us with that hunger and thirst for knowledge and information. God wants us to question Him and search for answers in this amazing world that He created. Perhaps the downside to this natural thirst is that people get so caught up in the how that they forget to look at the who. We have become so answer driven that when the answer is not attainable to our satisfaction, we become frustrated and give up. Many people think that science and religion cannot mix, but it is out of Christianity that science had its beginning. Christianity challenged the great thinkers of the past to look forward and examine the physical world to see just how awesome and amazing and complex God's creation is. The drive God instilled in us to seek answers is why science is in existence today. It is unfortunate that so many have forgotten or fallen away from that Godly quest and have entered the scientific realm for personal gain or to disprove the very thing the first scientists were adamant about preserving, that God is at the center of it all! Science in itself will never be satisfying, because more questions will always arise and some mysteries will never be solved. If you find yourself with questions that you may never have an answer to, look to the Creator and know that He is in charge of it all. Take a step or two away from your questions and relax, knowing that nothing is more important than remembering that God has all the answers. By all means seek answers, but don't tether your faith to results that may not come. "Be still and know, that I am God."

By the way, if you are either the mysterious caller, or the owner of the phone, and you read this, I want to know the answers!

Shiver Me Timbers!

We have hit a cold spell in Visalia. The past few nights the temperature has plunged below freezing! The temperature during the day has been reaching a very mild 50 degrees. Lucky for me, I work inside a nice warm office all day. I even have a portable heater under my desk, keeping my feet warm. Sure, I have plenty of sweatshirts and windbreaker jackets, but when everyone else starts to put on their warm Winter coats, I am left behind. However, the only time I must brave these adverse weather conditions is if I have a special event to go to. This past Monday was one of those times.

I had been notified the week before that Visalia's annual Christmas parade down Main Street was set for Monday. Several of my youth were to be involved in the parade and still more would be in attendance to watch. In fact, approximately 20,000 people would be at the parade to watch the entries follow the parade route down Main Street, the core of our small town. At about 3pm, 4 hours before the parade were to start, I received a text message from one of my youth, inquiring if I had planned to attend. Amidst all the weekend activities and the list of tasks I needed to accomplish this week, I had completely forgot about the parade. This wouldn't have been such a bad thing, (because I had no other plans for the evening in place) except I hadn't worn so much as a sweatshirt to work that day. To add to that, I had nothing that might keep me warm in subzero temperatures. I quickly drove home and picked up a windbreaker to go with my long sleeve shirt and undershirt already in place and ran out the door. I arrived at the parade around 5:30pm, early enough to get a curbside seat, and already the temperature was almost unbearable. I sat there shivering all night while band after band, after float after fire truck paraded by, filled with people with nice warm Winter coats and gloves waving and wishing me happy holidays. I saw many of my youth there that night, yet what I take away from this experience is the thought that frostbite would probably really hurt. I got home that night at about 9:30pm. I quickly turned on my heater and found the heaviest blanket I had and wrapped myself in it and was still cold for the next two hours!

I can't help but compare this experience with our position in this world as Christians. We are called to be in the world, not of it. This means that we go to church, we read our Bibles, and we pray daily, in the safety and comfort (and warmness) of the kingdom of God. Yet we are called to much more than that as followers of Christ! We are called to brave the cold weather of the world. We must go out and bring people back in to the warm. When we go, however, we must take with us the coats and gloves God has supplied us with, or else we get caught up in the cold and may not make it back. If we stay in the warmth and never go out, we have disobeyed God, and not lived the life that he has called us to. Our love for the people caught in the cold must match his love for the people caught in the cold. I vow to be prepared for the Christmas Parade next year!

Whistle While You...Break???

I find it funny how many people make comments to me about how much time I spend at my job. Perhaps it comes from a well meaning idea that I must have some other great plans that I have so graciously declined to attend due to the over abundance of work there is to be done. I agree with the latterhalf, because there is always more work to be done in the kingdom of God, but the former leaves me pondering. I am told that there is no greater joy than to be in a position that allows you to be working for God on a daily basis; if this is true, then why would anyone be concerned that I take regular breaks for this highly rewarding task set before me?

Could it be that even in the community bubble we call church, that people still consider earthly work and kingdom work two seperate entities? I propose that kingdom work be of such a high importance that it spill over into the earthly. For me this may be a simple thing, for I happen to work in the church bubble. For those less fortunate, their aim should be to dedicate their workplace for the kingdom of God and always keep in mind whom it is they are trying to please, God himself. I have no doubt that if you have been convicted that you are "working for the Lord and not for man," success and job satisfaction will follow. Breaks are always welcome, but don't be surprised to find someone with this conviction working extra hard or even putting in a few extra hours.

Dreams of Paper Cutters

If you have been in the church office lately, you may have noticed that we bought a new paper cutter. This was the result of many petitions and complaints by me throughout the year. Anytime I had to do any cutting I would drop a hint around the office to make sure everyone knew the grief the cutter was causing me with its dull blade and ancient ruling system. One day while trying to blindly line up some pencil marks with the blade of the cutter I came up with a brilliant idea. If you could somehow put a laser line down the length of the blade, it would be so much easier to line up my pencil marks with the blade. I didn't know, in fact, if something like that even existed, but my complaints soon changed to the need for a new sharp paper cutter with a laser sight. One day, about a month ago, a few of us were looking at the church's budget and found some extra money (an amazing feat in itself!). The very next week there was a brand new, sharp paper cutter with a laser sight sitting on the counter in the office. Oh the joy that floods my soul! I have since found many a reason to use the cutter and it never disappoints.

I thought my dream of a paper cutter with a laser sight was grander than anyone had ever dreamed about paper cutters. After all, how many people dream about paper cutters? But, as usual, the industry was one step ahead of me. In the same way, God is always one step (or more) ahead of our own hopes and dreams. You may think that you have the biggest and best plan for your life, but God would beg to differ. The plans that God has, not for humanity, but for you individually, are far greater than even your own plans. You may think that what you have planned is awesome, but wait for God's plan to unravel! You will not be disappointed. Look at Moses' plan for himself, as opposed to God's plan for Moses. Spend your life in hiding in Midian after killing an Egyptian, or become the leader of the Israelites? God's plan seems to have a better ring to it, don't you think? I don't suppose God has planned for all of us to become leaders of nations, but if you think you dream big, then wake up and have a taste of what God has planned. Its the best part of waking up. I would even suggest dreaming as big as you can, don't hold back, because when you realize that God's plan is even better than your biggest dream, there is no one to give credit to except him. Dream your dream, and then follow God's lead. Perhaps there will be something waiting to surprise you on the counter in the office.

To What End?

I am a planner. I may be a last minute planner, but nonetheless a planner. For example, every summer, my church puts on a three week series called Summer Splash. Each evening calls for a bbq, water games and a lesson. I make every attempt to make each Summer Splash unique from the others, which often leaves me pondering ideas for weeks. Then the day of Summer Splash arrives and I am still chewing on ideas. This last one left me with an idea of digging a river on the church's back lot (its all dirt at this point, so no biggie). I quickly recruited two youthful diggers and off we went to dig the river. I was so focused and concerned about getting the river done before the deadline that I neglected to see the awesome opportunity in spending time with the two youth I had by my side. God still may have been working through me during that time, but I still need to learn how to recognize the opportunities that He puts in front of me.

Lucky for me, my negligence is God's thoughtfulness. In fact, if you ask me, the heart of the gospel is found in the story of the lost coin. A woman has ten coins and she has lost one of them. She frantically begins looking all over her house for it. It becomes dark and she lights a lamp to try to find it. Finally she finds the lost coin, and she is so excited that she calls up all her friends and says, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost!" This woman lost one coin, and yet to what end did she search? She utilized every resource she had, and when all was said and done, it would be easy to conclude that she had used up more resources to find the coin than the value of the coin itself. After all, oil burning lamps, time, and parties are not cheap!

The gospel story in economic terms is foolish! God goes to the same ends to bring us to know Him. He uses so many resources that they seemingly outweigh the value of the prize itself. What does that say about how much He wants us to know Him? By the standards of the world, that is a foolish investment. And yet, "the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest man."

Youth ministry shouldn't be about having the most thought out and perfectly planned events. Its not about spending the most money and having the coolest stuff. It should be about spending time with the youth themselves. God goes to all ends to bring in just one person, how far will we go?

To What Measure?

Nothing brings more validity to the cross than Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane, as stated in Matthew 26:39. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Here we see the humanity of Jesus to the fullest. Jesus comes to the Father vulnerable, uncertain, and possibly afraid. All emotions that we, as humans, experience all the time, yet not emotions we would expect God in the flesh to show, unless He was, in fact, fully human.

His mission seemed simple on paper, but impossible in action. Take on the flesh, live a perfect and sinless life, sacrifice that life in the flesh, ascend up to heaven, and become the gateway for all mankind to heaven.

You might think that there should be no doubt that Jesus would live a perfect life, after all, He was God in the flesh. And yet, if Jesus had simply used his Godly powers to overcome all temptation that we, as humans, face everyday, all the power is gone from the mission. If Jesus had used Godly powers to live perfectly, then how could He have been the perfect sacrifice to bury all of our wrongdoings? Unless He was a human, by all accounts, He could not represent mankind as the savior of them. Jesus lived as a human and did not call upon Godly powers from above to bail him out of situations that seemed too difficult to overcome. This is why we see the humanity of Jesus in the Gospels. Without it, Jesus is just some superhuman whom we can never aspire to be like and that we cannot lean on for our own salvation.

Was Jesus truly and sincerely afraid of the things to come while praying to God at Gethsemane? You bet He was! Yet when we look at Jesus, in all his humanity, we have to admire him for his acceptance of God’s plan, spoken with power, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Would someone, living a perfect life, be willing to have their record tarnished by people who live by their own agenda and do not care one bit for others? Jesus would. Not only was the line, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will,” Jesus’ death sentence, it was also the greatest demonstration of love anyone could ever show.

The mission, the plan, was brilliant, but by no means was it foolproof. As Jesus was human, He had the power to choose to say no, just as we have the power to choose to accept or reject God’s will for us. He could have chosen to continue to live his perfect life, and God knew it. God risked looking like a fool. God risked his own perfection with this plan. Would God take that risk, so that his creation could live with him in eternity? You bet! God risked it all, Jesus gave it all, and now we stand here and have it all.

You might ask if God could have attained salvation for all humanity in some other way. He is God, he could have chosen to do it in any number of ways. If he could have done it any number of ways, why did he choose this one? The problem that God faced (I use the word “problem” loosely, for God is not bound by earthly dilemmas. Unfortunately I am bound by the English language), was not one of his own powers and abilities, but one of human capacity. God had to present salvation in a way that we could understand it. Unless we were able to see Jesus as God in the flesh, and witness his crucifixion, we would not believe and accept this as the salvation plan. God’s plan was perfect, not because it was the best of all other possibilities, but because it was the only way that we would be able to see the process and believe. Does God stoop from his place on high to look down upon us? Not only does he stoop, he would do back flips for us if it would help us attain a place in his house for eternity! If you have any doubt whatsoever that God loves and cares for you, take a look at the salvation story. He has proven his love, over and over again.

Orange Cream Shake

There are two words that have become known to me which are very similar in appearance. One of them is in the dictionary, and the other one should be. The word that is already found in the dictionary is the word 'free'. Most everyone may already know the definition of this word, but just in case, here it is: free adj., Costing nothing; gratuitous. To many people, free is a magical word. It means getting something for nothing. At Jack in the Box the other day, I was offered a free sample of a new orange cream shake they were promoting at Jack in the Box. I didn't accept the free sample (I'm not sure why, except for the fact I was on my cell phone, while trying to steer my way through the narrow passageway they call the drive thru in my boat sized El Camino, while the guy passing them out was running over to my car. I could just picture orange cream shake all over me. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for an orange shake), but because it was free, I felt no remorse for choosing not to accept it. Nor was the man offended that offered me the shake, because when something is offered as free, there are no obligations, no strings attached. One is free to accept or reject without any consequence.

Another story I have of receiving free things was brought to my attention by my sister who now attends Pepperdine, as I did. She was mentioning all the free t-shirts that she had received since being there. Then I got to thinking about the clothes in my dresser at home. I bet 90% of them were free t-shirts I received from high school clubs, and Pepperdine events. Pepperdine gives out t-shirts for everything. They give them out for basketball and volleyball games, spring break mission trips, BBQ’s, Thanksgiving Youthfest, etc. And even today, just about every time I go down to Pepperdine, I wind up coming back here with a free t-shirt. Scott complains about this to me all the time. Maybe one day I’ll remember to bring him back a free t-shirt. When things are, in fact, free, everyone (including Scott) wants to be a part of it.

The other word that I spoke of, which is very similar in appearance to the first word, free, is the word ‘free*’. Now did you happen to see the difference between the two? Sometimes it takes a careful eye to notice. This second word is used all the time and yet one cannot find it listed in a dictionary. I will try my best to come up with a definition of my own for this word. Free* adj., deceitful gratuity. The word free* looks much like the word free in order to deceive people into thinking that what they are receiving costs nothing, when in fact, it does carry a cost. When something is offered to you as free*, the chances are the person doing the offering is trying to swindle you into something you don't want. Some would consider it marketing strategy, I consider it a deliberate lie. On many websites there are advertisements that claim to offer you free things, such as iPods, laptops, and even ringtones. Some make it seem so simple with the words “Click here to receive a free* iPod.” Don't be deceived, they are actually free* iPods, laptops, and ringtones.

I am so thankful that God offers us free salvation and not free* salvation. In fact, it is only by God's grace that we can even know what it truly means to receive something for free. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) It cost God his one and only son, Jesus, but He doesn’t pass that price on to us. We reap the benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice. We didn't have to meet a quota, fill out a survey, or make monthly payments to get this gift. We didn't even have to ask! If you don't receive even as much a free orange shake in this life, know that you can still receive the gift of salvation from God. No strings attached.