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Jenn and I are on the verge of a fairly substantial change in our lives. Change can be really scary, and our situation is no different. What is funny is that change is exactly what we have been praying for these past few months. While it might be scary, there is not any anxiety because we have felt God’s hand on it this whole time.

Truth be told, I am glad that we had to wait for an answer to our prayer. Think about how excited Joseph was when he was let our prison after waiting for someone to remember him. Think about how excited Sarah was when she learned that she was finally pregnant. I also think about Moses and how long he had to wander in the desert and finally got to see where his people would live and flourish under God’s hand. Waiting has produced in me some very important fruit. It allowed me to know what I really wanted and why. While waiting I learned some important skills and life lessons that I probably would not have received had I not had to wait.

I am not sure what the future holds, but I know that I am excited about it. The thing is, when God has you wait, it is because He has something in store for you. Over the next couple of months Jenn and I’s world might be turned upside down, but we have the confidence that God is taking care of everything so maybe that will allow us to just enjoy the ride. We shall see.

I recently listened to a talk given at Warehouse 242 by Kurt Graves that really brought some concepts together for me. He was talking about the need for a new apologetic, or a new way to talk about Christianity. It made me think about how Christians used to talk about being Christians. Often this involved moralistic persuasion and reasoning from the Bible with the assumption that the hearer would accept this as a bona fide source. In the past, the apologetic that was used could be described as a deontological apologetic–you should become a Christian because it is the right thing to do and the Bible says you should; it is your duty. This apologetic worked for a long time because the Bible still had significant cultural influence.

However, with the rise of Biblical criticism and competing theories and ideologies, this apologetic has lost much of its effectiveness. If someone dismisses the Bible as authoritative, how can you use arguments from the Bible to make your point. The same goes for arguing morality from the Bible. Ethical issues have become really complicated, and the simple answers just won’t cut it.

So where do we go from here? I think that we go back to our stories. We talk about our lives. We talk about how much better life is when we follow God and His will. We talk about the peace and the joy that our relationship with God gives us. A relationship with God should be spoken about in positive terms, in hopeful terms. For too long Christianity has been discussed in terms of judgment or strict moralizing. The truth is that being a Christian sets us free and gives us a life of meaning and purpose. Who wouldn’t want that?

There are certain questions in the Christian life that seem to repeatedly be raised, despite the fact that we pretty much know the answer, or at least know that we will not uncover any new approaches. One of those questions is why do people suffer. I think that it is a question that nearly everyone asks at some time in their life. Everyone experiences suffering in one form or another. And the question that accompanies suffering is “Why.”

We are not the first to ask the question, nor will we be the last. Consider the Biblical witness on this topic. The Israelites during the Exodus repeatedly asked why. The whole book of Job is essentially an extended form of the question why. Psalmists repeatedly asked why. Habakkuk also wants to know why. The Bible is full of examples of people questioning their circumstances and why they are forced to experience suffering.

Just as the Bible gives us the questions, it also gives us some answers. Some people are told that their sin has led to their circumstances. Many are told that their experiences are part of the much bigger plan of God. Sometimes we learn that the point of their suffering is to teach the sufferer something about God or about themselves.

It is good to know the possible answers, but we have to be careful when we attempt to interpret other people’s experiences. There are people who believe bad things happen to people because they have unconfessed sin in their lives. In the Bible these people are called Pharisees/vipers/uncircumcised hearts. In the present world, these people are often called jerks. While sometimes we do create our own suffering, there are just as many examples of suffering that we certainly did not invite.

In a world where this is sin and suffering, bad things will happen. When they do I believe that they can teach us. I also believe that it is always important for us to remember that God has a bigger plan. The story of Joseph is a source of strength for me when pondering these things. In his own words, God used the bad that happened to him for the good. It was part of God’s plan to preserve his people through whom would ultimately save the world.

Throughout the Bible and the history of Christianity, Christians have gone by a lot of names. One of my favorites is aliens. In 1 Peter 2, Peter admonishes the Christians to live their lives in light of their new identity. They are a chosen people called out to be holy people. Holiness means set apart, and being set apart means not becoming inundated and swept away with the culture of the world that can war against your soul.

Why call Christians aliens? What is it about Christians that would make that designation accurate or reasonable. What does it mean to be an alien? For one, it means that you are far from home. It means that the place that you dwell is a foreign land. You get homesick and long for your homeland. I think that most thoughtful Christians would tell you that they don’t feel at ease with the world around them. You can’t really blame them. There is a lot of bad stuff going on in this world. Isn’t it somewhat of a relief to know that the world that you belong to is not the one that you see on the news? The place where you dwell is full of anger, sin, and pain. The place that you belong is a place of joy, peace, and infinite joy. Every now and then I see a Wilson County, TN, license plate and I get a little homesick for good ole Mt. Juliet. The same goes for my heavenly home. Every now and then I see little glimpses of heaven, and I say to myself, “self, wouldn’t it be nice for this to be the norm?” But, it is not the norm. The norm is struggle and suffering. But this too will pass away.

Another thing that being an alien means is that the customs of the people around you are not your own. The story of the Israelites has a lot to do with this point. The reason the people were told to destroy all of the other people in the promised land is that if they did not, they would be tempted to mix their beliefs with the neighboring nations. And what happened–they mixed with the other nations, turned to other gods, and committed grievous sins. This is similar to the story of the New Testament church. Take the Corinthian church. They suddenly find themselves having to live lives that glorify God in the midst of a culture that is essentially abhorrent to God. They still want to go to the pagan temples and eat, but they promise not to do anything bad while they are there. Christianity is countercultural and that is not always an easy thing.

What we learn from the Corinthians is that how Christians are supposed to engage culture has been a question asked since the time of Paul. I don’t really know the answer either. Some people storm right into culture going to bars and witnessing while they have a drink. Others people live ten miles away from the nearest sign of civilization so as not to be corrupted. Still others need grocery stores and gas stations so they live in the city, but use the sensory deprivator 2000 in order to avoid catching a glimpse of anything worldly. And here is the thing, I can’t really say that any of these options are wrong because the factors are so complex. But, like most things, I am guessing that a middle way is probably more reasonable–one where Christians engage culture and even impact culture. Here is what this does not mean: you can’t live as the rest of the world and think that because you are Christian your higher enlightenment makes everything you do okay. That is called antinomianism. It is also called heresy and a lack of sanctification.

This raises very practical questions. Is it okay for my kid to listen to rap? Probably not. What about Christian rap? I guess, but what culture is that Christian rap glorifying, and how does your kid interpret its message? Here is another one: What is the Christian’s relationship to material possessions? Does being a Christian preclude one from buying an expensive car or eating expensive dinners? I don’t know, but I think it goes back to what we value and how we live those values.

So here is the deal, there are parts of the outside culture that we should have no part in. But, we exist in this culture and are here for a reason. Just because music is not by a Christian artist does not mean that it is inherently evil. Just because a book is not written by a Christian author does not make it dangerous for our faith. If we approach life like that not only will we become irrelevant to those whom we minister to, but it would also demonstrate a contempt for common grace. Perhaps we can utilize the wisdom of Jeremiah when he called on the Israelites in captivity to seek the welfare of the city (Jer. 29:7). Maybe we too should seek the welfare of those around us by exhibiting generosity, love, and understanding.

The third thing that being an alien means is that we will not necessarily speak the language. When I moved to Tennessee from Illinois, I started the fourth grade. My teacher had a fairly heavy Southern accent and used a lot of terms that were new to me. One day when we were doing a math assignment, she asked who had not yet finished all of the math problems and I raised my hand. She asked me how much I lacked, but as you may know the words actually sound like “how much do you like. I said that I don’t really like any of it because I don’t like math very much. Whereas I thought we were making conversation, she thought I was being smart aleck and I got sent to the hall for the first time. When we were out in the hall, we realized that we were not speaking the same language, and from then on we got along well.

What is the language of the world? At times it is a language of deceit or falsehood. At times it is a language of disbelief in anything bigger that oneself. It is a language of pride and envy. Christians should not sound like everyone else. Our lives have encountered something tremendous and that should impact the way we communicate with others.

We also should keep in mind that we don’t always speak a language that others can understand. In seminary I was asked by a young evangelist if I had been washed in the holy, sanctified blood of the lamb of Jesus Christ that can make me a white linen. All I could think of was just how bizarre this question would be for someone who had never heard of Jesus or God. We have to make sure that we can translate our story to those who need to hear it and understand it.

The fourth thing that being an alien is that you stand out. Jenn and I definitely stood out when we were traveling in Europe. In France, people there only wear black and grey, especially in the winter. Jenn had a bright green coat on which simply screamed, “I am an American!” I suspect that there are times in your lives when you have stuck out because you are behaving as a Christian. Even in the church enriched South, true Christianity stands out as countercultural. When you don’t drink around everyone else or when you spend time working at the church, people may not get it. But you should. When your values and your purpose are different from everyone else, you are supposed to look different.

I like being an alien. Over the years I have grown comfortable in my alien skin. My differences open an avenue to talk about why I have an undeniable hope and a sense of worth. By standing out, I draw attention to Godly values and practices. My biggest fear should be that I start to blend in.

A couple weeks ago I realized that it was finally time to begin exercising regularly. So now I get up in the morning early enough to go for a jog before I begin the rest of my day. When I say jog, I mean brisk walk, though I do throw a little actual running in there.

The approach that I am using is to build up to more of a jog. In the past when I would decide to become a jogger, I would run too long without any preparation, hurt my leg/arms/eyes/elbows/ribs/etc., and then forget to keep running after laying on the couch for a week recovering from the pain. So the plan is to run a little bit longer each day–I do know that this is not a profound original concept, but this is the first time I am sticking with it.

One of my favorite things about this time is that I am able to listen to some good worship music while jogging. I am pleasantly surprised that this has become a great way to begin my day spiritually. It also allowed me to make a connection that I find useful for thinking about my relationship with God.

It should not be hard to live a spiritual life, but it really can be. I think that many of us come to times in our lives when we realize we need to rejuvenate our relationship with God. My typical response is to throw myself into some new spiritual discipline or commit to reading more, and, like my past exercise regimens, I burn out quickly because I expect the results to come a lot quicker.

The truth is that spiritual exercises are aptly named because they take commitment, dedication, and repetition to be effective. Becoming “in-shape” spiritually does not happen overnight, and we should not expect it to. It takes time to develop any relationship. People will not become saints overnight, and while becoming Billy Graham might be your goal, it will likely need to be a long-term goal.

Another connection that physical exercise has with spiritual exercises is that each person works out in different ways. Some people may do well with a morning devotional while others need to dive into books or commentaries. But, just like exercise, if you only do it for a few minutes a day, you will not see results. This is the problem with the emphasis on morning devotions or ten minutes with God at night. If I jog for 30 minutes in the morning, but eat McDonalds and Chick-fil-a milkshakes all day, then I won’t be making any progress. What you put in, you will get out. This is especially true with our relationship with God. If we think that a few minutes each day will make much of a difference, we may be faced with some disappointment. Only when we have a seeking lifestyle will we effect change.

What is a seeking lifestyle? I don’t know how it looks for you, but here is how it looks for me. I spend various parts of my day encountering sacred things. Sometimes it is music that reflects God. Sometimes it is listening to sermons on my iPod. Sometimes it is just practicing a sermon or Bible study lesson. Here is how you know that it is working: you encounter God throughout the day. This is manifest in more patience with a coworker. It is found in the conviction that comes when you begin to degrade another person. It is seen in the fact that you long for the next part of your day that you can spend with God. It takes time, but if I can get there, you can too.

Parenting is one of those things that is really hard to grasp until you find yourself in the middle of it. A few people have told me lately that they are not ready to have kids. This has made me wonder what being ready for kids would look like. If you say that you are ready for kids, you are saying that you are ready for the following:

1. Pretty much give up control of your schedule for about twenty years.
2. Become more concerned about money than ever before.
3. Completely revolve your life around someone else.
4. Be prepared to care for a person’s every little need.

I am sure there is a lot more, but these are just a few things to be ready for. So here is the deal–who in the world can be ready for that kind of change? People do not become great parents overnight, but great parents are those people who accept the changes and celebrate them. There are realistically some people who are not ready to become parents, but most people are more ready than they think. It is not a coincidence that you get about nine months to wrap your head around the fact that soon there will be another human being in your house.

And, while parenting can be a challenge, there are some great things about being a mom or dad:

1. You discover that you can love someone more than you ever thought you could.
2. You can’t wait to get home to spend time with your child. You cannot wait for Saturdays to spend time with him or her.
3. You learn more about yourself than you thought possible.
4. You learn more about your spouse and your marriage than you ever thought possible.
5. You learn that joy is having your little girl squeal in delight because you came home from work–everyday.

Parenting is hard work. It absolutely changes your social life, your sleep habits, your time management, and your marriage, but it is so worth all of that.

In my junior and senior year of high school I went through what could only be described as my teenage angst phase. During this phase, I joined a literary magazine club with a bunch of other artsy students who would basically fit the mold of angst filled teenagers who are disaffected with the world. I don’t think that I was all that disaffected, but I did think that my poetry was particularly thoughtful. I doubt that I have any samples left of my early literary prowess, but I can tell you that it fits most characteristics of cheesy teenage poetry.

Guess what my favorite book of the Bible was during these years? Ecclesiastes, of course. Talk about angst. The writer of Ecclesiastes is definitely a model for all of those disaffected youths. Anyone who declares everything about life meaningless would have fit right in at our literary magazine meetings.

The truth is that all of us have been kindred spirits with the writer of Ecclesiastes. When life hits the wall, there is not much that seems meaningful. Even when life has not hit a wall, there are times when our souls ask what is the point of all of this. Why am I working so hard just to have more money to by more stuff? Why is it so important that I go to this school or follow this career path? Why do worry so much about what I wear or what I drive? The truth–all of it is pretty meaningless.

So if all of that is meaningless, what is the point of anything? Well, the writer of Ecclesiastes explains it well when he says that the end of all of this is to fear God and keep His commandments. So what does that look like? It means that the things that we should ascribe meaning to are those things that enable us or empower us to serve God. This means that if making more money will help you to serve God, then, by all means, make the money. But, if focusing on making more money does not honor God or enable you to better serve Him, reevaluate things. The same goes for everything else.

My teenage poetry days are over, but the wisdom of the book of Ecclesiastes still impacts my worldview. It can be a great reminder that this world is not our home. What we see will pass away, but what we believe impacts forever.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at FBC Alabaster. Every now and then someone asks me what it is like to preach, so I thought that this would be an appropriate time to reflect on the act of preaching.

Standing in a pulpit speaking as a messenger for God is certainly a humbling experience, but it is also a very rewarding experience. For me it is not the talking in front of people that is intimidating, it is the fact that you are engaging in some very serious business. You are acting as a mouthpiece for God. In pulpit your words are weighed much more than when you are speaking to a colleague or even giving a speech. Your words shape people’s ideas about God and about the Bible. It is a realistic possibility that it you misspeak on a passage or concept, people can honestly get the wrong impression of God and His word.

On a really practical level, preaching can also be intimidating. Like I said, it is not the speaking in front of people. I have always been comfortable talking in front of people, as long as I have some idea what I am going to say. But, when you preach, you enter into an interaction with the congregation that leaves you vulnerable an very aware of everything around you. When I speak in front of the crowd, I see everything. I see who is interested and who is distracted. I see the response to each word, whether it is confusion, apathy, or exhilaration. It is a weird existence between two consciousnesses: the one speaking and the one observing.

And here is something that I feel that I expect lot of preachers do as well: I never feel great about my sermons. Some people hate to listen back to their sermons just as people don’t like to read over a paper for school or eat leftovers. The thing is, the sermon exists in a moment that cannot be recreated. It truly is a conversation between the people and the preacher. One speaks with eyes and gestures, one with words. I have never preached a sermon that went exactly according to script. When the improvisation works, it is God speaking. When the improv makes no sense, it is my being all over the place. I cannot tell you how many times I have listened back to a sermon (I said I hated to do it, not that I didn’t do it), I always encounter a part of the sermon that surprises even me.

And that is where the intimidation ends, because I know that God is faithful to speak through me. I know that I must be faithful to prepare for the sermon, and I love the preparation. I love trying to figure out the one idea that I want to get across. I enjoy trying to find the format that fits with the message. I like reading books and synthesizing the information. But, in the end, it is God who works through me to teach the people about His word. I know that this is the case because after some sermons, two people will have gotten two completely different lessons from one sermon. My guess is that I could stand up at the pulpit and talk about popes in the 12th century, and God would still use that to teach someone.

Preaching is an honor and a privilege, and I love the exhilaration and anticipation that occurs right before a sermon.

There are a lot of things that people take for granted, but time has to be one of the things on the top of the list. I never thought about time very much until I began working. I became even more enamored with the concept after Isabel was born. When I was in school, time did not matter because there was so much of it. I could spend eight hours a day just goofing off, and I would still get all of my work done. I felt as if I had all the time in the world to do whatever it is I wanted to do at that time. My activities were only limited by my lack of creative uses for the time.

Today, my activities are limited by a lot more than that. My typical weekday schedule consists of getting ready for work, traveling to work, being at work, driving home from work, having dinner, playing with Isabel, two hours of “free time,” and then it is bed time. That does not leave much room for creativity. Most days I don’t mind the fact that my days have become so scheduled, but sometimes it can be frustrating. When those times come, it is always fun to mix up the routine by going out to eat or meeting Isabel and Jenn for lunch.

One of the concepts that I understand a lot better now is that of redeeming the time. I have been told since I was a teenager that it is important to use time properly. Redeeming the time that God has given to us is an important concept, and it is one that makes more sense the older you get. When you have two hours to do whatever you want instead of twelve, time becomes more precious, and in a real sense, more fleeting.

Our use of time is an investment into the things that we have deemed important to us. When we spend time with our children, we are investing that time in them, acknowledging and hoping that there will be a return. When we spend time with our spouse, again, we make an investment. We are saying that this relationship is important to me and is worth this investment of a precious resource. The same applies to our relationship with God. Keep in mind that this also applies to the television, golf, Wii, football, exercise, sleep, and work. How we spend our time is a great indicator of our values and priorities.

Sometimes we don’t have a choice. I don’t have the option to let my boss know that I do not prioritize work very high so I will only be spending twelve hours a week at the office. Though, if I did, I would find myself with a whole lot of time to invest. It is that “free time” that comes to mind when we talk about priorities. While it is important to take some time to unwind or to play, these cannot monopolize or relationships will suffer. Time is a valuable resource, and I would love to have more of it, but the reality is that every day truly is a gift from God. How we use that gift is up to us.

The following is pure self-promotion and entirely different from what I typically post here. However, I have given the address of this blog to people whom I am talking to about jobs so I thought that a post giving them some information would be relevant. If you are such a person, welcome to my blog. I think maybe a FAQ format would be good, so here it goes.

What experience do you have in ministry?
Well, other than serving as a Centrifuge counselor and a Crosspoint camp pastor, I have not been paid for any of my ministry experience. I was paid to speak at churches with the Samford Sunday program while I was an undergraduate, but I am not sure that counts.

The other experiences that I do have have been voluntary. Because I was not limited to paid positions, I have been able to strategically position myself in programs where I could learn. I worked with a thriving college ministry at the Church at Brook Hills. There I learned a lot about college ministry, creating and hosting small groups, working with career age young adults, and speaking/teaching. I currently work with FBC Alabaster where I developed a successful Sunday School class for young married families which I still lead. I have also gone on hospital and home visits and preached a number of times. Leading that class is very much like running a program because it is more that showing up on Sundays. There is pastoral care, programming, and setting up small group meetings.

My hope is always that people will understand that simply because I was not paid, I still acquired experiences as if I had been. I also hope that people understand that I know what church work is all about. With a father who has been a pastor since I was born, I am very aware of how churches and ministry works. I have been mentored all my life for a life in ministry.

You work at the Red Cross right now. How does that prepare you to do ministry?
Excellent question. I work at the Red Cross because after seminary I did not want to leave FBC Alabaster just as we got started, and Alabaster could not pay me. I was also toying with the idea of getting my PhD, so I did not feel that it would be appropriate to be on a church staff for a year and then leave. Having decided not to get my PhD, I began looking for a position with a church, and thus, here we are.

The Red Cross has had its benefits. For one, I get benefits, and I get paid. It has also allowed me to learn a ton about administration, volunteer development, supervision of staff, and just good organizational skills. On top of that, I get to help people who are often in the midst of the very lowest point of their lives. God has allowed me to develop in some real and tangible ways.

What is something that you want us to know?
First, please know that I have a serious passion for ministry that is birthed out of a call from God. This desire to minister and shepherd people is woven throughout my heart, mind, and soul. There are parts of me that have always pointed to ministry. God has given me special measures of compassion and patience. He has also given me a teaching heart that helps me lead people to Him.

Second, please know that I am a hard worker and a smart worker. I have had success in every job I have ever taken. I was good bookstore manager (promoted to manager after a few months). I am a good Red Cross worker (promoted after about three months). In just two years I have become one of the most highly trained Red Cross employees in Alabama, and keep in mind that this is not a job that I plan on doing very long. I don’t know that these things make me a great minister, but I do know that they cannot hurt. The point is that I work hard, and my work ethic combined with my passion for ministry is something that I know God can use for His glory.

I know that God will place me where He desires. But, I do want to use every format available to express the fact that I have a true passion for ministry, and I have been preparing for this career for a long, long time. I pray as I have always prayed, that God will use me for His glory.