Training

I'm training for my second marathon which happens in November. As you might expect, there's a lot of running that will happen between now and then. I follow a schedule that tells me how many miles I need to run every day. Right now, I'm running about 25 miles a week but 2 weeks from now, I will be running about 30. Towards the end of my training, I will put in 45-48 miles every week with 20 mile runs once a week. The idea behind marathon training is that you are teaching your body to endure the rigors of distance running so that when the marathon happens, you're ready.

Those long run days are tough. I usually hit the road after work and run anywhere from 2 - 3 hours. Every 4 miles or so, I will walk for 30 seconds to allow my muscles a chance to recover and regenerate. Marathon experts are conflicted on this practice. Some say that you should never stop because starting again gets more and more difficult. I know what they mean, especially as it gets hotter outside and I struggle to get going again. In last year's marathon, I hit a wall at mile 20. In my mind, I couldn't go another step.

My spiritual journey is very similar. At times, I need to stop but the more times I stop, the harder it is to get going again. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit was given to us to help us get going again. In the Greek, the authors used the word, "paraclete" which is defined as a helper who comes to help us to finish the race.

The Holy Spirit lives in us, empowering us to keep on moving forward through the course of life especially when it seems that we can't take another step. Paul said, "You take over. I'm about to die, my life an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause! Depend on it, he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming." (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

We have someone who runs the race with us. Another way to look at it is that He runs the race through us.

Train effectively.

Set your sights on the finish line.

Depend on Him along the way.

Bizarre

Yesterday was a defining moment in the short history of our church.

Just before my message, a man jumped on stage, stole a microphone, and began hurling obscenities at someone (including the REALLY bad word). His anger was sourced in the belief that the accused was doing something improper with his wife. The accuser was escorted off the stage, kept yelling the really bad word and, for added emphasis, broke a door on his way out. It wasn't the only incident. We also had two fights in the lobby and someone suffered an epileptic seizure during the service.

Ironically, my message surrounded Isaiah 41:10

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isn't that crazy? I would like to say that I was calm and collected all day while I immersed myself in God's promise of protection. Hardly. I was scared about what happened and what could have happened. What if he had a gun? What if we had new people in the crowd who came expecting a "normal" church service? What if the accused decided to violently settle the issue on stage?

Given the nature of our church, I'm surprised more craziness hasn't happened over the last 4 years. We are a hospital for sick people and, fortunately or unfortunately, sick people create an dangerous environment. Hospitals are in the healing business but the healing process is painful. Talk to a burn patient about his skin grafting. Talk to a cancer patient about her chemotherapy treatments. It hurts and it takes time.

Although I'm still riding a roller coaster of emotions, I'm glad (kind of) that the sickness was revealed in church. I'm not sure what God was thinking but I think He's interested to see how we react. Will we dismiss the outburst as an isolated incident and pray that it never happens again? Or, will we rejoice in the knowledge that a sick person landed in the hospital on his own accord, showed everyone just how sick he was, and - just maybe - gave God the opportunity to start the healing process?

God tells us to "fear not" but I'm still pretty scared.

Taking some time...

Our family is at the beach, enjoying beautiful cool weather, and watching my son play in a baseball tournament. Blogging will resume later in the week.

Enjoy God's grace today!

The coolness factor

Ed Young is the senior pastor of Fellowship Church in Dallas - a non-denominational mega-church considered one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Recently, Ed spoke at a pastor's conference and shared his opinion about how pastors should act and, specifically, the dangers and irresponsibility of using profanity.

At the conference, Ed made it very clear that many words should never be uttered by pastors. These includes the biggies (I would give examples here but don't want to offend you) and some not-so biggies - at least in my opinion. Ed doesn't use the words, "crap", "screwed", "hell", "damn", or "sucks". I'm not sure if he's ok with the popular replacement cuss words like "heck", "dang", or "fudge". He thinks the reason some pastors use naughty words is that they are "chasing cool". For example, when I say, "crap", Ed thinks that I'm just trying to maintain my relevancy in today's culture. Ed says that's a cop-out. He's certainly entitled to his opinion but my problem and the problem with some pastors at the conference is that Ed created his own benchmark and said pastors weren't cutting it.

Irony of all ironies...Ed is the poster boy for cool. He wears the coolest clothes, has the coolest hair, and doesn't the coolest things from the church platform. In fact, Ed became ultra-cool when he preached a message on sex and challenged married couples in his congregation to have sex every day for 7 days - whether one of the partners wanted to or not. Now that's cool and for everyone who agreed to participate, they became cool, too.

Here's what a Dallas blogger and frequent attendee at Fellowship said:

The fact is, one person's cool is another person's relevant. One person's relevant is another person's reality. One person's reality is another person's damnation. [With regards to profanity] I think it's more likely that younger pastors are using what Ed considers profanity because for their younger generation it's no longer considered profanity. That's my two cents.

I think we need to be very careful when we (me included) start telling other pastors how to be a pastor. Here are some nuggets of wisdom that I've picked up along the way:

"You are really supposed to do it this way."
"You really shouldn't drink."
"You really shouldn't go to "R" rated movies (unless it's The Passion of the Christ)."
"You are supposed to read your Bible every day."
"You're doing something wrong if your kids are out of control."

In Acts, we learn about a rabbi named Gamaliel who drew criticism by many Christ-followers about how and what he taught. Paul was quick to silence Gamaliel's critics, defending the rabbi's passion to teach. He said that God would judge Gamaliel - it wasn't their job.

Ed Young may think "sucks" is a swear word and be offended I use it but my grandmother would be offended by a seven-day sex challenge. Taking offense at another Christian's actions doesn't automatically mean they're in the wrong. It also doesn't mean everything is admissible (this isn't relativism 101).

Let's get worked up over the big stuff like sharing the Message with people who don't know about Christ, teaching them about grace, and showing them that's there's room at God's table for everyone.

Endorsement

Tim Keller has written a great book, The Prodigal God. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Here's the story from The Message Bible:

Luke 15:11-32

11-12Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'

12-16"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

17-20"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.

20-21"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

22-24"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

25-27"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'

28-30"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

31-32"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

The story of the prodigal son was part of a "parable trifecta" that Jesus used to explain the passion God has to find and offer grace to the lost. Since then, preachers have told and re-told the story thousands of times but Keller throws a new spin on the old story. He says that the story is about a father and two sons – not one. He also points out that the meaning of the word “prodigal” applies to the father as well as to the younger son's actions. The father exhibits this “lavish” characteristic in his generosity more than the younger son did in his disobedient living.

The story was targeted at the Pharisees as Jesus went to the core of their self-righteousness, motives and attitudes. Since we tend to fall on wrong side of grace, we are more like the older brother in the parable. We see the sins of those around us and judge others so easily, but we can’t see our own self-sufficiency, hypocrisy and lack of mercy and love. Major truth: The father extends love, mercy, and forgiveness to both sons. They both learned life lessons that day and now, when I re-read the story, I learn what they learned. My heart needs to respond to God not for what He can do or give to me, but because I just want Him for who he is. He’s not asking for a performance based relationship, and there is nothing I can do to merit the relationship he invites me into.