Beachside musings

Posted on August 29, 2005 by Jason

All right, so Sunny and I were SUPPOSED to spend this week in Gulf Shores with her family for a much needed vacation. God had other plans. As you probably know, Hurricane Katrina has been ravaging the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana all day long. We were evacuated from our hotel, so we decided to head east to Panama City.

Once we checked in and realized we were going to be OK, I walked down to the beach here. The waves were absolutely incredible. The wind was the strongest I’d ever seen. Now, I don’t want to belittle the tragedy and loss that many are experiencing as a result of this horrible storm. Early estimates suggest that Katrina will cost insurance companies between 9 and 23 BILLION dollars in compensation, which would make it the most destructive storm to hit the US. All this is to say nothing of the emotional cost to rebuild the lives & homes that have been destroyed by Katrina. But as I walked the beach here, on the eastern-most periphery of Katrina’s stormy weather, I couldn’t help but realize God’s vast greatness and my utter and complete “smallness”.

In that moment, I could do nothing but worship the God of all creation. I might as well have been a speck of sand standing on that beach shore….that’s how small I felt when I compared myself to God. And I was reminded that I am in relationship with a God who is so much greater than my ever-present fears, a God greater than any storm I might weather.

God bless you as you read this. May you experience the greatness of God that my words simply don’t do justice to. And let’s all keep the devastated families in Mobile, Biloxi & New Orleans in our thoughts & prayers in the coming days.

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Blue Like Jazz

Posted on August 24, 2005 by Jason


I had a chance to hear Donald Miller speak last night at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Miller is the author of several books, including the best-seller, Blue Like Jazz. Jazz is a writing of non-religious thoughts on Christian spirituality. It was amazing to see how Miller’s humor & candor resonated with a college crowd. It was a refreshing evening as we listened to Miller read excerpts from several of his books. He writes with a clarity and authenticity that I find so fresh and appealing.

I’m thankful for the shift in Christian literature toward a more honest and authentic dialogue. As Miller said, we should be the truest voice in literature; for far too long, we’ve been the phoniest.

I continue to find the postmodern shift, especially with regard to faith and orthodox religion, simultaneously refreshing and scary. I guess we have a unique vantage point: we’re witnessing the deconstrucion of a 500-year-old worldview and the emergence of a new one. We should be excited and a little scared.

My only concern is how the emerging postmodern worldview can be reconciled within a greater respect for scripture as the divine revelation of God. There is a sense of “anti-establishment” that I find in the writings of Miller and McLaren and others of a postmodern stripe. I detect a not-so-subtle irreverence toward church and, I’m afraid, perhaps even scripture. Granted, I’m making gross generalizations here. And Jesus himself was anti-establishment to the degree that the establishment, with it’s emphasis on man-made rules, had been deified. But Jesus was never anti-authority. He fully acknowledged the sovereign rule of God, as evidenced by His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. He spoke and taught as one having authority, even claiming the authoritative title of Messiah. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around some of the finer points of post-modernity, but I pray we don’t lose sight of the authority of God along the way.

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The Great Glory of God

Posted on August 23, 2005 by Jason

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.” — Psalm 8:1

The Psalms are for those who have fallen in love with the glory of God. How I long for the day when I will see Him high and exalted in glory, robed in majesty. The full embodiment of beauty and holiness and power…what glory! The idea that God has placed his glory above the heavens gives it a transcendent, infinite feel. Yet, someday, we will congregate in the presence of that glory and acknowledge Him with our full beings (Phil. 2). May that day come soon.

Glory to God in the highest.

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Our Great God

Posted on August 17, 2005 by Jason

An encounter with the greatness of God.

I’m sure that’s not what Moses expected when he woke up that morning. In fact, I’ll bet that day began as any other ordinary day started for Moses. But it’s startling when the extra-ordinary greatness of God interrupts our ordinariness.

The Bible says Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law when he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. It was in this place Moses encountered the living God who spoke to Him from within the burning bush. God called him by name.

“Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

When we encounter the greatness of God, we are simultaneously struck with His vast holiness and our supreme unholiness. We can scarcely even begin to wrap our minds around the holy nature of our God. He is so pure, so righteous, so transcendent, so “other” than what we know or experience or comprehend. And we are so impure, so unrighteous, so temporal and weak and transient and frail, incapable of even fully knowing ourselves, much less to commune so intimately with another. And yet, in spite of all this, you can’t miss the weight of this encounter. The Holy God of the universe is initiating relationship with man. Creator pursuing the created. In fact, He goes so far as to reveal His name to us.

Think about that for a moment. The sovereign, holy God of all time is the one unnamed entity in the universe. Everything else, every person, every place, literally EVERY THING has been named by another. But the eternal God, completely self-sufficient in His nature, is the one entity who is not named. His nature, His identity, His Name, are eternal. Who can ascribe a name to God that fully envelopes and articulates and encapsulates even a fraction of who He is? No creature is privy to such a role; only God Himself is worthy to bestow any kind of moniker or title to Himself. And beyond that, God, of His own volition, reveals His name to us for all time! His name is YHWH, I AM. His name signifies existence. God is the eternal God with no beginning and no end. His name signifies presence. He is the God present to act in salvation. He is the great and sovereign Lord who was and is and is to come.

When I acknowledge of the vast nature of God’s holiness and the equally vast nature of my unholiness, coupled with the knowledge that in spite of such a discrepancy, He still saw fit to redeem me, not by any merit of my own but only as an expression of His full and complete love for me, I can only think of one word to describe the character of such a God…..

GREAT

we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
titus 2:13

Posted in Devotional, Theology | 4 Comments

Powerful words

Posted on August 11, 2005 by Jason

I was reading through the opening chapters of the Gospel of Mark recently and I was struck by the words of Jesus. Mark, likely the first of the Biblical Gospels to be written according to scholars, bypasses the lengthy genealogies & family history of Jesus. He begins with a prophecy about John the Baptist and hastily speeds through the baptism & temptation of Jesus. Without explanation, John is then sent to prison and Mark places Jesus in Galilee to begin his ministry. “The time has come,” Jesus proclaims. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). These verses serve as a thesis for the remainder of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus begins his ministry of bold proclamation regarding the kingdom of God. He calls Simon & Andrew with a simple exhortation: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:18). He reproaches the evil spirit in Mark 1:25 by saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” I was struck at the power of the words of Christ. This ain’t your Momma’s VBS flannelboard Jesus. This is a prophetic figure with an ordained mission to proclaim to goodness of God and the coming of His kingdom. And I’m stirred by the power of his words. I want to follow this man, to hear him speak, to feel the passion in his call. As the old song says, is there any way you could say no to this man? Certainly not this Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus, for heralding the kingdom of God. Certainly the time has come for your people to feel the power of the Word, the living Word, enfleshed within and among us. May we as your followers bear the same ministry of proclamation in your honor. May the Kingdom you proclaimed be represented in your people. Guide me to a God-honoring, Kingdom-oriented lifestyle. Maranatha, Jesus.

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Tag, You’re It…

Posted on August 9, 2005 by Jason

I’m still a novice at this whole “blog” thing. So you can imagine my surprise when a good friend told me he’d “tagged” me. According to the rules, I’m supposed to answer the same questions he’s answered on his blog. So, here goes. Enjoy.

1. What were three of the stupidest things you have done in your life?
Well, when I was in high school, some friends and I played a prank on our football coach. Long story short, we were caught, the police were called and they took us downtown to the station in the back of the police cruiser….while we were handcuffed. I guess we were pretty stupid.

During a pick-up basketball game, I once got so mad I punched a brick wall. My hand still hurts.

And finally, there was a little incident involving me and a pair of Sunny’s jeans. Not one of my brighter moments.

2. At the current moment, who has the most influence in your life?
An easy one: Jesus. My prayer these days is John 1:14 — that the Word would take up residence in my flesh so I can bear witness to His glory. There’s no one else I want to be like.

3. If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to only pick up five people to dine with, who would you pick?
I really agonized over this one. And if I’m being honest with myself, I would have to choose Christ. I mean, how could I pass up the opportunity to dine with Him? But I wouldn’t want to invite anyone else to join me…I’d want Him all to myself. So I’m excluding Jesus from the list. Thus…

…I choose family. Mom & Dad are 1 and 2 for me. As most of you know, it’s been a long time since I’ve been with my parents. My Dad passed away in 1987, Mom in ’94. I cannot tell you how much I long to see them again. I long to introduce them to the other three at the table: Sunny, Abby Kate & Joshua. The image that gives me the most peace, aside from being cradled in the arms of my Jesus, is the moment in heaven when I get to introduce Sunny to my parents. I’ve told her so much about them over the years, but she’s never had the chance to meet them. She and my Mom would have so much in common; my Dad would enjoy giving her a hard time. And now that I’m a parent, I can’t wait to introduce my children to their grandparents. They’ll hear so many stories about my parents, but that moment will be really special for me. Gives me a lot to hope for.

4. If you had three wishes that were not supernatural, what would they be?
That my children would know Christ
That Christians in our nation would have a burden for the impoverished & the oppressed around the world
That my Cardinals would win another World Series in my lifetime

5. Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live at the moment. Name two things you regret your city not having, and two things people should avoid.
I regret that Huntsville doesn’t have a spirit of unity & brotherhood among her churches. I regret that we’re too often more concerned about defending & protecting our doctrines rather than bearing an authentic witness to the lost.
Avoid Hwy 72 in Madison between 4-6pm. And (this one’s for Sunny), it’s always a good idea to avoid McDonalds.

6. Name one event that has changed your life.
Meeting my wife. Before she came along, I was really good at shutting others out. She taught me how to love others and let myself be loved, and for that I’m forever in her debt. I love you, Sunny.

There you go. I think I’m supposed to tag someone else from this point, but I dont’ read anyone else’s blog page, so if you’re reading, YOU’RE IT!

Posted in Blogging | 3 Comments

Interns 05

Posted on August 8, 2005 by Jason

This post is probably a bit overdue, but I wanted to take a moment and thank God for the great work of our interns this year. Dan, Jenna, Heath & Beth were a tremendous blessing to this ministry this summer and as they’ve left to head home or back to school, we continue to reap the benefits of their labor here with us this summer.

I don’t know if you guys will read this, but we love and appreciate you all so much for sharing yourselves with us this summer. I continue to hear our teens singing your praises in the days since you’ve left. That’s a testament to your influence and ministry in this place. You won’t be soon forgotten, by the teens or by me. I praise God for your tireless efforts, your exuberance, your spirit, your willingness to love our teens. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I hope that you’ll continue to remember “Who’s On First” in your life. We miss you guys and we love you! Come back soon!

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10 Year Reunion

Posted on July 25, 2005 by Jason

This weekend, I’ll attend my 10 year reunion. It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since I graduated from high school. In some ways, it seems much longer than that.

Here are a few of life’s lessons I’ve learned in the 10 years since I graduated:

1. Never accidentally wear your wife’s blue jeans. She’ll never let you forget it.

2. The only difference between impossible & incredible is belief.

3. When the doctor performing your wife’s ultrasound says, “Hmmm…that’s interesting,” prepare yourself for some pretty incredible news!

4. The most important thing about me is what I believe.

5. You can’t come in contact with Jesus without being changed.

6. When someone says your dog is “buff”, they aren’t referring to his muscular physique.

7. The most joyful people I know are the ones who use the word “we” the most. And the loneliest people I know are the those who have no “we”, only “I.”

8. If you want to know what faith is, sing “Amazing Grace” at a nursing home or senior center and watch the expressions on the residents faces.

9. Never unload heavy wooden furniture from the damp bed of a pickup truck while wearing your mowing shoes. Trust me.

10. Jesus loves me, even though I’m a dork.

11. The greatest compliment I’ve ever been given: “Dada”.

10 years ago, if you’d have told me I’d be a youth minister with two kids, a dog, a mortgage and a mini-van, I’d have said you were crazy. Beyond that, if you told me I’d be HAPPY being a youth minister with two kids, a dog, a mortgage and a mini-van, I would’ve had you committed to the loony bin. But from where I sit, I know I couldn’t be any happier with my life. I only hope the next 10 years are as rich.

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Rambling Jesus

Posted on July 19, 2005 by Jason

I met Rambling Jesus today.

Rambling Jesus wore a weathered, purple polo shirt, a blue button-up sweater, a pocketwatch and a huge belt buckle. He stood 6’2″ and wore brown, square-rimmed eyeglasses. Rambling Jesus was an old man, probably in his 70’s, with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.

Rambling Jesus sat in his chair and clapped effusively as our group performed for him and approximately 25 other senior-home residents. We’d been practicing these songs for months, going over the lyrics and the notes and our need to smile and act like we were happy to be there, even if we weren’t. I watched Rambling Jesus as we started to sing. His face lit up with a huge smile before we even opened our mouths. He audibly expressed his delight with our song choices, rejoicing at our imprecise renditions of love songs from a variety of genres.

Rambling Jesus is named Bob Noise. Earlier in life, he flunked out of pilot school. Something about a time when he accidentally flew his plane upside down while his instructor was with him. He wasn’t much of a pilot, he said, but he was pretty good at crash landings. He also spent time in the wine business and later he was a teacher. He told his stories and captivated the group of young girls gathered around him. Rambling Jesus was a great story-teller, even if he did tend to ramble a little bit.

And I’m pretty sure at least some of what he said was a bit embellished.

But I realized as we talked with him and listened to his stories that he was the reason we were here. In that moment, we listened to him as if he were Jesus. He was the “least of these”. But for a moment, he had an audience and his stories could come alive and he was twenty-something again, flying planes upside down & captivating all the girls.

I just never expected Jesus to ramble as he told his stories.

But then again, He never has been what I would’ve expected Him to be.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Posted in Devotional, Jesus, Theology | 3 Comments

From the Empire State

Posted on July 18, 2005 by Jason

We’ve had a great week so far in New York. We’ve been working with the Horseheads congregation in the southern part of the state. The people here have been great, and our group is doing a wonderful job.

We’ve had a great start to VBS. We personally invited over 150 people from the community. You’ll have to ask some of our team members about their doorknocking experiences. There’s something about that whole encounter that is faith-building.

Today we spent some time serving at an elderly lady’s home doing some much needed yard work. Miss Nan was so appreciative of our efforts. She even fixed us some fruit salad for dinner and brought it by the church building. In the afternoon, the girls spent some time volunteering at the United Way. 17 of our ladies and teen girls worked there for over an hour and a half stuffing envelopes & coalated thousands of papers. The Center’s director was nearly in tears when our team left. She commented that she would’ve had to pay someone over $550 to put in the man hours to accomplish all our group did in a mere hour and a half! Our guys spent the afternoon working in the yard of an older couple. We pulled weeds, chopped trees, moved firewood and had a blast! Check our MYM website soon for plenty of pictures!

God is truly blessing our efforts here. Keep us in your prayers this week. We’ll be sure to share all our great stories and pictures with you when we get home! See ya!

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