Life.Confluence

Why India? Why Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:09:00 +0000

This is a video I made to help share some of my experiences and the love God has given me for my friends in India:

Cub Scout Dad?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

I grew up in a sports saturated culture, and by the first grade I figured out that my school had a hierarchy and the athletes were definitely on the top. And so when my parents sat down with me and asked me to decide (for the rest of my life) if I wanted to do Cub Scouts or sports I didn’t hesitate, “Sports!” I assumed everyone had to make that choice.

Through the years I associated Cub Scouts with Norman Rockwell paintings and selling Christmas trees. My classmates who were Boy Scouts seemed to be good at camping and “out-doorsy stuff,” and since I had severe skin allergies, I assumed they did things that I could not do, like walking through fields and fields of poison ivy and not being harmed. Of course, I wanted nothing to do with that. I also assumed they were all little soldier boys and the Cub Scouts were just a watered down version of military school. (OK, I watched too many bad military school movies in the ’80s).

But thankfully about five years ago, I discovered Bear Grylls on the show “Man vs. Wild.” The way he always knew what to do and what to eat to survive amazed me and grossed me out, but in a good way. So, after doing some research on him I discovered that he is the youngest “Chief Scout” ever. That means he is the leader of all of the Boy Scouts of America. In the whole world. Awesome.

After getting over the fact that I’m not Bear Grylls and I’m not the world leader of a child army — I mean the leader of the whole world of the Boy Scouts — I tucked that little fact away somewhere in my brain and forgot about it.

And then we got the invitation. Kael, my first grader, was invited to join a local Cub Scout Pack here in Champaign-Urbana. “My son, future secret agent.” No, “My son, member of the special forces.” Better, “My son, he takes me camping every year and knows how to keep me from being mauled by a bear. Sweet!”

But I have to admit, I was intimidated by all the other “Cub Scout Dads,” and the first night I scoped out the situation. “Who’s the best of the best?” I thought, just like they said in Top Gun. “Which Mom or Dad is carrying a pocketknife right at this very moment (not me)?”

As it turns out, most of the parents I have met are, just like me, trying to do their best and don’t claim any “scouting” expertise. They care and most of them, in fact, were not scouts themselves. Good thing because I am such a poser with my blue and orange Tiger Scout hat!

But still I wonder: When do I get to meet Bear Grylls?

*I also posted this column on Chambanamoms.com "The FatherLoad" on
October 18, 2011 Here
*Above picture: Celebrity outdoorsman Bear Grylls makes Boy Scouts look cool. Credit: Flickr, lwpkommunikacio

So We Do Not Lose Heart...

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 07:34:00 +0000

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians in chapter 4:16-18 he writes:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

"So we do not lose heart."

That phrase compels me to investigate the reason the recipients of the letter do not have to lose heart so I can know why we today can live without losing heart. Losing heart is big-business in our world today. There are so many reasons to lose heart: health issues, finances, broken or strained relationships, various fears including employment struggles, fear of death, loneliness. We might lose heart simply by reading the newspaper. The "story" of the news seems pretty clear to me, "The bad guys are winning."

So what is the reason Paul says the readers can hold on and "not lose heart?" Because by faith Christians trust that God is working in them and through them no matter what the "score" is; no matter what our eyes and our bodies tell us.

As he writes here, Christians "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen." And we hold on to the truth that God is making us into someone wonderful and, as CS lewis writes about this passage in his famous essay "The Weight of Glory" (my paraphrase):

If we could see what the Believers around us will become we would be tempted to worship them.

That's what God is doing in and through us; He's painting a beautiful, magnificent art-story. And it hurts like hell sometimes and is uncomfortable most of the time. But the pain is, as Paul writes here, "momentary and transient."

So, take heart today, my friend, because in your life if you are in Christ God is building something far more glorious than you can imagine and our temporary pain is not meaningless but has a very good purpose!

Self-Reliance vs. God-Reliance

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

From the pastors and teachers here I am learning so much! One way I have specifically been challenged, encouraged and inspired is how much the leaders here depend on God and not their own power. I have a lot to learn here!

Here is a passage I was praying through today in 2 Corinthians 1 and 2. You could pray it with me:

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many...

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

Operation India: The World I Imagine. The World that is. The World that can be.

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:57:00 +0000

When I said I was going to India several people who had been here smiled and said they’d pay good money to see me experience culture shock. They said it was dirty, poor and spiritually dark like nothing they had experienced and probably like nothing I had experienced.

I thought I was ready after all that smirking from my friends. I imagined the worst so as to prepare myself not to shame or embarrass my hosts and dear friends.
But I felt more like a “Hick from French Lick” (southern Indiana) five minutes before I walked off the plane in Delhi than any other time in my life. I feared that my childhood had not prepared me for what I was about to experience.

Mary Kay, the passenger who sat with me for the fourteen hour flight was taking her 12th pilgrimage to see her guru. Mary Kay is a 50-something Austin, Texas resident with a thick southern drawl who practices, as she said, the "healing powers of Hinduism" as a chiropractor. She spent the first four hours of our flight trying, I think, to convert me to Hinduism. I gave and took in the conversation until it was clear that our view of Jesus was quite different and I shared that I am in fact an Evangelical pastor. Still, I honestly think that she thinks we were probably friends in a past life (what can I say, I can be a good listener when I choose to be).

Right before I left the plane she said to be careful because “these people are beautiful, but they are petty thieves.” She continued, “Stay awake on the trains because they will use chloroform to knock you out and steal your luggage. And there is filth and germs everywhere. Don't use bathrooms in public. And don’t drink the water whatever you do.”

And with that she left along with most of the other passengers. I stood there panicking because I wasn’t sure when I would get to use the toilet next…perhaps nine hours away including a 5 and ½ hour train ride from midnight to 5:30am in which I was to be aware of chloroform being put to my nose.

There was no “petty thieving” on my arrival, though I felt more than a little uncomfortable at how some men at the Delhi train station walked toward me when they could have avoided it even though I gave them my best “you better back off because I am a big hairy guy and you may think you know me but you don’t know me and what I’m capable of” look.

I felt lonely on the train at times, especially when my soft and cool pillow in slow motion fell to the floor and I knew I could never go back to it. That pillow, like it was my teddy bear from childhood, was dead to me and that’s just how it had to be.
But on the train God comforted me and made me laugh when someone’s cell phone rang to the tune of John Denver’s “You fill up my senses…” one of my favorite cd’s that I often play and laugh with my family to.

As I entered in to this world of poverty, hunger, hurt, brokenness and desperation somewhere deep inside I just wanted to go home and forget that I had never been here. I wanted in some ways to go back to "innocence" and I felt sick about it in my stomach. I wanted to think that the world was not as bad as the poverty I was seeing just in those few hours of coming to my destination.

But I cannot control the world. I can’t make it the world I want it to be. I can’t live in denial about the brokenness that exists in this world, the world that is.
There is only the world that IS, and the world that CAN BE in Jesus. And that’s why I’m here. I am here to be a part of a healing "revolution" in Jesus Christ.

I’m a 2011 Dad

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:18:00 +0000

I’m a 2011 Dad.

Maybe at some point things were simple for Dads.

But I would not describe my life as a husband and father as “simple.” I’m not a simple man and I would not survive today if I were.

My life is not 9-5 on weekdays and then recreation the rest of the time.
I’m a 2011 Dad.

I’m like Reggie Bush who is neither running back nor receiver, or you could say both running back and receiver. Like him, some “coaches” just don’t know what to do with me to utilize my strengths. It’s complicated now.

I’m a “tweener” Dad--a Gen X’er. I’m neither Silent, Boomer nor Millenial. I have great strengths but I’m probably more “high maintenance” than those that came before me.

I don’t build tree houses or work very well with tools but I can find you a great gps with lifetime and traffic updates and show you how to use it. I’ll even update your maps four times a year if you’d like.

I’ve got one foot in the 20th Century and one foot in the 21st.

I’m a 2011 Dad. A tweener.

I don’t fix cars, don’t even know how to change the oil, but I do know how to use Trip Advisor so you hardly ever have a bad restaurant experience.

Because of my mastery of technology I can navigate in cities in which I’ve never been and I don’t even need a travel agent and certainly don’t need to ask for directions--but not because I’m stubborn.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

More power for my wife does not mean less power for me.

I have no clue how to fix a lawnmower or build a fence but I can use Google Earth to show you a satellite view of any place on the planet, including where I’m sitting right now with my phone in my house.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

I do not pride myself in knowing how to change a tire quickly, but I am proud of how many tv shows I can watch at the same time: three, with a decent remote.

I don’t know how to build a deck, but I can set up your entertainment system to sync your Playstation, your stereo, your tv, your satellight, and also your ipod and your Pandora account for parties.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

I not only express myself, but I do it constantly on twitter and facebook and if I’m sad, I cry.

I want my wife to be powerful and I’m not intimidated by it. My daughter’s name means “Industrious Leader.”

I’m a 2011 Dad.

I don’t hate my job. I actually enjoy my job which is close to my passions and greatest strengths even though it means more work and less money.

I work out of my home office a lot of the time, which allows me to do laundry and dishes between my work tasks. My father never learned how to use a washing machine.
My washer and dryer and dishwasher are the only “workhorses” I have ever known. And boy do they work hard.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

I don’t “clip” coupons, but I do find great deals online everyday. I’m better at discounts than my wife and I get more excited about them than she does.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

I use Google Calendar, which allows my wife and I to see each other’s minute-by-minute schedules, and the six other calendars that we have between us.

I’m a 2011 Dad.

On Church Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:35:00 +0000

One of my friends, Mike, recently asked me how I was personally doing with life and Church Planting. He has been in ministry a long time, including planting Churches and currently teaching Pastoral Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. I want to share with you some of his words, which really encouraged me today and may give you a glimpse of how I am doing and hopefully will inspire you to pray for us.

As I read through your email, it reminded me of my church planting days….spiritual warfare! I remember talking with friends about what we were doing and the difficulties and some of the downs and the stress on our family and my friend on the phone said, “That sounds like spiritual warfare, Mike.” I realized then that with the gospel going into a new area and getting a foothold on previous ground taken by satan or even a stronghold of satan, that he was like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour…..me and my family. I think this is the nature of church planting- spiritual warfare.

In an established church, I think some of the major spiritual battles have been fought and won, so that we are building on someone else’s foundation. But in church planting, you are the one fighting those initial battles, you are the one creating that foundation, you are the one the evil one is attacking. He is at war and the victory has not been won. And we know, that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

My prayers are for you and Esther at this time….church planting has great highs and some unenjoyable lows….some may be from our own flesh and depravity, but in church planting it is not underestimating that it can be fostered, prompted or cajoled by the enemy who takes great delight in us being distracted from the Savior.

Holding you before the throne of grace…

Yes! Amen! Thanks Mike. And thank YOU for reading this and holding us up before the throne of grace as we experience both the power of God and the power of the enemy in our lives each day as we plant this new Church.

Kevin

Tree of Life (film)

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:43:00 +0000

I just saw the movie "Tree of Life" and in response I have been thinking about many things. One thing is my childhood and being a boy in rural Indiana.

Last week on our way back from vacation we went through my hometown to see my folks. And I saw my childhood best friend, Eric, across the street. We haven't been close since I turned to Jesus when we were 17...I was such an ass about it, and he was, understandably, weirded out (even though he was gracious about it). But before that we were inseparable and brothers. Sad.

But now he owns the woods we used to play in every day. His mom still owns his old house, but he owns the houses on both sides of her and he was literally working in the yard where we used to play everyday and trespass and vandalize and drive the owners crazy. We shook hands and said hi (I honestly wanted to wrestle him to the ground and give each other what we used to call "tittie twisters.") But there's a chasm that we just can't cross.

I always feel sad when I leave him even though we have only spoken three or four times in the past ten years, even with his dad's funeral. We always say we will "hang out" or "our kids could be friends" or "our wives will be friends" but not so...yet. Sometimes I just want to go back there and camp out with him. And so often I reflect on our lives and our dreams of what we would become back when we were 12 and did everything together. Especially July 4th weekend makes me reflect on blowing things up and playing with fireworks and never wanting summer to end.

This film made me remember. It inspired me to celebrate. And grieve.

I highly recommend it.

Are You the "Salt of the Earth?"

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Just last night my six-year-old son, Kael, was reading me a book, which happened to be about salt--yes, he was reading a science book for fun (Must be Esther’s genes. Just kidding)! This children’s book helped me to see more of why Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth.”

First, the writer in the book asked, “Do you think salt was always cheap?” And the answer is no. Salt was actually a part of the salary for Roman soldiers. It was so valuable that they were paid partially in salt! In fact the word “salary” actually comes from the root “sal” which is Latin for salt! So, when we use the phrase “He is worth his salt” we are alluding to this connection between “salt” and “salary.”

What this means is that according to Jesus if we are in him we are extremely valuable. Not that others are not valuable, but if we are in Him we are extremely valuable! Do you know that today? Jesus thinks YOU are extremely valuable.

Second, many people know that salt is used to purify things and to keep, say, meat from rotting. But did you know that the two ingredients, chlorine and sodium, are poisonous if separated, but safe to eat if combined in salt? In doing so, I wonder if Jesus was also thinking that if we are not in him we are potentially toxic, but if we have a relationship with God through him we are not only safe but good and extremely useful for the world (which is rotting just like meat, by the way).

Third, without chlorine water would not be healthy to drink in our world. We need water to be purified and cleansed in order to be healthy and nourishing. In this I think Jesus was saying that the world needs Christians to be a positive influence, cleansing, loving, healing, serving, speaking the truth in love and teaching people what God is like.

So I ask you, are you the salt of the earth, or are you more like separated chlorine, sodium or perhaps more like salt that is still in the container?

Make You Feel My Love

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:43:00 +0000

Check out this video we put together to help people hear His invitation today:

Kevin Wilson Isaiah 42.1.9 4-10-11

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:26:00 +0000

What is God’s Response to evil and pain?

Why did YOU join Confluence Church?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Check out this new video in which several "Confluenc-ers" share about why they are a part of our community:

Cadaver Encounter

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Today I visited a cadaver. I could tell it once was full of glory. It was as if the cadaver had been preserved and there had been no decay on the outside. But there was no life inside. There were many, many rooms but no meetings. Microphones but no one listening. Pulpits-yes plural-but no congregation hearing from God. And there was a mighty kitchen that must have fed many mouths through the years. But not today.

Toys ready to be played with. Books ready to be read. It’s like I’m the lady visiting the hotel in Psycho and discovering Norman and his mother. Except I’m in a church building. The denial. The fear of change. The hint of mothballs. The complete and total irrelevance to the actual world that exists.

Rooms, rooms and more rooms. Supplies sitting. Resources wasted. Even a youth room with a purple ceiling and hand-written words written on the wall, full of energy, love and hope. But no youth. Not today. I wonder if they knew they would be the last group. Did they look at each other and know the ship was going down?

And she had the audacity to say, “When the new youth take over, the things they might do to this room.” The new youth. The new youth? Honey, they are long gone. And you have old chairs and banners stacked from floor to ceiling in this room. Storage. Those youth are now forty years old. The glory has departed.

Kevin Wilson, March 28, 2011

What (or Who) is at the CENTER of Your Life?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:07:00 +0000

Hey Friends:

If it would bless you check out what we are thinking about at Confluence Church through what I shared this past Sunday.

Thanks for listening! (Click on the title to go to our "Audio Sermons" page)

Subscribe to Confluence Church

Confluence Church Video Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:28:00 +0000

Thanks for being with us and joining us on this journey of helping people experience freedom and joy! Here is a video update with some pictures of our team and a short video with Esther and I sharing briefly about who we are, where we are and what God is doing among us.

What’s the “Main Thing" about being the People of God?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:48:00 +0000

In his outrageously successful book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", Steven Covey wrote, “The main this is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

It is so tempting in our culture to not have one “main thing.” We have many “main things” and so we have no “main things.” We multi-task. We labor. We spin. We run. We make more money so we can consume more, and we exercise more so that we can eat more.

But is this what life is all about? I don’t think so and I was, again, reminded of that with the public debacle of Charlie Sheen’s life and his ABC interview this week. Wow. Just another of many, many celebrities who labored and consumed more, and the consumption is destroying him right in front of our eyes. It’s not a “train wreck” situation. It is more like someone with gangrene of the soul that is rotting slowly from the inside out. If you haven’t seen it here is the interview. But I don’t stand in judgment of Sheen. I am simply an onlooker who has been there--and I don't think I'm overstating it. Really. And apart from Jesus I would be there today, if I were even still alive and not in jail. That is honestly where I was headed when Jesus changed my life.

And there is still hope for Sheen. I really believe that. And there is hope, and I mean REAL "My life can still be amazing" kind of hope for you too, if you are interested today.

But I believe the key to hope and “abundant life” is to ask, “What is the ‘main thing’ about living well to God? Does the Bible say anything about what is important to Him, about what it means to BE the kind of people we were created to be?” And the answer to that question is clearly and profoundly “Yes!”

This passage is one example of an answer. God here is interacting with people who claimed to know Him, but weren't living that way. Here he takes them to "court" and all creation is the jury. Check it out and see if you can find out how they were living contrasted with God's vision for their lives:

Micah 6:1–12 (NIV84)
1Listen to what the LORD says: “Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.
2Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3“My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.
5My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
6With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
9Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
10Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the short ephah, which is accursed?
11Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?
12Her rich men are violent; her people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully.

In this passage the People of God had turned following God into a burden. They had turned it into “religion.” And it broke God’s heart. He wasn't "angry" here in the way that we get angry. He was heartbroken and sad like a good father to His children. Why? Because they were laboring and spinning in life and in their “worship” while neglecting good and just behavior to widows, orphans, employees, citizens and many others. They had been trying to please God with hard work, but they forgot about simply loving the people around them in practical, everyday ways.

And the heart of this passage is verses 6-8 in which God, through Micah, exhorts them to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” In other words, they cared about “religion” but forgot about relationships with God and people. They didn’t keep the main thing the main thing. And, by the way, Jesus addresses this quite strongly too in Matthew 23:23.

I admit to you today that I do that a lot--forget the "main thing" of the Christian life: justice, love and humility.

Thank you God for calling me back to the kind of life that you offer me today. A life of justice and love, especially toward those who don’t know you as “The lover of their souls” yet. Thanks, Lord, for extending to me this life of grace and peace and rest. May I live into it today and live this life of Matthew 11:28-30.

What does ABC's "The Bachelor" have to do with Leah from Genesis 29?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:27:00 +0000

So all your fanciful ideals about me may be about to change: My wife and I watch the Bachelor together on Monday nights. We watch. We laugh. We eat popcorn. We talk about it. And we, in our best moments, wonder if there is anything to learn about our culture that can help us to help people.

And for the last several weeks since we have watched the show, we wonder why we feel sad toward the end of the show; and it’s not because it’s over.

We wonder:

Is it sad because rejection is coming at the end of every show? Perhaps.
Is it sad because of the decisions we see that will affect these young people for the rest of there lives and they don’t even know it. Yes.
Is it sad because these people remind of so many friends through the years who have loved and lost love? Yes.
Is it sad because it reminds us of our own relational brokenness? Definitely.
Is it especially sad when some people (I was tempted to refer to them as “contestants” rather than “people,” tellingly) after not receiving an invitation to stay break down and openly admit their greatest fears, that they have again been rejected by someone. Some of them go so far as to admit that they think they are the problem and they have sort of been “found out” again. “What was I thinking…that someone would actually choose me!” Ouch. That hurts to hear and watch.

But the show is very entertaining indeed.

At this point you might be wondering, “Kevin, what does this have to do with anything? Why are you bringing it up? Are you going to just hammer the bachelor because it is immoral or what?”

No, I’m not going to focus on many things I don’t like about the show.

I just want to say that God’s love is not like that. It’s not based on looks or “chemistry” or personality or what your family is like. It’s not based on money or how you look in a swimsuit, or whether or not you have a fear of commitment. It is based simply on his decision to love you and choose you and me for no reason other than His desire and His pleasure. He loves you.

If you’d like to read a story within the larger story of the Bible, which is all about God’s unconditional love contrasted with the cheap, shallow love of the world, I encourage you to read the story of Leah, Rachel's sister who was “hard to look at” in Genesis 29:15-35. And I encourage you to notice how God interacts with her, as opposed to her father and her husband, the men who were supposed to love her and treat her as a precious treasure.

Great Question!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:17:00 +0000

As most of you know I engage with people a lot about spiritual questions, both theirs and mine. Last spring I wrote a blog about my experiences with suffering and some of my responses to it. (That blog is here: http://lifeconfluence.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-preachy-christians-and-hard.html)

Since then I have interacted with one reader in particular back and forth about her questions. She recently wrote this:

I think that it's not supposed to be easy. I don't want it to be easy. If it was easy, it wouldn't be a big deal. Also, that pain is an experience that allows us to feel what many other people before you have felt and to better understand their pain. The hardships make you who you are and make you feel something. Most people change after persevering through a crisis.

Though these situations may break us down, once we overcome them, we can help ourselves to grow and move past, plus we gain the knowledge needed to help others break down their situations and to move past them. I think of the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Kevin, I have a question that's not really on the same topic, but, why do you think that it is so awesome that God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins?

Now that is interesting isn't it? There is a connection--in the Christian worldview, which I shared with her to which she is responding--between our suffering and God sending Jesus to suffer both with us and for us.

I also think it's a great question that deserves some time from Christians, including myself: Why do I think that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is so awesome, so significant? Why? Do you have any reasons--and I mean personal ones?

I'd love to hear some of them (and your questions too).

We the People: Simultaneously Dignified and Depraved

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:12:00 +0000

I wish things were easy. But there are no words to take away the pain when someone hurts you, or violates your trust. I remember the first book I read about adult victims of childhood sexual abuse called "The Wounded Heart," by Dan Allender, and I think the first line was exactly that: I wish things were easy. Those words, or however he put it, at least softened my heart to be able to read the rest of it--through the anger, hurt, fear, disappointment, shame, forgiveness, and then the conviction of how I sinned in response to all of that sin done to me. It's messy. It's complicated.

Just last night I was watching a television show on A & E with Esther called "Beyond Scared Straight" in which several incarcerated females were trying to help several young girls and teens who were going on the wrong path. They tried to wake them up in various ways for their own good. I was crying by the end of the show because of BOTH the amazing dignity and beauty of their humanity and at the same time the terrible depravity of humanity displayed through these ladies and girls.

I was amazed that even the most violent criminals looked at these teenagers and, with what sounded like compassion and selflessness cried out, "You don't want to be here. Don't make the same mistakes I made. You can do anything you want with your life if you try. Get on the right path." These were cold-blooded, convicted killers and they actively tried to make something good of their mistakes by warning the younger girls. It was beautiful.

We are at the same time more selfish and more depraved than we ever imagined, and more loved than we ever dreamed by God. We have both dignity and depravity sewn into our fabric. We are at times beautiful and ugly simultaneously in this state in which we find ourselves.

The question that I'm interested in for my life and others is this: How do we get out of this mess? And we have all been--me starting with me--in some sort of mess in life. I'm open to listening/reading if you have found yourself in a mess, whether by your actions or another person's, you'd like to share.

Tron: Legacy...A Christmas Story

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Last night I experienced the movie Tron: Legacy. I highly recommend it, but not for the reasons you might think.

Many reviews will talk about the special effects. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly writes, “The sequel, more successfully (if less innocently), injects you into a luminous technological wonderland and asks you to be happy with the ride.” He writes that “TRON: Legacy, unlike its predecessor, really does make novelty look cool. It's a sleeker, sharper, far more visually intoxicating machine dream of a movie, with a darkly liquid electronic texture all its own.”

Peter Traversof Rolling Stone writes positively, “Director Joseph Kosinski has a recipe for adventure that should delight gamers.”

Well, I was delighted too (not that I’m not a gamer, I really appreciate the gamers, it’s just not my “tribe”), but not just because of the special effects and the music. I kept asking myself, "What is it about this story that is so interesting, so appealing to me?" And then it hit me, that the story of the Incarnation, God going on a rescue mission to save his people, his creation, is very similar to the story in Tron: Legacy.

At one point the Jeff Bridges character, the creator of the “system,” the grid, says that his creation had turned against him, and interestingly what really messed things up is that he created a being “in his own image” (uses this phrase in the movie!) to oversee the system who ultimately rebelled against him.

And in this movie, just like in the Christian story of redemption, there is an important relationship between the father and son, which required one of the persons to enter into his creation to become like it to save it, and in fact sacrifice significantly for it.

I’m not writing for the purpose of increasing Tron’s ticket sales. But I do invite you to consider Jesus as your Rescuer this season. He came as God Himself born into humanity with a real mother and father, born into war, born into poverty. In doing so He went on the longest rescue mission ever, giving up the fullness of his deity, his omni-presence, omni-power, and omniscience, in order to fix things that were broken; to one day restore us to the way we were supposed to be; to heal our broken relationship with our Creator and the rest of creation.

And that invitation is for anyone today who would humble himself and just admit his or her need. That’s all it takes--just the recognition of need and asking Him to rescue you. This “one and only key to get out of grid” (more Tron language), Jesus, is for the religious, the irreligious, all people groups, all tribes, all families, all social classes. Even for you. Won’t you come home to Him today? Please let me know if I or any of my friends can help.

The Light in the Darkness: Why we need Christmas more than ever

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Advent is a season to celebrate the “coming” and the “arrival” of the Rescuer who would fix the messed up things in this world. Advent is also the time of year when the days get shorter and shorter, and sometimes miserably cold and people yearn for relief from the darkness.

Today I read one of my favorite passages of Scripture about the promise God made to His people about what He would do in response to our dark world.

Isaiah 11:1–10 (NIV) reads:
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

It is clear in the first paragraph that this leader would be different than the “leaders” of the world. He would lead through God’s power and wisdom, through “the Spirit.” He would lead not according to his own preferences, but rather according to justice and righteousness. He would care for the poor. And he would execute both mercy and justice for the oppressed.

As for the second paragraph, verses 6-10, this is one of my favorite passages to think about what is in store for the future of the people of God. Have you ever encountered the death of a loved one and felt the helplessness, sadness and anger about it? There is something inside of us that cries out that death was not supposed to be a part of life, our hearts say "this is not the way it was supposed to be," and I think this passage encourages us that there will come a time when death itself will die.

Death, violence and fear will be a thing of the past. Even the animals will all get along and live together in beautiful diversity and unity, and people will be restored to our rightful place over creation. Sounds almost "crazy" to us it's so unbelievable, doesn't it? But according to this even children will be able to safely lead vipers and bulls (sounds almost like Narnia doesn't it)! Does this picture look silly to you? Well what if this picture of life in this passage is reality, and when we look back our world will look crazy and unbelievable? In fact I just recently talked with my children and our neighbors who are children about this passage and not surprisingly they had absolutely no problem believing that it will happen someday.

All this is to say to you today that this Truth, I think, is what Christmas is really about: the restoration of hope, peace and joy, and the death of fear, violence, injustice and death itself through this one Person, Jesus. The “rescue mission” from God is not fully complete yet (for a time death is permitted to exist so more people can be saved), but take heart because death’s days are numbered and the future will be so good that we will actually completely forget these dark, cold days of winter.

Death is not the Last Word: A Message from Heaven…

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:13:00 +0000

On Monday, October 11 a dear friend, Cindy Zarazee, entered into the open arms of Jesus. When she was embraced by Jesus at that very moment she was healed of cancer fully, permanently, and wonderfully. Many of us believe in this permanent healing through Jesus, and yet we grieve.

Cindy spent most of her adult life working with toddlers, including my three children, Kael, Emma and Seth who still love her very much.

Today I found the last email I received from Cindy, which I think is pretty prophetic. On October 1, one month ago today, she wrote this:

I am so happy life is going well for you and Esther. I must admit I miss you all very much. I can't sleep tonight; I have to admit I am worried about my first chemo treatment in the morning. I was listening to Sanctus Real, I think it's "Whatever your doing" (something heavenly) that part feels like chaos-I can relate to that song, man I wish I couldn't relate to it. I trust God's plan 100 percent. But it's scary right now…I will continue to pray for you and the family…

When I received this email from Cindy I didn’t check out the song she was referring to. I just figured she found an encouraging song that was helping her in a time of need and assumed it was just for her. But I think also God, through Cindy, was trying to encourage me, even though that morning she would be starting chemotherapy that would be painful, and ultimately would not work the way we hoped.

The song, as she wrote, is by a band called Sanctus Real and is called “Whatever You're Doing.” The video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06AgY5Xoavw&feature=relatedere and here are the lyrics:

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Thanks Cindy! God used you greatly in our lives to encourage and challenge us--even today!

Also check out this great article about her:
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/oct/14/cindy-another-reason-we-must-race-for-the-cure/

Good News Even for Women, Slaves and Gentiles…

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Recently the Confluence Church launch team discussed what it looks like to influence people in our communities for Jesus, and we looked together at a passage about the early Church, Acts 16:13-34.

It reads:

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

The story includes three glimpses of people who didn’t follow Jesus but had an encounter with him through the early disciples. We get a glimpse of a wealthy business woman, Lydia, who starts following Jesus after seeing the beauty and literally “being attracted” to this new Way of life.

We get a glimpse of another female, a younger girl who is demon possessed and quite literally a slave both to dark forces and her “pimps” but is set free by Jesus through Paul. She is set free both of the “spirit” that was oppressing her and of the oppression of the guys taking advantage of her situation. So, the Gospel in this case included spiritual and social justice!

And finally here we get a picture of a gentile, probably a former Roman soldier who has become a jailer. He understands powerful systems and structures. He understands and fears his overseers who judge him by the letter of the law of his job description. But through Paul and Silas, he encounters Jesus and experiences something completely different: He encounters grace and love as they saved his life by not escaping the prison. And in doing so, he gives his allegiance and his heart to Jesus.

There is so much here to observe and apply: What the essence of the Gospel is. What it looks like to be a conduit for God and love people--different kinds of people. But for me, one significant application is WHO the Gospel is for: it’s for all kinds of people! It’s for the religious, like Lydia, who were trying to worship him but didn’t know how. It’s for those very far away from God, who have found themselves living in deep darkness not knowing how to get out, like the slave girl, and it’s for those “gentiles” who don’t even know who God is, but something in their soul tells them there must be more to life than what they are experiencing, and when they encounter grace their heart says, “That’s what I’ve been longing for!”

And the Gospel, the "Victory of God," is for YOU too. No matter who you are or what you have done. No matter if you are "religious" or "irreligious" or popular or not, or what others call valuable or not. This freedom and new life is for YOU.

If you'd like to hear more about this Gospel, you can contact me. I also recommend Tim Keller’s insights on this passage (a pastor in Manhattan, NY) http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/sermonlist/11. Keller makes the powerful case that Luke is contrasting the Gospel with the Jewish prayer, “Thank you God I am not a woman, a slave or a gentile.”

What might God be saying to you through this passage? Any other observations or insights? Thanks for reading and sharing life with me.

I’m Over Churchianity

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:06:00 +0000

Last week I went to a musical festival for the first time in a long time . A friend went with me and my goal was to listen to the bands and enjoy the music and, oh, there was this minor thing that God seemed to mention in my soul that He would meet me there and we would “talk” a bit about my life journey.

What happened as the night went on was astounding inside of me: I couldn’t stop people-watching, but I wasn’t just watching them, I was feeling their joy, pain, longing, beauty, yearning and my compassion was growing for these people whom I had never met. And I felt ashamed and guilty that I had left them so completely when I entered into the sub-culture of Churchianity 19 years ago.

It was as though God was saying louder and louder in my ear, "Do you love me? Do you love me?" And then, “Look at them, Kevin. Look at them! Hear them. Hear their music. Hear their questions and thoughts, anger and hopes. Feel them. Know them. I LOVE THEM!!!” And since then I haven't stopped feeling His love, pain and longing for them.

All at once it was as though I had been in a time capsule and I realized that when I started following Jesus back in 1991, I didn’t just enter into Jesus, but unfortunately I entered into “Churchianity” and stopped really hearing those who weren’t following him. They were too “angry” for me. They were “non-Christians.” They had “questions I couldn’t answer.” (these are my thoughts at the time). They thought I was “weird” and "too religious" (I was!) So I got the hell out of their lives and entered into life with a different group of people, mostly people who couldn’t stand “those people.” They certainly didn’t know “those people.” They were safe. They were "saved people." They were "chosen." They were "insiders." They were "good Christian folks" with their own language and rules and power structures. And it was a nice little bubble to live in for awhile. It made me feel so redeemed because I didn't listen to the same music or have the same conversations as those "awful sinners."

But now I am convinced that God is moving me in a different way that is more like Him. You see, God loves people, especially those on the fringes of life looking in. If He is angry I think it is against those “people of God” who don’t care about those outside of their Churches...well unless they come in.

Check out Ezekiel 34:1-16

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

7 " 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

11 " 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this passage, and especially v.10:
10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths…

I wonder if it applies to those Christians who really don’t care about those outside of their Churches? (And don't tell me they do unless they have actual friends who are outside of their Church).

Again, today is a big day: I am renouncing Churchianity in my life and recommitting myself to Jesus and those who don’t fit in current Churches. Who’s with me?

Holy Spirit Baptism?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wilson) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Occasionally someone asks me a question that I think a lot of people wrestle with. I don’t by any means think that I have “the last word” on any topic, but if you have spiritual questions you might be blessed by the discussion.

So this week a college student asked me this question about the Holy Spirit, and here is my response. What are your thoughts?

The Student's Question:

Just curious... what are your thoughts on baptism in the Holy Spirit? I met a missionary on campus yesterday that was very adamant about me being baptized in the Spirit. She believed we were Christians, but encouraged us to go deeper.

My Response:

I appreciate your question. Let me say that this is one of the numerous theological questions that Godly, intelligent Christians have debated for a long time, and I have been on several sides of the debate myself.

However, I do have some thoughts that may help you navigate this one.
First, I think it's important to agree that salvation is about our relationship with Jesus, the Son. Some people turn this discussion into a salvation issue, and that's just sad. It usually comes in the form of something like "you aren't a real Christian unless (fill in the blank)." According to the Bible, Christians are those that have confessed Him as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9).

Second, it is a heresy, I think, to build a hierarchy and say that some expressions of Christianity are "more full" than others. Sadly, I have been around many so called charismatics who say that if you don't speak in tongues you are a lesser Christian, or if you don't have prophetic gifts, you are a lesser Christian, or if you have not had a "special" experience like being "baptized" or slain in the Spirit or something like that you are a lesser Christian. And I have been around Presbyterians, for example, who live and die by other issues, and Catholics who live and die by other issues that I really believe are "non-essential" for salvation and a Godly life.

Regarding Holy Spirit baptism, which is your question, I think this is exactly Paul's point in 1 Cor. 12-13 when he implores the Church at Corinth not to fight for power and not to be condescending to others in the Church, but rather to love diversity in the Body of Christ and not look down on others because they are different, whether that is a different gift, different experience, different ethnicity or whatever.

Thirdly, about the "baptism in the Spirit" I believe that when we put our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit. I know that in Acts some people were God-fearers or disciples of John who didn't yet have the Holy Spirit, but those who were in Christ did. So, I believe there is one baptism when a person becomes "justified" before God through Christ, but it is necessary to be filled again and again by God, which we pray for continually.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:5 (NIV) that there is, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." And then he writes in the next chapter in Ephesians 5:18 (NIV), "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

So, I hold that what happened at Pentecost in the early Church was very dramatic because it was the first time after the crucifixion and resurrection that the Holy of Holies, the Holy Spirit could dwell with people intimately because before that He couldn't be near to us because of our sin. But I do believe that God still works powerfully, and that the Holy Spirit is a real Person who does not fit in a scientific little box.

If you would still like to process more, I recommend reading the book, Perspectives on Spirit Baptism, by several authors (Kaiser, Dunning, Horton, etc.) and then talking with me about it afterword. Mostly, I recommend asking God, the Holy Spirit Himself to reveal Himself to you and help you to understand Him...And then watch, listen and learn! If He is really who Jesus said He was, then He is willing and able to reveal Himself and make Himself known.

What do you think? For example, you might share thoughts about what the Bible says and how you understand it or your experiences.