I read a quote in my morning devotion that hit me right between my eyes:

When our faith becomes obedience to our Savior, then it is true faith, indeed! The difficulty we modern Christians face is not misunderstanding the Bible, but persuading our untamed hearts to accept its plain instruction. Our problem is to get the consent of our world-loving minds to make Jesus Lord in fact, as well as in word.–Tozer

Tozer is the man . . . That one line kills me . . .

“The difficulty we modern Christians face is not misunderstanding the Bible, but persuading our untamed hearts to accept its plain instruction.”

That is so stinking true! I recently finished a book that we’ll be publishing soon centered on helping youth workers be better teachers of the Bible. My take is that discipleship is all about repeated and real encounters with God. The Bible is God’s primary way of revealing Himself to us. Thus, becoming awesome Bible teachers is really helping create for more and better encounters with God. Simple, right?

During the writing of it, I had several moments where I really came face-to-face with this vast chasm that runs through the heart of every Christ-follower . . .

On one side is what we know and what can be known about God and His ways. On the other side is this picture of a real follower of Christ.

The chasm in the middle is where we live our lives. Obedience, which is nothing but conformity to Christ, is the way in which we bridge this gap. It’s the means by which we become and are becoming Christ-followers.

Conformity to Christ, obedience, is Spirit compelled (thank God). But there is the large matter of our wills. As we become disciples and lead others in their personal discipleship journey, let’s keep the image of Christ in front of us. Let’s trust the Spirit to continue His work in bending and shaping us in Christ’s image. But let’s double our own personal diligence in seeking to live as Kingdom citizens, embracing God’s call to holiness and Christ-likeness.

And let’s call others to do the same.

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Unless you’ve been in a bunker (c’mon, you don’t REALLY believe in that Mayan Calendar 2012 stuff, do you?) you’ve probably noticed the increased focus (from virtually every corner of Christendom) on The Gospel. It seems no matter where you look across the landscape of the American Church, there is someone defining, refining, or urging a return to the Gospel.

Books. Conferences. Curriculum. Videos. Church Marketing Campaigns. Sermon Series. Etc.

Now, don’t think for one second that I’m saying this trend is bad or wrong. That’s NOT what I’m saying, not by any stretch of the imagination. But what I think I’m saying is that it does seem to be a trend. Or at least it feels like one. And maybe this is where I’m somewhat cautious. Or uncomfortable. Let me explain . . .

We have a basic understanding of what a trend is. Trends seem to fall in two major categories: let’s call them innovations and reclamations. Innovative trends are just that: a new technology, a new application in fashion or music, etc. On the other hand, something like Retro fashion, or vintage design would be an example of reclamation. It’s the revival of something that once was, except with a more modern twist. (Something like Instagram is an interesting blend of both innovation and reclamation.)

So, if we’re following this logic, this trend of renewed emphasis on the Gospel seems to fall in the reclamation category. A return to the essentials, of you will. I say all this to arrive at this simple point: the increased emphasis on the Gospel has a lot of the same trappings of so many other secular trends I watch. And I guess on some level, I’m curious about the motivation behind what we’re seeing.

How much of what we see is trend? And how much of it is a movement? An awakening?

I think maybe the simplest answer boils down to one of motivation. For many, this increased emphasis on the Gospel is born out of an accurate assessment of Christianity and Christians. For these individuals–these writers, pastors, and influential leaders/ministries–this is a remedying of what they perceive to be an unhealthy or unholy path the Church has been on. For these men and women, the heightened emphasis on the Gospel is movement, not trend.

But for some, any Gospel focus they embrace is done as the embrace of a trend. It’s an answer for waning interest or passion on the part of church-goers or consumers. It’s a move to be seen as relevant. It’s hitching the “cart” of lagging attendance and/or sales (book sales, conference sales, curriculum sales, etc.) to the “horse” of the message of the day.

Does this resonate with you? Do you see these two camps?

A Gospel-focus is never a bad thing regardless of motive. This is what Paul was saying in Philippians when he addressed the sinister motives of some who preached the Gospel. Paul says, Hey, what do I care why they preach it? . . . “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:18). And so, maybe we shouldn’t care about the motives. Maybe we should simply rejoice that the Gospel is being preached. Period.

But I do find myself wanting to humbly offer a word of advice to those who see the Gospel focus as a trend, a growth strategy, or a way to appear relevant. Here’s what I’d like to say to those institutions and individuals who talk about focusing on the Gospel but don’t make any attempt to adapt their ministry methodology or philosophy: Don’t expect a ton of results.

It’s not that the Gospel isn’t powerful. We know that it is. God moves, oftentimes in spite of us. The Gospel brings results. But, if we’re not couching the timeless truth of God in practices and language relevant to our immediate cultural context, a renewed Gospel focus is just another coat of paint on a crumbling house. If we’re chasing a trend, even if that trend is God-centered, I believe a lot will be left on the table.

But embracing a movement? Being part of an awakening? Now that’s something different.

I don’t want to be chasing the newest way to talk about God and the Church. I want my church and our youth ministry to be on board with what God is doing today. And I know you want this too.

So, the questions that come to mind are something like these:

• What do you think? Trend? Or Movement? Newest marketing Church marketing campaign? Or an Awakening?
• Does your senior leadership appear to be aware of this trend/movement? How about you?
• What if you were being shown a need for a return to Christ-centeredness in your ministry or church. What would a renewed Gospel focus look in your context? How does your programming or philosophy need to change to embrace it?
• What would your motivation be for wanting to embrace an increased Gospel focus?
• When you think about the Gospel as it pertains to your students, what do you see? A deficit? A passion? What would they say?

So, what are your thoughts? Am I off base? Am I making too much of this? I’d love to hear from you . . .

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But, did I mention we have fun?

My middle daughter, Abby, got the giggles this morning. Like, the contagious kind. The orange juice coming out of your nose kind. To the point where I was able to pull out my phone and snap a few pics. The results were priceless . . .

In the midst of, again, an atmosphere where my heart and head are heavy, laughter breaks out and breaks in. What a gift it is! And I got to experience it because I made time in my schedule to simply “be” with two of my daughters. I don’t get it right all the time, heck, even most of the time. But I’m always reminded of God’s faithfulness in times like these.

In the words of James, when we draw near to God (in this case making the effort to invest in my daughters’ discipleship), He draws near to us.

What a promise.

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I’ve written all about it over on the ym360 Blog. If you want to watch a video of me talking about it or download an extended preview, you can do so by clicking here.

Because I think you folks are awesome, I wanted to give you a little behind the scenes view of my favorite spreads in the book. We work really hard to be biblically solid, highly interactive, and ultra creative in all the resources we create at ym360. I think this commitment shows in NEW. I hope you’ll agree too.

So, here are a few of my favorite spreads from the book. Hope you enjoy! (Click on the images below for a bigger view)

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I’ve been more or less immersed in research lately. This is being fed by a few different projects I’ll be able to share more fully in the upcoming months. But I ran across a study I had encountered a while back, one that I found doesn’t get as much pub as it should (compared to, say, the National Study On Youth And Religion).

It’s a shame because the findings are fascinating and completely applicable to youth and young adult ministry.

The study was a joint one done by Luther and Southwestern Seminaries. The goal of the study, which as best I can tell is ongoing, was simple, if not ambitious: “Luther and Southwestern hope to discover what factors contribute most effectively to the maturation of faith in young people ages ten to thirty-five.”

I’ll save you all the details except to say this: the cool thing that resulted from the study is that they found a significant number of spiritually vibrant youth ministries and teenagers. To cut to the chase, they determined that there are eight key factors that are universal in these ministries.

I thought I’d share them as a way of allowing you to think about them in terms of evaluation tools for your ministry. They 8 Faith Factors are as follows:

• Faith is integrated into a student’s family identity and practice
• Students have three or more adult mentors of vital faith
• Students experience three or more months service in the name of Jesus Christ
• Students were apprenticed early into leadership in their church
• The church facilitates Engaging, meaningful church experiences in which youth are valued
• The church has an excellent senior high/young adult ministry
• Students are encouraged by strong Christian friend(s)
• Students experience support within an engaging Christian community during a personal crisis

So, this is a super short look at the factors, but they are intriguing (and not all that surprising). (Check out faithfactors.com for more info.)

So, what do you think? Do you see these factors alive in your ministry and/or your students? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons / (c)jontintinjordan

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Well, I’m finishing up my newest book project today. Will be off to the printers soon . . .

Cant wait to share it with you.

Have an awesome day!

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I love stories like this one, which I think has such a great message for those of us who lead others in spiritual formation, in whatever form that takes.

The story is about a Spanish photographer, Cristina De Middel, and her photo project called Afronauts. The project is a whimsical homage to a Zambian elementary school science teacher named Edward Makuka Nkoloso. Man, I would have liked to meet this guy. Makuka Nkoloso was a science teacher in the 60′s who, to quote the story, “single-handedly, and unilaterally, created a space program for his country.” Well, not exactly.

Here’s how the story describes the space program Makuka Nkoloso devised:

The program involved rolling aspiring astronauts down a hill in a barrel and clipping their rope-swings at the height of their arc to simulate weightlessness. He claimed his country would not only beat both the Americans and Russians to the moon, but do it within the year . . . As the self-appointed Director-General, Makuka Nkoloso announced in a 1964 op-ed, “We’re Going to Mars! With a Spacegirl, Two Cats and a Missionary,” that the academy would win the space race by putting a person on the moon by 1965. He even insisted that if the Zambian government and citizenry had not been distracted by independence celebrations, they’d be there already.

(Read the rest of the story and check out De Middel’s wonderful photographs here.)

Of course the rest of the story is that the government had not sanctioned or approved of Makuka Nkoloso’s aspirations. There was no space program. There never would be.

But you know what there was? A big, fat, awesome, wild, and wonderful vision!

Makuka Nkoloso might have been insane for all I know. But I absolutely love how big he dreamed. If it was all a publicity stunt, it was a good one. But if there was even a small bit of purpose behind his machinations (even if that purpose was simply to inspire Zambians to dream a little), Makuka Nkoloso is the kind of guy I like.

Let me bring this back to earth (see what I did there?) for a moment. We have a lot in common with Makuka Nkoloso don’t we? We have big dreams. We peer into a future where the people we lead are living vibrant faith lives and making an impact for the Kingdom. We have vision! We have the energy of our “calling”! The future is bright . . .

But if we don’t know how to make our vision a reality, we end up operating a lot like Makuka Nkoloso. Big dreams, but no real plan to see them to fruition.

Dream big. Have a discipleship vision. Look into the future. But put the structure in place to facilitate the dream. Also, dream in community! And make sure there are people in that community who are gifted at process and systems.

Vision is powerful. But there’s nothing quite as destructive as the clear view of a bright future . . . with no way to get there.

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Setting: I’m eating an egg white and spinach omelet that was much more spinach than egg. Caroline is watching me rapidly shove fork fulls of the green gook in my mouth so as to be done with the process as quickly as possible.

CAROLINE: [Awed look on her face] Daddy, do you like spinach?

ME: [Fighting through the gag reflex] No.

CAROLINE: [Smiling, quizzical] Then, why are you eatin’ it?

ME: [Blinking back tears] Because I know it’s good for me.

CAROLINE: So you like it.

ME: No. I definitely don’t like spinach.

CAROLINE: [Much more puzzled than amused] Then why are you eating it?

This went on for a bit longer in a couple of different iterations before something else grabbed her attention. But the point was made pretty clearly: the landscape of her understanding didn’t have room for this concept. She couldn’t grasp the logic behind my behavior.

Why would I voluntarily (and repeatedly) engage in a behavior I found unpleasant?

Of course, you and I understand the logic behind this. The decision to do what is best can’t be made using the same metric we use to decide to do what is pleasurable. This is why we decide to save money instead of buying an iPad. This is why we order the salad with grilled chicken instead of the burrito with chili con queso. This is why go to the gym instead of laying on the couch and watching Chopped. What is best doesn’t always feel the best. But we know what is best is always best.

Here’s a moment of transparency: I know following Jesus is always best. But following Jesus isn’t always pleasurable to me. I’m not talking about the person of Christ as unpleasant. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m speaking about the discipline of the disciple-life. And one other thing, lest you think this is a post about persecution or weathering trials, I have to admit it’s nothing near as lofty. In fact, I can readily say that in the greatest trials of my life, in those moments, following Jesus is actually the most pleasurable thing in the world.

No, the brand of unpleasant following that I’m afraid I’m referring to is the day-in-day-out, unglamorous, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other life of a disciple. It’s spiritually draining. It’s self-busting. It’s will-bending. It’s humility when I want pride. It’s submission when I want control. It’s the two steps back that almost always follow the step forward.

Following isn’t always pleasurable because following always creates friction with our sin-nature. And it always will.

Which is why following is always, always best.

It’s also why most people don’t do it. As we continue to be people who lead others in their own follower-ship, maybe it would be OK from time to time to admit that Jesus is always best and a life of discipleship is full of pleasure. But it will also have moments of displeasure, caused not by who Christ is, but by who we are. Following is still best though. It’s still always best.


Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons / (c)krossbow

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I was about a mile into what turned out to be a 5+ mile run yesterday. I was approaching a park on my route where many people will park their cars and run. As I’m approaching, I see a guy getting ready to start a run. As I get closer it appears he is almost waiting for me. Odd. And as I get within thirty yards or so, it’s certain. He’s looking directly at me. As I come within 25 feet or so of his car, he proceeds to start his run. Right in front of me.

Context: We’re on a wide open road that winds through a pretty rural area. There is a lot of space. There was no compelling reason for this young dude to jump out in front of me. But he did. To the point where I had to cross on the other side of the road.

My competitive instincts overcame the voice in my head saying, “ignore this guy.” But, it was just the engagement I needed to spruce up my run.

Suddenly, it was “game on.”

As we ran pretty much side-by-side, across the road from one another (ridiculous, right?), I sized the guy up. From what I could tell, he was a good 10 years younger than me. And a good 60 pounds lighter. He was built like a runner. I am built not like a runner. Every advantage seemed to be his. Which was maybe why he kept looking over at me as we ran. (Not joking.)

But here’s what this young guy didn’t account for. I have made a career out of outlasting.

I was never the fastest or the most talented athlete in high school. But I would outlast anyone. Same with my career in the Marines. Not the fastest. Not the strongest. But I never quit. Ever. Somehow, someway, it’s in my DNA.

And so I knew I had this guy beat. The stage could not be more in my favor. 90 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. No breeze. 2:00 in the afternoon. Oh, and we’re winding through the ridiculously hilly road that I’ve run on regularly for years. Brutal conditions. I had him right where I wanted him. Truth be told, it was a little disappointing. He only lasted a couple of miles. So much for added excitement on my run . . .

Why do I share the story, other than to open the window into my fragile (pathetic?) psyche? Because I was immediately struck by the fact that there was a major parallel to where I find myself in my discipleship group.

Yesterday was the last “official” meeting of our discipleship group for the year. We’ll keep meeting throughout the summer, but this was the last scheduled meeting. I’ve been open here about some of my struggles with this group. For a few different reasons, this group of guys has been the most challenging for me. They are awesome guys. They really are. I put most of the blame for our struggles on me. For a variety of reasons, we just aren’t where I wanted us to be after two years.

But you know what? It’s turning around. Just in the last few weeks I feel as close to these guys as I have felt yet. And I am seeing some positive changes in them, as well. I am as upbeat as I have been about our future. And as they transition into high school, I couldn’t be happier about where we find ourselves.

The guys and me? We’re outlasters.

They outlasted some of my shortcomings. Not one of them gave up. And I’ve outlasted some of their stumbles, as well. The course is a long one. And a fast start might have felt really good. But, maybe if we had started out full speed we would have faded under the heat and the hills . . .

Take it from a lifetime outlaster: the rewards are always sweeter when you have to work harder for them. It’s worth it every time.

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Here’s this week’s quote, a real knock-out from Chrysostom:

God is not so well pleased with being our Master as he is with being our Father; he is not so well pleased with our being slaves as he is with our being his children. This is what God truly wants. This is why He did all He has done, not sparing His only Son, that we, as adopted sons and daughters, might love Him as Father.—John Chrysostom

I love the heart behind this statement (so much that I can overlook the problematic theology behind presuming what roles God is or isn’t most pleased in).

That God extended to us the gift of sonship and daughtership while we were His enemies is overwhelmingly powerful.

The concept of adoption seems to be one we overlook, and yet, one that is such a timely message. In a society where families continue to be more and more fragmented, and continue to stray further from God’s ideal, what a penetrating message for young people: that God extends the offer to know Him as Father, to know the Son as co-heir (indeed, as brother!), and to be drawn in to a family that is inseparable for all eternity.

Powerful thoughts!

Enjoy your weekend.


Image courtesy of Shutterstock / (c)dubova

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