Chris Kozacek

I have a branding problem... and I think it's Me.

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0700

I have “a branding problem” for my blog.

And I think it has everything to do with… well, Me (or at the very least - my name).

Every writer/blogger wants their stuff to be read, liked and even interacted with (well, most of the time… but I want to be careful with what I wish for). :)

And outside of a few friends, family and a few people on Facebook… my blog on the net and Facebook generates very little interaction and traffic for the most part.

It’s been a shot to the ego (which is probably good for me). But it’s also a shot to the heart. Especially when your blog is named after you.

Maybe it’s because I don’t write enough - which is true in itself. Or maybe it’s the stuff I write about. Or maybe I have become a bit irrelevant - which makes a domain named “ChrisKozacek.com” even more useless, and humbling.

Maybe it has nothing to do with branding, or a name…
maybe it’s just my writing…
or, just me.

Anyway, I’ve asked a few people if they’d help me rename my blog (and if you’d like to offer a name, I’d like to hear it). It’s a start, maybe with no different results - but I want to try it. “Cracked Round Peg” was the best I’ve ever had it terms of interaction and traffic, it was doing really well until I ruined it with how I used it (Sorry again to all affected… always). Maybe there will be nothing in renaming it… I don’t know. We’ll see.

However, before burying this current blog - writing in my own name has definitely accomplished many things that I wanted it to and I wanted to briefly share a few.

I felt good and free to write honestly and authentically without feeling like I had to hide who I am… for the first time in my life.

I had to own my thoughts… there was nothing to hide behind.

It has helped me navigate through many things both good and bad that I’m not sure I would ever have felt I could write about before - let alone with my name plastered all over it. I think it’s easy to write comments, thoughts and stuff on the internet with no filter when you can hide behind a hidden online identity, but things change when everyone knows who you are.

Thanks to all who have been with me here. I never want to diminish what your support has meant. This is in no way an indictment on your support or voice, and everything to do with not feeling like I do a very good job overall with writing good and interesting stuff.

I’m truly sorry if this post comes out sounding more as a “pity party” or a “Tell me I’m great” post…

…than a post sharing honestly where I am with it and how I’m feeling about it.

Shame on me if that’s all it is.

I truly pray that it is not.

"TEBOW-ology"... a love/hate relationship with Tebow and the Broncos winning.

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:42:00 -0700

I love it when the Broncos win… I’m a fan.

I have cheered for Tebow over his entire career in college and now the pros too… I’m a fan.

Now, it’s one and the same.

…but sometimes with “Tebow-ology” and the Evangelical craze in full force - I admit there is a small part of me that is ok when we lose now.

For no other reason than limiting the Facebook, blogs, websites and sermons from filling up with comments on how “God’s hand is certainly upon Tebow and the Broncos… because we won a Football game (that we shouldn’t have won)”; or likening him to Biblical characters such as “Gideon or King David”; or coming up with a Divinci Code like stats matrix with the whole “Tebow 3:16” - to show God is working.

I’m afraid we might be going beyond admiring a good football player, a good person, a man of faith - and turned it into “Christian Hero” worship.

So this begins what has been my journey into the insanity of “Tebow-mania”, just this week… but has been brewing in my mind for awhile.

I start with this picture I first ran across on a blog, and then it came up again a few times on Facebook before the Broncos vs. Patriots game. Most of the commentary on it was vilifying Brady for holding the Super Bowl Trophy, while praising Tebow for praying and not getting caught up in all that worldly Super Bowl Trophy stuff.

Tebow… good. Brady… evil.

So, was it wrong for two other strong Christians (Manning and Brees) to be holding the Trophy when their team won the Super Bowl? Isn’t that the goal of actually playing Football?

Speaking of Manning and Brees, and wanting to throw Kurt Warner in here too… If God is supposed to, or does help the strong, faithful Christians in the league (no, only Tebow you say… my bad) - why have these 3 guys only won one Super Bowl a piece?Warner lost 2 of them, Peyton lost 1 and Brees has only been there 1 time. Yet Brady has won 3 already. Remember Brady, the evil one.

If God gets involved in football games, I truly am curious why he didn’t help them win more - or win the Ultimate prize which would give them the biggest platform to use to talk about Jesus? Or which faithful follower He helps win since there are usually some on both teams in any given game??

And who could forget last week’s “Tebow 3:16” stuff. I saw all the “Is it a coincidence stuff”… who knows? God can use whatever he wants.

I’m all for people being exposed to the Bible, and if some of the stories are true - maybe God did use it. But I’m not sure what I think of using a Tebow 3:16 moniker, isn’t he still just a human being? And what if people looked up other 3:16 verses in the Bible outside of John 3:!6, would it change the impact?

Then we have the “Tebowing” craze. Or the WWTTD bracelets. Or the Broncos Jerseys worn by fans with the “number 15” and “Jesus” as the name. Or I found a picture of Tebows face replacing Jesus’ in a famous picture of Jesus. Yikes…

Are people actually praying while they are “Tebowing” (I’ve heard it does make some think a little more of prayer, for that, it’s a good thing)? I’m curious too if people really think “What would Jesus do” while wearing “What would Tim Tebow do?”

It’s so crazy seeing “Praying real hard right now for Tim and the Broncos…” on Facebook in the middle of a Bronco game… Or seeing entire passages on Facebook statuses to “claim” a Tebow/Broncos win.

But before I am too harsh on others for praying for a game, I’d be a hypocrite not to say that over my life time - I can’t imagine the amount of hours that have stacked up on praying for wins in my teams sporting events.

But that’s the point, believers - playing and praying on both sides… how does God choose?

I strongly believe in prayer, but can it not go beyond a football game? That’s what we as believers are “praying so hard for”?

(This may be a harsh photo and I’m not sure it’s really fair to God or Tebow, but it didn’t take long to find this kind of sentiment - not so much against Tebow, as the “Christian craze for him” and the hypocrisy it seems to incorporate in terms of praying for a football game, yet ignoring real world issues.)

And now we have a Massachusetts Wiccan Sect coming out to ask the sprits to help the entire New England Patriots team defeat Tim Tebow and the Broncos. What!?? Are you serious? Football is now a world wide spiritual battle field in terms of the winning team… is the spiritual winner!? OHHH-K.

(btw, now that the Patriots killed the Broncos tonight, would it be consistant to give credit to whatever spirits the Witches conjured up to defeat Tebow, the Broncos and mighty God? Not trying to be flippant here, just wondering if we’ve thought through what it means if the Broncos lose, after claiming God’s favor for wins?)

READ THE STORY

This is a lot to put on a kid… a football player… a flawed human being.

No doubt I think he’s handled it well, and I think the platform he’s been given is awesome.

But, I’m concerned that the Christian community has put him on a pedestal he doesn’t belong on (maybe without realizing it).

And if/when he falls off the pedestal, or starts sucking in a few more games, or shows a flaw somewhere - I hope we don’t do what we often do to our own… Throw them under the bus, or forget them all together.

And all the critics who are quiet now during some of his success and heightened fame, will laugh and say I told you so.

HOWEVER…

…and cool enough, that won’t be the end of the story for Tebow. As Rick Reilly’s article on ESPN this week points out, Tebow is so much more than football. His calling goes far beyond football.

How he lives his life I believe is an example, he does a lot of great things for others. He lives his faith publicly, yet authentically. Definitely to the delight of some, and discomfort of others. He loves Jesus.

I want to be careful not to worship him or his celebrity status.

But I do admire him.
I’m thrilled to have his Jersey.
Happy to cheer for a good guy.

Rooting and hoping for a long, prosperous career with the Denver Broncos.

Go Broncos.
I’ll always cheer for my team.

Go Tebow.
Whether here or somewhere else, I will also be a fan of yours too.

Win a Super Bowl… or two… or three…

But most of all -

Jesus, help Tim be faithful no matter what happens in a silly game called American Football. Also, help all your followers to be faithful, no matter what happens to Tebow, or in a Football game either.

Happy Birthday Jesus...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 09:28:33 -0700

Isaiah 9:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Thankfulness...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:42:27 -0700

So grateful for all I have in this life…

Family
Friends
Abundant provision
Things that have, and have not worked out as planned
Jesus
and so much more…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Everyone!

A few of my favorite quotes on being Thankful:

“Thank you, dear God
For all You have given me,
For all You have taken away from me,
For all You have left me.”
(unknown)

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.”
[John Henry Jowett]

“Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed
or those we enjoy now.”
[A. W. Tozer]

“O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”
[Shakespeare]

“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”
[Charles Haddon Spurgeon]

The "Tebow-Jesus" Costume for Halloween?

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0600

While at the Broncos vs. Lions game yesterday, my wife snapped a picture of a guy from behind dressed as Jesus (robe, sandals, long hair and even a crown of thorns - with a Tebow jersey and a wooden cross underneath to complete the ensemble).

I wondered if he did it to make fun of, or to be respectful. I doubt most people’s initial reaction would be the thought of respect. Sure enough, they showed him on screen and it his antics pretty much proved lack of respect and then tried to do a Catholic Cross that failed miserably.

I wonder, if this was making fun of any other God (you know which ones bring the most fury) - would mainstream society be ”outraged” and calling ”for an apology” or ”demanding this fan be banned from games forever”? But because it’s Jesus, is it ok because it’s held in large pockets of society that “Christians are oppressive and mean” (a far cry from how Jesus really was - but that’s a different post). Or what if it wasn’t a God, but making fun of someone or something marginalized in society today?

What should the response be? What should Christians response be?

It takes a lot to offend me, but even I wasn’t sure what I thought of it…

My buddy Brandon reminded me that when we are told to “turn the other cheek”, it is actually in response to being offended, not necessarily getting beat up.

Thoughts?

My experience at GA 2011...

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0600

It’s been a few weeks since the end of our big conference, General Assembly 2011, for Youth for Christ International.

I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this great and special week for me.

If you’re on my mailing list for YFC, you know that my role at GA was to coordinate the Pastoral Care/Counseling Team and the Medical Team for the week. Not only is this something that is so close to my heart, but it was an honor to help serve our YFC Family in this way. The people that served on both teams were absolutely awesome and pleasure to work with. Professionals through and through.

I loved getting to meet so many people who either I correspond with through email, phone, etc…, but never get to face to face; or those who knew my wife Corrie when she was a Missionary in Ghana with YFC. It was fun to spend time with former bosses, who remain friends, who have shaped my ministry experience through the years.

There are three things I took away from GA that has really furthered my gratefulness to be a part of YFC right now…

Realizing I am a part of something so much bigger than what I just do in the International Office. There are amazing people all over the world doing great things for Jesus. Many without much funding (or at all), some even fearing for their lives as they do their work.
I was impressed how the speakers and teachers handled controversial issues. We talked throughout the week about Truth, Mission Drift, Universalism, Hell, Pluralism, Evangelism, Discipleship, etc… Despite many varied ideas and thoughts on how to do ministry, theology, styles and personalities… we seem to be moving together in the same direction for the most part. Differences were listened to and discussed, and fellowship still happened after the discussions! :) The “making an enemy of everyone who thinks different” spirit wasn’t there. There seemed to be respect for others, and truth in love, not really truth in fear. It was really cool to see the difficult things in our faith be stood for, without needing to publicly bash other people. It was very impactful.
Lastly, I truly felt valued and was given a lot of responsibility for the week. From the top down, I felt useful and wanted. That goes a long way in all of our lives when that happens. To serve the YFC Family in a manner that is so close to my heart, was a tremendous boost.

Thank you all for your prayers, and for any financial gifts you gave to help my conference costs.

Very grateful!

7 things I've learned... in our 7 years of Marriage.

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:03:00 -0600

We were married on September 12, 2004. A great 7 years already… I’ve learned a whole lot more in our 7 years together, but thought it would be fun to reflect using the number 7.

Anyway, to the list of 7… before children -

There are “quality of time people”, and then there is Corrie. I’ve never been around someone who has wanted more of my time than she did, and still does. It was quite the adjustment, early on, for this introvert…

A Man actually can be cleaner and more organized than Woman. :)

CSI, Psychological Thrillers, True Crime and 9-11 Documentaries are not relaxing bedtime shows for everyone… who knew?

Find the right Video Game (Lego anything on the Wii, FIFA Soccer), and Video games are “all good” and full of continued participation!

For Corrie, almost everything has sentimental value and should be kept as such. Napkin from our first date… sure. A rock on the ground that was in front of us from the time we first laughed together… you bet. Her baby teeth… ok ok, this whole point is deeply exaggerated and I’m done making fun of it now. :)

The telephone is far more important to use each day than I would have ever given it credit for. Not sure why anyone needs to talk to me or anyone else that much in a day… but, that’s my social girl!

A bonus six I’ve learned… after having children -

That whole keeping sentimental things… just got a thousand times worse. :)

Ditto for organization and cleanliness.

If there is anything that needs to be discussed, any stories told, any fun conversation to be had after the kids go to sleep - it better be quick cause she is out like a light most nights.

Lego anything on the Wii takes on a whole new escape from reality and important role for relaxation. :)

Phone calls/texts to me and others are an incredibly important part of “adult interaction” each day. Unlimited minutes and texts have become a non-negotiable part of the budget! :)

There are certain areas in which we have very different parenting styles and limits… For example, Corrie believes strongly in allowing our kids to explore and be confident. I prefer that they stay near me and never get hurt. Two minutes around our kids and you’ll see which parenting style has won out on that… ;) We have great kids… so, so blessed.

Lastly… No. 7 (for both lists).

I’d be lost without her. She is my best friend.

I am so blessed and grateful for my wife.

I know I got the better end of this deal.

Happy 7th Corrie… thank you, for wanting me.

Love you.

"Not... Invisible" - prayers for the broken and hurting.

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Corrie and I have had the honor of listening to a higher-than-normal number of stories from people who are really struggling and hurting here in the last few weeks. So, to avoid drawing out the stories anymore than those going through the struggles wanted… would you join me in praying for them? We pray for those…

…who have lost their jobs or a source of income in their lives, and now are working through the impact on their lives and families and where to go next.
…who are scarred for their future and looking at major decisions coming up.
…who are working through hurt and anger in their situations either at home or at their place of employment.
…who are pregnant and hoping for a continued healthy pregnancy, and for the uncertainty of their situation that will come after the baby(s) is/are born.
…who are searching for answers and left in confusion over a very difficult (and possibly life-long) situation.
…who are frustrated with how their life is going and not working out as they would have hoped.
…who are struggling with faith, with God, with family, with friends, with work, etc…
…who feel completely forgotten by others, or by God.

I have no doubt there are so many more requests, even in your mind as you read this… Let us also pray for your needs. It may not seem like it…. But, I truly don’t believe you are invisible to those who care, or to God. It may only be my belief, but it’s what I hold onto.

“INVISIBLE” by DISCIPLE

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpRUEsZoTyI&feature=artist[/youtube]

"We just found your son, wandering in the..."

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0600

“Hey, just wanted you to know that we found your son wandering in the the parking lot. So we brought him back in for you.”

The range of emotions that flooded our minds at that very moment.

Fear.
Anger.
Relief.
Joy.
Guilt.
Embarrassment.
Confusion.
Gratefulness.

While at a restaurant tonight (as a side note - supporting an awesome adoption cause of our buds, Jeremy and Jennifer), our son (who is 3) got up and proceeded into the play area to play with friends. We saw him go in, but apparently not back out. An alert patron at another table graciously brought him back in and let us know what had happened. He went looking for my car, by himself.

Why? We still don’t know.

After the anger of him going out by himself, and joy and gratefulness of learning he is now back with us safe had subsided… the what-ifs started quickly in our minds.

What if…

…he’d gotten hit by a car in the parking lot?
… wandered even farther away and got lost?
… worst of all, someone had picked him up and taken him away - possible forever

Beyond a nightmare.

All the times he may scream and cry, throw tantrums, hits others, pee on the carpet while potty training, break a beloved item in the house, won’t go to sleep, shouts no at everything, etc… - it pales so far in the moment of that thought tonight…

…What if he was badly hurt, or worse… gone?

Is it worse/better to know they are missing and find them, or to have never known they were missing at all - until they return?

Feeling… like the worst parent(s) ever.

Yet so, so very grateful he’s in bed asleep - safe, in the next room. (just wanted to share this with our online community. thank you for reading this and sharing in this situation with us - no matter where you came into this story.)

"Cyberbully"... thoughts from the ABC Family movie.

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:44:00 -0600

We just finished watching Cyberbully on ABC Family. Yes, go ahead and make fun that I watch kids shows and movies… Awesome. Done yet? :) Ok, so stay with me now…

Cyberbullying is real and it sucks… and it can wreak havoc on the spirit and soul - and the body too. Whatever anyone thinks of the acting or anything else about this movie, it was an important topic to take on (and personally I thought it was pretty well done, for the record). Glad ABC Family went there. I wish I had faith in it’s impact on Cyber-bullying overall… not sure it’s just that simple though (but great job going after it anyway).

The internet provides a great way to go after people, all while hiding behind a masked identity. In other words, no accountability for what we say or write. We can write and say whatever we want without any real repercussions on our part… just create an alternate identity and away we can go. But even on Facebook where it most likely is our own identity, we can Cyber bully cause we don’t have to look anyone in the eyes when saying what we say. Our words can be pretty dangerous, and the internet has given us a way to spew some venom, without much accountability. For me, even more as a parent, this movie was tough to watch sometimes. You can imagine how badly you want to jump in a protect your kids, or other kids from this happening. It’s just so wrong… It also got me thinking about other venues online where I see crap spewed all the time…

For example, take a quick look at the comments section on controversial articles on big news sites like CNN, FoxNews,Google, Yahoo, etc… or how about a politically charged post on someones Facebook wall? Or lately, a blog post about Casey Anthony? Or a debate about Homosexuality? Or posts on where Rob Bell and his followers are going? Who are true Christians and who are not? God’s love for Republicans and hate for Democrats… or quit honestly vice verse - both sides can get pretty hateful towards the other. I could go on and on. The internet gives us the ability to say our peace (or non-peace), without really realizing the impact of our words on others… or worse maybe… actually realizing the impact, and being proud of it in all the wrong ways… I’ve done it. It’s wrong. Truth, in Love. I believe we should be different… we are called to be. Doesn’t Love demand more. True Love… is more, right? [ref]

1 Corinthians 13

¹ If I speak in human or angelic tongues,^[a] but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

"Quick" Book Thoughts part 2 - "The Hole in Our Gospel"...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Now for part 2 (or back to part 1), a few thoughts on “The Hole in Our Gospel”… A book written by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision. “The Hole in Our Gospel” has been one of the most challenging books to my faith that I’ve read in a long time. Stearns shares his journey of how he became President of World Vision. It’s an interesting story of leaving his highly successful run at the American Dream to a more fulfilling call on his life to love and care for the poor, the broken, the downtrodden, etc… By no means does he make it seem like he’s living without though… or that it was an easy and super sugary decision! He shares heartbreaking, but also uplifting stories from around the world. He shares statistics and figures, but also puts faces and names to the poor and the hurting that he and World Vision works with. At times, the stories are too much to take in, and at times you just want to shed a few tears of joy in experiencing the triumph and success of the people he writes about. In many of the disasters that have happened since Corrie and I have been married, we have usually given to World Vision to help. So it was cool to get to see some of the history and the stories from where World Vision came from. After reading this book, we felt lead to give towards the project of building clean water wells in places that have no clean water, and/or are very far away from a well or clean water source because I was so impacted by the suffering and hardship of what not having clean water can do to people. I certainly don’t write that to pat myself on the back for giving, but instead to share of the deep impact this book made on me. A few other things that hit me while reading this book were:

I admit it was really crazy for me to process a section on how many child die each day from preventable diseases that a simple vaccination could save them from. We have a number of friends who have chosen not to vaccinate their own children here in the States, for varies reasons. And this in no way is commentary on what I think parents should do either. I believe in the freedom we are given here to make choices for our kids that we feel are in their best interest… honestly. But I also struggled through the thoughts that, the very vaccinations that some of of our friends reject for their children, could very possibly save the lives of other children around the world. I’m not sure what to do with that still…
Stearns shared a bunch of figures in terms of how much people spend money on including things like eating out, entertainment, education and video games, etc… A figure he also gave was how much it would cost to pull those in poverty, out of poverty, which was less than we spend on video games in a year. Let’s just say it was convicting for me. Not in a “I’m never playing or buying a video game again” way, but to look at how much we truly give away to help, as opposed to how much my family focuses on ourselves - and our wants.
The last thing that really impacted me was a little lesson on the power of a personal story or face, over a plea using overwhelming numbers or stats. Stearns made a point to show how much more people get involved and help when there is a personal story, or a face or name attached to something, more than when presented with an astronomical number or statistic. People seem to respond so much better to “This is a story about little Billy, who is dying of disease “X” or “Y”, as apposed to “2 million people die of disease “X” or “Y” each year”. There is something to connecting to a real live human that tends to move us far more than a huge number. Not sure if that’s really a good thing or not, but I think it’s an important observation when trying to help people.

All in all, “The Hole in Our Gospel” challenged me in so many ways. It challenged my selfishness. It challanged my apathy toward the poor and hurting around the world… and down the street. It challenged, my motivation for giving… sacrificially.

"Quick" Book Thoughts part 1 - "The Unlikely Disciple"...

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0600

I just finished reading (listening to on CD actually) two books:

“The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University” by Kevin Roose
“The Hole in Our Gospel” by Richard Stearns

Let me just say that I’d probably put both books in my Top 10, or Top 15 books I’ve ever read… and for very different reasons relating to each book. First I’d like to write down a few thoughts on “The Unlikely Disciple”. It’s not uncommon that as a Christian myself, I read a book about the story of another Christian going into a school, group, work or other social group to experience and share their faith with the group they are joining. We are called to be in the world, not of the world - so there are many stories out there of Christians entering what they would consider a secular or avert group to the Christian faith that they’ve become a part of. But “The Unlikely Disciple” goes the other way, a person who does not claim the Christian faith enters the world of Jerry Falwell and Liberty University. Places very contrary to his upbringing and schooling. I loved the book. It was fascinating to observe a culture I am constantly in, from the eyes of someone who is not usually in it. The way we talk, the things we say, our mannerisms, our beliefs, our laws, our unwritten rules… he writes about them all. There were four interesting observations Kevin made about Christians, the Media and non-Christians that really stick with me

As Christians, a lot of our talk and words makes no sense to those outside of the Christian culture. It prompted me to think how even I phrase things when talking about God and my life.
Many Christians aren’t as crazy and mean-spirited as the media or even very anti-Christian make us out to be. Thought that was an interesting observation coming from someone who didn’t have to say that. He didn’t have to record that observation.
There were definitely some philosophical and belief system differences between him and Liberty students, but he remarked that many students weren’t that different from him or from his the students at his old school at Brown University. Some of the same struggles and all that weren’t actually much different.
Two of the biggest obstacles to faith I hear personally and read about are Christians stance on a loving God sending people to Hell to suffer and burn eternally, and Christians lack of acceptance, and sometimes downright cruelty to the Gay and Lesbian community. These were two of the biggest reasons he listed in not wanting to become a Christian.

I personally think this is a very important book for the Christian community to read. I think it gives great insight into what those not inside the Evangelical world might think when they are with us at work, school or they happen to stop by our churches. I think Kevin has a lot of important things to say and good questions to be asked. Highly recommend! :)

"my son has climbed out of the crib... it's the end of the world as I know it!" :)

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 -0600

The night before Brennan was born, Corrie and I sat in the bed looking forward to when he would arrive, but also grieving some of the freedom and easiness of life that would be going away by having children. I think I might have grieved and struggled more when Brennan finally crawled out of his crib last month. :)

For those of you who do not know our boy… let’s just say - he’s active. And at least in the crib, there was a nap-time and night-time restrictor to his activity. And very selfishly, I got some down time. But now… It was big-boy bed time, and lots and lots of freedom inside his room. And less downtime, for me. (I’m wondering if the “me being inconvenienced” theme is coming through yet? Don’t worry, it still might). Some our friends suggested closing the door and putting a child-proof door handle on that he couldn’t open. Either they hadn’t met my wife or had a momentarily lapse on who she is… so, um no, we will not be using that method I was reminded (I happened to be somewhat intrigued by the suggestion myself). Corrie liked the suggestion from a friend of putting a gate up, but leaving the door open so he could still see us but was also restricted to staying in his room. (I thought, “that will be fun”, we can allow him to stand there and express his appreciation of the gate all night long.) “Yes, absolutely my love, that definitely is the best way… love you”. :) How has he done this last month you ask? Well…

3 full empties of all his clothes from the dresser thrown all over the hall, earned his drawers to be tied together… that was fun watching him try to open that the next night.
Countless “Thomas and Friends” trains flying at our door, earned a Thomas free zone in the bedroom.
A couple of “strip naked and pee on the carpet” times, earned some duct tupe on the tabs of the diaper so he at least couldn’t get his diaper off.
A brighter night light that “encouraged” longer playing time at night, turned into a dimmer night light that provides just enough so you don’t run into anything
Bedtime is 8:00pm, not sure we’ve had a night where he went to sleep before 9:15… the latest being after 11:00pm. And the obvious get out of bed and call for us times throughout the night too, at the gate… (Maybe that’s on par with others experience of this transition, so that could be normal I guess.)
I swear we’ve used every method we’ve heard about, before realizing consistency was what we/he needed - including…
- Keep picking him up and setting him in his bed, without saying anything to him or cuddling him
- Letting him cry and throw his tantrum and wait for him to wear himself out
- Laying in the bed with him till he was drowsy or feel asleep
- Sitting in the hallway, yelling at him to get in bed every time he got out
- Getting mad at him (a given I guess)
- Having my In-laws put him to bed or lay in there with him
- Hold the door closed so he couldn’t open it in hopes he’d give up and get in bed (yes, I snuck this one in a few times…)
- Close our door and pretend we can’t hear him
- Cry…

He’s getting there. He’ll get there. … and then Bailey will start this process. A few friends and family have given us the “This too shall pass” or “You’ll wish these days are back, just wait till they are teenagers!” Those little statements actually help us, you don’t feel alone and others have been there… and survived. Most of all, I want to make sure I don’t feel so inconvenienced, so frustrated… so selfish - that I miss helping Brennan (and Bailey) transition the way they need too, and miss those special moments you never get back if you miss them, all while waiting for them to grow up faster. I need to be their Dad and help them do things right, without breaking their spirit. I’m not a very good behaviorist at heart (maybe that’s bad as a parent), but it seems like everything right now is helping them and teaching them behavioral things. I want to help them go beyond just behaving right in his life; to living right, inside and out - and I do think that goes beyond just behavior. I think Jesus points to that very theme with the Pharisees for our overall lives. [ref] Matthew 23:25-27 (New International Version). 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. [/ref] But it still seems mostly about behavior right now, which tends to be somewhat frustrating for me. It’s also difficult at times to know the best way to teach them things, each kid responds differently to different punishments. Raising children is hard… but is so cool and worth it (most of the time). :) I am so grateful for both of them. Anyway, I hope you laughed some and thought of your own experiences will this, or other things with kids, or other stories you have heard about kids. I look forward to hearing some of those stories…

"Love Wins"... perhaps a fairly inadequate review on my part.

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0600

I haven’t been real sure what to write here despite having finished reading “Love Wins…” by Rob Bell almost 2 weeks ago. I truly feel a bit inadequate to respond, write a review, etc… about the book here. I admit that fully, and not as a cop out to taking a position on it. I think the book leaves far more questions than answers (which I know is a style Rob uses and likes), which isn’t always bad in itself, but seemed kind of empty to me after reading the book. I am also way behind many other reviewers, and not sure I could put some amazing twist on it that others haven’t already written.

If nothing else, reading the book has deepened my desire to actually understand why I believe the way I do and quit being lazy about learning why I do - or figuring out what it is I should be understanding better from scripture. I’m sorry that I don’t have a better response or review to the book. I’m a little embarrassed about it… So, to make up for it a little, I’ve done some research and put a bunch of links to reviews on here from people who have done a better job of reviewing the book than I can. (Most of theses link you could also find on other blogs/sites too - it’s not like I found them all myself). This list includes both, favorable and unfavorable, reviews for the book… Here we go:

BLOG UPDATE: Scot McKnight has started to post his thoughts and I’ll included them here. (At the time of this original blog entry, I was awaiting Scot’s post(s), as I really enjoy his thoughts on things).
- Exploring Love Wins 1 by Scot McKnight
- Exploring Love Wins 2 by Scot McKnight
- Exploring Love Wins 3 by Scot McKnight
“Rob Bell’s Love Wins: A Response” by Justin Taylor and Kevin DeYoung - This is probably the longest and most in depth review, a very full and thorough critique.

“Love, Holiness, and Eternity: Some Reflections on Rob Bell, Part 1” by Ed Stetzer - Ed (President of LifeWay Research) gives an overall balanced review of things he agreed with, and disagreed with in the book.

“Eugene Peterson: Would Jesus Condemn Rob Bell?” by Timothy Dalrymple - Timothy interviews Eugene Peterson and gets his insight on why he endorsed the book.

“REView - Rob Bell’s Manifesto on Love “Amends the Gospel” by Mile High Rev - Bill Oudemolen (Sr. Pastor at Foothills Bible Church, Littleton, CO) takes a look at 10 points Bell proposes that are just not true.

“Questioning the Evangelical Equation – Reviewing Love Wins Ch. 1” by Prairie Wanderer - Joel Newton (Youth and Family Director at 1st Presbyterian Church, Champaign, IL) is doing a chapter by chapter review starting with this one on Chapter 1.

“To Hell with Hell?” by Mark Driscoll - Mark Driscoll (Pastor at Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA - the other Mars Hill) writes on the doctrine of Hell, with a ton of verses describing Hell and what happens when people chose not to accept Christ.
“We Have Seen All This Before: Rob Bell and the (Re)Emergence of Liberal Theology” by Albert Mohler - Dr. Mohler (President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) writes a thorough and critical review.

“Rob Bell and Love Wins” by Tom Davis - Tom (President of Children’s HopeChest) takes a 6 point review of Rob’s book

“Tension and Rob Bell” by kmattshoes - Kevin takes a look at “tension and fear” in terms of the Christian life and sharing the Gospel Message.

“The McLaren Moment: What John Piper meant by “Farewell Rob Bell.” by Michael Krahn - Title says it all.

“The Orthodooxy of Rob Bell” by Richard Mouw - Dr. Mouw (President of Fuller Seminary) takes a different angle on the book and for the most part, endorses it.

“What Does Rob Bell Really Say? (A Review of the Actual Book Itself)” by Julie Clawson - Julie wrote this review on Sojourner’s, she has a very favorable view of the book.

“Rob Bell and C.S. Lewis” by Jeff Cook - This article was taken for Scot McKnight’s blog as a guest post. Jeff compares and contrasts Rob’s writing of “Love Wins” with C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”.

“Controversial book on salvation has Catholics and evangelicals asking for clarity” by Benjamin Mann - Benjamin interviews both John Michael Talbot and Dr. Douglas Groothuis on their thoughts about the book.
“My Review of Love Wins” by Donald Miller (“Blue Like Jazz”, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”) - Let’s just say he takes a more satirical approach to the whole controversy. :)

There is no shortage of reviews on this (positive, negative, confused, angry, etc…), but these are the ones I have paid attention to the most Personally… I’d love to believe no one, or eventually no one, will escape God’s love (I realize to some, even saying this is heresy - but keep going). Not in a cheap way either, where nothing matters and everything’s just all good - but in a way where Christ’s love, grace, mercy, and justice pierces every heart and people truly see just how much God loves them. However, there are plenty of verses that Rob never addresses that paint the picture of not everyone being with God in the end, that there will be some that want nothing to do with Him, some who actually oppose Him and any of His followers - always. So, I just can’t go there with Rob on this one (if he is truly proposing everyone gets there - he never truly says that I guess), because the overall message of scripture, overall held views by those who have come before us in the faith, etc… point in a very different direction. (Sorry, not much of a review I guess). ————————————-

Now… to the “Koz Soap-Box”, where I feel I can have a little more to say. :) … I am a bit grieved by the attitudes, responses and true dismissal of Rob himself, still a child of God and whom God loves, by people who profess Christ. Reading comments like - “If you believe in what he’s selling, you can go to Hell with Rob” or “I hope he burns forever and ever”… Really? That’s the heart of God, that’s what we see Jesus exhibit? That’s how you want to stand on truth? Is this how God tells us to treat our brother… right, he’s “not” your brother. Ok, fine, so how does God say to treat your enemy then? or your neighbor? or someone you’ve removed from the church, in order to restore them? Anyway, if holding to the position that not all will go to heaven, we have to at least recognize that the Scripture speaks over and over of God’s desire for all to know/see and accept His love and gift of salvation. Jesus said He came so that all may be saved and have life to the fullest… Where is His excitement over pronouncing and sending people to Hell? Let’s hold to what is right, what is truth, what is scripturally sound… but let’s be real, real careful in flippantly pronouncing people to Hell. That whole thing is truly and ultimately up to God in the end… not us. This Hell/Salvation issue is an important issue and cornerstone of our faith, but so is the way we respond and love others… brother/sister or not. And I’m not proposing that speaking unpopular truths is unloving or any of that “emergent/postmodern box” you might want to put me in. I’m advocating for how we share the truth. We too often come off looking like hateful people (which is quite the opposite of what we are called to be) in our Evangelical mainstream response to things. Let’s be passionate about truth, but let’s not forget who is truth - that’s God, and who God’s passionate about - that’s people. When we are more excited to see someone go to Hell or for bad things to happen to them, than to see God’s love reach their heart - it saddens me greatly. Stand on the truth, you bet, but part of that truth is love. Truth in love… And with some of these angry, prideful, yet almost gleeful responses in pronouncing Rob and others to Hell… is our message lost? If “they” will know us by our love for one another… do they know us? Is the “truth” missing key elements? Do we sound like a clanging gong? None of us should ever be excited or gleeful over pronouncing Hell on someone - remember, the Bible says we all deserve it… ALL. Please don’t forget where you’ve come from. We believe and hold onto it being a gift… for everyone. I believe in a Hell, in the separation from God for those that reject Him, that Jesus is it, He is the way, the truth and the life…

Absolutely, God is Just…

He is also Love.

a Tension for us? …often.

For God?

…nope.

"yeah, but can you live it...?" - A lesson from the Muppets.

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:34:00 -0700

: Cover via Amazon

My final post at “Broken Bole” brought some great discussion, comments, emails and people around it. And I’ll be honest, it also brought a couple of difficult things and people back too. It’s the true risk you take, especially when you throw you’re thoughts out publicly. Something I had already been pondering was put this way by a friend…

I think it’s easy to say we’re sorry. It’s easy to say we’re going to live differently. Heck, we see Celebrities, Athletes, Politicians, Pastors/Priests, Church Workers, Friends, Family -you name it, come out all the time and say “sorry” to those who were hurt, offended, etc by something they’ve done and vow to change… but then they go right back and do the same thing over and over again. So I love what you wrote but I find myself these days asking - “yeah, but can you live it?” to anyone who talks about this.

Man, you gotta love direct and to the point questions huh! :) And it was a very heartfelt and sincere question in case it doesn’t read that way. Isn’t that the thing too, we tend to be a very forgiving society for the most part, but doesn’t the apology lose it’s value when followed up by the same behavior you just apologized for - over and over again?

And we’re not talking just behavior modification here, but true life changes. Anyone can be moral, it’s very different to be a changed person.

So last week while spending a little home vacation with my family, my boy and I watched “A Muppet Christmas Carol”! I love that movie, and have since I first watched it as a kid. I swear though, it’s like one of a billion that tell the Scrooge story. So as I watched it this time, my friends question came back into my mind, and got me thinking about changing and living differently (and voila, this post was born).

There so much to the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, but to me the biggest thing was that after Scrooge goes through the 3 ghosts and sees the past, present and future of his life path… He comes away a changed man. He asked the final spirit for one more chance… And when he received it… He changed. Some were skeptical, but even they saw he wasn’t the same Scrooge. He lived it. He didn’t just send a check to the orphanage and call it good. He didn’t just give Bob Crotchet a Christmas bonus and feel good about himself. He was changed. His demeanor had changed. His priorities had changed. His relationships were changed. His heart and his mind had changed. Scrooge was different, and everyone in town was experiencing it. I hear the skeptics though…

Yes I know, it’s just a movie. And yes, we don’t see how Scrooge lived every day after the story fades. But there are examples all around of changed lives. I truly believe that faith play’s a big part in that true change (that is certainly my story).

My favorite biblical example - the Apostle Paul… from killing Christians, to being one. Some people change, but some don’t. Some people are skeptical about the change, some advocate for the changed. I hope I’m doing more than just saying it. More than just writing about it I hope I’m living the change, and also advocating for the changed.

feeding triple cheeseburgers – to my past…

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0700

This is my final planned post for “BROKENBOLE”. I believe it’s for a good reason though, and not because I am finished writing. (Thanks to all of you who read and helped me with this post before I sent it out publicly!)

I feel like it’s finally ok, and maybe even beneficial, to start writing posts in my own name @ CHRISKOZACEK.COM. But this story is much bigger, to me, than where I am writing my next blog post… It’s much more than just about moving on from where I blog. I recognize that moving on from anything never seems to be as smooth or complete as we want it to be - but it’s where I’m headed.

Even in writing this post, it’s now over a month in the making and it’s one of the most sensitive and nerve-wracking that I’ve ever written. It’s my hope that the story below shares how and why I’ve gotten to that place… This is about me trying to change, and what has been my constant quest to work through and move on from my past, and all the bad things I’ve thought about myself. But this is also about learning how not let other people have the full power of saying who I am, who I should have been, and who I should be now. (However, if this post in anyway comes across as prideful or bitter or non-caring about others - that is the furthest thing from where my heart is and what I am trying to convey. I truly hope and pray that it does not come across that way.)

NOW, TO THE STORY… There are 4 labels that I’ve believed about myself and have allowed a few others to have a voice about in my life…

1. … a sinner who cannot be given grace or forgiveness
2. … a feeler who was made inferior to thinkers
3. … a hypocrite
4. … a loser who doesn’t have the right skills, giftings, or beliefs to be a Pastor

The good thing is, and what has prompted all this… two of those labels God has helped change in a major way lately, and has finally gotten through to me about what I thought - or what I attributed to others about how they thought about me.

… for “the sinner who cannot be given grace or forgiveness” - a Youth Pastor whom I assumed despised me for how I lived as a teenager (and in turn represented how a whole church felt about me) wrote an amazing and humbling note to me offering forgiveness, after I contacted him to apologize for all the things I put him through when I was a teenager. And I unfairly assumed he, and this larger group of people, believed this label about me. I admit, there still may be some that think this, but to be fair, I’ve never truly asked most of them if they think this. So when I got his response, it somehow freed me from so much of what I thought that they thought about me. (Wow, that was kind of a tongue twister sentence huh?!)

… for “a feeler who was made inferior to thinkers ”- a great friend has spent a few years teaching me not to be afraid to share, and that I wasn’t made inferior by God. And that even though we are made very differently and even when we disagree, it doesn’t automatically mean I am wrong, stupid, or inferior. I hope our friendship has made both of us better, I know it certainly has for me.

however… two of those labels I’m still working through, because I can still hear the voices of others expressing these things about me:

… a hypocrite - I lived a really crappy life for God in my teens and early twenties. I’ve hurt people. I represented my faith poorly. I believe in and preach love, grace and forgiveness - but the truth is there are some moments or things that happened in the past where relationships and peoples’ thoughts about me may never be able to be reconciled and restored due to those choices or circumstances - which can make it seem very “anti” -love, -grace and -forgiveness.

…a loser who doesn’t have the right skills, giftings, or right beliefs to be a Pastor. Here’s the thing… I love Jesus - I truly believe in and trust that He is the best hope for a past, present and future that is filled with love, grace and purpose for life. And for the majority of my life, I’ve wanted to be a Pastor in a church and truly shepherd and care for people in that way. But because… + I’m not a great Biblical debater or scholar. + I’m not that dynamic personality up-front that is usually looked for. + I’m more relationship driven than knowledge driven. + If I were to err on either love or truth - it would be love. (But quite honestly I don’t know how you separate the two.) + I like reading and listening to Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost, Mike Yacanelli, Rob Bell, Leonard Sweet, Donald Miller, Paul Miller, and so on. + I loved “Velvet Elvis” and “the Shack“ (to name a few controversial books in my circles) and learned a lot from them - while not agreeing with everything that was written in them. But because I liked them… + I’ve voted for a few Democrats in my life. + I’m not as conservative theologically or politically as a number of the Christian leaders in my life have thought I should be. + I’m more of a feeler than a cognitive person when sorting through information or dealing with people. + I’m a softy… These are a few examples of the things I was told were wrong about me and in turn have kept me from being able to lead and pastor in some former churches. Let me be clear and fair though, I trust and believe in God’s placement of leadership in churches, and that the leadership of any given church/denomination needs to make the decisions that they feel led by God to do. So this is in no way a - “blame everyone else for me not getting what I want” thing. The point is that because I didn’t seem to fit or be good enough, I was always on a quest to figure out why I was so flawed and why many of the things I liked and learned from were so wrong. And it became a never ending circle of how I saw myself, how I thought everyone else saw me, and ultimately how God saw me… flawed and unusable.

See.. as far as I can remember, I have been more afraid of what others think of me, than even what I believe God thinks of me. To be honest though, I automatically assume that those who don’t think well of me represent a larger group - which fully and automatically includes God. And those that do think ill of me, yup, they automatically drown out the great amazing people who care for me, have carried me through those times, and love me… because those that do like me and think I can do things, well - “they’re just being nice”. You know, like parents, they have to say nice things about you whether they mean it or not. But I think I’ve gotten to the point in my life though where I feel worse for disregarding the love and care all of you amazing people have shown me. And for letting the negative voices always rule. For not trusting that what you say, you mean. And it’s not that you have not told me difficult things or have constantly said I was amazing whenever I needed correction; you’ve spoken “truth in love” into my life. So I’m sorry for not allowing you’re thoughts, correction and encouragement to weigh heavier on how I see things in life, and with God. It’s amazing how key relationship is with all of this, and in life in general. The issue was that I always wanted to be more prepared for when either my past would come up, or when people would look at me and say “Here’s why Chris isn’t good enough for...”

Essentially, I’ve been feeding triple cheeseburgers to my past to make sure I was fattened up enough, to absorb the the blow, whenever it came up…

Cause it inevitably would, and I needed to be ready. So… I have spent most of my 20’s and 30’s telling almost everyone who has come into my life my story of failures, inferiority and why “you and God should (and do already) think I’m a loser”.

The crazy thing is - I still was never ready, I was only kidding myself thinking I would be when it came up. Over the last couple of years, God has used the relationships and voices of today to meld with those who’ve stood with me from the past in helping me move on from what can be left behind, and change some things that should be changed.

Even so, taking this into account: I so badly wish I could change some things in my past, but I know I can’t (no one can). I can’t go back and undo the things that were done. I can’t grab back words that I’ve said or completely erase things that I’ve written publicly. I’m still so sorry for those I hurt or messed up with. I will always be learning and growing and listening because I don’t have everything right.

And I realize I can’t control that no matter what I do, say or write… … there will still be some that think I’m a hypocrite, … some that always remember who I was and what I did, … some that think I can never change, … some that won’t think I’m good enough, and some that wonder if I really follow Jesus. I know there are some things I just can’t change, but I can be different now… and God inexplicably (and in some peoples’ minds - unfairly) gives us grace, mercy and the opportunity to move on from our pasts - and live a changed life.

I don’t move on because I deserve anything or feel like I can pronounce myself forgiven and good now. I don’t have enough power or good works in the world to ever do that. So I rest on the fact God’s word says He has forgiven me (and a number of people in my past have graciously extended forgiveness to me as well), and given me the grace and mercy to move on through Jesus. I certainly don’t take that gift of grace and forgiveness for granted.

So, to wrap this up - …when I made a change as I started writing for XXXChurch.com to write under my own name, there was a risk in writing as “Chris Kozacek” instead of another pseudonym. Not because there were a lot of people who didn’t know my story, but because so much of what I learned about the Christian life is to not admit struggle and failure. But there was a power over, and freedom from, constantly beating myself up over my past by sharing openly, authentically and honestly about where I’ve been and where I’m wanting to go now.

And to give credit and thanks to a number of people (especially at YFC and Adullam right now), I haven’t been subtly asked to pretend I had no skeletons in the past (or present, that wouldn’t reflect well on the organization/staff just by me being associated with them. Stories of grace, brokenness and God’s power to change people are desired and encourage for me - and others to share. And I’m grateful that these have also been healing places that have built on the time and words of others who have walked beside me for years; and have broken the chains of performance and perfection - and the inability to truly share where I’ve come from, to who God is making me now.

So, after this post, I will be using ChrisKozacek.com for blogging in the future;

...not because I am famous;
…or super important to the world as a whole;
…or because I bring some amazing take on life and faith that no one else could ever have;
...I guess it’s because I finally feel like I am able to.

Thank You all who have walked with me for however long you have, and have continued to show me grace, love and respect - you are truly God sends for me!

Love,

astory
brokensoul
RealGrace
crackedroundpeg
cultivate
echoinggrace
brokenbole

Chris Kozacek

(BTW… I realize that by writing this post, I open myself up to more public accountability and comments on how well I’m living this out! My hope is that it goes very well!) :)

Taylor Swift - "Mine"

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:34:05 -0600

Great song. Great artist. Great video.

This Song/Video kind of hits home… when Corrie and I first got married, I always expected her to leave too cause I thought that’s just how it goes. That’s just how marriage was… someone at some point leaves when you fight. Cool to see this story played out, and they stay together.

My wife has been, and shown me something very different and very amazing, and I am grateful for her.

Here’s the video, hope you enjoy it too (maybe you won’t like everything about it I guess, but at least the not leaving part). :)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPBwXKgDTdE[/youtube]

Original Article

Advertising Jesus... SUV style.

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:16:15 -0600

: Image by theunabonger via Flickr

On my way home yesterday, saw a SUV sporting a “JESUS SAVES” on one side, and “Acts 2:38” on the other.

And they used the - “please give me massive letters so people could see it from space” version. Obviously, it is not new to see these kinds of things on cars, or bumper stickers like it. (but it still got me thinking about it - and I guess it worked on me huh!) :)

My honest question(s) is: Does this really work overall, and is it good - whether it works or not?

What if in a ratio of perhaps 1 to 30 (just a range, not scientific here), it pisses off 30 people who want nothing to do with God and further alienates them from wanting to know anything about God or Christianity; or it truly leads 1 person to read that verse and decide that they really do want to follow Jesus and His life? Do we take that 1, and just count the 30 as bitter and not caring anyway? What if the 1 only “prays the prayer” but doesn’t do anything with their faith, was it good enough to do just to get someone some “fire-insurance” (if that happens)? [ref]1. I’m not knocking praying a real prayer of wanting to follow Jesus, I’m responding to not doing anything with your faith after that, that how someone lives doesn’t change at all from that point on - if it is the starting point.[/ref]

Or is it whatever gets the message out, and that’s for God to deal with in how others respond (and He thinks “Chris” should just shut up and not ask questions about it?) ;)

Thanks for your civil and respectful thoughts (on both sides) :)

Look forward to the chats we have on these types of things!

Original Article

"how metrosexual is your worship leader...?"

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:55:12 -0600

: Cover of Stuff Christians Like

While leading Communion last week, we wanted to emphasize a little about community and what it takes in relation to church - with our group.

So I had been reading the book - “Stuff Christians Like” (yes, it’s satire) and I came across a little section on “how metrosexual is your worship leader?” (see below)

Here are a sample of what I read (from the book) of the scoring system, to see how you worship leaders scores:

Book caption: “When you tell someone about your church, there’s unfortunately not a standard system to describe the degree of metrosexuality your worship leader posses. Wouldn’t it be awesome to say, “You’ll love my church and the music. We have a 78-point metro-sexual worship leader”? Or if you were driving by a church and you saw a hip-looking “42” in the corner of the sign, you’d know instantly how metro the worship experience was going to be…”

7. Owns white Puma, Vans, Asics or Diesel sneakers… +2 for each pair

9. Wears designer jeans on stage… +2

10. Wears designer ladies jeans on stage… +4

11. Wears Wrangler or Rustler jeans on stage… -3

12. Has a goatee… +2

14. Drinks coffee on stage… +1

15. Drinks some kind of coffee you did not know existed… +2

16. Brings a French press on stage and makes his own coffee during service… +5

18. Good at Frisbee but hates getting all “sweaty”… +1

23. Wears a winter knit hat even in the summer… +2

24. Reads quotes from the Bible between songs using his iPhone or Kindle… +3

27. Cringes a little when people say the “H word” (Hymnal)… +3

31. Wears a tie… -1

32. Wears a tie as a belt… +2

36. Has a tattoo… +2

37. Has a visible tattoo… +4

45. Twitters and updates his blog while leading worship… +2

46. Read the last line and laughed at how outdated twitter is because he’s already using some sort of hologram technology the rest of the world won’t find out about for three years… +4

Although very funny, there is some truth to how many of us do church. We pick churches based on our needs, or leave if they aren’t fulfilling our needs enough (I admit I’ve been guilty of this before, how about you?). It’s hard to stay in community and commit to a place… or more, a people. So we look at things like:

Is the Pastor funny enough or a good enough speaker/teacher?
Is the music just my style, is it what I prefer?
Do I get enough out of this church - are my needs fulfilled (or my families needs fulfilled)?
Do they have a nice enough building? Are the carpets, bathrooms or foyer clean enough?
Do they provide good enough coffee and doughnuts?
Is there someone to make/cater food for our class, or set up our tables and chairs - or do we really have to do that?
Do they teach and talk enough about being happy and how to get all I want in life and stay away from that controversial stuff; like having to change things in my life, taking Jesus and His words seriously, or sacrificing things for others, or getting involved with others (including worst of all, spending time with people not like me… yikes)?
Does the pastor/church make sure we all feel good by pointing out how every other Christian congregation/minister and people group is inferior to our group/church, and make sure we know that, “yup, we are the stuff” and “every other christian not associated with us is jacked-up and away from the truth”?

This list could go on and on… and on. And not that there aren’t important questions in there or places we just don’t fit.

But do we ever ask…

“Hey, how can I give here? How can I serve the body? Is this a place where I/we think God could use us at right now? Can we be real here? Can we walk this life together with these people? Is there an emphasis in taking the “Good News” to others, where they are at (and is it truly Good News and not just strict morality)? Is there kindness, respect, authenticity, accountability, truth, love and grace among this group of people? Is Jesus the center here, and the Bible modeled and taught as our source for truth and life?”

I hope I ask some of those questions… not just to find what is best for me and my family, but to find a place and a people that we can commit to for however long we are given, and who are truly a community who looks after those within and constantly meets and sits with those who are not yet within and around the fringes.

Book Tour: Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff (momblognetwork.com)
The Perils of Hipster Christianity (online.wsj.com)
Trying to make Christianity cool (geneveith.com)
The Perils of ‘Wannabe Cool’ Christianity (online.wsj.com)

Original Article

kids and selfishness...

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I’ve recently discovered…

yeah right - I’ve known this all along… ;)

I’m selfish.

When our first child came along, it was tough because I couldn’t live life as I did before. But after awhile, we found a way to still take him places and still sit down and relax (even if it was after he went to bed). Enter child number two…I have to say, this adjustment has been more difficult.

With 2 kids, at least for us, there is no real break - someone always needs something or supervision. There was no where to go in the house where somebody wasn’t, or wouldn’t be. Yes it will change over time as they get older, I know, but it has cramped my style and made me have to do even more. And it has showed a side of my selfishness that even I didn’t know the depth of… And it’s not as if I’m sad or angry to have both kids. I can’t imagine my life without them. I’d be devastated if something ever happened to them. God has blessed us with two cool kids who matter so much to us, and to God.

I love my kids…

I’ve just been faced with how much more naturally I love myself… and my time… and my comfort… and doing my own thing. And that doesn’t work when you have children… at least not if you want to be the parent your kids need you be. I’m amazed at how easy it is to love me… and all I want to do. And just how far away I am from being unselfish, whether it be with my kids, my wife, my family, my friends, etc… I’m grateful for the opportunity to be different. I need to be different, not just for my kids - but because I am called to be different, and to live differently.

Has anyone else experienced a time/moment where you were so aware of your selfishness? Did/Does it matter to you? Have/Did you change? How?

—- About the picture: (It’s a funny picture… but can be all too real. I pray I am never that selfish/distant from my kids) Picture from an article by Deborah Ross called “Buzz off kids! Mum’s watching Supernanny” —-

Chris Kozacek

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