What’s fascinating is not just that God creates something out of nothing, but the way he chooses to do that. He speaks creation into existence.

Words can be powerful.

A friend of mine taught me that when you lead a group of people, you don’t chide them, telling them what you want them to be. You speak as if they are already that thing, and what will happen is that over time they will grow into becoming what you have said they already are.

Today, I was sharing with some people something that I believe and want to live out. I was sharing with them the tension and struggle of believing it to be true, but how hard it is to actually live it, which seems to be true of just about anything that is good and worth pursuing. What I told them was I’m going to keep talking as if I’m there – not as a disingenuous facade – but instead to speak it into existence in my life.

It’s not a power of positive thinking sort of thing. It’s not “The Secret”, or some other kind of self-help voodoo. It’s the way the creator of the universe brought the universe into existence. He spoke what wasn’t there into being there.

Too often, whether it’s when we lead a group, or if it’s with our family, or in the self-image that we have of ourselves, what we do is focus on what we’re not or on how to motivate or push us to be what we want to be. We try to use our words to force something to happen, instead of speaking as if it’s already true. You speak it into existence by speaking as if that thing is already true and then allowing it to grow into becoming true.

Maybe you can’t create something out of nothing. But your words can still create.

But then, it’s just 14 verses later that the people of the synagogue are upset with him. And not just a little upset. Upset enough that they want to throw him off the cliff.

In 14 verses he goes from being praised to people wanting to kill him.

People are fickle.

And for those that are in any kind of leadership, the temptation is to let those highs and lows drive you. The temptation is to feel significant and important when you’re getting all the praise, but when people are angry to all of a sudden let that drive your leadership.

The problem is that people are fickle. It only takes 14 verses for them to turn in a completely different direction.

Don’t let your leadership be determined by the praise, or by the angry mob. Don’t let that drive you and your decisions. Be who God is calling you to be. Do the things God is calling you to do. Say the things God is calling you to say. And recognize that sometimes people will praise you when you do that and sometimes they will turn on you. But don’t worry…it only takes 14 verses for it to change in the other direction.

This statement by an angel shows up several times in the Christmas story. It’s said to Zechariah as the birth of John is announced. The same is said to Mary as she is told of her pregnancy. Then the angels say it to the Shepherds as they first hear about of the birth of Jesus.

“Do not be afraid.”

I wonder if a part of the reason the angels would begin a significant announcement with those words was so that what they had to say could actually be heard.

In those kinds of moments, it would be easy to let your fear override the words that you’re hearing. It would be easy for your mind to be somewhere else, thinking about something else, all the while, the angels are giving you incredibly significant news that you’re going to have an opportunity to respond to. In order to not miss what was going to happen in that moment, the angel would say,

“Do not be afraid.”

Because fear would take them out of that moment. Fear would keep Mary from pondering and treasuring these things. Fear would keep the shepherds away from the manger. They are told to not be afraid, because fear would distract them from what God was doing in that moment and in that place.

Maybe if those same angels came to us today, instead of saying “do not be afraid,” maybe they would instead say something like, “put down your phone” or “don’t add something else to your to-do list” or “stop your incessant worrying for a moment”. I wonder if the statements we would hear would be the things that keep us from being fully present in the moment.

What if during this season, God is wanting to say something to you, but we have become so preoccupied that we aren’t able to hear it. Maybe this week, in preparation for Christmas, you could take some time to put your list away, turn your phone off, and allow yourself to not worry about all that has to be done. Maybe you take a slow, meandering walk with your family. How about you get a fire going and make coffee and hot chocolate and just hang out. Or perhaps you turn off the TV one evening and instead read the story of the first Christmas – it’s only a few chapters – Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 1 & 2.

I’m reminded of the words of the Psalmist who said, “Today if only you would hear his voice.” Today. Not tomorrow. Not sometime when things slow down. Today.

Could it be that one of the reasons the angels would begin their declarations that we read every year at Christmas with the statement, “Do not be afraid,” was as a way of saying, “Be fully present so that you can hear what God wants to say to you and experience what God is about to do”.

This week, as you prepare for Christmas, don’t forget to slow down and be present so you can hear what God wants to say and experience what God is about to do.

So, I began reading Bob’s books, where his influence began to affect the way we engaged in missions at Parkcrest, and also began to spur on a passion and strategy for us becoming a church planting church.

A little over a year ago, I began getting to know Bob, and each time I’m with him, I’ve been regularly inspired, remembering why I’m in ministry and challenged at how I engage in my neighborhood and world. Bob has this unique ability to build relationships  and speak with world leaders, people of multiple faiths, and just about anyone he meets, all the while never giving up what he believes to be true and core. As a result of that, he gets invited to speak around the world at things most evangelical Christians never get invited to – like the World Islamic Forum. 

That’s why I’m so excited to have him come to Parkcrest this weekend to speak at all of our Weekend Worship Services at the Heartwell Campus. Bob is going to speak on the subject of his new book, Bold as Love. And while his book won’t release for another month, you will be inspired and challenged at what it looks like to live your faith out boldly and lovingly in relationships with people of multiple faiths.

Hope to see you there!

1. What am I already doing that I can invite someone else to do with me?
2. Where do I need help that I can ask for help?
3. What's something uncomfortable for me to share that I need to share?

What if you answered just one of those questions this week to help take a step towards investing in intentional community

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For those of you that are intrigued by this, I thought I’d point you towards a few resources since we won’t be talking about this for another month. These are books that I’ve found helpful in thinking about this discussion. A few disclaimers first: As with any book, I don’t agree with everything the authors write, but I did find each of these thought-provoking; Also, a more robust theology needs to be developed outside of books specifically about politics, but these are only ones that approach things from that framework. 

Descriptions for each of these books can be found on Amazon. If you end up reading one, I’d love to hear your thoughts…

The Myth of a Christian Nation by Greg Boyd

Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne

Blinded by Might by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson

The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder

And finally, when you’ve got a spare hour :), you may enjoy watching this discussion between Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd and Shane Claiborne on how evangelicals engage politics. It’s a great, respectful dialogue, between differing views…

Three Degrees of Separation from On Being on Vimeo.

12 years ago, I had no idea of the gravity of what we were committing to…

…the pain we would walk through together and the incredible experiences we would share

…the children we hadn’t even began imagining yet and the way they would forever alter our lives

…the adventures that we would share

…the hard decisions we would make

…the times we would laugh, and even cry

…the way we would come to know the other so well

…what was going to change about each of us and what would be the same

…how pursing Jesus together would look in each of the seasons of our lives

I had no idea

I was just this kid, who pursued this girl, and had no idea what was in store for us, but knew it was supposed to be with her. Marriage is the biggest risk that you will take, but it has the potential for the greatest rewards. 12 years ago, I had no idea what all I was stepping into, but I knew who I wanted to step into it with. 

Mike and Allison Goldsworthy Wedding from Mike Goldsworthy on Vimeo.

1. Single parents are incredible. Seriously…I already had a huge amount of respect for single parents, but it went way up
2. There is a special bond that happens with your kids when it’s just you and them for this long together. I didn’t realize what a gift these two weeks would be for us
3. Something smells like feet in the fridge and I can’t figure out what it is…hurry home Allison! Speaks for itself
4. I’m really grateful for some friends who were able to take the kids when I had to preach, come over to hang out with me for a bit after they went to bed, and take them for a few hours so I could do other things. I’m not good at having to rely on other people…this was a good reminder of the significance of community for me
5. I’m so proud of Allison for going on this trip for several reasons, but one of them was that it was hard for her to leave our kids for that long. In retrospect, the two weeks she was gone won’t feel like very long for our kids, but it will be an important example to them of obedience and sacrifice on her part.

I’m so proud of the almost 100 people from Parkcrest who went (and are still going) on mission trips this summer…but really excited to see one in particular later today

Mike’s newest book, Glorious Mess, is free today on Kindle. Even if it weren’t free, it’s worth picking up a copy. If you buy it and don’t like it, let Mike know and he’ll give you your money back (actually, I don’t think that’s true, but I’d love to see you try, plus it makes for good advertising).

Mike let me post a portion of his book here for you to get a vibe of what it’s about. Read it, get a copy on kindle for free today and then buy a copy to give away…

I am a pastor. 

I work in a church.

I am also a mess.

 

I went with a buddy to Gold’s Gym one time. One time. Everyone there looked like Ahhh-nold. Even the women had muscles and a gap in their front teeth. Each one bronzed, glistening, cut, and lifting more than I could wrap my mind around. (I understood there would be no math at the gym.) I went over to the pink weights, looked in the mirror, and was startled to realize that someone had replaced my biceps with those of a third-grade girl. I didn’t belong. This gym was for the Big Dogs. I wasn’t even a dog, really. More like toy poodle, which science reveals is predominantly rodent. I never went back, opting instead for an intense workout program that consists of wrestling (on the floor with my kids) and surfing (the internet). 

 

I wonder how many times this experience happens in a church setting. A spiritually interested person decides to go to church. When they get there, they are overwhelmed with the fact that no matter who they look at, they don’t measure up. The teaching is from a guy who apparently hasn’t wrestled with a single sin issue in his life since he became a follower of Jesus, at age 5, when he had to repent of making a frowny-face after his folks asked him to clean his room. Everyone seated around them is dressed to the nines, votes with a clear conscience, drives a paid-for Volvo, and has children who probably smile demurely from homes that look snipped out of Better Homes and Gardens.  Better than whose home and garden? Mine, for one.

 

Who can measure up? This is an obvious exaggeration, but the view from the outside is very one dimensional, unless we take the pains to change it from the inside. 

 

With three elementary school kids, a dog, multiple sports teams and dozens of neighborhood friends, my home is continually in a Defcon 5 state of disarray. I’m personally bringing the harried, wrinkled look in, praying it catches on. My children are wonderful gifts from God Himself, and I wouldn’t trade them, but they have rarely nodded demurely. They tackle demure kids. It’s pretty messy where I live.

 

The truth is, no matter how it looks, most everyone is a bit of a mess. 

 

When I first moved from California to Washington I drove a ’79 suburban. It had no heater. Mostly I think a car is perfect if it gets me from point A to point B, but now I am convinced that a heater is also essential. One night that first winter, I walked out from my office late, and the entire truck was iced over. I tried to get in, but the driver’s door was frozen shut. If you’re from someplace warm (and sane), take a moment to let that sink in. Frozen. Shut. So I walked around the car, and yanked the passenger door open. The frozen handle literally broke off, so the door opened but would not stay closed. This did not improve my mood. I noticed my fingers had become icicles. I was carrying a cup of coffee that I brought to keep my hands warm (since my heater wasn’t functional) but then I noticed my windshield was iced over, impossible to see through. I poured the coffee onto the windshield to melt the ice, because I didn’t have an ice-scraper. And I didn’t have an ice-scraper because I’m from Southern California and I hadn’t used an ice-scraper on my car out of necessity in a long, long time. Like never. So coffee was my plan. 

 

It was a dumb plan. The whole cup froze instantly on the windshield. The passenger door was yawning wide open. My fingers felt brittle, ready to fall off any moment. I crawled into the driver’s seat, fixed the loop of my backpack over the passenger door lock, and I drove with one hand holding it closed, with my head out of the open driver’s window because the only thing I could see through my windshield was the brown liquid that was supposed to keep my fingers and my belly warm on my cold ride home, but instead it was frozen solid, like my fingers, like my face quickly became except for my eyes which were bleeding rivers of salt joy down my face, and forming tiny icicles off of my chin. But hey, I was making progress. A mess but moving toward home.

 

We live life like that. We limp along. We tolerate ourselves. We survive our foibles. We put up with our stupidities, with the messes we make and we roll our eyes at ourselves, swearing under our breath, wishing we didn’t make things quite this messy. Personally, relationally, and spiritually messy. I wonder if we aren’t missing something profound. I wonder if we don’t see that in that moment, in that mess, just there where we’re stuck, frustrated, or otherwise not all that impressive…I wonder if that’s the place where God is free to bring His glory. I wonder if that’s exactly where His grace is sufficient.

 

I don’t know where you are in all this…how you view your life, your struggles, your trials, your sin. Do you view your imperfections as a canvas for God’s glory to be on display?

 

All throughout the Scriptures, you see examples of God loving imperfect people, forgiving imperfect people, and using imperfect people for great and glorious things. God’s love for imperfect people is unrelenting. In fact, the bigger the mess, the more glory God seems to get. And of all the glorious messes in the Bible, few are messier than Jonah.

 

Everywhere I go, people grab me and say, “Pastor, give me some Jonah! I need more Jonah! I’ve got a fever, and there’s only one cure…Jonah!” 

 

Ok, not exactly. And there’s probably a reason for that:

It’s one heck of a fish story. 

It’s a whopper of a tale.

 

The flannel board Sunday School story of Jonah smacks of the incredible, the miraculous, and the supernatural. Because it has been viewed in that light, the Book of Jonah is too often dismissed as an ancient fable with little practical value for our lives. I “bing”ed the word “Jonah” and the top ten sites were for children’s books and ancient biblical commentary (well, and Jonah Hill, the actor).

 

How tragic.

 

It’s tragic because one way or another, Jonah’s story is our story. He’s a mess, just like us. I’m a Jonah. You are too.

 

When God calls us, many times we run from the thing we know He is gently prompting us to do. When we run, the storms hit. When the storms hit, we turn back to God. When we turn back to God, we see an absolutely incredible return on our obedience. And even after we’ve experienced God’s grace, we need to be reminded again to share it. 

 

God loves both the reluctant prophet and the repentant people. 

God has a plan for us, even in the midst of our mess, to showcase His glory. 

And God has given us the book of Jonah to learn all about it. 

 

In the five acts of Glorious MESS you will encounter no new evidence that the Book of Jonah records fact…no scientific studies proving a grown man can actually utilize the oxygen from giant gills to survive; no bizarre but true tale about a sperm whale that was caught and opened up to reveal a family of four living comfortably inside with their twin hairless cats.

 

If you believe in God, who spoke all things into existence, who holds the galaxies at His fingertips, who is intimately involved in human affairs, who is capable of loving even the most stubborn human, then this story is a factual non-issue. I know thoughtful Christians who choose to view Jonah as a potent myth, a fable with a heavenly truth built in. I won’t argue that point here (although I believe in the historicity of Jonah), but I know we can agree on this: to an infinite God, commanding a fish and sustaining life for a wayward prophet are no big deal. It’s harder for me to cook a package of Top Ramen noodle soup than it is for an infinite God to perform a miracle.

 

Now, if you don’t believe in that infinite God, then Jonah is the wrong book to convince you. Our foundational view of God’s infinite nature is found throughout the Scriptures, but perhaps most clearly stated in Luke. It goes like this:

 

For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 NIV

 

If you believe, as I do, that the Bible has proven itself to be a trustworthy source again and again and again; if you’ve found, as I have, that this dusty desert tome reveals the heart of God and the character of me, then this verse speaks volumes. More than any stat or study I could quote is the realization that God can and does accomplish the AMAZING, whether we are willing or ready to believe it.

 

That’s good news.