Say what you want about his eccentric displays and unconventional responses, he is the epitome of a lead worshiper, taking crowds gathered to experience the presence of greatness with the highest expectation of going somewhere, maybe even moving towards someone, as one. The crowd may not have gathered with the intent to worship Jesus, but everyone is made to worship and worships someone or something. Those who know Him could definitely find His glory in the midst of it all.

In this, one of my favorite videos, “Where The Streets Have No Name – Live At Slane Castle,” I hear Bono’s vertical expressions – “Show us Your glory” – that takes my heart to a place where I experience the presence of God and get caught up in worship of the One True God of Heaven. I can feel God “burning down love” on me.

For many, the messenger inhibits the message from being heard. Without grace, it must be said of us all.

God is teaching me to hear the message and see the glory as well as the beauty of glory spilled out through an unworthy vessel. The more broken the vessel, the more glory that shines through the lens of grace, especially when I look at me.

Worship with me if you have eyes to see and a heart to realize the glory of the glorious One….

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It’s quiet. That’s not normal when you have an “almost” 2 year old who makes noise every waking moment and even when she’s sleeping.

Jenny and I “tag-team” when it comes to taking care of Jaida. From play time, changing diapers, bathing and feeding, we both are involved in taking care of our little girl. On this day, we were both in “tag” mode, noticing and involving ourselves with Jaida as we went about doing other things. So, since I recognized the silence first, I got up from my chair to find her and see what she’s up to… or into for that matter.

I looked in all the obvious places but I couldn’t find her. The anxiety level rose a bit, hoping that nothing was wrong, just a season of quietness. I looked in the “not so obvious” places. No little girl to be found. Anxiety level 2, plus crazy thoughts running around in Daddy’s head and heart about what I hope to find her doing, and what I don’t!

After a few moments of controlled panic, I went upstairs and around the corner to find little miss Jaida next to the potted plant, hands in the potting soil, throwing a little, eating a little. Not good to have “gone dark”, not in the obvious, routine places and getting dirty. But, thankfully, not the end of the world.

Like my precious baby girl, many Christians go missing. The noise of intentional relationship in the obvious, routine places is suddenly quieted by the haunting silence and lack of presence of the ones they so love and appreciate. Anxiety builds the longer the absence. Thoughts, centered on trust are bombarded by the unknown that seem to always move our mind towards the worst outcomes.

People “go missing” for many different reasons. Some just simply find themselves lost at no fault of their own. Life can lead to a series of choices and excuses for not engaging where distance is created as a consequence. No matter the justification, love calls us to go on a search for those who have “gone dark”, not in the obvious, routine places or who may be caught in the mud.

A Church can be known for its buildings, programs, style, vision and mission, but all churches are ultimately defined by people. The name on a building is only as important as the heart of the individuals who make up the church.

Journey Church is a community of people, moving together towards God as He reveals the next step for each person to take. We are individuals, but moving together. When one person is missing, it affects the whole movement of the community. The crisis of who’s missing will define who we are as individuals and as a church.

Here are a few things you can do to help “missing persons”:

1. Pay attention to silence. If you haven’t heard from someone in a while, find a way to connect with them and break the silence. They may be overcome by a hectic schedule, a season of depression, marital stress, job insecurity, discouraged spiritually or guilty in sin.

2. Take initiative to engage. Recognizing silence in a relationship is God’s way of involving you in the reengagement process. Don’t diminish the fact that God put it onYOUR heart. It’s not the responsibility of the church staff to know everyone and track down everyone. Care is best served through committed community, the life-blood of the “greater” church that responds like a family to the needs of those they have grown to know, love and celebrate.

3. Give priority to restoration. Love demands that we think the best of one another, seek the best for one another and offer the best for one another. Wandering souls caught in silence or sin need to experience the freedom delivered through a loving heart that is seeking to save. Attacking naturally breeds resisting. Kindness, tolerance and patience is the best antidote for a resistant heart who needs the touch of a safe, gentle hand before surrendering their way back home (Rom. 2:4).

As I walked up to Jaida, I assessed the situation. She was still alive, no bleeding, no broken bones. The mess could be cleaned up. Whatever bits of dirt and leaves she ate would not be fatal, but hopefully educational.

I leaned down, brushed off the dirt, smiled at my little girl who, I could tell, was a little scared that “daddy” caught her and looked up, waiting to see what I was going to do.

My eyes caught hers. I could have been justified in “bringing the heat” so she wouldn’t do it again. But that wasn’t what my heart told me to do. She already knew what was wrong, I needed to help her know what was right; that she was loved, in spite of it all.

Leaning down to pick her up, I smiled at her, kissed her dirty little face and we made our way back downstairs to a better place to enjoy time together.

May we love our community with a heart that wants to find who’s missing. Not every person will desire a family like this, but for those who are open to the awesome wonder of Christ-centered community, may we seek to be a church where no one goes missing… at least not for long.

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One button in particular caught my attention yesterday. “ESC” or the “escape” button. Since I work on a Mac, I have to use it around 90% less than my PC counterparts. But, none the less, it still offered me a little bit of comfort for some strange reason. I know it’s there just in case I get into something that I need immediate “escape” from on my computer.

Wouldn’t it be great if life came with an “escape” button? What a relief to know that if we got ourselves into something, we could just hit a button and we could get out of it and even start over as if nothing ever happened?

Through many difficult and painful experiences, I know all too well that life doesn’t work that way. I got myself into some real pickles that I may have thought at one time were just accidents. But just like when my Mac seems to have “screwed itself up” and I want to say it’s my computers fault, we don’t get where we are in life on accident either. Sometimes, things may “happen” to us because of our ignorance or that are honestly beyond our immediate control. But most of the time, things “happen” because of our choices and they do what choices do: they direct us to where we are today.  It’s more than just geography, unforeseen circumstances, lucky breaks or an “act of God” that forces it’s influence on us and that may be beyond our control. I’m talking about our heart and our character. They have the greatest influence in us. They direct our responses to the forces around us and are within our ability to choose.

No matter the resulting consequences, whether positive or negative in our estimation, our present reality is a direct result of living what we believe. What we do is what we really believe, not what we think or say we believe. There’s no “escape” from seeing the results of our beliefs being realized right in front of us – our integrity.

I’ve been pondering past and present decisions of my own in an effort to see where my actions didn’t connect with what I say I believe. Admittedly, there were a few responses that seemed to work in my favor upon first diagnosis, but in reality, were disengaged from what my affirmed beliefs would demand of me. Some of my most anxious responses were authentically “in line” with what I truly believe, but delivered a beating to my desired reputation, leading to emotional lethargy and a heavy heart that made even simple steps forward seem like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Sometimes it seems easy to stand for truth, justice and what’s right in the eyes of God. Sometimes the tension to escape can feel overwhelming as if our soul is being crushed. As we gain understanding and grow in our belief in Jesus, there’s no “escape” from the positive and negative repercussions that come with living faithfully according to what we say we believe. But, through it all, God is with us. His acceptance of us is not, and will never be dependent on our ability to be right. We are fully accepted because of Jesus and His ability to make us “righteous” in the sight of God (Rom. 3:21-23).

God is not looking for perfection from us, but obedience motivated out of love for Him. Through poor choices as well as good ones, there’s no evading the inner work that God desires to bring to shape our heart and character to be like that we see in Jesus. It’s inescapable. Because God knows the joy of authentic living comes, not from tranquil circumstances, but from transformed character that is free to find authentic expression, in spite of the tension to respond contrary to the character of God.

No matter what we discover about our character, God wants to teach us and shape us to be more like Christ in every situation we find ourselves in. Living for Jesus begins with believing Him (John 6:29). Learning from the Bible what God says is true about Himself and true about us is the most important endeavor we can embark upon. Our responses to what life brings our way will be an overflow of our growing understanding about who God is and who He has called us to be (John 17:3).

God brings forgiveness and offers redemption to the places in our hearts where our beliefs are not in sync with our actions. It’s what a loving Father does with the child He loves. As God reveals the gaps between our beliefs and our behavior, may we realize the lack of integrity in our witness, respond in humility to God and others we have offended and ask God to renew a right passion for Him in how we live so the world will know that what we believe is worth giving our lives for.

Do you believe what you live? When is the last time you’ve paused to take a look at how you’ve responded to what life has brought your way? What gaps has God revealed to you in what you say and what you do? Let our loving God shape you from the inside out, so you can experience the power a life of integrity can bring for God’s glory and your good.

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At Journey Church, our philosophy of volunteerism is to present each person a voice into ministry as well as respect, authority and responsibility. There is an attitude that is prevalent among many churches that a volunteer is subconsciously seen as a position of low-level leadership. We believe it to be the contrary.

Leadership is influence. Every volunteer position is an incredible opportunity of shared leadership with the staff and elders of the church. From those who serve during our weekend services to those who actively serve on behalf of our faith community, volunteers are connected to and represent the vision, passion and mission of Journey Church. Every volunteer “adds to” or “subtracts from” the credibility of our church and the message we seek to convey through words and actions.

There’s a point of immaturity that rises from our hearts when we misunderstand the level of influence we have as a volunteer. It involves the statement: “Well, I’m only a volunteer.” If you’ve said that in the past or feel that in the present, may I encourage you to look beyond the people and the circumstances around you. There is a deeper issue that’s transpiring in your heart and it’s imperative that you see it.

That statement says more about what you believe than you realize. It’s a deeper declaration from your heart that signifies that you’ve lost sight of your God-given opportunity to influence lives for the Kingdom.

From my experience of more than twenty years of ministry, those who are not willing to take an honest and humble gaze into the attitude of their own heart end up becoming captive to this area of selfish immaturity, embrace a pattern of blaming others for their lack of influence and, more often than not, end up with a heart full of bitterness at God and resent church leadership.

It’s not so much about what you’re doing, but who you are becoming in the process.

Greater influence is a byproduct of greater service to others. It gives evidence to a humble heart, motivated to do whatever it takes to advance the gospel message and ministry God has given us. Leaders are invited into greater positions of influence, not because they serve to get noticed, but because they are noticed by how they serve.

If you have a “Volunteer” attitude, you’re being robbed of the opportunity to allow God to shape you so you can experience the joy of serving, no matter what you find yourself doing. It doesn’t mean that you need to forgo pursuing your areas of calling and passion in a specific ministry. What it does mean is that your love for our “common God” will compel you to serve our “common good” when it’s needed the most. This attitude is the foundation of all who follow Jesus and will ensure that our ministries and our message will remain vibrant and credible with all who witness the heart in which you serve others.

So, who are you becoming? Do you have a “Volunteer” attitude? I pray that you will loose it and discover the depth of influence found in being a ministry volunteer here at Journey. Ask God to search your heart (Ps. 139:23-24).

No matter what you find yourself doing, may you do it to the glory of God out of a heart that remembers who you serve and who you are becoming as you serve the common good.

Serve on!

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She is 16 months old, a tiny peanut of 18.5 pounds, a load of laughs and is the most easy-going kid in the world.

Jenny and I have been in the adoption process for over four years. It’s been a long season of waiting. Waiting on paperwork to be done, governments to process them, money to be gathered and God to work on us through the process.

There were days that Jenny wanted to quit. There were days that I wanted to quit. But when one of us was down, the other would offer encouragement that kept us going. And now, having returned from China about three weeks ago, we can now see with our eyes and know in our hearts that the struggle has been well worth it all, and more.

There’s a season which comes to all of us. It’s a season that is all about preparation. It’s like a farmer who is working towards his vision for a great harvest. It takes great wisdom, hard work and a strong will to see it to the end. God used this journey to help us see how He has worked in our lives to prepare us in every way imaginable: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By no means have we arrived. But, we have come a long, long way.

There’s also a season of harvest. It’s a time when everything is ripe and ready to be received and enjoyed. We can look back and see how God’s love has prepared us, not only to receive our daughter, but to enjoy our daughter. Not only were we not ready, but neither was our little girl. Four years ago, she wasn’t even born. It would take this season for what God had birthed in our lives to be ready for her birth into the world. I have learned that with God, timing really is everything.

On this side of our “harvest,” Jenny and I can see how much God had been doing in us, through us and around us to make this season more than we could ask or imagine. We’ve been through so much in the last four years and I could write plenty about what has happened, where we’ve been and who we have become. But these stories fade in light of what we have been given today. God has truly blessed us.

Like with any new season, this season has its difficulties, challenges and hurdles. But we are so thankful for them. It let’s us know that God is still working and we are still growing.

Many of you have entered into new seasons as well. I pray that you can see all the ways that God has prepared you for today and that you will continue to trust Him to bring a great harvest in this season. All of it matters because it is what God is using to prepare you for what only this season of faithfulness, patience, repentance and trust can bring to all who seek to follow the Lord of the harvest.

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I’m proud to officially announce my new devotional book, EXPRESSO. It’s been a work of “devotion” for the past few months. I began writing it the day after we received our adoption referral for Jaida on December 23rd. As a tribute to my dad, I made the official publishing date of EXPRESSO for March 20th, 2010, my dads 77th birthday!

When it comes to following Jesus, there are so many things that can overwhelm us and keep us from moving forward in our faith. For the new believer as well as the seasoned follower, the business of life can demand a pace that leaves little room for God. Even when space is created for spiritual development, it can be difficult to find a trustworthy grip on how to express faith in a meaningful way.

Sometimes all we need is a new opportunity, like being given a devotional book to refocus our attention on God and get our lives back on track. The passion behind EXPRESSO is to help stir a fresh desire for God’s Word in the heart of the spiritually thirsty and help them discover simple, yet practical opportunities to put their faith into practice.

My prayer is that EXPRESSO will truly energize the faith of those who read it. My hope is that it will create encouraging conversation between those who chose to read it together.

Copies of EXPRESSO can be purchased from my personal publishing site: http://openskypublishing.com. Thanks to all who have already purchased the book. I would love to hear about your experiences as you read it.

Blessings!

Jason

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Jaida Li

December 23, 2009 started off as an ordinary day but little did we know Christmas was coming early and we would be receiving the greatest Christmas present ever.

It was a typical winter day with light snow showers which I always enjoy. With not much to do and, like everyone else, not much money to spend, Jenny and I would venture out to spend the day together for some window shopping at the mall after an early lunch.

The mall parking lot was packed because of all the Christmas shoppers. I dropped Jenny off near entrance of the mall so she could go ahead and put our names on the list at our beloved Cheesecake Factory.

I had to drive out to the south forty where I still had to wait for a parking spot. I hustled back to meet Jenny in the busy restaurant where we were seated in a small booth after a short wait.

Opposite of those around us, we were in no great hurry and just wanted to enjoy being together and enjoying the food. After being accosted by grinches at the table across from us, our waitress came over and greeted us with a smile. Wanting to be totally opposite of the “mean” table, we tried to put our waitress at ease, letting her know we were in no hurry.

Normally, when we dine out, we eat more than any human should be allowed to consume. Wanteing to watch our spending and our waists, we intentionally ordered slowly and ordered less. A couple of appetizers and some potato soup would hit the spot on this cold, snowy day.

Our waitress brought out the soup and our conversation turned to the consuming, yet repetitive topics around our long-awaited adoption. Over this four-year long process, we’ve waded through so many emotions, from feeling hopeful to feeling discouraged like it would never happen. After the second year, we actually had the hard conversation to determine whether we were going to quit or keep going through the international adoption process. We were in too deep to quit and too stubborn to give up. So, circling back in our conversation to the girl we longed for was a normal part of our lives. The adoption referral could come at anytime but we were still feeling like it was still so far out of reach.

As we turned to enjoy our soup, Jenny began to share with me what she had written in her journal just a couple of days ago. With a disappointed yet positive spirit, Jenny said, “I’ve been praying and asking God that we would get our referral before Christmas, but, I guess it’s not going to happen. So, I just hope that something will happen before your birthday in January.” I responded with the same optimism and tried to portray a hopeful attitude as well.

Less than two minutes later, my phone rang. I glanced down to see if I recognized the number but I didn’t. I picked up the phone, held it up so Jenny could see the number and asked her if she knew who it might be. She said, “That’s the area code of Iowa, where our case worker lives.” I attempted to answer the call at the last minute but the call had just gone to voicemail. Jenny hurriedly looked in her purse to check her phone. For some reason, she didn’t hear her phone ring just a minute earlier. The caller had just left a voicemail so Jenny began listening to the message.

She looked at me with eyes widening by the second, followed by tears. With her mouth wide open covered by a hand in disbelief and unable to speak, she looked at me and mouthed the words, “We just got a referral!”

Adrenaline rushed through my body and accelerated the sudden mixture of joy and bewilderment. We sat there with smiles and amazement like a five-year old on Christmas morning. We didn’t know what to do. Jenny called the number back and Bonnie, our case worker, answered the phone. In a short excited conversation, Bonnie informed us of the referral details of our new daughter. She shared that our little baby was almost one-year old to the day and was considered a “special needs” child because of a small hole in her heart but was in great health. She was sending everything over to us in an email and let us know we had two weeks to decide, but the sooner the better. Bonnie stated that this little girl was so beautiful and conveyed that she was very excited for us.

After a few seconds of mindless staring, we were all of a sudden calling on our waitress to bring us our check. We wanted to get the heck out of Dodge and get home to see this referral email and feast our eyes on the pictures of the little Chinese girl who we named Jaida Li and had been praying for almost four years. We dreamed about her in our hearts but now we get to see her with our eyes.

The check couldn’t come fast enough. We bolted out of there and got to the car quicker than any speed walker in the country. I started up the car and we began plowing through the snow. I kept glancing over at Jenny. Every time I found her with eyes hazed over and mouth hanging open, unaware of anything that was going on around her.

The unbelievably happy thoughts were also being bombarded by a sudden anxiety. Like every parent, deciphering through the crazy mental circus going on was crashing into our drive home. What if she’s has more medical issues than we can handle or afford to take care of? What if she’s not a cute baby? Are we going to choose her or pass her by and risk waiting another four years? It’s the toxic mix of elation and fear that comes with the unknown in life to all who are halfway conscious.

We calmly pulled the car into the garage, went into the house, took off our coats and headed to my office. I opened up my computer, pulled up the email and immediately scrolled down to the pictures. The first picture they sent was around the time she entered the orphanage and it was, you guessed it, ugly. But the shock passed with the second and third pictures of a healthy, beautiful little girl. I knew right then that she was my Jaida. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Whew!  :)

Jaida Li

For those of you who don’t know my wife, there are two of her. I jokingly call one, “fun Jenny” and the other, “business Jenny.” “Fun Jenny” has no agenda, loves to talk and be around people, but “business Jenny” focuses and pours herself into a task full of details with no regards for chit chat, tomfoolery or distracting conversation.

“Fun Jenny” was thrown to the mat. Down goes Frasier!  :)

“Business Jenny” takes over to thoroughly inspect the multiple documents containing pertinent information about her location in China, the conditions surrounding her entering the orphanage, her medical condition, her personality traits and other personal insights.

After a little “technical” conversation, we both just stopped and looked at each other. “Fun Jenny” appeared out of nowhere and said with a smile of amazement, “This is our daughter! I can’t believe it is finally happening. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know if it’s really hit me yet.”

After a little time to share the moment and get ourselves together, we began calling our family, friends and anybody who had been a part of this four-year long journey.

Every time I share the story, Jaida became more and more real to me. I can’t tell you how much support we feel from everyone. Everybody makes Jenny and I feel like she’s their kid, too!

We surprised our church on Christmas Eve with the news the next day. After the welcome time before I began singing the next Christmas song, I said, “Jenny and I have an early Christmas present. If you’ll look to the video screens, we’ll show you a picture.” As soon as Jaida’s picture came up, the room erupted. You would have thought we were at a football game and the home team just scored. Our church has been the most encouraging and excited group of people I have ever been around. God has blessed our little girl with crazily excited parents and an insanely loving church. I know we’re not alone and get to share our journey with the people of Journey Church.

It’s been an amazing few weeks, sharing the story and sharing the excitement. We’re getting things ready and preparing for our trip to China sometime at the end of March or early April to go get our daughter. There’s still much to do, but we look forward to the future days of the extended Lohse family.

More coming soon. Thank you, everyone and thank you, Jesus!

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In light of Gods forgiveness towards us, it’s important that we remember to give grace in the same way it’s been offered to us.

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The goal of God is to shape our hearts to be like his, especially for those of us who are followers of Jesus. The more we come to know his heart, the more freedom we will find to express the love we discover there.

The conditions for which God is willing to express his love are boundless in comparison to ours. The Bible clearly illustrate God’s unlimited grace towards those who need it most. God’s desire to reach needy humanity with his love takes precedent over any perceived limitations the average person may see. God is willing to do whatever it takes and leaves no doubt that his love for us is inexhaustible.

In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus is trying to illustrate to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that God loves sinners in spite of their sin. Jesus takes the opportunity to paint an extreme picture explaining how far God will go, no matter how far “the sinner” has gone.

The son who possessed everything squandered it to nothing. His wealth was wasted. His future was bleak. His options, now limited. At one time, he feasted at the table of his father. Now he fed on left over pig slop. Not the ideal, kosher situation for a young Jewish boy. His outward filth was just a reflection of the inward dirtiness that had taken over his life and led him away from home.

Though he perceived his old life was at an end, his father saw it as a new life just beginning.

As he makes his way back home, repeating his “repentance” pitch, he was convinced that his worth had gone from being a son to being a servant. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and with a heart filled with love, ran and meet him, not as a servant, but has a son. The choices, mistakes, and sins of the son had not closed the open arms of his father’s heart.

God’s love sounds extreme, because it is. It is unconditional and available, regardless of where we have been or what we have done.

If we are to express the heart of God to our world, our arms need to be wide open, just like the arms of Jesus. From Gods perspective, sin has been done away with and it’s not the first thing on his mind (Heb. 10:16-18). The penalty for all sin, great and small, has been paid for by Jesus and is applied to our debt by the grace we receive through him. Our choices do matter to God, but sin is not the point any more. Intimacy with the heart of Jesus is the motive of God for all of humanity (John 17:3). Loving relationship with God brings peace to the longing we have for Gods acceptance of us and grows our desire to bring glory to the One who loves us most (Rom. 1:6-8).

Our calling is to keep our arms wide open so that God may use us to receive those he is drawing home (John 6:37-38)(John 6:43-45). There will be plenty of time for conversation to help wanderers see the errors of their ways, where they drifted away from home and correct all that stands in opposition to Gods purpose for their lives. God will give you the right words at the right time and will bring about the right changes (1 Thess. 1:4-6)(Luke 12:12). Our role is to seek the right heart that God will use to deliver them.

As followers of Jesus, we need to learn to love without limits, not because others need it, but because our soul needs to experience the freedom to love as God does. Love covers a multitude of sins. May God help us see the greater purpose of the Savior, even in the midst of sinful humanity. May we love people to experience the abundant heart of Jesus. May our arms be wide enough to embrace those that are still lost as well as for those who are already on their way home.

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