I don’t watch much basketball. I might get by with saying that since March Madness is over. Although I love the sport and played it for years… I would rather be on the court than watch someone else play. But because of this, I don’t know much about the teams, much less the rankings… which is part of the reason I have never filled out a bracket for the finals… I am afraid of being seen as ignorant.

Let me be real with you for a second (because sometimes I’m just fake?)… Being seen as ignorant is one of my biggest fears. I like to have at least something to contribute to any conversation. Now, I don’t have to be an expert on the subject, but I want to feel like I am at least “in the know”.

I always felt that my Uncle Cled was a master at this. It didn’t matter where the topic of discussion went, he always had something to add (albeit the most random knowledge, it still contributed to the conversation).

I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who suffers from “Iwanttoknowsomething-itis”. In fact, all throughout history people have been held in high esteem for what they knew about a particular subject. Take for instance the high regard given to those who knew the name of a particular god. Continue reading

My wife has that “pregnant glow”… Is that weird to say? I always thought that was an “old wives tell” for people who wanted to have an excuse for assuming someone was pregnant.

“Oh, you’re not pregnant… It’s just that your skin has a beautiful glow.” Such a great way of getting out of trouble for telling someone they look like they might be carrying a little extra weight.

But actually, there is a biological reason for this “glow”. (Something about more blood and oil… I’ll let you google it.) But this “radiant” glow happens at other times as well. Usually we will comment on the radiant glow of a “blushing bride” on her wedding day. Or a form of this glow can be achieved just by working out a little.

About right now, you might be thinking… “Mitch, why are you telling me about how to make my skin glow?” And that would be a good question, because if I didn’t have a point, this would just be a weird conversation.

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You probably already know this… but I have some mad debate skills. (And don’t try to say that I don’t because I might just have to unleash my confabulation technique on you.) For much of my life I have prided myself on knowing the right answer, and frankly just being right. This, of course, fit in very well with my church of Christ upbringing, where in many ways we proved ourselves to be “more right than you.” (disclaimer: I hope you know that I am saying this “tongue-in-cheek” -which is such an awkward phrase.)

I remember one of these “debates” I was having with a Baptist friend about the necessity of baptism. (If you grew up in either of these “tribes” then I’m sure you realize that this was no “sparing match”… This is a “heavy-weight” title in an “ultimate cage-match” of theology.) I kept trying to convince her of the need for baptism… and she kept calling it a work (and as any good Baptist knows… we are saved by grace, not by works).

I think back on that debate (and many others I had) and I must admit that I’m not sure either of us won the argument. But one thought still haunts me… Do I do what I do (i.e. works) in order to get the reward of heaven? Is that the best way of looking at the Christian life? We live a good life, and in the end we get to go to heaven.

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I remember a conversation I had not too many years ago about “gay rights”. Admittedly, I didn’t know that’s what the conversation was about until this man (for lack of better words) “hit on me”. We were in an atmosphere in which that “lifestyle” was not acceptable, and so he was asking me questions on how I dealt with those that saw things differently than I did… do I judge others… etc. In short, he was asking if I was tolerant.

Now I believed I was (and still am) a tolerant person… But I think our definition of tolerance was a bit different. To him, to be tolerant means I must accept the other person’s view as viable and acceptable (if not just for him). But to be honest, that doesn’t sound like tolerance. Continue reading

Growing up I went to a christian camp every year (BMBC represent). I loved it. I loved the friends, the learning, the girls (ok if you knew me then, you would agree)… But I think most of all I enjoyed what we called the “mountain top experience”. (Of course there we did not have a mountain in Oklahoma, but this was a BIG mesa, so just go with me here.)

The “mountain top experience” is something we feel when we sense that we are very close to God. Other people might call this experience the “camp high” but my church family frowned upon references to drug use… but I digress.

As a youth minister, I continued to take teens to a christian camp (this one CBH) and they would talk about their “mountain top” experiences as well (this time on a real mountain). I loved what it did to the teens… I loved what it did to me… There was this perceived “closeness” to God. And who doesn’t want that?

But the inevitable would always happen. Time would go by, and I would feel more and more distant from that “mountain top” experience, and thus more and more distant from God. I even started to believe that God only dwelt on those mountain tops.

I think Elijah went through the same struggles. After his victory on Mount Carmel defeating the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18), Elijah goes on the run from Jezebel who has threatened his life. He flees to Horeb (or Sinai), because this is the Mountain of God. Surely God will be with him there. And we pick up the story in 1 Kings 19… Continue reading

Are you the type of person who makes new year’s resolutions?

If so… how long do you keep them?

According to a study in 2007, 88% of those who make new year’s resolutions fail. I would imagine that number is not much different for 2011… Nor will it be that much different for 2012. It seems to me that new year’s resolutions are just made to be broken, at least according to almost 90% of Americans.

Why is this the case? Why do we so easily break the commitments we make to ourselves?

Although I don’t have “official” research on the answer, I can assume that the main reason our resolutions are broken is that we don’t commit the time needed to make any change in our lives. But do we really have the time?

Our schedules are so “packed” with work, family, sports, piano lessons, karate, meetings, golf, zumba, TV shows, etc, etc, etc… Where in the world would you even fit any commitment to something like… say… spiritual growth?

Most of us would agree that becoming more disciplined in our spirituality is something we desire. But how can we fit in spiritual activity into our already hectic lives?

Let me be clear on one thing… spirituality cannot be one more task piled on top of people already overburdened and overcommitted. The call of the spiritual life is not to more frantic activity. The spiritual life is rather the call to peace. Meaning that as we come to walk more closely with God, the chaos should recede from our lives.

Here’s a thought to ponder… If you are overextended, you are under committed. We should take the idea of “commitment” so seriously that we cannot be “truly” committed to thirty different things. So, if you are overextended it’s virtually guaranteed that you’re under committed.

Deep spirituality is not a matter of doing more stuff… It’s more a matter of defining our true commitment (to Christ)… and walking in a relationship with him.

So, spirituality is not just about praying more, reading the Bible more, studying more, etc, etc, etc… It’s about walking with Christ, and making that a priority in your life.

That’s a resolution worth making.

Last night, while I was teaching a class at the prison, one of the gentlemen made an observation about my teaching style. He said… “Mitch, your temperament does not lend itself to Hell-fire and brimstone sermons.” And he is right. I am not a modern-day Jimmy Allen who can (for lack of better words) scare the hell out of people in attempt to usher them into the light of God. In fact, the closest sermon I have preached to a “Hell-fire and brimstone” sermon (here) would probably be seen as a cute little puppy when compared to the passion that Jimmy Allen could bring to the subject.

But even though my preaching may not lend itself to that subject it doesn’t mean that I have avoided it. One cannot study scripture very long without dealing with the subject of hell. Recently, I have been reading a couple book on the subject of hell (and the afterlife), and had a few observations.

The two main books that I have read are… “Love Wins” by Rob Bell, and most recently “Erasing Hell” by Francis Chan. Both books are a fascinating read, especially considering that Hell is such a “hot topic” right now (sorry, couldn’t help myself with that one.) They both make good points about various ideas, and nuances in scripture. In fact, it is easy to get caught up in all the theology and debate of it all. Continue reading

A story is told about a king, in ancient times, who had a boulder placed on a roadway.

He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. Continue reading

Some people have asked me why I consider Dairy Queen my second office. Why do I go and sit within a colony of flies and the smell of fast food? I gave part of my reason here. Saying I love being around people. I love the conversations with people when we are not “in a church building”.

But there is another reason why I leave the solitary confinement of my office, and get around people “outside the church”. You see, ministry is about saving lost souls. Yet, it seems that often (more often than I would like to admit) ministers get bogged down and narrow focused with issues and situations with the church. There are lessons to be prepared, articles to write, slides to put together, goals to set, activities to plan… and the list goes on and on.

Before too long, a minister can be so “buried” by “church work” that it becomes difficult for him to see the reason for ministry in the first place… to save lost souls. (Now, I know that part of ministry is also to “encourage the saints”, which should not be neglected, but when Christ gave the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28 he told his disciples to “go to people and bring them to me.” That should be our first focus in ministry.) Continue reading