"What If"

What If:

• We could set aside our need to be "right"?


• We didn't need to "win" the debate?


• We focused on being peacemakers and extended a hand to those we don't understand?
  
• We found commonality with those "different" from us and collaborated on projects to bring real change to our communities and world?


• We responded to people not about where we think they are wrong but focused on where we could agree?
  
• We truly loved people?

What Could Change?

• Could Athiests and Believers agree that people need clean water and work together to bring solutions to millions in need across the globe?
  
• Could the tradition church find commonality with non-traditionalists and work together to bring Hope to their local communities?
  
• Could a church work with the gay community to fill food pantries?
  
• Could Christians and Muslims work together to provide relief to earthquake victims?

This is messy and doesn't fit nice a tidy in a box. However, I do know I want to love more, talk and debate less, and be part of something Greater than myself. What might I learn about myself, others, and God from engaging more in these relationships?

This is a church I want to be part of.... this is a person I want to be.... these are the people I want to lock arms with...

"Christians, Those fake SOB's"

Wow. That was the sentiment from my friend I met with last night. The context was this:

"Mark, I went back to church this past month (Granger Community Church, my church) and couldn't help but be frustrated by some conversations I overhear in the lobby and think, you fake SOB! I don't know what it is but it seems that the older I get I have this radar that can spot fake people, it's like a Fake Radar. I see it in the business world....church....everywhere..."

Ugh. But if I'm honest, much of what he is saying is right on... This reflects a piece of what the book "Unchristian" discusses with the real perception our culture has about Christians.

So what makes us appear fake?

• The obvious one is hypocrisy. If we pretend we have it all together, life is good, our jobs, marriages, kids, friends, and thoughts are perfect... newsflash, the masses can sniff that out in a hurry... and if they know you at all... they know you're pretending and you're then a hypocrite.
• How we talk. I think we mean well, but I believe our attempts to give God the glory, "in all our ways acknowledge Him", "in everything give thanks", and our practice of trying to live a life of holiness... it comes out as statements like "Praise the Lord", "God told me...", or verbally thanking God outloud 164 times a day. To the masses, this doesn't register and they either think it's all fake or that you simply live life 3 steps away from the cuckoo nest.
• We judge without relationship. We can be so flippant about the statements we make to people and about people. How can we really know what's going on deep within someone without having a close relationship with them? We skip the "seeking to understand" piece which leaves the impression of us as judges without planks in our own eye.

The result? We look like characters in a fictional play rather than being relevant or real.

The rest of my conversation centered last night centered around this:

• We don't have to be that way. We can be real, authentic and get to the work of changing the world. Whatever you don't like about the fake Christians you encounter.... well... don't be like that.
• Let our actions speak louder than our words. There are hungry people, we should feed them. There are oppressed people, we should free them. There are people that are overwhelmed, we should help relieve their burden.
• Build real relationships with those without Christ or lacking in faith. Why should they care about your opinion or seek your help if you're not doing life with them? I can talk to my friend about working on a great marriage, how to face challenges with kids, or stress in the workplace when I have a relationship with him. And let's be real, my friends help me as much (and often more) than I can help them. It's in these real, quiet, intimate conversations that we can point them to Jesus. He either is who He is or not, right?
• God did not call us to be fake, He called us to change the world and find His purpose in and through us.

We can do better. This isn't about shying away from our faith and keeping it hidden... it's about being effective and letting our internal faith drive love and authenticity. I love my friend and his candid conversation. This is the world we live in, this is who we are to serve. And friend, if you happen to read this, I'm so thankful for our relationship and what you've added in my life over all these years. I hope we can connect soon and keep pressing in.... let's not let either of us settle for mediocrity...

"There is no God"

There is no God.

I can do whatever I want, take what I want, whenever I want.. it's all about here.

Crud, there are other people that can do what they want also.

Now I have to be creative, manipulate, and lure to get what I want.

The winners of this game are those who can entertain, attract, out-earn and outsmart.

It's survival of the fittest. And once you're on top, you'll do whatever is needed to stay there.

Those who lose try to pacify their life by paying the winners to entertain them.

The losers go through this short life with temporary bursts of experiences and vices to get by.

The losers are "duped" into thinking they could get on top, that hope keeps them in the game.

All the players hold on desperately to this life, and death is tragic.

That is, if life is all about here and this world.

Then enters God.

Suddenly the prospect that life is not about here but for some life with God changes everything.

Athiests rise up to challenge the existence of God.

The winners mock the idea of God.

All resist any suggestion that they may be wrong. They have "the right" to do as they please!

Kill, destroy, mock, belittle any talk of God... whatever it takes to keep our game intact.

It's all OK if your God idea is in your own personal box, but keep it out of our game.



The Choice. God Says:

The last will be first and the first will be last.

That life on earth is short and you won't take your treasures with you.

That death is not something to be feared... we are eternal beings.

The game you play on Earth will leave you empty.

In fact, I've dumped that game on it's head. It's rigged, can't you tell?

I'll take care of the bad guys, don't worry about it.

I have a plan to give you purpose and meaning for every day you're there on Earth.

I know you better than you know you. I'd like to help.

It's a question worth pursing. We're living in our choice right now. A life as if there's no God or there is a God. It changes everything.

How to be "Real" Rich

I can't believe I'm going to repeat this, but my Dad always said..."Be rich in the things money can't buy"... I don't know how many times I rolled my eyes at that growing up (the last time was probably a few weeks ago.. :) but... OK... uh... it's true.

I was reminded by this from a new blog I read by Larry Jones. He is a maximizer and is right on... If we're told "money is the root of all evil" then we better know how to root out that evil... Check out his site... no sense for me to ramble about it's already been said...

As Christ-followers, if we're fretting around like everyone else in these crazy economic times... We're missing a phenominal opportunity to step-up and step-in....

Wisdom from Warren Buffet

"A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."- Warren Buffet

Lesson: Observe what the masses are doing and consider an authentic distinction to do exactly the opposite.

How many times have you been part of a meeting talking about what the competition is doing and the reaction is to adopt a "we do that also" strategy?

• While the masses dread Monday at work, find a way to love it.
• When no one wants to deal with a particular client, be the one to ask for that account.
• While everyone is looking for fuel efficient vehicles, look for a ridiculously low priced SUV
• If everyone's cutting their lawns with vertical lines, go horizontal...or better yet, put in astro-turf
• When people are panicked about the economy, have peace knowing our God will provide
• When all insurance agents send out calendars with mug-shots of themselves to their clients, send all your clients $5 Starbucks cards and offer to meet them for coffee
• When one candidate for President is for a $700 Billion bailout, be the candidate against it with a confident, thoughtful plan B

It's time to go launch a mortgage company. Thanks for the reminder Mr. Buffet.

Session 9: Bill Hybels- "Relentless"

re·lent·less Session 9: Bill Hybels- "Relentless"
–adjective
that does not relent; unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh; unrelenting:

• God searches the whole world looking for hearts fully committed to Him.. there He sends His strength and power...
• Mother Theresa decided to "refuse Him nothing"... What does it look like in my life to give God cart blanche' authority in my life?
• Takes steps to move time and resources out of day to day worldly pursuits and more into His work...
• Embrace callings from God without delay- Lives are lived with regret with "If only I had listened", "If only I had acted"... reflections in life...
• Every leader can tell stories about how their dream almost died... It should come as no surprise when this happens to you (obstacles beyond your control, overwhelming circumstances)
• How do I know when I hit obstacles if I missed what God called me to do or when God is working on His own time line? Be very careful when in this era....
• Mother Theresa was amazingly relentless... just to be allowed to "start" her calling...
• Outlast the problems, the obstacles, the people in the way- Who knows what God may do if you hang onto the calling- We must endure... Sometimes the calling may only come once in a lifetime...
• Be relentless about becoming a Godly leader... be relentless to be someone worth following.
• Mother Theresa: "I will seek to love Him as He has never been loved"- said in one of her "dry" times in her life...
• Much of life can be lived without feeling the "presence" of God. Mother Theresa felt this... Hybels is honest about the same feelings..
• Very powerful video.... "Here am I, send me..."-
• "What life are you waiting for to finally step up and step into God's call for your life?"-BH

Thoughts:

• Am I living in a way that will allow me to hear God's call for me and His purpose in my life?
• There are some phenominal "causes" I've seen in this summit... yet I don't feel any nudging to jump into them- When do you know a trigger has been pulled in your life? When do you know when it's YOUR calling?
• I think one of the hardest challenges of a vision/call/idea is having the persistance to go on while many people close to you are telling you all the reasons why it doesn't make sense...
• Why does God's presence seem absent so much of the time?
• God.... "Here am I.... send me...."
• So... is it us? Do we sit back waiting for God to just do stuff, say stuff, and take care of stuff....or... are we really His plan?

Session 6: Defending the Faith: Chuck Colson

Chuck Colson : Defending the Faith


Prison Fellowship Ministries

Author: The Faith (currently reading)

• "I wish we took our faith as serious as the Marines take their job"- CC
• #1 test of leadership: Serve your people - #2- Give them the greater vision #3- "Follow me"
• Your job is not to pander to your people, it's to lead them-
• 57% of evangelicals say that Christ is not the only way to heaven- it's a misunderstanding of "tolerance"
• Two truth claims cannot be both true. They can both be false, but not true.
• People are in prison because the lack of moral training during the moral formative years.
• In the US, are we in "Babylonian" captivity?
• What is Christianity? It is a world-view to see all of life through... it's not just a religion, a belief in Christ, or fellowship.... Every area of life is under the lordship of Jesus Christ
• 14 core truths of our Faith... here are some of them....
• #1- God Is- There is a God- we're not alone or an accident
• #2- We have His Word - Inerrant Word of God
• #3- The Fall- we live in a fallen world with free will
• #4- The Incarnation- Birth of Christ defeated a real enemy Satan- He came to die for us. A conversion is Christ in me, not me picking/choosing
• #5- A Triune God- One God, Father/Son/Holy Spirit
• #6- We're Reconciled to One Another- unity of the Body- community- "I don't go to church, I belong to church"
• #7- We need to live holy- Our works should reflect our Faith
• #8- There will be Judgement- (We live by revealed Truth)
• How can you "impose" a belief- we "propose"... we're not about theocracy, we're about freedom... It's an invitation that rests of sound premises that are tested and true...

Thoughts:

• Clearly our culture, even within the church, the idea that there is one "truth" is in question. There is disagreement about "One Way" to God- One must land on this issue- yes or no? At the end of the day, do we have confidence that the Bible is Truth? That Christ is the Way? Or, are there several paths?
• I think many people fear the confrontation of trying to explain the tough questions- "So all Muslim's are going to hell?"..."So I can be a good person but still go to hell?" "Homosexuality is sin?"... For most people...it's easier to "punt" these questions, avoid them, not try to understand the greater questions... many then resort to what feels good... "There are many paths to heaven, there is no hell, you can believe what feels good, good people go to good places when they die..."
• I believe the most critical decision we all have is to "get God"... research, read, press-in, test, ask questions to the right people, don't give flippant answers based in nothing... I believe Truth will be found... Test "Seek and you will find"....
  

Decentralizing Church

Today's technology-driven, viral world has made it easier and easier for businesses, people, and ideologies to become more decentralized in our generation.

Decentralized: No leader. Chaotic. No order. Creative. Not about profit. Quick. Easily mutates. Mobile. Think Napster, al Qaeda, AA...

Individuals are now able to work from their phones, play games on the road, have nearly constant internet access, and can stay in contact minute by minute with friends all over the globe. Life is mobile. As backwards as it seems, relationships can actually grow with technology with no face to face contact. The pendulum is swinging towards decentralization. What about the church?

• As people become more decentralized, they will trend toward decentralized options over centralized options. (Church online or podcasts vs. the 10:00 service on Sunday morning)
• We have options to experience some of the greatest speakers in the world every week at any time and any place. (There will need to be some strong reasons other than the pastor to keep me at your church)
• This trend will distract many people to fall away from their faith, lose focus, and without the weekly structure in their life, ultimately will be distracted in life and simply be growing old. This is true.
• This trend will cause ongoing growth throughout the week with multiple options for study, teaching, and connecting with mission all over the world. Faith in action will explode and more people will come to know Christ. This also is true.
• Churches that are losing people will either deny this trend, blame culture, blame their local economy or census report, blame other churches or will press into understanding our changing world to find ways to re-connect with the people in their community.
• God can handle centralized or decentralized. He is God. He's good. This has not surprised Him. He can handle our various methodologies, styles, trends and personalities.
• No change in today's church model will lead to continued decline in church attendance in the upcoming decade. (Just because people aren't within the four walls doesn't mean that God isn't at work- He's always way ahead of any curve, on the curve, and helping those behind the curve)

What does that look like for your church and community? What questions are you asking? This is one takaway from The Starfish and the Spider.

Viral Priorities- April 13th, 2008 GCC

Notes from Granger Community Church this weekend, you can watch it here beginning tomorrow the 14th...

Favorite Quote: "If you have a dream or mission that can be done without friends, your church, and without God- your dream is too small.... it's paltry."- Mark Beeson

The Challenge:

• Text, Hosea 4:1-10 v.9 "You can't tell the people from the priests, the priests from the people..." Currently in the church of America, statistically there is little difference in the how Christians look vs. those who aren't... divorce rates are similar, money management, promiscuity... Where have our priorities gone? Have we lost vision of what is means to "give our lives to Christ" and settled for having our faith be part of a list of a bunch of other things we also are? Who would seek "deprivation" (No pastor, no church, no friends, no Bible) in their walk/mission with Christ?

Questions to Ask Ourselves... how important is:

• VISION: A picture of what could be and should be... Prov. 29:18 Where there is no vision the people will perish... If I'm different, what does that look like to others?


• KNOWLEDGE: Clarity on mission strategy and parameters... What are steps I need to take to be a person that loves others and communicates hope? What do I need to learn?


• COMMUNITY: Do I have true friends in my life to help me in my focus, valleys, and direction? Ecc. 4:9-12 Two are better than one... a cord of three strands is not quickly broken...


• TEAMMATES: Dependable people who depend on me. Am I dependable? When I serve in a ministry or organization, am I giving leftovers? Is it the first thing that comes off the calendar if I'm tired? Am I a great volunteer? Who is depending on me? If the answer is no one... I need some teammates... I need to engage...
  
• REMINDERS: Tell me again, what are we doing? Much of being part of a church is simply to remind us of stuff we already know... It's the exception to hear something brand new, paridigm shifting, or transformational... most are reminders that help us keep a vision of who we are are where we want to go...

(And by the way, that spells VKCTR for those who love acronyms)

• Technology now gives the mesage of Christ "viral" potential, a video on You Tube can be seen by hundreds of thousands in a matter of a few days...


• "If this isn't a church and/or pastor where you can find your mission and press in to what God has for you, you should leave and find one where you can."

Personal Takaways and Mind Drifts:

• I want people to see Christ in me through my actions, not my words.


• I love vision, yet sometimes the needs in our world are so overwhelming it becomes paralyzing for me. Where do I begin? Is what I do even making a difference or is it like shooting a forest fire with a squirt gun? That's why I need teammates, friends, and my church... to help me keep on keeping on....


• Focus is important... I see a lot of people with big visions and big ideas... they create a little stir... and then they're on to three other visions... I can get spread too thin and try to wrap my time around too much.... Focus is important. I need to be dependable and work or volunteer with excellence to make a real impact and be on mission.


• They showed "The Truth" video for the second time at GCC, it reminds me that great art has the opportunity to be viral. The product and excellence matters. Seen over 700,000 times on You Tube..

What Hope Looks Like

When people talk about "hope" in Christ... when challenges in life come, when tragedy strikes.... This is what it looks like....

This 10 minute testimony is better than any 10-minute devotional I can imagine today.... It will be well worth your time...

Anna and Tony Warner have their fingerprints all over Granger Community Church and as we can see, have only continued to take inspiring steps toward Christ after they moved...

My issues seem really small today. Anna and Tony.... you are in our prayers and thank you for your faithfulness..... wow.

"A Few Good Men"- New Spring April 6, 2008

Had a chance to sit through a service for the first time at New Spring in Anderson, SC with Tony Morgan... Their current series was "The Man Series: Sex, Money, & Power"- It's great to see their thriving ministry, a big vision, and a team that knows how to have fun!

From the weekend, they had a guest speaker "Will", a former Clemson football player and current sports broadcaster in their area- Here are my takaways:

• He spoke from II Samuel 6, God still looked at David as a man after His own heart despite all his screw-ups.... murder, adultery, blatently disobeying God.... it should give us all hope for the grace we have in God.


• What is happening to real "Men" in our society? All around it seems Dad's are abandoning kids, husbands are leaving or unfaithful to wives, and male leadership within the church seems to run very "thin"- I want to lock arms with other men in my circles to step-up... who's in?


• Pride and Fear are two of the biggest entanglers for men. I want to run the show. I want my ideas to be chosen. I think I can do things better. I think I'm better. I think I deserve respect. I can fear taking big steps of faith and try to find a "logical" reason why I shouldn't do something. Overanalyzing can mask as fear. Making a joke out of something can mask as fear. I can relate...


• When I screw up... I need to accept responsibility...I need to apologize, seek forgiveness, get out of God's way for His plan in my life, and passionately try to do the next right thing.


• Respect is "earned", not "owed"... I need to work harder to earn people's respect...


• They played a cool, original song on what he learned from his Dad and what he wants to pass on.... It challenged me in my relationship with Easton and my role in his life...

I don't know about you, but I see "broken" people all over the place in my family, friends, neighbors, and church... I want to be God's man to be part of the solution... Let's keep falling forward together.....

"Unchristian"- How People Perceive Christians

"Unchristian" by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

First, notice the nice copy and paste of this book that includes the "Buy the Book"- in this case, it's worthy to leave on... BUY THE BOOK.

This is a top ten read for me and has me pretty messed up right now... I have lots of notes but here are some quick items of note:

1. I've been pretty frustrated with the image of the church and Christianity... I thought this was pretty unique of me... after reading this book- I realize I am more mainstream with my generation than I ever imagined...

2. I read most of this by a pool in Florida with "beverage" in hand... I had two different people stop and ask what the book was about and generated some great conversations... That makes me take notice... wow.... People are curious about spirituality and have opinions... It was a great opportunity to listen and ask questions... I was jazzed...

3. If you ran a company and your image/perception to "outsiders" was: Judgment, Hypocritical, Too Political, Anti-Homosexual, Sheltered, and focused too much on getting recruits.... what would that board of directors think/do? Uh...Houston, we have a problem... There it is... the research of what "outsiders"/those outside the faith think about Christianity. What is my/our responsibility with this information?

4. The book is very "data"/numbers oriented... that's probably why I loved it... I love numbers...it took a few chapters to get going but after that... I just got smacked between the eyes again and again.... I'm both overwhelmed and inspired...

5. While I think I'm a pretty good dude... I was helpfully reminded again of how much I still judge people, how I still have "baggage" from the church a generation ago, and how much I need grace in my life.

6. I'm overwhelmed by how much the church seems to be missing the target... The resistance ahead from within the church is daunting... the perception for those outside of the church is monsterous... The numbers are the numbers, we can either accept it or deny it... Part of my emotion simply says...."Ugh... I just want to cash it in..."

7. However, the opportunity is amazing... I have the opportunity to be part of the generation(s) that get to right the ship... to present a new face of what it means to be a Christian... I'm inspired by the leaders and vision in this book... it's time to roll-up the sleeves...

8. "Hate the sin and love the sinner" is just one example of cliches' that I've heard for many years... the reality/perception of those outside the church is that they hear those words but don't see it in our actions.... it's more like "Hate the sin...and, well... let's just hate the sinner too..." In business and in ministry...perception matters... and this perception is or is pretty darn close to reality for us... what will we do?

9. I realize that I am careless in how I communicate about various topics. While I believe the the church and Christ is the hope of the world... I can be opinionated around the water cooler about politics, illegal immigrants, lazy people who don't take responsibility for their own actions, government, annoying neighbors, co-workers, other countries and their leaders...(only to name a few).... Am I really living out me being responsible for me and the people I encounter and impact? Am I modeling the hope and peace we have in Christ, my reliance on God rather than government, my value for others rather than myself.... sadly.... no.... I can do much better...ugh.

10. I'm struggling with an old paridigm of "Saved Souls is the ultimate measurement" to "Just love people... serve... don't have an agenda.... Model Christ.." (Big exhale).....

I have lots of notes on this... I'll be chunking them out topically for my own processing... if it's helpful for you... great.... I need to get this out of my head.... My "Wi-Fi" time ends in a few minutes with the 3-day package we bought... I look forward to all your thoughts in these upcoming days...

How to Change

This Sunday, Kem and I visited Summit Church led by Isaac Hunter in Orlando, FL. It was great to see some old peeps and hear some great, practical steps to initiate change in one's life. Isaac talked about the three components that need to be in place for change to occur quoting from some of Dallas Willard's works (all three need to be in place for effective change):

• Vision of who you are, what could be...


• Intentions: Having a plan to play out that vision and be that vision


• Practical, visible, actionable steps to carry it out

He used a great analogy of a treadmill to our personal growth/faith... You can have a vision to get in shape (You buy a treadmill), you can have intentions of actually using the treadmill (You map out a time, plan, and even have a chart in place to log your times and dates).... but if you never get on the treadmill, actually do the workout... change doesn't happen.. Vision and intentions alone are not enough... Would you then look at the treadmill and say, well that didn't work, I guess I'll return it...?

The same can apply to our personal faith, I can believe I'm a child of God, I can write out a plan of how I'm going to spend time in the Bible, small groups, going to church, serving, etc.. But if I don't actually get off my rear and "be" the plan- can I begin experience God and the inside-out change that can occur in my life? Would I simply say- "Ah, that God-thing just didn't cut it, or man, I just feel like the same person, nothing is changing in me..." when I haven't actually done anything to initiate that change? Like the treadmill, a vision of who we are in Christ and good intentions don't cut it to see inward change in my life- Am I reading my Bible, pressing in with conversations with friends, reading books, going to church regularly, giving my money, praying...? The reverse is true as well.... a bunch of "actions" without a clear vision of who you are in Christ can turn into a "rules" list or a bunch of good "works" without clarity of who you are in Him...

This can apply across the board in business, ministry, personal faith, eating plans, and being a good spouse or parent.

It's not easy, but some things I am working to do:

• Share my vision and plans with others, get feedback, schedule times with these key people to talk about how I'm doing or not doing


• I'm keeping track of my list of books I read this year- 12 is my minimum, I hope for much more- I try to read in areas I want to continue to stretch, learn, or improve-


• I measure my progress in my Outlook calendar weekly- this is where I "live" in my day to day activities-


• For more, I recently whiteboarded my life to work on my vision/plan (intentions)

Thanks Isaac for the great reminders and encouragement to press on- I love seeing other churches that "get-it" and are about revolutionizing today's "Christian" and what it should mean... more on this later...

The MacGyver Plan- Giving March 9, 2008

This weekend at Granger we finished up the "I Love the 80's" series, here are my takaways from this weekend, "The MacGyver Plan"- Do a lot with a little.... You can watch it here....

• The mission/vision God has for the church is huge- God's plan for resourcing this mission is through the tithe (giving 10% of our income)
  
• Mark answered 3 common questions, What is the tithe? Why would anyone tithe? What happens with the tithe?


• Only 1 in 9 people at Granger tithe- I wonder... what would happen if 2 people in 9 tithed? How much more could continue to be done?


• Favorite quote: "Casual anything won't change anything"- If we're casual in our faith, marriage, business/work, exercise/eating plan, etc... that won't git' er done


• For kids, take 3 jars, put 10% in one for God, 10% in another to save, the rest to spend- start teaching them early... (I want to do this..)
  
• The tithe is 10%- that's literally what it means... (We need to look at our monthly number and make sure we're not at 8 or 9%)


• There's always a part of me that "cringes" when sitting in a service like that- I'm so sensitive the stigma of churches asking for money- I want people to get it... I want them to know it truly does change one's life to give.... I'm glad we shoot it straight... I just wonder how people process it....


• I believe the church is the hope of the world- what if we did all give? What if governments world-wide didn't need welfare programs because the church had is covered? I want to be part of that...


• With the time change, I went to a service I rarely go to.. I slid in a row near the back only to realize I was sitting behind the very person my brother said to "look for" sometime at church only a few days earlier... hmmm... odd service, out of 1000 plus in the service I sat right behind them... we have a cool God....

Feed Faith or Feed Doubt?

After reading The God Delusion, there are times when I pray at night thinking... "What if I'm praying to nothing? This really would be silly.." This book for me fed "doubt" in my mind.


What would happen if I only read books by Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Laura Ingraham? In time I may have some pretty strong views on how I view my political issues and how I vote. Equally, what if I only followed moveon.org, Howard Dean, and James Carville? It's a sobering thought, but I really do begin to become what I have fed.

Our filters are created by what we've fed. What we read, our experiences, where we spend our time and money, and who we hang-out with all feed our minds, opinions, and beliefs. Our ability to "balance" our filters allows us to better understand others and how they've become who they are and what they believe.

The Christian extreme may say, "You've given the enemy a foothold, don't read that garbage, burn those books, don't listen to that music or watch that show..." We can definately feed our faith to an extreme. But would that be like having a diet of only protein and no fruits and vegetables? I think we can learn a lot about the people around us when we can observe their lives asking, "What are they feeding their lives with that has brought them to what they believe?"

It's a delicate balance, preserving faith while trying to understand another's belief.... engaging in critical thinking, intellect, and science vs. faith in what is unknown, immeasurable, and elusive... Jesus said, "Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you"...

What are you seeking? What doors are you knocking on? What will you feed? Faith or Doubt? Are you balancing well?

Does God Speak to People?

One of the last things I was left with to point to after The God Delusion were two moments in my life of 35 years at the time... While the book mocks the notion that God speaks to people, I understand why...

• How many TV evangelists, pastors, and wanna-be prophets do we need to hear from that have been 100%, dead-wrong in what "God has told them". Look at what people see in the media? Pat Robertson has not always been right. Why is that?
• How may times have you heard a Christian say, "God told me to do this or told me to tell you...."- enough already. To many people in this world.... WE LOOK FOOLISH.
• Why would God tell one person to vote for the Republican and another to vote for the Democrat? I don't get it. And....right now there are people quickly rushing to explain why God would do that... STOP IT.

I've been burned thinking I knew when God was talking to me. I made decisions on those thoughts and they were dead wrong. The truth is, either my "tuner" (and most others) are out of whack, or I need to have some humility and admit, "I don't know if that was God or if it was just my own distorted thought".

The irony is, there were two times that seemed different... 2 times in 35 years. One was...

When my business was crashing, creditors were calling, and stress was pumping through my forearms, I vividly remember driving through the Angela and US31 intersection in South Bend and yelling out loud at God... "God, what is the deal!!!".... and instantaneously, this thought pops in my head, "Are you willing to let go of the business for Me".... I yelled back, "Am I willing to let go of the business for You? I don't even know if that's you talking!" Later the next day, it struck me, wouldn't I have said "Am I willing to let go of the business for God"- it was a third person statement stuck in my head... Since that moment, I've taken gradual steps to let go and I continue to see it's been the right shift in my life.

Oddly enough, that moment was one of the core things I was left with after reading The God Delusion.... a personal glimpse, a brief interaction, a course-changing blip that reminded me... that was something, a real experience that came from.... Someone.

Blind Faith

The God Delusion is a dangerous book. I know of people that have walked away from their faith after reading this book. At our dinner last night, Jamaica Abare mentioned she was surprised at how many of her 18-yr old college students were reading this book. Scary. I read this book to try to understand a thinking completely different than my own. My second lesson from this book: I had blind faith.

• My trite Christian cliches' and pad answers got blown out of the water


• The basis of my faith got stripped away and left me naked to my core


• I realized I was blowing smoke about much of what I believed and had only a few tangible nuggets left to hold onto

Ignorance really is bliss. I remember driving to work a few days after completing the book and having a deep, sinking feeling in my gut when thinking...."what if there really is no God?".... it was a hallow, sad, desperate thought.

This book changed a filter in me and now simple Christian answers don't cut it. I don't want to be duped, I want to know and truly 'experience' God and not live in some psychological safe place hoping there is something there for us when we die. I no longer want a blind faith... I'm either all in or all out, life is too short. Do I know my faith? Do I know what my neighbor believes? Can I talk about it?

If you read this or like minded books, make sure you've got some good people around you to process this with. Thankfully, my good friend Rob Wegner told me "Hey man, just let me know if you need to re-saved, just let me know!"..... As funny as that was, it really meant a lot to me...