I love music.
From touring with a band, playing shows, to sitting with my iPod.
It’s so refreshing.
Music just stirs the soul. It’s remarkable.
So, with that, here are some of the songs I’m enjoying at the moment:
Eminem, Lighters, featuring Bruno Mars & Royce da 5’9 (covered by karminmusic)
Face to Face, I Want (Live)
John Mark McMillan, Death In His Grave
John Mark McMillian, Daylight
Yellowcard, For You And Your Denial
Going over my message for Sunday.
We’re in our series, “Window Pain.”
Blown away by the response already.
5 people baptized this week.
2 of the people chose Sept. 11th to be baptized.
“Changing the day in a good way.”
This week we’re address the Pain of Death.
As I’ve been preparing for Sunday, here is a snippet of my message I’ve read over and over at my desk today…
“The only God I can believe in is one who knows firsthand what it’s like to be a helpless American aboard a plane turned missile, penetrating a building- killing thousands. Who knows what it’s like to be a helpless mother as your child is devoured by the jaws of death. Who intimately knows the pain a spouse feels as they’re smacked in the face with the untimely news that their best friend is no longer with them.
And that is exactly the kind of God Christianity proclaims.“
While this Sunday will be tough, I am looking forward to how He can help us with the pain we’ve encountered individually and as a whole. See you Sunday!
-brandedwithlove
Window Pain Intro from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
I heard the phrase often growing up. My dad is a very sarcastic individual and I learned under his tutelage to yield it like a well trained swordsman. Verbal banter and joking abounded under our roof. It’s what got us through difficult times. Laughing broke the ice. When my dad retired after a 22+ year career in the Navy. He cried and was heartbroken (one of only three times I’ve seen the man cry). It was a side comment of my brother in an Applebees, “So, you spent two decades in the Navy learning to be a man and now you’re crying like a baby” that softened the moment. We all had a laugh. The tension was broken. It wasn’t that we didn’t take the day seriously. We all knew a large chapter of my dad’s life had closed. But, the laughter helped us move through it.
Sunday evening I had the honor of speaking for a large group of area churches. Hurricane Irene came through and shut down Virginia Beach, so most churches didn’t hold a.m. services. We gathered a plan together to combine efforts with Real Life Church to invite anyone in the 757 to come and worship.
It was great.
God was honored.
We enjoyed spending time with other people who want to figure out how to live like Jesus. Some people had a close relationship with Jesus. Others were virgins to the church, God, and this Jesus guy they had heard about once. It encourages me to always be in places where it isn’t just Christians. It shows me we’re meeting new people who need to experience God. It’s great.
After I got back home, my Facebook, Twitter & Phone had blown up about how much people enjoyed the evening. Some of of the comments were:
“We had no clue you were that funny!?”
“On the way home we talked and agreed, you rocked that sermon… and you’re so funny, who knew?”
“You were great. My oldest daughter asked if you were a comedian!”
“My mother-in-law laughed so hard she was crying. Great job.”
“I think I pulled a muscle in my neck laughing. LUV’D IT!!!!”
Then, I opened up my Facebook page today, to a private message from a fellow minister. It simply read:
“Saw all the updates about last night. Didn’t know you left ministry to be a comedian. Good luck with that.”
Ouch.
Let me first off say, we’ve talked and everything is copacetic. I wouldn’t share this if we hadn’t had the opportunity to talk it out “brotha to brotha.” (Look in the Bible for Matthew 18, this is huge for dealing with sin/confrontation). Second, there was a false dichotomy assumed in that message I found in my inbox.
I grew up in pretty conservative churches where humor wasn’t used in large segments. To preach and use humor was to “water down the message” or “entertain people instead of challenge people.” The assumption is that you can only preach with limited humor and honor God. This is simply not true.
I would assert that laughter is one of the most successful ways to diffuse walls, barriers, and tension that people have about the church, God, faith, heaven, hell, and the story of love that God has for every person under the sun. Yes, the topics & truths we have are about people’s salvation and eternity. Oh… Hell, it’s not a joke. But, you preach a sermon on Hell, the air is going to be thick. You’ll be able to cut it with a knife. But, you can break the tension. It can be done in a way that doesn’t make Hell a cocktail joke, but brings people’s anxiety down to a place where they’re actually going to hear the love/grace/truth you’re teaching.
The guy who comes in with a Pantera shirt and thinks Hell is better discussed by ACDC, he’ll hear you better. The woman who just got beat by her husband and hasn’t told a soul why her abusive spouse doesn’t come to church- she’ll smile and chuckle for the first time in years, and she’ll hear you for the first time in months. The guy wrestling with porn addiction and he’s depressed thinking God doesn’t love him, he’ll begin to laugh and realize that was God bringing him joy again.
1. Jesus Communicated in Ways People Could Relate To. He told stories, talked about farming/agriculture, used illustrations people connected with. Nothing brings people together like food and laughter. Now in a message, as a pastor, part of my task is to balance both (the message & teaching being the meat/meal they need, and the humor).
2. Humor Diffuses Tension. When my wife and I fight (yes, we fight), most fights end when someone breaks the cycle with a joke. Usually it’s one making fun of themselves. More often then not, it’s me making the joke. Because I was wrong, and I needed a break. We soon realize whatever we were arguing about wasn’t worth it. With speaking, when the topic is tense, people’s minds are wrapped up in defending themselves. Protecting their ideas, thoughts, and conclusions. Want to break down the walls? Use humor.
3. People Remember God’s Love Through Moments. Create Moments. Last night opened up with buffaloes dangling from dental floss in reference to my fear of heights, hurricanes with family is a glimpse of hell, earthquakes aren’t supposed to happen in VA, and my youngest daughter is a mobile piranha biting anything in sight. Yes, there was laughter. People were holding their sides in tears at times. It was quite a moment. But how did it tie together? Well…
4. Laughter To Life Change Is Tough, But It Pays Off. It is not easy to use humor to communicate hard things. It takes work. That’s why many communicators fail when trying to use humor. I opened up with a question, “Who in here likes to have control?” All those things I mentioned a second ago were things I wanted control in my life (heights, natural disasters, my little girls). But I don’t get to control life. I followed up with a quote from my dad, “If your life seems completely in control, you’re not really living.” Then we asserted from the Bible in James 5:10-11 that in trials, what we want is to have control, but God calls us to follow the examples of the saints before us (i.e. Job, a guy who finally let God do the talking), and live with God in control and practice patience. One of the greatest examples to illustrate this was the moment of the Israelites coming to the Red Sea with Moses in the Bible, Exodus 14. We walked through their fear, lack of faith, and desire to take control instead of being patient with God. I asked if they had totally given over control? The best way we surrender control is to give all of ourselves to God (communicated through video, it’s embedded at the end of this post). Then we sang a song, prayed, and waited.
37 emails, 9 face to face prayers, multiple conversations and quite a few back&forths via social networking…
- a woman is finding strength in a physically abusive realtionship
- a young lady is learning to forgive her rape attacker
- a young man is beginning the road to peace after a hurtful relationship
- two ladies renewed a commitment to be active in church & carpool together
- a man confided that he’s giving up pornography and getting help
- a man is asking about baptism, and is on the verge of surrender
- a family is certain God is good and they want to get more involved
- numerous people share, “Did you spy on me this week? I need to give up control!”
- An offering was collected for a family who lost an 11 yr old during the hurricane
- God was honored
- People laughed till it hurt
- The Bible was preached unapologetically
- I was a pastor (and a comedian)
- God was pleased with our worship
- Live were changed for the better with God’s love
So, if you’ve made it this far, you have a longer attention span than a gnat, and… you have a choice to make when you communicate with people. Will you embrace the use of humor in tearing down walls? People need the love and grace of Jesus. Our interaction with them could be the moment created where God’s Holy Spirit burdens their hearts to choose Christ over the world.
Note to Pastors/Ministers/Preachers, you have the most difficult job on the planet. The burden you carry is immense. What you have to stand up for and answer to at judgement is more than many will ever fathom. Please, for the love of all that is holy, learn to communicate in such a way that you engage people into God’s story of love. Don’t compromise the message. Stand strong. But, do so in such a way that you are with the people in their world. Jesus did.
-branded with love
Here is the latest update for Forefront Church:
(embedded video below)
Forefront Hurricane Update from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
To help with PiN Ministry & the homeless outreach during the hurricane, CLICK HERE
This morning my wife lovingly confronted me in the bathroom.
“I read your post last night. Don’t you think people will get the wrong idea?”
“What post?”
“The post about watching HLN & the interview with Jay Bakker.”
“No.”
“So, you didn’t really say what you thought about it. It was kind of vague.”
“I’m pretty sure people know I am for God’s love, truth, & grace. I’ve preached on these kinds of topics before.”
It’s one of the things I love about Forefront. People know we love everyone and so does God. Liars. Gossipers. Tall. Short. Skinny. Fat. Angry. Happy. People who claim Jesus. People who hate him. Vegetarians. Carnivores. Homosexuals. Heterosexuals. Prostitutes. Pimps. Navy. Army. Marines. Homeless. Bitter. White. Black. Asian. European…. It doesn’t make a difference. We love people and we point them to Jesus. And Jesus loves us so much, that he can’t leave us the way He finds us. He wants to take seat inside our lives, clean the place up, and make us whole.
This was the post she was referring to,
But it got me thinking,
“In light of God, faith, love, grace, etc— What ideas & concepts of faith am I entertaining?”
There are so many ideas out there about God. I read a ton of them.
Some are things that many pastors refuse to read.
They say it’s because the teaching doesn’t match with their faith.
If that was the case, my author pool would be narrowed drastically.
Rob Bell. Jay Bakker. John Piper. C.S. Lewis. Lee Strobel.
I’ve disagreed with some stances from men like these, but I read their books.
Why?
Because I want to know what else is out there.
I always have a desire to hear another side of the coin.
But I also need to proceed with caution.
This practice can be troubling for many.
I would ask the question, “What are you entertaining?”
Some topics are clear and precise through the Bible.
Topics on faith, Jesus as the only means of salvation, loving God and our neighbors, drawing close to God and living a life of holiness, there is a heaven and a hell, we all have sinned and messed up, the Holy Spirit is our daily companion & help, etc.
While others are left up to the reader to decide if it’s something they should do and will this honor God or hurt God’s heart?
Should I drink?
What is a curse word? Who decides that?
Can I watch movies that are R rated and still be close to God?
Is a cigar/cigarette something I am allowed to do?
What music is wholesome and what draws me away from God?
Is it alright to be married and close to someone of the opposite sex?
Now, some of the things like this are difficult.
Jesus came to conquer our sin and we are freed by His love/grace.
It’s not a list of do’s and dont’s, but an examination of our heart condition.
Are we striving to love God more and serve God more?
I just ask you to consider,
“In your quest for God, his love, truth, and grace- what are you entertaining?”
Sometimes we want so badly to believe things about God, that we’ll search the world over to make it true in some way/shape/form. My prayer is as we search for God, we ask Him to reveal His love, grace, and truth- despite how badly we might want to put something on Him that isn’t in His character.
God is amazing, and every day I want to know Him more.
But, I never want to place my ideas & beliefs on God.
He is way bigger, smarter, stronger, and more knowledgable than me!
I want Him to teach me His ways and desires for my life.
“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely… Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:2-4, 23-24
God finds offensive ways in me daily.
I’m so glad He hasn’t given up on me and leads my heart.
I just need to learn that my thinking cannot be placed on Him.
What am I entertaining?
Well–His love, grace and truth hasn’t changed.
So the person that always needs to change… is me.
Last Sunday we discussed being a “World Changer” for God by loving others and expensing grace upon everyone we encounter. This dynamic changes for us when we learn to be more than Fans of Jesus, and commit to becoming faithful Followers of His teaching. This is tough. The road isn’t easy. There is a lot we come to grips with when we decide to be a Follower & World Changer.
In a recent book by Kyle Idleman, “Not A Fan,” he outlines and addresses this very concept. I was challenged to look at my relationship with God through fresh eyes, to sit with God and DTR (Define the Relationship), and come to terms with some hard truths about how I need to tighten up my relationship with God.
It will stretch you and make you think.
Yes.
It’s almost exactly like Marty McFly’s adventure.
Minus the Delorean, Doc Brown, his dog Einstein, and the Libyans.
Okay, so it’s not quite like Back to the Future, but… there is a couple different “yous” involved in the process.
We all deep down want to be better people. There’s a pull, shove, pushing, aching (whatever you’d like to call it)- inside of us to move from where we are to something more. At Forefront, we’d say that’s God pushing us to be who He created us to be, “World Changers.” What if you had 90 Days, where the present you was going to hold the future you accountable? Sound odd, well, you’d be right. The great part is, we never see it. It’s between you and, well… you.
So, you download this packet along with the hundreds of other people who have already received it. You read through and decide which one of two categories you fall into, you fill out your questions, fold it up, place it in an envelope, and drop it off at church next Sunday. That’s it.
For many of you, it might be the biggest step you’ve ever taken in getting serious about your relationship with God. And yes, I did say relationship. This life with God isn’t about rules, regulations, and living by a strict guideline. Living is about colliding with God’s love and grace. It was really foreign to me until I began getting serious about God.
When I did get serious… He wrecked my life (in a good way).
Jason
Oh, and for you guys looking for Back To The Future stuff and are a little disappointed, here ya go!
One of the series I look forward to the most each year is “World Changers.”
The stories that are shared always inspire me
The lives of our people constantly amaze us as a church…
World Changers 2011 from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
