That Ridiculous Moment

There’s this ridiculous moment…

It’s the one that occurs right before a miracle.

It happens when you swallow your pride and offer what you are, what you have—knowing full well that it’s not enough, but you offer it anyway.

In that ridiculous moment, you wonder…

Will I be rejected? Laughed at? Blamed? Shamed?

And you think about how insufficient, inadequate, and utterly incompetent you are.

You ask yourself, “Why did I do this, why did I speak up, why did I volunteer myself?”

You feel kinda naked and exposed.

It’s that ridiculous moment…

Between your willingness to do something and God’s miraculous provision.

The little boy who offered his lunch to Jesus because 5,000 people needed something to eat knows what I’m talking about. What a ridiculous moment!

There he is—handing over his lunch to Jesus, thinking about how absurd this gesture must look.

I wonder how many of the 5,000 onlookers rolled their eyes and laughed to themselves.

I wonder how many thought, “Isn’t that cute and naive of him?”

I wonder how many “mature, seasoned veterans” felt rather pleased with themselves—that they didn’t make such an immature move like this boy did.

But the boy didn’t run.

He didn’t yell, “Ha! Just kidding.”

He pressed on—through that ridiculous moment, handing over what he had to Jesus.

He stood there, waited… and the rest is history.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT RIDICULOUS MOMENT WAS AN AMAZING MIRACLE.

I believe it’s still true today.

God accepts our insufficient, inadequate, and utterly incompetent selves and does something amazing.

Are you willing to experience that ridiculous moment?

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Willing & Inadequate

Sometimes we are willing—we want to make a difference—AND we are completely inadequate.

That combination (willing and inadequate) is where miracles take place.

In the Gospel story of the feeding of the 5,000, there wasn’t enough food available to feed the crowd.

When the disciples reported this to Jesus, he told them to LOOK AGAIN.

Andrew, one of the disciples came back and, said: “Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish, but that is not enough for so many people.” (John 6.8 NCV)

Let me paraphrase: Andrew says, “I found a boy who is WILLING to share his food with everyone, but what he has is completely INADEQUATE for what we’re needing.”

Jesus used what the boy was WILLING to share and performed one of the most legendary miracles.

Here’s what I always wonder about this story…

Was there really no one else there that day who brought any food?

I mean, come on—there’s at least 5,000 people there. SOMEBODY must have brought some snacks with them!

Serious. I bet some lady had ketchup packets in her purse.

And how many diaper bags with Goldfish crackers were there that day?

The thing is, nobody else was WILLING.

Whoever had food with them could see, plain as day, what they had was INADEQUATE.

Whatever anyone had was INADEQUATE—but one person was WILLING.

Look, most of us would like to contribute and make a difference… but we don’t bother trying because we know that we are INADEQUATE.

We gotta stop doing that!

WE ARE ALL INADEQUATE.

Miracles happen when we know what we have is INADEQUATE, but we’re WILLING to give it to God anyway.

One boy’s INADEQUATE lunch miraculously fed 5,000 people because he was WILLING to give what he had to Jesus.

Amazing things happen when you are WILLING and INADEQUATE.

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Guest Post: Shari Dolleman “Scars Speak”

Brian worked with animals at a Veterinary Hospital for years and he has the scars to prove it. On his arm, hand, and even on his face.

You might guess I think the scars are ugly, or make him look like a damaged person—but to tell you the truth, I love them.

Scars mark the territory we’ve experienced together.

Brian and I were newly married when the dog bit him and the cat clawed his face. Something about those scars are beautiful to me. They tell our story together. I know what it took to heal from them.
 
I’m drawn to the brokenness in people. The pain, the suffering draws me in.

I think that might be how the Father feels about his kids. I can picture Him saying something like this, “Oh honey, let me see, let me look at it. I’ll fix you up. This might sting a little, it might hurt a bit, but we need to tend to that so it can heal.”
 
This is what I love about our Heavenly Father—that he is our great healer!
 
Life does not promise to be easy or without suffering. In fact, Jesus said, “In this life you will suffer, but to be of good cheer because I have overcome it.”
 
I wish I could have gotten pregnant again, but I know that struggle has produced some good things in me.
 
Sometimes people say adversity makes you stronger. I don’t know about that, but I would say it makes you softer. Even if it’s not the pain of infertility that someone is dealing with, I think any loss or dream unfulfilled is something I’ll understand a little better as a result of what we’ve walked through.

Jesus being our great healer offers us comfort, peace, and restoration. It’s as if he is saying, “No problem, Shari, I can clean this up and fix what’s broken. This is what I’m good at. In fact it’s my specialty.”
 
Why wouldn’t I run to the one who heals my wounds?
 
Scars speak to my past and how God has been there through all of it. When people ask about these marks, it’s a great chance to tell them the story of God’s healing, restoring work in our lives.
 
Pain speaks. We can learn from it. Don’t run from it. God is there—holding you, comforting you. You’re safe with Him, you’re safe here.

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Leftovers, Table Scraps, & Doggy Bags

I’ve never liked taking leftovers home from a restaurant.

Maybe it’s the inconvenience of asking for a to-go box.

Maybe it’s the odor of leftover food that makes your car stink.

Or maybe it’s because I remember how they called to-go boxes “doggy bags” when I was a kid.

Doggy bag? I assume that means, “this food is perfect for a dog… or you, if your standards are Labradoodle-level.”

My wife LOVES leftovers.

She will take things from other peoples plates and put their scraps in her to-go box.

She takes the bread from the center of the table.

I’ve seen her take handfuls of the little hard candies that restaurants leave out (She really goes crazy over the ones at Maggiano’s).

I’ve come to the conclusion that my wife is more like Jesus than I am.

Why?

Jesus had a thing for leftovers too.

In Luke chapter 9, we have another Gospel retelling of the feeding of the 5,000 story.

QUICK RECAP: Huge crowds. Hungry people. No McDonalds or Taco Bell in sight. A little boy offers up his lunch… 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (I’m thinking he must have been in junior high ‘cause that’s a lot of food for lunch). Jesus blesses the food, breaks it, distributes it to the disciples—and the disciples give it to the people. MIRACLE HAPPENS. Everyone eats and has enough. In fact, there’s even leftovers. Jesus has the disciple pick up the leftovers… 12 baskets full.

I like to think that Jesus had each disciple take home a basket full of the food. Can you imagine them going home explaining the story behind their “doggy bags” full of bread and fish?

Even after everyone was fed, Jesus noticed the leftovers.

He gave them value, worth, and significance.

They could have been overlooked—but Jesus saw them and had them collected.

To someone else, a few scraps here and there might not have seemed significant…

But Jesus took a second look. He saw value in the leftovers.

There are people in our world who have been tossed to the side, discarded, and counted-out.

They feel like leftovers…

And Jesus notices. He sees them. He recognizes their value, significance, and worth.

To Him, they are worth going back for.

Let’s be like Jesus.

Let’s take a second look.

Let’s notice the “leftovers,” and bring them in!

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Pro Wings & Norsport (LABELS)

Back in the ’80’s when I was a kid, Payless ShoeSource was known as Volume.

Volume sold Pro Wings—shoes that were cheap knock-offs of the cool brands.

I remember wanting a pair of black high-top Converse shoes, but they weren’t in the budget. So what did I get instead? A pair of Pro Wings black high-tops that looked pretty much just like the Converse shoes… but they had a different label.

That label drove me crazy. I was constantly thinking about positioning my feet in a way that hid or covered the Pro Wing label. Eventually, I took a black Sharpie and covered the label entirely.

I also remember somehow getting a pair of Norsport tennis shoes (Norsport was Nordstrom’s own brand of shoes). You guessed it—there was never an attempt to hide the Norsport label. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I wore them proudly—and I wanted everyone to see that label.

I’m sharing my ‘80‘s shoe history to point out a simple truth:

Labels can give us a sense of value or lack of value, worth or lack of worth, significance or insignificance.

I grew up wanting to prove myself—prove my value, worth, and significance.

I wanted to have the right labels…

And not just the right brand labels, but the right labels that people put on you—like: popular, funny, athletic, creative, intelligent, good-looking, wealthy, in-style, etc.

The right labels make you feel worth something.

The wrong labels make you feel low and insignificant.

The Bible says when we become Christians, our old life is gone and a new life has begun. The old life, with all its labels, no longer defines us. We are now defined by what God has done, rather than what we have done.

Check it out:

“Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his LABEL on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, MEAN NOTHING. From now on everyone is DEFINED BY CHRIST, everyone is included in Christ.” (Colossians 3.10, 11 MSG)

Here’s another passage that re-defines us:

“You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ. This means that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. In Christ, there is NO DIFFERENCE between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. You belong to Christ, so you are Abraham’s descendants. You will inherit all of God’s blessings because of the promise God made to Abraham.” (Galatians 2.27-29 NCV)

What are these Scriptures telling us?

The OLD LABELS MEAN NOTHING.

There is NO DIVISION, NO DIFFERENCE, NO DISTINCTION, with those who are in Christ.

There are no special classes of people. No hierarchy. No low people and no high people.

In Him, we’re all the same. In Him, we are valuable, significant, and worthy.

This is why, in the Christian faith, we must never attempt to categorize or class people. We must never attempt to keep people low. Religions that keep people low are really about the privileged few increasing their significance by lowering the significance of others. That is ABSOLUTELY ROTTEN and disgusting, and it has nothing to do with the Gospel.

Our “deal” is not about posturing for position or class or distinction. Rather, it is all about receiving worth and a new identity in Christ…

And we don’t have to keep others low in order for us to be somebody anymore.

In Christ, our identity is set, secure, and forever significant.

So now, we see right through all the labels, and we lift others who have been kept low.

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Carlos, Danny, & Me

My best friends in grade school: Danny and Carlos.

These were my boys…

We attended school together.

We hung out together.

We went to each other’s homes.

Carlos’ mom gave us Spanish lessons and quesadillas after school.

Danny lived in my neighborhood. We’d meet up and to walk to Albertson’s to buy candy—Fun Dip and Pop Rocks.

Carlos, Danny and me looked different from each other.

Carlos had black, straight hair.

Danny’s hair was curly.

My hair was puffy.

The color of our skin was different. We had slightly different accents. We were a diverse trio…

And we were the best of friends.

We spent lots of time together and many adventures.

However, there was one thing we never did together…

We never attended church together.

On Sunday, we all went our separate ways—me, to my white church, Carlos, to his hispanic church, and Danny, to his black church.

I remember wondering to myself: If we do everything else together, why can’t we go to church together?

Over 40 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We must face the sad fact that the eleven o’clock hour on Sunday morning when we stand to sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America.”

My story about Carlos, Danny, and me is from the ’80’s.

Do you think things have changed since then?

Not really. According to sociologist Dr. Michael Emerson, 93% of the churches in America are racially segregated.

Stink!

This fires me up. It ticks me off. I hate it.

I don’t want a church that reflects just one homogenized slice of our community.

I want a church that reflects the community!

Look at the description of the people in God’s Kingdom from the book of Revelation: “I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. EVERYONE was there—ALL NATIONS and TRIBES, ALL RACES and LANGUAGES.” (Revelation 7.9 MSG).

What were they doing there?

“They were shouting with a mighty shout, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7.10 NLT)

They were worshiping TOGETHER.

Different nationalities. Different cultures. Different backgrounds. Different accents. Different flavors. TOGETHER.

My favorite days at church are when we have a big outreach (like our Backpack Giveaway).

Why?

Because EVERYBODY comes out.

These events are beautifully diverse.

And that’s how the church should be.

That’s how we WILL be.

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Be Careful. Be Reckless.

The other day we were telling someone about our Thanksgiving Grocery Giveaway.

The lady responded, “Wow, that’s cool! You be careful though. You really gotta check people out and make sure they need it before you give them something. People will try to take advantage of you—so don’t give them anything!”

Both Shari and I thought the same thing: No way! We’re givers, not investigators. Of course someone will take advantage of us. No biggie! Others who have genuine needs will also come and be blessed.

We are often “careful” with our kindness toward others—while at the same time being “reckless” in giving grace to ourselves.

We need to flip that around.

We should be reckless in giving grace towards others, and we should be careful with ourselves.

Jesus told a parable about a farmer sowing seed, and that seed landing on 4 different types of soil…

The footpath, the rocky ground, among weeds, and fertile soil.

An easy application of this parable is personal: be good ground—be fertile soil.

In other words, you be careful to receive and respond to what has been graciously given to you.

Another takeaway from this parable is that we should sow INDISCRIMINATELY, even RECKLESSLY.

That’s what the farmer did. His seed was thrown on ALL types of ground.

He didn’t pre-judge. Nope. He sowed his seed—hoping that something good would come of it.

Our job isn’t to be investigators or judges, deciding who has potential and who doesn’t.

Our job is to love, serve, give, bless… to be reckless in giving grace to others.

Our job is to sow good seed indiscriminately, hoping that something good will come of it.

As far as our own lives are concerned: Be careful. Be good ground.

When it comes to others: Be reckless. Give huge amounts of grace. Hope for the best, and don’t worry about it.

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Chuza’s Wife

I wouldn’t want to live in a world without women.

Really.

Without women, the world would be a (more) smelly, messy, harsh, and violent place.

OK, maybe that’s a broad generalization. But seriously, women do make the world a better place.

I value women. A lot.

So did Jesus.

He broke the social norms of his day in order to value, include, and involve women.

Do you know who Chuza’s wife is?

Jesus did.

Chuza’s wife—Joanna— was on His team.

Not only did Jesus include her, but He actually depended on her.

She was a valuable part of His ministry.

Joanna traveled with Jesus and the other disciples.

She was a key contributor, a partner, and she helped make things happen.

“Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women… Among them were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.” (Luke 8.1-3 NLT)

Jesus valued Joanna—Chuza’s wife, and she brought value to the ministry.

I want to say it again…

Jesus broke the social norms of his day in order to value, include and involve women.

He didn’t keep people low, regardless of how society ranked them. Jesus lifted people.

Much has changed from the first century until now, but we still live in a society that ranks people and keeps them low.

I hope the church will be like Jesus—breaking the social norms of our day in order to value, include and involve those who have been kept low.

I hope we will be like Jesus, who loved and lifted people.

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I See Beauty Outside of Fantasy Land

One of the things that I don’t love about Christian culture is our propensity to live in fantasy land.

We isolate ourselves.

We try to create our own little world within the world—complete with Christian schools, movies, music, art, jewelry, clothing, video games…

Everything with our “Christian Approved” label on it could exist in a Thomas Kinkade painting.

It’s a Christian fantasy land—cute and heart-warming, but not real.

I know a lot of people see the Thomas Kinkade version of life as beautiful.

I don’t.

I see beauty outside of fantasy land.

I see beauty where the misfits are.

I see God working in the lives of real people outside of fantasy land.

I see second chances being given. I see hurts being healed. I see lives being restored.

And to me, that is a beautiful thing.

It kinda reminds me of the lyrics from Gungor’s song Beautiful Things:

“You make beautiful things out of the dust, you make beautiful things out of us.”

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Got Misfits in Your Bubble?

We all have a bubble…

I think of it as an invisible force field that keeps people out (or in).

Occasionally, someone either misreads the signs or is oblivious to them—and they break into your bubble.

Most of the time, however, you determine who is welcome in your bubble and who isn’t.

Question: Do you have misfits in your bubble?

Jesus was often criticized for the type of people he allowed in his bubble.

He was called “A friend of sinners.”

On one occasion, a Pharisee watched a “certain immoral woman from the city” anoint Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. This Pharisee thought to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” (Luke 7.37-39)

The funny thing is—Jesus DID know what kind of woman she was.

He knew everything about her and he welcomed her into his bubble.

The Pharisee considered this particular woman to be unreachable, untouchable, and unlovable.

As a result, his invisible force field kept her out. And he made the signs obvious.

Jesus, on the other hand, is a misfit magnet.

He attracts misfits everywhere. He welcomes misfits into his bubble.

I want to be like that. I want to be a misfit magnet, just like Jesus.

I want to love people whom others consider to be unreachable, untouchable, and unlovable.

I want misfits in my bubble.

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