Fighting for Jesus

Those of you who read my blogs weekly may have a sense that I was a kid who followed all the rules as a young boy, and you would be correct.  I experienced a few crazy times in college, and believe it or not, at the seminary.  But I stayed as clean cut as I could, and with my over-active guilt complex, I was careful.  So get ready to be shocked.  I never got into a fight.  I know, crazy, right?  But there was this one time a group of guys got mad at my friends and me.  I can’t tell you why, or what we did.  It was a stage in my life where I had some groupies, and somehow we made the other group mad.  Think of it like suburban gangs--really not scary to anyone.  So they wanted to meet us to have a fight, but I was convinced we could turn it into a football game.  Another shocking thing--I spilled the beans to my mom before I ever got out the door.  My mom conferred with another mom after which we were never allowed to go to that field again.  That was probably a good thing, because you might now have a pastor missing some body part, because I would have lost.

            My best friend is a Marine.  I remember the day he went to Iraq and the day he returned safely home to us in St. Louis.  In between those times I got letters, emails, and a few music exchanges.  His stories are often hard to understand.  I have never been in his shoes.  He tells stories of some hidden mines that destroyed one of his friend’s legs.  His stories are a testament to the cost of my freedom.  Yet, most days I go on living happily.  I enjoy my house, my car, my kids, my wife, and the freedom to pray to Jesus whenever I want.  Yet, the cost is great.  This week we celebrate the gift of independence.  And while it often has been overshadowed by movies of aliens and fireworks, most of my Fourth of July memories are surrounded by firework shows we watched, put on, or risked our lives by doing our own stunts with fireworks.

            This weekend we leave behind the series of Red Bird Evangelism; hopefully you are still praying for the next person with whom God intends for you to share the message.  Yet, we don’t forget the cost that brought us to the place where we can know God personally.  We continue on and re-engage with last week’s Gospel reading where the disciples were ready to run out and use all the new powers God had given them.  Jesus had to calm them down, and remind them of the war they were about to fight, and what it meant to fight for this.  They were fighting for the freedom of the hearts of men and women that were entangled with sin and the devil.

            Sometimes we don’t think about what it would be like to live in this life without understanding the freedom Jesus has given us.  There are people with broken marriages, struggles with habitual sin, financial trouble, sick kids, and so much more, who don’t know the healing power of Jesus.  The war they fight is endless, with no relief in sight.  The disciples struggled with this and we do too.  Yet, God sends us, the Body of Christ, to share the message of freedom, which was won by Jesus.  This weekend we celebrate freedom--both the freedom of this country and the freedom of Jesus.

Trusting your Manager

You may not have liked Tony La Russa’s management style.  He had a signature way of pulling pitchers and moving guys in and out.  At times it was frustrating that he didn’t let a guy just finish out an inning.  Yet, his style brought the Cardinals two World Series wins.  This hadn’t happened from a Cardinals’ Manager in over fifty years.  La Russa loved the dynamic of pinch-hitting and using relievers. He also said it was one of the reasons he loved the National League because there is more strategy allowed with the pitcher hitting.  La Russa was known for his unique pitching moves and his somber after game talks.  Once when I was watching a game, Mindy asked, “Is he mad?” I said, “Nope, that is just how he is.”  La Russa was unique, yet Cardinals’ fans and so many others will not forget those recent World Series wins.

When Mike Matheny joined the club as manager many were shocked that the Cardinals chose someone without managerial experience.  I heard many doubts, and even after a successful last season, some people still commented, “Well, he inherited La Russa’s team.”  This year we will find out if this noise has quieted with the use of so many rookie pitchers and some other key moves.  (Not to mention we are number one in the Major Leagues.)  It is like Matheny picked up right where La Russa left off with unique pitching moves and a somber manner after game talks.  I guess when you see a manager perform successfully you learn to accept the quirks he exhibits.

Like baseball, sometimes the moves can be so questionable.  There are times we might look up and ask, “God, are you really making a pitching change now?  Why would you do that?”  As we begin sharing the message of Jesus, we find people we are attached to and feel like we should be the person who is able to watch them come to faith.  The honest truth is that God’s plan is not revealed to us.  Yet, this is challenging.  It can be one of the final things to personally pull us out of the game. We can wrestle with the idea that if we don’t get to see that person come to faith, then is our sharing of the Gospel even working?  This is one of the ways that could persuade us to go back to square one and not share our faith with others.

So the final point of this series becomes important, because if we don’t trust in God to do the work, we lose the power of our message.  The message of Jesus is based on the fact that He came to rescue and save us because we couldn’t do it.  He knows the lives of every individual we talk to, and without His expertise, not to mention His hand in the saving, no person would be rescued.  So we find our pitch, learn the game, hit the ball, and then trust that our manager will use our faithful work, which is from the Holy Spirit, to change the lives of people.  That’s Red Bird Evangelism!

Hitting the Ball

One of the goals at a previous youth conference was to teach kids how to share their faith.  The leaders would take them to a mall so they could practice doing this.  Yes, I did it too.  It was one of those intense moments for them as they went up to a total stranger and shared their faith.  Why, though?

            I can’t explain it but I have experienced that scary feeling also.  There is something about going up to someone and sharing your faith.  When you look at all the facts, it seems puzzling.  First, you probably will never see that person again.  Second, that person doesn’t know you so who cares if he or she was put off by what you did.  Third, if God could die and rise again, then can’t He use you to change a few lives?

            Hitting the ball in baseball is such a great challenge, depending on the speed of the pitch.  Some of the most feared pitchers are the ones with high velocity pitches.  And all it takes is one time to get hit by a ball to realize the intensity of the batter’s box.  Yet, the only way to win the game is in the batter’s box.  It takes dedicated swinging practice, and preparation for the various styles of pitching.

            When the youth would return from their journey of sharing their faith with complete strangers, they had some of the greatest stories.  They would all want to share their experiences with me.  You could see the power, and the way they were inspired as they shared the Gospel.  They found out that most of the things they were worried about didn’t matter.  Once they hit the ball, they forgot about the batter’s box entirely.

            I studied one of my favorite readings in Acts as I prepared for this series in evangelism.  I recognized Philip’s depth as he talked to the Eunuch about his faith.  There may be some truth that this guy did have some sense of God’s Word before his conversation with Philip.  There is definitely a reminder that to a certain extent, this was a guy who was an outcast.  Philip’s willingness to speak to him, showed his desire to hit the ball.

            There are so many introspective moments in the Christian walk.  Honestly, some of these self focused moments pull us away from the commission Jesus has given us.  The key is to stay as focused as possible; to hit the ball, and not let the distractions get to us.  

            An amazing thing that is happening this year is that the Red Birds are able to keep scoring with two outs.  They are one of the best teams in the major leagues able to accomplish this.  When the strikes are against them they still come through.

            Week three is never about the count.  It is all about hitting the ball.  Forget the count.  Forget what you did last week.  Start fresh and be ready to hit the ball!

Learning the Game

As you enter Busch Stadium there are always people selling programs.  I wonder who really sits down and marks those things up.  There is a unique way in programs to note every at bat and every pitch.  Honestly, it is a lost art because fewer programs are being sold.  Today all those details are at your fingertips on your phone.  You can watch the stats update from your ESPN app on your phone.  It’s not really any work, and as stats just update, you don’t really get to learn the game.

            Three unique categories that score points for me in fantasy baseball are OPS, Holds, and Saves.  Baseball seems like a simple game, but these categories boggled my mind.  OPS is an acronym for on base percentage plus slugging percentage.  Therefore a home run or triple really heightens your OPS score.  Saves are also unique:  a player must enter the game as a relief pitcher with the lead already established.  The lead cannot be greater than three runs.  It does not matter what the count is when the reliever enters, but there must be enough batters or runners to tie the game when he comes in.  He must maintain the lead for one inning.  A hold is something with similar rules.  A relief pitcher must enter in a Save situation.  He records at least one out and does not relinquish the lead at any point.  He leaves before the ball game is over and does not record the Save.  It would be much easier to explain if I told you Matt Adams has the best OPS for the Cardinals.  A Hold is what Trevor Rosenthal does for us as the 8^th inning man.  Mujica is our closer and has saved the most games for us.  This is much easier than explaining all those details because you know what those guys do.  When the game is in play the details make sense, but learning all those things creates a few challenging moments.  Yet when details like this are learned, the player can properly carry out his task in the game.

            Being a pastor means people sometimes ask me odd questions from the Bible.  I find myself more prepared now with six years into ministry.  I remember once I was visiting someone in the hospital, and really didn’t have anything on me to prove I was a pastor.  So this guy told me I’d have to answer one question:  “How many of each animal did Moses put on the Ark?”  Caught off guard because I hadn’t been asked that before, I said, “Two.” He said, “Wrong answer!”  I said, “What?”  Then I realized he said Moses. How embarrassing is that?  I have found that not just my training in college and seminary help me, but learning from Sunday School, high school and, of course, worship.  Sometimes I am surprised at the responses I give because I don’t anticipate remembering all the details I was taught.

            One of the biggest things that move Christians away from evangelism, besides worry that people will just dismiss you, is lack of confidence in their Biblical knowledge. They fear someone will ask them something they don’t know.  This is why learning the game is so important.  It eliminates that worry that you might not know something, and also gives you the confidence to say, “I am not sure about that one, let me find out.“

            This weekend we dive into the importance of learning the game.  How do we spend time learning more about Jesus?  How do we prepare ourselves for open conversation about the Bible?  We are ready to share God’s Word when we learn the game, and then put it in play.   

Finding Your Pitch

A few weeks ago my pastor friends and I were at a restaurant before our conference.  We were talking about all kinds of things, when this guy next to us chimed in.  I was the more extroverted of the group so I began to engage this guy. Our conversations were all about guy things, and so I brought up food.  I know you are shocked.  This guy told us he was vegan, and I was shocked.  Not to judge someone on being vegan, but most vegans are thin, and clean cut.  I know I just stereotyped, but hang on; I have a point.  This guy was bigger, with a huge beard, and tattooed all up.  I remind you I have a brother who has over 20 tattoos, so no judgment, just curiosity.  I asked him why he was vegan.  He pulled out this answer I never expected.  He was fighting for a cause.  He asked me, “Do you know how much land it takes to raise cows, chickens, and animals for us to eat?”  I said, “No, not really.”  He informed me, “If we took all the land it took to raise these animals we could feed most of the world, if not all of it.”  It was then that I saw his passion for a cause.  (Many of our younger generations have this kind of passion for something. ) The guy went on for 20 minutes.  I always expect this.  When that passion comes out you sell it.  I knew this was my opening from the minute he started talking.  I was listening, but formulating in my head how to ask it.  He finished and I asked, “So what do you think about religion?”  He dodged the question with some mumbo jumbo, and I jumped back in with “What do you think of Christianity?”  He described how he grew up in the Church and that his dad is still active, but in a church he doesn’t like.  He has seen too many church people not truly believing what they are saying.  This is the reality of young adults.  They want people to fight for a cause the way they do; if they believe in Jesus then fight for it.  At this point I revealed that he was talking to three pastors, and I showed my hand.  I told him, “We need people like you in our church who are passionately sharing their beliefs with people.”  I gave him my card.  At this point, we transitioned into normal conversation as he shared his love for pro wrestling and pinball machines.  I resisted the urge to share my disgust for pro wrestling, and talked little about pinball machines.  I don’t know if he will ever step foot in our church, but I know this:  I was faithful to listen to the voice of the Spirit.         If any of you are thinking, You are a pastor--of course you do this.  Trust me-- this is practiced.  In seminary I used to move quickly out of conversations like this.  I was worried that my friends who were hanging out with me would feel like our time was taken away by my talking to someone else.  This is absolutely the Holy Spirit who opens the opportunities.  I just pray that I recognize them.

            I could tell you that I have had a passion for evangelism my whole life.  Sure I could impress you with stories of telling a kid about God when I was five.  But the honest truth is that I did not share that message with many of my friends.  Sure my actions may have given evidence of the depth of my faith, but when it came time to pull the trigger I was scared of being cast off like most people in faith.  I was fearful of how they would view me after I shared my faith.  So, I did what any good future pastor would do.  I pretended it was someone else’s job.  I wanted people to know about Jesus, but I was just afraid they would throw away our friendship if I did.

As we begin a new series on evangelism, this is the key to understanding this. I often think that people of faith just assume this will just come to them naturally. But as the saying goes, Don’t pray for patience--God will give it to you by helping you train for it by letting you wait for something.  The same thing is true of evangelism; the only way to get better is to know yourself and the gifts God has given you.  Read His Word so you are ready, take the opportunity, and trust that He will bless it.  Simple, right?

            This is Red Bird Evangelism.   My passion for the Cardinals has increased the longer I stay in St. Louis.  And you’d better believe I will argue why they are the best team in baseball to any Cubs’ fan who wants to take me on.  And to my family who labels me a traitor because I grew up in Kansas City, I tell them I want my boys to support a team they can watch.  I still support the farm team of the Major Leagues; that is why I have a Beltran jersey.  Thanks to the Royals his RBIs keep us in first place.  Once you begin the practice of being a Cardinal fan, you can’t help but fall in love with them, and tell people about it.  In St. Louis that translates to Red Bird Evangelism, and the Cardinals can be a good analogy of how to prepare to share the Word of God.

           

                                                Finding your Pitch

                                                Learning the Game

                                                Hitting the Ball

                                                Trusting your Manager

A Creative Moment

Last week I was listening to my iPod when a familiar song came on. I remember I first heard it while chilling after a Lenten dinner at my first church. The song reminded me of one of the youth. He called me over to listen to a new song he just wrote. This was one of those good- looking kids who seemed to always be in trouble at school. He struggled with grades and couldn’t keep his hands busy enough, but put him in worship on Sunday nights and he not only was in his place, but he was bringing life to a worship service that had been dying. The same thing happened at my next church with a similar story of a kid who got into trouble, but by the time he was a junior in high school he was a thriving part of our worship band.          

Early on in my ministry it became a challenge to learn how a younger generation, in a world full of media was overwhelmed. It became important to look for creative moments. Creative moments are moments when you have an opening. Sometimes it was a new song on the radio, sometimes it was a connection with a TV show, sometimes a sports connection, sometimes a relationship connection, and sometimes it was an “old school problem” like dealing with parents. Whatever it was I used it as an opening to take God’s word and apply it to whatever the youth or adult was going through. Looking for creative moments keeps me on my toes ready for what God has next.

            This week is a creative moment. We wanted to meet our goal to get the parking lot done on time. The goal was met and therefore we had a limited amount of time to prepare for this Sunday and we will not have worship in our sanctuary. It appears to be a creative moment. This creative moment can be used to prepare us for what we will do in the future. With our new parking lot and the pieces we have worked together on this year, it is a time to look at our worship and dream of pieces and changes we can add, take away, or revamp in preparation for guests coming into our church home. It is a chance to move us out of our comfort zone, and into an extraordinary servant zone ready to not just welcome our guests, but bring them into our worship so they feel loved, and allowing them the opportunities to worship with us and truly be a part of our community. These are the moments that transform ordinary troubled kids, to extra ordinary musicians and ordinary people into extra ordinary servants using their talents for God’s Kingdom.

            The first young man I mentioned is currently in a band, and playing in the House of Blues with other guys who all started on a stage at worship. While I can’t tell you where his faith life is I can tell you this: He seems to be focused on his band, which is a constant reminder that his beginning was found in church leading a community worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

            As we prepare for June 2 and attend other worship places, God is giving us a creative moment to watch how other Christian families use His Word to communicate. This year I was able to spend time on my personal mission statement, “Standing firm on ancient words and creating new ways for all people to grasp the message of real hope.” It is my heart as pastor to take these creative moments and discover more ways for people to grasp the message you and I treasure in worship every week. I am not sure what that means for us. I have no idea what you will return with. How you will experience worship differently. What I am sure of is God will show us His plan for our church family allowing us to ask the question how can we use God’s Word for a creative moment both in our lives, and in the lives of people who walk into Mt. Calvary.

Trinity over Tragedy

It seems like it only takes a couple of weeks before we face another tragedy. Many questions lay on our hearts:  Why is this happening?  Sure, the tragedies are different from bombings and shootings, to abortions, and natural disasters.  Yet, one cannot help ask the question, Why not me?  What makes St. Louis safer than Oklahoma?  The answers and motives for any of these events are hard to find.  Yet, with unanswered motives from the humans, it leaves us to wonder how God plays a part in all of this.  Why does He allow things to happen in one place but not another?

            In this week’s Gospel reading the Jews are questioning Jesus, asking Him who His Father is.  Jesus explains that those who know His Father would know who He is.  The Jews go on to claim they are children of Abraham.  Jesus responds that if they were children of Abraham they would believe in His Word like Abraham did.  The Jews proceed to call Jesus an illegitimate child.  It goes without being said that this is not a nice thing.  Jesus proceeds by telling them if they loved God they would love Him.   If not, they are children of the devil.

            It seems like a harsh exchange, but reality lies in the fact that sin is constantly in this world.  Whether it is people who reject Jesus, or just the pain of sin of this life.  Every time we face a tragedy it is a great reminder to put our trust in the Trinity.  Jesus is the only one who could redeem this world.  So often people, like the Jews, want to blame God, but in a moment when we encounter mortality we are reminded of the One who gave us immortality.  The pain of death is not always an easy one to swallow, but especially when it is connected to tragedy.  We take a minute to not let the father of lies, the devil, be the focus in tragedy.  Instead, it is a great moment to share with people the deep love Jesus has for them--that He would suffer the greatest tragedy for us.

            Over the past six months God has brought us back to Restore Mt. Calvary. Years ago Mt. Calvary members marched down the street to find what they believed to be a mission field in Brentwood.  People questioned those early members, and doubted the wisdom of buying a restaurant with all this land.  God gave us a blessing at that time.  Now throughout the years we have faced some difficulties and tragedies: whether it is holes in our roof, some foundation issues, a broken up parking lot, or neighbors who sometimes present us with unreasonable complaints.  While these events may not compare to Oklahoma, every tragedy, whether a car accident in St. Louis, or one of the greatest tornadoes the United States has ever seen, it is hard to face the pains of sin in this life.  Yet, through the restoration of Jesus, He continues to give us the Great Commission to uplift the Trinity and to trust in our God’s restoring power.

            God has brought us as a family to restore this wonderful blessing.  He has allowed us to put some of the natural tragedies to this building behind us.  Now it is time to get prepared for the future.  As we seek to carry out the Gospel, in light of a Sunday without our worship facility open, we had choices.  Some choices are easier than others, but with every tragedy or challenge comes a moment to grasp opportunity.  The opportunity is that as a worshiping community, we often don’t get to observe other churches with a specific task in mind.  On Sunday June 2^nd, through approval of the Board of Directors, and input from the Ministry Council, we will be taking that Sunday to visit other churches in our community.  There will be a specific list of questions to give you an idea of things to look for as you visit another church.  I recently had a newer young adult member of our church tell me Mt. Calvary was almost too welcoming, and she felt overwhelmed and almost quit worshiping with us.  While I remind you that I feel our biggest strength is our welcoming nature, this evaluation will give you the opportunity to observe welcoming procedures in another church.  Having specific guidelines will help you share your opinion in a constructive way.  If we believe restoring our building was important, then we also have a great opportunity to restore the same spirit of mission that inspired men and women of Mt. Calvary to walk down the street to this property.   These evaluations can provide us with new ways to share the Great Commission with the Brentwood community and to all the people that enter our doors. This weekend you will have a chance to pick up an evaluation form. At the bottom you will find suggestions of some churches you might try, or feel free to pick another one. But be prepared to share your experience with us. I will compile all the feedback and share it with you. This will prepare us to be Extraordinary Servants to the people who come in our doors.