Second Adam

What if you were God? You decided to create a great work of art: the Universe. The crown of your creation was a human modeled in your own image. Risky business making creatures with free will, but you are interested in authenticity.

For a time, this piece is the centerpiece of your living room. It is... perfect. But then the worst happens. The colors begin to bleed. Creation comes apart at the seams when the created aspires to the status of Creator. The first man, Adam, rebels and the work of art begins to look like a horror show.

How would you make it right? Hide it in the closet? Throw it away and start over? Perhaps learn to live with the hideous thing? Tell your guests how you have "grown to appreciate" the artistry in the ugliness?

What if you could enter the chaos? Let the ugliness infect you, even kill you? You could do for the painting what Adam failed to do. You could be a perfect man, know your place in the painting, reflect God's "image" without rebelling against Him. And if you could do all this and then show your mastery and power through Resurrection,  you would find that the virus infecting the art would begin to work backwards. Then in a final, masterful stroke, you would restore the Creation to its original beauty and intent.

Jesus was the second Adam. Being God, becoming man, he perpetrated espionage against Death itself. He made a way for creatures to once again fulfill their intended purpose, to demonstrate a personal resurrection in their hearts and habits, and finally to be part of a New Creation surrendered to the kingship of the Great Artist.

I can't think of any better way to fix what went wrong down here.

A road-trip, a ministry, a step of faith…

             Early June in the Appalachians. I have missed the mountains since moving from Colorado to Illinois two years ago. These green peaks refreshed me as we drove through mountain towns boasting old southern estates, bluegrass festivals and a three-legged dog!

We were drove these windy roads to the all-staff conference of the Worldwide Discipleship Association in Johnson City, TN.

            A long story preceded this trip beginning in Africa last summer (though really it began much earlier). Lessons we learned in Africa about listening prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit challenged my faith, my beliefs about the God’s character and my ability to hear Him.

            When I put listening prayer to the test at home, weird stuff happened. One day the Lord told me to buy a plane ticket for Atlanta. Unclear at first, God’s purposes slowly came into focus. Through some bizarre circumstances, I met Bob, who runs a ministry that tries to facilitate discipleship in the church through training platforms, heart-restoration ministry, and campus ministries. My heart resonated with a long-felt need for discipleship in our churches and I recognized a personal passion for growth spun from my own faith journey. I was intrigued to hear of their prolific work in Africa. But mostly, I felt encouraged by our meeting. I felt empowered to do whatever God called me to do.

            When I got home, the Lord told me to go back to Atlanta with my family. We stayed with Bob and Linda at their country home. Our hearts were refreshed and our interests were piqued as Debra resonated deeply with their restorative ministry and I learned more about their international work.

            Then one morning, God told me to join full-time staff with this Worldwide Discipleship Association. In one sense, it was too good to be true: I could work on beefing up discipleship in the American church (a real passion for me) while working internationally with African leaders to disciple Africans. Meanwhile Debra could put her counseling degree to work for WDA, facilitating discipleship through “Restore Your Heart” groups and pro-bono counseling. Here was a chance us to both live out our dreams and callings under the auspices of one unifying passion: discipleship.

So why did I twiddle my thumbs and procrastinate on filing my application? Well… I hate asking people for money and I’m scared I might have to move to Georgia someday. You know, all the wrong reasons. Well, eventually I did send in my application with the same crazy peace I felt on my wedding day, the peace you feel when something feels so insane and yet so right. God’s fingerprints were all over this thing and I felt I could do nothing else.

I began to get nervous when we sat down in a circle for the opening session of this “conference” and looked around me.  Here was a ragtag bunch of around 30. They weren’t slick, or charismatic, or awe-inspiring in any way. With the vast majority over 50-years-old, I was clearly the young blood.  But here too was a seasoned band of veterans. Many had been together for over 30 years. Here was a repository of wisdom and experience from decades of disciple building. As Bob said, “We’re not the people who study discipleship. We’re the ones who learn by doing it.”

So with our decision to join up with this ragtag band comes stunning clarity. It’s one of those rare moments when the fog of your experiences begins to form coherent shapes and a lot of things just start to make sense: my calling to missions when I was 13, my choice to marry someone who didn’t explicitly share that calling, my burden for the American church, our trip to Guinea, lessons in listening, and a dozen other leadings, interests, and life goals.

What’s next? I’m starting my ministry with a trip to Zambia this summer. I’ll be working with a seasoned WDA leader, teaching discipleship to pastors and bible college students in 3 regions of the country. I’m so excited for this because of the deep need for discipleship that I see in Africa and the possibility for Christ-like politicians, peace-makers, missionaries, and pastors that could come out of an effective discipleship paradigm.

When I get home, I will need to raise monthly financial support. I also need a committed team of praying folks I can go to when things get tough. I expect to spend the next year or so casting a vision, and recruiting a team of faithful ministry partners. That in itself can be a significant ministry and I’m excited to share this ministry with others. I’ll be doing a lot of training in WDA’s discipleship platform and restorative ministries. I hope to invest one-on-one in a small handful of young leaders and to lead a “Restore Your Heart” group. I plan to do it all under the auspices of hospitality. God has given me a vision for a home-away-from-home for many people; an inviting space full of good food and great conversation. We want to significantly increase our food budget. We’re looking at places with large spaces for entertaining. In my experience this is where I come alive.

            After next year, our path is uncharted. It may involve a move to Georgia (really Lord?), some more intensive training, and a lot more overseas work ramping up to a fulltime commitment to the international ministry. Debra will probably come on fulltime staff as well, devoting her time to counseling and restorative work. At some point, there may be a residential school of ministry that Debra and I would be heavily involved in. I believe God will iron out the details for us. But right now, the possibilities are absolutely exhilarating.

When "what the heck?" happens

What happens when you listen to God and he tells you to do something that scares you half to death? What if after obeying, it looks for all the world like you misheard? Do you pack up and go home to the comfortable, controllable Christianity you’ve always known? Do you leave before someone gets hurt?

                Two weeks ago, I had a blood-rushing, body-trembling experience that felt like a direct message from the Lord. Trouble is… It was a message of judgment… for someone I had never met. A change was required, a deadline set, and divine judgment threatened. I sweated and struggled with it for a long time. Was it biblical? Was it feasible? Dare I speak this judgment in God’s name? Dare I not? How could I deliver such an ominous message in a non-threatening spirit of humility and love? Finally, I made the call, left a message, and waited all day for the police to show up.

 Two days ago, this guy emailed me back. While respecting my sensitivity, he gave me three reasons for rejecting my message.  I responded and apologized for any harm done. It looks like I was wrong. Maybe I was. I never pretended to be a prophet, just another guy trying to be obedient. But does my “obedience” make more trouble than it’s worth?

Did the Old Testament prophets who “prophesied delusions” actually know that they were deluded? Or did they truly think they were hearing from the Lord? What was the difference between them and real prophets? Would God allow me to make such a monumental error? So the word of the day is, “what the heck!” I wish I had an answer. Right now, I just don’t. I can’t go back and I don’t know how to move forward.

Pumpkins, chickens and MORE!!!!!!

Good Lord! Why am I STILL waiting to eat this? It's in the oven right now and the aroma is overpowering. Fried chicken is amazing. It's Debra's recipe.

In other news, I carved my first jack-o-lantern in forever. It's a big pumpkin looking quite shocked at the sudden fate of his smaller counterpart. Pretty cool eh?

Now.... what's the MORE you ask? Well... I don't know. oh wait! There is one more thing! Annabel was a sock monkey for Holloween! Isn't that adorable?!