There When You Need It

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Think about a time when God used a circumstance to totally surprise you, and either taught you something totally new or reminded you of something important you’d forgotten. What was it that God did, or provided? What did you learn from it?

Last Monday we explored the importance of being there for your fellow teammates in ministry. Today, we build on that and look at one of the more overlooked benefits of spending time with others.

Think about this: You’re going along, growing relationships with those you serve alongside, and a situation just… presents itself. You weren’t looking for it. You may not have even felt ready for it. But there it is. God’s thrown it into your path anyway.

The good news is, God always does it for a reason. He’s providing an opportunity to grow both you and those you’re with, and you didn’t even have to work for it. The question is, are you going to recognize that moment when it comes, and how are you going to let God use it?

And here’s another question: How might He use those teachable moments so that you’re not only able to teach others, but so God can teach you?

Jesus took advantage of teachable moments all the time, and sometimes even went out of His way to create them. We might think: We’re just not that creative. And Jesus is… well, you know… Jesus. But again, God often throws things in our paths that we weren’t expecting so that He can teach us something new, or teach us something we thought we already knew in a brand-new way.

So let’s focus on at several passages where Jesus is taking whatever’s thrown at him—very human situations—and turning them into eternal lessons. And just to prove that this isn’t only Jesus’ territory, we’ll look at one example from Paul’s life, too. Read the list of passages, and reflect on the questions afterward.

• Matthew 22:15-22
• Mark 9:33-37
• Mark 12:41-44
• Luke 7:36-50
• John 8:1-11
• Acts 17:16-34

• What common themes or circumstances do you see in these situations?
• Besides the fact that Jesus is… well, you know, Jesus… what prepared him (and Paul) to use those moments when they came his/their way?
• Which of these qualities or ideas could you use the most right now?
• Who do you know that excels in that area? What would you like that person to teach you?

As Dallas Willard stated in The Divine Conspiracy, “[W]e are not to ‘catastrophize’ and declare the ‘end of the world’ when things happen. We are to see every event as an occasion in which the competence and faithfulness of God will be confirmed to us.”

And here’s another perspective: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,  keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

• How would the attitude Peter describes here increase the number of teachable moments we have with those around us?
• How would it increase the number of teachable moments God has with us?

May God open your eyes to the opportunities around you, and give you a sense of expectation of what God wants to do with those moments in your lives.

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Lay Down Your Bitterness — a fragment

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Carl Simmons

I had originally considered calling this either “Lay Down Your Judgment” or “Lay Down Your Grudges.” Either would have worked, and I’ll hit on them here. But I think this new title captures both those ideas, and something more. Plus, it builds on some of the other ideas already expressed on past Fridays—and again, something more.

My buddy Tim has an amusing-truth kind of song called “I Hate to Be Judgmental.” Among its lines, which begin at “I hate to be judgmental, but some people make me sick,” are these: I hate to be judgmental, but there’s nothing else to do / Everybody’s judging me—why shouldn’t I judge you?

And it’s true; this judgment thing is an endless cycle. Getting worked up over someone else’s shortcomings is a pretty good time-killer that helps us feel better about ourselves.

And it’s real easy to extend this attitude to other Christians. I mean, come on, we… that is, um, I mean, they… should know better. They’re Christians, right? There’s certainly some truth to that. But let’s remember, especially in a developing book dedicated to this premise, that we’re all still learning how to properly lay down our lives at Jesus’ feet.

So let’s backtrack to something more positive before extending judgment. If Jesus is indeed the greatest thing, indeed the greatest person, in my life, shouldn’t that be true about every Christian—or for that matter, potential Christian—I meet as well? Shouldn’t I be looking for that movement of the Spirit in the other person, no matter (or especially given) what sin they, with God’s help, need to deal with in their lives?

**********

God forgives [fill in the blank] just as He forgives me.

When we refuse to forgive, we keep others in bondage. The Bible says it,  “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18: 19).  Forgiveness, or the lack thereof, has that kind of power. By believing ourselves to be people who need—nay, deserve—to be repaid for the wrongs done to us, we are, in a very real sense, spiritual slaveowners. We accuse others of evil, then, instead of freeing them from it, leave them trapped in it. Are those the kind of people we want to be?

And yet, we all do it. I certainly do. And at the same time, we keep someone else locked up as well—us. Slaves still need to be fed, you know, no matter how much contempt we have for them. And thus, we must always attend to those we keep in bondage to our unforgiveness. And we await in fear the day they rise up in rebellion against us.

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Passing the Baton

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Carl Simmons

If you’re in leadership, you’ve probably spent at least some time dealing with what it takes to run through the finish line instead of simply stumbling our way to the end. However, the answer obviously isn’t just about you.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.  Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves (Exodus 18:13-26, NIV).

• What’s the big idea Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) is recommending here? How does his advice help everyone involved?
• What smaller tasks does he ask Moses to do, so the big idea here can become a reality?
• If Jethro were to come up and make these suggestions about your current commitments, what would he bring up—and how do you think you’d react?

Letting go and sharing the load is good advice, and good practice. In fact, it’s probably the only way those you serve, and serve with, will ever grow. It’s often easier said than done, but it’s where we need to get to if we expect God’s work to grow. God’s work has to become bigger than us.

What can we prepare to let go of? Who can we begin handing responsibilities to, and how can we prepare them to take what we give them and run with it?

Let’s do a little exercise. Think of all the commitments you’re responsible for in a given week. Take two minutes to list as many of them as you can.

Now, look at your paper again. Which of these responsibilities could you hand off? Be honest. What could you let go of? What could someone else do just as easily as, if not better than, you? Put a check mark next to those items.

Look at your list one more time. Focus on the your check marks. Who are the people who represent those check marks? Take another minute to write their names next to your check marks.

Now, take your list and roll it up, so you have one long tube, and then tape it. Take your tube, stand in it the palm of your hand, and try balancing it as you walk around. Now, think about this:

• How was the balancing act you just did like your ministry—or your life—right now?
• How does sharing responsibilities help you get back into balance?
• What’s the biggest challenge you face right now in handing things off? How can we make that handoff something we can actually be joyful about?

“Trust His tenaciousness, count on His invincibility. Look to Him, and in His time and His way, He will finish the work.”—Watchman Nee, Changed Into His Likeness

Hold your batons one more time, and take the time to pray over it. Ask God for the wisdom to know what to hand off, and how and when to do it. Pray that God will give you confidence and trust in those yougive responsibility to, and that you’ll see the fruits of that trust—as you see others growing out.

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Being There

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Working together in ministry isn’t just about working, even if you’re the leader. It’s even more about the “together” part. Ministry of any kind ultimately isn’t about the task—it’s about the people God puts in our path while we’re doing the task. As we spend time together, we “catch” things—we learn things from one another—that we might never have discovered if we were just focused on the task or following instructions. And sometimes just being able to trust others helps us discover things about ourselves we wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book Life Together, said it well: “Christians… forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking…. [H]e who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too.” If we want people to be involved in our ministries, then we need to be involved with people. It’s that simple, and it’s that difficult.

So think about this: When has God used you to really grow others—whether it was one person or a group? What do you think helped that person or persons grow the most?

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47).

Most of us are familiar with this passage about the early church. It’s often held up as a model for how we should do church. And yet, this example from God’s Word has often intimidated us as much as it’s inspired us. So let’s take the “spiritual context” out of this passage for a few minutes and see what’s left to talk about.

• Which of these activities could anyone do, whether they know Jesus or not?
• How does adding Jesus to the mix transform these activities into something more—something that honors God even as we enjoy each other’s company?
• Think again about our first question—particularly, the things you didn’t mention. Do we always need to add these other activities back in to make it “a God thing”? Why or why not?

Instead, we were like young children among you.  Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

• In what ways do Paul and company care for and grow the Thessalonian church? What actions and attitudes do you see here?
• What kind of “children” do you work with right now? Are they compliant? mischievous? rebellious? something else?
• How can you convey to them “I’m all in”—that you’re not just there for them as a co-worker but as a friend, a fellow “child,” maybe even as a more involved “parent”?

Hopefully at least one thing you’ve learned about leadership is that while the responsibility may fall to you, you’re not in this alone. Jesus gave us an example, and He gave us way more than that. He shared all of his life with his followers, and He gave all of his life for every one of us. And He left us with the opportunity to remember that because of the life He gave for us, we all have life together in Him. Let’s be sure to live it out.

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Lay Down Your Self-Consciousness — a fragment or two

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Carl Simmons

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me” (John 17:6-8).

Jesus has told us everything we need to know at this moment, and given us everything we need to carry out His will in this moment. Do you believe that?

We know when God has spoken to us but, but often we somehow lack confidence that this Word of God is truly enough. Here’s a test: When placed in a situation when it’s time to share the word God’s given you, share that word and only that word, then—and I say this as respectfully as possible—shut up. Allow God’s Word to work, and get out of the way.

God does not expect us to be perfect (although He encourages us to “be perfect”…). He expects us to listen, and obey, and trust in His perfection. That is enough.

**********

God has always been in the business of making something out of nothing.

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Let’s Welcome Another New Voice….

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Well, new to here, anyway. Larry Shallenberger is a pastor out of Erie, Pennsylvania who’s written for me and other publishers over the years. I’ve been enjoying his blog—the astutely named larryshallenberger.com—a lot over the last few months, and think you should, too.

His latest entry, on spiritual gifts and curriculum, gave me a lot to think about (and hopefully I wasn’t one of the guilty parties cited—I don’t think I was :), although I like Ephesians 2:10, too). You’ll find other engaging, thoughtful posts there as well. And the guy likes listening to Miles Davis, Derek Webb and Sufjan Stevens when he writes. What more could you ask?

So dive in, enjoy, and let’s get ready to lay it down tomorrow.

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Following Jesus to Work

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Think of the last sports competition you watched where there was a questionable call, or the last story you read involving some kind of cheating scandal. How did watching or reading about it make you feel—especially if it involved your team?

Today we’re going to explore another venue where the competition is pretty heavy and not always fair—our workplaces. What are some unwritten rules you face at your job? How do you work within—or around—those rules?

You may or may not have a good job, but there are always plenty of opportunities to let our jobs take precedence over our walks with Jesus. Even if your workplace is your home, you know this can be true. So let’s consider what it means to follow Jesus to work, and what that might mean for each of us.

Track down each of these passages, all of which have something to say about work. Then think through the questions  afterward.

• Genesis 3:17-19
• Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
• Luke 12:15-21
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
• James 4:13-16

• Which of these perspectives—all of which are biblical—best describes your attitude toward work? Why?
• How would you reconcile these different perspectives?

Last Wednesday, we considered our attitudes toward money and the attitudes God wants us to have. Since work is where we earn that money, let’s explore that idea a little further:

• How do our attitudes toward money affect how we feel about our jobs? What other factors affect our attitudes toward our jobs?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

• How would “working for the Lord rather than for people” address the issues you face at work?
• Which problems, if any, wouldn’t it solve? What do you think God would want you to do in those situations?
• What changes would you make so “working for the Lord rather than for people” is something you really do?

Let’s get one more perspective on work, courtesy of Dallas Willard: “If we truly see [Jesus] as the premier thinker of the human race—and who else would be that?—then we are also in a position to honor him as the most knowledgeable person in our field…and to ask his cooperation and assistance with everything we have to do” (The Great Omission).

What would be different if you believed Jesus was smart enough to teach you what you needed to know at work? What keeps you from believing that—or living as if you believe it? And for that matter, what’s one question you face at work you’d like Jesus to answer?

Thank Jesus that he really does know everything—including the answer to every challenge we face at work, whether it’s moral, emotional, or intellectual. Ask Jesus to reveal just the right answer for each person in your group. Ask him to show all of you how best to model his love and wisdom in your workplaces. And may the Spirit meet and guide you in your workplace, no matter where that is.

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I Object!

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Carl Simmons

How do you usually respond when someone throws criticism your way? Let it bounce off you? Send it someone else’s way? Duck and avoid it? Catch it and hang onto it? Slam it back at the person who threw it at you? Does your reaction change when criticism’s coming at you from more than one direction?

However you responded to that barrage of questions—which might have felt like criticism—how well does your approach usually work for you?

Last Monday, we explored how leadership involves change. And as we discovered, change can be tough, and not just for us. Whenever we try to introduce change, we’re almost certainly going to hit resistance. Even if we’ve done a good job of showing why change is a good thing, there will probably be some people who will be less than enthused about it. Some might have legitimate concerns that they still need to work though—they simply haven’t caught the vision yet. Some are gun-shy, because they’ve been burned before. Others will quietly (or not so quietly) drag their feet, hoping that you’ll change your mind. And still others might be openly critical, antagonistic, or even hostile.

Guess what? You’re still the leader. You still need to deal with it. And you need to deal with it in a way that honors God—and honors those people putting up the resistance. And you might have to do it even if they’re not honoring God, or you, with their attitudes and actions. “The primary tool in the devil’s box is the wedge,” as Greg Ogden says in his study Discipleship Essentials. So let’s talk through this one and see how God wants to equip us to grow in this area.

First, let’s start by putting ourselves in the shoes of those who might disagree with us. Because we’ve all been in their places at one time or another. When have you been in the role of outsider or critic? What finally “got you on board” (or would have, if you can’t think of a positive example)?

When you’re done chewing on that, take a look at this classic “case study” of conflict resolution from the Bible. As you read, take note of all the players in this conflict, and think about each person or group’s side of things:

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

“‘After this I will return
   and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
   and I will restore it,
that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
   even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’—
 things known from long ago.

 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:1-19, NIV).

• What kinds of reactions do we see in this passage? What motivated each of the players here?
• What steps were taken to resolve the conflict? What helped everyone come to a decision and move forward?
• It might be easy to simply point to the Pharisee Christians as “the bad guys.” But what’s a situation where you’d raise the red flag and say, “That’s wrong and I’m not going along with it”? What, if anything, could get you to change your mind about it?

A few more quotes to consider:

“Differences between us are exactly what make us beautiful and necessary; together we are more than we were apart… Church can be something bigger precisely because it’s the bringing together of so many people with so many reflections of the image of God.”—Brian Sanders, Life After God: God’s Call to Disillusioned Christians

“We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those who opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth and both have helped us in the finding of it.”—Thomas Aquinas

“Those who honestly agree with you keep you sane. Those who honestly disagree with you… keep you honest.”—Carl Simmons

So, with that: Think of someone you regularly have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with. What’s one positive thing you could say to that person right now?

Better yet: What’s one thing that person brings to the table that you don’t? Say it out loud. Yes, right now.

Now, how can you create the opportunity to share what you just said with that person?

Besides issues being disagreed about, what else keeps us from finding common ground with others? How can we show love and respect to those people, even if we totally disagree with them?

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:12-13, NIV).

Some people simply need more understanding and attention. Others may never become your good friends, but you can still learn to work together. Other people go beyond what we’ve discussed today—for whatever reason, they’re hardened against you or what you’re trying to accomplish. No matter what the situation, it’s God’s to handle. So pray for God’s wisdom and grace to overwhelm both you and those you’re struggling with. And if it is a relentless situation where the other person is immovable and/or disrespectful, ask God for His strength in dealing with it. Ask God what He’s trying to teach you through this situation, and ask His help in keeping your eyes on that rather than on what’s going on right now.

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a piece of Lay Down Your Weakness

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Carl Simmons

As I’ve been working on these Friday pieces, I’ve really come to appreciate Peter more. As brilliant as that “man out of time” Paul was… as loving and engrossed with Jesus as John was… as assertive as James was… for that matter, even as morosely skeptical as my boy Thomas was… I think I’m beginning to understand why Jesus chose Simon to become Peter, “the rock on whom I will build my church.” It’s because he was the most human of the disciples. And humanity was what Jesus came to redeem.

For all the evidence you need of this, look at Peter’s “story arc.” We already looked at one huge paradigm shift during what we could call “The Tale of Two Fishing Trips”—Peter’s  transformation from someone who encountered the Son of God and could only see his sin to someone who encountered the risen Jesus and swam after Him as hard as he could. In between are incredible highs and lows, including the near-simultaneous events of Peter first grasping that Jesus was the Messiah, being informed that he would be the rock upon whom Jesus whom build His church, then being rebuked “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:13-23). You almost imagine Peter protesting, “Gee, all I was trying to do was protect you, Jesus.”

Peter didn’t yet understand that he was totally incapable of protecting Jesus. And he certainly didn’t grasp it either when he tried to protect Jesus again during His arrest in the garden. Jesus once more rebukes him: “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). Peter didn’t yet realize that his strength, like Jesus’, came from obeying his Father’s will.

Even after Jesus came back from the dead, Peter was still subject to relapses of fear and bravado, as is evident when in Galatians 2:11-21 Paul has to rebuke him for skulking away from the Gentiles that Jesus had already declared clean to Peter (Acts 10:9-47).

But eventually, Peter learns to stop forcing it, and trust that God will do what He intends to do when He intends to do it. He become “the Rock,” because he receives who The Rock really is. We see evidence of that in his final letter: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

We are lifetime projects. The sooner we realize it, the better. So let’s lay down our weakness, lay down our own tools that don’t work anyway, and allow Jesus to be the one who builds us up.

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A Kingdom WORTH Desiring…

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Last week I reviewed a book wherein the thinking was right, but the feeling was missing. This week (courtesy of my younger daughter, who attends this pastor’s church in Portland and thus snagged me a free copy of this), we arguably swing too far in the other direction. But in the end—because we not only get a vision of the kingdom but an opportunity to catch it—this one works decidedly better.

Rick McKinley. A Kingdom Named Desire: Confronted by the Love of a Risen King. Softcover, 176p., $14.99. Zondervan.

Rick is pastor of Imago Dei, a church that walks the talk, reaching out to the homeless and victims of sex trafficking, among many other marginalized segments in the Portland area. On the few occasions I’ve visited Imago and/or heard Rick preach elsewhere I’ve never failed to come away impressed by his style that’s very conversational yet thoroughly biblical, or with the church itself for that matter.

With A Kingdom Named Desire, Rick almost veers too far to the former (in comparison, noticeably farther than with his first book This Beautiful Mess)—and if you’re not into the occasional expletive in your Christian ministry book you’ll have issues here—but ultimately he gets it right. Because the kingdom of God is ultimately a heart (or “desire”) issue, and if we don’t address that issue we probably won’t truly address too much else God desires for us or His world either.

The first third-to-half of the book is really Rick talking, as if he was sitting across from you or I. It’s engaging, but you’re kind of waiting for him to get to the point. He does, especially nailing it in the late chapter called “The Security That Gives Birth to Hope” (go read it for yourself). However, he sets it up sometime earlier in the chapter called “The King of Life,” where he broaches the seeming insanity of following someone who walked the earth 2,000 years ago, let alone trying to explain that to someone else:

Here is what I would tell you: that is what faith feels like. You are betting your life on Jesus. You are putting everything you have on Jesus being life, Jesus overcoming death, Jesus bringing a kingdom that puts the world back together. We have to come to this place if faith is going to move us into this kingdom called desire. The revolution that is happening is coming through those who are foolish and ridiculous and dumb enough to have the courage to sell everything they can’t hold onto, to gain a life they can never lose. What seems foolish in this world makes total sense in the kingdom.

Furthermore, Rick asserts, it’s knowing who we are in Jesus that makes our “are-ness” visible to the rest of the world. One more quote in the final chapter “Kingdom Vocation” captures this: “The church’s vocation is not to sit on the sidelines of culture and evaluate it, nor is it to try to create an alternate culture that is a cleaned-up version of the dominant culture. Instead we are sent to create a different world. One that displays Jesus as the world’s King…. This is what you were made for: to live into the love of the King and display his kingdom through the church in whatever forms that takes.”

Rick calls us to give our lives to Jesus, to let Jesus be our life, and to let that new life be visible to the world. And its early talkiness notwithstanding, that’s a message worth sharing.

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