Undercover Christianity

When I was a little girl, I heard a Sunday School lesson about how we as Christians are like undercover agents in a foreign country sent into an unfamiliar land-- not to be like the inhabitants of the culture, but to be on duty, faithfully serving our homeland. In my overly imaginative, eight-year-old mind, I pictured myself weaving in and out of the trees at school in a trench coat and sunglasses watching all the "foreigners" going about their lives, waiting for my opportunity to slip in and deliver a secret message without being caught. I am pretty sure that this is not what the teacher had in mind when she was giving us a lesson from 1 Peter about being "foreigners in a strange land" or the instruction from 2 Timothy to not become "entangled in civilian pursuits." Regardless, something was lost in translation between her theologically sound instruction and my hyper-imaginative interpretation.

The problem with this is that the same little girl in a trench coat and sunglasses, eager to dart in and out with the secret message about who Jesus is, didn't understand that that no one was telling her to hide who she was or to hide the message she had been given. I spent a substantial amount of my jr. high and high school years waiting for someone to come ask me about the message I had for them, but no one ever seemed to come. I was doing far too good of a job disguising myself "for the sake of the mission." After all, no one would ever want to hear what the overly outspoken Christian had to say, right? So I did my best to live undercover figuring someday someone would see through the civilian disguise and ask me about my true identity.

The fact is that my high school friends didn't need an undercover Christian, nor were they in any position to be expected to see past my civilian disguise. They needed someone they could go to when things got really bad. They needed a beacon of hope who could point them toward dry land in the midst of the storm. My friends needed to know that there was something different about me that was available to them too, and that they could ask me about it and I would share the not-so-secret secret.

The fact is that my friends now don't need an undercover Christian, either. Neither do yours. The chances are slim that if you continue to go about your day-to-day routine (which looks no different than the routine of your co-workers or peers) no one is going to come up to you in the office and ask what is different about you, because the answer will be nothing. What both my friends and your friends need are men and women who stand like a tower in the midst of the battle offering a place of refuge from the crossfire. What our friends need are men and women who stick out like sore thumbs, offering a reason for the hope we have to all who have need of hope. What our friends need are uncovered, out in the open, followers of Christ who reflect the image of him who has called us according to our purpose.

Friends, our friends are hurting; our culture is pained; our world needs answers. Now is not the time for undercover Christianity.

Preaching the Gospel in our Ice Bucket Culture

Oh, the controversial Ice Bucket Challenge. If you haven't seen it or heard it, chances are you live under a rock since almost every avenue of social media has been inundated with this new fad. For the sake of all the rock dwellers reading this right now, let me catch you up to speed. The Ice Bucket Challenge is a campaign started by the ALS association that has brought in $31.5 million for research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Basically, participants are challenged and in return, challenge others to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads in order to raise funds and awareness for the ALS association. If the person challenged does not fulfill their "obligation," they are expected to make a payment to the association. Contrary to your probable first thought, this post isn't going to be my battle cry to support the ALS association (though I am glad there are people passionate about finding a cure to this debilitating decease), nor is it going to be my annoyed opposition to this unusual campaign (though I did have trouble getting ice out of the overly exhausted ice machine on campus this morning). This post is going to be about what our culture subconsciously tells us through this new fad about how to best reach them where they are with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. First, let's look at what this challenge tells us about our society as a whole.

1. We all want to be a part of something that matters.

How many of us really thought about ALS before the Ice Bucket Challenge? Unless you or a family member suffer from this disease, the chances are it took you a google search to discover what ALS even stood for. As soon as you heard, though, that you had the opportunity to raise awareness for something that really mattered, you jumped on board the train. Why? Because we all want to be difference makers and belong to something significant.

2. We value community and connection.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has spread like wildfire thanks to the fact that every person who takes the challenge, in turn, challenges another person. I've seen videos posted from friends in my hometown (pop. 19,000), and I have seen videos posted from former Pres. Bush and celebrity Anna Kendrick. Have my friends ever met Pres. Bush or Anna Kendrick? Not that I know of. Yet there is a sense of connection that comes from being part of this chain of challenges that causes one to feel like they are a part of a larger community of "ALS supporters" worldwide.

3. We are challenge acceptors.

When someone calls you out in their video recording of their Ice Bucket Challenge and tells you to either follow suit or pay up, you haven't entered some kind of covenant agreement with that person. You are technically under no obligation whatsoever to even consider doing what they asked. However, clearly people are accepting the challenge more often than not, because I can't even scroll through my news feed without seeing someone doused in water every other status update. We live in a society that is very willing to live up to someone's challenge whether it be for the sake of pride or for the sake of the other person's satisfaction.

These are just three of the social norms that I have seen emerge in the midst of this new trend. So, what do these three statements tell us about how to reach people with the Gospel? Well, we established that people ARE looking to be a part of something that matters. Realistically, only the Gospel can truly satisfy this search. What matters more? Something temporary or something eternal? What else is eternal besides the Kingdom of God? Instead of banging Bibles over the heads of people in our lives who have found themselves in a jam because they became a part of the wrong "something" in their effort to matter, why don't we try inviting them to join us instead? People DO very much value community and connection. Instead of being exclusively wrapped up within our own little circles of faith, let's show the world that they matter to God just as much as we do and that they have a place among his people as well… regardless of who they are. We ARE challenge acceptors. What could be more exciting that accepting the challenge to lay down one's life in a pursuit of Life himself. Christianity isn't supposed to be a boring ferry ride from point A to point B. Christianity is a wild adventure that brings new life and joy and excitement with each coming morning. How about challenging your friend to embark on that journey rather than experiment with the effects of hypothermia for the sake of a cause we could all just afford to donate some extra money to anyways? Let us be learners of our culture, followers of Jesus, and lovers of people. Challenge accepted?

Being Less Than in a Greater Than World

I cannot begin to convey to you my horror over what I just witnessed with my own two eyes. While waiting to be checked out at our local Hobby Lobby, I watched a middle aged woman ram her way past the six or seven people behind me in line to take the next spot at the newly available cashier. Though usually it is considered courteous to allow whoever has been waiting in line the longest to make their way to the unoccupied register, I didn't think much about this woman's somewhat rude insistence that she be the next customer to be served. I had been waiting that long, I could wait a few more minutes. Unfortunately, two of the women behind me weren't so persuaded that this impatient woman's actions were socially excusable. The offended customers shouted down the line that there were people waiting and the overly eager woman needed to resume her place in the line behind everyone else. The woman who had considered herself entitled to the front spot responded that had the other two women been more aggressive, this never would have happened. After all, "you snooze you lose." That's when all chaos broke loose. Insults were hurled up and down the line of bewildered customers for a solid five minutes before the manager walked up to try and restore order… by siding with the proclaimed "cutter." Way to make matters worse. By the time I made my way through the line, the three strangers had insulted each other's character, integrity, and the validity of their upbringings. As soon as I had my receipt in hand, I practically sprinted out of the store.

What on earth?! There was one solution to that entire mess that was left completely unconsidered. Had any one of the three women determined that she was going to allow another human being to for a moment be considered of more importance than herself, the screaming match never would have seen the light of day. Had you suggested that to any of the three, however, my educated guess is that they would have laughed in your face. Allow someone else to be first at the sake of my pride and the meeting of my own needs? That's absolutely unheard of in our society. We can't stomach the idea of being less than anyone. We deserve to be the greatest after all. Why? Well, we aren't really sure, but our sense of entitlement stands regardless. 

What if Jesus would have come to the earth insisting that he be allowed to be the first, the greatest, the most important? I can tell you this, we would all still be dying in our sins because he never would have made it to the cross. It would have cost too much. Too much pain. Too much pride. Too much service on his part. However, Jesus, though equal with God, did not consider himself in equality with God. Rather, he humbled himself in obedience to the point of death, even death on a cross. No one here is asking you to humble yourself to death. However, I am asking both you and myself if we could stand to consider ourselves a little more "less than" among people who insist on being "greater than." God instructs us in Philippians 2:3 to do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility to count others as more important than ourselves. That means that we don't sit around weighing the scales to determine whether or not we think someone is "worth it." To Jesus, they WERE worth it, and that's just about the only scale that matters.

Baggage Claim

Have you ever been walking through the airport and noticed a lady struggling to balance her human-sized suitcase, a carry on, a sleeping bag, a purse, a tech box, and 6 teenagers all while attempting to chug a bottle of water before it was confiscated by the TSA? If you happened to be one of the men or woman fortunate enough to see such an entertaining sight, that was probably me you were gaping at. The past two summers I have had the privilege of venturing abroad with an awesome missions organization called Global Expeditions as a missionary advisor. One of my responsibilities under that title was to make sure that I got myself, 6 teenagers between the ages of 13-17, all of our luggage, 7 passports and visas, and a box full of peanut butter and jelly onto the correct airplane BEFORE the gate was closed. Some of the most stressful moments of my adult life have occurred in the airport on the way out of the country, and some of the most relieving moments have occurred as they shut the door to the plane and we taxied down the runway with all of our luggage and all of my kids in the designated areas. Unfortunately, as soon as the plane would land in Sao Paulo or Lima, or back in Dallas, it would be my responsibility once again to collect all of the luggage as it made its way down the belt in baggage claim.

Sometimes my life feels a lot like the post-baggage claim trek across the airport. I have had a moment of rest without feeling the weight of worries slung across my back, but now here I am with my bags in hand bending beneath the load that seems too big to bear. I carry around a bag marked fear-- fear of the future, fear of being alone, fear of never amounting to anything, fear of the unknown. I carry around a bag marked weariness-- weary from the day's work, weary from my inability to be still and wait, weary from taking on things that I was never meant to carry. I carry around a bag marked frustration-- frustration with things that are out of my control, frustration with the things I see in myself that shout "you're not doing anything right!", frustration with the people around me who don't seem to be acting the way I desire for them to act.

The sad part is that unlike my luggage at the airport in Sao Paulo, or Lima, or Dallas, no one is asking me to pick up these weighty burdens. I am choosing to do it on my own. No one's life or well-being depends on me toting this heavy weight. I take it on by myself. Not a single person will benefit from the baggage in my hands, but many will suffer from it, including myself. In fact, not only am I not required to carry the burdensome load, but by picking up each of these marked bags, I am denying an offer from someone far more able than myself to come alongside of me and lift my burden.

Jesus is saying, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls." And here I am saying, "No thanks Jesus. I've got it, but it looks like some of these other guys could use a hand. Why don't you go ask them?" What a huge error on my part. Here Jesus stands offering to take my heavy bag marked fear and replace it with a weightless backpack called peace. Here he stands offering to take the burdensome frustration and replace it with a carry-on called patience. Here Jesus waits to take my weariness and replace it with perfect rest. Each exchange depends solely on one thing-- my willingness to put down my bags and follow him.

Instagramification: What Our Social Media Habits Say About Our Generation Part 2

Part 2: Instagramification

In her super awesome Australian accent, Christine Caine called it our obsession with the "instant snap and upload." She was, and now I am, referring to this generations' infatuation with instantaneous social media capabilities. Your dog digging a hole into your neighbor's backyard? Don't worry, you can snap and upload that pic long before Spot's little nose ever crosses that property line. Did your baby just say her first word? Forget calling her "dada" whose name was the first audible sound to ever escape her mouth, that would take way too much time. Insta video that awesomeness for all the world to see. In less than 10 seconds we have the ability to transport our entire fan club of followers into our backyard, our home, our car, and even our overseas vacation.

What an amazingly advanced age we live in where a world full of information is at our instant beck and call. And all is good and fine until you see that little status bar at the top of your news feed come to a halt, or until you open your Instagram only to see that little loading circle of spite staring back at you. If you're like me, at that point you want to close out all your apps, consider writing a strongly worded letter to someone at the corporate office about why Instagram shouldn't be allowed to use the word 'insta' if it's going to take so long, and immediately look up the Apple helpline phone number because there MUST be something wrong if your phone is asking you to actually WAIT on something to happen. After all, we just don't have time to wait on anything these days.

Major problem. As a whole, our generation does not know how to wait for anything. I mean, why should we if we are paying a premium to have faster everything? To mention the words "dial-up" to anyone younger than 20 is like mentioning the words "Pony Express." They've probably heard of it before, but only in the history books. We've slowly done away with anything that requires us to wait. We are slowly doing away with the concept of delayed gratification. Our culture says if you don't want to wait until you're married to have sex, do it now. If you don't want to wait until you've earned your own money, take someone else's! If you are tired of waiting to be promoted, manipulate your way to the top! Why put in work for something you could pay to have handed to you?

Often times, we slash our way through shortcuts for the sake of expediency and instant gratification and we destroy the thing we are longing for because we take it too early. If you pick an orange before it is ripe, you aren't going to possess anything worth eating. If a woman goes into labor before the baby has come full term, there may be fatal consequences for the child. It seems like these days we don't care about anything enough to wait for it but the reality is that anything worth having is worth waiting for. The Kingdom of God is a lot about waiting. In fact, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I find my hope in the waiting.

If God were to hand me the fruition of every one of my dreams this very moment, I promise that I would destroy them long before I had the opportunity to enjoy them. Why? Because God is still developing me, molding me, and refining me so that when the time comes, I will be able to be a good steward of my dreams. I am encouraged in my waiting to pursue God and to desire things on his terms. Culture is telling me that if I can't have it now, it's not worth my time, but Jesus whispers that if it's not worth my time, it's probably not worth it.

I Love My Selfie, I Hate My Selfie: What Our Social Media Habits Say About Our Generation

Part 1: Our obsession with the selfie.

I’ve done it. You’ve done it. If she has a smartphone, your grandma has probably done it.  Though there’s nothing wrong with posting a selfie, you have to admit that our culture is obsessed with it. So obsessed, in fact, that apparently a band called The Chain Smokers has made hundreds of thousands of dollars off their single hit titled “#Selfie.” I only know this because when I typed the word “selfie” into the Google search bar, the lyrics to this hit song were the first thing to pop up on the world’s most popular search engine. Feeling a little naïve about never having heard this song that has 111,066,303 views and counting on YouTube, I clicked on the link to see the lyrics.  Let me just say, that’s 30 seconds of my life that I will never get back. Literally, the most ridiculous song I have ever not heard, but what did I expect from a band who calls themselves “The Chain Smokers?” However absurd the song may be, the chorus does reveal something so significant about a trap that our generation has walked right into. Let me give you the radio version…

Can you guys help me pick a filter?

I don't know if I should go with XX Pro or Valencia

I wanna look tan

What should my caption be?

I want it to be clever

How about "Livin' with my b***es, hash tag LIVE"

I only got 10 likes in the last 5 minutes

Do you think I should take it down?

LET ME TAKE ANOTHER SELFIE

Sad. Sad. Sad. What our obsession with the selfie reveals about our generation is an overall loss of our identity and an extreme plague of insecurity. Insecurity may not seem like it belongs on some fictional list of the “7 deadly sins,” but insecurity is possibly the biggest trap the enemy has laid for our generation. Why? Because insecurity leads to idolatry, pride, manipulation, gossip, and envy, and it causes blindness to the fact that we were made in the image of an Almighty Creator God. When we do not know who we are, we will bow down to the first thing that offers us a sense of significance. When we do not know who we are, we will boast in ourselves in order to become something in the eyes of others. When we do not know who we are, we will do whatever we have to in order to fight our way into the limelight. When we do not know who we are, we will cut one another down so that they cannot be confident in who they are. When we do not know who we are, we will wish we were something we are not. When we do not know who we are, we cannot fully know the God who created us.

We put ourselves out there waiting for someone to validate who we are. We have an innate desire to know that we are admired, that we are desired, that we are worth something; and instead of looking to the single source of our value, we look to one another and we are sadly disappointed. The reality is that no matter how many “likes” you get, it will never make you feel loved. No matter how many “hits” you get, it will never validate your worth. There is but one source and his name is Jesus Christ. He admired, desired, and counted us as worthy to the point of death. When he took the weight of our sin on that cross, he paid the price for our validation. Our longing for affirmation will take us to places we never intended to go if we do not search for it in the presence of Jesus. No one can tell you that you are not worthy, that you are not good enough, when you know the enormity of the sacrifice that he made for you. So go ahead and post your weekly selfie. I’m not expecting you to go on a selfie strike. But don’t you dare post that selfie as a solicitation for affirmation.  You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that you should walk in them.

What Testimony?

A request that I get a lot as a pastor's kid, but also as a person who frequently finds herself immersed in spiritual conversations, is to share my testimony. If you would have walked up to me a few years ago and asked me "what's your testimony?" I most likely would have cringed, cast my eyes down, and said "What testimony?" I had this idea in my head that all testimonies sounded like this:

"Well after my parents abandoned me, I tried to rob a bank and I landed in prison at the age of 14 where I got hooked on drugs. I was an alcoholic by the age of 16 and I later found myself in rehab. One night Jesus appeared to me in a dream and told me if I didn't get my life right I was going to die. I surrendered my life to Christ and from that moment on I have been faithfully serving the Lord and my life is awesome."

I have heard testimonies like that, and they are powerful! But since my story sounded NOTHING like that, for the longest time I just assumed I had no testimony. I have never broken the law (minus the occasional speeding ticket, oops), I have never done drugs, I have never had a single sip of alcohol in my life, I didn't go through the "typical" rebellious teenager phase, and I grew up with two parents who could be the poster children for a curriculum on Godly parenting. I had convinced myself that God was never going to be able to use my story because it just wasn't bad enough. The very thought that I needed to have an extra "bad" life to have an extra "good" testimony makes me laugh now. 

Some of us as Christians have come to view our testimony as an opportunity to air our dirty laundry and prove just how bad we were before we encountered Christ. We boast in the fact that we were the worst sinners as if that makes Jesus more of a savior. That's not even what the word testimony means! A testimony is our opportunity to testify about the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives. I don't need to go and purposefully do really bad, illegal things to prove that my God is really good. Rule followers are in just as much need of God as rule breakers. When I took the focus off of myself and put the spotlight on God, I realized that my testimony was just as powerful as the testimonies of my friends who have stories like the one I mentioned above.

Now that I have a more clear understanding of what it means to have a testimony and to share that story with the world, I jump at the opportunity. I love sitting down over coffee and pouring my heart out to anyone who can benefit from the story of God's faithfulness in my life. So, what is my testimony? I would love to tell you.

My testimony is the fact that I never thought I had one. I grew up in an incredible family. My mom and dad pastor one of the best churches on the face of the planet, and I was exposed to the Gospel at a very early age. When I was four years old, I made a very conscious, very sincere decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I fully understood that I was in just as much need of Him as the most hardened criminal. The Gospel is for everyone, after all. I was not the perfect child by any means, but really, is there such a thing? Growing up, I battled with fear, habitual sin, a bad attitude, insecurities, and other things that make me human, but God consistently displayed His grace and favor, and was my constant companion as I walked through those things with Him. Thankfully, He still shows that same grace and favor as I walk through new battles with Him to this day.

 Because my mom and dad were firm believers in the fact that even young people can do ministry, I had a ton of opportunities to serve the Kingdom as a child, and I loved it! I had the opportunity even as a pre-teen and then teenager to lead worship, teach the Bible, feed our people, and just love on those who needed it most. The summer before eighth grade, I heard the call of God on my life to do full-time ministry for the very first time and that is the call that I continue to pursue to this day. I haven't lived a life free of sickness, or sin, or problems by any means, but I have lived a life that has been very protected by God… for a purpose. With an understanding of the call of God on my life, there have been a lot of things that I have had to say no to when others were saying yes. I said no to listening to secular music in high school, I said no to dating, I said no to watching movies that would not edify me, I said no to parties and drinking, and I said yes to a life ruled by Jesus. I decided to be set apart for God.

All throughout the Bible, we see instances of God setting people apart specifically to do something for His Kingdom. When he was just a boy, God gave Samuel his first message for the people and set him apart as a prophet to the nation of Israel. When God called Gideon, He told him to consecrate himself, or set himself apart, so that he could be used by God. When Jesus sent the disciples to fetch the donkey that He would use for His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He instructed them to bring Him a donkey that no man had ever ridden before. The colt had been tied up for God's purposes and now the very first person to break him in would be Jesus himself. I allowed myself to be tied up for God so that I could carry His Gospel to the world. 

Now let me add this disclaimer just to be completely clear. If your story looks more like the second paragraph of this blog and a little less like mine, I am NOT saying God cannot use you. He can and He will use you to reach people that I will never be able to reach. I don't know what it's like to grow up without a dad, or to have battled a drug addiction, or to have been set free from an undesirable upbringing. I can speak truth from the Word of God to people in those situations, but I will never be able to tell them "I have been there and this is what God did in me."You have the ability to walk them through that thing at a level I will never be able to without the supernatural intervention of God. I am also NOT saying that I'm the perfect little girl who can count the total number of mistakes I've made on my right hand. 

MY POINT IS THIS… no matter who you are, where you've come from, and how your story sounds, GOD CAN AND WANTS TO USE IT. Your problems are not to big nor are they too small to be a tool of redemption in the hand of God. Your testimony is not about you, but it about the faithful God who brought you to where you are today. Our testimonies are one of our biggest weapons against the enemy.

"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and BY THEIR TESTIMONY. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." Revelation 12:11