The Honesty And BS Graph

- - Life With God

Shari and I have these friends, let’s just call them Jackie and Dave, who we keep talking about wanting to drop in on or invite ourselves over to stay with them for a night or two.

We’ve been friends for years. Dave even sang in our wedding.

Jackie and Dave hold this unique position in our lives – they are the safest people we know.

By safe, I mean they love us unconditionally. We can tell them anything and it won’t change how they treat us. They’re not threatened by questions or doubts or tangents or whatever latest-greatest idea I’ve bought in to. They are safe. Safe to talk to, safe to open up with and share what’s really going on. Safe to be real with.

We don’t have to pretend around them. Our conversations are honest and there’s no BS. Because we can speak honestly and vulnerably, there’s no need for clichés.

This is why we keep talking about wanting to visit them. They live a couple hours away now, but the drive is worth the reward: a safe place with safe people. I think it’s time to plan a trip… Read More

I Want To Be Honest, But Not Really

- - Life With God

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A lesson I learned early on as a young leader was this: “Be honest, but not really.”

The truth is, I was naive. I hadn’t learned the ropes yet. And I certainly didn’t know all the written and unwritten rules.

So when my pastor, who was visibly thrilled about a ministry event that had just taken place asked me, “Wasn’t that THE BEST EVER Brian?” I didn’t know only one answer would be acceptable… Read More

Honest People Scare Me (And I Think I’m Starting To Like It)

- - Life With God

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Honest people scare me.

Maybe it’s because I believe that famous Jack Nicholson line from A Few Good Men, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

Or maybe it’s because I’m a control freak and allowing someone to say what they really think is handing over the controls to them. And who knows what they might say? Scary!

Speaking of honest people… Read More

Friday Fun & Free Stuff Is Back!

- - Fun / Humor

Hey friends! I’ve got a few things to share with you today. Let’s get to it…

 

1. FREE – SET OF 10 BEAUTIFUL NORTHWEST SCENES NOTE CARDS.

Be the first one to comment below (at the end of the post – just say something, anything) and you win!

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2. VIDEO – FIVE/FIVE

Brandon Todd is 5’5’’ and he can dunk… Read More

Re-Tweeting Myself

- - Fun / Humor, Popular

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I spent some time looking through my 2013 tweets, and wow, I really crack myself up. Also, I was kinda embarrassed over how many of my tweets were about food. Thought I’d share a few of my favorites with ya. Here goes re-tweeting myself…

Going to the dentist where they will ask me if I’ve been flossing regularly & I will say yes. Then they will floss my teeth & make me bleed.

My daughter’s face, when singing along to some Adele, is terrifying.

Hey guys—just so you know, Ke$ha gets another dollar every time you say “liberry.”

It’s so annoying when everyone… Read More

Friday Fun & Free Stuff

 

It’s the weekend! Let’s celebrate.

 

# 1. FREE BOOK—Tattoos On The Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle.

Um, wow. This book! Here’s what Anne Lamott said about it, “An astonishing book… about suffering and dignity, death and resurrection, one of my favorite books in years. It is lovely and tough and tender beyond my ability to describe and left me in tears of both sorrow and laughter.” Language warning: it’s PG-13. If you don’t win the book, check out Gregory Boyle’s TED Talk (also PG-13). Be the first one to comment on this blog post & I’ll send you a copy (scroll down to the bottom of this page to comment).

 

#2. FREE BOOK—Beauty Will Save The World by Brian Zahnd.

Here’s a book I really enjoyed this past year – it’s about rediscovering the allure and mystery of Christianity. Be the first one to comment on this blog post & I’ll send you a copy (scroll down to the bottom of this page to comment). Also—follow Brian Zahnd on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

 

#3. VIDEO—Seven Year Old Steals Car To Escape Church.

This is why we want church to be exciting for the younger generation…

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#4. VIDEO—Worry About Yourself.

I get the feeling her mom says that a lot.

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Like this post? You should also check out:

Friday Fun & Free Stuff Archive

 

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Do We Have Practicing Faith Or Plasticy Faith?

- - Uncategorized

 

Sometimes I think the church is just as guilty as marketing experts who create ads to sell products on false promises…

Buy our product and you will be happy, rich, skinny, popular, beautiful, successful, and loved.

Drink our beer and you will get the girl of your dreams and be surrounded by happy friends with great teeth.

Use our lotion and you will look 10 years younger in just 5 weeks.

Spray yourself with Axe and women will find you irresistible.

Wear our shoes and your butt will shape up.

Drive our car and your life will be exciting.

I think we can agree: rarely are the ads honest.

Speaking of honest advertising, I’m reminded of the 1990 movie Crazy People. Dudley Moore plays a bitter advertising exec who reaches his breaking point and ends up in a mental institution—where, with the help of the other patients, begins to create “honest” advertising…

Buy Volvos. They’re boxy but they’re good.

Your fear of flying may be valid. United Airlines: most of our passengers get there alive.

Metamucil—It helps you go to the toilet. If you don’t use it, you will get cancer and die.

Forget Paris. The French can be annoying. Come to Greece. We’re nicer.

Ya gotta admit, the thought of honest advertising is pretty refreshing and funny.

I don’t like it when Christianity comes across as fake, plasticy, and pimping a product on false promises.

We shouldn’t have to.

Does the greatest Message really need spin to make it sound better?

Does the Good News need a celebrity endorsement to make it significant?

Is the kingdom of God about success, riches, fame, power, and having all your wildest dreams come true?

Does being a Christian make us perfect, struggle-free, and without questions or doubts? Uh, I hope not—because I am none of those things.

When I meet Christians who are (perfect, struggle-free, and without questions or doubts), I see plastic…

Fake.

An ad campaign.

Maybe somebody is buying what they’re selling, but God isn’t. He sees through the Photoshop layers. He knows what we really look like, act like, think like. And He loves us—not the perfect version of us, but the real us. No need for hype or spin. We can stop drinking our own Kool-Aid.

It’s much better for us to have a practicing (work-in-progress) faith than a plasticy (shiny, perfect, fake) faith.

A practicing faith…

One that is growing in honest, heart-felt, and continued trust of God.

 

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imagine life overflowing 2013 work no 2

Fumbles, Flops, And Faith Overflowing

- - Uncategorized

 

I love how the Bible doesn’t give us heroes of the faith all monochromatic, with Photoshop touch-ups and filters applied—looking all shiny and perfect.

Instead, the Bible gives us heroes portrayed in full color, with every blemish, crack, and stain left in plain sight. These heroes are known as much for their fumbles and flops as they are for their overflowing faith.

They have patina—that green tarnish that forms naturally because of exposure to the elements.

Hebrews chapter 11 lists some of the great champions of the faith…

Heroes like Noah—who trusted God, built an ark, saved his family, and was used by God to start things over. He’s a champion of the faith.

And Noah had a drinking problem—not way back in the day, but actually, this is one of the last things the Bible tells us about Noah. Fumbles, flops, and faith overflowing.

Heroes like Abraham who followed God’s call to pick-up and launch into unknown territory. He went—he trusted God. He’s a champion of the faith.

He also lied to save his bacon. Twice. And this wasn’t years before he trusted God and stepped out in faith—it was deep in the middle of it. Fumbles, flops, and faith overflowing.

This list of flawed heroes goes on: Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Rahab the prostitute, Samson, David…

Their portraits aren’t shiny and perfect. Instead, they are displayed as they are: imperfect and marked by patina. Fumbles, flops, and faith overflowing.

So, what about us?

Are we shiny and perfect?

I won’t speak for you, but I’ll be quick to identify my own patina. I don’t just have fumbles and flops from days long-ago—I have them now, consistently, predictably, repeatedly. I’m a piece of work, and I’m a man of faith. How ya like that?

The book of James encourages us…

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. —James 5.17, 18 NLT

I hope you caught those first few words of that verse.

Elijah was as human as we are.

Covered with patina.

Fumbles, flops, and faith overflowing.

This so encourages me. God’s not looking for shiny, perfect people.

Instead, He uses the ordinary, the flawed, the scarred, and the stained. He uses people…

People like us.

 

imagine life overflowing 2013 work no 2