Brian Dolleman's Blog

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT? (December 7, 2011)

Remember that song from 1991 by the band Right Said Fred…

The one that goes on and on about all the things “I’m too sexy” for?

It arrogantly declares, “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

Maybe you think it’s disgusting that someone would sing about how they’re too sexy for shirts, cars, hats, Milan, New York and Japan… BUT WE THINK THE SAME THING ALL THE TIME.

Really?

Yes. Really.

We’re constantly thinking, “I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

For instance…

“I’m too over-qualified for this.”

“I’m too under-qualified for that.”

“I’m too old for helping out with stuff like this.”

“I’m too young for something like that.”

“I’m too messed-up for church.”

“I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

Basically, this line of reasoning says 1 of 2 things:

Either “I’m too GOOD for this,” or “I’m too BAD for that.”

You know the story of the Good Samaritan, right?

Here’s the super-condensed version:

Dude gets robbed and beaten. He’s left in the gutter to die. A little later, a priest comes by—and when he sees the dude, he avoids the situation by walking on the other side of the road. A few minutes later, a church leader does the exact same thing. Finally, a guy who is pretty low in terms of society’s scale shows up. He jumps in, helps the dude out, and personally finances his recovery (the full version is in Luke chapter 10).

In this story, the priest was thinking ”I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

OK, not really—but he was thinking “I’m too good for this,” which is just as stupid.

Same thing with the church leader.

The Samaritan, rather than thinking “I’m too bad for this,” made himself available to help.

His ego wasn’t over-inflated and it wasn’t under-inflated.

He didn’t think he was too sexy for his shirt.

He also was willing to do what he could.

What’s the point of all this?

STOP THINKING “I’M TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT.”

Stop believing “I’m too ___________ for ____________ .”

PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON, AND LET GOD USE YOU.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

GET OVER YOURSELF. AND COOTIES. (November 2, 2011)

I’ve had a number of experiences that helped push me to get over myself…

Like serving hot meals to people living on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

Like holding AIDS babies in a government hospital in Swaziland.

Like praying for a couple of prostitutes in drug-infested MacArthur Park—immediately after saying “amen,” one of the prostitutes put her arms around me and gave me a big hug.

In circumstances like these, I had to decide what’s more important—my comfort or real compassion.

To be honest, my brain offers me some less-than-compassionate thoughts, like…

“Ewwwwww!”

“Something smells and I don’t want to get it on me.”

“What about germs, diseases and cooties?”

I’m embarrassed and ashamed that my brain reacts that way. I know that’s not real compassion…

So I get over myself. And cooties.

The issue isn’t really about me or cooties—it’s about hurting, lonely, broken, scarred people.

I love the straight-forward language of this verse:

“Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (Philippians 2.3, 4 MSG)

There’s a story in Luke chapter 5 about a man with an “advanced case” of leprosy. He comes to Jesus and begs for healing. Jesus could’ve prayed for the man from a distance—but he didn’t.

He reached out and touched the man.

He touched the leper BEFORE he healed him.

He touched him even though he was unclean and contagious.

There’s a significant take-away here:

When we find ourselves at the crossroads between our comfort and real compassion…

We must get over ourselves. And cooties.

We must choose compassion.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

NOT FOR LATER (October 10, 2011)

Some things are better later.

In my opinion, lasagna is one of those things.

I always like it better on the second or third day.

When showing up at a party—I’d rather arrive late than early.

Bed time is better later too…

But not everything is for later.

Some things are better now.

In particular, I’m thinking about generosity.

Generosity isn’t something to hold off on, wait for, or reserve for a later date.

Unfortunately, some view it that way. They think…

“When I am rich.”

“When I am more holy.”

Most of us believe that being selfish is unacceptable.

However, many still see generosity as something for another day—like when they arrive on the big stage or eventually become more virtuous.

The truth is, generosity doesn’t make a grand entrance later. Instead, it always starts small.

My parents taught me this principle before I was making enough money to pay income taxes.

They taught me to give from my paper route income…

And I’m thankful they did.

Giving a few dollars THEN set the stage for future hundreds—and eventually thousands, LATER.

You see, the capacity of your generosity LATER is established by your generosity NOW.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” (Luke 16.10 NLT)

Your generosity LATER is being prophesied about by your generosity NOW.

When it comes to generosity, don’t wait for later.

Start where you are at, right now.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

MY OWN PERSONAL LITTLE GOAT TRAIL (August 23, 2011)

When I hiked the Grand Canyon, I kept noticing goat trails.

These weren’t hiking trails created or maintained by the Parks Department—they were made by mountain goats.

The animals walked the same route so many times that a trail was beat into the ground.

When I lived in Yakima, I made my own personal little goat trail.

I went from my house to Starbucks to the office to the gym to the grocery store to my house to Blockbuster Video and back to my house again…

Repeat.

Every day.

It felt like I was beating a trail into the ground.

I was doing the same things and going to the same places day after day.

If you connected my stopping points (house, Starbucks, office, gym, grocery store, video store) on a map, you would draw a circle.

And my life was lived within the boundaries of that circle.

I think we tend to do this with many areas of our lives…

Like relationships. Don’t believe me? Check your frequently called numbers in your cell phone.

Like our personal disciplines. Disciplines are good—they build the life we live. They can also limit and contain us.

Like our work. When was the last time you took on a new responsibility, invented something or developed a new solution to a difficult problem?

God doesn’t want us to spend our lives within a static circle.

His Kingdom is an ever-expanding Kingdom.

He calls us to look beyond our borders.

Think about it.

We’re here today, saved by His grace, because His followers pushed outside their borders some 2,000 years ago.

If they hadn’t looked beyond their borders, the church would only have existed in Jerusalem.

Do you remember the prayer of Jabez?

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I might not cause pain.” (1 Chronicles 4.10 NKJV)

Let’s believe like Jabez—that God will help us to look beyond our borders and enlarge our territory.

It’s time to add some new stopping points and redraw the circle…

It’s time to beat a new trail!

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

WE ADD, NOT SUBTRACT (May 20, 2011)

Giving honor adds value.

Dishonor devalues.

The Bible says God has crowned mankind with “glory and honor” (Psalm 8.5).

Our job isn’t to chip away at the honor/worth/value/significance of others.

Our job is to restore and build-up—to give value and honor.

We’re the building team, not the demolition crew.

We’re value adders, not a value diminishers.

We add, not subtract.

We give value.

We build.

We bless.

We honor…

And we do it up big.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

YOUR BUTTER-FLY-NESS (March 25, 2011)

So you’re a butterfly now…

Ya got all that butter-fly-ness going on.

You’ve been made new—the old you is gone and the new you is vibrant and has wings.

The Bible says, “If anyone belongs to Christ, they are a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!” (2 Corinthians 5.17 NCV)

You’re no longer a caterpillar.

You’re a new creation.

Some practical points about butter-fly-ness…

1. Your butter-fly-ness comes from God. It’s his work, his gift to you. You got nothing to be proud of or to brag about… except in God who made you new.

2. Butterflies come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Don’t assume because someone doesn’t look, sound, talk, or act like you that they’re a caterpillar. Appreciate and honor the beautiful diversity present in God’s kingdom.

3. Never forget where you came from. You used to be a caterpillar. Heck, you used to be a pupa. If not for God’s grace, you still would be a pupa.

4. Rather than seeing caterpillars as pests, we must see them as future butterflies. They might destroy a few plants but they don’t destroy butterflies—so quit worrying about their current state of caterpillar-ness.

5. Encourage caterpillars who are cocooning. There’s no reason to be dogging-on, criticizing or complaining about those who are works-in-progress. Be gracious, patient and kind. Speak positively about them and to them.

6. Speaking of cocoons—the church is a cocoon factory, not a butterfly exhibit. It is impossible to be “too good” to hang out with certain people (think about Jesus—he was perfect and he was known as “a friend of sinners”). How we welcome caterpillars and how we treat those who are cocooning is the real test of our butter-fly-ness.

7. We’re not a butterfly gang. Our group isn’t exclusive—we don’t exclude butterflies because of their characteristics, we include them. We’re a butterfly family—a growing family, a family that can’t stop adopting.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

GET YOUR SWAGGER BACK (February 3, 2011)

Swagger:

To move with confidence.

How one presents him or herself.

Swagger is shown in how a person handles situations—it is also shown in the person’s walk.

Too many Christians have lost their swagger.

I’m not talking about arrogance, pride or even self-confidence.

I’m talking about faith.

Confidence in God.

Assurance.

Boldness.

Shining, not hiding.

Advancing, not  retreating.

On the offense, not defense.

Playing to win, rather than not to lose.

Saying things like…

“If God is for us, who can ever stand against us?”

“Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loves us.”

“Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.”

That’s the kind of swagger I’m talking about.

Christians lose their swagger because of various things…

Some—because of challenges, difficulties and hurts.

Others—because they’ve gotten lazy and quit growing.

The reasons don’t matter. What matters is that you get your swagger back.

When the 12 spies came back, only 2 had their swagger.

Joshua and Caleb said, “Let’s go—we can do this!”

They moved with confidence.

They presented themselves as ready for the challenge.

They trusted God—and they walked with a swagger.

Here’s what God said about Caleb:

“He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I’ll bring him into the land and his children will inherit it.” (Numbers 14.24 MSG)

My interpretation of that verse: “He walks with a swagger because of his confidence in God.”

How about you?

Is it time to get your swagger back?

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

HOW I BECAME A POTHEAD (August 4, 2011)

I went from attending a private Christian school to a public middle school in the 8th grade.

Suddenly I was the “new kid” at school.

I didn’t already have friends at my new school—I didn’t know people there (yet).

Soon, some pot-smoking skateboarders welcomed me, included me, and wanted me to be part of their group.

I wasn’t a big pot-smoker at that time.

I did have a skateboard, but I wasn’t very good…

I couldn’t even ollie (a fundamental trick in skateboarding).

They welcomed me anyway.

And since I wasn’t being welcomed by other groups, these guys became my friends.

Yup, that’s the simple explanation of how I became a pothead.

I was welcomed.

Being welcomed has a powerful impact on us.

So does being rejected.

The church was never meant to be an exclusive club—keeping insiders in and outsiders out.

The church is to be a hospital for sinners, a place where prodigals are welcomed home with open arms.

Here’s what Jesus said: “Whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me.” (Matthew 18.5 AMP).

In this regard, I hope the church is more like the pot-smoking skateboarders at my middle school than some of the other groups.

What I’m about to tell you makes the title of this post obviously true…

I have a cat.

Her name is Mango. She’s bright orange. And she lives in our house.

Also, my favorite color is black.

See what I’m saying?

The work of my lint roller is never done.

It will be needed again and again and again and again…

This kinda reminds me of the work of God’s grace in our lives.

Grace isn’t a one-time deal. We walk in grace, grow in grace, and we live in grace.

We need grace every day. I need grace every day.

Just like I shouldn’t leave the house without the lint roller’s work on my exterior, I shouldn’t leave the house without grace’s work on my interior.

In the book of Acts, the Apostles urged the church to stick with what they’d started, “this living in and by God’s grace.” (Acts 13.43 MSG)

I love that…

We LIVE IN and BY God’s GRACE.

Let the work of God’s grace continue in you today, tomorrow, and every day following.