One Word

One Word

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Charity and I started choosing one word that will define our year. We got the idea from Elevation church. We did one word for ourselves, one word as a couple, and I did one word for Wesley. Here are some of our past words.

Personal-MaBest aka My Best, Stealth
Couple-Sacrifice (we only did it one year)

This year my word is “Clarity.” But this year I’m taking it to a whole other level and I want to invite you on my journey. This is what I am doing and how I found my word.

The word “Clarity” popped every time someone used it. It felt like every time they would use it the Lord told me to pay attention. Just imagine hearing a ding sound every time I heard the word “clarity.” So that’s how I chose my word.

It’s been coming up more and more and it’s got a special ring to it now that I’m looking for it attentively. So I’m going to say it’s the Lord.

Now the new levels that I am taking this, is that I am going to search the scriptures for the word clarity and see if it comes up. Then I’ll do a word study and write a sermon on it. Then, I’ll pray about it daily and at the end of the year reflect on what I learned about the word clarity. I’ve already learned that maybe I’ll never have clarity in my life and that’s ok. I’ll see what the year has to teach me. Last, I am going to continue to pay attention to when I hear the word clarity in conversation, TV, music or anything else. Then see how God is speaking to me through those situations. That’s it.

Hopefully 2021 will bring a lot of clarity in my life, Wesley, and other areas that are a little fuzzy. Before I go. I want to also encourage you, if you have not already, to set some (flexible, gracious, and wise) goals using the FRESH acronym I came up with at Wesley in 2019. Because I believe that Christianity is holistic I came up with an acronym that I believe encompasses all of our needs. I then set goals in each section to make sure that I was living a balanced, healthy life. So….set some goals that will improve your

F-Finances, that includes your vocation, job, school….
R-Relationships that includes your family, romantic, and friendship
E-Emotional that includes Counseling, Psychological help, medication…etc
S-Spiritual (which is the most important) which includes Scripture Reading, Worship, Church Attendance…etc
H-Health which includes Physical Health and NutritionCheers to 2021!What’s your one word and why?

Advent 2020 | Day 25

SCRIPTURE:

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Luke 2:10

TIDING

Today is the last day
I can’t believe that it’s true
It’s been 25 days of writing
And it’s been just for you
I’ve been reading too much
Dr. Seuss to my kids
So now everything seems to rhyme
In rhythm and skids
It skids and it skattles
Making up words that rattle
Is part of the magic
when it comes and it goes
I’m a dad that’s for sure and this rhyme really shows10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.“But the angel said to them
“do not be afraid”
I bring you good news
Of joy and great praise
For the child to be born
Will bring everyone great joy
He’s better than Santa
With gifts better than toys.”

Here we are again in the scripture where the angel helps calm the shepherds anxiety by telling them do not be afraid. But it’s hard to just “not be afraid.” Fear is not always something that you can automatically shut off. Which makes me think about how the Bible, God, Jesus, all of that together often gives us advice that is almost impossible.

Jesus not only says “Do not be afraid,” he also says “Do not worry.” As I thought about these commandments, phrases, sayings, or goals that Jesus has for us I wanted to offer some edits.

I know that Jesus says “Do not worry,” but how about this….“Worry less.” What I really want to say is this…You have heard it said “Do not worry,” but I say to you “Worry less.” It’s almost impossible to get rid 100% of the anxiety, the stress and the worry. But with the power of God we can definitely decrease the worry when we keep our mind and hearts on Christ’s love for us.

So with today’s scripture I want to say this…You have heard it said “Do not be afraid,” but I say to you “Do it scared.” In my studies on real estate investment, stocks, and while I’ve been scrolling through snapchat I heard this phrase, “Do it scared.”Hearing this phrase has been very helpful for me. Even though there are situations that I am afraid of, I should never let that fear prevent me from moving towards the goal. It’s helped me release the pressure of the unrealistic expectation to completely remove fear.

It has helped me carry the weight of fear all the way to the bank of success. Sometimes I have to carry that weight all the way to the bank of forgiveness and humility. But then when I am afraid again, I know that I can carry that weight. In the end, we can do all thing through Christ who gives us strength, even when we are scared.

So when you can’t remove the weight of fear, carry it with the help of God and do it anyway. You’ll be better for it. Thank you guys for reading my devotionals these past 25 days. I’ve learned a lot through this time of writing. One of the things I’ve learned is that very few people keep up a daily devotional. But I’ve loved every second of it. It’s something that I may want to continue doing, just for me and to leave behind a legacy of writings my kids can read.

Thank you again for this Christmas journey that has helped me keep my eyes and heart in Christ.

Love you all and Merry Christmas!

Advent 2020 | Day 24

SCRIPTURE:

14 “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,”

Luke 1:14

JOY

When I hear this verse all I picture in my head is how much joy a baby brought to a family. Then I immediately wonder if the birth of my children brought me this much joy. To be honest, sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Then I wonder if Mary and Joseph felt the same way. Did they feel thankful for Jesus when he was good and doubtful when he wasn’t? Who knows?

Then I think about whether or not I have brought joy to my own family. Did my birth bring joy to the people around me? I hope it did. Perhaps that’s our calling. How can we be the kind of people who bring joy to others?

Imagine if that was our life goal, to bring joy to others. Imagine living like that. Constantly asking yourself how you can bring joy to others. Thinking of yourself in that way.

Maybe there’s a little bit of savior complex there, but consider this…When I put myself in those shoes I think about how bringing joy to others doesn’t only mean that you will make them laugh, or that you will make them happy solely by being positive and funny. I think it means that you bring joy to others by being like Jesus. Jesus was positive and hopefully funny. But Jesus was a teacher, a rabbi, a philosopher. He was someone who was always teaching and embodying faithfulness (and happiness),in the midst of being praised and being persecuted. You see…. making yourself and others happy doesn’t mean that you have to be Kevin Hart. It means you should be like Jesus.

Humble
Kind
Funny
Vulnerable
Hopeful
Positive
Faithful
Loving….
Happy….

And all the other descriptors that I am missing. What am I missing?

So bring joy to others. Bring joy to yourself. And most importantly know God loves you even when you don’t bring joy to God and others.

Advent 2020 | Day 23

SCRIPTURE:

11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11

GIFT

Did Jesus have a head start?

We know from the Gospels that Jesus was poor, but what about this gift of gold, frankincense and myrrh? How valuable were they? Those are questions that we ought to ask ourselves as we read this text. Maybe Jesus was more like middle class. This gift of gold surely benefitted him financially. Historically, frankincense and myrrh were actually worth more than gold. What do we make of this? Well I want to tell you the story of Rosie, our cousin.

Rosie is a little girl that Charity’s cousins adopted. She comes from a troubled past and now she lives with a family that is upper middle class. There’s this picture on the wall of Rosie on her first birthday with cake and icing coming out of her mouth. When I looked at that picture the first thing I thought of was, “abundance.” This little girl was saved from a very troubled life. She could have experienced poverty at it’s worst levels and here she is experiencing the complete opposite. She has so much now. She will be able to do so much. She will likely see the world. Her parents love traveling. From South Africa to Thailand, and other epic trips - they love seeing the world. I told her dad, “You are blessing this girl tremendously. She is going to eat the best foods in the world and see the beauty of this world. She will experience abundance.” He said, “Thanks Man.”

For someone like me, and many others, we didn’t always experience abundance. I personally grew up poor so now that I am lower middle class I look around at everything I have and think that I have so much.

I have abundance. I have too much.

So I told her dad, “Be careful that your child doesn’t only know abundance. Because there are lessons that poverty teaches you that you can’t learn when you’re privileged.” And it’s true. Now that I experience an abundant life, I can tell you that poverty taught me so much.

In some ways as a Pastor, I have taken a vow of poverty yet I experience so many blessings. If anything, growing up poor gave me perspective. And experiencing abundance now gave me perspective. So this is why it’s important whether Jesus grew up poor or middle class.

It changes the perspective.

Maybe his ministry was all about the poor because he was poor and knew the struggle.
Maybe he was lower middle class later in his life and wanted to help the lower class.
Maybe Jesus was a politician and just wanted to run for mayor to help the poor? Lol

The Bible does teach us that God knew the power he had, knowing he had all things, but yet made himself nothing.

So I think it’s both.

Jesus knew he had everything and he wanted to help those who did not. All that to say….Perspective matters.

Consider yours. And consider the ones you don’t have.

Advent 2020 | Day 22

SCRIPTURE:

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

Matthew 2:9-10

STAR

Yo….Imagine seeing the star that led you to Jesus.

But deeper than that. Imagine being a wise man. It is likely that you were Eastern which is modern day Asia. Not only were you Eastern but you studied the religion so much that you were considered a “wise man,” even by the Jews.

Even by Kings. King Herod.

And you were the one who was looked to for sage advice by the gods. Well, you likely had already experienced miracles like the star. But imagine studying the stars for years and what you have studied coming to fruition. You would also be overjoyed. That’s how the wisemen were. There were overjoyed (verse 10). What a feeling that must be.

I want that feeling this Christmas. Now we are not only talking about joy we are talking OVERYJOY. BLESSED!!! LOL..IT MUST INVOLVE CAPITALS.lolWell hopefully that’s what Christmas is like. Overjoy .But it’s also covid season, people are dying, families are being torn apart. It’s a weird (but better?) political time and relationships are funny. But God is good. At least for a moment right?

Can we just be overjoyed for a moment? Because even the wise men eventually lost the feeling of being overjoyed. No one experiences that forever. So just try and hold on to the joy and to the overjoy. Ride it out as long as you can. Because the times come sometimes few and far times in between.

So ride that wave! Love you guys.

Merry Christmas!

Advent 2020 | Day 21

SCRIPTURE:

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Proverbs 17:22

GOODWILL

See, even the Bible tells us that we must find time to play.

What do you think about when you hear the words “cheerful heart”? Let’s do a little bit of exegetical work, mixed in with a little bit of reason and experience. First, let’s look up the word cheerful in Greek. Brb. Let’s see what pops out. Go look it up yourself.

Blueletterbible.com

Oh shoot! First word that comes up is Merry! Merry freaking Christmas! Ok back to study.

Oh shoot same word is used to describe those who rejoice in doing evil. I definitely do not want to rejoice in doing evil. I want to do good. Ok back to studying…. let’s stick with Merry. Merry freaking Christmas.

What if Christmas is actually here to heal us? What if Christmas and what happens at Christmas is actually here to heal us from all of the pain of 2020? That’s what the Bible is teaching me today. How can I be the kind of Christian who experiences the healing of Christmas and helps others heal during this Christmas?

Think about it. The scripture teaches us that those who are merry are healed. Those who have a spirit of merriness to them are being healed. So drink your pumpkin frappes and be freaking happy! Because this season is here to heal us.

Give to little kids and the poor and experience healing from generosity.
Encourage people and make them smile. Inspire people with your words and experience healing like that.
Go hiking.
Do the things that make you happy with the people who make you happy.
To my pastor friends, preach a good word. A word of healing.
To my college students-be kind and humble, and loving to the people around you.
Be gentle. Be Patient. Enjoy yourselves, find healing for yourself.
To my homies-treat your wives well, make them laugh. Brush things off. Be a good dad.

I have to write two devotionals but I’ll stop there. I actually think people stopped listening a while ago. So, if you are still listening I want to thank you for making it this far.It’s been quite a ride. Writing for no one. Lol.It’s been fun. I’ve learned a lot. And it’s my alone time with God. It’s also very vulnerable. What can I say?

Merry Christmas.

Advent 2020 | Day 20

SCRIPTURE:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

Luke 4:18

NEWS

Jesus came to bring good news to the poor. Not to the rich, not to the elite, not to the Pharisees, and not to the Sadducees. To the poor.

I remember reading Jon Sobrinos “No Salvation Outside the poor,” where he argues, using the story of the Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-3), that there is “No salvation outside the poor.” Sobrino is actually stealing an old heretical phrase that tried to claim that “there is not salvation outside the church.” Jon Sobrino was a priest during the time of civil war in El Salvador in the 80’s while Oscar Romero was bishop. Oscar Romero inspired the church to stand up to the poor during a time a lot like the time of King Herod.

The corrupt government of El Salvador was killing anyone who would run press or speak against the regime. Jon Sobrino was gone on a day when the corrupt government came into a seminary and killed and tortured nuns, priest and seminary students. He barely escaped death. He wrote this book a little time afterwards. But under Romero’s leadership this group of priests refuse to turn a blind eye to a government that was killing people, that was stealing land from the poor, and that was torturing people.

There’s pictures of Romero in times squares preaching good news to the poor and standing up against the government. A message very similar to what we find in the scripture today. It makes me think about martyrs and if we are willing to be martyrs.

That use to be a dream of mine, to be a martyr.

Then I had kids and realized they need me. But what if that was the calling in our life? To preach good news to the poor, to set the captives free, even if it cost us our life. Preaching good news to the poor under a regime like El Salvador and King Herod is good for the poor but bad for the prophet.

We live in a world where preachers rarely challenge the systems to a point of martyrdom. We have a watered-downed-feel-good gospel that keeps the status quo. But is that good news? Maybe to the people in power, but not to the least of these.

It is possible that we have been preaching the good news to the wrong people.

How is the message and ministries we lead good news to the people who Jesus preached good news to? And if we aren’t focused on this ministry, is it because we are afraid of career suicide? I’m not sure. But I am sure that Christ has come to preach good news to the poor and set the captives free.

What have you been called to do? Keep the status quo?

Nah…..

Advent 2020 | Day 19

SCRIPTURE:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

Luke 1:68

REDEEM

When I was in an Anti-Racism committee meeting, Sharon Austin, Director of Connectional and Justice Ministries, mentioned how the work of anti-racism isn’t only an issue for people of color. She talked about how it has a global perspective. She continued to explain how when we help fight racism for minorities we are not only making a better world for the people of color but we are making the entire world a better place. When you improve life for the least of these, you change the world for all of us.

This global perspective is something that I also see in today’s scripture. Even though it is the God of Israel who is redeeming the world, it’s still the entire world that’s being redeemed, not just Israel. This is why I believe that through the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, we are called as Christians to change the world not only by helping people know Christ, but also by showing people the way of love, joy, hope, and peace. Ultimately if we have a world with more loving, joyful, peaceful, hopeful people - we will be a better world for those who need us the most. We will have less poverty, more generosity, and a safer world. This is why I believe so much in the work of Interfaith.

You don’t have to be Christian to change the world. You don’t have to be Christian to be loving, joyful, hopeful, and peaceful. But Wesleyan theology teaches us that it’s God’s prevenient grace in the non-believer.

So remember, the God of Israel is redeeming the world.

God so loved the world. Christian or not.

Advent 2020 | Day 18

SCRIPTURE:

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Luke 1:46-56

REJOICE

Outlast with faithfulness. Those are the words that I heard God speak to me about three years into ministry at Wesley. I remember being frustrated with not having our own space and what not, and in the midst of all that frustration I heard those words. Outlast with faithfulness.

I don’t know about you but I try very hard to be humble. I’ll never forget when my superiors told me I needed to work on my humility. I disagreed because I felt like I was super humble. That self-awareness that led to conviction revealed that I have a long way to go on the journey of humility.

The first step to work on your humility is to acknowledge that you are not humble. The first sign that you are not humble is to think you are. Or is it? Stay with me it’s about to get tricky. What if working on your humility eventually pays off in your favor, in a “kill em with kindness kinda way?” I think it does. And today’s scripture is a perfect example of that.

Mary is confident and humble enough to recognize that God recognizes her humility. Is that arrogance?I don’t think so.

In my journey of humility and confidence I have found that the people who think you are arrogant are normally the ones who struggle with confidence themselves. So here’s Mary. A perfect balance. For Mary she is glad that God has seen her humble state. And she is thankful that God is now blessing her for her humility.

Maybe that’s how we should rejoice it. Maybe that’s how and why we should pursue humility. Because God always exalts the humble. It’s always easier to pursue something that’s difficult when you know it comes with a blessing.It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel. Except you don’t know how far the light is and how long it will take to get there. In the same way we should pursue humility never knowing when we will be blessed.

Now my struggle is “how do I pursue humility with a pure heart without the blessing in mind?”

Maybe just the fact that I got to this level in my pursuit of humility is humility. I don’t know. In the end…

Outlast with faithfulness. Seek humility. Honor others. And watch God bless you for it.

Make sense?

Advent 2020 | Day 17

SCRIPTURE:

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”

Matthew‬ ‭1:22-23‬ ‭NIV

EMMANUEL

At the top of the steps that lead into Duke Divinity Chapel are Wesley’s last words, “The best of all is God with us.”

What does this phrase mean to you? Tell me.

To me it means that no matter what we are going through, no matter what sin we have done to ourselves or others, and no matter what people think of you, God is with you and for you. There is nothing in this world that will separate you from the love of God.

If people are against you, God is with you.
If you are struggling with sin, God is with you.
If you are in your death bed, God is with you.
If you are republican, Democrat, conservative, progressive, inclusive, exclusive, racist or anti-racist, God is with you.

It’s hard for me sometimes not to be overly confident and care close to nothing what people think about me. For me, at the end of the day I have peace in Christ because of who God says I am. And I also know that no matter what I do, some people just aren’t going to be with me.

I was pulling out of the mall parking lot and saw a sign that said “I use to be cool.” I connected with that at a spiritual level. Then I began asking myself, “What is cool?” Then I began to answer myself by saying. “Having boundaries is cool. The fact that my family loves me is cool. Being honest is cool. Not being judgmental is cool. Good ideas are cool. Loving people and helping the poor is cool.”

Your clothes doesn’t make you cool, it’s your character that makes you cool. And when you have peace with God, there’s close to nothing that should shake your confidence. God is with you every step of the way. There’s nothing we can do to change that. For better or worse.

So go to sleep knowing that Goes goes before you, God is with you, and God goes ahead of you.

Advent 2020 | Day 16

SCRIPTURE:

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Romans 12:10

FAMILY

Family is such a tricky subject. I remember being asked to preach a sermon at Charity’s family reunion and bombing it. She probably doesn’t remember. I on the other hand wish I could have that moment again and preach a better sermon.

It was hard for me then to find scriptures that talk about how we love our family. One scripture says to “hate your mother and father.” So what does the scripture say about family? You tell me.

Honor your mother and father right?

Perhaps what God is trying to teach us is that the best way to love our family is to love them the way Christ loved them.

I believe what the Bible is teaching is that we should not define love our own way. We should not learn or love people any other way than the way God calls us to love. So perhaps God is saying “In order for you to love your family (or anyone else) correctly you must first learn and imitate Christ’s love.”

Because to love like Christ is to forgive over and over, to pray for enemies, to honor others, to be non-violent, to offer grace and so forth. So that’s how we should love our family. With eternal forgiveness, lots of patience, honor them, be non violent, offer grace, bless them and also have good boundaries.

It made me think about a conversation I had today with a Bible teacher. I noticed that many pastors and teachers are more focused on you knowing sound doctrine and less worried on how you embody and imitate Christ.

What good is it if you can explain the Trinity but you’re a crappy person?

That’s what the Pharisees missed out on. They were slaves to law and not to love.

The Bible teacher said “we have creeds that we stand on.”

But for me in this season of my life the most important creeds are the ones that call us to humility, love, hope, peace, joy and love of neighbor. Why aren’t those our creeds?

We are too busy trying to get the law right but getting love wrong. Let’s learn Christ, learn love, and love everyone like that.

Advent 2020 | Day 15

SCRIPTURE:

“13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:13

BEGINNING

Do you know what dreams are? When I was in college I took a class on the psychology of dreams. I learned that dreams are a collection of memories, past events, or recent events that are logged in your brain that forms into a dream while you are sleeping. For example…

The other day I was reading Cruz a story about hydrophobia. After the story he told me that he had a dream that our car fell into a swamp. I told him that is a common dream many people have. Raise your hand if you have ever had a dream about driving your car off the highway and falling into a body a water? Do you know why we have that dream and why Cruz had that dream? For Cruz it was because we just recently spend a lot of time driving on the highways, near bodies of water. The reason we all share that dream is because a common memory log in all of our brains is driving over bodies of water and looking down and asking “what if?” It’s common.

This psychology of dreams is one of the ways that I interpret the book of Revelation. John of Patmos was in some deserted island having visions. Visions that were a collection of his memory log, his culture, and his faith. In the midst of that dream he saw God tell him “I am the beginning.” Maybe God was encouraging him in the midst of his exile and saddest part of his life that his life was not over. That God was about to bring a new beginning in his life. This new beginning is the same vision the shepherd, Mary, Joseph, Herod, and the three wise men shared. But to each of them it meant something different.

What does a new beginning look like for you this Christmas season? Who are you?

• Are you a person who is worried about our political situation and your vocations future like the shepherds? What does a vision of a new beginning look like for you?

• Are you a young woman whose life has been challenged or blessed with a new beginning?

• Are you a man who doesn’t know what to believe but is here for the ride of this new beginning?

• Are you a leader whose power is being threatened and you are in need of some humbling? But your anger/pride/ego won’t let you see it?

• Or are you a person in search of truth who needs to spend some time worshipping God and knowing there is a new beginning?

  Tell me.

Advent 2020 | Day 14

SCRIPTURE:

“11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

1 John 5:11

PROMISE

Kanye West and Charity gave me the same advice…

In a conversation with Charity she mentioned that she wants to hear more expository preaching. Expository preaching is (this is without a google search and off the tope of the dome) preaching that teaches the historical context of the scripture, focuses on less verses, uses Greek and Hebrew to interpret, and after teaching all that, it takes the lessons that the first century Jews and followers of Jesus would have learned and brings those lessons into our context. It’s quite complicated. But many people feel it’s the faithful way to preach. Even Kanye West!

There’s a clip of Kanye talking about expository preaching and why he prefers it. Kanye defines it as preaching that goes “line for line.” Kanye says

“[I don’t] need any sauce on the word. [I] need the word to be solid food.”

- Kayne West

One writer vouches that Kanye is for “Expository, not extra-sauce-itory,” preaching.

Well, I would just say that this is a preference in preaching style. To say that there is one way of preaching that is faithful is to put judgement on preachers that don’t preach like this who are still called by God. BUT! I like expository. So let’s do some expository devotionals. The only thing is that expository devotionals will take longer because there’s research involved. It’s like a mini Bible study. Let’s focus on today for example. Many people believe that John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, wrote this scripture in his old age.

Let’s stop right there for the sake of time. What does eternal life mean to a follower of Jesus who is in his old age? How important is it to him or to her? We don’t even have the time to breakdown the dual nature of eternal life, the Jewish belief of heaven, the messiah’s role in heaven, and so many other important notes. But we can talk about the dual nature of eternal life. Eternal life is a place the we go to in the after-life and a life that we can experience in this life by imitating Christ. Like Kanye’s Sunday Choir says in the song Paradise,

“Oh, we knew life would be alright
But who could have known it’d be this good?
Oh, Lord
It gets better, better, better, better
Give your life to Christ, he’ll give you paradise”

- “Paradise”

Well, as a Christian are you experiencing a sort of “paradise,” on earth? Is this Christmas season a reminder that even in the midst of pandemic we can experience eternal life because we are in Christ? I don’t know. Lots of questions and theories to consider in today’s devotional. But for now chew on this. What do you think about expository preaching?

How does the meaning of eternal life change near the end of your life, like John. In reference to death? What does that mean in today’s world to older people who are afraid of Covid? What does eternal life mean to them? Think about eternal’s life double meaning?

That is can be experienced here as a sort of “paradise.”

Are you living in paradise?

Advent 2020 | Day 13

SCRIPTURE:

"13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”

Titus 2:13

APPEAR

Today I am going to take a break from expanding on the scripture and wanted to point to a poem written by Emily Dickinson on hope. The reason why I wanted to highlight this poem is because the Christmas season is about hope. And while talking to my boss yesterday he mentioned an excerpt in the poem where it says “Hope is the thing with feathers.” I immediately fell in love with the imagery.

Reflect on that statement.

Let me know what it means to you. And when you’re done, read the entire poem.
And when you’re done doing that….don’t lose hope.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers
BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

Advent 2020 | Day 12

SCRIPTURE:

“I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Matthew 25:36

VISIT

On day six of the devo I spoke about how the message of Christmas should be good news for the poor. Especially for the poor. So I’ve thought about that and today’s scripture gave me the perfect opportunity to share everything that I’ve taught about as I reflected on how Christmas can be good news to the poor.

Here are some practical ways you can help the poor this season.· Carry some money or goodie bags with you and every homeless person that ask you for money, help them with one of those two. Don’t deny any person who asks for help.

By now you have probably received tons of letters in the mail to donate to your favorite ministry or non-profit. Just today I received mailings from Family Promise (homeless ministry), Grace Church, Carillon Church, and the past weeks I’ve received from other non-profits. Gather all of those and make a contribution. Even if it’s $1.

·Donate socks and blankets to homeless shelters. Try and put in some socks and/or blankets in your goodie bags. According to Eric Gray (former director of the biggest non-profit in Orlando, who may be on the Wesley board!) that’s the biggest need right now. Socks and Blankets.

· Every time you go out to eat leave a generous tip
· Donate to Angel Tree or Christmas in the City
· Donate to Wesley. Every leader should be making a generous one-time donation. If you already gave. Thank you!

Story Time. I had two very interesting interactions with some people who were asking for financial help the last couple of weeks. Fluffy Baby

I walked into a pizza place and they were asking that we take home an Angel Tree and return gifts to the families in need the following Tuesday. I was in Charlotte, NC at the time and offered to support financially instead. The person telling me about the opportunity went to ask their manager if I could contribute financially. The manager said no. She came back and told me the manager said no and then she told me that she was collecting money in her cash app, send money to xFluffyBaby she said. She was collecting money and at the end of the year she was going to buy a bunch of toys and donate to children in need. I told Charity and she was like “Nah Bro, you should donate to the ministry instead.” She was right. So we will be making a contribution to the salvation army. All that to say that you should use wisdom. Charity is the kind of person who prefers giving practical things to people she doesn’t know. Me? I just give money to anyone. But this is why she makes me a better person. So use wisdom.

The second story was about a man who walked up to us while we were eating in our car and he asked us to help him by buying a meal. I told him that after we eat I can meet him somewhere and buy him a meal. We agreed to meet at the Mcdonalds nearby. So after we ate we went to the Mcdonalds and he wasn’t there. All that to say is that you should try your best to help people but sometimes the task is not yours. I’m praying that he found someone else to help him. Do your best to help people but don’t obsess and shame yourself if you couldn’t help the person. I left that situation sad but also knowing I really tried to help them. So no shame.

It reminds me of the story of the good Samaritan. The good Samaritan wasn’t the only good neighbor in the story. The inn keeper did a lot of the work. Read the story. Luke 10:25-37. If I had more time I would love to share with you the guidelines monks use when they give money. They have a whole list of things they consider before giving. If you have time check out this cool wikipage on the way that other religions discern their giving. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alms

In the end, make sure you are helping the poor this season.If you have any other ideas let me know.

Advent 2020 | Day 11

SCRIPTURE:

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:7

COMMUNITY

If you read my devo yesterday I told you about a guy and a church who accepted me despite my background, my lack of faith, my struggles and my sinful ways. Maybe that’s how Christ accepts us. Just as we are. How do you think Christ accepted you? Were there any requirements to receive Christ’s acceptance?

I don’t think so.

Today, I was thinking about my devos on inclusivity and I had this thought - I think I really don’t care if someone comes to our ministry and doesn’t believe in God. If atheists come to our ministry, listen to our sermons, engage in our community in a positive way, and help us serve, then why is faith a requirement to acceptance? It should be a requirement for leadership, but shouldn’t the church be a place where people feel the most accepted? How did we turn into the place where people feel the least accepted? This is another thought that I had when Alex (student at Wesley) said that Christmas is all about making room for others. I’m not sure if he caught the depth of his statement.

In 2018 I preached a sermon called “No Room For God.” It was based on the scripture and idea that there was no room for Jesus. The reason why he was born in a manger was because those who could, did not provide a space for God. This is a deep metaphor friends.

We often do not make room for God. We don’t make time for God. We don’t make room for joy. We don’t make room for forgiveness. We don’t make room for hope. We don’t make room for the things we need the most. We don’t make room for family, for exercise, for sabbath, for our significant others….We sometimes don’t make room for the most important things in life.

We must make room for God.
We must make room for good things.
We must make room for healthy things.

But that’s just at an individual level. At a social level we must make room for others. We should be the kind of Christians that open our tables and our hearts to everyone. Everyone. Even if they are of a different religion. Christians should be so loving that other people want to mock their hospitality. In Christine’s Pohl’s “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition,” she talks about a King who use to imitate Christians to gain the praise of the people. I can’t remember which King it was. But this King saw the Christians being so accepting and loving to the poor and needy that he imitated them. He was doing it for all the wrong reasons but nevertheless it shows that our hospitality should be worth imitating.

Make Room for God.
Make Room for People
Make Room for hope, love, joy, and peace in your life this Christmas.
Make Room for what your heart, body, mind and soul need.

It’s God at the end of the day disguised in the form of good things.

Advent 2020 | Day 10

SCRIPTURE:

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning

Acts 11:15

SPIRIT

You have to read the whole story to understand this scripture. Read Acts 11:1-18. It’s a great story. One of the important things to know about this story is that Peter is a Jew who is expected to only eat with people who are circumcised. Seems like a weird flex but ok. Lol. No really, what a strange request. Perhaps what’s even stranger to me as I read the story is the final quote in verse 18.

Once the circumcised Christians were taught by Peter they finally understood that repentance that led to life was offered to Gentiles too. I don’t understand the reasoning here. Wasn’t repentance always offered to everyone? I would even argue that it’s not just a Christian value. To me, any person who repents from evil has God working with them. If they are not Christian, it’s still prevenient grace working in their life. Repentance is a good thing, something everyone should be doing. It’s about self-awareness, empathy, transformation. Repentance is about always trying to improve in how you love yourself, how you love others, and if you are a devoted Christian-how you love God. Everyone regardless of their faith should be practicing repentance.

I wonder what other religions call it? Quick google search found that repentance is an important trait in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and even the Hawaiin tradition. Check it out on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance

But there’s something deeper here to me. Something (again) that liberation theology can teach us. You see, Peter always had trouble eating with Gentiles. It was out of character, it was counter cultural for him, he would be ridiculed. Even though deep in his heart he knew excluding people was wrong, he still felt wrong when he included them. In the book of Galatians, he actually gets in trouble because rather than learning from this moment he actually reverts to not eating with Gentiles. He goes from being inclusive to being exclusive. It’s interesting. Something we should definitely be thinking about.

We should be asking ourselves the metaphor, “Who are we eating with? Are our tables diverse? Who are we excluding?” For me, I can relate with Peter a little bit.

When I was first welcomed into the church I remember this guy, who I actually really like, told me something I’ll never forget. After about a year of attending the church, giving my life to Christ, and experiencing a major transformation he told me that the first day he saw me he “smelled the sin on me.” Strange again. All that to say that, the church welcomed me even though I was definitely by definition “not a Christian.” I led a very different life. You can see it on me. I am so thankful for that church. I learned about inclusion in that church. I learned about how the church was a safe space for everyone, even me. Add in all the time I spent in celebrate recovery with men and women who struggled with drugs and I was, what I felt, in the safest and most inclusive space I have ever been a part of. I was in the same community as people who were rich, drug addicts, homeless, prostitutes, drug dealers and everything in between.

I became a Pastor because I wanted to create a place like that. A place that welcomes all and teaches them the way of Jesus Christ. A truth that leads to all the fruits of the spirit, the gifts of the spirit, and even to repentance, among many other beautiful lessons.

But the more time I spent with Christians, the more I was taught exclusionary theology. So I battled. I would even say reverted. I went through a Peter season. I began to separate myself from certain ways of thinking. I began judging people and thinking I knew better than them. I began almost creating a group of people who thought just like me and excluded the same people I was taught to exclude. I began to feel as though I was part of a Church that was exclusive.

It felt terrible. It hurt. Still hurts. But then I came back. Or at least I am coming back.

And it’s all because of the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that brought together all kinds of different people in Pentecost is bringing people together again here in chapter 11. That’s what the Holy Spirit does. It brings together that which was once separated. It brings people together. It brings people towards God. It helps people love themselves. It’s actually a mark of the Holy Spirit. Unity in diversity.

So that’s my Peter story. From inclusion, to exclusion, reverting back and forth, and now learning how to be wise and inclusive. I blame the Holy Spirit.

Advent 2020 | Bonus Devo

SCRIPTURE:

33 “God so loved the world…”

John 3:16

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY CHRISTMAS

The other day I was hanging out with a friend and as I left the outdoor restaurant there was a couple. He looked white and she looked Indian. Not to stereotype, but you will understand more once the devo is over. They were very nice.

We talked for a little while and when we left the restaurant, they said “Happy Holidays.” As a Christian I replied with “Merry Christmas,” not thinking twice and I headed downstairs. Then I could of sworn that I heard the girl say “I’m a Hare Krishna.” I was already too far away to return and apologize but it did stop me in my tracks.

It was a moment important enough for me to share this devo. I had a bit of an existential dilemma.These were my thoughts: Who am I to force Christ and the celebration of Christmas on a person of another religion?
Why does everyone have to celebrate Christmas? Are we saying that if you don’t celebrate Christmas you’re going to hell? Can God work in other religions?

So in the end and in order to make this devo short, these are my thoughts. It’s perfectly ok to say Happy Holidays to everyone.

I think from now on I will say “Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.”
I want to be someone who respects others, doesn’t force Christianity on anyone. I want to show love, peace, hope and joy. After all, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Advent 2020 | Day 09

SCRIPTURE:

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

PEACE

One of my favorite songs is “Someday Soon,” by Wilder Woods. I’m not sure if they are a Christian band but in their lyrics they talk about the Kingdom, about God, and other topics that make it seem that they are Christian.

Quick google search….brb

Turns out he is a Christian and use to be the lead singer of Needtobreathe. Don’t @ me! I didn’t know.

Anyways….Every time I hear that song it’s this lyric that always stands out to me

“No it ain’t worth all the worry, they’ll still let you in.”

- “Someday Soon” by Wilder Woods

He’s specifically talking about the Kingdom of God. I love that lyric and really resonate with it because when I first became a Christian I use to worry that my behavior would prevent me from entering heaven. That worry then turned into a worry that I won’t experience the Kingdom of God on earth, once I learned about the both/and theology. But then somewhere along the line I began to stop worrying about whether I was going to hell or not. That’s how I feel today.I’m not worried about where I will end up. Not because I gave up on pursuing holiness, more so because I gave up on shame. I gave up on trying to prove myself to God. I gave up on works righteousness and I gave up on worry. And I also gave up on what people think about me. Or at least I am trying to.

At the same time I have a clear conscience that I do my very best every single day to pursue holiness. I always know I can be doing a better job, but I don’t kick myself when I fail. I wake up to see another day, I make my apologies, and I realize that no one is perfect.

When Wilder Woods sang those lyrics it explained what my heart had been feeling for a while. It also explained the peace that Jesus Christ should be giving all of us. It’s a peace that lives in between grace and an awareness of cheap grace. It’s a place where we put our faith in the fact that Jesus has died for our sins and that there’s nothing we can do to be loved more by God.

I remember when I was in seminary one of my professors argued that there was in the verse in the Bible that we have been reading wrong all along. I believe it’s Ephesians 2:8 but I cannot be sure. It was such a long time ago. We have always been reading the verse as: “We have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ.”But this one professor believed that the Greek really says:“We have been saved by the faith of Christ.”

Which one is it? For me it’s both. That’s how I choose to live my life. And I pray that’s how you choose to live yours. A life knowing that God has overcome the world for you. God calls us to be overcomers but God also knows we are not perfect. That’s where grace comes in.

So….if you’re doing the best you can “”it ain’t worth all the worry, they’ll (prob) still let you in.” All you law abiding people… chill out. God loves you .And all you people who read this and see it as an excuse to go crazy, it’s not. It’s more of an opportunity to pursue God with less anxiety and more acknowledgment of God’s love and forgiveness.

Advent 2020 | Day 08

SCRIPTURE:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

John 3:16-17

RECEIVE

Oh the famous John 3:16 verse. This is arguably the most famous verse in the Bible. You saw it on the stands at football games, on the face of football players who wanted to be evangelist, and even in the WWE as Stone Cold Steve Austin sported his Austin 3:16 shirt. (though with a different meaning. Lol Look it up)

For me this verse was the summation of the Christian faith for a long time. I memorized it like everyone else and when all else failed I could lean on this easy to memorize verse. Then one day I looked at it completely different.I remember listening to how God wanted us to be “in the world but not of the world.” I also remember listening to teaching against the “world” and “worldly” culture. I recall lessons about how the world was bad and the church should be influencing the world and not the other way around.

But when I look around at the church and the world, I saw that God’s hand was present in both. Sometimes through the influence of the church and other times in spite of it.I would actually argue that God’s power in some ways has more freedom in the world than it does in the church because the church is always trying to limit God.

Truth is, God doesn’t hate the world. God doesn’t have some kind of vendetta against the world. God loves the world. So when I had this breakthrough in an old reflection, in some ways I wanted to be more worldly than churchy. I wanted to love the world just like God loves the world. And think about the birth of Christ. Jesus wasn’t born in a church. God was born in a manger. In a dirty, stinky manger. He was born on the streets.The first visitation Jesus received was three wise men who studied the stars and eastern religions.God was born in an eclectic world.

I guess that’s why I don’t want to go back to the local church any time soon. I want to be in the world making disciples in settings that aren’t limited by ancient traditions that limit God’s love. I want to be “out there,” in the world with everyone who is not in the church. Plus, it’s a lot more fun!