Reflections on THE FIGHT

I just got back from THE FIGHT event, featuring Craig Groeschel, at Cedarbrook. It was a special event for men promoting his new book about Samson. I thought it was good and a lot of guys were challenged in very positive ways. 

But I need to be honest, I had a cringe factor listening to Craig. Craig is a "mans man" kind of guy. I think he plays that card a lot to relate to men. That's fine. It's not my style, but it's an okay approach.

But a common practice with Craig and others' like him is to make fun of women to get a laugh and bond with men. Quick example, the book of Judges talks about how Delilah nagged Samson until he gave in. Insert joke here. You could see that coming for miles. But it only reinforces a negative stereotype of women that subtly gives men the right to ignore women rather than pursue a constructive conversation with them. If he wants us to FIGHT, call us to FIGHT for that. He blew an opportunity in my mind.

Real men, godly men, are sensitive to others. Real men, godly men, honor all people and don't take cheap shots. It merely undermines their integrity, but they don't always realize it because it got them a short term reward (a laugh). 

I feel a strong responsibility to make sure Cedarbrookers follow Jesus in EVERY way. I'm really grateful for Craig Groeschel's heart to challenge men.  He's clearly reached a lot of people. I don't want to take anything away from him. But if he is going to challenge men to step up and radically follow Jesus, then I think he should offer the full challenge. Challenge men to respect everyone and not play the "macho" card to excuse themselves from being sensitive to both people and important issues.

Men, we can do better. A lot of women have thanked me for posting similar thoughts on Facebook. But I'd love for just as many men to thank me too. We should all be concerned about giving dignity to everyone.

Coincidently, I came across a blog post of a man who attended a men's conference who had similar reservations. Check it out. I'm not looking to spark a debate. Just throwing it out there to get you to think. Integrity means "wholeness." Our faith should effect our whole being, not just the parts we want it to.

Sabbath Means to Stop

On Sunday I started a new series on The Sabbath. It's not a topic we hear a lot about. But I believe the message of Sabbath is needed now more than ever. Sabbath is God's antidote to stress.

I quoted Dr. Richard Swenson's assessment of stress. He said that stress comes because progress always leads to profusion. Progress leads to a profusion of options and most of us aren't very good at saying "no" so we try to do it all. But God calls us in Sabbath to cease. To stop. And to redirect ourselves to what really matters.

I came across an article in the Harvard Business Review that touches on a few tips to help us free up time. You can  click the link below to read the full article but here are the five things it suggest to stop doing...

Five Things to You Should Stop in 2012

1. Checking your email all the time. Set up timeframes in the day rather than continully stopping to check it.

2. Mindless Traditions. Don't keep doing traditions (Christmas cards?) if you are doing them merely out of obligation.

3. Reading annoying things. Just because someone sent you an email or a newsletter or magazine comes your way it's not something you have to read. Hit delete or toss it in the garbage without guilt.

4. Work that's not worth it. It's okay to turn down jobs that have no return or simply drain  you.

5. Making things more complicated than they should be. Sometimes people want to experiment on you. Rather than take the time to perfect and idea they let you be the guinea pig. Don't fall for it. Tell them to come back when the bugs are worked out.

The point is...we live in a busy culture. If you don't control the flow of input into your life it will control you. If you have any hope of finding Sabbath you need to start saying "no" and saying it regularly. Read article here.

I Believe in Hell

I'm often amused (and grateful) at how people misquote me for the good.  They will tell me how a sermon changed their life but when they tell me what I said I know I never said that!  But I'm glad their life was changed!  That's sweet. Or people will read a book from some spiritual giant and then forget where the idea came from but assign it to me by mistake. Excellent. Bonus points for me!

But the downside to being a public speaker or leader in general is that  you get misquoted in bad ways and often misunderstood. That can be very discouraging because there is often nothing you can do to recover. You feel defenseless in the face of gossip and much good is undermined because people assumed something to be true that wasn't.

I've appreciated being able to post written and audio versions of my messages online so people can see/hear what I really said. It would be nice if people would go to the source to get the real story but unfortunately that doesn't always happen.

I mention all this because I spoke a message on hell this summer and it seems that some people misheard me.  That happens. So let me briefly clarify my view on hell just to help those who are interested.

I believe that...

1. hell exists because the Bible talks about it in  many places.
2. hell is a logical result of a judgment that must come at some point from a just God.
3. the Bible often speaks figuratively, using metaphor, so we need to  be careful  in assuming we know exactly what hell is and who will go there.
4. put simply, hell is a place where God is not.
5. God loves us so much he sent Jesus to save us from hell.
6. Jesus is an expert Savior and therefore will save many more people than will be lost to hell.
7. anyone who believes in  hell and speaks of it should speak with great humility and compassion.
8. we are called to judge each other's moral behavior but not our eternal destiny. That's God's job.
9. thinking Christians shouldn't be afraid to question and struggle with the concept of hell because the rest of the world does and they would appreciate hearing that we do too. But wrestling with the concept doesn't mean you disbelieve it.
10. Christians can  hold different views on hell than me without being labeled a heretic. ( I can even learn from people that hold different views from me.)

I hope this helps to clarify any confusion that people have about my views on hell. Pass the word!