RANDY CHRISTIAN

Minister. Leader. Writer.

Adventures are such bothersome things!

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This morning I slept in, and enjoyed watching grandchildren as I leisurely prepared for my day. My day will include flying home, and re-entering my “normal”. Normal is important to many of us—and while my normal has always been a bit unpredictable, I find I am not at all certain about my new normal. It includes an interesting blend of the familiar (Donna and I together, a return to Nutrisystem after a “slight” diversion:-), sermon prep and worship with the body of NOCC) and the unfamiliar (saying good-bye to my kids and grandkids in Texas with the awareness it is possible I won’t see them again, picking up a new Rx from the pharmacy related to my adventure, and making the last minute preparations to enter my new adventure).

Yes, I am going on an Adventure. Adventures can be exciting and new. Adventures stretch us and cause us to see things—and people—differently. Adventures make things that are important, not important—and things that are not so important to some very important indeed. Adventures are the unknown, and they force us to actually have the faith we often speak of, but don’t need to practice (it is easy to trust God for your daily bread with a freezer full). Adventures rev up the adrenaline—either from excitement or fear—and cause us to experience life in a way we haven’t been experiencing it.

And to quote a sage philosopher (Bilbo Baggins), “Adventures are such bothersome things”.

As I begin my adventure I only know part of what I will encounter—and I don’t know how I will react. I find that I am curious, even a bit anxious, about some of the less savory things I have been told to expect. But more importantly, I find myself wondering, “Will I be faithful to the King” in that situation?

According to Hebrews 12, while I certainly can’t blame God for the circumstances leading to my adventure, I know he allows it—and uses it for a purpose. Knowing this, I can enter my adventure with these certainties:

  1. I will not be alone. Whether the people I find comforting are there or not, I am always with the King.
  2. I will not encounter a situation in which I am unable to be faithful to the King (though I may or may not actually be—that’s on me).
  3. God will use this adventure to strengthen me—and ultimately to bring what we all hope for: Righteousness and Peace.
  4. If I allow him to do it (odd that he gives me that choice), he will use this adventure to help others—sometimes in ways I don’t even know about.

So the “bother” is worth it.

What adventure are you entering today? Are you willing to step out and embrace the adventure—to willingly accept that God is using it in you—even if it is bothersome? You have a choice. Be careful. Making the wrong choice can bring about an entirely other type of adventure.

I hope we encounter each other on our adventurous paths! Know Jesus, and Be Faithful!

All That Matters To Me Now

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When I’m gone, will you remember me?
Will my thoughts or my finest hour be in your memory?
Will you sing the praises of my life?
Say I was honored to call him my father, what a joy to be his wife.
That’s all that matters to me now. That’s all that matters to me now.
That’s all I hope for now.

Will you follow the footsteps of my path?
Will the impressions that I made be your guide at last?
Will you sing the praises of my life?
Say I was honored to call him my father, what a joy to be his wife.
That’s all that matters to me now. That’s all that matters to me now.
That’s all I hope for now.

From “All That Matters” by Josh Weathers.

I don’t remember becoming a “memories” guy. I’ve always believed the impact we have on others’ lives—the faith footprint—being the most important aspect of our lives. If I can be useful to someone in an important part of their life, I am honored to be part of that time. And I have the chance to impact them for the Lord. I leave a footprint that might help them understand faith—and the One who deserves our faith.

The lyrics above have become very important to me. I got to spend time with all my kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids for a few days over New Year’s. And I found myself wondering. How will my grandkids remember me? Will it be for my love of ketchup? My claim to be the best tickler? For the stories I tell or the pictures I show them of their parents in younger days? The hugs?

Or will it be for faith? Will I leave a legacy that will point them to the King?

Will my kids remember me for my flaws? My failures as a father? Or will they be influenced by my faith in the King and my devotion to him? And will my wife remember the amazingly stupid things I have pulled in our decades together—even the beginning of that relationship when I stood her up and didn’t call her for months? Or will she see a flawed man practicing faith and trying to be as faithful to the King—even in marriage—as he can be?

And how will the people of the churches I have served remember me? Will my “Faith footprint” be major influence on them from my life?

My adventure has caused me to ponder such things even more than I normally do. And I don’t think I am alone in this. Most of us wonder about such things. And as we get older—or face life threatening circumstances—we wonder more.

Please understand—I’m not looking for anyone to answer the question here. I’m just sharing some thoughts.

In the end, I suspect the only healthy response is to entrust this, like everything else, to the King. If my faith is real, my life can’t be about how I am remembered—even by those most important to me. It has to be about how I am seen by the King himself. And what he desires is clear. Today, he has given us life. To live that life faithfully is to maintain our focus on him, and to point others to him whenever we have the chance. Lord willing, the longer we live, the more effective we will be in this task entrusted to us. Because everyone we love—everyone we encounter—will eventually face the same circumstances. May the King let me be part of their turning to him at that time.

In the end, I come back to my old “life slogan”. Our faithfulness boils down to this. Know Jesus, and Be Faithful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered what you will do when you stand before Jesus?

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Recently I have been thinking about what it will be like when I am finally standing before the Lord in the flesh.  One of my favorite songs ponders how we will react:  “I Can Only Imagine”.

Many people speculate about this.  Some talk about the questions they’ll ask him (whether out of curiosity or the belief they are owed an answer).  Others believe the joy they feel will overwhelm them, and they’ll jump on him and cling to him.  Some believe they’ll find themselves dumbstruck, standing before him and not able to say a word.

I have felt each of these at one time or another.  But the more I consider this as a real possibility in the near future, the more I realize there is only one answer to “how will I react to Jesus?”:  I’ll hit the dirt.

Peter experienced the same thing.  When it sunk in to Peter that Jesus was more than a rabbi–or even their idea of the Messiah–he did what I believe I–and everyone else–will do.  He fell on the ground and begged Jesus to turn away from him because he was unworthy (Luke 5:8).  And he was right.

I have thought about it a lot, and I see it clearly.  I stand before the King of the Universe, and I am immediately aware of who I am before him–unworthy, a sinner, an imperfect and bent version of the image of God I was created to be.  And I know I will hit the dirt.  Not because I don’t believe in the loving Jesus.  Not because I fear his anger.  Not even because I wonder if he could actually love and forgive someone like me.  But because he is God who became flesh–the creator of all things, the author of authority and the final judge.  Perfection–even Existence itself.  And I will be so overwhelmed, so awed, so amazed, so obliterated with his majesty there will be only one rightful place for me.  Face down at his feet.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I know and trust our King.  I know I will bask in his love and forgiveness and glory.  But that will be because of his action.  I can see him reaching down and picking me up.  Holding me–because I would not be able to stand in front of him otherwise.  I can hear his voice telling me I have finally found a home, and that all along it is he to whom I have belonged.  I can almost feel the freedom and refreshment of my spirit as he assures me of my forgiveness.  And I dream of him adding one more thing:  “Randy, you did good”.   I can’t wait to stare into his face, knowing I am seeing something I have never seen before–total and utter innocence, power, love and righteousness–joined together in limitless quantity.

But first, I will hit the dirt.  Not to show him I understand, or express my worship, but because that’s where I belong.

I can only imagine–and the more I do, the more overwhelmed I am at the very anticipation of that moment.  Jesus is King!  Today, I do not get to see him with my eyes, or stand in his physical presence.  But today, he has given me life, and I live it joyfully–my greatest hope that I will bring a smile to the face of my King.

Christians and American Politics–Get off the plane and represent the King!

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Anyone who is paying attention has noticed the rise in the rhetoric of politicians–all of them trying to capitalize on tragedy to push their agenda and/or candidacy.  I understand and accept that.  That’s what they do.  They are part of a worldly system and they are acting like it.

But Christians aren’t.    We have a different–and not entirely compatible–allegiance.  We belong to the King, and we represent him (Paul calls us his ambassadors) to the world.  Notice–we represent HIM–not ourselves.  We do not represent a political party, an ideology of the world, a worldly cause, “rights” we fear we are losing, or even the cause of our own safety.  If representing him calls for saying and doing things that anger the world, so be it.  We speak the truth in love, but we speak the truth.  We do not ally ourselves with worldly movements.  Which means, if you belong to the King and are on the left wing or the right wing of American politics–you are on the wrong plane!

The truth is, the American political scene today is not compatible with the values our King has called us to.  We do not hate, we love.  We do not oppress, we strive for true justice.  We do not retaliate, we turn the other cheek.  We do not bend the truth, we speak honestly.  And we do not disobey the King because something that is destined to be lost and destroyed is in jeopardy.

With all that said, may I humbly suggest a few things ambassadors of the King should be saying and doing now:

  1.  Focus on the Gospel.  Our priority is the reconciliation of those who are separated from God (meaning anyone who has not accepted the Lordship of Jesus) to God.  Each of us should ask ourselves who we have shared the gospel with this week–and most of us will be disappointed in our own answers.  We need to ask ourselves if anything else we say or do is detracting from the gospel.   Before opening our mouths (or typing a word) we need to ask:  “Is this going to further the gospel, or detract from it?”
  2.  Love all men and women.  The verb is “agape”, which means to do whatever is best for the other.  So, when we talk about our rights, our values, our country (and why would a subject of the King refer to America as their country?) we have shifted the focus from God’s agenda to ours.  Our life isn’t about us, our families or our country.  It is about sharing the love of Jesus with those who do not know him.
  3.  Repay evil with good.  Our King, and those he commissioned to teach us how to live, universally condemned retaliation.  Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek.  He meant it, and he lived it–as did his followers for centuries–until they began to believe they could be BOTH citizens of a worldly country (Rome) and of Heaven.  Paul told us not to return evil for evil.  SUPPORT OF ANY CANDIDATE OR AGENDA WHICH IGNORES THE TEACHING OF THE KING AND HIS REPRESENTATIVES IS, BY DEFINITION, REJECTION OF THE KING.  So, we need to call people to peace, and focus them NOT on worldly conflicts, but on the one conflict which could result in their eternal destruction–the conflict between the unforgiven sinner and God.  Believe me, when you face the possibility of your own death, you realize how little the rest mean.
  4.  Reach out to the people the world rejects.  Jesus said it is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.  The fact that someone is of another faith–or no faith, or is practicing sin in the world, does not earn our enmity.  It means they are the ones who need the Lord the most.  Ask the Lord to give you practical ways to show his love to these people.
  5.  Speak the truth (literally live “truthing”) in love (agape).  That means calling sin (terrorism) sin, and admitting reality without trying to bend it to our purpose.

There are also some things followers of the King should reject.

  1.  Reject bigotry.  All Muslims are sinners–just like Christians.  All Muslims need Jesus–just like everyone else.  Some Muslims are terrorists–and many Muslim extremists are.  But not all Muslims are terrorists, or even support terrorism.  Rather than supporting the bigotry of fearful jingoists, we should be a voice of reason–and if necessary, a shield to protect these people for whom Jesus died.
  2.  Reject retaliation and war-mongering.  The sword is given to the government to protect–not dominate.  I don’t claim to be a military strategist, but I know evil people hide behind innocent people.  There is a legitimate government objective in removing a military or paramilitary threat.  But to do what many politicians are now suggesting would require an amazing cost in “collateral damage” (which translates to murdering large numbers of people).  We would not think it reasonable for a police department to shoot everyone in an apartment building to be sure they stopped a murderer.  It is no more reasonable when applied to people in another country and of another faith.  This also means Christians must reject the idea that we have freedom of speech.  I may feel like killing someone, but telling everyone that–and encouraging it–is unfaithful to the King.  When I feel such things I need forgiveness and cleansing–not a platform to infect others with my sin.
  3.  Reject lying, and stop ignoring lying.  President Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Bush, Donald Trump and many others are lying.  Do not believe lies.  It is not hard to fact check and identify those lies.  Stop repeating lies–even if the person saying them agrees with you on other positions.  And stop supporting liars–anyone willing to lie to you and the world about something now is going to be willing to lie to you about other things later.  
  4.  Reject fear.  I can’t afford to respond to you–or anyone else–based on my fear of what you might do.  I can be watchful, and I don’t have to hand you a gun and say “shoot me”.  But I’m not going to point a gun at you either.  No one said representing the King would be safe.  But we can’t be faithful to him while focused on our own safety.

A lot of people claim to belong to Jesus–and according to Jesus himself, many of them don’t.  It is possible the same can be said of followers of Islam–but that isn’t my problem.  I belong to Jesus, and I am talking to my fellow subjects of the King.  If we allow ourselves to be co-opted by the world–especially at a time of such significance–we lose our ability to represent the King.  We have to get off the plane, and represent Jesus.

 

 

Attitude and Gratitude

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In the past few weeks I have been fascinated (picture Spock raising and eyebrow and saying “fascinating”:-)) by people’s response to me.  I keep hearing that I am an inspiration:-), that people are so encouraged by my attitude, that I have–just by having this disease, and having the attitude I have–already helped some others.  And I am blown away that they see me that way.

To be clear, this is not false modesty.  It’s just that I know who I am–and who I am not.  And I know I’m not a spiritual giant.  I always wondered how I would actually react if I got the kind of news I saw others wrestle with.  Then I got a phone call telling me I have a rare and incurable form of cancer.

I talked with the Lord immediately–as the doctor was talking with me.  I said, “Ok, Lord, here it comes.  How can I be faithful in this (not a rhetorical question!)?  And my mind shifted.  It isn’t about my faithfulness.  It is about his.

So, I remembered.  All the things over my life he has given me.  And all the things that could–and probably should–have happened that didn’t!  I was so struck by his faithfulness that I was simply grateful.  It didn’t mean I liked what was happening to me.  It just meant I saw it differently than some others do.

Then I started thinking.  This is big.  This isn’t just about crisis.  This is about mundane, everyday life.  So many of us struggle with out attitude about our lives.  We’re “bored”.  We’re depressed (not just the clinical, medical issue).  We’re frustrated–and angry.  Because it is so easy to look at what might have been and isn’t.

But do we see clearly what is?  The Hebrew writer said:  “since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28, NASU).  Such a huge statement–and so easily missed.  I confess I have read this–and even taught it–dozens if not hundreds of times before this sunk in.  Why do so many of us struggle with our attitudes?  Because we are focused on ourselves, and our disappointments, instead of what God has given us–a relationship with himself!  Why do we struggle in life to maintain that sense of reverence and awe before God?  Because we aren’t grateful.

The good news is, this is correctable.  The problem is, we usually start with the second of a two-part process, and skip the part that makes certain we achieve that gratitude.  So, here’s my recipe:-).

Part 1–Focus on what you really deserve, and what you don’t.  I am a sinner.  That isn’t just an academic realization–it is a horrible fact I become more aware of the longer I serve the King.  I deserve destruction and punishment–period.  I do NOT deserve to be: forgiven; given the opportunity to have a new life; given the chance to work alongside my King, even though he could do everything better himself; given the love and loyalty of the wonderful woman who has shared my life since we were 18, or the children, children-in-law, and grandkids he has given; and certainly not the promise of being a co-heir of the eternal Kingdom of God.  And I don’t deserve the friendship I have with many of you.

Now I am ready for the good stuff!

Part 2–I have not been given what I deserve (that’s mercy), and I HAVE been given all the things I don’t deserve (that’s grace) I listed above.  So, I remind myself of those things, and I stand in awe at what the Lord has done.

And everything else that happens in my life becomes small before him.

I hope you you will join me in these two steps.  God has given me life today, and I live it for him!

Life Isn’t Safe

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Years ago I had a poster which warned anyone who has been born, or is about to be born, that research has shown 100% of people in these categories die, therefore anyone who has been born or is about to be born should contact their doctors or attorneys.

They have a point.  Life isn’t safe.  But recently I have seen a pattern that makes me wonder if we really understand–0r believe–this.  The world expects everything to be safe.  If it isn’t, they file lawsuits, lodge complaints, stage protests.  And I understand that–if I was of this world I would want it to be safe too–after all, it’s all they have.

But those of us in the Kingdom have something else.  It doesn’t render safety irrelevant, but it certainly changes it in order of priority in our lives.  Let me give you an example.  Yesterday I was talking to a woman who was part of our congregation before she moved.  She was telling me about serving in her community, and how someone in her new congregation told her she shouldn’t be doing that–it wasn’t safe.  She thought about it, and even shared it with her small group, when someone asked her:  “Where did we get the idea we are supposed to be safe”?

In order to faithfully serve our King, we have to be willing to risk our safety.  We don’t do it uselessly or without reason–but we do it.  Jesus told us “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”  (Matthew 16:24-25 NIV)

Somewhere along the line we have forgotten this–or rejected it.  We have come to see personal safety as the first priority for any service to the Lord.  We have even broadened this to include emotional and relational safety.  As though what we are protecting is more important than the Kingdom–or the King.  So, we don’t risk sharing our faith because it might make someone mad or uncomfortable.  We don’t maintain scriptural standards in the church out of fear for what the community will think or do–or God forbid, the IRS (I have no political affiliation–am NOT Republican or Democrat–I just don’t think we should be concerned about these things).  And we make decisions about helping others based not on whether they need the help, but on whether we can do so and stay “safe”–physically, emotionally, etc.

Could this be why the newest generation of adults believes they have a right to not be offended, or upset by what the church teaches?  Could it be why so many in the world question whether faith is relevant to life?  Could it be why we who claim Jesus as King don’t experience the peace he promised?  Because we have put “safety” above faithfulness in our lives?

Life isn’t safe.  But that’s OK.  I am dying.  So are you.  I don’t know when I will go.  I don’t know when you will go.  I do know that God has given me life today–and I choose to live it faithfully to Him–even if it isn’t safe.  Join me.