Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I was in the 8th grade and I had been chosen to be the escort for our homecoming queen candidate, Connie.  She was pretty and I was excited to be getting to do this.  It was pretty cool to be chosen by my class to be in the court.  The week of homecoming, I was in the boys bathroom at school, when Darryl and two of his buddies came in and surrounded me, backing me up against the wall.  It turns out that Darryl was Connie’s boyfriend and he didn’t like it that I was the one escorting her in the homecoming court.  He wanted to know if I had any intentions toward her and to make it clear who’s girlfriend she was.  A wadded-up shirt collar, a fist held against my face and a profanity-laced warning were all it amounted to, but I was a bit nervous that it wasn’t going to stop at that.  I didn’t back down or run away, and I think he saw that, and maybe the bully was a little intimidated to take it any further…who knows, maybe I’m just flattering myself.  At any rate, I was a victim of bullying.

Why do I bring this issue up?  It just seems that it’s been brought to my attention too much recently to ignore it.  Let me share.

I was majorly disturbed last week when a Youtube video went viral concerning the attack of a student in Chicago recently, where 7 other students severely beat what is believed to be an asian foreign-exchange student.  The video is provided below if you wish to watch it.  I must advise you it is graphic and there is some profanity used by the perpetrators.  However, it is indicative of the level of bullying violence of which students are capable.  Please be advised before viewing.  I am not promoting this action, and if you wish NOT to be exposed to violence and profanity, do NOT watch the video.  I post it to illustrate the severity of this issue.

As I watched that video for the first time, I literally hurt for this kid, tears streamed down my face, then I immediately became angry and wanted to intervene and bring these kids to justice.  The good news is, all of them have been identified and arrested.  One remains in jail.  The victim escaped with only a bloody nose, minor cuts and bruises.

This isn’t an isolated incident.  Unfortunately, we know that for every reported case of violence there are many others that go unreported.  As my wife and I discussed the issue, she pointed out to me a story in the news about a 14-year old kid in Tennessee who committed suicide last week because of bullying.

To bring it a little closer to home.  My wife teaches in a private school in our town.  She tells me that they have received several new students over the past year as a result of being bullied in area schools, and the parents became frustrated because the administration wouldn’t act to address the incidents.  Of course, I know there are two sides to every story, but the fact remains that bullying is a problem everywhere.

These aren’t unusual occurrences.  Although school violence has steadily declined in the U.S. since the mid 90s, the reported cases of bullying have remained relatively steady.  It’s an age-old problem.  It happens among children, teens and adults.  It hasn’t gone away, but we can’t ignore it either.  Statistics are revealing:

• Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnessed a bullying crime take place while at school.
• A reported 15 percent of all students who don’t show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school.
• There are about 71 percent of students that report bullying as an on-going problem.
• Along that same vein, about one out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.

Suicide is still one of the leading causes of death of children under the age of 14.  Studies show a strong correlation between this issue and bullying.  We know that many fatal school violence incidents have links to bullying.  The issue is real and the lives of individuals are valuable enough to highlight and address the problem.

Going Beyond Awareness

It is one thing to be aware of a problem, it is another to do something about it.  A quick search of the internet reveals that there are several good websites available that provide resources and information about the problem of bullying.  I will just make a few observations about practical tips and insights to help stem this continuing problem in our society.  These thoughts hold import for educators, parents and churches.

1. Schools must address the issue openly.  There are numerous educator resources available to teachers and administrators to provide awareness to both the school staff and students.  Helping students learn conflict management, anger management and to respect one another will confront the issue.  I’m not an advocate of dominating the school day with psychological and group therapy, however, teaching citizenship and social studies should cover these issues.  Ignoring, dismissing or hoping an incident will go away will not change the climate.
2. Parents must be involved closely in the lives of their children.  Children resort to self-destructive behaviors when they feel they are all alone in their struggles.  A parent who is loving, understanding, encouraging and supportive will provide the involvement in their child’s life that will prevent suicidal behavior or even ideation.  Giving the student skills and strategies for coping and defusing situations will help them maneuver the troubled waters of their environment.
3. Educators must not look the other way.  It is NEVER okay to ignore violence between students…even threatened violence.  It must be reported, dealt with and stopped to whatever extent is possible by our school administration.
4. Churches must promote respect and love for others.  Unfortunately, I’ve seen some of the most insidious attitudes of racism within the walls of the church.  This absolutely CANNOT BE TOLERATED!  Our children learn a great deal about how to treat others by what they see modeled by the significant adults in their lives.  Showing respect even when we are different or when we disagree with others, is essential.
5. We must address one of the root causes.  This connection may not be readily made in the minds of many, but it is very obvious to me.  The devaluing of human life leads to the very behavior these students exhibited in the Chicago video.  The devaluing of human life has gradually and continually been done over decades through legalized abortion, teaching evolution as “fact” (which makes human and animal life of the same value), and encouraging or condoning euthanasia.  As long as our society takes this approach to human life, we will continue to see violence and disregard for human life played out in our interactions with one another.
6. Apply Truth!  There is much the Scripture has to say that can be applied to this issue.  It is not my intention to make this an exhaustive exposition.  However, one quote from Jesus really sums it up well:”

So whatever you with that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Your thoughts?  Have you been the victim or perpetrator of bullying?  Share your story or your thoughts in the comments below.  I will be anxious to hear what you have to say.

Time management is always a challenge for me.  I have to be very intentional about it in order to be effective in my work and personal life.  The fact is, if you don’t budget your time with your own expectations, there will always be others who will place their expectations on you.  Your spouse, your parents, your employer, your friends…all of these people have certain expectations about what you should and shouldn’t be doing with your time.  Some of these expectations are legitimate and some are not.

I read a post by Michael Hyatt that speaks to the issue of workload management and it is worth the read.  You can find it here.  He shares some very helpful insights into managing workload in this post.  He highlights the Franklin-Covey method of prioritizing tasks which I think if very helpful.  He says that we can categorize our tasks by the following tags in order to determine the order in which to “attack” them…if we do so at all.  Here is the tagging system:

A—urgent and important
B—important but not urgent
C—urgent but not important
D—not urgent or important

How you categorize your tasks has a lot to do with the relationships and responsibilities you have.  For instance, if your responsibility is to accomplish task “X” for your employer, and your coworker asks you to accomplish task “Y” as a personal favor, obviously task “X” takes priority.  Your responsibility, in that situation, takes priority over your relationship.  In another scenario, a friend asks you to have coffee with them to discuss a problem and yet, your spouse is sick and needs you to bring home some medicine, the spousal relationship takes priority.  Now, I realize these are simplistic examples, but you get the gist of my point…relationships are always a part of our time management and our prioritizing of tasks.  If you work in a highly relational field, such as ministry, you will find the clash of these two areas happens often.  Sometimes relationship is the priority, sometimes responsibility takes the priority…sometimes relationship IS the responsibility.  You have to be discerning.

Regardless of where you find yourself in needing to manage your time efficiently, let me encourage you to read Michael Hyatt’s blog post and to consider the following tips for your life and work.

1. Determine an overall hierarchy of priorities.  For me it looks like this:  1) Relationship with Jesus, 2) Relationship with spouse, 3) Relationship with children, 4) Ministry/Job responsibilities.  This is not to say that there aren’t times I have to make sacrifices to accomplish my ministry goals.  However, my goal is to never compromise my walk with Jesus or my relationship with my spouse by consistent neglect.  For me, it isn’t a matter of balance, it is a matter of priority.
2. Be willing to say “no.”  In order to accomplish the things we need to, it is often necessary to say “no.”  The “D” category above should always receive a “no” reply.  We may have to tell a friend or co-worker “no” in order to get things done.  We may need to say “no” to opportunities that are good, but not best for us at the moment.  This is hard to do, especially when we view that opportunity as a good thing, fun and confidence boosting.  But it is essential to know when to do so.
3. Maintain proper boundaries.  John Ortberg, in his book The Me I Want to Be, says that in order to be the “Me” I was designed by God to be, I may have to disappoint certain people.  Everyone has an agenda for your life…expectations that they have placed upon you.  Sometimes those are good things when you have people in your corner, cheering you on and encouraging you toward the goals you’ve chosen (God’s leadership in your life).  However, sometimes the expectations of others are not for you.  The doctor wants you to live healthier, the local gym wants you to exercise more, the restaurant wants you to eat more food, the credit card company wants you to spend more money.  You see, if we listen to the voices around us, we’ll become overwhelmed by all the expectations that others have for us.  Obviously, there are certain expectations of others (our employer, for example) that we must accept.  But, there are others which we do not have to, and should not accept.  Setting proper relational boundaries in our lives will help to protect ourselves from that trap.
4. Use practical methods.  Systems are only as good as the person’s ability to use them.  Whether you are following the Franklin-Covey system, the David Allen system, or Action Method, it will only be of help to you if you put it into practice.  I’ve found that the only systems that work for me are those that I find practical and useable.  If it makes sense to me and I can utilize it without a lot of resistance to my personality or thinking style, I will likely adopt it more readily.  Look for strategies of workflow and time management that make sense to you and are practical in your way of thinking.  They will be more easily adopted into your routine and, therefore, be more effective.

I am, by no means, a time management guru.  However, I do know what works for me and I am continually looking for ways to improve my strategies.  These are just a few tips that have helped me to be more effective.  I hope they are helpful to you.  Please share your strategies and tips in the comments below.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sometimes life seems like an insurmountable wall

I’ve said many times, “Anything worthwhile in life is worth working hard to achieve.”  Honestly, in many ways it’s easy for me to say that, I’ve had a lot of support and encouragement along the way.  Of course, I’ve had some definitely struggles and hurdles to get over, but there are many who have dealt with much more than me.  My adversity in life pales in comparison to so many.  However, the truth remains for all of us…no matter our circumstances…we can make choices to survive and to thrive.  Any “raw deal” we’ve gotten in life…or even brought on ourselves…can make us bitter or make us better.  It is, to a very large degree, up to us.

Honestly, I’ve met very few people with whom I’ve become intimately acquainted who don’t have some sort of deficit or past hurt/struggle to overcome.  It may be a physical trauma, an emotional scar, a relational issue, poverty, family dysfunction…the list goes on.  Sometimes, people can become paralyzed in their pain.  At other times, the survival “instinct” kicks in and takes over in order to get through the turmoil and move on.

Then…I hear someone say, “It’s too hard.  I just can’t do it.”  I’ve thought that before.  I’ve said that to myself…only to hear a voice say, “You can’t give up.  There’s too much at stake.”  I read or hear stories of those who have survived incomprehensible circumstances in life and how God has transformed them, and I realize my petty issues or my struggles are no match for God.  Even reading the story of Joseph in the Old Testament tells me that no one is in a completely hopeless situation as long as they can look to the God who is bigger than all of our problems.  That’s why Joseph said, when he revealed himself to his brothers who had sold him into slavery…

As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people.

Genesis 50:20

I came across a video this morning that demonstrates how a person can overcome unthinkable circumstances and persevere.  I wanted to share it with my readers as a means of encouraging each one to persevere when life seems to be too hard to handle.  Highlighting the story of Korea’s Got Talent contestant, Sungbong Choi, this video doesn’t demonstrate a faith journey for this young man, but it does show how it is never too dark to keep on going.  For every one who follows Christ, we know that His strength is the resource that will ultimately get us through all the challenges of this life and then give us the confidence of the hope of eternity.  I’m reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul…

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Philippians 4:13

Notice the encouragement that this young man receives in this video.  Also notice that he has chosen to let his circumstances give him a glimpse of what the future can be.  Just think of how much brighter anyone’s journey is when they have encouragers who believe in them and pour into them.  Ask yourself how you can be an encourager like that or where you can go to find an encourager in your journey.  We need one another and we need the power of Christ within us to make this journey and to overcome.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Romans 8:37

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

In light of these words of wisdom from Solomon, consider this little video illustration.  Who can you upright on your journey today?

An inspiring young lady in her brief opportunity to impact the world.

I became acquainted with Jessie Rees a few months ago through a tweet from a Twitter follower.  The tweet directed me to her Facebook page and her story.  I quickly realized this was no ordinary young lady.  At the age of 11, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March of 2011.  Through her ordeal of treatment and being in and out of the hospital, she became aware of the many children who are dealing with cancer and decided she needed to do something to touch their lives.  The result was the Joy Jars and the NEGU Foundation.  “NEGU” stands for “Never Ever Give Up.”  That was Jessie’s motto…she was a strong and determined child with a faith in God and a desire to give hope and joy to others in her same situation.  She organized the Joy Jars projects which is to fill plastic jars with items of fun and hope to share with children in cancer hospitals around the country.  These were designed to let the children know they aren’t alone and that there are those praying for them.

Jessie succumbed to the cancer on January 5 of this year (2012) and is now no longer suffering.  However, she was a strong young lady who’s life continues to impact others as her parents, and others involved in the NEGU Foundation carry her dream on to make a difference in the world.

The Lesson/Challenge

I have, for a long time now, wanted my life to have an eternal impact upon my world.  I want the footprint that I leave to make the difference in someone’s eternal destiny as well as impacting the quality of life they have now.  I’m inspired by Jessie Rees to know that anyone can make a difference.  Perhaps it will not be through starting a foundation that touches the lives of thousands of kids, but maybe it will be.  Perhaps our platform will involve dozens rather than hundreds.  But, either way, if we are making a difference in someone’s eternity, our life is not in vain.

I’m reminded of a story I’ve shared before.  It’s about a man walking on the seashore following an overnight storm.  Scores of starfish had washed up on the shore and the receding tide had left them to die.  The man, as he walked, was picking them up one at a time and tossing them back into the surf.  An onlooker, observing the man’s actions, said, “You know you’re not going to get them all back before they die.  It doesn’t really matter.”

The “rescuer” replied as he picked up yet another starfish, “It matters to this one.”

May our prayer today be, “Father, allow me to make an impact upon someone today that changes the course of their destiny.”

You can check out Jessica Joy Rees’ Facebook page here and the NEGU Foundation website here.

You may enjoy watching the following video about Jessie Rees.

I was hanging out at Starbucks this morning, reading and studying, when Dustin, the barista, said, “Hey Randy, we’re about to take some shots…wanta join us?”  Well, I’m always up for anything that involves coffee, so I say, “sure!”

We all gathered around the coffee bar and he handed out the espresso shots.  We toasted the day and “threw back” the hot espresso shots.  I immediately felt the rush of the caffeine.  But…the best thing about it was being included!  Yeah…I was invited to join in with the group and share a common experience.  That was the biggest rush.

Now I’m not over-emphasizing anything here.  Just because I was invited to join the baristas at Starbucks to share in espresso shots, I’m not all giddy to be “in.”  But, my point is that there is a great boost for us when we are included in the lives of others.  I thrive on connections…I love making new friends, establishing new relationships and nurturing old ones.  I find energy in being “included” in the lives of others.  We were meant to be in relationship because God designed us as relational beings.

The greatest relationship is that which we have with God through Jesus Christ.  I know I’m never going to be alone because I’ve been “included” in that family.  I’ll never get over that overwhelming thought.

Are you “included” in the lives of others?  Are you inviting others to share your life?  As a Christ follower, that is central to our journey of discipleship.  For it is most effectively that we share the life of the gospel through the connections we have with others along the way.  We give and we receive the energy that we need, and the life that God intends, as we experience the spiritual “shot” from His Spirit working through us in these relationships.

Invite someone to share your life today!

Will pencil and paper ever become extinct?

I’ve been a journaler for most of my adult life.  I have several journals on my shelf full of my thoughts, notes and prayers from my quiet time with God and my own introspection.  A few years ago, as I was fully transitioning to a digital approach to life and work, I began to do all my journaling on my laptop.  As I incorporated my smart phone with my laptop, I found myself completely digitally connected and equipped in order to have no need for paper and pencil.  I had arrived at the point that I could manage all of my planning, appointments, to do lists, and projects with the applications on my computer and smart phone.  It was great…or I thought.

Well…it is great!  I’m glad to be able to use my Mac and my iPhone (I haven’t yet made the commitment to iPad) to stay on top of things and manage my life and ministry.  It is streamlined (and I have to admit, I’m not the most tech advanced guy in the office).  I’ve learned to save time and energy and that makes me more efficient.  All good, right?  Yes and no.

Efficiency in management is great!  It is extremely important…but it isn’t everything.  There is also the issue of creativity.  Maybe I’m a little different that most, but I think maybe I’m not.  You see the thing is…there is something about putting a literal pen to paper in the creative process.  As I sketch out an idea, make a list, draw arrows between ideas, connect correlations, I am creating and developing.  There is something about doing that manually with a pen and paper that ignites the creative juices.  You can’t really do that with a digital electronic device…even a stylus and touchscreen.  The old school process of writing with pen and paper is a tactile, motor experience that releases creativity and opens doors of the mind that creates and expands vision.

That’s why, as good as all the digital devices I use are, I’m now once again incorporating the old school approach to planning…but with a new twist.  It’s called Action Method.  It’s as simple as this…it utilizes 1. Action Steps (tasks to be completed…each one starting with a verb), 2. References (notes, links, files and sketches), and 3. Backburners (ideas to come back to later).  Simple, yet powerful in turning ideas into productivity.  I will integrate the use of the Action Method applications on my laptop and my iPhone as well as my new Action Journal.  Take a look at the video below…it’s me opening my first Action Journal.  Then check out the link below the video to the Action Method website for more information and to order tools to turn your ideas into actions.

http://the99percent.com/tips/browse/3/Action-Method

http://www.creativesoutfitter.com/

Do you need to take God out of a box in your life?

The tendency for human beings is to make God as small as possible.  Satan even appealed to this desire as he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Notice his words, “’You won’t die!’ the serpent replied to the woman.  ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.’  The woman was convinced…”  In our effort to become god ourselves, we attempt to make Him small…like us.

As followers of Christ, we may be prone to make God too small as well.  The detriment of such a view of God is several-fold:

1. It robs Him of His deity in our minds (not in reality, but in our minds).
2. It makes too much of ourselves so that we become self-centered and self-important.
3. It causes us to lack trust in God to do and be who He really is to us.
4. It hampers and lessens our worship of Him…and our resulting growth in Him as our God and Redeemer.

I love how Francis Chan, in his book, Crazy Love, helps us to put God into perspective and directs his readers to watch a brief video that illustrates his point.  Check out the video below.

Don’t you feel pretty insignificant after watching that?  R. C. Sproul, in The Holiness of God, wrote,

Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.

In a culture that is constantly telling us to promote ourselves in order to be successful, the idea of wanting to be insignificant is counter-cultural.  However, it is only by doing so that we come to experience the true value we have been given because this majestic, awe-inspiring, sovereign God who dwells in unapproachable light has chosen to have a personal relationship with us.  That gives us a greater significance than we could ever know otherwise.  That comes from worshiping God…the God who is much bigger than we often make Him to be in our minds and in our lives.  Pastor and author, John Piper, challenges us to “make much of God” so that our lives are less impacted and influenced by the evil penchants of the flesh and the world around us.   God is BIG…let’s worship Him as such and let’s serve Him with our lives as a result.

The road home is a learning experience

I love the story of the Prodigal Son in the gospel.  It is a beautiful picture of the love and grace of our Heavenly Father.  Although I’ve never left the pursuit of the Kingdom since coming to faith in Christ, I have had periods in which I was distant from the Father and when convicted by the hounding pursuit of His loving grace, came back to Him in confession and repentance to restore my close and intimate relationship.  That is a sweet experience to have.

However, the journey of returning is not just for the prodigal…

My Recent Journey

2011 was a busy year…especially the last half.  Conferences, meetings, travel, training events, re-structuring our LifeGroup ministry, personnel transitions, strategy adjustments and a myriad of other things filled my life, ministry and calendar.  In the midst of all that busyness, I found myself becoming drained and empty.  Spiritually, I was treading water.  My commitment to write five days a week became a chore rather than an outlet.  Instead of gaining insight and energy from my writing, I was finding myself running out of anything to say.  I was “out of gas” and I hated it.  I wasn’t off on some fleshly indulgence of any sort.  I was just spent…and wasn’t doing enough to maintain my spiritual health and vitality.  So, having already given myself permission to cut back on my weekly posts, on November 16, I wrote my last post for the year.

It was hard at first…I was confused, frustrated, concerned and actually even a little angry.  I was enjoying the opportunity to make an impact through my blog as indicated by the connections I was making.  I was receiving an average of 2,000 visitors per month and I have a few faithful readers who would comment regularly.  However, it was obvious to me that I was running out of steam.  I had to step back and give myself time to regroup…to rejuvenate and to regain that passion and love for writing again.

My Struggle

At first, I didn’t know what would transpire in this hiatus.  I thought it may be a couple of weeks, give or take a day.  As time went on, however, it became obvious that NOT writing was the release that I needed.  I was disturbed about the situation at first, but after a bit, I became comfortable with the absence of the writing.  The problem, however, was that I wasn’t getting any momentum built back.  I wasn’t feeling the draw to it again.  I was even concerned that I was becoming lazy in this endeavor to write.  Because I am currently serving in a pastoral position that seldom involves preaching, this was my “preaching” outlet.  It bothered me that I wasn’t motivated to “preach” anymore.

I had begun to question how much my absence from the blogosphere would be noticed.  Although I knew the truth was otherwise, I sort of began to believe that it was no big deal…that I could just quit and let the website go away.  I hated thinking that, because I’ve visited so many blogs where the writer quit and abandoned the site to mold and gather dust.  I had never wanted to let that happen to me.  I always thought that what I wrote was more important than that…not that my words are all that important, but in whatever way I could communicate the truth of Jesus I knew those words would make an impact.  That is too important not to continue.

In the midst of toying with the idea of…(dare I say it?)…QUITTING, I had two of my faithful readers speak to me about it.  Joe Rhynes, who attends my church, stopped me in the hallway one Sunday morning and asked me about my blog.  He indicated that he missed my posts and assured me that God was using them in his own journey and in that of a number of others he knew as well.  Another word of encouragement came from Matt Ashcroft, a young man I’ve actually established a mentoring relationship with as a result of my blog.  He told me he is anxiously awaiting my return to eFlections and the new things that I will share here.  These guys made me realize I do have an audience…I can make an impact…God is using eFlections to make a difference in lives.

I didn’t immediately jump back into the blogging after this, however.  It has taken some time.  There are a few things that had to happen first.

What It Took

These past two months, there were a few things that had to take place in order for me to be ready to return to the blogging adventure.  These things were important for me so that I could resume the process of writing and sharing from my heart, as God works in that medium.  I share these because they are valuable, not only for a blogger who’s lost his momentum, but they have a more general application to our journey of discipleship as well.

Rest – I needed to rest from a routine and process that had been non-stop for two years.  For 99% of the previous two years, I had written five days a week without exception.  Although I would take periodic rests from work and ministry, I continued to blog on vacations and retreats.  I came to the point that I needed to rest even from this.  In your journey, you may find that something needs to change in order for you to gain critical rest.  It may mean a rest from a certain activity in order to boost your creativity.  It may mean a rest from a certain “routine” that has become stale and meaningless, so that afterward, you can return to it with renewed appreciation and value.

Change – I needed to change my routine a bit.  My daily routine was the same…get up at 5:30/6:00, shave and dress for the gym, workout, shower and dress for the office, stop by Starbucks, go to the office, write a blog post, read and study, etc.  I found that this needed to change.  All of these things were good, but I needed to switch them up.  So, some days I would wait and go to the gym at lunch time or after I left the office for the day.  I began to make reading and studying the Word and prayer the first thing I did at the office.  Different days meant differing schedules…that change of routine, along with the absence of the pressure to blog, gave me some “breathing room.”  If you find yourself in a routine rut, you may need a change to get you out of that rut.  There may be freedom for you in letting go of some things that just aren’t that important or doing them in a way you’ve never considered before.

Renewal – I knew spiritual renewal was a big part of what I needed.  Removing the pressure to blog and focusing on the priority of the Word in my life was crucial to making this happen.  In addition, I shared my need with an accountability partner and he began to question and support me in how deep I was going in my worship and walk.  He encouraged me and helped me to process where I was and where I wanted to be.  The “icing on the cake” in this process was taking our college group to the PASSION 2012 conference in Atlanta.  Interacting with those guys, and worshiping in that venue, and hearing the teaching from the speakers, played a major role in my renewal.  Our corporate worship in my local faith community, and soaking in the teaching of our Lead Pastor weekly, was also a great source of spiritual strengthening.  I am convinced that when we are weak and languishing, if we call out to God, He will provide all that we need to soar above the valleys in which we find ourselves.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Soaring on wings as eagles

28 Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

29 He gives power to the weak

and strength to the powerless.

30 Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

People – You had to know this would come into play since eFlections is “Perspectives in Context of Community”, right?   I’ve already mentioned the encouragement of two people.  They played a major role in this process.  However, sometimes God uses people from out of left field to impact us in positive ways.

Knowing I would be in Atlanta for PASSION, I contacted a friend to meet for coffee.  John is a professional blogger whose writing has been a huge help to me and many other bloggers as we’ve endeavored to be effective and influential in our writing.  He has spent many hours and much effort investing in us for the benefit of helping us meet our goals and for the sake of the Kingdom.

My intention in meeting him for coffee was to say “thanks” for his investment in me and many others.  However, two hours later, our interaction led to a renewed and more clearly defined vision for new ministry about which God had been speaking to me.  I walked away enthused and excited.  John’s willingness to give of himself and his time was the final piece of the puzzle that led me back to the keyboard.  Sometimes when we least expect it, God uses people to help us return to where we need to be.  You’ll be hearing about this renewed vision in the near future here on eFlections.

Decision – Ultimately, being ready to step into the blogosphere again took a decision.  I could have just set it aside and not faced the blog again.  I could have “written it off” as not that important and moved on to never look back.  But, at the end of the day, I knew that it IS important, and it is an important part of me and the ministry God has given me.  So, since I had experienced the renewal that I sought, I made the decision to resume writing.

I’m thankful for God who never gives up on me…He loves me completely and His resources are sufficient for whatever I’m facing.  In a recent training I did for our teachers and LifeGroup leaders, we talked about what the life “more abundantly” looks like that Jesus talked about in John 10:10.  As we discussed it, I pointed out that it all has to do with the resource for that abundance.  The richest person in the world has a limit to his resources…this includes even Bill Gates.  On our best day, our personal resources are limited and we can only bring so much to the situation in which we find ourselves.  However, just as Jesus told the Samaritan woman about the well spring of living water that overflows in the life of the person who trust in Him, our abundant life gains its source in the unending provision of the One who is eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing.  If we have found ourselves empty and dry…unable to pour anything out to those around us…we can return to that place of abundance as we seek rest, change and renewal through our connection to Him and the relationships He has placed in our lives.  That’s why returning is not just for the prodigal…it’s for the disciple.

As an adult, Denny became a Christian, answered the call into ministry, and became a pastor in my hometown. Through a series of events God worked on his heart, he repented of his racism and spent the last years of his life working for racial reconciliation, pouring his heart into younger pastors like myself. Denny was my mentor, my spiritual father, my hero. But Denny was a minority. He wasn’t part of the dominant group. He could only push the issue of race so far.

Racism will never be completely defeated in our country – and in our churches – until guys like me, part of the dominant group (WASP: White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) decide enough is enough and stand up at every opportunity and say, “Racism is wrong!” instead of saying, “We need to just get over it and let it go.” Our country is a little over 200 years old. We are still young, and in spite of all the blessings God has given us, our country is steeped in racism based on our immoral treatment of Native-Americans and African-Americans. The Civil War was less than 200 years ago; we are still violating treatises we made with Native-Americans; and there still remains institutionalized racism in our churches.

As followers of Jesus we have got to stand up and say, “Racism is wrong!” Pastor Denny used to say, “If you don’t constantly stir the pot, the people on the bottom get burned.” When was the last time you stirred the pot? (For me, it was the day before yesterday, but that’s another story.) When was the last time you told a friend or family member or coworker or religious leader that their joke or actions were racist and totally inappropriate?

Recently my daughter was at a party where a guy started mouthing-off, uttering racist’s comments. According to her, she got in his face and let him have it. She said she was as angry as she has ever been in her life. A righteous anger if there ever was one. She made her daddy proud. You gotta stir the pot. Racism is wrong!

For the life of me I cannot understand how believers of the Bible can tolerate any form of racism. (I am mainly talking to Christians of my own race.) Consider the following:

• Biblical scholarship places the Garden of Eden in Africa, Egypt, or the Middle East (Iraq to be exact). This means that Adam, the first human being, was either black or Middle Eastern (possibly Asian) in color. Adam’s last name was not Columbus. The first human-being was not a white European.

• Right now, today, you have to read Numbers 12. In that chapter, Moses marries an Ethiopian (a different race than Moses). Miriam, Moses’ sister, complains about this interracial relationship and God strikes her with leprosy. Moses intercedes on her behalf and God heals her, but not before saying what she had done was a disgrace. (Now, before my biblical scholar friends jump all over me, I know the main issue was her rebellion against Moses’ leadership, but the issue that put a spotlight on her rebellion, and her heart, was Moses marrying someone outside their “tribe.”)

• Jesus, an Israelite, born in the Middle East, probably looked more like Osama bin Laden than He does me. Because of His race, ethnicity, and age, if He were alive today, he would have a difficult time going through airport security. (On a side note: One day, while I was at my local bank, a person was talking to the teller beside me. After about the fourth time he mentioned those “towel heads” who are out to destroy our country, I said, “Excuse me. You do know Jesus was a towel head, don’t you?” It got really quiet in that bank. Every once in while you just gotta stir the pot. Thanks Denny.)

• In Acts 8, Philip evangelizes and baptizes an Ethiopian Eunuch. To this day, Ethiopia has one of the largest Christian populations in all of Africa.

• In Galatians, Paul writes, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”(Galatians 3:26-27).

• In the context of Galatians 3, Paul mentions a time when he opposed and confronted Peter very publicly. He didn’t follow the Matthew 18 model. What was the issue that caused Paul to do such a thing? Peter had been racist in the way he had treated Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-21).

• The Book of Revelation teaches that people from every tribe, nation, and language will gather around the throne and sing praises to God (Revelation 7:9-10).

The above is just a portion of what Scripture says concerning race. Taken all the Bible teaches, how in the world can any believer not say, “Racism is wrong!” In addition, one of the greatest theologians in church history was Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo. In case you are not familiar with Hippo, Hippo was an ancient city in North Africa. One of the most influential thinkers, possibly the most influential thinker, in church history was a black guy.

How any attitude of racial superiority crept into the church is beyond me. Racism is wrong! The weed of racism must be rooted out of the church. It’s 2011. It’s time the church finally, seriously, humbly, and in repentance, dealt with this issue. And by church I mean the universal church, as well as my own church and denomination. Do not sweep this issue back under the rug.

Kevin Riggs is a friend and fellow pastor who serves the Franklin Community Church in Franklin, TN, and has written several articles on issues of faith and life.  He is the author of Failing Like Jesus and writes often on his blog which can be read here.