Living Gift

The world would have you believe that you are an impulse.  A stomach to be fed, a reaction that cannot be contained, an urge to be fulfilled.

You are marketed to, tantalized, wooed-in, and teased.

A consumer.

Something to be controlled.

Something to be manipulated.

Something to be used.

But these things are a twist of the reality; a perversion of the truth.

You are a gift.

Designed to be given.

Designed for generosity.

Made in Love.

It Will Not Dismay

Love; it will not betray you

Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free

Be more like the man you were made to be

- Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More

Others can only give you glimpses to the depth and fullness of Love; for others also know how to take things away: innocence, hope and ironically, even love.  Filtered and dispensed through imperfect people, Love can woo us closer and then abruptly leave us abandoned.  We've smelled it's sweet aroma and have been repulsed by its foul stench.  When left to manage on our own, Love plays games.

We feel foolish, silly, skeptical, angry, jaded, wounded, pissed, embittered, cynical, hurt.

We swear to the stars and vow to the heavens that we will not let "love" do this to us again.  And so having tasted its fickle flavor we pass on its future offerings. 

Yet this is not the true nature of Love.

Love given from the Source is free from all impurities.  It has never been touched or tainted by another and it is given without a catch, a hitch, or strings attached.  If you drink this Love from the Deep Well you will be forever refreshed.

More like you were made to be.

May you, in spite of past experience be open to receive from Love.  May it quench your longing, free your pain, and imbold you to forgive.

Last Of The American Girls

She puts her makeup on like graffiti on the walls of the heartlandShe's got her little book of conspiracies right in her handShe is paranoid like endangered species headed into extinctionShe is one of a kind, well, she's the last of the American girls
She wears her overcoat for the coming of the nuclear winterShe is riding her bike like a fugitive of critical massShe's on a hunger strike for the ones who won't make it for dinnerShe makes enough to survive for a holiday of the working class
She's a runaway of the establishment incorporatedShe won't cooperate, well, she's the last of the American girls
She plays her vinyl records singing songs on the eve of destructionShe's a sucker for all the criminals breaking the lawsShe will come in first for the end of Western civilizationShe's an endless war, she's a hero for the lost cause
Like a hurricane in the heart of the devastationShe's a natural disaster, she's the last of the American girls


We've made it to the class of 13...looking forward to many more.

The Gift-Giving-Gizmo

In John chapter 14 Jesus says to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I don not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

The world gives under the constraints of a closed system. A system of scarcity in which there is only so much to go around; so much food, wealth, affluence, health, and power. As a result, the giving of this world has to be conditional.

You will receive these “gifts” if only the right conditions exist. Being born in the right place, going to the right schools, choosing the right line of work. The mechanism by which the world “gives” requires the proper investment and a little (or perhaps a lot) of luck.

Because this is the choice mechanism of “gift giving” in our world, in order to receive these gifts one must tirelessly pursue the “right avenues” in order to reap a benefit. In essence we become legalistic mechanics of the gift-giving-gizmo…making sure we’ve done everything possible so that we’ve postured ourselves to receive from the world. Maintaining the gift-giving-gizmo is tiring; maintaining the gift-giving-gizmo is, for all purposes, work.

That’s why we have phrases like, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Very few things in this world are given benevolently; they are earned through exchange or proximity. And so in this world the notion of a true gift is rare. That’s why when we see something or experience something beautiful, creative, and prophetic we stop in awe. We realize we were just witnesses, recipients, of a gift.

So when Jesus says that he does not “give as the world gives”, he is standing against the so-called gifts of our day. For Jesus, “gift” has nothing to do with human manufacturing or human achievement. Instead it is through love poured out on the cross and brought to power in the resurrection that gift is truly defined.

When Jesus tells those who are thirst to come and drink (receive the gift) he then goes on to say that anyone who drinks will have “rivers of living water” flowing from them (Jn.7:38). The beauty in this gift is as we participate we ourselves begin to pour out this love-gift to others. This gift is meant to be shared.

It cannot be earned. It can not be cozied-up to. No corporation can commodify it, no military regime can grab it, and no religious order can bestow it. This love-gift is given out of an over-abundance…plenty to go around; no scarcity here…a true gift.

As you go about your day, don't wait for the gift-giving-gizmo of this world to do something remarkable. Instead, give generously of the love-gift that has been given to you.

Prostitute Birthday Party

I heard Tony Campolo share this story a few years ago and recently found a video of him sharing the same story.

A Constructed Heart

As I was cleaning out my 1st grader’s backpack yesterday I came across this craft she had made.

I began to envision her creating this cut-out paper heart. Moving the scissors in a precise manner to give the heart its shape, intentionally placing two heart stickers on each side, and circling each word of a phrase she had memorized in her own heart and now wanted to share with others: “love god love people”.

There is a sweet simplicity to this piece, yet it came by way of a careful and deliberate construction.

May you find joy in living out this simple phrase. May you intentionally embrace all the depths of its practice in the midst of a complex world; always growing in a deeper love and obedience for the Creator and a more sacrificial love for your enemy. And may the heart that is constructed in you beat with such fervor that the hearts of others come alive with the simple hope that has found its home within you.

A Threat To Real Christianity?

I recently was given Chuck Colson's latest book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters. This book's purpose is to outline what Christians should believe so they can better live out (and defend) their faith.

Early in the book Colson points out that Christianity and the message of Christ get misunderstood by our mainstream media. In an effort to clarify the hope of Christianity he writes that "love and forgiveness are hallmarks of Christianity, real Christianity" (p.17). Colson goes on to write: "real Christianity is no threat but a glorious proposal".

The "Good News" is good news for all people...a "glorious proposal" indeed: to leave a life of greed, selfishness, and death and pursue Christ's work in this world. Colson is spot on.

Yet only 5 pages later Colson's words give reason why other people groups (and the mainstream media) see Christianity not as a welcomed remedy, but as an oppressive tyrant when he writes: "The Christian West is under assault by the twin challenges of secularism and radical Islam" (p.22). When we articulate the issues we face in this manner does the world really see the Gospel as "a glorious proposal?"

These kind of statements do more harm in creating an "us vs. them" mentality, making some out to be the "good guys" and others the "bad guys". While secularism and Islam may be on the increase are these to be seen as threats or as opportunities for communicating our hope in Christ?

Unfortunately when we begin to rally people around the "issues" that threaten our way of thinking, we end up working people up in a frenzy of fear that often times leads them to respond in such a way that looks nothing like the real love that Jesus calls us to live by.

May the Gospel relieve us of our fear and show us that the very people we thought we were to fight against are the very people we are called to fight for.