Happy Birthday Jackie Robinson

Today would have been Jackie Robinson's 93rd birthday.

Happy Birthday Jackie!

We are still have much to learn from you.


Columnist George Will wrote an article about Jackie:

“Like many New Yorkers leaving home for work on April 15, 1947, he wore a suit, tie and camel-hair overcoat as he headed for the subway. To his wife he said, ‘Just in case you have trouble picking me out, I'll be wearing number 42.’

No one had trouble spotting the black man in the Dodgers' white home uniform when he trotted out to play first base at Ebbets Field. Suddenly, only 399, not 400, major league players were white. Which is why 42 is the only number permanently retired by every team.”

Prejudice comes in many ways. We most often think of prejudice in terms of race. The story of Jackie Robinson is one of moving past prejudice, but it started with the prejudice created by what we see. Jackie told part of this story in his autobiography in 1972:

I know you’re a good ballplayer, he (Branch Rickey) barked. “What I don’t know is whether you have the guts.”

Before I could react to what he had said, he leaned forward in his chair and explained.

I wasn’t just another athlete being hired by a ball club. We were playing for big stakes. This was the reason Branch Rickey’s search had been so exhaustive. The search had spanned the globe abd narrowed down to a few candidates, then finally to me. When it looked as though I might be the number-one choice, the investigation of my life, my habits, my reputation, and my character had become an intensified study.

“I’ve investigated you thoroughly, Robinson,” Mr. Rickey said. “we can’t fight our way though this, Robinson. We’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. NO owners, no umpires, very newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans will be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can only win if we can convince the world that I’m doing this because you’re a great ballplayer and a fine gentleman.”

He had me transfixed as he spoke. I could feel his sincerity, and I began to get a sense of how much this major step meant to him. Because of his nature and his passion for justice, he had to do what he was doing. He continued. The rumbling voice, the theatrical gestures, were gone he was speaking from a deep, quiet strength.

“SO there’s more than just playing.” He said. “I wish it meant only hits, runs, and errors – only the things they put in the box score. Because you know – yes, you would know, Robinson, that a baseball box score is a democratic thing. It doesn’t tell how big you are, what church you attend, what color you are, or how your father voted in the last election. It just tells what kind of baseball player you were on that particular day.”

I interrupted. “But it’s the box score that really counts – that and that alone, isn’t it?”

“It’s all that ought to count,” he replied. “But it isn’t. Maybe one of these days it will be all that counts. That is one of the reasons I’ve got you here.”

(from I Never Had it Made by Jackie Robinson, 1972 page 40-41)

Jackie Robinson was an ordinary man with a talent for baseball.

He is remembered for being extraordinary not only in what the box score revealed but for the man he was before and after the game.

What if our lives we were judged by our box score?

We are better, but we still have a long way to go . . .

(this was previously posted in October 2010)

Different can be Good: Love is Weird

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” Dr. Seuss

Let's face it - Love is weird. Well at least the love as we know it in culture and society. We live in a world where sex and love are the same thing. We live in a sexually saturated culture – images assault us 24/7 - some explicit – some subtle. AS some of called it – a sexual revolution. Truth is it hasn’t been a revolution though it has been slow and mindless change. Remember I Love Lucy? with separate beds and when Lucy was pregnant (Couldn’t use that word on network TV) she was expecting or with child.

We have evolved as a society to the point that we now have the likes of Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives, and Two and Half Men. Most recently with Two and Half Men isn’t funny how we glorify the action of the main character and vilify the actor for behaving the same way in real life.

I don’t believe we are where we intended to be – but we got there one step at a time. Little Steps add up. We got here by believing “It’s no big no deal ... We all live that way ... It’s just entertainment ... It’s normal ... Everybody does that."

Normal looks like this:

65% of husbands and 55% of wives will commit adultery by age forty - Normal.

People who once were so in love, end up in divorce court dividing up possessions – and that is normal.

In our relationships, we judge others by their actions, while we judge ourselves by our intentions. It’s normal

We watch movies, read magazines, read romance novels, believing it all to be normal.

We are taught that to be fulfilled in life you have to meet the one. That’s Normal.

The Bible teaches us that God is the One we are to meet! That’s Weird. And here is the problem we have: Putting God first will not instantly make your marriage perfect or your family perfect. Great marriages do not happen by accident – they always happen on purpose and No family is perfect all the time.

Allow me to meddle into your normal relationships and suggest that it’s time to make them a little weird . . .

Husbands – Don’t be normal. Your wife needs words of affection. You know how to do this – you did it while you dated – some of you even called it ‘pitching woo”
Don’t be normal - “I told her I loved her when we got married and nothing has changed. When it does I’ll let you know.” Words matter – more to women than to men. SO try going beyond I love you. And something to that. I love you BECAUSE . . . when I look in your eyes I still melt like I did the first time we met.

Husbands - Women want to know do you love me today? Be weird and let them know – Daily!

Wives – just as you need to be affirmed by words your husband does as well – truth is most men are insecure. We live in a world where we are only as good as our last accomplishment. In so many ways, husbands are in the process of becoming what their wives see in them and believe them to be. Wives - Men want to know do you believe in me today? Be weird and let them know you still believe in them – Daily!

Now for a husband and wife it is normal to start a family. We could talk about a lot of things that are normal as it relates to starting a family . . . but I want to talk about what is normal for us as parents to wish or hope for our children:

I just want Brandon and Kendra to enjoy their lives. Since Johnny’s on the traveling soccer team, we’re hoping he plays college soccer one day. We just trying to get Ginger and Gabe more opportunities than we ha growing up I hope Bethany gets a good education and a high- paying job We’re just praying the Kevin stays away from the wrong crowd so he doesn’t get sucked into bad things. If Shannon studies hard, I think she can get in to medical school – that would be a dream come true. Natalie keeps bringing home bad boys. We just hope she marries a good man.

Now none of those are bad wishes. In fact you could argue that they are each very good. If that’s your goal and you reach it – you might be very happy. In fact most normal people in the world would be happy with the success. Here is the problem: God didn’t call us to be in the center of the world’s success.

If we raise our children to become well-adjusted, materially comfortable, professionally successful adults, but they don’t know God who created them or live their lives for Christ – then all the success in the world is for nothing.

Weird . . . that’s exactly what Jesus said . . . What advantage do people have if they gain the whole world for themselves yet perish or lose their lives? Luke 9:25 CEB

What if normal as it relates to parenting is pointing our children in the wrong direction? Let me share with you what normal looks like (from a 2009 survey by the Christian Post):

95% of Christians 20-29 attended church regularly elementary and middle school.
Of those only 55% attended in high school
and only 11 % attended while in college

The problem is that as parents (and as the church) we are not equipping our children. We are not teaching them that Church and Faith are relevant to them.

So how do we become weird parents? Or as our children might suggest, how do we become weirder parents?

Your greatest priority as a parent is to gradually transfer your child’s dependence away from you and on to God. Show them what this looks like. Mirror God’s character on a daily basis – live your faith every day not just Sunday morning.

We cannot just remember God at the end of the Day in quickly spoken prayer. We must learn to live aware of God in every moment of the day. God is not a part of our life: God is our life. And we teach this to our children by being willing to have questions, doubts, weaknesses. Share answered prayers as well as unanswered. When you lose your temper – ask for forgiveness.

Unfortunately it is all to normal to separate your spiritual life from your regular life – that‘s normal. The weird reality is that there is no distinction. Everything we do is spiritual. (Taking a test, playing t-ball, going to work, being a parent, etc)

Parents and teachers, we do our children a disservice when we teach them to do what Jesus would do while failing to teach them what Jesus did. So what do we teach them. Teach them what Jesus learned:

Teach them to be stewards of God’s money (Proverbs 3:9-10)
Teach them to carefully select their friends (Proverbs 13:20; I Corinthians 15:33)
Teach them to watch their words (Proverbs 4:24; Luke 6:45)
Teach them to be responsible (Proverbs 6:6-8)
Teach them to guard their minds (Proverbs 23:7; 2 Corinthians 10:5)
Teach them to be generous (Proverbs 11:25)
Teach them to respect God. (Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 111:10)

Jesus was once asked what was in important in our relationships.

He answered . . First Commandment – Love God. Second – Love others as yourself.
Living this way – loving this way – might feel weird at first, but stick with it. Weird is good

Never forget normal isn’t working. Be weird. After all, love is . . . weird.

On the way to Sunday

1 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. 9 We know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. 12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. 13 Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13 CEB


By most accounts this passage written by Paul is considered the greatest definition of love ever written. It is common, or normal, practice to have this passage read during a wedding.

How do so many couples get from this to divorce court?

When did divorce become the norm?

For that matter when did love and sex become synonymous?

We have perverted love in so many ways that there are too many to count!

Based on the current stats from the Journal of Psychology and Christianity 65% of husbands and 55% of wives will commit adultery by age forty.

When did that become the norm?

The problem is that Christians aren't any different. We mirror nearly every societal norm as it relates to divorce, adultery, and pornography.

When did that become the norm in the church?

Why is that we hold up the definition of love in I Corinthians as THE definition and then allow it to be come the exception?

When will we learn to love in this weird way?

How will we love?

Different can be Good: M & Ms

University of Warwick in England completed a study that discovered that for most people to feel happy about their income, it had to be more than what their friends and colleagues had. It turned out that no matter how much a person earned as long as they knew someone who earned more – they weren’t satisfied. In other words, what they have isn’t enough, no matter how much it is.

And that is NORMAL?!

Shouldn’t surprise us. The writer of Ecclesiastes (5:10) noted ‘whoever love money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.’ That pretty much sums the normal mindset of people – whatever we have is not enough – there is always room for more to earn – to spend – to buy – to shop – to save. The only way we know we are rich is if you can’t find someone who has more!

The comparative standard of wealth is further complicated by the fact that the vast majority of us don’t consider ourselves anywhere near being rich. If asked, “Are you wealthy? We would respond, “Who me? You have got to be kidding!” And 98% of Americans would respond the same as way.

Here is the rub – roughly 98 % percent of the people in the world’s developing countries would consider America’s poor – rich! We view ourselves as not rich even though we all know people living on less than we have. We also know people who are rich (whether they believe it or not). We fall between – the millionaires and the homeless. But defining rich is hard – it is an ever moving target. We all believe we need something else in order to be rich. A recent Gallup poll indicated that people making $30,000 a year believed that to be rich they needed to be making $70,000. People making $50,000 stated that making $100,000 would be rich. Virtually no one responded that they were rich.

Another study of top earner in the US asked how much would you need to have to feel rich? The most common response – 5 million dollars. Ask someone with 2 million dollars, Are you rich?” and the answer would be – “who me? No way.”

Rich is moving target. Why? Because we don’t feel rich. Besides when we talk about income – is it gross or net(before or after taxes)– with or without insurance? mortgage payment? Car payment? College, braces, car insurance, music lessons, sport camps, you get the idea . . .

So I bring you good news this morning. It’s better than good – it’s great – it’s better than great – it’s amazing. For some it's unbelievable. Here it is: You really are rich.

The truth is we are rich, but we don’t feel that way. How is that possible? I blame it on M&Ms. Oh wait, not the little candies.

No the M&Ms I am talking about our mass media and mass marketing. Advertisers want us to feel rich if we can afford their brands – Mercedes, Lexus, Cartier, Versace. Other marketers want us to feel proud of how cost conscious we are Walmart, Target, Hyundai, Old Navy. Either way we are encouraged to buy, spend, and shop for more. We buy the biggest lie being sold – enough is never enough. The end result is that it is perfectly normal for us to stress about not having enough money, not making enough money, and owing too much money. Recent survey reveals that over half of working Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

Monthly payments? Normal
Credit card debt? Normal
Little or no saving - normal
Paying only the minimum? Normal.
Most common fight amongst couples is money? normal
We spend more than we earn - normal
Want to give more, but can’t - Normal

Recurring theme – normal doesn’t work! What if our whole thought about money is wrong? The Bible states that the streets in Heaven are paved with Gold. Our response is that is awesome! The riches of heaven are overflowing. BUT, what if they are paved with gold because gold has the same value as asphalt?

Who said Gold in heaven has the same value we place on it in this world? Jesus said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." But we live our lives completely the opposite. We live to gain, to hoard, to keep, to spend on ourselves. And that is normal?! What if we lived weird? Jesus weird.

Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 CEB

Living weird with regards to our finances simply means where our money goes are heart will follow. But you already knew that. And yet, the average Christian in the US gives a little more than 2% of their income to the church and missions. That means that the remaining 98% goes to the world. Which means 98% of our heart goes toward the world.

Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. Everything that is in the world—the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see and the arrogant pride in one’s possessions—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. 1 John 2:15-17 CEB

I am proud of Fist Church. In the midst of all that we have done, built, paid for – all that is new . . . we have tithed. Yes as a church we tithe! We give over 11% of our offerings to support missions in around the globe and in Indiana. When you consider the additional giving to missions above beyond we actually give nearly 17% of our total 'church income' away.

Would seem the normal thing to do – but less than half of our churches in Indiana do this? In other words this church is weird! But you already knew that. We haven't always done this. As a church, we got there this past year by making a commitment and making some choices about our priorities. By many other's standards we did some weird things and made some weird choices.

If how we give is a measure of weird we are, then I want to help you become weird. Here are 3 ways you can reveal your heart and become a bit weird:

1) Give Spontaneously. This is the first level of giving. You see a need and you give. This is an impulse or an emotional way to give. Your actions impact others. Why? Because what you are doing is weird. However, if this is the only way you give then your impact is limited.

2) The next level of giving is strategic giving. Strategic givers plan ahead so they can be generous. They are intentional.

But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity. Isaiah 32:8 NLT

Strategic givers ask really weird questions like “How can we be more generous? How can we be a greater blessing to others?” A strategic giver plans their gifts. They are tithers (or moving towards the tithe). They make a pledge to give and then execute their giving plan. The strategic giver also realizes that giving is not something we do. Instead, ‘Generous‘ is who we are and our giving grows out of who we are. And that is a little weird.

3) Finally, there is sacrificial giving. This type of giver is beyond weird. They are crazy. These people believe that the things of this world just don’t matter. More than simply acknowledging that truth with words; they actually use their possessions as tools to advance God’s kingdom. This type of giving doesn’t mean they give away everything. They are just willing to give away more rather than accumulate more. Actually many sacrificial givers are quite wealthy – they just don’t live like being wealthy is their goal. These people delight in what they have, but they also delight in giving spontaneously, strategically, and sacrificially.

When we learn to live as generous people, we become more life Christ – that’s weird. In living this way we act on Jesus’ words: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35b).

The weird truth is that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is unfortunate, but true, it is weird to live believing that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It’s also weird to think that we are rich.

What if we lived that way as well?

We might just be a little weird and that is a good thing!

On the way to Sunday

living large
able to pay for and enjoying a very expensive style of living Vacations in the hot spots, a huge apartment in the city, cars, servants - that's my idea of living large!


When we are honest, we all can admit that we want to be able to live large!

We watch those that do and ponder how we would do it better.

“If I were rich like them, I’d be a better rich person than they are. They spend their money on stupid stuff. I’d never do that. I’d only spend my money on good stuff, the right things, ways to help other people.”

I have a friend who's father earned $16,000 a year. He grew up thinking if I can earn that I'll be rich! That's the problem with Rich - it is an ever moving target.

University of Warwick in England completed a study that discovered that for most people – that to feel happy about their income, it had to be more than what their friends and colleagues had. It turned out that no matter how much a person earned as long as they knew someone who earned more – they weren’t satisfied. In other words, what they have isn’t enough, no matter how much it is.

And still we say,
"If I had that kinda money, I would ___________ instead of _________ ."

Money and wealth are interesting things. They cause us to do, think and say interesting things.

What if our whole thought about money is wrong.

The Bible states that the streets in Heaven are paved with Gold. Our response is awesome that riches of heaven are overflowing. BUT, what if they are paved with gold because gold has the same value as asphalt, but looks better?!

Who said Gold in heaven has the same value we place on it in this world?

Jesus said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive."

But we live our lives completely the opposite.

We live to gain, to hoard, to keep, to spend on ourselves.

And that is normal.

What if we lived weird? Jesus weird.

What if giving was more important?

Different can be Good: Got a minute?

We live in a time starved society that relentlessly pushes us to the limits. We are constantly pushed to buy more, do more, accomplish more, and conquer more. We are pushed to be more productive, more efficient, and more expedient. We live day to with a rush, rush, rush – hurry, hurry, hurry – more, more, more - mentality and lifestyle. It is insane what passes for normal these days with regard to how we utilize our time and I blame it on the microwave oven.

Families no longer have the time to eat together – and thanks to the microwave – they don’t have to. Actually, we could probably do away with kitchen tables for dining, because the typical family dinner is now a round of Happy Meals grabbed at the drive through in the 15 minutes between ball practice and dance lessons.

For most of us the schedules that we impose on ourselves consume our lives. If we were honest when someone asked, “Are you enjoying life?” we would have to say, “No, and I don’t have time to talk about it!.” And all of this is NORMAL?!

Now, take a deep breath . . . What if? What if instead of concluding that we don’t have enough time to do everything? What if we embraced the truth – no matter how different or weird it might be? We have just the right amount of time:

By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. 2 Peter 1:3 CEB

We don’t need more time. We just need to use the time we have differently. The truth is we find time for what is important to us (Golf, sports, dinner with friends, haircuts). Everyday most of us say something like . . . “I just don’t have enough time to work out . . . to read the Bible . . . to go to church this week . . . to meet for lunch . . . to add one more thing.” Catch yourself the next time you say “I don’t have time” then tell yourself the truth – this isn’t a priority for me.

Normal people do normal things at a breakneck pace that never leaves enough time to do the important things. Unfortunately as much as we want to believe this pace of life is new to our generation – it was a problem during the time of Jesus as well:

While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.” Luke 10:38-40 CEB

Mary and Martha are both presented with the same opportunity – spend time with Jesus. Mary was no different than Martha – they both had things to do – normal things on the normal daily to-do list. Mary made a deliberate choice. She wasn’t lazy. She chose to focus on what mattered most. Think about it . . . when is the last time you focused on what matters most for even a moment? Mary embraced the moment while Martha was task driven.

We are all too much like Martha: preoccupied, distracted, just plain busy being busy. The things that Martha was doing weren’t bad things. She wasn’t being sinful. We might even say that what she was doing was good and necessary. We would probably do the same thing if Jesus was coming over . . . Got to clean, dust, get out the best china, table linens, new candles, bake a cake, put out the good towels in the bathroom, pretty soap, make a good impression . . . Sound familiar?

Martha’s dilemma is our challenge. We lived convinced that all that we are doing is necessary, good, and right for us to do. We believe that busy is normal. It’s just the way it is.

What if that isn’t normal? What if we are called to live differently? What if we were called to live within a new, and yet weird time zone?

If we follow Christ we are not supposed to be like everyone else. We are supposed to be becoming like Christ – weird huh? In order for us to become weird, we are going to have to change how we think about time. So how do we embrace this weird new time standard in our lives? Allow me to share three ways to embrace Time in your life in a new (albeit weird) way:

Remember Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction”? “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?” If we want to combat busyness in our lives we need to change our conjunction. Instead of saying “and” we need to learn to say “or.” We need to especially teach this to our children, but they will only learn by what we model to them. There are all kinds of good things we can do. We need to learn to do the best things. We need to learn that we don’t have to do everything.

While normal people add things to their to-do list, perhaps you could do something weird and drop something or start your own to-don’t list. That leads me to my next suggestion for dealing with time:

So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. Ephesians 5:15 CEB

Pretty simple - We are to be wise, not foolish. I think that is another way of saying be weird, not normal. To do this we have to learn to ask better questions of ourselves concerning time. The question isn’t am I free? Or can I? The question should be Is this the best or a wise use of my time? We must learn to say no to good things (or at least say maybe some other time), so that we will be able to say yes to the best things. In this world, we allow too many good things to become the enemy of the best things.

Now, Let’s make this personal. Parents from the moment your children are born the clock is ticking. From that moment until the time they are 18 and moving out or heading to college, you have 940 Sundays (Saturdays, Fridays). By the time they are 9 you only have 520 left. After today, there will only be 49 Sundays left this year. What wise choices will you make with those days? Making wise choices is not easy. Sometimes the wise choice might even be weird by everyone else’s standards.

Finally, we need to learn to take the time to rest. We live as if we are afraid that if we don’t run nonstop, trying everything the world has to offer, that we will somehow miss out on something. We are addicted to busyness. We are dependent on our to-do list. We live as if our lives would end if our list was ever not full. When is the last time you actually rested?

We attack everything with a vengeance. We live in life in high gear. We believe we are ‘not normal’ unless we are exhausted on every level and stressed beyond imagination. We live chained to an ever growing to-do list for work, home, family, activities, shopping, repairs, maintenance, commitments, you name it.

When we do seek rest – we attack with a passion. We put it on our list – take a nap, take vacation, book a trip to the spa. We scheduled it, we plan it, we will rest or else! I know. I have been that person. I even revert to that person from time to time. I used to attack vacations!

Compare that with how weird it is to meet someone who is calm, relaxed, at ease, and peaceful. Our immediate reaction is that I want whatever medication there on?
What if getting rest was your norm instead of needing rest? Would that be weird? In our use of time, we are dreadfully in need of a come-to-Jesus meeting.

Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. Matthew 11:28-29 CEB

If we are to be fully alive we need the time to recharge with God. We need to break from the chains of our schedule and learn to embrace resting with God. Remember Eric Liddell (Chariots of Fire)? He refused to run on Sunday. Now that is weird.

What if you made Sunday worship a non-negotiable? What if you were stubborn about keeping a Sabbath hour? Would that be extreme? Would it be weird?

If you want a normal life, do what normal people do.

If you want to know God and walk with Him daily, you are going to have to do what few people are willing to do. You will have to choose to be different:

Eliminates some ‘ands’ – add some ‘ors’
make wiser decisions regarding your time
and learn to take time to rest with God.

People it is time to get weird. Normal isn’t working.

So, if you can spare a minute, let me ask, “What will you do with your time this week?”

On the way to Sunday

How the average American spends their day:



Remember Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction”? “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”




If we want to combat busyness in our lives we need to change our conjunction.

Instead of saying “and” we need to learn to say “or.”

There are all kinds of good things we can do. We need to learn to do the best things. We need to learn that we don’t have to do everything.

Truth is how many more things can we add to our ever increasing to-do list?

But here is the rub, why is that church is becoming one of the 'ors'?

In the eternal perspective of time, shouldn't church and worship be a priority?

What would happen if our spare moments used to play 'Angry Birds' were instead used to pray or read the Bible?

I know it would be weird, but isn't that what were are called to be?

Take a moment and read this Luke 10:38-40

Make a deliberate choice today and spend time with Jesus.

Different can be Good: Normal doesn't work

When I was first introduced to some of the members of this church by our District Superintendent, I believe he said something like “You will discover that Rodney is not your typical pastor.” Now I have often celebrated that type of introduction, but there are other times that I, like you, just want to be normal. I really don’t want to be different. As a matter of fact, I have been doing a lot of thinking about words like ‘normal’ and ‘different’ lately.

What is normal? By definition it means usual: conforming to the usual standard, type, or custom. It can also mean healthy: physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. "Not normal" is often used in a negative sense to refer to the improper or sick. A quick test to see if you are normal:

During a visit to the mental hospital, one newspaper reporter asked the Director 'How do you determine whether or not a patient should be admitted to the hospital'.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we give a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him to empty the bathtub'.

'Oh, I understand,' the reporter said. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'

'No.’ the Director continued, 'A normal person would pull the drain plug. Do you want a bed near the window?'

The question ‘What is normal?’ is often followed up with the question ‘Is this normal?’ I must confess that as I age, I ask the later question more and more. In behavior, normal means not deviating from average behavior. So, what constitutes average behavior? Take a look at these average American stats and see how you measure up:

• The average American consumes 156 pounds of sugar per year.
• The average American consumes 17.9 pounds of bacon per year.
• The average American consumes 50 gallons of soda a year.
• The average American watches 35 hours and 34 minutes of TV each week.
• The average American gets 6 hours of sleep per night.
• The average American consumes 4 pounds of pasta per year.
• The average American consumes 120 pounds of potatoes per year.
• The average American works 46 hours a week.
• The average American wastes 16 hours per week at work.
• The average American consumes 24 pounds of candy a year.
• The average American consumes 13.8 pounds of turkey per year.
• The average American teen “texts” 3000 times per month.
• The average American wastes 40% of their food per year.

I thought I grew up normal, but as I grow older I am not so sure. I played in the street. I played video games in an Arcade and recorded songs off the radio on to a cassette tape. I knew how to program a VCR. I watched cartoons with Cowboy Bob. my bicycle had a banana seat. I traveled in a car w/out air-bags. I grew up without a cell phone, a flat screen tv, surround sound, iPods, Facebook, Twitter, computer or the Internet. I grew up doing what I thought was normal stuff. “But you know what is weird? Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon everything is different” (Bill Watterson creator of Calvin and Hobbes).

I wouldn’t have a problem with our pursuit of being normal, if normal was working. If the pursuit of being normal produced happy people, then I would be all for it. But it doesn’t. Normal doesn’t work because in our effort to be ‘normal’ we are left feeling empty and wanting more.

What if being normal is not what we are supposed to be?

What if we were called to be weird?

Now before we go too far . . . I have to admit that in suggesting we become weird – I want to clarify. After all, isn’t being Christian, weird enough? I am not asking you to become a cable TV, purple hair, bright colored suit wearing, get a blessing by making a contribution, Jeee-zuss! Be healed – weird?

The weird I am talking about is Jesus weird – not people weird. I am talking about the weird that Jesus was talking about when He said,

Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it. Matthew 7:13-14 CEB

Over the years of my life, I have learned to embrace this weird so much that I became a pastor. Weird!

I became a pastor that is described as not your ‘normal’ pastor. Even weirder!

In the coming weeks, I want to challenge you to jump off the normal path and take the narrow, albeit weird, path. I want to talk with you about how we spend our time, use our money, engage in our relationships, and live our faith. We all strive to be normal in these areas, but it isn’t working. As a matter of fact, it is getting harder and harder every day to be normal.

Being normal requires more and more of our time. There are not enough hours in the day to buy, sell, drive, cook, clean, call, shop, eat, plan, study, work, write, review, schedule, and follow through on everything. The effort to be normal leaves you overwhelmed, overloaded, and exhausted. Truth is everybody wants more time, but they want it so they can catch up. Normal is busy and normal is getting busier and busier.

When it comes to money, normal is being in debt - so far in debt that you can’t see your way out of it. Most people are making more money now than they ever have before, and yet the vast majority of us are living paycheck to paycheck. Now more than ever, it is expensive to be normal.

When it comes to relationships, we are so busy, stressed, and exhausted that we seek normal relationships that require little and provide less. In our sexual relationships, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, friends with benefits type sex have all become the norm in our relationships. In our family relationships, we would love to spend more time with our kids, but there isn’t enough time. It would be great to have deep meaningful conversations with our children, families, spouse – but that isn’t how normal relationships work.

Normal even affects our faith and our values. Normal is lukewarm, self-centered, consumer driven. Shallow faith is the norm. God is a means to the end. Normal is claiming to know God, but denying Him by your very actions.

You see, normal isn’t working. So, what if you choose not to coast along the world’s wide-open (normal) road and instead chose to blaze a narrow trail with Jesus as your guide. What if you never had to settle for being normal again?

What if God only asked one thing of you – Be different – Be weird.

and what if being different was good?

This is part of a series of messages inspired by Weird written by Craig Groeschel

On the way to Sunday

In this new year in my quest to be different, I want to try something new. Each week I will share with you some thoughts (notes as it were) that correspond to the message that is being developed for Sunday morning. In general these blogs come under the heading "On the way to Sunday".


The creator of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson, is quoted as saying,

“You know what is weird? Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon everything is different”


That is the funny thing about change. We all resist it, but it always comes to us. When we will learn to embrace change as a comforting friend? When we will see different as what God wants for our lives?

Churches struggle with change. Change anything (pastor, music, bulletin, time, carpet color, etc) and people will leave. Studies have shown that people equate the consistency of church with God. Change something at church and it is as if you have changed the essence of God. That is our problem because God was always bigger than whatever we changed. God has always been surprising us with new ways of thinking about God (just read the Bible).

Perhaps if we took God out of the box we put God in more often, we would discover how BIG God really is in our lives.

God seems to be constantly asking us, "What if . . . ?" The question is different for each of us, but the question always causes us to rethink our positions.

What if being like everyone else, what if being 'normal' wasn't what our lives were to be like?

Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it. Matthew 7:13-14 CEB


What if walking this different path made you seem different?

Could we embrace this?

Different can be Good: A Fresh Start

After today you have 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 525,600 minutes: What will you do with this New Year? A New Year brings for many the dreaded resolutions. The thoughts of being able to begin again, make a fresh start, do a ‘Do Over’, take a mulligan, all bring forth the hope of change for us.

Nearly all of us make resolutions. Over 88 percent of Americans will make at least one "resolution" at the start of the year. Of these resolutions, the most common are: (1) lose weight, (2) save or earn more money, (3) quit smoking, (4) spend more time with family, (5) maintain a budget, (6) find a better job, (7) eat better, (8) become more organized, (9) exercise more, and (10) become a better person. While these are all goals that one should strive for—with 88 percent of Americans setting out to accomplish them each year—less than 20 percent are successful in attaining success in even one of their resolutions.

I believe in the history of time God took a deep breath and resolved to make a change:

The LORD said: The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah. It will be different from the agreement I made with their ancestors when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke that agreement. Here is the new agreement that I, the LORD, will make with the people of Israel: "I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people. "No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the LORD, promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done."
Jeremiah 31:31-34 CEV

Jeremiah 31:31-34 is the most quoted passage of the Old Testament in the New Testament. This “new covenant” passage from Jeremiah is the basis for the division of the Old and New Testaments. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus references this passage when he says, “This is the cup of the new covenant.” Jesus is the new covenant heralded by Jeremiah and the prophets.

Why a new covenant?

In a nutshell: the old covenant was broken and beyond repair. The first covenant was a moral law represented and given in the Ten Commandments. This covenant was broken. This covenant was dependent on the people performing as God dictated.

Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 17 that although the law had been given and the consequences for breaking the law known, the people continued to break the law. The people could not overcome their deceitful hearts. In other words, the people were incapable of keeping the law on their own. God needed a new covenant to redeem the people.

This fresh start, this new covenant, was not to be based on external laws, but inward belief. This covenant would not be about the corporate “heart” of the people, but rather it would be based on the “heart” of the individual.

This new covenant would be a promise that we could know God as the prophets knew God – Directly and Intimately. The new covenant was a promise of hope and forgiveness. Restoration under the old covenant had resulted in more laws, more restrictions and ultimately more failure. The harder you tried to get close to God the further you seemingly got.

Through the prophets, God sought and announced this fresh start, this new resolution, this new covenant with His people. As a matter of fact, this new covenant would be for all people – Jews and Gentiles alike.

This New Covenant had 3 major themes:

1)You must think BIG. God is bigger than how we define Him.

What Moses began with the Law, was not being completed in a new way. The deliverance from Egypt, long ago completed, was now requiring a new kind of deliverance from the bondage of sin.

All of these concepts were far beyond the current knowledge of God. They would require new and bigger thoughts.

2)We will not become new people by following some prescribed formula. Only the Eternal can create what is truly new. We are bound by our past. This new covenant was truly new; therefore, we would only be bound by our inability to let go of the past.

3)The law demands what it cannot give, but Grace gives what it demands.

The heart of this covenant is God’s grace and God’s forgiveness.

Do you desire to change?
Do you want a fresh start?
Do you want to be someone new this year?

This new covenant is for you. This new covenant is written on our hearts and delivered to us from God through Christ. I pray that what your heart believes will change how you act.

That is my resolution this year to act in accordance with my heart.

That is God’s resolution for us as well.

What resolutions have you made?