Shadowlands

Three days ago on November 22nd was the 45th anniversary of the death of Clive Staples Lewis. C.S. Lewis, or Jack as he was known by his friends was probably the greatest Christian writer and thinker in the last 200 years. He was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898 and he died on November 22nd, 1963. If that date sounds familiar to you it is because the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy was asassinated on that day as well. This picture is of Jack's grave that can be found at Holy Trinity Church in Headington, just outside of Oxford, England. 

In 2005 I got to visit Oxford for the day with my beautiful wife Jeana and it was a typical cold March day in England and it was one of the greatest days of my life because C.S. Lewis is my favorite writer and thinker of all time. His work, Mere Christianity, has made such a profound impact in my life that the Bible is the only book that tops it to me. 

Lewis believed that if all you did on Earth was look to this life then all you get is this life but if you aim at Heaven, you get Earth thrown in. He had a word that he used to describe the life that we live now in eager anticipation for the life of Heaven with Christ. He called it the Shadowlands. 

Where are your eyes today? Are they only looking at your circumstances or your suffering right now? Are they looking only in the past where you failed and you cannot change? I know that even as I write this I am convicted to live more with the idea that my life now is just a shadow of what is to come when Jesus comes and restores all things and makes all things new. 

In a week that we as a country stop for a day and give thanks, let us not just give thanks for what we can see, but for what we cannot see. Let us give thanks for Jesus Christ who humbled himself and became nothing so he could exalt us to the highest place with God. Philippians 2 is excellent table reading before eating the turkey or ham so be thankful that we live today but rejoice in the day that is not yet here but full of joy!

Matt

The Empty Kiosk

                               Last night Jeana and I took Emma to the mall to get out of the house and let Emma burn off some energy. Jeana's mom was with us and so the four of us had a great time just walking around. At one point in the night the three girls went into a kitchen store. I do not need anything for my kitchen so I hung out in the busy freeway of holiday traffic. I was daydreaming of sunshine and In-n-Out burgers when this empty kiosk caught my eye. 

Ever since I can remember we have had Kiosk's in Mall's and they are always full of stuff. I think that it is funny that we cannot fit all of the stuff a mall needs to carry in the stores and so we have little stores outside the stores. 

100 years ago in America we were known as citizens in the world. Today we are known as consumers. I am really hoping and praying that the economic fallout that this country is experiencing is reflected the day after Thanksgiving and for the next month afterwards. I hope that more families do not pick up that store credit card just to save 10% on their purchases. What happens every year is that people buy way more than they should, for people that they don't really like, and nobody needs it anyway. 

I have a friend who is a Pastor in Portland, Oregon and he and his wife and their church started something called The Advent Conspiracy. It is a movement away from consumerism and focused on meeting real needs to real people in need. 

Check out their website and get involved.  They also have a Facebook group by the same name. They are doing some radical things for the Kingdom of God!

www.adventconspiracy.org

It will change your life and maybe next time you see an empty kiosk you will rejoice like I did last night!

Matt

The Emerging Hug

Ok so I was at Hage's Christian Bookstore the other day (which by the way I love Hage's and am there at least once a week) and I was looking at the "Emerging Authors" section and these three books were next to each other and it cracked me up to the point that I had to take a picture and blog about it. If you notice the book on the left is Sex God by Rob Bell (Phenominal book on marriage, love, sexuality and spirituality). The book on the far right is Wide Awake by Erwin McManus. The book in the center is by an author named Mark Driscoll. He is also a Pastor in Seattle, Washington. I went to his church a few times when I lived in the Portland area. Mark Driscoll is very vocal about his dislike (almost hatred) for the "emerging" church so it was funny for me to see his book in this section. Recently Driscoll spoke negatively about the book that is a New York Times Bestseller, The Shack. He calls it "idolatry" and "goddess worship" although HE HAS NOT READ THE BOOK and has no plans to. 

I read The Shack on the way to China and could not put it down. It spoke to me in ways that I never thought possible and there were several times on the 19 hour flight to Beijing that the flight attendant came by to ask if I wanted a drink and I was crying. When I was at the Catalyst conference last month in Atlanta I got to meet the author, William Paul Young. He is such a great man of God and so completely humble. When I talked with him about how the book helped me embrace God in a whole new way he shocked me by giving me a hug. Maybe Mark Driscoll just needs a hug? Just saying. 

I have learned so much from Rob Bell and Erwin McManus and have talked with them many times and they are mentors of mine in my journey of faith. Who are some of your mentors, who has shaped you into the person you are becoming. If I were to list all of the people that have made a significant impact on my journey as a Christ follower it would be so long you would have to go get a snack and settle it to read the list. Here is a small version of the list...

Jeana, Emma, Cory, James, Craig and Julie Landino, Dave and Vicky Eikenberry, Tim and Annie Ross, Mom and Dad (both sides of the family), Jimmy and Tressa, Justin and Tia Staple. 

Obviously this is not everyone and if you read this and you do not see your name and you are offended and you are a friend of mine - I am sorry - I am 36 years old and do not remember everything. 

Thank you to those of you who push me to be a better husband, father, son, friend, pastor, student, writer. 

We are all emerging and Jesus is constantly moving in our lives. May we do the same with others!

Matt 

History in My Lifetime

On Tuesday, November 4th, over 136 million Americans went to the polls and voted. Nearly 52% of those people voted for Barack Obama. I was very clear on this blog that my vote went for Mike Huckabee but let me also be clear that our President-Elect and soon to be President Obama is a man that needs prayer and support. If all people do for four years is protest, boycott and scream instead of finding ways to love people and make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ, that will be the real tragedy. I have been frustrated to see so many people saying such hurtful and evil things about Obama and personally I think that if all of the energy people are putting into hate was harnessed to love, this would be a completely different discussion. Time will tell what the direction is that we go as a country but I do know that this is history in my lifetime and hopefully this will be one step in a long journey to bring racial reconciliation. President Bush did more for the continent (yes Sarah Palin, I said continent) of Africa for those severly affected by HIV/AIDS and Malaria and I hope that Obama continues this. When the campaign was going on and Pastor Rick Warren asked Obama if he would sign a PEPFAR (Presidential Emergency Plan For Aid Relief) regarding orphans in the world, he said yes. I am hoping that that happens as well. There is much to be concerned about as a follower of Christ with Obama in the White House but we have a responsibility to pray for our leaders and know that the Kingdom of God will ALWAYS be more powerful and last longer than the empires of this world. 

Matt

Viva La Vida!

THEIR SECOND SONG OF THE NIGHT WAS "VIVA LA VIDA" WHICH MEANS LIVE THE LIFE. THE SONG IS ABOUT PRIDE AND HUMILITY AND THE FACT THAT WHEN WE CHOSE PRIDE WE HAVE CASTLES AND KINGDOMS THAT BECOME PILLARS OF SALT AND PILLERS OF SAND. IT IS ALMOST LIKE THIS IS A CRY FOR GOD TO HELP US LIVE THE LIFE WE WERE MEANT TO LIVE AND SWEEP THE STREETS RATHER THAN TRY AND OWN THEM. BEAUTIFUL INSIGHTS FROM CHRIS MARTIN!

THIS WAS THEIR ENCORE...THE SONG "YELLOW" AND IT WAS LIKE A GIANT CHOIR WITH OVER 15,000 PEOPLE SINGING. 

COLDPLAY'S GUITARS AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WANTED ONE

TIM AND I AFTER THE SHOW. WE WERE SPEECHLESS AND IT WAS SERIOUSLY THE BEST CONCERT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO AND PROBABLY WILL EVER BE AT 

(UNLESS I GET TO SEE U2 AND EVEN THEN I AM NOT SURE)

So last night my friend Tim and I went to The Palace at Auburn Hills to see Coldplay. It was an amazing show with video globes, lasers, video backgrounds, art tapestries, mandolin, tamborine, light panels that pumped with the music. I was blown away on how Coldplay was that great live and I still have the music in my head 12 hours later. Tim got some awesome video with his camera that I will try and post later and you will see how incredible this show was. 

This concert made me think of something that Louie Giglio talks about in his book The Air I Breathe. This is what he says...

"Some of the purest forms of worship are found outside the walls of the church and have no reference to the God of all creation. All you have to do is drop in on a concert at the local arena or go to a sporting event at a nearby stadium to see amazing worship. People are going for it, lifting their hands, shouting like crazy, staking their claim, standing in awe."

I have to admit that there was one song last night that Chris Martin did solo on the piano that sounded so much like a prayer and he was crying out for connection. I don't know what Chris believes about God and the world but a lot of their songs are deeply spiritual and as a band they have been highly influenced by U2 and two of U2's members are followers of Jesus. 

I do not think last night was worship in the sense of a gathering of people crying out to God but I do believe that everyone in that arena has a hunger and thirst for God and tries to fill it with other things (including me at times). 

Their title track "Viva la Vida" means "life the life" and the more that we live our lives with love and mercy and compassion for others, then we are bringing heaven to earth. 

Matt 

My boy Huck

I voted today for Mike Huckabee and I know that his name was not on the ballot (trust me I had to spell out Huckabee) and my conscience is clear before God because honestly I could not vote for McCain or Obama because I simply do not trust McCain or know enough about Obama. McCain wants to keep pouring 10 billion a month into Iraq or Afganistan or Pakistan and so does Obama. Obama wants to keep lowering the tax hit from 250,000 where he started to now 120,000. Now since you all know that I make 120,000 as a youth pastor this worries me. Just kidding, I only make 119,000. 

I have to live with my decision and I am fully aware of that and I know that God is going to use whoever is elected to accomplish his work in the world. I do think that Obama would do a better job on social justice (racial reconcilation, poverty, HIV/AIDS) but I do not really know where he stands on too many things. 

At the end of the day the only thing that matters is the Kingdom of God not the empire of America and hopefully someday we will have a leader in the White House that believes this as well. My King is Jesus and that is the only thing that matters. 

Matt

Uncle Pride

My niece Jade is 8 years old and she is such a great kid. She is a great swimmer and today she had her first swim meet and she competed in two races. I don't know about you but looking at this picture would make me worried about facing her in the pool. Watch out Michael Phelps! She did the 25m freestyle and the 25m backstroke. Jade is so much like me at heart because she is a deep thinker and loves to read. She inhales books like her Uncle Matt and this makes me so excited because I wish that we had more kids in the world that loved learning as much as Jade does. My Emma loves to read books and I think she will learn a lot from her cousin Jade. 

My other niece Sidney is 5 years old and she is just a bundle of joy and happiness. She is so outgoing and loves to talk on the phone already at the age of 5. :)  Sidney is one of those people that lights up a room and if you are even a little bit down about life, she immediately makes you forget it and simply thank God for life. She loves Hannah Montana and everything pretty and everything pink! She is 110% girl and I think Emma is going to be like her cousin Sidney in this area. 

Children are a gift from God but so are nieces...especially mine!

Matt

Emma's First Halloween

Why wait until November 4th, the vote is in...Emma is the most beautiful princess in the world

Emma at her first house...she chose a Kit Kat Bar

Emma and I doing a pre-trick-or-treat walk

So we took Emma out for her first experience with crowds of people (mostly high school students that are way to old to be out getting candy in their gym outfit) dressed up for halloween and of course she was a princess.  Maybe next year I will be more on top of my game and get her a Cookie Monster outfit or Elmo costume. 

We were actually out with a group of our high school students and two of our leaders doing trick-or-treat for UNICEF. We raised $50 in just an hour and that money is going to provide clean water and medication for children affected with HIV/AIDS. 

All of a sudden trick-or-treating took on a whole new meaning. Emma had a great time and we were able to help a great cause in the world. It was a great night!