Archive for the ‘Columns’ Category

Jan
18
2012

Don’t Be the Hero of Your Own Story

I recently wrote this for my weekly teen Crosswalk.com devo: 

If you and Abraham were in Heaven, relaxing over a sweat tea in rocking chairs (I know Heaven isn’t like Cracker Barrell, but that’s the best I can do right now), I think he would tell you that his little weekend trip to Egypt (Genesis 12:10-13:4) was one of the dumbest moves he made.

I’m not saying this lightly, because for me to say anything this man of faith did was dumb is like me chiding Aaron Rogers for not throwing a tight enough spiral. But Genesis clearly portrays Abraham’s move as being misguided at best.

Think about how it played out. He almost lost his wife to Pharaoh. He caused God to send plagues on Pharaoh, which I’m sure made that world ruler’s day. He also picked up Hagaar in Egypt. We all know how that worked out in Abraham’s family. And it was in Egypt that Abraham and Lot hit the jackpot and became rich. Their spoils eventually became a source of conflict and set Lot on a path to Sodom.

No, this Egypt thing didn’t work so well. God’s intent was for Abraham to stay in Canaan and let God be the hero in taking care of His people during the famine.

You see, Abraham’s issue was the issue you and I face. And I’m talking about those of you who are following Jesus. Maybe you’re not perfect. Maybe you don’t journal with a moleskin and you occasionally check your Facebook too much. However, you’re heart is right in wanting to follow Jesus as Abraham’s was.

And yet in the midst of trusting God, a big crisis occurs. For Abraham it was a famine. This mean he had schlepped his family all the way to a strange land (obeying God) and now they had no food, no water, no provisions. There was no nearby 24/hour Walmart. No Panera Bread or Jamba Juice.

This was a real crisis. But instead of trusting God, Abraham trusted himself. He was going to be the hero of the story. In doing so, he forgot something powerful. When God calls us, He is the hero of our story. Instead of seeing if God could do a miracle and feed His people in the desert (not like God ever did anything like that before, right?), Abraham took matters in his own hands.

I’ve done that lots of times. And I only end up with dirty hands and nothing to show for my scheming efforts.

What’s cool, though, about Abraham’s story is that even though he messed up in Egypt, God still was the hero of Abraham’s story. In other words, Abraham’s lack of faith didn’t thwart God’s plan to make a people and a nation out of which the Redeemer would come. God even used Abraham’s folly to show Himself strong in Egypt and continue the forward march of rescuing His people from their sin.

So what this means is that God isn’t surprised when you and I screw up. He isn’t in Heaven doing a facepalm. He’s not tweeting our failures in disgust.

No, God even uses our evil for His good.

So if you want to see God at work, learn from Abraham’s folly and stop trying to be the hero of your own story. When crisis strikes, let God be the first One you consult. Trust Him.

Abraham could tell you that God’s record is pretty good when it comes to faithfulness. Actually it’s perfect.

Dec
30
2011

The Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible | Kyria

I was pleasantly surprised to find that an article I wrote for the Kyria online magazine (Christianity Today) was among it’s most popular articles. This was one I enjoyed writing, a sort of contrarian take on the typical depiction of Job’s wife:

Her name was never revealed and yet she may be the most infamous woman in the Bible. Augustine labeled her “the devils accomplice.” Calvin called her “a diabolical fury.”And the contemporary understanding of Jobs wife hasnt improved on Calvin or Augustine. Its difficult to find a book or sermon treatment of the life of Job that doesnt include the usual condemnations toward his wife. It has become a standard joke to pity Job, as if his wife was yet another cross God called this man to bear.If the Proverbs 31 woman represents a model of Christian virtue, the wife of Job occupies the role of least desirable, sharing space in the Hall of Shame with the likes of Jezebel, Delilah, and Michal.But is this image an honest assessment of her character? Or is there a possibility that in our rush to empathize and identify with Job, weve rushed to cast judgment on his wife?

To read the entire article (including the many comments that vehemently disagreed with my take), click here:  The Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible | Kyria.

Dec
20
2011

Elijah: Jack Bauer of the Old Testament, Spiritual Living, Christian Faith

I was honored to have an article chosen as one of Crosswalk.com’s top ten articles of the year. It is the article: “Elijah, Jack Bauer of the Old Testament.” Here is an excerpt:

There’s a part of Elijah’s life that doesn’t often get told. This is the scene that would get left on the cutting room floor. This is the chapter the editor would delete.

You turn to 1 Kings 19 and you can hardly believe what you read. This is just after Elijah’s epic spiritual victory on Mt. Carmel, so you’d think you’d find Elijah celebrating. But there’s no postgame champagne for this guy.

Instead, we find this Bible superhero in the fetal position, miles from the city, under a juniper tree. He’s crying and asking God to take his life.

This is not something we expect from our superheroes. They are made of something bigger than this. They don’t cry. They don’t break down. They certainly don’t ask God to take their lives.

But Elijah does. Why? Well it turns out that while all of Israel returned to the worship of Jehovah, Queen Jezebel didn’t. In fact, she threatened Elijah with death.

Now you would think Elijah would easily say, “Okay, God just brought down fire on the altar, I think He can handle this one.” But Elijah was physically and emotionally spent. And the one person he wished would have come to faith rejected him. He didn’t see the entire nation bowing down. He only saw Jezebel rejecting him.

But something happened under that juniper tree that redirected Elijah. God changed Elijah’s theology.

Read the whole thing here: Elijah: Jack Bauer of the Old Testament, Spiritual Living, Christian Faith.

Apr
20
2011

Why Reading Books Still Matters

readingphoto © 2008 ladyb | more info (via: Wylio)One of the big questions we’re facing in the 21st Century is the question of books. Will we still need books? Or does everyone simply read blogs. In a world of iPads, Kindles, and Wii, are books important or are they an analog relic of the ancient past?

It is true that the digital revolution has transformed the way we learn and process information. But I want to make an argument that books still matter.

Why Reading Matters

I’m not sure who said it, but it’s a good piece of wisdom. Readers are leaders and leaders are readers. Take a close look at the successful people around you and one thing you will notice is that they are readers. Most people thought of George W. Bush as an off-the-cuff Texan who thumbed his nose at the “elites.” His enemies dismissed him as lacking intellectual curiousity and depth. What most people don’t know is that President Bush was an avid reader. This is what his closest advisors, Karl Rove said:

In the 35 years I’ve known George W. Bush, he’s always had a book nearby. He plays up being a good ol’ boy from Midland, Texas, but he was a history major at Yale and graduated from Harvard Business School. You don’t make it through either unless you are a reader.

According to this Wall Street Journal article, one year the Leader of the Free World read 95 books. While serving as President. That’s around 2 books a week. Quite a pace. Leaders are readers.

Read More

Nov
15
2010

The I’m Okay Syndrome

I wanted to post my Crosswalk.com article here.  It reflects some of the material that I’m working on for a future book on 2nd Generation Christians:

Growing up in a Christian school, I loved having a few bad kids around. Not because I hung out with them or did what they did. I was too spiritual for that.

I loved the bad kids, because they made me look good by comparison. When someone get’s caught smoking, watching a forbidden movie, or getting too close to his girlfriend, it was a great opportunity for me to stick out my chest a little further and engage in good, old-fashioned gossip.

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Nov
08
2010

Thank God for the President

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Sometimes I don’t like the Bible.

That might shock, since I’m a pastor, Christian author, and speaker. But sometimes I don’t like the Bible.

What I mean by that is this. Sometimes I read the Bible and nod my head and love what it is saying to me.

But other times I read the Word and like sandpaper on the soft timber of my soul, it grates, it rubs, it, well, it convicts.

Read More

Jul
19
2010

Developing Decision-Makers

“Will they make good choices?” This is the question that every parent asks, especially parents of teenagers. Its what keeps you up at night, fretting, hoping, and praying.

In my work as a pastor, I often counsel young people on the wide array of choices that lie before them. And even though I’ve talked to scores of teens from a wide variety of backgrounds, I can usually categorize them into one of two groups: those who have been equipped to make good choices and those who have not.

I’ve found that its not enough for parents to simply help them through tough choices. A good parent works hard to equip their children for a life of making those choices on their own.

How do we do this? I’ve developed five key principles that I think help to build every child’s decision-making muscles:

Read the rest as part of my guest post on Radical Parenting:

May
10
2010

Crosswalk Column: Growing Up is a Good Thing

Below is my latest Crosswalk Column:

Growing Up is a Good Thing

As a father of three young kids, I’m never at a loss for laughs. Every single day, one of my kids does or says something so funny that Angela and I burst out in laughter. My son, Daniel, is a year-and-a-half old and can say like three words. So he usually points and grunts when he wants something.

One night at dinner, he was doing his “pointing and grunting” thing. But I couldn’t figure out what he wanted. His drink? No. Pacifier? No. More food? No.

I think I grabbed everything within a five-foot-radius. Finally I picked up the blue lid to the mayonnaise container. Daniel stopped pointing and grunting. All Daniel wanted to do was feel the texture of this lid.

The other day we were praying for a friend with some financial woes. Grace began her prayer, “Jesus, help our friend steal money.” She was totally sincere.

We get such a kick out of our kids. Who needs comedy? We get it every day in the Darling house. When kids are five and 1 and four months, they do funny, foolish, dumb things that make you laugh.

But I want to get serious for a second. Fast forward ten years. Imagine Daniel is still pointing and grunting. It probably wouldn’t be funny. It would be sad and we’d wonder if he had some kind of disability. Read More