Dirty

I've probably preached 20 sermons over the past 4 years. Though I love preaching, I'm already learning that some mean more to me than others. Shoot, I'm sure there's a couple I don't remember at all. But one I preached a year ago keeps coming back. It's left a mark on me. It was called 'Dirty'. It was a sermon based on reflections from the life of Christ, looking at the times he got 'dirty' in the New Testament. It stemmed from Jesus' encounter with the Pharisees in Mark 7:1-8, where the religious leaders questioned Jesus for not washing His hands (ceremonially) before He ate. Jesus rebuked them for having clean hands, but dirty hearts. As it turns out, it's not so bad to get a little dirty after all. In fact, in order to keep clean on the inside, we need to be willing to get dirty on the outside. Jesus wasn't afraid to get dirty.

• He got dirty in Mark 1:40-41. In Jesus' time, the Jews believed that it made one unclean (spiritually dirty) to touch someone with leprosy. But Jesus healed a man with leprosy when He touched the man. Jesus could have healed a difference, but He didn't. He touched the man. As Walter Pink puts it, "The contagion of holiness overcame the contagion of uncleanliness." We get dirty in a good way by reaching out to heal others.
  
• Jesus got dirty in John 8:1-11. Jesus rescued a woman caught in adultery from a group of men with a warped sense of justice, when He bent down, and wrote in the dust with his finger. Then he rose up and said, "If anyone is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone." No one did. There's a lot to this episode, but we get dirty in a good way by protecting others from injustice.
• Jesus even got dirty in John 13:1-8. It was His last night on earth. He was gathered with His disciples to celebrate the Passover meal before He would be betrayed, tortured, and crucified. Now it was customary for a host to provide water for guests to wash their feet upon entering the house. Sometimes, slaves would wash guests' feet (though Jewish slaves were exempt because the job was considered so low). Sometimes, in an extreme act of love and devotion, a disciple would wash the feet of his rabbi. But it was unheard of for a rabbi to wash his disciples' feet. Yet on this night, Jesus washed His disciples' feet. He got dirty. We get dirty, in a good way, when we serve others.

This has challenged me time and time again. Unless I'm willing to get a little dirty, I'm not really clean where it counts. Too often, I'm like Alexandra Rover in the movie Nim's Island.



Too often, I hide behind selfishness and fear of the 'unsanitary'. But I know I need to reach out and touch the world. It's time to get dirty.

I Don't Want To Lose Heart

I recently ready John Eldridge's Waking the Dead. Very good. I needed to hear much of what he wrote. In it, he tells a portion of the Tin Man's story from The Wizard of Oz that fails to make it into the movie. Originally, the Tin Man was a real man, who was really in love. But the Wicked Witch carried out an evil plot against the Tin Man. She cast a spell that would eventually harden his heart. Every time the Tin Man was injured, his injured body part would be replaced by tin. Stronger. More durable. Safer from harm. But after a series of blows, his humanity was reduced to efficiency. I think as of late, I too have seized upon efficiency, busyness, and productivity over real life.

Perhaps it's the result of a difficult move (difficult in the sense that it was hard to leave where we moved from - where we've moved to is great). Whatever the reason, I find myself driven more by duty than love lately. I find myself yearning to have my heart back. I don't want to lose heart.

It brings to mind a scene from Braveheart. The young prince, Robert the Bruce, has just returned from the battlefield, where he had betrayed the Scottish hero William Wallace, to report to his father (now near death due to his leprosy).



"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." - Proverbs 4:23

How do I do that? What helps? Starting my morning out in God's Word. Worshiping him in private on my guitar. Lately, I've been going back and listening to some of the music I listened to when I first gave my life to Christ. For awhile, I've been sensing I need to start doing a monthly DAWG (Day Alone With God) day. Whatever it is, I better do it. I don't want to lose heart.

How about you? What helps you guard your heart?

Masterpiece Theater

I love classical literature and reading through such books as Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robbinson, A Little Princess, and A Jungle Book with my children has been a great joy. What strikes me about the writing of that time is the prodigious number of Scriptural references woven in the the fabric of the writing of that time. Even non-Christian authors from that period refer to events in the Bible we'd consider obscure by today's standards. The Bible was the literary common ground of the people in that day and age. Preachers today cannot refer to Moses, Abraham, Jacob, or even Paul without having to explain who they were. All of this led to the following clip we filmed with the help of Celebrate Church (www.celebratesf.com).

Cheesy I know, but I hope it might inspire some to dig into the true Masterpiece. Thank you, Cory Vinz for all your work on this project. It was a joy working with you.

And When I Run, I Feel His Pleasure

More from Chariots of Fire. I love this scene. Though many have supported and encouraged Eric Liddel in his bid to run for England in the 1924 Olympic games, one very close to him hasn't; his sister Jennie. She's concerned that this running and talk of medals is derailing him from his true calling (in her mind); the mission in China. It all comes to ahead when Eric is late for a missions meeting because of his training.

"And when I run, I feel his pleasure." Rick Warren would say Eric understood his S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual Gifts - Heart - Abilities - Personality - Experiences). There are things I do that when I do them, I can feel His pleasure; reading to my kids, tucking them in at night, reading, studying, teaching, preaching, drumming, presenting Bible truths to the kids at church, etc. How about you? Are there certain things you do that when you do them, you can feel God's pleasure?

Do You Know What Day It Is?

One of the key concepts in the movie Chariots of Fire is that of the Sabbath. Eric Liddell, Scotland's finest wing and representative of the U.K. in the 1924 Olympics, had strong convictions about the Sabbath as you will see.


So the Sabbath wasn't a day for playing football (Sorry Mr. Dungy). It also wasn't a day for running Olympic races, even mere qualifying heats. The day was the Lord's and no one else's. End of story. But what does that mean? What is the Sabbath and how are we to keep it? When one reads the Gospels, one may notice that one of the hottest points of contention between Jesus and the religious leaders was that of the Sabbath. The religous leaders had come up with mile-long list of what one could and could not do on the Sabbath. Healing on the Sabbath was a big "no-no" in their eyes. If I remember rightly, the first time we read of the religous leaders plotting to kill Jesus, it is on the heels of Jesus healing a crippled man. As with most things, it seems there are two extremes to avoide; 1) Making too much of it (like the religous leaders), or 2) Making nothing of it at all (as I sometimes have). So what is it? I understand the Sabbath to be...

• A day of rest and refreshment. (As the Lord took a day of rest after Creation)


• A holy day (set apart, unlike other days, reserved for sacred purposes)

Is there any limitations as to what one can do for enjoyment? It is not a day merely to catch up on the chores around the house. The Lord had the Israelites do all their food prep for the Sabbath the day before so they wouldn't have to do it on the Sabbath. But what about Mr. Cubical man who can think of nothing more enjoyable than working on the lawn on a Sunday. What if that fills his tank? If I could describe what I'd hope my typical Sabbath to be, it would involve the following...

• Worship at church


• Lunch w/ friends and/or family


• A nice nap with my bride


• Reading at least a 1/2 hour with each of my kids


• A long walk at the state park (nice weather) or a good swim at the community center (bad weather)


• Sunday Sundaes for supper


• One of our "family night" devotions with our kids


• Watching a movie with Michele or playing games with friends

What do you think the Sabbath is for? How do you think the Lord would have you keep it? I'd love your feedback.

Remembering Uncle Vern

My family and I attended the funeral of my Great Uncle Vern this week. He was 81 years old and recently lost the battle to cancer. I thank God for the chance we had to say goodbye to him several weeks back. I'm also thankful that he slipped away quickly and with minimal pain.

Grandpa Donald died when I was four and I have very little recollection of him. But I do remember after the funeral wandering, "Who'll be my grandpa now?" It was later that same day when Uncle Vern took me down to Anson Park to play. I considered him my grandpa ever since.

They sure don't make them like him anymore. He encapsulated so many of the great qualities Brokaw saw in Vern's generation, the Greatest Generation. Patriotic - he served our country in WWII as a combat engineer in the Pacific. Hardworking - he worked over 38 years at Lennox there in Marshalltown, becoming a team leader in the commercial furnace area. I've never met a better card player. No one was more competitive and yet no one was a better sport than Vern.

He was a quiet man in that he rarely said more than a man should, but he was a loud man in that his words carried alot of weight. Such a booming voice. Nothing made me feel better than having him agree with something I said. When he laughed, I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

He was a servant to his family. His last days on earth were spent doing everything possible to see that his wife, Marilyn would be taken care of. At my last visit, he had to show me the new landscaping. His son, Jeff, had taken out all the green treat timbers bordering their landscaping ("nearly every one rotten, Danny") and replaced it with concrete blocks. "That's concrete, Danny, as in PERMANENT!" (As in, "Marylin won't have to worry about it.") Few men have ever loved or enjoyed his family more.

After the funeral, we stopped by his house to change for the trip home. I changed down in Vern's room in the basement. His shower was down there. His solid oak desk was down there. How many bills had he paid at that desk? How many repairs had he completed there? How many plans had he conceived there - plans I'm sure he completed. I looked his storage shelves over. Nothing extravegent, but everything one needs to take care of a home. I looked at his work bench. No fancy tools, but everything needed to get the job done, and every one of them used.

Vernie, I will miss you so much. You were one of the kindest, gentlest, strongest, stout-hearted, steadiest, fun-loving men I've ever known. Being around you made me want to be a be a better man. Of all the words I've heard that describes heaven, "reunion" is one that means a great deal to me right now.

Just Tell Me... I'll Believe You

In Mel Gibson's movie, A Man Without A Face, there is a young boy, Charles, who seeks the help of Mr. McCloud to get ready for an entrance exam into an Academy. Now Mr. McCloud is a man of mystery in those parts, largely because of his recluse lifestyle and disfigured face. But as it turns out, Mr. McCloud was a teacher once and longed for the opportunity to teach again. Out of that teacher-student relationship, a friendship was formed.

Unfortunately, Charles' home life is a mess and one night after an episode, he flees to Mr. McCloud's home. An awkward scene follows in the morning when the police come to pick Charles up. You see, Charles' family was unaware of his relationship with Mr. McCloud. The situation is exacerbated when it comes to light that Mr. McCloud's disfigurement was the result of a car crash which claimed the life Mr. McCloud's passenger, a boy who was one of students. Allegations of sexual abuse came up in Mr. McCloud's manslaughter trial.

Charles is shocked. In the following clip, we see Charles stealing away to Mr. McCloud's house because he's determined to find out the truth...

In Matthew 11, we see that John the Baptist is in prison and his death is drawing near. Earlier, he had baptized Jesus of Nazareth, sure that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. But in the depths of a dungeon, doubt grew. So he sent of his disciples to inquire as to whether Jesus was truly "The One."

Check out the whole chapter @: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mt%2011&version=31

John's disciples ask Jesus point blank, but Jesus puts the ball back in their court somewhat. He doesn't just "come out and say it." Oh, he gives them ample evidence, but I can sense John's disciples' consternation... "Is that a 'yes'? I think he said 'yes'? Did you hear him say 'yes'? Oh, come on Jesus, just give us a 'yes' or 'no'!" But Jesus doesn't make it so easy. Now by the end of the chapter, Jesus is perfectly clear. But at the same time, he leaves that little margin of space over which his inquirers must step. He forces them to come to their own conclusion.

Just like Mr. McCloud did with Charles. Jesus provides more than enough information, but he will not "fill in the blank" for those who "want to know". Why is that? I'm convinced it's not because Jesus is being coy or evasive. Perhaps he pushes the burden of decision back on his inquirers because something inside of us happens when we're forced to make our own minds up. We own those kinds of decisions. We move from the realm of shallow belief to that of bedrock conviction and that, I think, is what Jesus is looking for in us.