In considering all things, the loss of Christ’s passion is foremost the most heart breaking loss of all.

No longer do we consider this world’s wonders with an admiration or fear of God. Now we wait for the next great scientist to explain away the miraculous beauty, strange species, or unexplainable event.

However, if you read the Bible is filled with miracles in which Jesus’ followers stood in awe at. To name a few: the healing of physical ailments (eyes, hand, and body), the casting out of demons, the calming of the storm, walking on water, and feeding of thousands.

These were signs, sensational acts, which no one back then could explain and credited God with the phenomenon. Today these stories have been tainted by cheap parlor tricks, which undoubtedly entertain crowds but we know are nothing more than illusion. We rely on highly educated and dedicated doctors to fix our illnesses, and the only credit given to God is that the Doctors were given the intelligence to learn their needed trade. It seems impressive when Food Banks and Homeless shelters seemingly operate on shoe-string budgets, doing more good in one month than most churches do in a year.

In all this we lost that Passion. That zeal that Christ exhibited when he committed himself to a dessert pilgrimage, followed by an unwavering commitment to doing God’s will every day.

Maybe it is like Jesus’ mustard seed parable – “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20).

If we have faith, real faith in Christ, then our faith will turn to action, action to passion, and passion into great feats that only God can explain.

Nothing can quite describe the experience of working as a sports reporter in a small town.

As a sports reporter you see some amazing things in a community of 13,000. Some of which warms your soul; such as seeing thousands of parents, fans, and local residents attend a simple high school homecoming. Others cut you to the core; as when students and coaches host fundraising events to help a local resident who is battling cancer for the second time. But then there are those instances that hit you like a ton of bricks and make you really question, why are you doing this at all?

Earlier this week I had one of those instances.

In a small community like this you begin to understand how seriously people take high school sports. Now I had gotten complaints in the past; you spelled my child’s name wrong, you didn’t report that play correctly, you didn’t provide an article about last week’s game (which apparently doesn’t count if it was posted to the website). However, nothing compared to the brow-beating that I took from a mother who was upset about her daughter’s basketball team not getting “enough coverage.”

With certain High School sports I understand the validity of “enough coverage.” Football and Cross-Country are prime examples. These two sports compete maybe 10 times in a normal season. However, then you have basketball and baseball, who will complete 30-40 times in a regular season. Working for a small paper teaches you that space is limited and valuable. When covering three high schools and the local college, you have to trade-off who gets the coverage. Parents apparently don’t understand this reality.

On Monday two separate mothers showed up about 30 minutes apart. The first brought a fruit basket and simply invited me to more of their girls’ basketball games. The second came and stood about three feet from my desk and exclaimed, “I’m very disappointed in the news’ coverage of sports” (meaning her daughter’s basketball team). She then went on to pressure me to name all the team’s starters, their record, and if I knew that some of the players had played together since they were in Jr. High.

While I would expect this from some people,  one of my co-workers exclaimed “but she is normally such as wonderful Christian Lady,” which broke my heart.

It is a tragedy that our society can take something so simple, as high school sports and newspaper coverage, and allow it to make them disregard their Christian point-of-view.

The loving treatment of others should be so fundamental in our Christian belief system. Not only was it one of the key things that Christ left with his followers, but it is how he lived. He displayed respect for the adulterous woman at the well, he did not condemn prostitute as she was drug into the street, and he did not extend anything but acceptance for the lying, cheating Zacchaeus.

In light of this, it really makes this un-Christian action of ranting about lack of coverage seem very petty and stupid.

I hope that we can all remember to place others first and act in a Christ-like manner when trying to achieve something that we are passionate about.

I know that all “good” Christians attend church, but maybe this is part of the problem.

As I grew up in the Church, I knew that there was this expectation to attend, be involved, contribute, and be a part of the overall health of the organization. I did not come to know this necessarily by example, but by teaching and implied expectations.

As I got older and had various run-ins with the Churches I was either involved in or worked for, and I began to have times when I drifted away from corporate worship. Now do not translate this as drifting away from God, as what my wife believes, but rather I drifted away from the people that I wanted to trust and feel safe around.

Unfortunately, these unsafe-people were the ones (mostly collectively, sometimes individually) who let their church implied ethical desires over-rule their Christ-like desires within the church. Implied ethic; for some, internal defenses just reached Defcon 1, while others know exactly what I am talking about. In every church, or every religious tradition for that matter, there are implied acceptable and unacceptable ways of acting, dressing, or conducting oneself. In general some examples of do not’s are: do not smoke, do not get drunk, do not cuss, do not commit adultery, and do not be caught in blatant sin. Some general do’s are: do shower, do look moderately presentable, do observe and preserve your church’s traditions, do provide for your family, do provide for the church, and do respect your religious leaders. In addition to these some particular’s of my religion are: do not use instruments in worship, do not question the validity of the Bible, do limit women’s roles in the church, and it is ok to look down on others if you are doing it in outwardly loving way.

While there are many conversations that can stem from my above slightly accusational list, what I want to concentrate on is the last one. A few years ago I worked for a church and I was constantly frustrated how people would begin coming to our church and then slowly drift away to attend another church nearby. From this I would blame our programming, the worship, the sermon, the lack of community outreach, or the church leadership (including myself). To say the least I was miserable.

However, after being detached from that situation for some time now I am beginning to understand that many of those within that church had come from a long line of leaders and teachers that loved only those similar to them-selves. So it was not that the church was not providing enough, it was their inability to love outsiders. Churches are a dime a dozen in today’s society. I used to think this created a need for marketing, a good developed sales pitch, and relentless advertising until a church became the only one people thought of. This is the way of the world; promote, promote, promote. But it is not the way of Christ.

Christ did not promote himself. He did not put up billboards, pass out fliers, or advertise a free BBQ with child-care. Rather he loved people. Openly and honestly, he loved people. He served them by attending to the sick, teaching them about a better life, and being an example to his disciples.

Mark 6: 34-37 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

The Church I currently attend has this wonderfully subservient ministry where they help people financially. I think that this is a great need based ministry as a largely lower-income area surrounds our Church. About a year ago our church saw this ministry growing beyond the capacity of one full-time minister and rather than hiring another, they asked church members to get involved. So now as classes takes place on Sunday mornings, a particular group meets and attempts to provide for the physical needs of our neighbors.

My wife tried to get me involved in this ministry, but something deep inside me resisted. It was only this evening that it dawned on me why. When we read about Christ serving others, we read about it coming from himself and his abilities; though today we allow the Church to do this dirty work. We sit in our pews and put money in a collection plate (or use bill pay in my case), and entrust the church to divvy out what we tithe to God. So I have a suggestion, why don’t we do it OURSELVES?

Yes, we should contribute enough to have a place to worship and even pay for our full-time ministry staff (they really do have a tough job), but how much more personal, how much more loving, would it be for us to write a check to help keep someone else’s lights on? We are told to attend to one another’s needs. By pulling out that cash or using that personal check, our bank accounts take a hit and it finally becomes personal to us.

This personal connection is what our churches need today. It is what American culture is missing as we do not have a real understanding of community. We do not share and we do not serve unless it is in an appointed time and place.

So what if, just what if, we began doing that sacrificially everyday? Would the Church look different? I think so. Would people’s needs be met? I think so. Would we have the ability to connect with others? I think so. Would Christ-like love be displayed? I think so.

With something so simple we could change the tradition of the Church and its ability to love.

I am not often convicted, as I am a stubborn person by nature. However, many things have spoken to me lately and in different respects.

But one thing has been made clear; space and time are infinite, and I am a person of small mind, understanding, and time.

At the polar opposite is God. Infinite time and space, is not match for a God that created it.

I think that I constantly delude myself in thinking that I am special. It is selfish and self-centered to believe this, however I have lived with this belief my whole life.

In actuality, I am more than likely a person of mediocrity. I am of average height, average intelligence and average accomplishment. Nothing has given me warrant to believe that this will ever change except for my over inflated ego.

While this is depressing to admit, it is an admission that must be made nonetheless. According to Romans 9, some are raised up for God’s greater purposes and others for common purpose.

What I am convicted about is how I must accept my mediocrity and find contentment in that. This is not an easy plight, but one that I must achieve in due time.

Now if you talk to my wife, she would claim that I am very much like the character Ebenezer Scrooge during the Holidays. I personally have no warm feelings towards any particular holiday and yes that includes Christmas.
This proclamation makes many friends and family cringe. They don’t understand how I cannot enjoy the day that Christ was born. But I see little attraction to this day, or others, marked on a calendar. I think that it’s great that others enjoy observing them and I will probably start when I have kids, as it creates a memorable way to teach them, but for now they serve no real purpose in my mind. So I will continue wandering around the house, muttering things that are best summarized by, “Bah Humbug.”
However, this past Sunday I was reminded of a very interesting fact; the definition of Ebenezer.
“The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.””- 1 Samuel 7:11-13
An Ebenezer is marker, or reminder, that God has helped us to a particular point. This concept of “Ebenezer” is a better definition of what the holidays should be.
With Thanksgiving upon us, the importance of being thankful has been especially laudable in recent years, as everyone has been forced to make tough financial decisions (some more than others). Though universally what we should be thankful for is that we have survived another year and that God has provided our basic necessities.
Holidays serve as easy reminders of time passing and of times of reflection. Christmas, New Years, Good Friday, Easter, and Fourth of July are some times that should make us stop and pray a prayer of thanks for our blessings and make these times more than just holidays, make them Ebenezers of our lives.

Ever since my wife and I have dated, I have loved to go on spontaneous trips.

Typically in Arizona this would consist of driving north for a few hours; hiking, sight-seeing, and returning the same night. After we got married we began staying overnight at different places. This was great fun for me, but it was an adjustment for her.

My wife is a planned individual. She thrives off of order, routine, and understanding what will happen next. After marrying me she has had to adjust to my compulsiveness and possibly embraced it slightly herself.

As she and I continue to work through our current financial “challenging” situation, my wife has applied for different jobs. One that caught her attention was a job with the defense department at Lockheed-Martin in Fort Worth. She went through the preliminary interview and then was contacted roughly a week ago for a second interview.

Unlike most jobs, this government agency (maybe all government agencies) holds scheduled days for their interviews. The two choices were Monday, November. 10 or in the beginning part of December. ‘Compulsively’ my wife accepted the earlier date and we both worked with our employers to get that following Monday off.

The interview went well, but the job will not start until May, 2010. However, it will provide many advantages to her as she seeks to study and test for her CPA certification. Additionally, unlike many other financial auditing jobs, working for the government allows set hours; which will allow her to continue pursuing her Masters degree.

So again I am left asking, is this God’s plan? Are we suppose to move to Fort Worth, allow her to gain experience with the defense department and auditing a large corporation like Lockheed?

The advantages include a paid study program for the CPA exam, having the exam paid for as many times as needed, plus great benefits, job security, set salary raises, and the aforementioned experience/work schedule.

But all we can do is wait and continue to pray……

The key to understanding God, is to not assume.

Not assuming is very difficult for me. Like I previously said I am a bit compulsive by nature, and the only way I get any rest is to seek understanding in ALL things. So when it comes to God’s plan, I am hopelessly drawn to making judgments that are inconsistently correct and incorrect.

In the matter of the youth ministry job I was contacted about, I was completely wrong.

My assumption was that I was to be considered for the job, but it appeared that this did not materialize. I had submitted my application as requested and even spoke to the minister who contacted me.

A week passed and I did not think much of it, but then I abruptly received an email from the church’s Search Committee. Apparently, while I updated and sent in my resume, they had conducted an interview and hired their next minister that same weekend.

I was dumbfounded.

First, it seemed strange to be asked to submit an application but never interviewed. Especially, when the minister who contacted you said that it would be so. Second, how did this turn of events answer my prayers. We are no better off financially and no closer to being able to afford student loans any easier.

So for now my wife and I are forced to continue walking by faith and waiting for an answer.

I am not one to leave large matters unsettled, I am a bit compulsive by nature.

That evening we had a scheduled golf-outing with some friends and I began to talk with them about it. Not much help, but it did appease my compulsiveness.

On our drive home, I had my wife pinned in the car, so I began to spew out all the positives and negatives; she added some of her own, but mostly sat there still unable to give a firm answer on how she felt.

That evening she concentrated on homework and tried to distract myself with the T.V. and computer. As the hours passed, my wife went to bed and I was still restless.

I prayed.

Now this was not the concentrated, well thought out prayers you hear in Church; rather it was a rambling, confused, almost arguing conversation with God. Still restless, I decided to read. Somehow I ended up in Ezekiel 18.

“Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” – Ezekiel 18: 22b-23

I looked up, the clock read 4:30 a.m. and shortly after I finally passed out.

The next day, my wife seemed better prepared to actually talk about the opportunity. Her thought process included three key points. First, she reminded me that God led us out to Texas and that worked out fine, and he could be leading us back. Second, we know this preacher and he does not take action lightly, so he must have a good sense of the church needs and me potentially in the vacant position. Finally, the biggest challenge is that I enjoy my current job and it will be difficult to walk –away.

In the end – I submitted my application.

It started with a prayer.

As my wife and I realized that her place of work was not going to follow through on a verbal contract in which they agreed to increase her work hours and provide benefits, I started to pray.

As a recent graduate from college, student loans are a large financial concern for us, as we try to gain the experience that accompanies larger paychecks. Though I have held full-time positions while in school, I am little more prepared to pay-back my student loans and my prayers have become more fervent.

As the prayers spread over weeks, my wife was called in for two interviews. The interviews went seemingly well, with one considering her as one of their last two candidates, but in the end…nothing.

Then a call came out of nowhere.

It was an average Monday morning. I pulled myself out of bed around 11 a.m. (rough life of a sports reporter) and got ready to go to the weekly media lunch at a local steak house (again, rough life, I know). As I was heading out the door, I grabbed my phone off the charger and tapped the screen to see the normal list of unchecked emails. But then something struck me as odd, I had two missed phone calls. It’s not that I normally do not receive phone calls, but it’s not typical for a Monday morning.

As I climbed into my car and steered towards interstate I-27, I auto dialed my voicemail. The first was from my prior dentist, I say prior, because I refuse to return to a dentist that cannot bill my insurance correctly and insists that I pay the uncollected amount, but the second voicemail caught me off guard.

It was a preacher at a church in Phoenix, Ariz. He and I had a long standing relationship, but it was unlike him to call me out of the blue. As I zoomed along the highway, the voicemail explained that his church had recently lost their youth minister and I was the first person he thought of for the position. My thoughts began to shift into overdrive.

Arizona. Why Arizona? My wife and I just relocated to Amarillo a little more than a year ago and have enjoyed getting plugged into our new community. Plus, I have a job!

I have only been working as a sports writer for a few months now, but I am really enjoying it. It is new, it is challenging, and every week I produce a product which serves a community. However…my degree, my experience, and my desire is working with teens. So I called my wife.

My wife was as shocked as I was, and didn’t have much initial guidance on the matter. So, I called my father. He is knowledgeable in the habits, people, and traditions of this particular church; but all he had to offer was that ‘it was something to consider.’

So I called another preacher friend of mine. He offered to pray over it for me and strongly suggested that I find time alone with God; around this time I made it to the media lunch and pushed this matter to the back-burner.

Lunch progressed without incident and shortly afterwards I was back in the car and heading towards the office. I decided to take the opportunity to call the preacher to get a better feel for what the church was looking for.

Through the conversation I learned that the church was looking for an individual that would be well suited to love the church’s teenagers, build relationships and to convey Christian principals in a purposeful, challenging way. The last youth minister apparently was not a good fit for the church and the preacher knew that from a previous youth ministry job I held in Arizona, that I was familiar with the culture and the challenges.

This all sounded good, maybe too good, and all I could reply with is that I would talk about it with my wife and we would pray about it.